*Pastor's Message
*Financial Statement
Announcements:
Communion (Regular services): 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month.
St Andrew's Presbyterian Church is celebrating Advent Noon Hour Worship & Lunch
beginning Wednesdays December 1, 8, and 15 at 12 PM.
This is a time of prayer and hearing God's Word for us this Advent as we reflect upon the theme of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel". Lunch is by donation.
**Wearing a Mask and Double Vaccination is mandatory.**
Newsletter:
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) in partnership with the Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) invites you to pray for the people of British Columbia and to consider making a gift to support recovery efforts. As CLWR moves to quickly identify partners well-positioned to respond effectively, your gift will provide emergency support and hope for recovery.
CLWR is accepting donations now through the following options:
•Send a cheque made payable to CLWR and mailed to CLWR, 600-177 Lombard Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3B 0W5. Please indicate that you wish to contribute to "BC Floods."
•Make a donation on its website at clwr.org/BCfloods.
Call CLWR at 1-800-661-2597 (locally at 204-694-6502), Monday to Friday, 9:00 -16:00 CST to donate by credit card or go online at: clwr.org/BCfloods
NOTE: Sample Church Bulletin script -
“The Luther Village Giving Challenge 2021 has now been launched with the goal of $30,000 – which we can only reach with YOUR help! Yes, YOU!
In 2021, due to the continued presence of COVID-19, Luther Village had no other option but to cancel a significant portion of our programming and shorten our camp year, due to the Manitoba/Ontario border restrictions. Not only was this a loss for those who couldn’t attend camp, but an impact on our financial state. Generosity in giving is integral for this community to continue for future generations. Volunteers will be calling to reach out to members of our community in the next couple of weeks - or you can head online to www.luthervillage.ca. to donate today! Be sure to follow us on social media to see the progress of this year’s challenge!” Amber Allen (she/her) Hospitality Manager Luther Village Camp winter office#: 204-783-3337 year-round #: 1- 807-464-4243 #2
Canadian Lutheran World Relief: Donations Provide support for British Colombians impacted by the disaster. Also, check out the 2021-22 ”Gifts from the heart” catalogue.
CLWR Head Office Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. CT
600-177 Lombard Avenue, Winnipeg MB R3B 0W5 Phone: 204-694-5602 Toll-free: 1-800-661-2597 Email: clwr@clwr.org
ELECTIONS
Elections for new Church council members:
Council wishes to announce 4 new church council members are needed
Outgoing are Heddy, Rick, Jerry and Don; elections
Pastor's Newsletter - December 2021
Scripture: Luke 1:30-31 "And the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.'";
Luke 1:35 "And the angel answered her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the most high will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God.'"
Sisters and brothers in Christ, Grace and peace to you from our Lord.
How many times have you heard in the media that "Christmas is over" when Dec 25th is over? It is like we have turned everything around by celebrating Christmas during Advent. Can we turn things around and celebrate the whole of Christmas?
Christmas, according to the liturgical calendar, isn’t just a day, but a season. Many Christians know the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” or recall that Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is about the last night of Christmas. But what defines the Christmas season?
The 12 days of Christmas are a reversal of the season of Advent. Traditionally, Christians have fasted during Advent as we await the celebration of the birth of our Savior. The period from Christmas Day (Dec 25) to the day before Epiphany (Jan 5) (the celebration of the magi visiting Jesus, the baptism of Jesus and the beginning of his earthly ministry) is a period of daily feasting. This is surprising, given the reason for celebrating several of the days.
The first day of Christmas, the Feast of the Nativity is obvious enough as a reason to celebrate. The Messiah has been born into the world! The next day, however, is the feast of St. Stephan, the first Christian martyr, who was killed under the authority of Saul of Tarsus/Paul (Acts 8:1). The emotional whiplash of celebrating the birth of the Savior and then the next day celebrating the life and martyrdom of the first person to die for Christ is stunning. However, tradition calls for a joyful feast to celebrate the faithfulness of Stephen, even unto death.
These 12 days help Christians remember that the life of faith is full of challenges and hardships but also contains plenty of reasons to celebrate as we remember the heroes and heroines of the church, and most importantly, our Lord and Savior.
The third of the 12, celebrates the life of St. John the Apostle. He was, traditionally, the only disciple who wasn’t martyred. Tradition holds that John took care of Mary, the mother of Jesus, made disciples, grew old and finally died a natural death in Ephesus.
The fourth day of Christmas is the most shocking. The Feast of the Holy Innocents commemorates the death of all boys in Bethlehem, aged 2 and under, at the hands of Herod the Great’s soldiers (Matthew 2:16-18). Again, we feel the emotional rollercoaster, as we’re reminded that the Christian life isn’t simply one of sweetness and joy, but also of pain, hardship and injustice. Nevertheless, the fourth day of Christmas is the Feast of the Holy Innocents, rather than a fast, because we celebrate the One who has conquered sin and death and doesn’t surrender these precious little ones, or any others, to the grave forever.
The following days celebrate Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket’s resistance to injustice; the holy family; Pope Sylvester, who resisted the Donatist and Arian controversies (in many Germanic-speaking countries, New Year’s Eve is still called “Sylvester”); the circumcision of Jesus; St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, who defended the doctrine of the Trinity; Jesus’ presentation and naming in the Jerusalem temple; the hermitage of St. Simon on the pillar; and even two American saints: Elizabeth Ann Seton and John Neumann.
These 12 days help Christians remember that the life of faith is full of challenges and hardships but also contains plenty of reasons to celebrate as we remember the heroes and heroines of the church, and most importantly, our Lord and Savior.
May the next four weeks of December, the season of Advent, be blessed with time of preparation. Not just gifts and food but It’s about a preparation of of your soul and heart. A repentance for celebrating the coming of God in the flesh, Jesus, who will die to save us from our sins. And may the season of Christmas be filled with the wonder of Christ's birth, Emmanuel "God is here"!
God bless you and yours throughout these seasons, Pastor Laurel
Finance Report: October 2021
Council met online for our October 20th meeting. Dorothy provided the financial statements for the month of September.
Total Givings for the month of September was $5655.00.
Total Income from all sources was $6456.07
Total Expenses for the month of September were $7617.45
Net Income for September was a deficit of $1161.38
Total Givings YTD is $48730.00
Total Income from all sources YTD are $61889.33
Total Expenses YTD are $66418.83
Net Income for 2021 to date is a deficit of $4529.50
Government Grants received YTD $15000.00
Net Income $10470.50
Council wishes to thank those who have contributed to the Virtual Fall Supper and to our financial commitment to the Winter Shelter.
Council discussed the election of new council members. We would like you to consider joining council for a three-year term. There are four vacancies to fill this year at our next AGM. Jesus is calling.
In God’s Service
Property Finance Committee
Rick Norberg, Marv Hollender, Don Wrobleski
2021 Elected Executive
Chair: Heddy Mueller
Vice-Chair: Rick Norberg
Secretary: Kathy Maxon
Envelope Secretary: Sharolyn Molnar
Treasurer: Dorothy Raynor
Financial Committee: Rick Norberg, Don Wrobleski, Marvin Hollender
Mission Committee: Kathy Maxon, Jan Cuggy, Sharolyn Molnar
Parish Committee: Arlene Pottinger, Jerry Erickson, Tyler Foster
Our Mailing Address:
Redeemer Lutheran Church
114 Ashgrove Blvd
Brandon, MB R7B 1E1