The Messenger 2011 December

Winter is here, in San Antonio, early, as we are just entering December! Of course, for me, using the word “winter”, as the days still climb well into the 60′s, is strange, even through I have been here for a year, now.

I think that the extreme emphasis on Christmas shopping is the same in the North, South, East, and West of this blessed country. However, Christmas decorations, I believe, are much more prominent, here, in South Texas, than they are in the Northeast. I don’t know if it because the Christmas spirit is stronger here, or because putting up Christmas decorations in South Texas is not a frigid experience.

Most important for us, as Christians, it is Advent! It is the four weeks that we especially emphasize and celebrate that Jesus was born into the life of humanity, two-thousand years ago, and, even more important, Jesus is coming back to take us, those who have been graced with faith, home, to the heaven we can’t even imagine!

Then, the “good news” is that the God who is with us now, in Jesus, our “Emmanuel”, will never abandon us. Even death and the grave cannot separate us from “the love of God, in Christ Jesus, our Lord.”

Brothers and sisters in Christ, remember this most blessed news, as we go through the glorious season of Advent!

Remember in Your Prayers…

Worship Assistant Schedule

Sunday December 4th

Crucifer – Ethan Clark

Book Bearer- Noah Tezel

Mentors – Travix Kilian & Reily Jonas

Acolytes – Emma Fletcher & Aiden Tezel

Communion Cups – Hunter Durbon

Sunday Dec. 11th

Crucifer – Adam Cox

Mentors – Kara Markert

Acolytes – Mickey Albert & Joy Markert

Communion Cups Jordyn Altmeyer

Sunday Dec 18th

Crucifer – Jack Noblett

Book Bearer – Ben Wenzel

Mentors – Marin Hansen & Robin Zuercher

Acolytes – Dane Hansen & Domingo Markert

Communion Cups – Conner Shenot

Sunday Dec 25th

Crucifer – Noah Tezel

Book Bearer – Travis Kilian

Mentors – Reily Jonas & Ethan Clark

Acolytes – Ben Esser & Kirsten Koehn

Communion Cups – Kade Stuart

Altar Flowers

Altar flowers are needed for the follwoing Sundays – the cost is $25:

Jan 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

Quilting Materials Needed

The quilters are in need of cotton/cotton blend material or money to purchase material needed to make quilts for Lutheran World Relief. Your help would be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Ruth Leopard or Gerri Koehn.

Day School News

The Grace Lutheran Day School students have been enjoying learning about the Thanksgiving Holiday and Harvest time. The children enjoyed a Thanksgiving celebration filled with food and goodies. This coming month of December we will present some activities that emphasize the reason for the season. The children will have a Christmas Party on December 17th. During the party the children will have a book exchange this will be fun and is a great way to promote literacy.

Grace Niños News

School is back in session! Students enjoyed a break for the Thanksgiving holidays after a busy fall season. At the end of October, students celebrated the first annual Noah’s Ark party, complete with animal costumes and animal-related treats. Students performed for Grace Place for the first time this school year.

We entered the month of November with themes of sharing, giving, and giving thanks. Students collected non-perishable food items and personally delivered 2 wagon loads of food to CAM as part of the chapel program on Nov. 10th.

Students performed a Thanksgiving program, along with Day School students, on November 17th for Grace Place, family, and friends. We also enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving feast thanks to the generosity of all of our families!

We celebrated two birthdays in November. Congratulations to Zachary and Kade, who both turned 5 this month!

Our fall calendar fund raiser was a success, with $330.00 raised for the Grace Niños program. Thank you to all of our families who participated and to members of Grace who purchased calendars to support Grace Niños and the Day School.

Students are now busily collecting change for our Christmas service project, “Change for Chicks”. A joint collection day is scheduled for Sunday, December 4th during the worship service. We will take a field trip to Frost Bank on December 8th to count the change collected in order to purchase chicks for third world countries through the ELCA Good Gifts program.

We are also looking forward to our Christmas program and luncheon on Thursday, December 15th. Grace Niños and Day School students will combine for the performance and will host Grace Place staff and clients for a tamale luncheon.

Students will take their holiday break, with no classes from December 19th-30th. Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 3rd. Happy Holidays to all from the students and staff of Grace Niños Preschool!

Church Council

Church Council will meet December 18th at Noon in Fetter Hall. If any board chairperson is unable to attend this meeting, please remember to send someone from your board in your place.

Church Property Board

Please contact any one of the following members of the Board of Church Property if you see a problem that needs fixing around the church.

Ken Albert, Dan Altmeyer, Paul Brusewitz, Ray Cervantes, Eric Cox, Rich Esser, Joel Fox, Lee Leopard, Peter Shenot, John Tezel (Chairman)

Naomi Circle

Naomi Circle meets the second Tuesday of each month at Maurine Wallace’s home. This month’s date is December 13, 2011. We will begin with coffee at 9:30 AM followed by Bible Study at 10:00 AM. If you are interested, please stop by. Maurine’s address is 2125 W. Olmos, San Antonio, TX 78201.

Calendar