Bible Studies

M
M
St. Luke Evangelical
Lutheran Church
·
·
Christmas Caroling?!
Warm up those voices…
young, old, married, single,
singer, non-singer…
EVERYONE! pg. 2
St. Luke Lutheran Church
moves to one worship
service on Sundays pg. 3
Luther’s Small Catechism
app for iPhone pg. 4
In this issue:
From Pastor John
Announcements, Bible
Studies & Interest Groups
Bulletin Board
Our Mission: To touch lives with the HOPE, HEALING, & HAPPINESS of Jesus Christ.
Our Vision: To be known as outwardly focused, with a relevant, compassionate, and relational ministry.
Special points of interest:
·
December 2013 ~ Volume 126
126,, Issue 11
1
2-3
4-5
St Luke School Activities
6
Anniversaries & Birthdays
12
Dear St. Lukans,
Some days are hard. Some days are so full of stress and anxiety and
fear and heartache that you long to get away.
Like we did recently. We went to an all-inclusive resort in a paradise
called the Dominican. It seemed as if we had been put down right in the
middle of the Garden of Eden. Beautiful beach. Endless buffet of food.
Abundant produce.
And nothing but fun. One day my friend Steve and I were assigned
the task of reserving some jet skis for the next day. Through a bit of a language barrier we tried to tell our Dominican friend that we needed two
Wave Runners for the four of us. He had a hard time understanding since
he only saw the two of us.
So Steve kept saying, “We have two ‘chicas.’” Finally he smiled and
pointed towards the village and said he could get us two “chicas.” We didn’t
even try to schedule a massage.
It was a week—and you’ve had them—where stress was left behind.
Despite some translation issues. No bills to pay. No deadlines to meet.
Only an opportunity to commune with God, nature and each other.
But then the week ended. And as soon as we arrived back home you
could feel it again. The things that needed to be done. The concern about
projects. The relational tensions. Back to a world where it seemed as if
Satan might be winning. But for a moment we had a tiny taste of what
could be.
The Book of Revelation is an authentic taste of what will be. It is the
promise that in the end God wins. Life may be hard now. Life may be
unfair now. There may be challenges now. But in the end, God will demonstrate he is the Victor.
And he will give us a life in Paradise. And there won’t be language
issues. The Apostle John was given a vision of the New Jerusalem that
comes down from heaven. It is an immense place. Some get caught up in
the dimensions outlined in Scripture. But I believe the purpose we are told
of the size of heaven is to give us the assurance that there is room for everyone.
“All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
The end will be much like the beginning. The God who shaped Eden out of
chaos will take the chaos of our world and shape it into something new. A
New Heaven and a New Earth.
So call on his name and make your reservation. It’s all inclusive.
~ Love in Christ, Pastor John
ST. LUKE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN
MONTLY MESSENGER
2
SATURDAY DEC 21
Spread the Joy!
at St. Luke
MIDWEEK ADVENT SERVICES
December 11th ~ 11:00 am & 7:00 pm
December 18th ~ School Children’s Service
*Note the time at 11 am & 630 pm
AND
SUNDAY DEC 22
MEET IN THE
PARKING LOT
AT ST. LUKE
CHURCH ~ 6:00 PM
CHRISTMAS CAROLING
Sat Dec 21st & Sun Dec 22nd @ 6:00pm
Meet in St. Luke Parking lot
CHRISTMAS EVE– CANDLELIGHT SERVICES
Tuesday , December 24th
4:00 pm ~ Family Service
6:00 pm ~ Traditional
11:00 pm ~ Traditional w/ Holy Communion
CHRISTMAS DAY SERVICE
Wednesday, December 25th
10:00 am ~ Traditional w/ Holy Communion
LAST SUNDAY OF DECEMBER SERVICE
Sunday, December 29th
10:00 am ~ Traditional
We invite you to celebrate with us the birth
of our Savior… The Reason for the Season!
Nine-week series on
Wednesdays @ 7 pm
from January 8th to March 5th
ST. LUKE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN
MONTLY MESSENGER
3
Bible Studies & Interest Groups
Sunday Morning Bible Study 9:30 am
in the Family Activity Center Meeting Rooms:
Sunday School (4-12 yo) ~ Leader Jim Paine
Bible Class December 8 & 15
~ Leader David Kuhn
›
Tuesday 10 am Pastor Jagow’s
Church Year Lesson Study ~ FAC South Room
èNo Tuesday Church Year Focus Bible Class:
Tuesday Dec. 24 and 31
Church Year Focus Bible Class resumes
Tuesday January 7, 2014
›
Starting January 5, 2014
Bible Study = two classes @ 8:30 am
= one class @ 11:15 am
›
New Bible Study
starting
Sunday, January 19th, 2014
Dear Members of St. Luke,
Beginning on Sunday, January 5th we will have a single worship
service at 10:00 AM. This decision has been made with the
objective of promoting unity and family at St. Luke. We believe the timing is right for us to do this as we pray for God’s
blessings in transitioning and repositioning ourselves for the
sake of spiritual growth and outreach. Sunday School will
begin during our worship time and the children will then leave
for their special learning of God’s Story. We will be offering 3
Bible studies, two of which will be offered at 8:30 and one at
11:15. The nursery will be staffed and we will be offering
pickup rides for those who are in need.
We ask everyone to please be supportive and encouraging as
we move forward with these changes, asking God to bless us
as His Church and as living witnesses of His love for us
through Jesus. Please know that these decisions have been
made with great prayer and thought! If you would like to talk
about these decisions, please contact Pastor John or one of
our Elders.
“The Story” continues the week of January 19th by offering a
new study series based on Timothy Keller’s “Gospel in
Life” (Grace Changes Everything) Study Guide. This
study is one that is focused on the Gospel and how it is lived
out in all of life - first in your heart, then in your community,
and then out into the world. Our hope and prayer is that it
will help us to know how to reflect the love of Jesus in our
everyday lives. We pray that it will foster a greater passion to
“seek and save the lost.” There will be various opportunities
offered during the week for study groups, including Sunday
mornings as we did for “The Story.” We will make sure
you know of those being offered as soon as they are determined. Pastor John will be leading a study on something other
than “Gospel in Life” (Grace Changes Everything), on
Sunday morning, primarily for those attending one of the
study groups that meet during the week.
Thank you and please join us in praying for God to bless us as
we seek His will!
Love in Christ,
Pastor John
545-6772
David Kuhn (Head Elder) 546-4118
Jim Boyer
571-8001
Dave Rothas 579-4710
Jim Paine
322-8114
ST. LUKE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN
MONTLY MESSENGER
4
101 Things to
~ By, Tim Sims &
#33 GROW
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ST. LUKE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN
MONTLY MESSENGER
o Do During a Dull Sermon
& Dan Pegoda
WL
ten for growling stomachs.
ount how many different kinds
growls you can hear.
me them to see which one goes on the longest.
TAR FLOWERS &
FEE FELLOWSHIP
Fall/Winter season
s a sign up sheet
the FAC during
y Coffee Fellowship
onsider contributing!
The birthstone of
December
is
turquoise.
The birth flower of
December
is the narcissus.
CHRISTMAS DINNER
@ ST. LUKE
Tired of Cooking?
No special place to go?
Come have dinner with us at St Luke
on Christmas Day! Bring a neighbor,
bring a friend, bring the family, bring
yourself and join us for a full
Christmas Feast. Dinner will be served
at 2:00 pm, with fellowship to follow, if
you wish to stay. Please RSVP by
Sunday the 22nd.
Any questions please contact Hildred.
5
ST. LUKE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN
MONTLY MESSENGER
6
December 13 ~
Music Theatre presents “Broadway
Musicals” performance at 4:00 pm
December 18 ~
Children’s Advent Service
11:00 am AND 6:30 pm
Dec 23-31 ~ Winter Break
SCHOOL CLOSED (K-8)
Preschool Break ~
Dec 24-26 and Dec 31-Jan 2
ST. LUKE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN
MONTLY MESSENGER
7
A
CELEBRATION BRUNCH
FOR GLADSOUNDS
After serving the Lord for 23 years,
Gladsounds’ last Praise Service will be on
Sunday, December 22nd at 9:30 am.
2013-2014 ANNUAL FUND
CAMPAIGN designating contributions for
both school and church, this campaign officially began with a mailing in October.
We are so grateful
to all of you who have
supported us in the
past, and thank you
for considering
further donations to
this fund.
Our goal this year is $15,000.
Your gifts allow us to offer scholarships to
families who otherwise would not be able to
send their children here. Additionally, this
year, your contributions will help fund
ongoing repairs to our Family Activity Center
Gym. We were so blessed this past year to
have raised enough funds to replace our
gym floor. This year 25% of funds raised
through the Annual Fund will be
allotted to the ongoing repair and
maintenance of the FAC.
So as God leads you, whether a scholarship gift of $10, $100, even $1000, or
any amount, we are grateful for your
help for making it possible to reach the
lives of young people through our
school and maintain our facility,
making our church and our community
a far better place.
Thank you
The 8:00 and 11:00 am
worship services will still take place!
After the 9:30 Praise Service, we will
celebrate God blessing us with
Gladsounds by having
A CELEBRATION BRUNCH
Please be encouraged
to join us!
Elder’s Help
Fund: Your
Chance to Help
During this time of year, it is especially
hard for those who are less fortunate than
many of us. Each year, we collect food
and funds to create “food boxes” for
those who are hurting. Your special
gifts are deeply appreciated by our Council
of Elders. Please mark your donations
as “Elder’s Help Fund”. Food items
can be put in the Narthex on Sunday
mornings or brought to the office.
Your love will help families and individuals
during this often challenging and lonely
time of year.
The St. Luke Newsletter
DEC 2
LANI M.
DEC 4
JOSHUA E., FRED J.,
The St. Luke Newsletter is
the official publication of St.
MARTHE K., KAYLYNN T.
Luke Evangelical Lutheran
DEC 5
RICHARD B., RUTH D.
DEC 6
RICHARD C., KYRA L.,
DEC 15
NATHAN M.
ARNOLD & JEANNE KRAUSE
Church of Santa Rosa,
California. This paper is published monthly. The St. Luke
Newsletter is dedicated to
the Gospel of the
CHANGELESS CHRIST IN A
DEC 7
GUNNER D.
DEC 8
SAVANNAH R.
DEC 11
OLGA W.
DEC 26
DEC 14
JANET I.
ROBERT & DIANA SCHAEFER
DEC 15
PAM K.
DEC 17
ARI C., JOSEPH C.
DEC 18
GERHARDT K.
DEC 28
DEC 19
ROXANA S.
DAVID & CHRISTINE SOLHEIM
DEC 20
DOROTHY G.
DEC 21
NICOLE K.
DEC 22
BETTY U.
DEC 25
ALPHA H., ISAIAH S.
DEC 26
SUNDEE F.
DEC 27
JAMES B.
DEC 30
VIRGINIA T.
dedicate ourselves to our
“Statement of Purpose” as
DEC 31
DANTA M.
found in our constitution
~ 40 YEARS
~ 37 YEARS
~ 28 YEARS
CHANGING WORLD.
The ministry of this monthly
publication is directed to the
members and friends of St.
Luke congregation and its
ministries. The purpose of
this publication is to build
faith in Christ; inform people
of activities and programs;
to stimulate Christian thinking; and to motivate all in
ministry for our blessed
Savior, Jesus Christ. We
and the unchanging, Inerrant Word of God, and the
Lutheran Confessions.
~ EDITOR:
THE REV. JOHN MUELLER
ST. LUKE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH † 905 MENDOCINO AVENUE, SANTA ROSA, CA 95401 † PHONE: (707) 545-6772