St. James Tidings - St. James Lutheran Church

St. James Tidings
A Monthly
Publication of
St. James Lutheran Church
Volume 28 • Number 12
December 2009
IN THIS ISSUE
• Petal Pushers
• Support LHM
• Living Nativity
• Christmas Caroling
• Advent Schedule
• Stewardship
• Gozo Eterno
• Music for Advent
• LWML
• Church News
• Senior Youth Group
• Church Council
• Dec. School News
• Braille Institute
•Health Care
• Recipes
• Sponsors
Rev. Douglas Jones
Pastor
Rev. John Rumsey
Pastor Emeritus
Vicar Mike Bonner
Rigo Gonzalez
Hispanic Vicar
Matt & Beth Baham
Youth Ministry
Barbara Eide
Parish Ministry Assistant
Brenda Rollison
School Director
Deborah Harvill-Ash
Church Secretary
Church: 619.424.6166
School: 619.423.8648
Fax: 619.424.5129
Hispanic: 619.424.6108
A Congregation of
The Lutheran Church
Missouri Synod
In the fine tradition of Austria, we sing. Silent Night (Stille Nacht) at the Chrstimas Midnight service to celebrate the birth of Christ the Savior. Fr. Josef Mohr
wrote the German poem that became the lyrics for this marvelous Christmas
carol in 1816. He composed these words while serving his first parish, a pilgrim
parish, in the quaint Alpine Village of Mariapfarr. Two years later he was sent
to the Church of St. Nicholas in Oberndorf. There he asked Franz Gruber, the
school headmaster, to write a tune for his song and to arrange it for guitar accompaniment. The old, stanch, senior priest at St. Nicholas, however, would not
permit guitar music for church services nor permit any language other than
Latin. However, on Christmas Eve 1818, the organ would not work. Some think
it was mice, others think it was corrosion from past flooding along the Salzach
River, and still others think Headmaster Gruber may have had a hand in the
malfunction so Fr. Mohr could play His guitar for Christmas. In either case,
faced with no music for Christmas, the senior priest asked Fr. Mohr to play his
guitar for the Midnight Christmas service and permitted him to sing his new
Christmas carol in German. So warmly and enthusiastically was the carol received, that its singing has spread not only throughout Austria, but has become
a world-wide Christmas favorite in over 300 languages.
Nearly one-hundred years later, on Christmas Day in 1914, German soldiers
along WWI’s Western Front began decorating their trenches with Weihnachten
trees and singing Silent Night. The British troops on the other side responded with Silent Night and English Christmas carols. Some of the German soldiers dared to walk across no-man’s-land to greet the British troops in English,
“Merry Christmas!” The sounds of war grew silent as enemies sang about the
Savior’s birth, and shared gifts of cigarettes, plum pudding and whiskey. For
his book, Silent Night, Stanley Weintrub, a military historian, gathered original
letters and photos, oral histories, newspaper reports, and official field diaries of
many army units to record many such unofficial Christmas truces.
Again, during World War II, fighting was halted on many fronts on Christmas
Eve as people around the world tuned in to their radios to hear opera performer
Ernestine Schumann-Heink sing Stille Nacht. Heilige Nacht. Particularly poignant in the story is that Mme. Schmann-Heink had one son fighting for the
continued on page 2
Allies and another for the Axis forces. December 2009
St. James Tidings
continued from page 1
As she sang, her own troubled heart as well as others’ were quieted by the peace that
only Christ can give. For the length of the hymn and a time after, the smoke drifted
silently across the torn earth to the gentle words, “All is calm all is bright Round yon
virgin mother and child….”
At St. James, as at thousands of churches around the world, we will once again celebrate the old familiar story of Jesus’ birth: the incarnation of God. With the Living
Nativity, we will reenact the pastoral scene of the Virgin Mary and Joseph with baby
Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. Shepherds by night will come
running to see this amazing thing in Bethlehem that the angels proclaimed. The wise
men in their finery bearing costly gifts will bow down to worship the newborn King:
Immanuel, God is with us. And all will sing, “Christ the Savior is born, Christ the
Savior is born!” May you and yours have a blesséd Advent and a Christmas full of His
peace. It is a peace that only He, the Prince of Peace can give. Invite the Christ-child
into your life and He will truly make your heart a quiet place of joy.
Merry Christmas! Pastor Douglas Jones
PETAL PUSHERS GET
READY TO DO IT AGAIN!
It’s that time of year! The Lutheran Petal Pushers are currently recruiting volunteers for the 2010 Pasadena Rose Parade. The Petal Pushers
will be decorating six floats and assisting with floral preparations in the
flower tent. We will be decorating: Detail Days: 9 pm to 5 pm – Saturday, December 5; Saturday, December 12; and Saturday, December
19. Decorating week: Saturday, December 26 - Day Shift: 9 am – 4 pm
shift; Evening Shift: 1 pm – 9 pm; Sunday, December 27 through Wednesday, December
30 – Day Shift: 8:00 am to 3:30 pm; Evening Shift: 3:00 to 11 pm; Thursday, December
31 – Day Shift only: 8:00 am to completion (approximately 12 pm). As a reminder, all volunteers must be 13 years and older (for insurance purposes). All volunteers during Decorating week are required to have a Petal Pushers shirt (any year). Please email
[email protected] any updated volunteer counts) Thanks to the efforts of
the Petal Pushers, we are able to keep the only religious float in the Tournament of Roses
Parade. You volunteers are a blessing! www.petalpushers.org
SUPPORT LUTHERAN HOUR MINISTRIES
Lutheran Hour Ministries is a Christian outreach ministry supporting churches worldwide.
LHM produces Christian radio and TV programming for broadcast, as well as Internet and
print communications, dramas, music, and outreach materials, to reach unchurched people
in the United States and more than 30 other countries. LHM’s flagship program, The Lutheran Hour, airs weekly on more than 900 stations in North America.
Page 2
St. James Tidings
December 2009
Living Nativity
December 4 & 5
Friday & Saturday Evenings
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The telling of the
Real Christmas Story
Live Characters and
Live Animals with Petting Zoo.
Christmas Caroling by
the Community Choir.
Young Women’s mariachi to
sing the Christmas Posadas.
Hot chocolate and cookies served
by the Women’s Club of IB
The entire community
is invited! Free.
Advent and Christmas Schedule
December 02
Wednesday Advent Dinner at 6 PM--Hispanic & Service at 7 PM
December 4 & 5
Living Nativity 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
December 5
Christmas Comes to I.B. 12 PM to 5 PM (City Program)
December 09
Wednesday Advent Dinner at 6 PM—Bd of Edu & Service at 7 PM
December 15
School Christmas Program 6:30 p.m.
December 16
Wednesday Advent Dinner at 6 PM--LWML & Service at 7 PM
Wed. Advent Dinner 6 PM--Elders
7 PM Sunday School Children’s Christmas Program
School closes at 12 noon for Christmas. Returns on January 4, 2010.
December 23
December 23
December 24 (Thu)
Christmas Eve Midnight Candlelight Service starts at 11:00 PM
December 25 (Fri)
Christmas Service 10:00 AM
December 31, 2009
New Years Eve Service 7:00 PM
Page 3
December 2009
St. James Tidings
STEWARDSHIP
November 2009
Mission of the Month is Lutheran Border Concerns
LBCM BEGINNINGS
What do you do if you are a Christian who has more than enough to take care of yourself
and notice that you have neighbors who are hungry and need clothing? If you were a Lutheran in San Diego in the 1950’s you got together with others, brought beans and rice and
began sharing this food with the poorest of the poor in Tijuana, Mexico. And before long
you began to share the Lord Jesus with the people you were feeding. God blesses the efforts of those Lutherans and the work grew so that in 1967, they incorporated and LBCM
was born. LBCM continues to carry out this mission.
SHARING THE BLESSINGS;
Jesus loves us very much. He gives us everything we have. We have been blessed with
plenty of food, clothing, toys, nice homes and the gift to heaven. What can we do for Jesus?
Jesus said, if we give food to the hungry, it is the same as giving food to him. We want to do
our best to show Jesus how much we love him. When you give your gift to LUTHERAN
BORDER CONCERNS (LBCM), we are able to feed the hungry. Best of all we also
teach the people the Good News about Jesus. The people are thankful, Jesus is happy and
you will be happy too!
LBCM isn’t on the budget of any denomination, synod or district. We are able to function only because God works through the generosity of individuals, groups and congregations. All donations are tax deductible. Your generous gift will “store up your treasures in
heaven”.
Lutheran Social Services of Southern California says
“Thank you”
to the members of Saint James Hispanic Lutheran Church for their financial gift. LSS/
SC sees hundreds of hungry people seeking food each day, as well as those who need a
place to sleep, help finding a job, or mental health counseling. This year, LSS/SC served
over 117,000 individuals in programs throughout Southern California. Patricia Digre,
Interim President, thanks you for helping LSS/SC to fulfill their mission “to celebrate
the love of Christ for ALL people through acts of service.”
Page 4
St. James Tidings
December 2009
Gozo Eterno
Cuando estas cosas comiencen a suceder, erguíos y levantad vuestra cabeza, porque vuestra
redención está cerca. Lucas 21:28
Aún cuando día tras día podemos ver las señales que predicen que el Día del Juicio
Final está cerca, quienes somos del Señor podemos confiar y esperar con gozo, porque
sabemos que para nosotros todas esas señales no son más que los pimpollos del árbol del
tiempo que indican que nuestra redención final y eterna está cerca.
Pero no podríamos tener ese gozo sin primero haber tenido la primer llegada el Señor.
Sin su venida como el Niño de Belén que vino a salvarnos, nosotros también tendríamos miedo de su regreso en el día del juicio. Si él no hubiera dado su vida perfecta a
cambio por la nuestra, no podríamos enfrentar con confianza su juicio.
Pero gracias a que Jesús vino en Navidad, cuando venga otra vez en el Día del Juicio
Final, seremos liberados para siempre. En ese día Jesús nos dará la redención eterna
del pecado que causa tanto dolor y sufrimiento, y de la muerte y la pena que rodea la
tumba de nuestros seres queridos. En ese día nos dará la redención eterna del poder del
diablo que a diario nos asalta con sus tentaciones. En ese día todas nuestras pruebas y
sufrimientos llegarán a su fin. En ese día Dios limpiará toda lágrima de nuestros ojos, y
no habrá más dolor, porque las cosas viejas habrán pasado. En ese día tendremos gozo
eterno.
ORACIÓN: Señor Dios, Padre celestial, envía a tu Hijo para que guíe a su novia, la
Iglesia, a tu Reino eterno. Amén. LHM
MUSIC FOR ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS
The choir is preparing several anthems from the new Christmas musical, “I Hear a
Prophet Callin’”. In addition we will have special music from Alex Rohlmeier, the
Lawyer family, Andria Elam, and others. The choir will also be singing at Advent
services.
On Dec. 23, the children will be doing a lot of singing in the program “In Other
Words”--we may also hear some Latin and some German in that program. Teresa
Lawyer will be our soloist for the Christmas Eve service.
We all love to sing Christmas carols and we hope you will join the choir for caroling at
the Live Nativity on Dec. 4 and 5.
Page 5
December 2009
St. James Tidings
Church
Council News
The Voters’ Assembly on
November 15, 2009, elected a new council to start
January 01, 2010 and serve
for the next two years:
President
Jack Schmuckal
Vice President
Richard Jacobson
LWML
The Lutheran Women’s Missionary League’s recent
rummage sale raised $605 for their projects. One local
project that LWML supports is Storefront in downtown San Diego. This is a teen runaway shelter. To demonstrate the love of Christ, the women prepare meals
for about 15 teens once or twice a month. The last meal
was ham and scalloped potatoes, green beans, pumpkin dessert and something to drink. They also donate
personal supplies like toothbrushes, deodorant, socks, and flip-flops. Through
their “mite” offerings, they support other local, state, national and international
projects and mission work. The organization is open to all women of the church.
Their new president is Jenny Reyes and they meet on the first Tuesday of the
month at 6:30 p.m. for about an hour.
Secretary
Teresa Lawyer
Treasurer
Vicki Goins
Board of Education
Martin Brandt
Board of Evangelism
Connie Salazar
Board of Stewardship
Mary Corklin
Board of Trustees
Kenneth Larson, Jr.
Elders:
Mark Allchin
Mark Bartlett
Brian Bucher
Jorge Gonzalez
Arturo Martinez (H)
Fred Whitaker
Rod Wolfe
Page 6
Saturday, December 19th.
From 5:00 to 7:00 PM.
All Ninth grade through 2nd year of college are welcome.
Please be sure to RSVP by December 10th
Matt can be reached at 619-823-8937.
All attendees are asked to bring a toy and a pair of socks to wrap and put under
the Christmas tree in the Church.
Thank you,
Beth and Matt Baham
Senior Youth Group Leaders
St. James Tidings
December 2009
December School News
November was full of excitement and flew right by. Hope everyone enjoyed their
Thanksgiving holiday at home or afar.
Special Thanks! Thank you to all our Parents for donating food for our Thanksgiving
Feast, those who stayed to serve and clean-up. We had a wonderful time and of course the
food was good. Pictures of the feast are posted on bulletin board by my office, the children
look great in their costumes.
December will be a fun filled month, our learning themes are Winter, Jesus Birth, Christmas Around the World.
Please be sure to look at your parent calendar at home or at school. The Parent Calendar
includes information about scheduled activities with-in the school and church. We here
at St. James Lutheran Church would like to invite you at any time to visit us for services.
Especially during the month of December our church invites our school families and
friends to join us for Advent Dinners and evening services on Wednesday, a free will offering, dinner starts at 6:00 p.m. and service to follow at 7:00 p.m.
Important Dates to Remember!
All School Christmas Program-Thursday, December 15th at 6:30 p.m. Parents and family
members are invited!
Preschool/Pre-K Christmas Vacation- Wednesday, December 23rd half day of school,
then will be closed December 24th to the New Year.
Kndr. Christmas Vacation-Monday, December 22nd to the New Year.
Birthdays for December-Sarah, Charlize, Charley, Hayden and Keanna.
Have a great Christmas and see you in the New Year.
Brenda Rollison, School Director
BRAILLE INSTITUTE
According to the National Diabetes Statistics, diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of
blindness among adults ages 20 to 74 years. In fact diabetic retinopathy is responsible for
12,000 to 24,000 new cases of blindness each year. According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, more than 113,000 San Diegans have diabetes and a large portion of this population are Latinos. Many individuals do not understand the serious health
implications of this condition or do not seek treatment.
If you know someone who is sight impaired or blind, the Braille Institute can help. The
Braille Institute offers Library Services which include books on tape. These tapes of many
different books can be checked out for free. If you are interested in learning more about
what the Braille Institute has to offer call 1-800-808-2555 or locally Rosie Roscón at 858404-5004. The local office is at 4555 Executive Dr., San Diego, CA 92121.
Page 7
December 2009
St. James Tidings
Health Care Legislation
In the national debate on how best to provide health care, I do
not claim to be an expert on health care policy. But health care
policy involves making serious moral decisions. I am asking that
our people at St. James and our friends would be vigilant and
involved in monitoring the ethical nature of health care legislation. The US House of Representatives recently passed a comprehensive health care bill. Thankfully an amendment was passed to
support the long-standing precedent that no federal funds would
be used to pay for elective abortions. In doing so, the House of
Representatives honored President Obama’s stated commitment
to the Congress and the nation that health care reform would
not become a vehicle for expanding abortion funding or mandates. Whatever legislation finally may be passed,
we want to make sure that these essential provisions are maintained. We want the Senate to maintain these
safeguards of human life as they work on their health care legislation. We oppose measures that would force
Americans to pay for the destruction of the unborn. We are deeply concerned on how final legislation may affect
the poor and vulnerable, and those at the beginning and end of life. Legislation must also protect conscience
rights of doctors, nurses, other health care providers, and recipients of health care. God cares about our laws and
public policies: The prophet Isaiah sounded an alarm to God’s people when he declared, “Woe to those who
make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees…” (Isaiah 10:1).
Pastor Douglas Jones
Brunch Eggs
Stuffed French Toast
15 to 25 servings
1# to 1 ½# French bread cubes
1# cream cheese
2 ½ cups Half and Half
8 eggs
1 cup maple syrup
Mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar, to taste
(suggested proportions are 1 cup sugar, 1t nutmeg, 1t cinnamon.)
½ cup butter powdered sugar
Oiled or sprayed 9 inch by 13 inch pan
50 servings
2# to 3# French bread cubes
1 ½# to 2# cream cheese
16 eggs
2 cups maple syrup
Mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar, to taste
(suggested proportions are 1 cup sugar, 1t nutmeg, 1t cinnamon.)
1 cup butter powdered sugar
2 Oiled or sprayed 9 inch by 13 inch pans
Divide cubed bread, layer half in bottom of pan and cover with
sliced cream cheese. Cover with remaining cubed bread.
Mix Half and Half, eggs, and half of syrup. Pour evenly over bread
cubes and cream cheese to saturate. Sprinkle with Cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar mixture, to taste. Bake 1 to 1 ½ hour at 350 degrees until set. Melt together butter and remaining half of syrup.
Pour over baked French toast and dust with powdered sugar.
Cut and serve.
Page 8
15 to 25 servings
8 eggs beaten • 4 cups cubed bread
1# diced turkey, cooked sausage, or bacon • 2 cups Half and Half
1# to 1 1/4 # shredded cheese
1 can diced green chiles
Mix well.
Pour into oiled or sprayed 9 inch by 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees
for 1 hour or until set. or until set,
50 servings
16 eggs beaten
8 cups cubed bread
2# diced turkey, cooked sausage, or bacon • 4 cups Half and Half
2# to 2 ½# shredded cheese
2 cans diced green chiles
Mix well.
Pour into 2 oiled or sprayed 9 inch by 13 inch pans
and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until set.
Lemon Bars
1 cup butter or margarine • ½ cup powdered sugar • 2 cups flour
Mix these like pie crust. Press in a 9 inch by 13 inch pan. Bake at 350
degrees for 15 minutes or until light brown.
Cool crust slightly.
Combine:
2 cups sugar • ¼ cup flour • 4 beaten eggs • 1/3 cup lemon juice
Pour over baked crust.
Bake “about” 25 minutes, or until set.
Cool slightly. Dust with powdered sugar. Cut before they get COLD.
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St. James Lutheran Church & School
866 Imperial Beach Blvd. • Imperial Beach, CA 91932
Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
Pastor: Douglas D. Jones
Hispanic Vicar: Rigo Gonzalez
Vicar: Michael Bonner
Parish Ministry: Barbara Eide
Email Addresses:
Pastor: [email protected]
Hispanic Vicar: [email protected]
Vicar: [email protected]
Church Office: [email protected]
School Director: [email protected]
Youth Ministry: [email protected]
Church: 619.424.6166
School: 619.423.8648
Fax: 619.424.5129
Hispanic: 619.424.6108
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