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December 2005 Newsletter
    
Deadline for Newsletter Articles for next month is the 15th of the month.
Email the Church Office or fax the office at 330-836-8872
Use Newsletter submission form here on the website or place in church office newsletter mail box.
Sundays In Advent
On each Sunday congregation members will share a prayer and light the candles on the Advent Wreath. 9:15 a.m. Worship - Advent II, December 4 – Lorna and Greg Schnell; Advent III, December 11 – Tim and Joan Keifling; Advent IV, December 18 – Norma Setteur and Sally Hauth
10:30 a.m. Worship - Advent II, December 4 – Jillian and Jayme Bryson; Advent III, December 11 – Scott and Kimberly Felten; Advent IV, December 18 – Zach and Arrilla Michael
Also at 9:15 a.m. worship during Advent… December 4 – Children’s Choir provides special music.; December 11 – Handbell Choir provides special music.; December 18 – Special presentation of “An American Christmas” cantata by the Celebration Choir, joined by seasonal singers, directed and accompanied by Bob Mollard.
Reminders: Holy Communion is being celebrated every Sunday at both services during the Advent and Christmas seasons. Advent, the time of preparation for Christmas, began on November 27 and continues through the afternoon of December 24. The Christmas Season begins at sundown on December 24 and continues through January 5.
Come Help Decorate
On Sundays December 4 and 11
You will be here for worship, so why not stay to help decorate? There are two dates and times from which to choose. 10:30 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. on December 4 and 11; The “early” decorators will work in the sanctuary, narthex and outside. The “late” decorators will work in the fellowship hall and hallways.
On December 4 trees and wreaths will be put up. On December 11 trees will be decorated and the outside banner put in place. Note that decorating is done in stages to give a visual illustration of the excitement that is building as the congregation prepares to celebrate Christ’s birth.
On Christmas Eve the lights will be illuminated on the trees, and poinsettias will be in place.
American Christmas
“An American Christmas” on December 18 - arranged by Z. Randall Stroope
A musical celebration of Christmas using hymn tunes written right here at home will be presented during the 9:15 a.m. worship on December 18. This cantata will feature our expanded Celebration Choir, soloists, strings, harp, percussion and organ. Bob Mollard will conduct. This festive work features tunes including: the American revivalist song Zion’s Walls, the Shaker tune Simple Gifts, the Appalachian carol I Wonder As I Wander, and Alfred Burt’s Star Carol. There is still time to join the choir for this special musical occasion, and rehearsal times are planned with your busy holiday schedule in mind. Why not do something special for yourself this Christmas season? Come lift your spirits and your voices!
Rehearsals will be held for 30 minutes immediately after each worship service and on a Saturday so that EVERYONE may join in the celebration. On the Sundays, select the time that works best for you; dates are: Sunday, November 27 at 10:30 a.m. or 11:30 a.m.
Sunday, December 4 at 10:30 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. Sunday, December 11 at 10:30 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. Also Saturday, December 17, 10 a.m. to Noon; Sunday, December 18, 8:30 a.m.
Christmas Eve
Saturday, December 24
7:30 p.m. Family Worship: Music by BOUND and Bob Mollard - Children’s Message, Holy Communion
10 p.m. Candlelight Worship: Music by the Celebration Choir, Handbell Quartet and Bob Mollard, Holy Communion, Individual Candle Lighting
Christmas Day is on Sunday!
What better time to worship on both Saturday and Sunday than Christmas when we celebrate the birth of Jesus?? Are family and friends visiting, or you are going there? Invite them to come too!
December 25 - ONE worship service - 10 a.m. in the sanctuary - A FUN celebration is planned!
St. Hilary To Hold - Christmas Eve Mass at Faith
Our sisters and brothers in faith from St. Hilary Catholic Church will be using the sanctuary at Faith at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve. There also will be a Mass held at St. Hilary at 4 p.m. We rejoice that it is possible to share our space with our neighbors on this Holy evening.
New Year’s Day is on Sunday!
What better way to start 2006 than in worship? Family and friends STILL visiting … bring them to another FESTIVE service!
January 1 - ONE worship service - 10 a.m. in the sanctuary - This is Epiphany Sunday and we will remember the arrival of the Magi.
Special performance reading - “The Three Magi” - Experience a moving antiphonal proclamation of praise celebrating the birth of Jesus. This performance reading was written by Faith member DuWayne Hansen and is the final one in a series of four. The other readings were shared during Wednesday night worship in Advent. Note: There will be no Christian Education on December 25 or January 1.
Wonderful Wednesday
Join us on our Wonderful Wednesday Advent Adventure
Help keep your holidays balanced and Christ-centered by attending our mid-week Advent Adventure.
Wednesday, December 7 - 6:00 p.m.Dinner (we’ll provide a meal – free will offering); 6:30 p.m.Handbell Practice; 6:45 p.m.Junior Choir; Crafts for kids; Youth service project of wrapping gifts and selling cookies; Adults choose a session about Christmas music or a discussion about ; Mary the Mother of Jesus.; 7:45 p.m. Closing worship featuring Mary
Wednesday, December 14 - 6:00 p.m. Dinner (we’ll provide a meal – free will offering); 6:30 p.m.Handbell Practice; 6:45 p.m.Junior Choir; Crafts for kids; Youth service project of wrapping gifts and selling cookies; Adults choose a session about Christmas music or a discussion; about Elizabeth and Zacharias.; 7:45 p.m.Closing worship featuring Elizabeth and Zacharias
Wednesday, December 21 - 6:00 p.m. Dinner (we’ll provide a meal – free will offering); 6:45 p.m.Everyone will go across the street to sing Christmas ; Carols together and pass out “invitations” to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day worship.; 7:40 p.m. Back to church for hot chocolate and cookies Child care will be provided for children 5 and under. Plan now to join us
Explorers Club
Advent will be very special for Explorers’ Club kids! Join us each week beginning Sunday, December 4 to learn about Jesus’ ancestors and family history. We will learn about the history of Jesus’ life through a study of the Jesse tree. The Jesse tree represents Jesus’ family tree. The name is taken from Isaiah 11:1, in which Jesus is referred to as the shoot coming up from the stump of Jesse, the father of David. We will open each morning in Advent with music and a brief program explaining the Jesse Tree and the symbols of the day. Each week children will make ornaments to take home that tell of Jesus’ ancestors, and the events leading up to his birth .
Christmas Day Events
We invite all children of Explorers’ Club to join us at the 10 a.m. Christmas Day celebration service. All club kids wear your pajamas to church and come ready to sing Christmas songs (we will be working on these during Advent in Sunday School) and participate in a skit about Jesus’ family tree (The Jesse Tree).
Stay tuned for more information regarding our January Learning Experience beginning January 8 thru February 5. Watch the Weekly Beacon for details.
Youth News for December
High School Classes will meet on Sunday, December 4 and 18 at 9:15 a.m. in the Youth Room. Join us as we continue our study into the lesson for the day & how it applies to our lives.
Confirmation Class will meet on Sunday, December 11. We'll finish up with the last Commandments!
All Youth - Advent Adventure continues on Wednesday, December 7 and 14 From 6 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. We will be wrapping gifts for & selling cookies to the congregation. Proceeds will go toward our Helping Hands for Hannah's Hope project! (Confirmation students are required to attend one of the three Wednesday evenings!) We will end our evenings with a brief service from 7:45 p.m. - 8 p.m. See you there!
All Church Members join us for our "Advent Adventure" and leave the wrapping & baking to us!
On Wednesday, Dec. 7 & 14 from 6 p.m. -8 p.m. the youth of Faith will be wrapping gifts (we'll supply the gift wrap!) and selling oh so yummy cookies! Gift wrapping is for donations & cookies will be $3 a dozen. All proceeds will go toward our "Helping Hands for Hannah's Hope" service project. What a great way to save yourself some work & help others at the same time! We thank you for your support.
Sanctuary Windows
“Learn about Our Sanctuary Windows"Learn more about our beautiful sanctuary windows. As part of our recent 50th anniversary celebration at Faith, member Ruth Simpson compiled color photos and information about all the windows in our sanctuary. All that information is graphically displayed in both book form and as a PowerPoint presentation, “A Closer Look at Faith's Windows”. Both the book and the presentation include photos of the windows with their specific features highlighted. The book also includes the Bible verses depicted in the images in the windows.
The windows were gifts from early members of our congregation. The name of the donor and the date of the gift are identified for each window in both the book and the presentation.
“A Closer Look at Faith's Windows” is available for viewing to individuals and groups, both within the church and in the community. Groups that may find either of these items of interest include visitors to our church, groups that use the church, Sunday School and confirmation classes, groups within the church looking for a program, or anyone who interested in the windows and their Biblical basis.
Both the book and the PowerPoint presentation are stored in the Pastor's office. Contact Judy Lee to borrow them. The PowerPoint presentation is also available for viewing from our web site: www.faithlutheranchurch.org. (Click the photo of the Narthex window on the home page.) For questions about the book or presentation, contact Ruth.
Salvation Army
Once again, the Salvation Army has asked us to help them provide a better Christmas for children. The “Giving Tree” is set up in the Narthex. Please stop and select a gift card from the tree and purchase gifts for these boys and girls. PLEASE DO NOT WRAP THE GIFTS! All gifts must be brought to the church no later that Sunday, December 11. God bless you and thank you to everyone for your kindness and generosity.
Annual Soup Supper
A big thank you to all of the soup makers and dessert makers that contributed to the success of our Annual Soup Supper. Thanks to BOUND for their entertainment. And last, but certainly not least, a wonderful thank you to all who attended and enjoyed the 11 soups. We raised $515 and will be receiving matching funds from Thrivent for OPEN M.
Thank You
We give thanks for Dineen Dowling, DuWayne Hansen, Bob Hartz, and all who are participating in the special presentations on December 25 and January 1, as they share their creative gifts to celebrate Jesus’ birth!
New Members
We welcomed the following new members into fellowship with Faith Lutheran Church on November 27, 2005. Josh Bricker, Luann Cheyney, Patricia Mehelis, Norma Setteur, Greg Stafford, Jeremy Smith, Janice and Lucius Wedge
Brown Sugar Collection For OPEN M - We are the “Brown Sugar” church for OPEN M.
So, bring in your 2 lb. brown sugar bags to help the disadvantaged. Are we up to the challenge of attaining our goal of 200 bags?
They are due by Sunday, December 11.
Fellowship Calling
Faith Fellowship Calling Thursday, December 15 6:30 p.m.
All members are cordially invited to participate in the Faith Lutheran Church Fellowship Callling event on Thursday, December 15 in the Fellowship Hall.
The evening will begin with a prayer, pizza meal, and then those attending will call no more than 10 other members of our congregation to share God’s love with them and to remind them of the upcoming Christmas worship services. Please call Arthur Britton at 330-865-5501 if you have any questions or comments.
Deadline
Deadline for 2005 financial contributions December 30 12:00 p.m.
Poinsettias
Order your poinsettias for Christmas Eve. Cost: $6.50 Look for order inserts in the Weekly Beacon or stop by the church office. the deadline is December 18.
Guys’ Bible Study
Our new Guys’ Bible Study continues to meet the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of every month at Randy’s office on Cleveland Massillon Rd. It is early - 7 a.m. – finished in one hour, and a great way to keep Christ first! They are looking for a few (more) good men. . . why not give it a try? Please call Randy Cole 330-867-4151 for directions to his office.
Messiah Sing
Sponsored by Akron Area Association of Churches - Sunday, December 11, 2005
7:30 p.m. Rehearsal - 7 to 7:30 Bring your own copy, extras available. All singers and listeners invited. Charles Kobb, Director Fairlawn Lutheran Church
Freewill offering to benefit the Messiah Sing. For further information, call 330-535-3112.
WELCA
Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - 10:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall - Joanne Caton of “Be Glorified”
The season of Advent will be in full swing when WELCA gets together on December 14. Joanne Caton will share with us the outreach of “Be Glorified”. She will sing for us and lead us in singing songs of the season.
You are invited to bring a friend to enjoy the music.Devotions: Vee Robinson Hostesses: Elaine Johnson and Marlene Unger During the business meeting we will be collecting our regular Thankoffering.
Paul
Paul: the Man and His Message
Have you ever wondered what the Apostle Paul looked like? How he got along with others? Why he wrote to the Romans, the Philippians, the Ephesians, but not to the Egyptians? Whey he referred to the Good News as “my gospel”? How, being a Pharisee, he became one of the most evangelical Christians of all time? What he meant by grace, justification, reconciliation, and Christian liberty”? If you find these kinds of issues interesting, plan on attending an adult class to be given by DuWayne Hansen early next year (2006). Sundays at 10:30 a.m., six sessions: January 22, 29, Feb.5,12, 26 and March 5.
Hollywood in Fairlawn?
Maybe not Hollywood exactly, but this February will find lots of the folks at Faith kicking up their heels to sing, tap dance, play kazoo, whatever!
On Saturday, February 18 we invite you to attend and participate in the first ever February Faith Follies. . . a talent show by and for the people of Faith. We need someone to oversee the details, someone to work on sets, and lots of people to be “talent.” Please call me right away if you’d like to help. Whether you’re the Amazing Antals, the Singing Sullivans, or even the Hilarious Hansen’s (or not), plan now to have some fun in February.
Big Events
It’s not too soon to mark your calendars for some of the “big events” which will happen at FLC next year. This is just the start. If you have any ideas for something meaningful or fun, let’s chat!
January 27 and 28 - 24 hour women’s retreat at the Holiday Inn on Rt. 8 A time of pampering, prayer, and praise; February 18
The first ever February Faith Follies. ;April 8 Saturday women’s retreat at Hines Hill in Peninsula;May 5 and 6 Couple’s retreat, also at the Holiday Inn on Rt. 8.; Summer There will be another Faith Fun Day at the Boes.; October 27 and 28 We’ll return to Loyola of the Lakes for a gorgeous autumn retreat.
In Our Prayers:
Health Concerns: For faith member Midi Glick; For faith member Mel Hynde; For faith member Bob Johnson; For faith member Bob Morrison;
Special Prayers: For all military personnel who have been deployed to Iraq and surrounding areas, and for their families, with special prayers for those who have endured injury or loss.
In Times of Loss: For the family and friends of former Faith member Bertha Shattuck upon her death. Pastor Jean presided at her graveside service on October 22.; For Faith member Becky Kuhar and family upon the unexpected death of her brother-in-law Mark Gilmore.; For Faith member Mary Hartz and family upon the death of her mother Edith Garvin.; For Faith members Terry and Judy Vernon and family upon the death of Terry’s mother Virginia Vernon.
In Thanksgiving: For the birth of Davin Cole Narhi, son of Faith members Ward and Elissa Narhi.; He was born on October 14, weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces, and joins siblings Alden, Samantha and Avery.
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