ALTAR FLOWERS are given to the glory of God by Anna Price in celebration of the birthdays of her sons, Dion and Dennis, grandson, Danavan, daughter-in-law, Tonya and in loving memory of the birthdays of Wilford Price and Gwen Hancock.
A REMINDER OF LOVE The extra roses on the altar today are from some of the more than 140 rose bushes around First Lutheran’s campus. They are a reminder of God’s love for us and His provision for all our needs.
THE HOLY FAMILY The Fontanini Holy Family on the Altar is a memorial gift given a number of years ago by Pastor Christopher Schaar in loving memory of his grandmother, Charlotte Thorsen.
MARTIN LUTHER AND THE CHRISTMAS TREE CANDLES Of the many Christmas tree stories and legends, a very special one comes from Germany. It tells about Martin Luther, the great leader of the Reformation movement in the Church about five hundred years ago. One December night, the story tells, Martin Luther was on his way home through the woods. The night was especially bright and clear and thousands of stars twinkled and shimmered in the sky, like windows through which the light of Heaven streamed down upon the earth. With joy, Martin Luther beheld how the starlight touched the snow-laden boughs of the forest fir trees, making their ice crystals glisten like diamonds. Deeply moved, Luther decided to share his glimpse of this meeting of Heaven and earth! He selected a small, fragrant fir tree and hurried home to his wife and children. There he tied little white candles to the tree’s branches and, when they were lit, Martin Luther spoke to his children about the beauty of the stars shining upon the earth and of the glory of our Heavenly Father Who gave Jesus Christ to us to be the Light of the World. (From Follow the Year: A Family Celebration of Christian Holidays compiled, adapted and written by Mala Powers).
NEXT SUNDAY Bring your “Mighty Mite Boxes” filled with coins and bills for missions. You may pick up a “Mite Box” today from the table in the Narthex. Return it next Sunday filled with change.
ATTENTION SENIORS (over 55)! Save the date for the 4TH ANNUAL “SENIOR FEST” on the Concordia University Irvine Campus. “What is your most precious possession? What legacy do you most want to leave to your children and grandchildren? Christianity is always just one generation away from extinction. Today the baton is in our hands and we dare not drop it!” That is the heart of the message which speaker Dr. Rollie Martinson will share at Senior Fest on the Concordia University campus on 13 January 2010. Dr. Martinson is a well- known author and Professor of Children, Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. Save the date and plan to attend! To get more information on this special event or to register please contact Mary Sipes at mary.sipes@cui.edu or 949.854.8002, ext. 1861. Save the date also for the 1st ANNUAL “SENIOR FEST” at California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks on Thursday 14 January 2010. Keynote speaker: Rev. Dr. Roland Martinson. He is an energetic speaker who engages his audience wherever he speaks. He will be focusing on the “Call to Elderhood.” Save the date and plan to attend! For more information on this special event contact Linda LeBlanc at leblanc@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3936. To register go to http://www.callutheran.edu/university_ministries/church_relations/senior_fest.php
“PERSPECTIVES” The Rev. Dr. Gerald Kieschnick, President of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, has launched a new weekly e-journal titled Perspectives. As the title implies, his intention is to share perspectives on a range of topics that might include family, life matters, church issues, current news, national and world events, etc. His goal is to provide readers with his thoughts on various subjects as he views them from his personal life and his life as President of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. Please consider this an invitation to subscribe to Perspectives. If you are so inclined, you may do so online at www.lcms.org/ca/president/perspectives/signup.asp
WEEKLY UPDATE Thanks to your generous giving, we’re off to a great start in December. We actually ended the first full week of the month with a BALANCE of $6,205.83. But it’s not time to slack off yet as we still have two rounds of payroll to meet as well as monthly utility bills and other incidental expenses. Please continue faithful in your contributions and we will keep you posted as we near the end of this fiscal year.
A JOKE ABOUT FINANCES A pastor once stood before his congregation to give an update on a building project underway. The pastor announced, “The good news is that we have every dollar we need for the new building! The bad news is that it’s still in your pockets!”
MIDWEEK ADVENT SERVICES Please join us for the last Midweek Advent Service of this 2009 Advent Season this Wednesday at 12:00 Noon and 7:00 p.m.
CONFIRMATION UPCOMING! Kevin Baumgartner has completed his independent study course of confirmation. He will be interviewed by Pastor Schaar regarding what he has learned and what he believes. His confirmation will likely be on Sunday 31 January 2010.
CHRISTMAS GIFTS Again this year, Pastor Schaar respectfully asks anyone who would like to provide him a Christmas gift to instead consider a special gift to Historic First Lutheran to try to help erase our deficit by year-end. Simply use a designated envelope or clearly mark your gift in Pastor’s honor. Your gift will be receipted as a tax deductible donation. Pastor will be notified of your gift and you will receive a personal thank you from him.
2010 FLOWER CHART IS POSTED It’s time to claim those special Sundays during 2010 to donate flowers to honor or memorialize others. Two bouquets cost $50.00. If you split the Sunday with someone else, it is $25.00 per bouquet. Please sign up today!
BUS TRIP TO CITRUS SINGERS For all those who have reserved tickets to the Christmas Concert at Citrus College, please note that the bus will leave the South Parking Lot promptly at 1:00 p.m. this Saturday. Please be here early.
USHERS: TAKE NOTE Next week’s service will involve Usher Team #5: Rogelio Douglas, Henry Hubert, Yashar Kafi and Marlene Ochetti.