It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
|
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
– Isaiah 7:14 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Longest Night Service & Fellowship
On Thursday, December 19th, at 6:30 p.m. our candlelight Longest Night service will be held with singing and Holy Communion being served. Following worship, please join with your RLC family for cider and cookies in Fellowship Hall. The sign-in sheet for providing treats is posted on the kiosk. 
Ladies That Lunch
The next luncheon will be held on Tuesday, December 9th, at 11:15 a.m. at Red Lobster on South 76th Street. Don’t forget to bring a $10 gift card for our gift exchange! Please sign up on the kiosk if you’re able to join us or see Sally Chappell with any questions. 
Book Club
The Book Club will meet on Thursday, December 5th, at 7 p.m. We’ll be discussing “Before We Were Yours” by Lisa Wingate. We’ll be meeting at the home of Jean Young. We hope you’ll be able to join us! able to join us! 
Opportunity to Help at Lutheran Special School
One of the ways we are reaching out locally is to provide support to LSS in Hales Corners. We have been working with their administration to come up with ways we can help the teachers and students – anything from assisting in the classroom, decorating bulletin boards, making copies, preparing materials for class, etc. We have agreed to provide support on a monthly basis, and agreed on the third Thursday of each month from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. If anyone is interested in helping, please let me know so we have a general idea of how many folks will be there. You should meet in the school office a little before 1 p.m. The address is 5425 S. 111th Street in Hales Corners. Future Thursday dates are:
Any questions, talk with Sue Koloske 414-699-3033. 
Worship Assistants Needed
If you’re able to help out with either being a Lector or Communion Assistant, please sign up on the kiosk in the narthex. Thanks so much! |
Get out your Advent calendars (especially the ones with chocolate inside) ready because the advent season is here! I love all the traditions of Christmas and the promise of Christ’s birth and resurrection in our lives. In many ways, it is a time to slow down and enjoy being with family and friends but most of the time, we find ourselves speeding up to do more and feeling rushed, stressed, and not fully present. One saying that I look at (especially during this season) is to “slow down to accomplish more”. When I slow down and allow God to guide my life it unfolds better than I could have ever expected. Try it—it might work for you as well.
As we work to close out the year and look at the year ahead, RLC finds itself in a positive position financially being ahead of projected budgeted (giving)income and also ahead compared to all of 2018. Our expenses are higher than our budget due to a number of buildings and grounds projects we have just completed, but we are still at a surplus greater than we budgeted for. Thank you to everyone who donates their time, talent and offerings to serve our mission of worship, nurture, and outreach. As we look at planning for next year, the church council has six members (for five council roles) that will be ending their service commitment to the church which is creating an opportunity for others (like you) to step into a role in church council. The great thing about serving on church council is that it is mostly coordination efforts and a 1-time monthly meeting, so it doesn't require a lot of time, but we do need to have these roles filled so we can fulfill our mission to our members and our community. Below are the council role and the responsibilities. With some council positions, two people can serve on one council role to help break up the coordination even more. If you want to volunteer yourself (or others!) or just have questions, please let our nominating committee of Lisa Olson and Anita Marlin know or you can let me know. Thank you, Ron Reichert President, RLC Church Council Council positions & role responsibilities available starting 2/2/20 for a 3 year term. Secretary
A huge thank you to everyone who helped out with and attended our annual Harvestfaire fundraiser, especially those who worked so hard on the committees – Marianne Hintze, Karen Leighton Van Domelen, Mel Leighton, Sara Nelson and Jolene Lawrence. Larry Gnatzig also did a great job as our auctioneer. Hannah Leighton, Arin Lawrence, Anthony Studer and alumni Ross Wick also did a great job running the kitchen for the soup lunch.
The day was a great blessing and raised a total of $12,059 for our youth group and outreach efforts. The Youth group, through the soup sales and auction of their yard work skills raised a total of $1,097 Our Seeds of Love donations given in our worship service totaled $7,736 Our Harvestfaire raffles and auction items raised a total of $3,226 These funds will be used to support our partnerships locally and internationally, supporting our partnership efforts in the Meru diocese in Tanzania as well as local efforts such as Divine Intervention. More to come as the committee and council determine who to best use the funds. Keep us in prayer to use the funds to further our mission as a congregation to reach out beyond our own walls.
iDuring the winter months RLC is proud to partner with Tippecanoe Presbyterian Church’s Divine Intervention Homeless ministry by providing meals for the overnight guests of the shelter.
Meals are provided December – March nightly (except for Wednesdays) and the shelter will serve up to 35 people during peak times. RLC will be providing meals on the following dates:
Meals are served at 6:45 but you can arrive at the church to set up any time after 5;30. Kitchen facilities are limited so it is recommended you bring your meals precooked and then can be warmed or kept warm in a crock pot. No clean-up as the guests do all the dishes! This is a fantastic opportunity to sit down and have a meal with the guests of the facility. You will be surprised how much you have in common and what you can learn in just one evening! Members have always had great experience and the staff and guests are great at helping out. There are other dates available that have not yet been filled so if you are interested in a different date the following dates are still available in December. Contact Crystal @ sosmealsdi@gmail.com if you are interested in picking up one of these dates. You can obtain additional instructions from Crystal or Sally Weiland at RLC.
Please feel free to reach out to Sally Weiland if you have any questions or are interested in helping out. Sign-up sheets for the RLC dates and instructions are on the kiosk in the narthex. |
