Maura Fultz and Baby Caroline Grace are now both at home and doing well. Thank you for your prayers!
Remember that, due to the Congregational Meeting, we will have a joint worship service at 10:00 a.m. this Sunday, Nov. 23! Sunday School and Adult Forum will meet at 9:00 a.m.The Congregational Meeting will take place immediately after worship. We will vote on the 2026 Budget and on the four nominees for Church Council: Terry Holland, Jerry Jewell, Tricia McClain, and Dan Wagel. We thank those who will go off at the end of the year for their service: Steven Bundy, Connie Perry, Natalie Vogel, and Elizabeth Waits. We will also vote for the Nominating Committee for 2026, and for one person to complete the Audit Committee for 2026. We have some discussion items as well. Please do not miss this meeting.
Lydia, Cullen, and Larissa Pearcy will make their First Communion this Sunday, Nov. 23. They and their family will be the first to take communion following special prayers. Lydia, Cullen, and Larissa are the children of Janie Pearcy.
Thanks to everyone who gave toward the Agape Holiday Boxes for Thanksgiving and Christmas! Peace had 62 boxes! This is a new record and 12 more than last year! Thanks to the LYO kids and leaders for checking the boxes and taking them over to the Agape Interfaith Pantry at Sardinia Hope Church.
We collected $575.50 for Thankoffering Sunday. Thank you!
We will host the Agape Community Thanksgiving Service at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25. Pastor Laura will lead worship, and Father Dohrman Byers, former priest of St. Mary Catholic Church, will preach. Anyone interested in taking part in the worship service can contact Pastor Laura. The offering will go to the Agape Emergency Fund. Please also bring canned goods/non-perishable food items for the Agape Interfaith Pantry at Sardinia Hope Church. Following worship, Dorcas Circle will offer light refreshments and beverages. Anyone is welcome to bring refreshments. We just ask that no peanuts or ground nuts be used, due to Father Byers' nut allergies.
Praise Band will not practice this Wednesday, Nov. 26. The band will meet a little earlier on Sunday, Nov. 30.
Dorcas Circle will put up the Christmas tree in the sanctuary at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 29. They could use help, especially if you have a little height! Thanks!
It is time for families to sign up for the Advent Wreath-Lighting Readings, which some of you have already done. Thank you! Look for the sign-up sheet on the Access Hall table, along with a set of readings available. The First Sunday of Advent is Nov. 30 -- ten days away! So please get signed up. Families can be couples, nuclear families, extended families, groups, or friends. Thanks to Kay Bundy for making our Advent wreath again this year.
Pastor Laura will lead the Advent Bible study, "Our Dear Christ Enters In," on Tuesdays, Dec. 2, 9, 16, and 23 in Frey Hall. She will offer the Bible study at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.each Tuesday. You will find a sign-up sheet on the Access Hall table, next to the Student Bible Study Guides, which are outlined in white. You can sign up for a time, but if you need to switch times at some point, you are welcome to do that. Participants will focus on preparing our hearts and homes for the coming of Jesus, who enters in to be with us.
Advent devotions have arrived. They are: adult devotions, "Our Dear Christ Enters In" (This devotional booklet is a dark blue-green.); teenagers and young adults, "Heads Up, the Lord Is Near!"; and children and families, the Advent calendar, "Welcome the Savior!" Pick them up from the Access Hall table this Sunday, and you will be all set to begin next Sunday!
Remember to fill out your slips for the Blessings Jar, located on the Access Hall table. This will be a gift we give to the young people at the Wilson Children's Home at Christmas, along with our Warmth Tree gifts (see below). This costs you nothing but a few minutes. Sitting on the easel by the Blessings Jar are instructions: The Blessings Jar says, "Open me when you feel angry, sad, afraid, lack of faith, thankful, or anxious." Choose a verse from one or more of those feelings from the poster on the easel. Flip it over and write an encouraging note. Sign your first name only. Drop it in the Blessings Jar. Know that you have helped someone spread the Word!
The Warmth Tree will be up on the First Sunday of Advent, Nov. 30, in the Access Entrance. You can bring mittens, pajamas, socks, underwear, and other warm items for the young people at Wilson Children's Home in West Union. Sizes are medium and large women's for the girls and X and XL for the boys. The children range in age from 14-17. If you don't want to shop, you can take down one of the angels that are decorating the Warmth Tree. Each angel represents $5. Take as few or as many angels as you like, and put the money in the box under the tree. The Sunday School will take the money out of the box after the late service each week. This year, we are trying something new, in case you would like to purchase something especially for one of the children. We will have yellow stars on the tree, each of them with a child's name on it. Take the star, give it to Nikki Tracy, and she will give you the child's Christmas list. The Sunday School recommends spending about $40. You can share a star with others as well. You might want to get one more expensive present for the $40 or two or three less expensive presents. Wrap the presents altogether and place the star with the child's name on top.
We hope to deliver the Blessings Jar, the warmth items, and the "star" presents Christmas week. Please have everything in by Sunday, Dec. 21.
Peace Lutheran Church