December, 2005 - January, 2006    Advent/ Christmas

Christmas Concert

Sunday, December 11,  at 6 pm we will be honored to host the Christmas concert of the Austin Choral Society for Sacred Music.  Admission is free, however donations are accepted, appreciated and tax deductible.  Works by Bruckner, Handel, Rachmaninoff and traditional favorites will be on the program.

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Die 101ste deutsche Weihnachtsfeier

German Community of the Greater San Antonio Area to celebrate its 101^st Weihnachtsfeier (Christmas Candlelight Celebration).  “Die deutsche Weihnachtsfeier” will be held on Sunday, December 11, 2005 starting at 5:00 p.m. in the Margarite B. Parker Chapel at Trinity University, 715 Stadium Drive (1 Trinity Plaza), in San Antonio. There is no admission charge.  The 101^st Annual German Christmas Candlelight Celebration is open to all who wish to experience the majesty of a traditional German “Weihnachtsfeier.”

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St. John’s/San Juan Christmas Bazaar

Antique Christmas Decorations, Woodcraft, Mosaic Planters, Jewelry, Sweet Shop, Toys, Quilts, Teddy Bears, Handmade items, Raffle, food, baked goods, and much, much more!!

St. John’s Lutheran Church
409 W. Ben White
Saturday, December 3, 2005
8:30 am – 4:30 pm

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A request from Peggy Toussaint:  

Every year the one thousand GEO, Lockhart, Pre-Release Prison Facility Inmates are given three Christmas cards to mail to family and/or friends.  This year we are asking the Christian community to help us collect three thousand unused cards to distribute to these offenders. Most of us have a few extra cards lying around from previous years that we could donate to this cause.  Please bring these cards to church and leave them in the narthex during the next few Sundays.  The cards will be collected through Sunday, December 11. Remember, these offenders are people just like you and me who made a big mistake and are paying the price.

REMEMBER IN PRAYER:

Bill Alexander, Karen Anthony (Tara’s aunt), Rhonda Archer (Phil’s niece), Wanda Bagwell, Craig Barnhart, Yvonne Baumann (Tara’s aunt), Shirley Buckner, Robert Cheatham, Retha Claghorn, Richard Cook, Robert Cook,  Kimberley Cosper, Milton Dailey Russell Damon, Virginia Derossier (Cathy’s mom), Nell Doyle, Hajji Faradineh,   Fred Gamez, Deanna García, Misty Goodson, Brenda Hagen, Darla Hagen, Bud Hajovsky (Bittners), Sarah Lambkin (Betty Pope’s friend), Rosalynn Lewis, Vivian Lippe, Louis Lloyd (Mary Lou’s cousin), Tommy Mann, Mike Massudi (Courtney’s uncle), Jerry Miller, Bernard Mollberg, Mance Nelson (Clara’s nephew), Linda Neumann, Gladys Niemann (Dickie’s sister), Agnes Olson, Gary Olson, Linda Ottmers, Berniece Owen, Elsie Pfeiffer, Louis & Melinda Petrosky, Margaret Plaetzer (Ursula’s sister), Harold Poe, Katie Powell (Franz’s niece), Bonnie Rietz, Jerry Seagraves, Teddy Schild (Mike Bittner’s brother-in-law), Mary Louise Schmidt, Van Scott, M.B. Shirley, Marlene Springer (Carol’s cousin), Jimmy Walenta, Jim White, Russell Winnett, Rebecca Wire.

Pray for all men and women in military service, especially Paul Randell (Iraq), Randy Harwell (Iraq), Don Kotulin (Germany), Bill Kotulin (Iraq), Wayne Brady, David Riemer (Tikrit), Britt Boyer, Michael Brewer (civilian in Iraq), David Brown (Iraq), Kyle Bunch (Kuwait), Gary Bunch (Iraq), James Cuellar (Kosovo), Todd  Goucher, Michael Hofmann (Afghanistan), Courtney Laurell, Ryan Lloyd (civilian fireman in Baghdad), Roy Lohse, Aaron Newcomer (Germany), Hector Rangel, John Roescher, James Serrato (Iraq), Paul Stephens (Iraq), Chaplain Pastor Gary Goodson (in Iraq with hospital unit from BAMC)

Pray for all travelers.

Pray for the families of those who have died recently, especially Kellie Salyers, Kerry Evans, Nell Lethco, Mario Flores, Donna Henning, Summer Constable, Ernest Harwell, Marie Rutherford, John Longoria (killed in Iraq).

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SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS

  We invite you to join us for Sunday School.  We have classes for 2 years – Adult.  Classes begin at 9:00 am with opening, and then proceed to classes.

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Happy Birthday to:

14 – Taylor Malaer

14 – Carole House

GOD’S BLESSINGS TO YOU!

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Youth News

Live Nativity will be held on Saturday, December 17.  We will have supper at 5:00 p.m. and the Nativity from 6:30 – 7:30 pm.

Planning ahead:  Youth and Sunday School will be having a garage sale in the spring.  Please save your items and I will have more information at a later date.

Any questions, please call Elaine Michna at 601-2326 or email emichna@academicplanet.com.

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Shoeboxes for Laredo Mission

Gary & Carol Olson have been working for the past 12 years out of Laredo for the Latin American Lutheran Mission, supporting Mexican Pastors with the work of the Lutheran Church in Northern Mexico.

Pastor Antonio Tirrado now serves the Church in Nueva Laredo, and welcomes visitors, mission groups and gifts to help with the work of the church there and in two satellite congregations, “Grace Alone” and “Faith Alone.”

We can help by preparing small shoe box gifts for young people that can be presented on “Three Kings” Day, the Day of the Epiphany, January 6 . 

Get a shoe box, cover with Christmas wrap and fill with small items that would be useful to a young person in Mexico.

The following are suggested:  Crayons

Small toys

Bars of soap

Coloring books

Toothpaste and brush

Small towels (not washcloths)

Small candies

We will be collecting these gifts on Sunday January 1, and getting them to Nueva Laredo in time for distribution on Epiphany.

We hope later in the year to arrange a mission trip for young people and others from Grace. If interested, contact Gary and Carol or Pastor.

Grace Lutheran Preschool

(512) 398-6488 

Our unit for December is “Stories From Around the World”.  We will be learning stories from a variety of cultures.  Our community helper is a librarian and our value is accepting others.

We will be having our Christmas party on Friday, Dec. 16.  We will have a sign-up sheet on the door and will expect a visitor about 10:00 am.  The preschool will close from December 19 through Monday, Jan. 2.  If we have enough children interested, we will be open on an optional basis during the holidays.  Please let us know if you want care over the holiday – it does not have to be on your regular schedule.

We enjoyed our visit from Chiwauka and the Chisholm Wolf Foundation.  Thank you to Mr. Varillas for getting information about them for us.  Thank you also to Mary Bill and Alison Lickert for cookies, Henry Gomez’s grandma Rosemary for banana bread, Camryn Martinez for scrap paper, Beatrice Starks for photos from Fry’s Fun Farm, and Katie Coleman for some great craft materials.

Happy birthday to Jenna Weber (16), Jaramiah Trejo (21), and Alexia Brite and Emma Anton (29).

            Eileen Larkin, Director

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WELCA NEWS

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the Women’s Thankoffering Service.  We collected $360.00 that will be given to the National WELCA.

A big thank you to all who brought food or donated money for turkeys.  We made baskets for 10 families and delivered them after church on November 20.

We will be doing the Angel Tree in December.  Please pick a family to help out this Christmas.

Our first WELCA meeting for 2006 will be in January.  Date to be announced.

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Please recycle empty ink cartridges to CCCM—It enables the Capitol Area Food Bank to purchase additional food for the pantry.

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SPECIAL REMINDER

Don’t miss the ELCA-produced Christmas program “Joy to the World,” which will be aired on your ABC affiliate Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  Please check your local listings for the exact airtime in your area.  This unique program highlights various cultural celebrations of Christ’s birth, including a ten-minute Cherokee segment, which was filmed here on the Oak campus, at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, and involves our children and staff.  For more information visit:  www.elca.org/joytotheworld.