August 1-5 was our Ramblin' Road Trip Vacation Bible School. Thank you to everyone who helped make it a success. Your donations of items and time is greatly valued.

On Monday night we had 55 children in attendance. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we had 59! Friday, when normally half the children are missing, we had 49 attend. This is a great credit to all the teachers and volunteers who made learning about Jesus exciting for the children--they wanted to keep coming night after night.

Sarah Krarup has put together a wonderful DVD of pictures from the week. If you would like a copy, we are asking for a $5 donation to raise funds for next year's VBS. If interested in a copy, please let Pastor Dan know.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus

We find ourselves in the season of Advent, a time of preparing to celebrate the birth of our King, our heavenly Brother, our Lord, our Savior Jesus. It is a busy time, with all the preparation we make for His birth. Christmas music can be heard everywhere. Gifts are being purchased to give in love and memory of the gifts given by the Magi to the baby Jesus. Perhaps you have many holiday parties to attend. In the craziness for preparing for the birth of Jesus, we sometimes lose the joy that this season brings.

To find that joy and to be grounded in the reason for this season, I encourage you to not neglect the times that we gather to worship our Lord and prepare for His coming once again. This season of Advent is designed to keep our hearts and thoughts on the reason why we are so busy preparing for the celebration of Christmas. Our time of gathering together as His body in worship gives each of us time to slow down, to redirect our attention for the worldly preparations to the spiritual preparation of our hearts to receive our King once again.

I would also like to encourage you to come to our Bible Study. I realize that with all the other busy preparations you have, making time for this is difficult. But starting December 5, our Bible Study is going to focus on the Christmas story. You may think that you know the whole story, but I can assure you there is much more to this story than you have been taught in Sunday School. The story is filled with unexpected twists, the reversal of established customs, stranger visitors, murder, and the plan of salvation coming to its fulfillment. I am very excited about being able to share the insights of those who have lived in that part of the world, who know it is well worth an hour of your time for three weeks to hear the story of our Lord's birth and prepare for your celebration of Christmas. I pray that you will make time in your busy schedules to come join us.

As a reminder, our Christmas Eve celebrations will be at 8:00 p.m. at St. John's and 10:00 p.m. at St. Paul. Both will include a portion of the service by candle-light and filled with many of your times and will include Holy Communion. May the joy of this season bring you to the Lord's House on these most glorious days to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus.

In the Babe of Bethlehem,

Pastor Dan

-Excerpt from Pastor Dan's December 2005 letter

 

This year we are going to try a new curriculum called "Faithweaver" that is designed to weave your faith into everyday life, from preschoolers on to the oldest adult members. Every class will be studying the same section of Scripture in age-appropriate ways with helpful advice of how to weave what we have learned in our lesson throughout the week and into our lives. The Sunday School classes will have great, exciting materials to engage the children in the lessons and crafts and music to connect with that lesson. The adults will have a book that will help them journal their learning and growth throughout the week through simple, but provocative questions. There will also be Children's Sermons on non-communion weeks based on the lessons to further connect the week's lesson in worship.

At St. John Lutheran in Forest, we are going back to Saturday School. Children will meet at 9:00 a.m. each week for two hours for the lessons, devotions, crafts, and even some recess time. At St. Paul Lutheran Church in Deer Park, Sunday School will be starting earlier, at 9:00 a.m. for opening devotions, the lesson, and music. Adult Bible studies will be offered at three times again: Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. at St. John; Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. at St. Paul; and Thursday mornings at 10:30 a.m. at St. Paul.

-Excerpt from Pastor Dan's September 2005 letter