Tune in December 25th

“What Luther Says”, (CPH 1959) (Selection based on today’s Gospel reading)

10:00 a.m. Svc.

Anniversaries 20 - Janice and James Gann

Talking Together the weekly newsletter of

Concordia Lutheran Church 17906 Garden Lane Hagerstown, MD 21740

301-797-5955 Concordia Home Page address: http://www.concordia-hagerstown.org

E-mail address: concordiased@verizon.net December 18, 2011 Our Stewardship of God's Gifts Attendance for December 11, 2011 …….....…...…..……..….…………..………..….....….……....…..……..………..…..…...…..…................................115 Giving for December 4, 2011 …………..………..…….….……….…….……………...….……….…..……...……............................................ ...... $6,178.40 Year-to-Date Regular Offering Received ………………………….………………….………...………………..…………..… ……………….. $217,611.36 Budget Needs Through Week 49 of 2011 ……………………...………………………….…….………………..….…..….…....…...…...……..... $203,244.96 Our 2011 Total Annual Budget (Operational Expenses Only)………………..………….……....….……..…..….….……..…....….…..………. $220,182.00

Serving in Worship

Late Service

Early Service

Early Service

Late Service

Date

12/25

12/18

Acolyte

No Acolyte

Danny Flanick

No Service

10:00 a.m. TBD

Nursery 1st No Nursery 2nd 1st 2nd

No Nursery

Assisting Ministers

Hector/Shives No Communion

No Service

Gann/Tichnell

Lector

Les Braun

Rick Anthony

No Service

Roland Foster

Greeters

Diest

TBD

No Service

Garrison

Sylvia Shives

No Nursery

Your attention is invited to the in-side of the cover page to our new Church directory. There you will find instruction on Concordia emer-gency communications as a handy and reliable source of information.

Christmas Eve (Family & community worship service - No Communion) .. 5:30 p.m. Christmas Eve (Traditional Candle light worship service - w/Communion) 7:00 p.m. Christmas Day Worship service w/Communion at 10:00 a.m.

M - Member - New

Prayer Requests:- - MBob Keane - (Update: Bob has now developed pneumonia along wtreatment for prostate cancer.) Bob and Prayer Ministry Team - Olga Bell - (85 yrs old, triple bypass surgery. Remains in critical condition in ICU since 11/28/1185 yrs old, triple bypass surgery. Remains in critical condition in ICU since 11/28/11. (Jean Tichnell’s aunt) Tichnells and Prayer Ministry Team - Gene Paulus - (fell a few weeks ago, was hospitalized and had surgery on December 12, 2011. Things went well & he's

- Serena - (A person in our community called and asked for prayers for her daughter, Serena who was recently diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis). We pray for healing and comfort.) Pastor and Prayer Ministry Team - Stephanie Macus - (She has been diagnosed with cancer of the lung, brain and spine. Pray for God’s healing power. Friend of Kathy Schleef) Schleef family and Prayer Ministry Team - Gann family - (At the passing of Jim Gann’s father, we pray for peace and comfort for Jim’s mother and family

responding well in ICU. Elizabeth Krc’s uncle) Krc family & Prayer Ministry Team - Michelle Hector - (Praise and thanksgiving for very impressive progress in the treatment for cancer.) Hector family and Prayer Ministry Team - MChad Shumaker - (Has a dislocated knee and diagnosis is trying to determine the severity. Pray for healing.) Shumaker family and Prayer Ministry Team - Hector family - (The death of Larry’s grandfather. We pray for peace and comfort for the family.) Hector family and Prayer Ministry Team

knowing that father Tom's spirit now rests in the Lord Jesus Christ) Gann family and Prayer Ministry Team - MGretarsson family - (Continued prayer for the well being of mother and child)Pastor and Prayer Ministry Team - Chase Baker - (having some serious abdominal pain and there has been no official diagnosis) Pastor and Prayer Ministry Team - Mikie McCullough - (She is having constant nausea and terrible head- aches.) Mikie and Pastor

Continued on page 2

“Nurturing the Faith” The following readings are provided for your preparation for next Sunday’s worship. Scripture readings for, Dec. 25th, The Nativity of Our Lord Isaiah 52:7-10; Hebrews 1:1-6 (7-12); John 1:1-14, (15-18).

Sunday Christian Education

There will be NO Sunday School next Sunday on Christmas Day.

ON PAGE 2 Announcements Birthday/Anniversaries LWML Church Mouse Report Luther says

LWML Mission Grant Story of December -- $1,825,000

TODAY Sunday School Christmas Play ……………...………. 10:45 Worship Service

out family and friends, without children’s programs and decorations, without music and parties, without a packed church. De-pending on the location and the prevailing culture, this is typical for many of our mis-sionaries in the field. I recently spoke to a missionary who has returned to the states, and she shared a few thoughts. “There is absolutely no air of anticipation in many villages, towns and cities; why would there be? They do not grasp the joy of the birth of our Lord come to earth as a newborn. They do not know Him at all. There may be a few decorations, but often they do not make sense. One city in Africa boasts a large Santa Claus that rotates while the ‘Yellow Rose of Texas’ is broad-cast! There are no Christmas hams, turkey stuffing, plates of cookies, tape and wrap-ping paper littering the table or music fill-

Have you had your fill of canned holi-day music, bright colored lights, televi-sion ads, holiday movies and decora-tions spilling everywhere from the retail world? Are you tired of baking even though you have not started? Are you wondering how in the world you will ever be able to pay for the list of gifts that keep popping up in your head? What will you do if you get one more invitation to a party? Are you going to have a good attitude at the Saturday morning Christmas program practices working with all the excitable Sunday school children? Oh, and remember to water all the poinsettias before you leave. And there are the extra choir practices, houseguests are coming, and so it goes again this year! Now imagine the holiday season with-

Tune in December 25th

“What Luther Says”, (CPH 1959) (Selection based on today’s Gospel reading)

10:00 a.m. Svc.

Anniversaries 20 - Janice and James Gann

The Holy Ghost Purified Mary In our Christian Creed we confess that Christ was conceived and became man or was incarnate (if I may so speak), that He became a real human being by assuming a body. We confess that He as-sumed genuine flesh and blood from the Virgin Mary, that He did not pass through her as the sun shines through a glass but brought her virgin flesh and blood with Him. If this had taken place only with the co-operation of Mary, the Babe would not have been pure. But though Mary has been conceived in sin, the Holy Spirit takes her flesh and blood and purifies them; and thence He cre-ates the body of the Son of God. This is why it is said that “He was conceived by the Holy Ghost.” Thus He assumed a genuine body from His mother Mary, but this body was cleansed for sin by the Holy Spirit. If this were not the case, we could not be saved.

Birthdays and Anniversaries This Week

Open Arms CCDC The children had a great time decorating gingerbread houses on Thursday. They are also working hard to prepare their bell choir to participate in the early Christmas Eve service. Carol Rosicky has a new cell phone number: 571-442-0015. Cookie Sale The sale was a huge success. Cookies alone brought in a record $338.00! We will add some of the proceeds from the greenery sale and send $400 to our Fort Wayne Semi-nary food bank. This will greatly help the seminarians, especially those with families, who sacrifice a lot to attend seminary. Angel Tree We are supporting two families with our Angel Tree outreach this year. Please take an angel tag, purchase the

specified gift and return it wrapped with the angel tag attached. Gifts and a food basket will be delivered to the families on Christmas Eve. Monetary donations are ac-cepted to help purchase food for the baskets. Deb Jorgen-

sen and Karol Stanley are managing the Angel Tree project. Christmas Bazaar Today is the last opportunity to “shop” the Christmas Bazaar in the lower stairwell. Items are available for a small donation. Any items not adopted will go into next year’s yard sale. The Sunday School Christmas pageant Thank you to all who participated in today’s Sunday School Christmas play as actors, musicians or props. Special thanks to Pat Fridgen who wrote and directed the play and to the Sunday School teachers who assisted with background support. This was all done with a minimum of rehearsals. Thank You Note Janice Gann wishes to thank everyone for their cards, calls and especially their prayers while she was out of circulation due to the fractured ankle. It is great to see Jim and Janice back with us.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

We welcome home all the college students who are taking a break from their studies to spend time with their families.

Baptismal Birthdays 18 - Erick Poole 18 - Kevin Poole 18 - Carol Rosicky 23 - Michael Taylor

Birthdays 20 - Wendy Chapin 21 - Thomas Anthony 21 - Sydney Hector 24 - Patrick Anthony 24 - Natalie Penrod

The Mission Grant Story for December featured a general story about what it may be like to serve as a Christian missionary in a land with a different culture. Read the story in the Feature section today.

“Listening to the “Lutheran Hour” You are invited to tune in next Sunday to one of the radio stations listed below:

WNAV (Annapolis) 143 FM 7:00 a.m WTRM (Winchester) 91.3 FM 7:01 p.m.

WBAL (Baltimore) 1090 AM 10:30 a.m. WZXH (Hagerstown) 91.7 FM 4:00 p.m.

"Something To Ponder" The very first Christmas greeting was: "...unto you has been born this day ... a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord." That's still something for us to ponder. (Luke 2:16-19) Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour: Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus

Trees, Wreaths, and Arrangements Thanks to all the folks who have come to sell trees in the evenings/weekends and to the ladies who have been busy making wreaths and arrange-ments. We especially thank Karen Kreymborg and Cheryl Fer-titta who set up the work area and have been on site for every workday. Many others helped with either making arrangements and/or decorating the sanctuary and narthex. Oh yes, the ladies sold a few trees during the day too!

Offering Envelopes for 2012 The 2012 offering enve-lopes are now out. If there is only one box for the family, it will be in their mailbox. If there are two or more boxes for a family (due to all confirmed members now getting a box), they will be rubber-banded together and placed on a table across from the mailboxes. Due to the change in envelope numbers for everyone, 2012 envelopes should only be used AFTER Dec. 31, 2011. Therefore, any 2011 envelopes should not be used in 2012.

ing the square.” Our missionary friend was devastated when their best friends moved away just before the holidays. There would be no one to share the comforting, favorite festivities. The recently acquired string of Christmas lights lay on the couch for two weeks before her husband finally said, “I love what you have done with the decorations!” We can refocus in this Christmas season! We praise God for the devotion and sacrifice of our missionaries in the field, and we can give Him thanks for their examples of faith and persever-ance. The Prince of Peace will meet our need to anticipate His coming without dreading the schedule. In our devotions we will marvel at His birth among us, rather than despair that our worldly preparations are incomplete. When we contemplate the lives of service that take our missionaries far from home, let us look at our sometimes annoying atmosphere with new eyes and a heart thankful in His grace and glad for traditions that do point to the best birthday celebration ever, the birth of Jesus our Savior! As we praise the Babe of Bethlehem, let us ask that our hearts will be made ready and our joy will be complete.

Merry Christmas

GRANT STORY (Continued from page 1)