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December 2017

Welcome to Holly Grove Lutheran Church!

Mission Statement of Holly Grove Lutheran Church

“As united people of God under the guidance of the Ho-ly Spirit, our purpose is to provide worship and Chris-

tian education, and respond in a loving action to a needy world.”

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 1 2

3

4 CHICKS @

7:00 pm

Worship &

Music @ 4 pm

5 6

Advent Meal:

5:45; Worship

@ 6:30 pm

7 8 9

10 Council @

2:30 pm

11

LMiM @ 6:30

pm; Southern

Lunch

12 13 Advent Meal:

5:45; Worship

@ 6:30 pm

14 15 16

17

Caroling @ 2

pm

18

AGAPE @ 6:30

pm; Village

Grill

19 20 Advent Meal:

5:45; Worship

@ 6:30 pm

21 Christmas

Program

Dress Re-

hearsal @ 7

22 Christmas

Program @ 7

pm

23

24

Choir Cantata

Candlelight

Service starts

@ 9:30 pm

25

26 27 28 29 30

31

December 2017

Altar Guild- Kim Troutman Mother’s Rose Garden- Scott Black in honor of Judy and Barbara Black

3rd 1st Sunday of Advent Holy Communion Basket Offering: Staff Bonuses

Assisting Minister: Micky Conrad Acolyte: Victoria Voletto Communion Assistant: Bob Troutman Children’s Church: Carol Conrad

Ushers: Herbert Frank, Scott Black, Michael Willson, Andy Ferguson Altar Flowers: Micky & Carol Conrad-to the Glory of God

10th 2nd Sunday of Advent Holy Communion Basket Offering: Staff Bonuses

Assisting Minister: Carol Conrad Children’s Church: Kristal Ferguson Acolyte: Victoria Voletto Communion Assistant: Kim Troutman Ushers: Keith Cecil, Eddie Heitman, Ty Heitman, Gary Hedrick Altar Flowers: Andy and Kristal Ferguson in honor of Jessica Ferguson’s 21st birthday

17th 3rd Sunday of Advent Holy Communion

Assisting Minister: Andy Ferguson Children’s Church: Tina Heitman Communion Assistant: Chip Blower

Ushers: Harold Beck, Robin Beck, Max Carrick, Bob Troutman Altar Flowers: OPEN

24th 4th Sunday of Advent Holy Communion

Assisting Minister: Janna Waitman Children’s Church: Jordan Chapman Communion Assistant: Wendy Lohr Ushers: Johnny Fritts, Frank Hamilton, Herbert Frank, Scott Black Altar Flowers: Christmas Poinsettias ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

24th Christmas Eve Candlelight Service Holy Communion

Assisting Minister: Toni Chapman Communion Assistant: Carol Conrad Ushers: Michael Willson, Andy Ferguson, Keith Cecil, Eddie Heitman Altar Flowers: Christmas Poinsettias

31st Holy Communion

Assisting Minister: Norris Feeney Children’s Church: Jane DiBonaventura Communion Assistant: Herbert Frank

Ushers: Ty Heitman, Gary Hedrick, Harold Beck , Robin Beck

Altar Flowers: Micky and Carol, Kim and Bob, Todd and Lori- in memory of John Conrad Nursery Attendant: Kara Feeney Children’s Chat: Pastor

Nursery Attendant: Kara Feeney Children’s Chat: Tina Heitman

Nursery Attendant: Jordan Chapman Children’s Chat: Pastor

Nursery Attendant: Jane DiBonaventura Children’s Chat: Pastor

Fun Facts About Christmas

Hello, and Happy December. Welcome to the first Fun Facts post about holidays. December has a few holidays, so I'll be doing three Fun Facts posts this month. Enjoy!

Christmas (from the Old English, meaning 'Christ's Mass') is a commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Christ-mas is celebrated as a major festival and public holiday on December 25 by billions of people around the world. According to popular tradition, the birth of Jesus took place in a stable surrounded by farm animals. A manger (a feeding trough) is mentioned in Luke 2:7. The precise date of Jesus' birth is unknown. The original date of the celebration in Eastern Christianity was January 6th, in connection with Epiphany. The Western Christian Church had placed Christmas on December 25thsometime in the 4th century, possibly to coincide with the solstice. The holiday has been known by various names throughout its history, such as Midwinter, Nativity, Xmas, Yule, and Noel. The popular customs associated in various countries have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes. Countries in which Christmas is not a formal public holiday include China (except Hong Kong and Macao), Japan, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Thailand, Nepal, Iran, Turkey, and North Korea.

Christmas Controversy Throughout the Years

Following the Protestant Reformation, groups such as the Puritans strong condemned the celebration, considering it a Catholic inventions and the 'trappings of popery.' England's Puritan rulers banned Christmas in 1647. The Restoration of King Charles II in 1660 ended the ban. The Presbyterian Church of Scotland also discouraged the observance of Christmas. James VI commanded its cele-bration in 1618, but attendance at church was scant. The Parliament of Scotland officially abolished Christmas in 1640. It was not until 1958 that Christmas again be-came a Scottish public holiday. In Colonial America, the Puritans of New England shared disapproval of Christmas. The celebration was outlawed in Boston from 1659 to 1681. The ban was revoked by English governor Sir Edmund Andros, but it was not until the mid-19th century that celebrating Christmas became fashionable in the Boston Region. Christmas fell out of favor in the US after the American Revolution, since it was considered an English custom. President Theodore Roosevelt, an environmentalist, banned Christmas trees from the White House in 1912. In 1870, Christmas was formally declared a United States Federal holiday, signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant. The American Civil Liberties Union has initiated court cases to bar the display of images and other Christmas mate-rial from public property, including schools. In November 2009, the Federal appeals court in Philadelphia endorsed a school district's ban on the singing of Christmas carols.

Christmas Trees and Decorations

The Christmas tree is considered by some as Christianisation of pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice. The first artificial trees were made using dyed goose feathers. The first commercially produced decorations appeared in Germany in the 1860s, inspired by paper chains made by children. The words, 'Christmas tree' was first recorded in 1835. By the 1870s, people in the US had adopted the custom of putting up a Christmas tree. The traditional colors of Christmas are red, green and gold. The earliest known Christmas tree decorations were apples. The poinsettia is a native plant from Mexico and has been associated with Christmas since the 19th century. Other popular plants are holly, mistletoe, red amaryllis, and Christmas cactus. Poinsettias are NOT poisonous, but holly berries are. The tallest Christmas tree ever cut was a 221 foot Douglas fir, displayed in 1950 at the Northgate Shopping Cen-ter in Seattle, WA.

Christmas Cards and Carols

'Jingle Bells' was copyrighted in 1857. The first commercial Christmas card was produced by Sir Henry Cole in London in 1843. The earliest Christmas hymn appear in 4th century Rome. Each year, more than 3 billion Christmas cards are sent in the US alone! The songs we know as carols were originally communal folk songs. Later, they were sung in church.

Christmas Cuisine

Sicilians serve 12 kinds of fish on Christmas Eve. In England and other countries influenced by its traditions, a standard Christmas meal includes a turkey or goose. Special desserts are also served, such as Christmas pudding, mince pies, and fruit cake. In Poland and other parts of eastern Europe and Scandinavia, fish is traditionally used for the main course. In Germany, France, and Austria, goose and pork are favored. The Maltese serve a chocolate and chestnuts beverage after Midnight Mass.

Fun Facts About Christmas Cont’d

Write your own Legacy…………………………..

Are you considering leaving Holly Grove in your estate plan? Not sure how? Deacon Mitzie Schafer is a free resource for congregation members considering leaving a gift. We met

Deacon Mitzie in worship at the begin of the summer. If you have been thinking about leaving a gift, she can help you think through the best way to do that. Remember, she has nothing to sell you

and she doesn’t work on commission. She doesn’t ask for a check. Your plan never changes your access to your funds if they are needed for health or emergency reasons. She simply listens to what you care about, she helps you review your assets, and then she helps you develop a plan to ensure that your estate is

paid out the way you want it to. Unfortunately, 70% of estates do not pay out the way the person wanted them to because of pro-

bate and incorrect documentation. She can help ensure that doesn’t happen to you. You can contact Deacon Mitzie to set up

an appointment at

803-413-7827 orMitzie.schafer@elca.org.

Practice has started for our Christmas Program. We are having practice on Saturdays @ 10:00 am in the Fellowship Hall. Please come out and join in celebrating the birth of

Jesus. Put it on the calendar parents: December 22, 7:00 pm.

Until next time... God loves all His children.

Faith Gathering in early 2018. It's fun and

fellowship for all ages.

NEWS from PARISH EDUCATION

We are always looking for ideas to advance the Christian Education of our children. If you have one, please let us know!

Comfortable with numbers? Care about your church and want to help? Consider if

God might be calling you to serve a term as the Holly Grove Lutheran Church Treas-

urer. Amy Kepley is two years into a 3-year term and we would like to have a re-

placement in place in advance for a smooth transition. Please speak to Pastor Matt

for more information.

The Office Complex hours are 8:00 am 1:00 pm Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday. If you have anything that needs to be in the bulletin for the upcoming Sunday, please get it to me by Wednesday. The bulletins are

printed on Thursday each week.

____________________________________________________________

HGLC OCTOBER 2017 COUNCIL MEETING MINUTEES

Call of Order – Chip Blower, 9 members present plus Pastor

Devotions – Chip Blower lead us in devotions, next month will be Kara Feeney.

Approval of Reports:

Minutes – Herbert Frank moved to approve. Wendy Lohr Seconded. Motion Passed.

Financial Secretary – Michael Willson moved to approve. Karen Beck Seconded. Motion Passed.

Treasurer –Wendy Lohr moved to approve. Sandra Vaughn Seconded. Motion Passed.

Building Fund – Neil Clark moved to approve. Kim Troutman Seconded. Motion Passed.

Correspondence – None

Pastor’s Report – September was a big month at Holly Grove. When the opportunity arose to help the people of Texas who were affected by Hurricane Harvey, our congregation stepped up to lead the community in a big way. Thank you. If you get the chance, please thank the people at Swing Transport in Salisbury for providing the trailer and transport to Texas. Thanks to the members of Mt. Tabor UCC who let us borrow their road sign, provided significant funds for supplies, and showed up in person to help man the trailer. Thank you to everyone that helped. In case you didn’t see these numbers, you ought to:

47 pallets of water

23 pallets of diapers and wipes

7 pallets of toilet paper and paper towels

6 pallets of bleach and cleaning supplies

$1,062.40 of additional funds sent to Lutheran Disaster Recovery for hurricane relief

Confirmation is in full swing, meeting every Sunday afternoon, jointly with First Lutheran. I’m teaching the classes every week, helping to cover some for Pastor Matt Miller who is out for about a month as he recovers from major surgery to remove his colon. After a few years of no confirmation students and a year of only one from Holly Grove, this year Holly Grove has six confirmation students. Ty Heitman is in his first of two years, and Jacob Hearn, Wilson Hearn, Nathan Baker, Victoria Voletto, and Hunter Hedrick. All in their first year. While Pastor Matt Miller is recuperating, I’m also a part of a group of area pastors to cover pastoral emergencies at First Lutheran if any arise.

I will be at Lutheridge October 9-11 for the synod fall convocation, and then we’re going to Boston to see my brother the following week. Pastor Andrea Bates has agreed to help cover any pastoral emergencies should any arise. Dean Chapman moved to approve. Wendy Lohr Seconded. Motion Passed.

Helping Hands – distributions were made on 7/19/17 to Davidson Medical Ministries for $39; 7/24/17 to Walmart -AC for $143.73; 7/28/17 to Home Depot for $143.16; and 8/31/17 for $65.00.

Calendar- 10/8- Endowment Committee Meeting; 10/9-12 - NC Synod Fall Convocation; 10/14 -Recreation - Corn-

hole Tournament and vendor event; 10/16-22- Pastor Matt on vacation; 10/29 – 5pm Silly Halloween and 7pm Coun-ty wide Reformation Service at Our Savior in Welcome; 11/05 – All Saints Sunday and Scholarship lunch and silent

auction ; 11/12 – Congregational Meeting ; 12/22 - Children Christmas Program; and 12/24 – Christmas Eve Sun-day

Committee Reports: Cemetery – No Report Evangelism – No Report Fellowship - Set up for Homecoming, all went well Finance – Stated in New Business Parish Education – Christmas program is progressing nicely, Fall Gathering was a success. Property – Water leaks found and fixed, vines need to be removed for the side of the church and looking at the church will

need painting in the future. Recreation – Fall Festival on Saturday Scholarship – Will meet Thursday to plan the lunch and Silent Auction on 11/05 after worship (date change) Scouts – No Report Stewardship – No Report Worship & Music – No Report Social Ministry – We will be feeding at Crisis Ministries on 9/30 Youth – Included in Pastor’s Report Old Business:

Motion was made to turn on the online contributions – credit cards, etc. Contributions will show 100% on member’s state-ment but the church would only receive about 97-98% of the contributions due to Breeze’s fees. Karen Beck moved to approve. Neil Clark Seconded. Motion Passed.

Neil Clark is chairing the meal on November 19th at Genesis House for 24 people. Council members will be serving.

We will continue the pew pads to see if we have guests. Tim Everhart will be contacted about new covers. Chip Blower moved to approve. Neil Clark Seconded. Motion Passed.

Need new Treasurer hopefully by 2/2018

New Business:

2018 Proposed Budget – (See 2018 Budget handout) After review. Dean Chapman moved to approve. Wendy Lohr Se-conded. Motion Passed.

We need 4-6 council member candidates to replace the four outgoing members. We are looking for two more members to service on the committee with the outgoing members.

Our website needs an update – Looking for someone that specializes in websites.

Scholarship committee will be moving some of the monies to ELCA Financial Pastor Matt moved to approve. Chip Blower Seconded. Motion Passed.

Pastor Matt explained the mission of Communidad Amado de Christo in Winston-Salem. It was suggested that we add the mission to our annual budget. After discussion, the council choose to donate $750 ($250 quarterly) and educate the congregation about the program. We can use a basket offering next year to help. Neil Clark moved to approve. Wen-dy Lohr Seconded. Motion Passed.

Xerox copier is working well – had to add an attachment for folding

LORD’S PRAYER 2017 2018 2019 Herbert Frank Kara Feeney – Secretary Karen Beck Kristal Rose Kim Troutman Dean Chapman Michael Willson Wendy Lohr Carey Fritts Chip Blower – President Neil Clark – Vice President Sandra Vaughn

Council Meeting has been moved to Sunday, December 10th @ 2:30 pm.

__________________________________________________________

The LMiM meeting has been rescheduled for December 11th @ 6:30 pm.

Americans spend over $300 billion on Christ-mas shopping each year. This year, consider giving gifts that fight hunger and grow the church with ELCA Good Gifts. Select from

more than 50 gifts--from goats to water filters to school fees--to help people in need. Give in honor of friends and loved ones. Catalogs are

located in the narthex.

December Fun Facts about December

Happy Birthday to all you Sagittarians and Capricorns!

December 5th is Walt Disney's birthday and he would have been 116 years old!

Sinterklaas, the winter holiday figure just like our Santa Claus, rides the rooftops of Belgium and the Nether-lands tonight on his gray horse, Sleipner.

Decem means 'ten' in Latin.

December was the tenth month in the Roman Calendar, but was changed to the twelfth and last month in the Julian and Gregorian calendars.

Everyone knows that December has 31 days, but did you know every year, both December and September start on the same day?

December has the shortest daylight hours of the year in the Northern hemisphere.

December 7th is Pearl Harbor Day, which commemorates the 1941 surprise military strike on the US by the Impe-rial Japanese Navy. Wow! That was 76 years ago.

Nobel Prizes will be awarded on December 10th in the fields of Chemistry, Physics, Medicine, Peace, and Litera-ture.

The Honolulu Marathon, one of the world's largest, will take place on December 11th.

December 21st starts Hanukkah this year, Christmas is December 25th, and Kwanzaa begins on December 26th.

Fans of Seinfeld, who are frustrated with the commercialism and pressure of other December holidays will cele-brate Festivus on December 23rd.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

Donnie Parsons

2

3 4 5

Susan Lohr

6

Brandon/

Brandy Conrad

7

Breanna Rose

8

Glenna Garner

9

Madison

Lohr-Pope

Trenton

Parks

10

Jennifer Blower

11

Jane Brown

12 13 14

Jessica Ferguson

15 16

Brandon

Hedrick

17

Greg Kepley

18

Johnny Fritts

Jeff Littleton

19

Caroline Hedrick

Colton Rose

20 21 22 23

Calvin

Carrick

24 25

26

Betty Queen

27

Eugene Queen

Calvin Blower

28

Jimmy Harrison

Elisa Sommer

29

John Lohr

30

31

Frank/Jeanine

Hamilton

Birthday & Anniversaries

Holly Grove Lutheran Church 212 Holly Grove Lutheran Church Rd Lexington, NC 27292 336-249-2807 www.hollygrovelutheranchurch.org office: hglcoffice@gmail.com Sundays 915AM Sunday School 1030AM Worship

November Senior News Minnie Conrad Holly Grove Senior Citizens met Wednesday, November 15th at Mt. Tabor’s Events Center. President Virginia led the program. She had readings about “The First Thanks-giving” and the “Story of the Mayflower.” Pastor Matt and Pastor Darrell read a version of the 23rd Psalm. Since we just celebrated Veteran’s Day, Carol Varner asked a Veteran, Jane Smith to tell us something about her days in the Air Force. Pastor Darrell prayed and we enjoyed Daisy’s delicious turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, Cole slaw, assorted pickles and 3 kinds of pie.

Our next meeting will be on December 20th at 10:30 and all seniors in the com-

munity are invited to join us.