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November 2017

Welcome to Holly Grove Lutheran Church!

Mission Statement of Holly Grove Lutheran Church

“As united people of God under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, our purpose is to provide wor-ship and Christian education, and respond in a

loving action to a needy world.”

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4

5 6 CHICKS @

7:00 pm

7 8 9 10 Forget Me Not

Day

11

12 13

Council @

7:00 pm

14 16 17 18

19 20

AGAPE @ 6:30

pm

21 False Confes-

sions Day

22 Start Your Own Country Day

23 24 25

26 27 LMiM @ 7:00

pm

28 29 30

November 2017

Altar Guild- Kara Feeney Mother’s Rose Garden- Minnie Conrad- in memory of Goldie Hedrick

5th Holy Communion Basket Offering: HGLC Youth

Assisting Minister: Neil Clark Communion Assistant: Paula Hedrick Children’s Church: Kristal Ferguson Ushers: Johnny Fritts, Frank Hamilton, Herbert Frank, Scott Black Altar Flowers: David & Jane Brown- in memory of our mothers, Lois Brown and Martha Leonard

12th Assisting Minister: Debbie Frank Children’s Church: Jane DiBonaventura Ushers: Michael Willson, Bob Troutman, Keith Cecil, Eddie Heitman Altar Flowers: Joe & Jennifer Davis in honor of our parents- Gaynell Davis & Marshall Brown, and Richard & Mary Alice Swing

19th Holy Communion

Assisting Minister: Kim Troutman Children’s Church: Jordan Chapman Communion Assistant: Debbie Frank Ushers: Ty Heitman, Gary Hedrick, Harold Beck, Robin Beck Altar Flowers: Stephanie Hearn in honor of Jacob and Wilson Hearn’s 12th birthday

26th Christ the King Holy Communion Assisting Minister: Kara Feeney Children’s Church: Tina Heitman Communion Assistant: Neil Clark Ushers: Max Carrick, Bob Troutman, Johnny Fritts, Frank Hamilton Altar Flowers: Sherry Proctor- in honor of my family

Nursery Attendant: Carol Conrad Children’s Chat: Tina Heitman

Nursery Attendant: Jordan Chapman Children’s Chat: Pastor

Nursery Attendant: Jane DiBonaventura Children’s Chat: Pastor

Nursery Attendant: Kristal Ferguson Children’s Chat: Pastor

Our Ghouls & Goblins 2017

Everette Feeney

Chloe and Quinn Beck (Robin & Karen’s twin Grandbabies)

Mason & Ashton Chapman

BayLee & Pinky just waiting on the door bell…….That is their cue to bark!

Marcus Smith

Gracie & Gaven Ferguson

The Blower’s rockin’ the Mac & Cheese

Isabel & Friend!

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.

Calling all youth! We need you for our Christmas Program. We plan to start practice very soon so let Lateffa know if you want to come out and join in celebrating the birth

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

Also be on the lookout for our next Faith Gathering in early 2018. It's fun and

fellowship for all ages.

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

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 September 2017 Council Meeting Minutes Call to Order – Chip Blower; 10 plus Pastor present Devotions – Dean gave devotions tonight, Chip has devotions next month. Approval of Reports:

Minutes – Dean Moved to approve the minutes. Karen Seconded. Motion Passed. Financial Secretary – Herbert Moved to approve. Michael Seconded. Motion Passed. Treasurer – Carey Moved to approve. Michael Seconded. Motion Passed. Building Fund – Herbert Moved to approve. Carey Seconded. Motion Passed. Pastor’s Report –

New church management software is in use “Breeze” and things should start running more smoothly. It offers online contributing for a small fee on the back end. There are questions about how this is reported on taxable giving statements. Pastor will find out and let us know so we could answer questions regarding this should the occasion arise. We will turn it on as an option since it does not cost extra to have in place, we can re-evaluate after some time to see if the fee is having too great an impact on contributions. No motion needed.

The copier lease is up for renewal in April and other options are being explored. Pastor will contact Kelly Solutions to see if they can give us a better deal than Xerox has offered- if not, we will move ahead with the Xerox machine currently quoted at $246 month (which includes the payoff of the current Toshiba) offering 3400 black/white pages and 100 color pages a month. Chip Motioned, Neil Seconded. Mo-tion passed.

There were a few small transactions from the helping hands fund. – Herbert Motioned to accept Pastor’s report. Kristal Seconded. Motion Passed.

Correspondence: Davidson Medical Ministries- Thank you for money sent- basket offering Christ’s Beloved Community- a Lutheran church in WS asking for support as they are beginning their ministry Gina Autry- Thank you for allowing her to visit with the LMIM and Women’s group

Committee Reports: Cemetery – Nothing to report- Neil Evangelism – Nothing to report- Kara Fellowship – Nothing to report- Kim Finance – (Chip Blower, Amy Kepley, Carol Conrad, Pastor, Minnie/Lateffa, Herbert Frank, Neil Clark- will meet to discuss budget before next meeting-

Chip Parish Ed – Fall Faith gathering will be the 17th- pot luck, committee to bring drinks; Christmas program in discussion, sign up slips are in the back- Ka-

ren Property – Nothing to report- Dean Recreation – Nothing to report - Carey Scholarship – Recent meeting was postponed - Sandra Scouts – Had the birthday party last weekend, it went well with a cake fight- Michael Social Ministry – Crisis Ministry dinner set for Sept 30th is cancelled; will try to set it up for Nov 19th with Neil to spearhead- Kristal Stewardship – Nothing to report- Wendy Worship & Music – Nothing to report- Herbert and Pastor Youth – Good participation from youth in confirmation classes- Pastor

Unfinished Business: Still looking for a treasurer to take over from Amy by Feb 2018 Kitchen improvements are still in the works

New Business: LMIM will meet on Sept 25th, the Everharts will provide the meal and they need to know how many to expect, wives and helpers of the BBQ are invited Attendance- discussion on removing the pew pads and simply counting heads. We have not been using that information to update member status, but

we do use them for visitors. Pastor will talk to the person who purchased the original pew pads to make sure if he has objection to discontinuing use. We will have a visitor’s section placed in the bulletin every week that can be filled out instead of the pew pads and announce that they will no longer be in the pews beginning in November. We will vote on this next meeting.

Congregational Meeting set for November 12th to approve budget and elect new council members. Other:

Constitution info: Pastor is a voting member of the council Council is allowed to use 10% of budget without authorization from congregational vote Should annually review membership list (we use ‘active’ and ‘inactive’ instead of removing members)

The 4 rotating off council and 2 others make up the nominating committee for the following year council members

The Origin of Thanksgiving………………………………….

The Pilgrims left Plymouth, England, on September 6, 1620. Their destination? The New World. Although filled with uncertainty and peril, it offered both civil and religious liberty. For over two months, the 102 passengers braved the harsh elements of a vast storm-tossed sea. Finally, with firm purpose and a reliance on DivineProvidence, the cry of “Land!” was heard. Arriving in Massachusetts in late November, the Pilgrims sought a suitable landing place. On December 11, just before disem-barking at Plymouth Rock, they signed the “Mayflower Compact”—America’sfirst document of civil government and the first to introduce self-government.

After a prayer service, the Pilgrims began building hasty shelters. However, unprepared for the starvation and sickness of a harsh New England winter, nearly half died before spring. Yet, persevering in prayer, and assisted by helpful Indians, they reaped a bountiful harvest the following summer.

The grateful Pilgrims then declared a three-day feast, starting on December 13, 1621, to thank God and to celebrate with their Indian friends. While this was not the first Thanksgiving in America (thanksgiving services were held in Virginia as early as 1607), it was America’s first Thanksgiving Festival.

Pilgrim Edward Winslow described the Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving in these words: “Our harvest being gotten in, our Governor sent four men on fowling [birdhunting] so that we might, after a special manner, rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as… served the company almost a week… Many of the Indians [came] amongst us and… their greatest King, Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted; and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought… And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet BY THE GOODNESS OF GOD WE ARE… FAR FROM WANT.”

In 1789, following a proclamation issued by President George Washington, America celebrated its first Day of Thanksgiving to Godunder its new constitution. That same year, the Protestant Episcopal Church, of which President Washington was a member, announced that the first Thursday in November would become its regular day for giving thanks, “unless another day be appointed by the civil authorities.” Yet, despite these early national proclamations, official Thanksgiving observances usually occurred only at the State level.

Much of the credit for the adoption of a later ANNUAL national Thanksgiving Day may be attributed to Mrs. Sarah Joseph Hale, the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book. For thirty years, she promoted the idea of a national Thanksgiving Day, contacting President after President until President Abraham Lincoln responded in 1863 by setting aside the last Thursday of November as a national Day of Thanksgiving. Over the next seventy-five years, Presidents followed Lincoln’s precedent, annually declaring a national Thanksgiving Day. Then, in 1941, Congress permanentlyestablished the fourth Thursday of each November as a national holiday.

Lincoln’s original 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation came—spiritually speaking—at a pivotal point in his life. During the first week of July of that year, the Battle of Gettysburg occurred, resulting in the loss of some 60,000 American lives. Four months later in November, Lincoln delivered his famous “Gettsysburg Address.” It was while Lincoln was walking among the thousands of graves there at Gettysburg that he committed his life to Christ. As he explained to a friend:

When I left Springfield [to assume the Presidency], I asked the people to pray for me. I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was not a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ.

As Americans celebrate Thanksgiving each year, we hope they will retain the original gratefulness to God displayed by the Pil-grims and many other founding fathers, and remember that it is to those early and courageous Pilgrims that they owe not only the traditional Thanksgiving holiday but also the concepts of self-government, the “hard-work” ethic, self-reliant communities, and devout religious faith.

November

The first Tuesday of the month, Australia holds the Melbourne Cup horse race. The first Tuesday after the first Monday is election day in the US. November 11-17th is Geography Awareness Week. The third Thursday of the month is The Great American Smokeout sponsored by the American Cancer Society and also International Philosophy Day. The day after Thanksgiving is known as 'Black Friday' in the US. The Monday immediately following Thanksgiving is known as 'Cyber Monday' in the US.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

2

Stephanie

Hearn

Barbara Kepley

3

Stacy Gabriel

4

Libby Carrick

Amy Shep-

herd

5

Janice Queen

6 7 8 9

Gaynell Davis

10 11

Ricky Curry

Boyd Queen

12 13

Shane & Mandy

Lawrence

14 15

Ross & Elisa

Sommer

16

Kelly & Jeanette

Mahone

17

Jennifer Davis

18

19

Andy Beck

Donna Parks

20

Robin Beck

Steve & Glenna

Garner

21

Shauna Hedrick

Lita Smith

22 23

Anthony Conrad

Shelia Hanes

Jacob Hearn

Wilson Hearn

24

David & Jane

Brown

25

26 27 28

Andrew Queen

Robin Queen

Jim Watkins

29

Houston Laster

30

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

October Senior News Minnie Conrad Holly Grove Senior Citizens met Wednesday, October 18th at Mt. Tabor’s Events Cen-ter.

Sally Thompson and Shirley Phillips were responsible for the program. Sally read devo-tions and Shirley introduced Eric Phillips . Eric is a Highway Patrolman and Richie is a re-tired Sergeant with the Highway Patrol. Eric reminded us that the Highway Patrol is still collecting money for the “Give a kid a Christmas.” They will take them shopping on December 10th. There will be a go-cart race to raise money for it. Richie stressed that we need to be very careful with our credit cards and bank accounts. Everyone needs to freeze their credit so no one can hack into it. This is more important since Equifax was hacked. This was a very informative program Our next meeting will be on November 15th at 10:30 and all seniors in the community

are invited to join us.