DECEMBER 1 Decorating the Church for Advent

“Dessert First on the First”

DECEMBER 4 Pastor Cassie Returns

from Vacation

DECEMBER 8 Congregational Meeting

Poinsettia Orders Due

DECEMBER 15

Children’s Christmas Program Davidson Singers Christmas Concert

DECEMBER 24 Christmas Eve Worship

DECEMBER 25 Happy Birthday, Jesus!

DECEMBER 29 Fifth Sunday Luncheon

and Christmas Party

LUTHERAN CHURCH Rev. Cassie McIntosh Overcash,

Pastor

OFFICE HOURS:

Monday —Thursday

9:00 AM — 1:00 PM GRACE Dear people of God at Grace Lutheran Church , Happy New Year! Advent is the beginning of our church year as we wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. You’ll probably be exhausted this month from gatherings, shopping, prepping for time with family and travel, but I invite you this year to take a breath and remember what this season is all about, waiting. Not waiting for Amazon to show up at your door with a bunch of packages, not waiting in line at Walmart, not waiting to eat your favorite Christmas cookie- but waiting for the coming of the Lord to change the whole world.

So, this season I invite you to worship, I invite you to spend time with your church family, sitting and waiting and enjoying what the season is about- God coming to dwell with us.

Here’s 10 things you probably didn’t know about Advent:

Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning arrival, refers to the arrival of Jesus Christ!

Advent’s Start Date May Vary. In most Western churches, Advent begins on the Sunday four weeks before Christmas Day. So, depending on the calendar, Advent may start at the end of November rather than beginning of December in some years. This year it begins Sunday December 1st.

Advent is a time of sorrow, fasting, and prayer it’s also an opportunity to express hope. Christians prepare for new beginnings, look forward to the second coming of Christ, and renew their faith.

The concept of the Advent wreath originated among German Lutherans in the 16th Century.

Blue is the color of Advent because it represents hope.

Advent Calendars the tradition of calendars dates to the mid-19th century, when German Protestants made chalk marks on doors or lit candles to count the days leading up to Christmas

The Third Sunday Of Advent Is A Day to Rejoice. On the third Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete Sunday, Christians take a break from repenting to celebrate Christ’s imminent arrival.

It’s too early for Christmas Carols! Although stores and radio stations begin blasting Christmas songs long before Thanksgiving, Christians don’t celebrate Advent by singing Christmas music. Instead, they sing Advent-specific hymns, such as "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," and they postpone the Christmas tunes until Christmas Eve.

Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical year. Advent was chosen to begin the year as representative of the time in history that Christ was not known to us. With His birth the beginning of our faith was founded. The liturgical year ends with the feast of Christ the King, His reign over the universe.

The Advent season has two meanings. It emphasizes both the celebration of Christ coming into the world as a human being and also the second coming when the Lord will return again. It blends together a penitential spirit, very similar to Lent, a liturgical theme of preparation for the Second and Final Coming of the Lord, called the Parousia, and a joyful theme of getting ready for the Bethlehem event.

Happy Advent Y’all!

Pastor Cassie

ON THE CALENDAR FOR DECEMBER

WWW.GRACETHOMASVILLE.COM 115 UNITY STREET, THOMASVILLE, NC 27360 tvillegrace@gmail.com Issue No. 44 DECEMBER 2019

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

1

9:00 AM

Decorating the Church

for Advent & Christmas

10:00 AM Worship

“Dessert First on the

First” sponsored by

*the Property

Committee

2

7:00 PM

Boy Scouts

3

6:30 PM

Girl Scouts

4

Pastor Cassie

returns from

Vacation

6:45 PM

Choir Rehearsal

5

6

7

8

9:00 AM

Sunday School

10:00 AM Worship

Congregational Meeting

to elect Council

members & Endowment

Committee members

9

7:00 PM

Boy Scouts

10

6:30 PM

Girl Scouts

11

6:45 PM

Choir Rehearsal

12

1:00 PM

Smudge-Me-

Not Stamp

Group

13

14

15

9:00 AM Sunday

School

10:00 AM Worship

Children’s Christmas

Program during Worship

3:00 PM

Davidson Singers

Christmas Concert

16

6:30 PM

Council

Meeting

7:00 PM

Boy Scouts

17

6:30 PM

Girl Scouts

18

6:45 PM

Choir Rehearsal

19

20

21

22

9:00 AM Sunday School

10:00 AM Worship

4:00 PM

Christmas Caroling

23

24

11:00 PM

25

Happy Birthday!

26 27

28

29

9:00 AM Sunday School

10:00 AM Worship

Fifth Sunday Covered

Dish Lunch and

Christmas Party

30

7:00 PM

Boy Scouts

31

1

Happy New

Year!

2

3 4

* Join us for a small snack and learn about the ministry of the Property Committee.

1 Caroline Bump

5 Marisa Austin

6 Taylor Armfield

7 Matthew Armfield

8 Mark Okken

Nikolaus Beaver

9 Alice Brown

10 Eddie Conrad

11 Julian Cole Seamon

Mildred Arney

Nikolas Grochowski

15 Brandon Scott

Maddie Misenheimer

16 Barbara Hasselbach

19 Mary Catherine Jasperse

Robin Miller

21 Blaine Greene

24 Judy Edinger

William Hasselbach

25 Mike Hughes

27 Carolyn Ward

Charlotte Yandell

WORSHIP PARTICIPANTS

Ushers serving in DECEMBER: Bob Hermann, Loretta Wise, Bill Yandell, Marianne Yandell

Altar Guild serving in DECEMBER: Rachel Herman, Cindi Hill

4 Andrew and Laura Vaughan

16 Larry and Sharon Sink

19 Bob and Rachel Herman

December 1 December 8 December 15 December 22 December 29

Assistant Mike Hill Bill Venable Pat Wood Mark Okken Mike Hill

Lector Charlotte Yandell Deborah Moore Mary Sullivan Kenton Musselman Mike Hill

Acolyte Julian Seamon Joey Bump Nico Beaver Lauren Seamon Nico Beaver

Presenter Doug Edgerton David Sullivan Charlotte Yandell Sharon Sink Pat Wood

Nursery Heather Beaver &

Leah Pendergrass

Heather Beaver &

Charlotte Yandell

Heather Beaver &

Teresa Price

Heather Beaver &

Leah Pendergrass

Heather Beaver &

Charlotte Yandell

Altar Flowers (Available) Mark & Paula Okken

Larry & Sharon Sink

Poinsettias Fellowship Commmittee

Bulletins (Available) (Available) (Available) (Available) (Available)

Counters Larry & Sharon Kenton & Martha Doug & Linda Bill & Margie David & Sandra

During the Sunday School hour on December 1st join us as we deck the halls for our upcoming season of Ad-

vent. Instead of our regularly scheduled Sunday School time let’s work together to decorate our church for the new

season! All ages are welcome, many hands will make this easier—and more fun!

And essential element of the décor are the poinsettias that will grace the church. Please use the order forms

that have been placed in our worship bulletins or the form included here. You can even call (336-476-4114) or email

(tvillegrace@gmail.com) the church office to place your order!

Orders will be taken only until December 8th.

LET THE FESTIVITIES BEGIN!

You are cordially invited to

The Congregational Fifth

Sunday Luncheon and

Christmas Party

Sunday, December 29th

In the Fellowship Hall

Every year, the Sandwich Ministry shares the Christmas spirit

with our recipients by providing necessary items and small gifts.

For every week of Advent, we provide a different weekly gift

bag; these bags include toiletries, blankets, snacks, warm cloth-

ing, and some Christmas goodies as well. Now that we are serving three sites, we will

definitely need some kind hearts and helping hands to make this a success! There will

be a sign-up sheet and event information on the bulletin board in the foyer for those

interested in volunteering. We would like to ask the congregation to help us collect

individually wrapped bars of Ivory soap, toothpaste/toothbrushes, and washcloths.

Results of the New Ministry Survey

At our annual meeting we asked you what new ministries God might be calling us to at

Grace as we seek to follow the example of Christ, grow together, and connect with our

community. 37 of you responded to our survey and helped to discern the next new things

we might try together!

On our survey we said we would do the top three vote getters but because we got a tie

for third place we will do 4 of these in 2020.

The top four new ministries as identified by the voters are:

Bible Study

Dinner Church

An adult confirmation course

And an additional Christmas Eve service

Please check your newsletters for more information about these new ways to grow our

faith together and please be in touch with Pastor Cassie if you said you were willing to

help with one of these!

NEW MINISTRY SURVEY RESULTS

Ministry 0-20 20-40 40-60 60-80 80-100 TOTAL INTERESTED

men's bible and breakfast 2 6 1 9

prayer group 1 2 3

day book club 3 3

young adult group 1 1

book club night 2 1 4 7

women's ministry 1 5 1 7

Bible study * 3 10 2 15

multi-age Sunday school 9am 1 2 3

family class 3 3

adult confirmation* 2 6 2 10

arts activities 1 2 3 1 7

dinner church* 3 10 13

board game/card 1 5 1 7

movie 1 2 3

early xmas eve* 2 6 2 10

willing to help? 4 1 5

Surveys Returned: 37

January 2020 Newsletter

Submissions

If you have submissions or announcements for

the January 2020 newsletter, please get them to Sandy in the

church office by December 10th.

You can call the office or email them to

tvillegrace@gmail.com

December: 1st and 8th Program Practice

December 15th Christmas Program and Party

January 7-10, 2020 MLK TEC Weekend

The Boy Scouts will place a box in the narthex for American flags that are in need of

retirement. It will be there through the end of the year and the flags will be retired in a

ceremony by the Boy Scouts in January.

In the Forecast for January 2020

TEC RETREAT Teens Encounter Christ is a welcoming, youth-led, community that creates a safe place for personal growth in

Christ. Our focus is on youth involvement and youth leadership, growing faith-based relationships, and offering a

transformational environment where participants can be their entire selves.

We call both youth and adult leaders to serve, share, and inspire youth to lead through their gifts and growing

edges. Weekends are grounded in a spirit of worship, prayer, and self reflection with a background in Lutheran

theology.

Who Attends an STW TEC Weekend?

Those attending for the first time must be at least 15 or have completed at least a semester of

9th grade. Adults that wish to support youth attending this ministry may also attend the retreat

weekend hosted at Camp Agape` in Fuquay-Varina, NC.

What Happens on a STW TEC Weekend?

You hear talks (kind of like exciting speeches) by youth, pastors, and adults sharing ways to live out your faith and

keep a close relationship with Christ.

You build Christian community in small discussion groups, daily worship, and fun activities with the whole

group.

You learn how to more actively share your faith with others.

You get to sing lots of great songs!

Make new friends from other youth groups at churches across the state!

Pastor Cassie is serving as Pastor for the 2020 Martin Luther King TEC weekend January 17-20th

and would love for some youth and adults from Grace to participate.

For more information see Pastor Cassie or visit

https://stwtec.org/home/retreat-weekend/