St.

Johns Lutheran Church ELCA

1300 W. Benjamin Avenue
Norfolk, NE 68701
(402) 371-1985
stjohn@cableone.net
www.stjohnsnorfolk.com

Our Mission: Loving God . . . Loving People . . . Reaching Out!

Please remember in prayer:
Janet Jundt
Dallas Esser
Norma Hunter
Bradley Wise
Stephanie Rabbass
Ann Schroeder
Don Freese
Warren DeWald
Thad Murren
Bailey Suehl
Boston DeWald
Pr. David Cox
Rosemary Westerhold
Bob Henning
Tom Daoust
Tyrone Uhlir
Ken Rasmussen
Mabel Bockelmann
Huston Whitten (newborn son of Matt & Brittany Whitten)
Family of Eleanor Cox Knutzen as they mourn her death (mother of Pastor David)
If you know someone who is in need of prayer but whose name is not listed, it may be that they
have asked not to be included in the printed bulletin. Please remember them in your personal
prayers.

Flowers on the altar this musical weekend are sponsored by Warren & Pat Monson to
wish everyone a very Merry Christmas; and by John & Susan Skogstoe in celebration of
Alines birthday on Christmas Day.
Everyone is invited to Fellowship Hour for coffee and rolls between
services each Sunday in the Fellowship Hall.
Please be mindful of our members and visitors who would benefit most from the handicap
and senior parking areas at the front of the church. During the winter months, our
seniors need the assurance of a shorter, level walk in to the building.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
If you would be interested in providing some special music prior to one of the Christmas Eve
services, please contact the church office @ 402-371-1985 and Vern Krause will contact you.
Whether you play an instrument or sing or both, wed love to hear from you. Thank you!

2016 Offering Envelopes are available in the west hallway.

Dr. David E. Cox Interim Senior Pastor
Justin Wiese Assistant Pastor, NeLCM-Norfolk Campus Pastor
Jacquie Samway PMA, Coordinator of Congregational Care
Jolene Ziebell Coordinator of Youth Ministries
Gail Ermels Office Manager
Jim Carter Custodian/Grounds Keeper
Midge Hedrick Office Assistant

SUNDAY, DEC 20
MAJESTY CHOIR CANTATA
8:30 am ........................................................ Cantata
9:30 am ........................................... Fellowship Hour
9:45 am .............................................. Sunday School
11:00 am ...................................................... Cantata
MONDAY, DEC 21
10:00 am ............................................. Staff Meeting
10:00 am ...................................... Friends ChristCare
Pat Monson, 402-371-8803
2:00 pm ........................................ Chosen ChristCare
Carol Waggoner, 402-371-7642
7:00 pm ............................................. Praise Forever
8:30 pm .......................................... Solid Rock
WEDNESDAY, DEC 23
1:30 pm .................................... Searchers ChristCare
Connie Hagstrom, 402-649-4862
THURSDAY, DEC 24
CHRISTMAS EVE
5:00 pm ...............................An Illustrated Christmas
7:00 pm ................................. Festival of the Nativity
9:00 pm ......................... Festival of Lessons & Carols

FRIDAY, DEC 25
CHRISTMAS OFFICE CLOSED
SATURDAY, DEC 26
5:00 PM ........................................................ Worship

SHOP FOR MINISTRY

DEC 20
DEC 27

8:30 am
Margie Frank
11 am
Nancy Jacobs
NO SALES CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY

OFFERINGS
Mission Emphasis (DEC) ................. Good Neighbors
Greenfiber Funds for OCT-DEC ......................Mosaic
General offering for 12/13/15 ................ $10,226.94
The above general offering figure reflects
weekly additions of direct deposits and advance
pledges.
End of Oct. Net Profit / (Loss) .................{$3,621.46)
Year-to-Date Net Profit / (Loss) ............($25,152.46)
Attendance 12/13/15 ..................... (187, 66, 74) 327

VOLUNTEERS FOR CHRISTMAS EVE

We will need many service helpers for the
Christmas Eve worship services -- ushers,
communion assistants, and powerpoint
operators. Because each family has a different
tradition, please sign up on todays
Registration Slip to volunteer for the service
you will be attending. Also, please let us know
how you would like to serve. The 5PM worship
service will be the largest of the evening, and
we will be serving communion at 4 stations.
Please consider helping if you are able.

ELCA Good Gifts Advent Tree

The average American spends more that
$700 on Christmas gifts each year.
Rethink the tradition of gift-giving with
ELCA Good Gifts. Your family is invited to
select an ornament from the Advent tree in
the back of the sanctuary representing a
gift you would like to give and take it home
as a reminder of your giving. Your gift
carries Gods love to others, making a
difference in their lives and around the
world. Consider giving a donation toward
the purchase of a cow through the Good
Gifts impossible to wrap program!
Donations can be placed inside your
offering envelope marked Good Gifts.
If you choose an ornament from the tree
and would like to purchase something
other than a cow, please indicate on the
envelope what your donation should
purchase. Please make all checks payable
to St. Johns. THANK YOU!

Christmas Eve Worship Services

5 PM An Illustrated Christmas is our
family-friendly interactive worship of
candlelight and Holy Communion where you
#drawthestory and share your art during the
service through smartphones, tablets, or oldfashioned paper. You wont want to miss this
fun!
7 PM Festival of the Nativity is the
traditional Christmas Eve candlelight and Holy
Communion worship service as we gather and
give thanks for the birth of Christ.
9 PM Festival of Lessons & Carols is a
service of readings and familiar Christmas
hymns. No sermon is preached. Candlelight
and Holy Communion are given with a sense
of the wonder of the Word made flesh, as we
celebrate the coming of the Christ child.

Madison Co. Detention Center Treats

Chosen Christcare will be contributing money
and Christmas goodies to the Madison County
Juvenile Detention Center in Madison,
Nebraska, again this year. Our money
provides a McDonald's meal, a Subway
sandwich, and Papa Murphy's pizza
for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New
Year's for the 32 young people who are at the
center. Each one is also given a small bag
with toiletries if enough money. (Last year our
money also purchased board games and
basketballs.)
If you are interested, please put your money
gift in the church office envelope or put it in the
offering plate marked for Madison County
Juvenile Detention Center. If you are
interested in donating Christmas goodies,
please have them at the church office no later
than December 23 at 2 o'clock. Jesse Jensen
will pick everything up along with a check for
the amount of the donations at 5 o'clock that
day.
We thank you very much. Merry Christmas!
Chosen Christcare

Christmas for a Soldier

Jeann & Desiree
Granstra will continue
organizing holiday boxes to
be sent to single soldiers serving abroad.
To guarantee a box by Christmas, the
mailing deadline was Dec. 10, but these
young men and women would enjoy
receiving a box of warm fuzzies from
home anytime!
All would love to receive movies, books,
a deck of cards or non-perishable food
items (no homemade items, please). Use
your own ideas to fill, decorate and send
words of encouragement.
Please contact Jeann at 402-860-2667
or jegtb@hotmail.com for more details.
She has the boxes along with the
information sheets needed to get these
mailed. For many soldiers, this is their first
deployment or time away from home. Lets
make a difference in their lives as they
make a difference in ours!
The First Sargent who is one of those who
receives the boxes and then distributes
them, sent a picture to Desiree that shows
some of the troops holding up the contents
of one of the boxes that arrived . He
said thank you to all that are sending care
packages over there, and that they are
much appreciated by the troops who
receive them. That makes it all worthwhile!

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19
5 PM
COUNCIL PERSON OF THE WEEK
MIKE WIDHALM
WORSHIP ASSISTANT
JIM CARTER
GREETERS/USHERS Rod & Shirley Hughes
PRAYER LEADER -- __________
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20
8:30 AM
COUNCIL PERSON OF THE WEEK
MIKE WIDHALM
WORSHIP ASSISTANT
JIM CARTER
GREETERS Lynn Milander, Donna Short
USHERS Merlin Milander, Gayle Short, Jim
McMahon
FELLOWSHIP HOUR Temple ChristCare
COMMUNION ASSISTANTS Tom & Midge
Hedrick, Duane & Cindy Nelson
PRAYER LEADER Carol Waggoner
POWERPOINT Janet Erickson

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20
11 AM
COUNCIL PERSON OF THE WEEK
MIKE WIDHALM
WORSHIP ASSISTANT
JIM CARTER
GREETERSKristi Johnson, Jeann Granstra
USHERS Greg & Sandra Korth, Del Johnson,
Ken Wragge, Terry Hall
COMMUNION ASSISTANTS Jeann Granstra,
Laurel Moore, Kristi Johnson, __________
PRAYER LEADER __________
POWERPOINT Marcus/Adam Echtenkamp
LECTIONARY READINGS:
Micah 5:2-5a
Luke 1:46b-55
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-55

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27
5 PM
COUNCIL PERSON OF THE WEEK
JOHN SKOGSTOE
WORSHIP ASSISTANT
MIKE / KAREN WIDHALM
GREETERS/USHERS Rod & Shirley Hughes
READER Shirley Hughes
PRAYER LEADER __________
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27
8:30 AM
COUNCIL PERSON OF THE WEEK
JOHN SKOGSTOE
WORSHIP ASSISTANT
MIKE / KAREN WIDHALM
GREETERS Alice Gentzler, Carol Sorsen
USHERS Richard Uhlir, Roger Gentzler,
Linda Downs
READER Diane Hansen
FELLOWSHIP HOUR Vern & Wilma Steinman
COMMUNION ASSISTANTS Jim & Elenore
Merritt, Carol Waggoner, Sara Fegley
PRAYER LEADER __________
POWERPOINT Midge Hedrick

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27
11 AM
COUNCIL PERSON OF THE WEEK
JOHN SKOGSTOE
WORSHIP ASSISTANT
MIKE / KAREN WIDHALM
GREETERSJana Kuhlman, John Skogstoe
USHERS Jeff & Cathy Erwin, Mark Nelson
COMMUNION ASSISTANTS Lon & Jeanne
Timperley, Jeff & Cathy Erwin
PRAYER LEADER Carol Severa
POWERPOINT Marcus/Adam Echtenkamp
LECTIONARY READINGS:
1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26
Psalm 148
Colossians 3:12-17
Luke 2:41-52