Altar Flowers

The altar flowers program has been such a beautiful and successful addition to the Sunday worship services. I want to thank everyone who signed up to provide flowers this year and invite more of you to sign up for a Sunday next year. The 2005 chart will be available for sign ups soon.

For those unfamiliar with this program, let me explain. Everyone has the opportunity to add a bouquet of flowers in their name to the weekly worship service. You can share a special occasion with the congregation, dedicate flowers in memory of a loved one or sign up just because you want to. Whatever the reason, the bouquets are placed behind the altar for all to enjoy.

Oakbrook Florists will continue to provide Holy Trinity with this service. The cost is $35.00 per arrangement (checks made payable to HTLC) and due by the Sunday for which you are scheduled. Patti Ruff, owner, invites you to contact the floral shop if you have any special requests for a particular color or type of flower to be used in the bouquet. She will do her best to fulfill your desires within the set price.

The flowers are delivered Saturday mornings and are available for pick up after the 11:00 AM worship service on Sundays.

Youth and Family Resource Center

The Youth and Family Resource Center is available on the patio after services most Sundays. The books, compiled by the Youth and Family Institute in Minneapolis, MN are chosen for their high quality from various publishers. The books are for children, youth and adults on various topics from a Christian perspective. This Center is a service to the congregation making high quality books readily available. If the books are not on hand, they can be ordered and usually received in a week

Cultivating the contemplative spirit at home, strengthening your family identity nurturing the spiritual life of your children, creating a circle of peace; these are some gifts you can give your family during this advent season. Here are some books that tell you how to give such gifts to your family

Families Creating a Circle of Peace compiled by Jim McGinnins, Ken and Gretchen Lovingood and Jim Vogt. This book addresses the concerns of parents and family members who wish to take a stand for peace and justice. It includes 40 pages of stories, suggestions, activities and other resources to help people live each component of the Pledge of Nonviolence in their day-to-day lives.

Making a Home for Faith, Nurturing the Spiritual Life of Your Children by Elizabeth F. Caldwell -- this book helps parents address hard issues and questions related to faith.

Seasons of a Family’s Life, Cultivating the Contemplative Spirit at Home by Wendy M. Wright. Every chapter in Wendy M. Wright’s thoughtful book is a lesson in gaining an awareness of the joy in our experience as families and letting the sacred be more present in our frantically paced daily lives. Wright shows us how to pay attention to the silence that underlies our lives and encourages us to be sensitive to the ordinary moments that connect us.

Family Traditions. Practical, Intentional Ways to Strengthen Your Family Identity by J. Otis Ledbetter and Tim Smith. Family traditions are an exciting way to bless your children and begin the pattern of blessing future generations as well. Included are over eighty practical traditions to try with your family.

A Decembered Grief, Living with Loss While Others Are Celebrating by Harold Ivan Smith — With keen perception, A Decembered Grief provides illustrations and insight for those facing grief-impacted holidays-while emphasizing God’s ability to miraculously transform the season into a time of grace and healing.

Prepare for your coming gracious God

Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to their needs.

Prepare the church for your coming, gracious God. Inspire the whole church, in all of its marvelous diversity, to remain united in our common mission of proclaiming the love of Christ. O giver of hope, hear our prayer.

Prepare the nations for your coming, gracious God. Enlighten the world’s leadership to strive toward a vision of peace, where the wolf shall live with the lamb. O giver of hope, hear our prayer.

Prepare those who are outcast for your coming, gracious God. Shine the beacon of your hope on those who are lonely and forgotten, and who are victims of violence and injustice, that the too may know your joy. O giver of hope, hear our prayer.

Prepare those who suffer for your coming, gracious God. Encircle those who are ill with a mantle of healing. O giver of hope, hear our prayer.

Prepare this community of fait for your coming, gracious God. Empower us to embody Christ’s presence through our care for those who are less fortunate than ourselves. We give thanks for the gift of the work of all our Lutheran missionaries, and in particular for the month of December, for Rev. Judith VanOsdol-Hansen, and La Iglesia Evangelica Luterana Unida in Argentina. We celebrate the local partnership in ministry that we share with our sisters and bothers at Trinity in Ventura. We pray for Pastor Dave Hall and Jon Christenson for deep faithfulness and strong ministry to reveal the light of God’s love in their communities. O giver of hope, hear our prayer.

Prepare our hearts for your coming, gracious God. Keep us in unity with those who have died in faith and who now rest in the joy of peace of your presence. O giver of hope, hear our prayer.

Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

The Season of Advent

December is upon us. Time seems to go by very quickly. The season of Advent is about time and the fullness of it. Advent is about reminding us that Christ has come, is present in our midst and will come again. It is about the past, present and future of the Kingdom. But, it does specifically focus us on the coming of Christ “in the fullness of God’s time.”

The word used for God’s time is “Kairos” not “Chronos”. It means put away your watches and wait, be patient for God is doing something marvelous in our midst. Look into your hearts, look into your families, and friendships, look within our congregation for the presence of Christ, God become flesh, dwelling amongst us.

God indeed comes in many and various ways, be alert for them, keep your lamps burning, be ever vigilant, don’t let the hectic rush of the season rob you of this great joy. Have a prayerful and thoughtful Advent, and your Christmas will be filled with joy.

At the time I write this Pastor Janet is in Tanzania, Africa. We pray for a safe journey for both Pastor Janet and Stacey Wise and their LWF group. I am sure we will hear testimony to the presence of Christ in Africa, when they return.

Blessings for a thoughtful Advent and we shall see each other in church,

Pastor Frank

Hanging of the Greens

This service proved to be very meaningful to those able to be there last year. Once again we will help prepare the way of the Lord’s coming by making our worship space beautiful. We will sing, hear the words of scripture and help to make the sanctuary truly a place that welcomes Christ into our lives.

If you haven’t signed up to help, you can do so on Sunday morning December 5th.
Come join us for this wonderful time and refreshments afterwards.

Message from the New Church Council President

To all of you who have offered your congratulations, and condolences, over the past few months following the Council’s election of a President Pro Tern, my heartfelt thanks.

Since our family began attending this church, I was always aware that Sherrie Smith, and Margaret Dove before her, as past Presidents of the Church Council, were diligently working on behalf of the congregation. My appreciation for their efforts has ratcheted up profoundly since the passing of the gavel into my hands.

Theirs was a labor of love I am sure. Holy Trinity is truly a special place, made such by so many special people. To want to contribute to the well being of this church can be an irresistible proposition, as it should be.

I can recall sitting in the sanctuary with my wife, Sherrie, the first few services we attended, unprepared for the emotional realization that our search for a spiritual home was over. Pastor Janet would later tell us that she had wondered who the new couple was, sitting off to the side, often looking tearful. She couldn’t know then, that those were tears of joy.

I am honored, and grateful for the privilege of serving as Church Council President. I look forward to continuing my work on your behalf together with Council, a group of individuals with many talents and a deep commitment to Holy Trinity and whose fellowship would have been reward enough for me to share.

Let us pray that the Holy Spirit shines down upon this congregation, as we work together to build on all that is good and right with our church.

Merry Christmas and God’s Blessings,
Gary Bague