Tuesday, December 8
2:00 pm – Pastor Amy and Jutta Anderson at Wellington Place

Wednesday, December 9
7:30 am – Men’s Breakfast
2:00 pm – Miriam/Ruth Circle
5:30 pm – Evening Worship
6:15 pm – Simple Supper provided, intergenerational faith conversation
6:15 pm – Budget Committee Meeting- Fellowship Hall
7:00 pm – Choir Rehearsal
8:00 pm – Band Rehearsal

Thursday, December 10
10:00 am – Adult Bible Study

Sunday, December 13
8:45 am – Band warm up
9:30 am – Worship –Third Sunday of Advent
10:30 am – Fellowship Hour
10:45 am – Sunday School Christmas Program Practice
10:45 am – Youth Sunday School/Confirmation with Pastor Amy
10:50 am –Adult Forum – Prayer Practices for Advent and All Year

We will share Holy Communion and light the Advent Wreath at all services.

Martha Lionberger, a volunteer for MayaWorks, will be at Good Shepherd on Sunday during the Fellowship Hour with hand-crafted textiles and beaded jewelry for sale. MayaWorks is a fair trade nonprofit group that is helping Mayan women in Guatemala support their families through the sale of their weavings and beadwork in this country.

Seven out of ten Mayans in Guatemala live in poverty, with 38% of them living on less than $1 per day. Guatemala has the fourth highest rate of malnutrition in the world and the fifth highest murder rate. MayaWorks is making a difference by empowering Mayan women economically; offering education programs to help them learn to read and improve their technical skills; funding microloans for them; and, providing scholarships to their daughters to keep them in school.

Feeling the icy winds and snowy air now that December has arrived? Decorah native Steven Nelson has responded to this need by initiating a “Scarves in the Park” project. He requests that anyone with winter scarves, caps or gloves to spare hang them on the trees in the Norm Smith Plaza park near the Coop.

          
The Good Shepherd Prayer Shawl ministry responded to this request, contributing 10 scarves which were hung by Jeri Laursen. Each scarf was marked with a tag from the Good Shepherd Prayer Shawl Ministry.  The motto of Scarves in the Park is NEED a scarf. TAKE a scarf.  HAVE a scarf.  LEAVE a scarf.  The project continues until December 22 or until the scarves are gone.  Any items left will be donated to a local organization that can find a much needed home for them.

Signs of the Christmas season will begin to appear in the Sanctuary throughout Advent.  In addition to our Advent Wreath, poinsettia plants gradually will be added to the altar area beginning on the Second Sunday, December 6, with a full display in place for our Christmas Eve and Day services.  Contributions may be made in honor or memory of relatives and friends and delivered to the Narthex table for placement by Altar Guild representatives throughout the month.

The Christmas tree in the sanctuary will help us move towards Christmas as a congregation.  The first Sunday in Advent, November 29, there will be no tree. The second Sunday, December 6, there will be an empty tree.  The third Sunday, December 13, there will be lights on the tree,  The fourth Sunday, December 20, there will be a tree with lights and ornaments.  We will decorate the tree on Sunday, December 13 after Sunday School and Fellowship Hour.