The Second Sunday in Advent
December 10th, 2023
FAITH LUTHERAN CHURCH
KITCHENER, ONTARIO
N2M 4Z2
247 Westmount Road East Telephone 519-745-6422
Pastor Warren Hamp Telephone 519-571-0240
www.faithlutherankw.com
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PRAYER: Holy Spirit, prepare the way for Your mercy to come to us through the repentance worked by Your Law and the peace now given us in the Gospel of Your Word and Supper. Comfort Your people who mourn in exile here, until at last the Son of God appears and we live in His peace forever; for You live and reign with Him and the Father, one God, world without end. Amen.
IN OUR PRAYERS:
- Those who govern our country, province, and cities, to rule after God’s good pleasure; the needs of the hungry and homeless people in our community, and compassion for them from God’s people; the people of Haiti still waiting for order; and peace to come in Ukraine, to Gaza and Israel
- Comfort in Christ’s Word to those who are sick or in need, especially: John, Marilyn, Betty and Phyllis, for care of their minds; Gina Schoenwiese, for relief of pain and good care
- the congregations of Lutheran Church Canada, for the Word to proclaimed in truth; Timothy our Synod President, Marvin, David, and Robert, our Regional Pastors, Andre, our Circuit Counsellor; our Lutheran churches in Ukraine and in Russia; Rev. James D. Kay who serves as pastor of the Sudanese congregation of Grace Lutheran Church in Edmonton
LAST WEEK –
ATTENDANCE – Early: 48 Late: 53
Sunday School: 18 Adult Bible Study: 18
Vespers: 41
STEWARDSHIP
| WeeklyGoal | LastSunday | Goal ToDate | Rec’d ToDate | |
| CURRENT | $4243 | $8635 | $207907 | $201948 |
| MISSIONS | $1165 | $1165 | $28812 | $27005 |
| BUILDING | $661 | $1925 | $32389 | $31755 |
CURRENT: A.A. $165, Sunday School $56
OTHER: Rancheria Nutrition $50, Sunday School Mission $16, 2023 Nicaragua Fund $100
Gerald and Phyllis Becker give glory to God for their 64th wedding anniversary. For this special occasion they made a donation to the church.
THE FLOWERS in the chancel have been place to the glory of God by Sherrie Schmidt.
THE LUTHERAN HOUR weekly message of inspiration and hope will be broadcast on CKWR, FM 98.5 on Sunday at 6pm. You can listen on-line at www.lutheranhour.org. “A-T Walker” Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler. A wilderness can be scary, but if someone is with you who knows the way out, you’re not really lost. (Isaiah 40:3)
WOMAN TO WOMAN
May be downloaded at womantowomanradio.com
ISSUES ETC. YOUR COMPREHENSIVE SOURCE FOR NEWS, INFORMATION & TRUTH…Issues, Etc. is a radio talk show and podcast produced by Lutheran Public Radio in Collinsville, IL and hosted by LCMS Pastor Todd Wilken. This week’s topics include: Christian Decision Making & the End of Life, Biblical Inerrancy, Has Evolution Disproved the Creation Account?, Gender Fluidity, Pre-Marital Sex and more. You can listen on-demand at issuesetc.org, the LPR mobile app and your favorite podcast provider.
THIS WEEK AT FAITH
| Monday: | Pastor at Seminary |
| Tuesday: | 1pm Bible Study |
| Wednesday: | 7pm Advent Vespers |
| Thursday: | 6:30pm Catechesis |
| Sunday: | 8:15am Divine Service 9:30am Sunday School Christmas Program 10:45am Matins |
Just a friendly reminder – please refrain from wearing perfumes or other strong scents when coming to worship, in care for your sisters and brothers who are scent-sensitive. Thank you.
This penitential and preparatory season of Advent, we gather on Wednesdays at 7pm for the service of Vespers. This Wednesday, December 13th, we celebrate St. Lucia Day.
(Come and hear who she is)
TODAY following the Divine Service (noon-ish) we gather for our Semi-annual Voters’/Congregational Meeting. You are welcome to attend whether or not you are a voter (you can become one at the meeting) Lunch will be provided
On Sunday, December 17th at 9:30am, the Faith Sunday School will be holding their Sunday School Christmas Program, upstairs in the Sunday School room. Please come and rejoice with our children at the birth of the Child Who has come to save us! Refreshments will follow downstairs. You are welcome to be there! There will be no Sunday School on December 24 or December 31. We will resume on January 7.
LOOKING AHEAD to our Christmas Schedule –
Sunday, December 24th
8:15am and 10:45am – Fourth Sunday in Advent Services
9:30am – Adult Bible Study
5pm and 7pm – Christmas Eve Service of Lessons and Carols
Christmas Day – Divine Service at 10am
December 31st – First Sunday after Christmas –
ONE Divine Service at 10am
The Advent Potluck Dinner was a fun and successful event. The food was plentiful and delicious. The free will offering for Hospice/Innisfree & Lisaard House received close to $500. Thank you to everyone who attended.
The Flower Calendar for 2024 is posted in the old narthex. Please fill in your name if you wish to provide flowers on any Sunday (except for Lent) as a memorial for a loved one or to celebrate a special day. A flower convenor will contact you to finalize details prior to the date that you have reserved. Thank you.
We have a use for gently-used Portals of Prayer and other devotional booklets! If you bring yours back to church and place it in the box beneath the literature table, it will make its way to edify women at a women’s shelter in Hamilton.
Our Advent ingathering this year will be items for Food4Kids, Waterloo Region. They supply children facing chronic hunger with food for weekends, and school holidays when students don’t have access to school nutrition programs. Some of their most needed items are cereal/instant oatmeal, canned soup and granola bars. They accept any brand within the expiry date. Boxes will be set out in the narthex starting December 3 for collecting. Their website is www.food4kidswr.ca/donate if you are interested in looking into their operation further. Thank you in advance.
White Gift Offering
Once again, Faith Ladies Guild is collecting a White Gift Offering for our adopted Seminary student, Michael Thomas. Michael is in his first year at the St. Catharines Seminary. He is recently engaged to Beatrice Reinhardt, granddaughter of long- time Faith members, Cheryl and Wally Reinhardt.
You will find a White Gift envelope in your mail slot or on the table outside of the sanctuary. Just put your donation in the envelope and place it in the collection plate and we will forward it to Michael. Thank you.
Faith Church Council would to thank everyone who donated to the Two temporary property-related funds. The “Roof Fund-Narthex” and “Gym Furnace Fund” are now closed as the church has received the required amounts. Thank you.
We now have Interac e-Transfer set up through our congregation’s bank account. If you wish to make use of this for your offerings to God, then please email Sherrie for the details at: office@faithlutherankw.com
Community Cupboard As in past years, we expect the need will be great. We expect our numbers to increase dramatically, due to the increase in rent costs, grocery items, and of course, our homeless community.
We’ve always received much needed help financially, and with donations of food and clothing from all our sister churches and we thank you for your generosity.
This year, I am including a different food list to each church of items needed and ask that you donate according to those items listed. (If you are cleaning out your pantry, please check the best before dates to ensure we will be able to use the food items.)
I pray that you will once again be able to help Community Cupboard help our less fortunate.
Thank you for all your generous help and support.
Liz Barnai, Community Cupboard Coordinator
Community Cupboard Food Items Needed 2
(please check best before date)
Pasta: Elbow & spaghetti
Pasta Sauce
Rice: Minute Rice
Salmon: pink or red
Boxed Scalloped Potatoes
Canned Tomatoes: whole, crushed
Tomato Paste
Tuna – White Albacore if possible
Carnation milk: regular & 2%