Advent Home Devotions

Decorating thank you
A big thank you to all who helped beautify our sanctuary for the Advent and Christmas season this past weekend: Sue Martalock and Mitch and Alayna Hutter for their assistance in getting the decorations out of storage and the Hougaard, Beck, and Denton families for setting up the Christmas trees!

Christmas worship schedule
Christmas Eve: 1, 3, 5 PM (livestream available at 5 PM)
Christmas Day: Online only
December 26: Lessons and Carols at 8 & 10:30 AM
January 2: New Year’s worship at 8 & 10:30 AM
No worship on December 23 or December 30

Christmas Concert | December 18
On Saturday, December 18, at 4 PM, piano extraordinaire Zach Unke will be performing his Christmas concert entitled “Comfort and Joy” here at St. Andrew. Enjoy some incredible Christmas piano music first and then stick around for some delicious appetizers, apple cider, and a hot chocolate bar around the Christmas tree. Join us for this fun and relaxing taste of Christmas.

Christmas Eve adult choir
If you are interested in singing with the adult choir for Christmas Eve services, rehearsals will be December 1, 15, and 22 at 7 PM in room 115. Any one high school age and above is welcome to join!

Milestone
Jack Thiele was welcomed into communicant membership this past Sunday. Confirmation isn’t a sacrament. We wouldn’t have to do it. But it’s a process of growing in faith that we celebrate and for which we thank God. His parents taught him the chief truths of God’s Word, and the Spirit did the work or strengthening faith. Jack chose as his confirmation verse, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10).

Worship Check-in
Connection Cards have returned. If you worship on-site, please fill out the Connection Card attached to your worship folder each week. Online worshipers, please continue to check in here.

Weekend worship songs
Preview some of the songs we will use for worship this weekend here. Obviously, ours won’t sound exactly like this, but listening to the links provided will certainly help you be more comfortable participating in the service.
“Almost Home” by Matt Boswell, Matt Papa, and Lauren Papa
“Savior of the Nations, Come” by Paul Marxhausen
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” by Paul Mills

Advent by Candlelight—for women of all ages
Throughout history, God gave his people signposts pointing to his Son, our Savior. In an evening of prayer, song, and reflection, we follow God’s signposts to the promised Messiah. Join us Sunday, December 12, from 6:30 – 8:30 PM, for an evening of prayer, song, and reflection as we follow God’s signposts to the promised Messiah. Invite a friend, decorate a table, share a dessert, or just bring yourself. Sign up here. Contact Yvonne Onsager with any questions.

Grow in Grace—whole church Bible study
Luke has some terrific songs. No, not Luke Bryan or Luke Combs. Doctor Luke. His gospel includes some great Christmas songs. We are going to look closely at them and hear them at Grow in Grace this December. Join us for this Christmas Bible study led by St. Andrew Staff Minister for Nurture Mark Kjenstad. Grow in Grace is at 9:30 AM on December 5, 12, and 19 in the sanctuary.

Small Talk
St. Andrew Nurture Ministry is excited to announce a new podcast, Small Talk, featuring St. Andrew children sharing the good news about Jesus. Host Rachel Kamin will be talking to young children about the birth of Jesus to get their perspective on the true meaning of Christmas. Episodes will be released on December 8, 15, and 22 through the Weekly, and they will be available on our St. Andrew website. Small Talk is for all ages to enjoy.

Impact—A St. Andrew podcast
The most well-known and arguably most loved Psalm is Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. The Lord is also your king. That is the message of Psalm 24. Listen to this two-for-one Impact with retired seminary professor Dr. John Brug. You might love Psalm 23 even more after listening. Impact is new every Monday, and all past episodes are available. Click here to find Impact or find it where you listen to podcasts. Search “Kjenstad Impact.”

Celebrate Recovery
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16). Every week we hear from people in and outside our church family who are struggling terribly with issues: heartbreak, grief, porn, addiction, gaming, diet, insecurity, depression, anxiety, health, struggling family members, and more. We may want to hide from our issues, but we find healing from God when we confess our sins to each other. Infected wounds of the heart can only heal when they are cleaned out. At Celebrate Recovery you will find no condemnation, no one trying to fix you (except Jesus), or shame you. We are all working on our issues together. Who attends and what is said is completely confidential. Why not give it a try? Celebrate Recovery is at St. Andrew on Mondays at 6:30 PM. More information is found here. Questions about Celebrate Recovery can be sent here.

FUEL
FUEL is taking a break but will return with a Saturday night pizza party in January. FUEL will start meeting again on Sundays at 9:30 AM in mid-January. In the meantime, St. Andrew high school students are encouraged to attend Grow in Grace (see above). Speak to Mr. KJ for more information about FUEL, St. Andrew’s high school ministry.

Musikgarten
Infants and toddlers through age three together with a caregiver will meet in room 101 on Sunday at 9:20 AM for music and rhythm activities. Contact Karen Hong with questions.

Plugged into Jesus
Home activity for “Saul Becomes Paul”: As you take out Christmas decorations, comment on things old and new. Remind each other that only Jesus can make things new again, just as he changed Saul from an enemy into a friend. Use this link to watch the Bible teaching video. Videos are easily shared! Request a Kit to ship to kids in your world.

“A Soldier Believes: A Philippian Jailer” will be this week’s lesson. Friends from Pre-K3 through grade 5 are welcome Sundays at 9:20 AM! Questions? Contact Jane Dew.

Spark
Middle school students (grades 6 – 8) will learn how God rescues us from fear and gives us new life. Meet in room 106 Sunday at 9:20 AM. Contact Lance Hill with questions.

December Monthly Mission Partner | Costa Maya Ministries
Our congregation is a mission partner of Costa Maya Ministries, sharing the gospel on the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. By God’s grace, the mission is growing and has just built its first church and ministry center this year. Due to COVID, much “finishing” work has been delayed. We are gathering special offerings during the month of December to partner in this ministry. For more information, click here, or watch videos on YouTube by searching “Costa Maya Ministries.” Pastor Valleskey expresses his gratitude for our support and will be sharing a greeting during worship services in December.

St. Andrew Giving Tree
We thank God for your generosity toward families in need! All Christmas Giving Tree gift tags have been sponsored. Remember—December 5 is the deadline for returning your gift tag with the gift card. When returning the gift tags and gift cards, please drop them in the Drop Box slot at the Welcome Center. Watch next week for a report on the outpouring of love from St. Andrew members and friends.

Are you tech-savvy?
Your technical computer skills are just what we need to assist in a couple of areas. Each week after Sunday services, volunteers enter information into Church Community Builder (CCB), our member portal. We’re looking for a volunteer to help with this data entry. This can be done from home once or twice a month, and it takes about 90 minutes. Could this be you? If web pages are your thing, we could also use a volunteer to learn the ropes of updating elements of our website. This position is to assist our primary web master from time to time. If interested, contact Curt Kephart.

Mission Trips 2022
Are you mission minded? On a mission trip, you will experience new adventures to grow and share in Christ’s love. Our mission team is working diligently to develop productive and engaging trips in 2022 to the following locations: Greater Madison, Wisconsin; Sure Foundation Church, Brandon, South Dakota; Citrus Grove Church, Wesley Chapel, Florida; Illume Church, Seattle, Washington; and Mahahual, Mexico. Interested adults, teens, and families should watch the Weekly for more information and plan to attend a Mission Trip informational meeting in January. Questions can be directed to Mission Trip Coordinator Amy Kohlstedt. “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered” (Proverbs 11:25).