Call issued
On November 30, St. Andrew issued Pastor Ben Kuerth the call to serve as our Pastor for Outreach. He currently serves at Divine Savior Church in Doral, Florida, just outside of Miami. He and his family will now prayerfully consider both the St. Andrew ministry and the Divine Savior ministry. Within a few weeks, Pastor Kuerth will decide whether to continue in his present ministry or come join us at St. Andrew. Please pray for the Kuerth family throughout this process.

Construction update
Masonry work continues on the exterior of the building, and the lower roofs are being completed. Prep work for the interior steel studs is beginning and inside insulation is being finished. The atrium temporary wall was put up on Thursday last week, and we will continue to keep you updated in The Weekly on interior building progress.

A Place of Peace giving
Giving can be set up like other offerings. Go to “Give” at the website, and you can set up a one-time or recurring gift. Choose “A Place of Peace” as the “Fund.” If using a check, please put “A Place of Peace” in the memo line. If using St. Andrew offering envelopes, use the designation “Ministry Expansion.”

Even if you didn’t make a formal pledge, you can still give. Every bit helps, as St. Andrew will still carry some debt, and the less debt, the more ministry.

Thank you, Music Intern Atticus Lawrenz
In September, Martin Luther College student Atticus Lawrenz joined our staff as a music intern serving with Minister of Worship Naomi Laabs. Over the past four months, he took over worship and music planning, taught 3^rd – 4^th grade music classes, served on music teams, taught audio engineering classes to our sound techs, and so much more. This Sunday, December 14, is his last day with us. We are so grateful for his service to St. Andrew and Westside and pray that his time with us was as much of a blessing for him as he was to us. Atticus will graduate from Martin Luther College in May and, Lord willing, he and his wife Clara will receive a call into the ministry.

Christmas worship schedule

• Friday, December 19 | Westside Christian School Christmas programs in the gymnasium
  • Preschool and kindergarten program—10 AM
  • Grades 1 – 8 program—2 & 6 PM

• Wednesday, December 24 | Christmas Eve worship at 1, 3, 5 PM (livestreamed at 5 PM)
• Thursday, December 25 | Christmas Day Lessons & Carols at 9 AM (livestreamed)
• No Thursday evening worship on December 25
• Sunday, December 28 | normal worship at 8 & 10:30 AM
• Sunday, January 4 | Epiphany worship at 8 & 10:30 AM (no Thursday worship on January 1)

Poinsettia orders due Sunday
One way to get the sanctuary ready for the Christmas season would be through your donation of a Christmas poinsettia. The cost is $17 and can be picked up following Christmas Day worship. Orders can be made here and are due December 14.

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

Weekend worship songs
Preview some of the songs we will use for worship this weekend. 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.

“Lord, Remind Me” by Jon and Valerie Guerra (this song is the basis for our Advent and Christmas series)
“Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” by Laura Story
“Sing We the Song of Emmanuel” by Papa, Boswell, Merker, Kauflin, Getty
“Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery” by Matt Papa, Matt Boswell
“Comfort, Comfort All My People” by Koine

Grow in Grace
Mr. Aaron Wakeman returns on Sunday, December 14, with Mission Possible, part 2. Mr. Wakeman will share practical and effective ways to talk with others about your faith in Jesus. We will have a follow-up on December 21. Grow in Grace is at 9:30 AM in the sanctuary.

Advent by Candlelight
Ladies of St. Andrew and several guests had a wonderful evening on Sunday reflecting on the salvation story. Thank you to all who served.

Women’s conference
WINGS is Women in God’s Service. They are holding a conference at St. Paul’s Lutheran in Lake Mills on January 24. The conference lineup looks very fulfilling! Go here for more information. If you plan on attending, let Mr. Kjenstad know. He will work with you to arrange carpooling.

Impact
The angel Gabriel had incredible news to share with Mary. She would be the mother of the Savior. Pastor Clinton joins us this week to discuss that visit found in Luke 1. You can listen to Impact here or by searching for “Kjenstad Impact” wherever you listen to podcasts.

Children’s ministries
Plugged into Jesus and Musikgarten will meet this Sunday before taking a 3-week break.

Spark and FUEL are off until January 25.

From Madison Area Jail Ministry
Below is an excerpt from a letter St. Andrew received from the recipient of our clothing drive.

On behalf of the Dane County Jail re-entry coordinator and the Madison Area Jail Ministry, a very large thank you to everyone at St. Andrew Church who contributed winter jackets, blankets, and clothing for those being released from the Dane County Jail during the late fall and winter weather. Your act of kindness can be the example that causes them to turn toward Jesus.

Blessings,
Paul L Hundt, Committee Chair
Madison Area Jail Ministry Friends

Christmas gift assistance
We celebrate the gift of Jesus’ birth every Christmas. A fitting longtime tradition is giving gifts to others, both responding to and magnifying God’s perfect gift of salvation to us. If your temporary or ongoing circumstances make Christmas gifts a significant financial burden for your family, let the St. Andrew family help by completing this assistance request form by December 18.

Service opportunity for friendly people
We are creating two new teams of people to connect with our guests in worship. If you like meeting new people, conversing in person, or even connecting via email or text, this is a great opportunity for you. Contact Pastor Clinton to get involved.

Monthly Mission Partner
Our December partner’s mission is to build eternal friendships. Friends Network recruits, trains, sends, and supports lay missionaries around the world. The organization started in 2000, primarily focusing on China. It has now sent hundreds of evangelists to over a dozen different locations. Executive Director Aaron Wakeman presented Mission: Possible at St. Andrew in May. Two more installments are coming December 14 and 21 at 9:30, and Mr. Wakeman will be on site on December 14. Learn more about the ministry at friendsnet.org.