Thanksgiving worship
“Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has spared us from pestilence and disease and has granted us freedom to worship according to the dictates of our own conscience; now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye pilgrims, with your little ones, do gather at ye meeting house . . . and there listen to ye pastor and render thanks to ye Almighty God for His blessings.” —William Bradford, Governor, Plymouth Colony, 1623

The abundance and the kinds of gifts God has given may be different from the ones acknowledged in 1623, but the reason we enjoy such gifts hasn’t changed: the goodness of God. We gather Wednesday at 6:30 PM (with livestream) and Thursday at 9 AM not because of a Governor’s decree, but because of the very Goodness of God.

New livestream time begins Sunday
Our regular livestream service will now be at 8 AM beginning this weekend Sunday, December 1. Once the livestream is complete, the service video, sermon video, and sermon audio will be posted on the homepage as it is now.

Call meeting
Westside Christian School will continue to call for its open positions. We are seeking a person for the position of School Music Director for Westside and Children’s Ministry Director for St. Andrew. Please pray that the Lord fill this position so that our music program at Westside can continue to be a strong feeder for St. Andrew church music.

Mrs. Elicia Shepard has resigned her call to teach at Westside after this school year so that she can spend more time with her family. We thank her for her years of service to Westside and pray that God continues to bless her and her family.

On December 1, after the 10:30 AM service, we will be calling for the School Music and Children’s Ministry position and for a teacher to replace Mrs. Shepard. May God bless Westside with teachers willing to serve the many students and families we have at Westside.

‘Tis the season
Thank you to those who stuck around this past Sunday to help get the Christmas decorations out of storage! After 10:30 AM worship this Sunday, December 1, we will be decorating the Christmas trees in the sanctuary. If you’re interested in participating, please contact Minister of Worship Naomi Laabs, or just stick around after worship.

December Adult Choir
Do you enjoy singing? Join the Adult Choir for rehearsals Wednesday, December 4 & 11, at 7 PM to rehearse to sing for worship Sunday, December 15. High school age and older are welcome to attend.

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 week.

“Rejoice” by Rend Collective, Keith & Kristyn Getty
“My Heart Is Filled with Thankfulness” by Stuart Townend
“Goodness of God” by Bethel
“Now Thank We All Our God” arranged by Tim Bode

“Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery” by Matt Papa, Matt Boswell
“Emmanuel (Hallowed Manger Ground)” by Chris Tomlin
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” arranged by Paul Mills
“Manger Throne” by Phil Wickham

Advent resources
Advent is a season of joyful anticipation times two. As we look ahead to the celebration of our Savior’s birth, we also joyfully await our Savior’s return. To help you get more out of your anticipating, St. Andrew is producing audio-only Advent devotions for you to enjoy. Listen to St. Andrew members read devotions based on the ministry of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus. You will find a link in the Weekly each Wednesday in December leading up to Christmas.

Advent by Candlelight
This fellowship event for ladies of all ages offers a unique look at how the birth of Jesus is a very good thing. It’s a very good thing because of the very bad thing. Come and hear the wonderful and nearly innumerable very good Christmas truths in Scripture.  You are welcome to bring a friend, and refreshments will be provided. Join us Sunday, December 8, 2024, at 6:00 PM at St. Andrew. To register, click here.

Grow in Grace
Learn about the Hidden God at the next Grow in Grace. Join us at 9:30 AM in the sanctuary on December 15. For more information on Grow in Grace, click here.

Impact podcast
Psalm 100 is short but sweet and perfect for Thanksgiving. You can listen to Impact here or by searching for “Kjenstad Impact” wherever you listen to podcasts.

PowerHour
Are you ready for snow? The kids at PowerHour are! “Let it Snow” is the theme at the next PowerHour. PowerHour is a children’s ministry that serves children and their caregivers. Children up to school-age are welcome. The next PowerHour is Friday, December 6, 10:15 – 11:15, in the gymnasium. Go here to learn more.

Sunday children ministries
At Plugged into Jesus this Sunday children will be making Christmas cards for all guests who worship at St. Andrew on Christmas Eve/Day. This is a great time to come to PIJ for the first time. Please note that Musikgarten will NOT be meeting on December 1.

LifeBoat
LifeBoat is a fun ministry for teens in grades 7 – 10 that gets together at St. Andrew on the first and third Sundays each month from 5:00 – 7:00 PM. Food is served, games are played, and God’s Word is shared. LifeBoat meets again on December 1.

Food drive update
You can still bring nonperishable food items through Sunday, December 1. Since Advent and Christmas decoration will occur on Sunday, if you have a few minutes after Thanksgiving worship on Thursday to help relocate the stockpile a few feet, the decorators would appreciate it. On Monday, all the goods will be taken to WayForward Resources for distribution.

Winter gear drive update
You can still bring warm clothing through Sunday, December 1. We have been collecting for those about to be released from jail. See the list below for desired new and gently used items.

• Winter Coats: men’s, women’s and unisex size L – 4X
• Pants and sweatshirts: men’s and women’s size M – XXL
• Hats, gloves, and boots in any adult size

Online giving transition update
Thank you to all who have transitioned your repeating CCB gift to the new Pushpay platform. As of Tuesday, 67% have completed the transition process. If you have not yet canceled your CCB repeating gift and rescheduled your Pushpay recurring gift, you can do so by following the email sent to you from Pushpay. All repeating CCB gifts need to be canceled and rescheduled in Pushpay by December 15, 2024. Contact Financial Administrator Ron Kerr at [email protected] with any questions.

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 plans to visit St. Andrew to present on building eternal friendships in a special Grow in Grace in May. Find out more about the ministry at friendsnet.org.