Parish News
Congratulations
to Laura & Chris Altman, whose son, Tyler Christopher,
will be baptized today and to Robin & Thaddeus Mitchum,
whose daughter, Hailey Renee, will be baptized, as
well. They
will receive the following gifts as a reminder of this
special day: a medallion from Thrivent Financial, a banner
from the Women of the ELCA, a candle & a napkin.
Altar Flowers for December 14, 2008
One
altar vase in memory of
Michael DeVito, Jr. given by Michael & Patricia
DeVito. One altar vase in memory of
Julia Ansaldo, given by her daughter. In lieu
of flowers, a donation has been made to the Genesis Youth
Group in honor of
Tyler Christopher Altman on the day of his baptism, given
by his grandparents, Fran & Joe Fisher.
If you desire prayer for any reason, our Prayer Partners will
receive you in the chapel after you have communed. The
Prayer Partners for today are: (8:30AM) Paul Bendt &
Rudy Matzner (11AM) Carol & Kerry Koon.
XYZ's Then
& Now Single's Lunch Today at 12:45 PM at the
Riverview Holiday Inn. All ladies 55 & over are
invited to attend.
And don’t forget the Lunch, Listen &
Learn on
January 7. Registration due by
December 20th!
LMM: Join us for breakfast! On Tuesday, December 16th at
7:30AM we will enjoy breakfast while listening to Pastor
Emeritus Richard Campbell, who will be the featured
speaker.
SHOP ON-LINE, GIVE TO THE OUTREACH CENTER at St.
Matthew's. More than 700 of your favorite
online retailers including Amazon, eBay, Target and more
have partnered with GoodShop.com
- donating a
percentage of your purchases to the Outreach Learning
Center, at NO additional cost to you! Go to
GoodShop.com,
select St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, Charleston, SC as
your chosen charity, and click through to your favorite
retailer and shop as usual. Also, Yahoo! has teamed-up with
GoodShop's sister site, GoodSearch.com
to donate a penny to
the Outreach Learning Center at St. Matthew's every time
you search the web. Visit GoodSearch and GoodShop, and
start "searching & shopping" for St. Matthew's today!
The
Genesis Youth are selling St. Matthew’s Christmas
ornaments in
the Auditorium. This is a fundraiser for the 2009 National
Youth Gathering in New Orleans! For every generous gift of
$20 you give towards this mission trip, you get an ornament
as a thank you from our youth. They will have a table every
Sunday in Advent, so please stop by!
Shop
today and throughout the advent season for Gifts of
Hope. These gifts will
benefit people here in South Carolina and in other parts of
the world and is sponsored by the South Carolina Synod
of the ELCA. The Gifts of Hope sales table is located in
the Outreach Learning Center. Gifts range in price
from $5 to $200 and are a truly meaningful way to honor a
friend or family member.
Our
Outreach Center has an opening for a volunteer English as a
Second Language teacher for the January semester.
The opening is to teach a day class (9:30-11:30) one
day per week. The position is through May.
Training is provided. If you have an interest or need
more information call Hayden Shook, ESL program manager, at
579-0420 Ex 40 or email her at haydenshook@bellsouth.net.
St.
Matthew's worship services can now be heard on the new
website
kirkenmin.com.
Listen whenever you
wish.
The Outreach Center food pantry needs non-perishable food. This is a
difficult time for many of the families we
serve. Canned meats and fish are especially welcomed
although all non-perishables are needed. Volunteers
are welcomed as food bank shoppers and stockers.
Christmas
Cookie Walk fundraiser today in auditorium!
Before and after the
Christmas pageant, during the Sunday School hour, come by
and purchase holiday cookies baked by St. Matthew’s
members. Your donations will support the youth group and
their trip to the National Youth Gathering in New Orleans
next summer!
Preparation for Baptism – Pastor Blalock would like to
meet with anyone who is interested in being baptized or has
a child to be baptized. Please contact LaVondilyn Watson,
Parish Secretary, and 723-1611 ext. 16 to schedule an
appointment.
December Nursery Schedule for childcare:
Sundays 8:00AM – 12:30 PM
Sunday, December 21, 6:00 -8:30PM
Wednesdays 7:15 - 9:15PM
Saturday, December 20, 10:30AM – 12:30PM
There
is a Mother’s Lounge available to use anytime.
Room
201 in the Education Building located at the top of the
steps by the Vanderhorst Street door is now available with
rocking chairs and a changing table.
Child Protection Anyone who wishes to help with
children and youth ministries needs to complete
Stewards
of Children training from Darkness to Light
and complete paperwork. The training is available online!
Once you begin the online program, you have two weeks to
complete it. To sign up for the Stewards of
Children online training, please contact
LaVondilyn Watson, Parish Secretary, 723-1611 ext.16 to get
St. Matthew’s Log in ID and password.
Shepherd Ministry The purpose of the St. Matthew’s
Shepherd Ministry is to create, maintain and sustain
loving and caring relationships within the life of our church
family. If anyone in the congregation has not been
contacted by their Shepherd, has a change of address or
would like more information about this ministry, please
contact: Janelle Othersen jnbothersen@bellsouth.net
Shepherds & Area Coordinators: Please mark your
calendars for Shepherd Ministry Commitment Sunday on
January 11 and a meeting on January 14 at noon or 6:30PM
(dinner served 5:30 – 6:30).
Epiphany/Mission Event
– Wednesday, January 7 – This
event is for all ages and childcare will be provided.
Dinner will be available from 5:30-6:30. Please make your
reservation for dinner on the Record of Attendance found in
the Sunday bulletin. The cost is $5 per person with a
maximum of $17 per family. If you need financial assistance
for the meal please contact Cindy Greenwood 723-1611 Ext.
26. The program will be from 6:30-7:30 and will include a
presentation by John Burbage about current happenings with
our Synod Partner, the South West Diocese of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania.
The Daily Bible (NIV) is available for $8 in the
Education Hallway. It would be a wonderful gift for a
friend or family member.
Special Activities for all ages- Sunday, December 21 – 9:45AM The
preschool class will meet in Room 101 and Toddlers/Infants
in Room 102-103.
Kindergarten – 8th Grades will gather in Room 209
to watch a
Christmas video, enjoy Christmas cookies and make
ornaments. Senior High will have class in the Youth Room on
the third floor. Pastor Jim Blalock will meet with all
adults in the Auditorium for study/ discussion about
the Daily
Bible reading plan.
Sunday
School classes will not meet December 28 but will resume on
January 4.
Daily
Bible Reading study with Pastor Blalock –
Sunday,
December 21, 9:45AM,
January 21 at 6:30PM,
March 1 and April 19 at 9:45AM.
We
Care for Our Troops Prayer Wall is located by the elevator on
the lower level of the first floor in the Education
Building.
Please add names, addresses and pictures of anyone you know
who is serving in the military. For updates contact
cindygreenwood@smlccharleston.org
(723-1611 ext 26).
If you missed Muenda Fair Trade, Susie and Paul Dolpin are
still located at the City Market and are excited to offer
an online store featuring African and ‘Green’ recycled
products. The website address is
www.muenda.com.
There are promotions available for all at St. Matthew’s:
Susie
is willing to donate 15% of purchases back to St. Matthew’s
with any order. This is available on a permanent basis. In
the coupon code box in the checkout process type in
smlc.
The 15% from the purchases will be sent to the Clinic in
Magoye, Tanzania.
With any orders over $100 there is Free Shipping.
There is a free drop off service at St. Matthew's available
on orders, Cindy Greenwood is the contact person at St.
Matthew's for scheduling a time to pick up the items.
Supporting Fair Trade and a more sustainable society is
important now more than ever. Buy environmentally friendly,
fair trade gifts that give back to others!
The Week at a Glance
Sunday,
December 14
8:30AM Holy Communion (S)
9:45AM Christmas Program & Cookie Walk
11AM Holy Communion—Baptism
12:45PM XYZ Then & Now Singles Lunch
Monday,
December 15
10AM Respite Care (A)
1:30PM XYZ Bowling
3PM AS Kids (OLC)
5PM Finance Committee
5:45PM St. Matthew’s Ringers (CHR)
6PM Executive Committee
6:30PM ESL
Tuesday,
December 16
7:30AM LMM Breakfast
8AM Men’s Work Crew
9:30AM ESL (OLC)
10:30AM Bible Study
12:30PM GED Tutoring (OLC)
2PM Staff Meeting
3PM AS Kids—Christmas Party (OLC)
6PM Campus Ministry
7PM Circle 11
Wednesday,
December 17
9:30AM ESL (OLC)
12:30PM GED Tutoring (OLC)
2:30PM Elderhostel—Cstl. Lutheran Retreat Ctr
3PM AS Kids
4:45PM Alleluia Choir (CHR)
5:30PM Youth Choir (CHR)
6:30PM ESL (OLC)
7:30PM Gallery Choir (CHR)
Thursday,
December 18
10AM Respite Care
Altar Guild Garland & Wreaths
Friday,
December 19
10AM Respite Care
Saturday,
December 20
9AM Altar
Guild
10AM Instrumentalists
11AM Gallery & Youth Choirs
11AM Women’s AA
12:30PM St. Matthew’s Ringers
UPCOMING
CALENDAR
December 21— 7PM Candlelight Service
December 24— Christmas Eve Services
4:30PM Children’s Service
8PM Family Service
11PM Festival Eucharist