Weekly Newsletter – 12/10

Acolytes
3 Ava Severson/Grant Tieskotter
  10 Joshua Bakken/Taelyn Kerns
  17 Reese Larson/Katelyn Scheevel
  24 4:30 p.m. Maggie and Melony Wingert
  31 Lilianna Dempewolf/Jax Heibel

Altar Guild……………Jennifer Pickett/Diane Johnson/Chris Olson/Susan Hager
Ushers……………………..Todd Ebner/Darla Ebner/Darrel Olson/Tony Severson

Saturday, December 9
8:30 a.m.            Santa’s Workshop (put on by Preston Chamber of Commerce)

Sunday, December 10
9:00 a.m.            Worship
10:00 a.m.          Radio Broadcast
10:00 a.m.          Sunday school
10:10 a.m.          Adult Forum in Conference Room – Praying in Color through Advent

Tuesday, December 12
10:45 a.m.          GEV Lunch and Learn (meet at church)
11:30 a.m.          Exercise class

Wednesday, December 13
6:00 p.m.            Confirmation Christmas Party
6:00 p.m.            HS Youth Lead
7:15 p.m.            Council Meeting

Thursday, December 14
9:00 a.m.             Men’s Fellowship
11:30 a.m.          Exercise class

Saturday, December 16
8:30 a.m.            Confirmation service project – Making caramel rolls
11-12pm            Pick up for caramel rolls
5:00 p.m.            Celebration of Life in fellowship hall

Sunday, December 17
9:00 a.m.            Worship/Communion/Sunday School Christmas Program
10:00 a.m.          Radio Broadcast
10:00-11 a.m.   Pick up for caramel rolls

*2023 CRAFT AND BAKE SALE THANK YOU – The 3^rd Annual Christ Lutheran Church Craft and Bake Sale was a huge success!  We raised a record breaking $14,805.00 between our monetary donations, the sale, the Gnome Cafe, and the raffle.  The church council will decide on how to allocate those funds for charitable giving and our general fund, and that decision will be shared in January or February.  Our raffle winners are:  Jonathan Winkels for the Preston gift basket, Paul Trende for the porch pot, and Mary Schwarz for the quilt.

We want to thank our 40 volunteers for giving their time for setting up, greeting, cashiering, courtesy, Gnome Cafe working, leading the polar igloo crafting, cleaning up, and so much more!  Thank you for the raffle ticket sellers and buyers, the lefse bakers, and flatbread and rommegrot makers.  Thank you to the youth for table set-up and to the congregation for your donations, shopping, crafting, creating, and baking.  We extend a special thank you to Cheryl Schumacher for providing the supplies for the polar igloo crafting event, the Sunday School families for making items to sell, for the Christ Crafters group, and for Mary Zimmerman for her quilt donation.  It is a joy to witness the open hearts and helping hands that make up Christ Lutheran!

The committee starts planning in June, so it is just wonderful to see the awesome results of this congregational event.  If you are interested in being an event co-chair in 2024, please know it is a time for great fellowship as we plan a super fun event.  Reach out to one of this year’s committee members if you are interested or have questions.

Until December 10, you can purchase any items from the crafting room, and please turn your monies into Amanda in the office.  Anyone who donated items that weren’t sold, you can pick them up from the crafting room by Dec. 10.  One last request – we are in need of plastic storage totes for all of our supplies and leftover crafting items.  If you have used bins or want to purchase new ones, we will gladly accept your donation, just bring them down to the crafting room.  Thank you all again for your time, talent, and enthusiasm for our Craft and Bake Sale and the Gnome Cafe.  God’s blessings to you and yours this Christmas season!

-Carol Solberg, Alison Leathers, Barb Mielke, Janet Erdman, Gail Bunge, Kayla Peterson & Lori Winkels

*Please let the office or a member of the Church Council know if one of your loved ones is sick or has passed or if you or someone you know is going to be in the hospital so that we may acknowledge them in our prayer list or pay them a visit.

*Volunteer opportunities at Christ Lutheran – 1) Looking for volunteers to deliver Meals on Wheels. It would be once a month and takes about a half hour only. Call the church office to sign up. 2) Need one more money counter to count on the 2^nd Sunday of the month. Contact the church office. 3) Need Service Group Chairpersons! Contact Carol Solberg.

*NEW! Adult Forum, Sunday, December 10^th  – Praying in Color through Advent – Join us after worship from 10:10-10:45a.m. in the Conference Room. Explore ways to pray through Advent using an advent calendar and colors! Pastor Kris is leading this activity. Grades 7 and older are welcome!

*Christmas Caramel Roll Fundraiser for CLC Youth who are attending the ELCA ’24 Gathering – Homemade take and bake Caramel Rolls, $12/six or $20/dozen. Order and pay by December 10^th and then pick up your frozen rolls on either Saturday, Dec 16 from 11-12pm or Sunday, Dec 17 from 10-11:30am.

*GOOD EARTH VILLAGE LUNCH and LEARN, – Tuesday, December 12, from 10:45-2:00 pm Christmas Sing Along Extravaganza.  Join guest speaker Richard Bruxvoort Colligan for this half-hootenanny, half-concert among the beautiful Good Earth winter woods. Richard’s lyric voice and acoustic guitar will lead us in singing favorite tunes together plus some songs to just relax and listen to. There’s sure to be laughter, stories, and good company. If you love music at Christmastide, this event might be for you! Sign up in the Narthex. (Please note dietary restrictions). We will leave CLC at 10:45am and return at approximately 2 pm. Drivers may be needed for carpooling. Please bring a free will donation for lunch and the program. Deadline to sign up is Monday morning!

*MEN’S FELLOWSHIP – We WILL be meeting on Thursday morning, Dec. 14^th at 9:00 a.m. for those who can make it!

*LECTORS NEEDED – On Sunday, December 31^st we will be doing our Service of Lessons and Carols and we are in need of about 6 lectors that day. If you would be willing to do a reading, please contact Amanda in the church office.

*YOUTH LEAD – Wednesday, December 13, 6-7:15 pm, grades 10-12, Gather at 6 pm for supper, then join your peers for Youth Lead. Explore faith through fun, discussion, and service. Plus – learn leadership and communication skills which help you be a resource to peers. This month we will be making candles, one to keep and one to share. How are you shining God’s light this season?? Questions – text or email Pastor Kris, 507-330-1824 or revkris.christlutheranpreston@gmail.com.

*SAVE THE DATE: CLC SUNDAY SCHOOL CHRISTMAS PROGRAM- Sunday, December 17^th during worship.

*INTERGENERATIONAL FUN DAY: TRIVIA AND MEMORIES – Sunday, January 14^th from 10-10:45 | All ages, kids through the Greatest Generation: The Greatest Generation. Baby Boomer. Generation X. Millennials. Generation Z. And the youngest among us – Generation Alpha. Any given Sunday at Christ Lutheran we interact with people from multiple generations. Let’s have fun getting to know the different generations. Following worship, gather in the Fellowship Hall for a lively round of Generation Jeopardy and to share some memories from church and Sunday School.  How are our memories similar? How are they different? Come for the treats and fun, stay for the friendships.
*Holy Outdoors: Hiking in January -Saturday, January 13^th from 10-11 am at the Trailhead Parking Lot, Preston. Come outdoors for a prayer, a hike, and holy communion. Pastor Kris will lead, and we will enjoy God’s creation, worship informally, and share communion. We will begin and end at the Trailhead, so if you are not able to join us for the hike, you may still participate. Sign up in the Narthex or by calling the church office.

*The Holiday Giving Tree is now up! Mittens, gloves, hats, scarfs and socks can all be hung on there! Items donated will go to Fillmore Central, Fillmore County Foodshelf, SEMCAC and Open Hands Midway. Thanks for your generous support, all items are greatly appreciated!

*Luren Singers Christmas Concert 2023 – “Hope for Resolution and Peace” is the theme of the music Dr. David Judisch, Conductor of the 60-member male singers, has chosen for their concert on Sunday, December 10 at 2:00PM.  The venue is Trinity Lutheran Church in Spring Grove, MN, 205 East Main Street which is also MN Hwy 44.  Rachel Storlie is the guest soprano soloist. Admission is a free-will offering which will be divided to benefit the Houston County Food Shelf and the Houston County Ring and Run. The offering will be accepted during intermission

*Thank you for your faithful giving to help us continue the mission and ministry of Christ Lutheran Church during a time in the which the hope of Christ is needed more than ever. Offering envelopes have the church’s address on them and can be mailed in. Text, online and direct giving is also an option. For more information see our giving page:https://christlutheranpreston.org/giving