Sunday, January 7, 2018 Epiphany of Our Lord Worship at 8:00 & 10:30 am | The Gospel for the 1st Sunday of Christmas Matthew 2-1-12 Click Here to Read. Witness to the Light Epiphany means “manifestation.” On this day we celebrate the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles—that is, to all nations. Some Christian traditions celebrate three great epiphanies on this day: the magi’s adoration of the Christ child, Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River, and his first miracle, in which he changes water into wine. The word and sacraments are for us the great epiphany of God’s grace and mercy. We go forth to witness to the light that shines brightly in our midst. | Sunday, January 7; 9:30 am; Adult Ed Room Join Pr. Stephen as he leads a session on some of the societies of Africa before the Europeans came to the continent to begin the slave trade. Sundays; January 14, 21, 28 we will be examining parts of a video series on whiteness and white privilege. The series is entitled “White Privilege: Let’s Talk--A Resource for Transformational Dialogue”. All are welcome to participate. | Thursdays January 4 - February 8, 2018 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm The Book of Faith study on the Book of Matthew is a continuance of our recent program and will cover the 2nd half of Matthew. Thursdays at 1-2:30 pm or evenings at 7-8:30 pm in the Learning Center. Sign up now on the bulletin board. | All Women are invited for an Afternoon of Reflection on Sunday, January 14, 2018. Pastor Kay Ressel, who currently serves as the Director of the Pine Ridge Retreat Center located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, will be our leader. Please sign-up on the bulletin board. Together we will explore and reflect on the richness of our connections and relationships to each other and all creation. The time is from 2pm until 4 pm. | Deadline Sunday, January 7, 2018 Thank you for your generous support of Lake Edge throughout the past year! If you plan to give a gift towards 2017, these donations must be in by Sunday, January 7, and dated December 31, 2017. | Presented by Rev. Stephen Marsh At New Life Lutheran Church 7564 Cottage Grove Rd., Madison 4:00- 6:00 pm Part I: Sunday, January 7 In The beginning: Pre-Colonial Africa Part II: Sunday February 4 The River of Struggle: Black Life in the Americas Part III: Sunday, March 11 The Secret of Joy: How the Struggle Continues Looking forward to seeing many of you there! | The Pastors’ Emergency Fund allows our pastors to respond to people in need. Most recipients are given a $25 Woodman’s gift card to spend on gas or groceries. Money is also used to assist with rent, security deposits, or other bills at the pastors’ discretion. The Worship Mission has designated the first Sunday of each month for donations to the fund. If you use the printed envelopes for your offerings, you will find a Pastors’ Emergency Fund envelope provided for each month. There are also designated offering envelopes in the pews. Simply put your name on the envelope and place it in the offering basket. In addition, loose cash offerings on the first Sunday of the month support the Pastors’ Emergency Fund. You are free to make donations to the Pastors’ Emergency Fund at any time, but we hope that focusing on one Sunday each month for donations will help our pastors more consistently meet the needs of those in our community. | Lake Edge has had a relationship with Cristo Rey in Santa Ana, El Salvador for 25 years. Several years ago we asked Pr. Carlos how we could help them. He said the best thing we could do was to provide an education for the children. Education is not mandatory and requires the student to wear a uniform and have their own school supplies. The cost to send a child to school is about $100.00, a month’s income for a family. Every fall Lake Edge members provide scholarship funds, which are wired to Cristo Rey in January before the start of their school year. We have been able to support around 150 children each year. Some of the children have actually been able to pursue educational opportunities after high school. If you wish to participate in this program, please identify your donation as Cristo Rey Scholarship. There are cards in the fellowship area if you wish to donate in someone’s name as an alternative holiday gift. | The congregation has approved funding through the gifts committee for 2 items: 1) A Youth Pastor, part time for the next year for $14,400. Parents and kids both support retaining Pastor Christa Fisher to continue in this position. Mark your donation to the Gifts Committee for “youth pastor.” We’ll match your gift up to a total of $3,600. 2) Repair of the front rock wall and fixing the drainage issue near the front door to prevent rain water from reaching our elevator shaft and basement hallway. This project totals $12,650. Mark your donation to the Gifts Committee for “rock wall repair.” As always, thank you for your support of these types of special initiatives through the gifts committee. Jim St. Vincent, Chairperson, Gifts Committee | |