Wednesday Morning Prayer Group ~ 10am
Participate in-person at the Jackson's or online via Zoom.
Zoom Personal Meeting ID: 6936117456
Password: prayer
* Not meeting today. Regular meeting resumes next week.

Christmas Decorating

We had a great time at our annual
decking of the halls! Welcome, Christmas!

Encouragement

Thank you to Marcia Kreps for sharing and Darla Smith for writing these weekly bits of encouragement.

"God is so good to us. I pray this finds you all well and blessed. Thanksgiving week is here and some of you are probably planning a fine family feast. This is my favorite time of the year. Unfortunately, a lot of my family spans across the United States so our family feast here in Ohio is usually small and quiet. Would be so wonderful to be able to spend Thanksgiving with all my family and friends at the same time. What a celebration that would be! I guess I will have to wait until we all get to heaven – then let the party start. Until then I will be so thankful for Thanksgiving here."

"That brings me to my Word for this week, “THANKFUL." Sometimes we may use this word for services that were done well. Or maybe someone did something nice for you without expecting anything in return. Being “thankful” is exactly that – full of thanks. I am so “thankful” for the heritage of my parents and grandparents. I am so “thankful” that I try to pass down that heritage to my son. Let us do everything we can to pass that same “thankful” attitude to someone else. Bless someone that would never be able to repay you and be “thankful” you can. When we are truly “thankful,” our hearts will be so full of love that we cannot help but share that love with others. Every morning driving to work, I tell God how “thankful” I am for all his blessings. Holy Spirit, nudge us if we fail at being “thankful” every day. There is always something for us to be “thankful” for, no matter what we may be going through at the time. Even when we cannot see it with our eyes, we can be “thankful.” I am “thankful” for all of you that God has put in my life to share with every week. You are truly my blessing. Be “thankful” always!"

How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son. ~ Ephesians 1:3-6 (MSG)

Heroes & Halos Angel Tree at CGCC

We are a drop-off site for Christmas gifts for Heroes & Halos this year! Angel tags will be on the tree soon, ready for eager Christmas shoppers to take to the store to buy Christmas surprises for local children and families. We should be starting out with 15 tags, but if we find that we are able to help more kids, we can request more tags. Gifts can be dropped off around the tree, during the week from 8:30am-2:30pm and on Sunday mornings. H&H board member Maryalice Surgenavic will be here on December 6 & 13 to provide drop off times in the late afternoon and evening for community members who cannot get here during the day. H&H volunteers will be here various days during December to organize and prepare. Then, on December 18, the Angel Tree families will come through our parking lot for a drive-thru pick up of gifts and food.

Heroes and Halos is a non-profit organization that reaches out to the community and provides Awareness, Education, Assistance, and Outreach Programs regarding Individuals with Special Needs and Disabilities and their families. They are partnering with Various Churches, Schools, Businesses, Individuals and Organizations to provide Christmas Gifts to children with a developmental age of 18 years and younger. *Due to the increase in Angels on our tree and difficult times, this year, our Angel Tree bags may be made up of the following categories: (one of each)
• Something they want
• Something they need
• Something to wear (can be a complete winter outfit)
• Something to read
• A gift of the givers choice
• Toiletries if the giver so desires

Please prayerfully consider if this is a way you would like to celebrate this season of giving. Grab a friend or family member to have fun shopping with and give whatever you can. Every bit helps to bless a family and make their Christmas brighter.

News of the Week

It's a short, three day week here at GG. Our "Thankful Board" is full and we are all looking forward to the Thanksgiving holiday. We wish you and yours a wonderful day!

Monday was a day of cleaning, taking away autumn decorations, processing popcorn, and getting ready for Christmas decorating. We even took a trip to Mike Ashby's mom's house to drop off pumpkins for her chickens. During CSA time, she is our "egg lady" and we are very pleased to be able to provide a healthy treat for all her chickens.

On Tuesday, we spent time carrying the Christmas decorations down. (So many trips up and down the stairs!) We also took a trip to Wal-Mart, and kept working on our popcorn.

Today we are cleaning upstairs and downstairs, hanging ornaments, and untangling lights as we get the church ready...inside and out...for the Christmas season. Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving...and Dustin's birthday...we also celebrated and had some fun!

Happy Thanksgiving from the GG crew!!!

~~~

Goodness Grows

The non-profit ministry of Common Ground Church Community, Goodness Grows is always busy on our property. GG works
with students and adults with disabilities, providing vocational habilitation training in a fun, hands-on way. The GG crew
maintains the grounds and cleans the building.

If you would like to donate to our program, monetary donations as well as donations of regular mouth 8oz. canning jars, lids, rings, and white sugar are always needed and appreciated!

Volunteers welcome!

Black Friday Flea Market.

Rogers Flea Market & Auctions
Friday, 7:30am-3pm
No supply chain shortages here at the Rogers Market! Fresh produce, baked goods, baking supplies, meats, cheeses, candy, and more! Bath and Body Works, Tires, New, Vintage, and Antique Items, tools, toys and so much more! A local Christmas shopping experience.

Olde Fashioned Christmas at Lanterman's Mill

Saturday and Sunday, 11am-5pm
Enjoy the holiday atmosphere at Lanterman's Mill. Fire-roasted chestnuts, unique handcrafted gifts for sale, crafts for the kids, and come watch the Christmas Story on the big screen. Santa will be escorted by the Mill Creek Police Department on Saturday the 27th at 12pm. To share the holiday spirit with others, bring a new hat, scarf, or pair of mittens to decorate a "Giving Tree." Donated items will warm up children in need this winter. No registration required. Free. For more information call (330) 740-7114 Ext. 282.

We recommend those who are not fully vaccinated wear a mask and follow all other recommended CDC and Ohio Department of Health guidelines. Please do not attend a program or event if you are feeling unwell. Thank you.