THE PEACE MESSENGER DECEMBER 2018

Called to Receive and Share God’s Peace

Grace and Peace to You Dear sisters and brothers in Christ this Advent Season!

Revelation 22:20-21 20 The one who testifies to these things says, „Surely I am coming soon.‟
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

Are you one of those people who reads a book’s last pages or do you resist the temptation to look ahead?

Do you know the first three words of the Bible? I bet you do! “In the beginning God created…” Genesis 1:1

Do you know the last word of the last verse in the Bible? Well you just read it in today’s devotion. Did you
already know this?

Isn’t it fitting the last word of the Bible in Revelation chapter 22 verse 21 is Amen.
―Amen‖ is a word that came to English from Latin, which got it from Greek, which got it from Aramaic, which
got it from Hebrew. The Hebrew word amen carries the idea of certainty or dependability (i.e., that which is
true is that which is certain or dependable).

One might also translate it "certainly, certainly" or "most assuredly."

What does this mean for you in this Advent season of waiting? I do encourage this Advent season to not feel
guilty for reading ahead and read the last two verses of the Bible…., “„Surely I am coming soon.‟ Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus!”

Sunday, December 9th at 9:00 am (Second Sunday of Advent).

· Please note the youth will be practicing the Children‟s Christmas program after church with
pizza provided.
· All are invited to join the choir in caroling to the shut-ins after church.

Sunday, December 16th at 9:00 am (Third Sunday of Advent and Children‟s Sunday Christmas
Program)

Sunday, December 23th at 9:00 am (Fourth Sunday of Advent)

Monday , December 24th at 4:00 pm (Traditional Christmas Eve Worship)

Blessings Grow and Grateful this month of December!

Pastor Donna

Pastor Donna Rutten: Cell—715-815-0897; Pastor Email: pastorpeacepoplar@gmail.com

Mailing Address: PO Box 345 Poplar, WI 54864 Office Phone: 715-364-2593
Website: www.peacepoplar.org Church Email: peacepoplar@gmail.com Facebook: Peace Lutheran Church, Poplar, WI
THE PEACE MESSENGER DECEMBER 2018
Called to Receive and Share God’s Peace

Peace Lutheran Church Council Minutes – October 24 , 2018

Called to order at 7:01pm
Present: Rita, Carol, Gerry, Tricia, Yvonne, Amy, Pastor, Dale, Tony; Absent: Sherry, Ray, Jon
Devotions: Pastor

Secretary‟s minutes – Sherry, MSC Amy/Gerry

Calendar for Oct/Nov/Dec - discussed Alter Guild Training on 11/3 at 11:15am, Council Meeting
moved to 11/7 6:30pm, 12/2 Hanging of the Greens, Christmas Eve Service at 4pm.
Pastor‟s Report - reviewed
Parish Nurses Report – reviewed and discussed flu season coming up so take precautions now.

Financial Report: MSC Dale/Gerry

Treasurer Report: Tony – discussed sewage payment might be high, Tony will check in to it,
quarterly payments discussed, discussed Portico selection for insurance due this Friday, Gail has
resigned from assisting with the deposit process and Kathy has now been doing it. Budget meeting will
be 10/29 and 7pm.

Committee Reports:
Women: Tricia – Three women came to represent the Women’s Group: Mary Jane, Arlene and Jan.
They addressed the issue with where the money will go from the Bazaar, they will meet on 10/28 to
decide. Jan said that since the majority of the work is done by the Women’s Group, they will receive
the funds and disperse accordingly. They will also discuss serving funeral meals and may decide to
stop doing them or at least pairing them down as there are less volunteers to do it. Mary Jane said she
is looking into having a ―Memory Clinic‖ at the church.
Men: Dale – nothing new this month.
Youth: Yvonne – youth fundraising effort on Sat 11/3 piling wood for community member, God Stock
will be on 11/9-11/11 with 5 youth and 2 chaperones going so far.
Education: John K. – no report
Property: Ray L. – no report
Outreach/Inreach: Sherry – no report
Worship: Tony – Lin and Tony are working on recruiting new members for the band and are in the
process of selecting music.
Stewardship: Amy S. – no report
Senior Council Member: Carol L. – Carol and Gerry have been visiting members and providing rides
as needed, very appreciated!

Old Business:
Playground/updates – looks like the unit will be hauled over at some point soon
Fish Fry – no report

New Business:
Quarterly updates (Nov 11) basement – need to take action ASAP, Ray to follow up.
Celebration 50th anniversary dedication 9/21/2019 – met today, next meeting will be 12/6 at 6:30
Italian Night – potentially 2/14/19?
Out going Council members – tabled
Food Shelf – no report
THE PEACE MESSENGER DECEMBER 2018
Called to Receive and Share God’s Peace

October 24, 2018 Council Minutes, continued

Table
By-Law committee set up/Dale Johnson
Church Cleaning
Altar Guild Training
Shed building

Other Business
Thank you notes that need to be written

Executive meeting: Nov 4 after church

Church Council Mtg: Nov 7 6:30pm
Motion to adjourn with prayer at 8:45pm MSC Dale/Yvonne

Do you need gift ideas for those hard-to-buy-for people? The Northern Waters Parish Nurses
Ministry are selling gas cards, car wash cards and Grizzly‟s gift cards. Just indicate what cards
you want on the sign up sheets on the Fellowship Hall tables or contact Jan Stevens. Make
checks to NWPNM.

The choir will be caroling to the shut-ins on Sunday, December 9th. We usually leave the church
around 11:00 and return around 4:00 pm. Please join us for this joyous, heart-warming event.
We also welcome new people to join our choir especially for special times of the year like Christ-
mas. We usually practice at 8:30 am before the church service on Sundays.

Rob and Elsa Calhoun along with the Arrowhead Chorale will be performing at the Duluth De-
pot Great Hall on Friday, December 14th at 7:30 pm and Sunday, December 16th at 3:00 pm.
The theme is “a Scandinavian Christmas”. Tickets are $20 for adults, $6 for students, and chil-
dren under 12 are free.

Support Peace Lutheran at Amazon Smile

http://smile.amazon.com/ch/39-1460868
When you select Peace Lutheran and shop at Amazon they will donate a portion of their proceeds to us! Sim-
ply log out of your Amazon account and log in at above link. IMPORTANT: You need to designate which
charity you want to support. There will be a search window on the log home page. Type in: Peace Lutheran,
Poplar, WI, then hit select. A window will pop up to confirm you found us, ―Peace Lutheran Church, Poplar,
WI, ELCA, and that is it! Everything else should be the same as the regular Amazon site. See Rick Rutten
if you have any questions about this.
THE PEACE MESSENGER DECEMBER 2018
Called to Receive and Share God’s Peace
The Best Christmas Gift
Isaiah 9:6: “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Last month we commemorated the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI on Veterans Day. During the
war, one of the few bright spots occurred when German and Allied soldiers agreed to an unofficial truce
and came out of their trenches to celebrate Christmas. One song they could sing together was Silent
Night.

The story of how this beautiful hymn came to be is so special. It was almost Christmas and in the little
Austrian town of Oberndorf in the Church of St. Nicholas, the priest, Joseph Mohr, was concerned
because the church organ was in need of repair. The Christmas Eve service would need to be changed.
There are different accounts of how Mohr was inspired to write the words to Silent Night. A traveling
theater company did a Nativity play in a home because parts of the organ were scattered throughout the
church. This may have inspired Mohr to write a simple hymn that could be played on a guitar. He and
his weekend organist, Franz Gruber, had often talked about the need for a new and better Christmas
hymn. Perhaps Mohr was inspired by a walk in the Alps, noting the stillness of the night. Whatever the
exact reason, Mohr wrote the words to the song and brought Silent Night, Holy Night to Gruber shortly
before Christmas, possibly as a Christmas present. Gruber reportedly responded, ―You have found it-
the right song-God be praised!‖ The organist quickly wrote a tune that could be played on the guitar.
According to some stories, this was written hours before the Christmas Eve service. This simple gentle
lullaby made it a much-loved hymn. As someone put it, ―Mohr and Gruber have put us next to the man-
ger, where we are able to eavesdrop on the tender moments between Mary and her holy child.‖

When the organ repairman heard the song, he immediately knew it needed to be shared with others. He
took it back home to Salzburg and traveling minstrels began using it in their Christmas programs
throughout Europe. Within a half century it had been translated into English and published in England,
and later in America.

If the organ had been working, this beloved hymn may never have been written and if the repairman
had not been in Oberndorf, Silent Night may have stayed in the small town of Oberndorf.

This Christmas when you hear or sing this beloved hymn, think about how it must have sounded for the
first time in the little town in Austria. Pray that this simple but profound hymn inspires us to come
together in peace.

The Evening Circle wishes to thank everyone who helped make the Holiday Bazaar a successful event.
Many of you helped plan and set up the bazaar, donated cookies for the cookie walk and other baked
and canned items, baskets for the Chinese auction as well as craft items. Some of you donated food for
the delicious lunch we had. We simply could not host this event without your support. Every year we
hear such positive comments about our bazaar. Bless all of you!
THE PEACE MESSENGER DECEMBER 2018
Called to Receive and Share God’s Peace

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE

FOLLOWING MEMBERS
Terry Johnson December 01
Lois Burger December 05
Anna Kalin December 05
Ava Domagala December 06 We Have No Anniversary’s This December
Cindy Sapik December 06
Don Albright December 07
Nathaniel Fechtelkotter December 07
Ariel Rutten December 08
FUND RAISER
Holden Saari December 08
RECYCLING PRINTER INK CARTIDGES
Ethel Lancour December 09
Nancy Grauer December 10 THANK YOU FOR bring in your
Bette Hanson December 18 empty printer ink cartridges to the church of-
fice for recycling. Keep them coming!
Jennifer Larson December 24
HEWLETT PACKARD, LEXMARK, DELL,
Carol Kittelson December 25 CANON, SHARP, SAMSUNG, PITNEW
Gerry Fechtelkotter December 29 BOWES, CELL PHONES, CAMERAS,
Gabriel Johnson December 29 (see list on bulletin board). Any questions,

Kimberly Knase December 29

USDA Rural Development has left us flyers with information on available services and programs through
504 Program Summary and Direct Program Summary.
These flyers provide guidelines for amounts of loan, fees, terms, purposes, applicant guidelines, and
property guidelines.
Summary sheets are available on table in the Narthex. Please help yourself.

IN DECEMBER WE PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING:

December 2 Marge Lange, Jon Kopetzky, Anna Kalin

December 9 Julie Malinoski, Terry Johnson, Ava Domagala
December 16 Lois Burger, Cindy Sapik, Ariel Rutten
December 23 Ethel Lancour, Nancy Grauer, Carol Kittelson
December 30 Bette Hanson, Gerry Fechtelkotter, Hailey Gilderman
THE PEACE MESSENGER DECEMBER 2018
Called to Receive and Share God’s Peace

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES WITH LIMITED INCOME

DID YOU KNOW there are programs available to help pay for your Medicare costs? Medicare Savings Pro-
grams assist people with Medicare who have limited income and resources. If eligible, your Medicare Part B
premium would be paid for you and you would automatically qualify for low cost prescriptions. That savings
would be over $100 per month! Another program known as “Extra Help” assists qualified individuals with
their prescription drug costs. If you or someone you know is on Medicare and struggling to make ends meet,
contact Brenda Kohel, Elder Benefit Specialist to learn more!

Brenda Kohel, EBS Flyers are available

ebs@seniorconnectionswi.org on the table in the
Senior Connections (T & TH)715-394-3611 Narthex.
ADRC of Douglas County (M & W) 715-395-7533

The Peace Parish Nurses are starting a bereavement card ministry to provide comfort and
support to people in our congregation whose immediate family members have died. Cards will
be sent at the time of death, at 3-month intervals and at special times such as the loved one’s
birthday or wedding anniversary during the first year following a death of a spouse, parent,
child, or sibling. An appropriate Care Notes® pamphlet will be sent with the card. We re-
cently applied for and received a $150 mini-grant from Northern Waters Parish Nurse Ministry
to start the card ministry. We welcome people to be part of this special ministry. Let Jan Ste-
vens know if you want to be involved. Also makes us aware of congregation members whose
loved ones have died.

2018 CHURCH COUNCIL MEMBERS

PASTOR Donna Rutten
The Poplar/Wentworth Lion’s Club
has provided a container to donate
PRESIDENT/Women Tricia Garland
used eye glasses and hearing aids.
VICE PRESIDENT/Men Dale Johnson
SECRETARY/Inreach/Outreach Sherry Jacobson

TREASURER/Worship Tony Garland

Education Jon Kopetzky
Property Ray Larson
Senior Carol Lindahl
Stewardship Amy Sedin
Please bring your no longer needed
items to the container in the Narthex.
Youth/Young Adult Yvonne Kalin
Thanks for helping with recycling.
Inreach/Outreach Rita Garrow
Seniors Gerry Karna
Administration Assistant Kathy Johnson
Financial Secretary
THE PEACE MESSENGER DECEMBER 2018
Called to Receive and Share God’s Peace

Sunday Servants Schedule DECEMBER 2018

Children’s Christmas
Program Eve 4:00 pm

Dec 2 Dec 9 Dec 16 Dec 23 Dec 24 Dec 30

READER Amy S Beth Gloria Tony Gloria Amanda
ASSISTING Tony Gary Dale Olivia Mary Jane Tony
COMMUNION Gerry Dale Martin Dale Gabe Gary
SERVER Amy J Gabe Amy J Dale Rusty
GREETERS Wes Gilderman Kalin Gerry Wes
Bonnie Family Family Rita Bonnie
OFFERING Lois Gerry Gary Lin Gerry
Kathy Rita Jan Melba Rita
ACOLYTE Luke Nolan Asher Ashley Maija Ian
Maija Ian Gunnar Nolan Asher
FELLOWSHIP Lois

JAPAN MISSION Lois Kathy, Dale & Lin

honoring
brother Skip

MEN‟S GROUP Peace Lutheran Women (PLW) - December

Altar Guild Team for December is Team #4 Carol Kittelson
Dec 3 @ 7:00 pm Quilting: No Quilting in December
Ruth Circle: 3rd Wednesday, December 19 at 10:00
Food Shelf : Third Saturday December 15 at 9am to 11:00
PLW Meeting: Sunday, December 9 at 10:30
Evening Circle;:To Be Announced

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS

Sunday Worship Schedule:
Tuesday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Worship Service @ 9:00 am
Wednesday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm Fellowship @ 10:00 am
Sunday School @ 10:00am
Thursday 10:00 am to 1:00 pm