Christ

Lutheran

Church

“Wake, awake for night is flying…” Or perhaps you’re like me and want to sing instead, “Wake, awake for the year is flying!” It is already December! The last month of the calendar year and we have entered Advent, the beginning of a new liturgical year with Christmas just around the corner. Advent is a season of anticipatory waiting and a call to action. This year in our liturgical planning meeting the group that gathered to study the Advent scriptures heard a call to awaken! We will hear scripture texts this season which certainly alert us to make ready, to keep awake for the time is near. This theme of anxious preparations may align with our secular culture’s busyness! Many of you are probably preparing for the Christmas season with long lists of things to do … so much that we might find ourselves staying awake to get everything done! At Christ Lutheran this Advent season we invite you to keep awake but in a different way and for a specific purpose. Our scriptures this season remind us to awaken -not to lists and busyness -but to awaken to hope, awaken to harmony and awaken to promise. Isaiah especially speaks of these promises: In Advent one, we hear the hope of a day when war will be no more and how God will turn our swords into plowshares. The second week of Advent Isaiah shares again the wonderful vision of harmony, how “wolf shall live with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid.” Advent three shares the prophetic promise that a messiah will come, when we see the woman with a child who will be called Immanuel - God with us. The theme of awakening to hope, harmony and promise will also show up in worship each week through our congregation’s version of a Jesse Tree. In Isaiah 11, in the second week of Advent, we read that, “a shoot shall come out of the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” This is sign that the family tree of Jesse, whose son was King David, while at the time was only a lowly “stump” would indeed begin to grow and flourish anew and out of it would come the messianic king. From this prophetic statement we see the beginnings of hope emerge, hope that the harmony which Isaiah also foretold, and that God promised, will also come to pass. As our congregation approaches the fulfillment of this promise in the celebration of the birth of our savior, we will be invited to add “leaves” to our symbolic Jesse tree and watch as the tree itself awakens in the course of this season.

(Continued on page 2)

From Pastor Marie

Awaken To …

Hope, Harmony, Promise

December 2008

Through God’s Grace we Joyfully,

Receive…to Give

Learn…to Serve

and Worship…to Grow.

Worship

Sunday Morning

Holy Communion

At 8:00 & 10:30 a.m.

Education

Sunday Morning -

9:15 a.m. for All Ages:

Children 3 & up –

Chapel

Junior High Youth:

Rooms 214 & 216

Sr. High – Room

206

Adults – Fellowship

Hall

There will be no Christian

Education on December 29

Nursery

A Nursery is available for

children who are infants

through 4 years of age

during Sunday morning

worship and the Sunday

School hour.

Office

Monday - Thursday from

9:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.

Friday from

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

210-822-3394

office@clcah.org

December 2013

Our leaves will be ribbons that each person will be invited to tie to the branches. On Advent one, we will tie blue ribbons to the tree as a testimony to how hope continues in our lives. On Advent two, we will tie green ribbons to the tree as a sign that we have seen God at work bringing harmony into our world. And on Advent three we will tie gold ribbons to the tree as a confession of our faith in the promises God has made and God will be faithful to. This year we are also introducing a new way to focus ourselves on the promises. Instead of Wednesday evening worship services, which sometimes might feel like another event on the list of events this season, we invite you to pause in your homes for a short time of worship and devotion. Use this resource as it seems most beneficial to you; gather with your small group, or with your family or with the friends you call family or even just use this as a personal meditative experience. This is another opportunity to awaken to hope, harmony and promise. You can find the devotions on the insert in this Proclaimer. This Advent you are invited to awaken! Open your eyes anew to hear and to experience how God is coming into the world to bring us hope, usher in harmony and ultimately fulfill the promise of Immanuel - God with us. - Pastor Marie Purcell

Awaken To … (continued from page 1)

Page 2

Groups

Book Club

First Tuesday

6:45 p.m. - Location TBA

Dominos Group

First Thursday

9:30 a.m. - Fellowship Hall

First Thursday Lunch

First Thursday

12:00 p.m. - Fellowship Hall

Healing Prayer

Tuesday - 10:00 a.m.

Rode Prayer Chapel

Hope Circle

Second Thursday

9:30 a.m. - Primrose House

Joseph’s Sons

First Monday

6:30 p.m. - Location TBA

Jubilate Choir

Every Wednesday

5:30 p.m. - Sanctuary

We will take a Christmas break

from December 9 through

January 7 and resume on

January 8.

Lydia Circle

Second Tuesday

6:30 p.m. - Primrose House

Men’s Breakfast

Second Tuesday

7:00 a.m. - Bill Miller BBQ

Quilters

Every Tuesday

9:00 a.m. - Primrose House

Sanctuary Choir

Every Wednesday

7:15 p.m. - Sanctuary

The Mulligans

Date, time & location TBA

Young Women’s Group

Date, time & location TBA

Other groups meet during the

year. For information about any

of the above groups, please

contact our church office.

You may recall that the member survey and planning process last spring resulted in a set of priorities for our congregation. The priorities were reviewed and approved at the Annual Meeting in June and have been serving as the guide for the Parish Council and staff since. As a reminder, these are the characteristics that are guiding us forward: Growth – take an intentional approach that leverages our welcoming strengths, seeks to increase membership, attendance, participation, giving and new programs. Worship & Music – continue our traditional and liturgical approach to worship and inclusion of music in worship. Youth Program – integrate service opportunities into Sunday school curriculum; increase focus on junior and senior high programs. Encourage Member Participation – encourage everyone to engage in an activity, service role, ministry participation; expand small groups and provide more opportunities to participate; step up stewardship activities (time, talent, treasures).

(Continued on page 3)

From the Council President…

We're Making Progress!

Page 3

Member

News

Baptisms

Faye Marcus McWilliams,

November 17. Faye is the

daughter of David &

Amanda McWilliams and

sister to Dillon. Faye’s

grandparents are Paul &

Mary Overstreet.

Sympathy to:

Bill and Elizabeth

Chavers and family on

the death of Bill’s sister,

Ami Jackson.

Kim Fischer on the dath

of her father Warrington

Wick.

Congrats to:

Elward and Bernie Reiss’

great granddaughter

joined the family on

October 23. Welcome

Emma Kinley Mansor,

daughter of Shae and

Jack Mansor,

Charleston SC.

Day School – support continued service to the community; align activities with the children's and education ministries. I am happy to report that progress has been made on each of the priorities and would like to feature a few of special interest. Growth – we endured a "summer under construction" while major improvements were made to the bathrooms, parking lots and landscaping. After the dust settled we welcomed 22 new members. We are weeks away from launching a completely redesigned web site to help prospective members find us. The Welcome Committee has been reformed and re-launched. Worship & Music – continues to be the top priority weekly and we continue to invest in guest musicians and college choir interns to supplement our talented members. Youth Program – while we were surprised by the resignation of the Faith & Family Director, Pastors Leslie and Marie have jumped in to lead the youth activities to make sure we don't miss a beat. The search for the replacement director is in full swing. In the meantime, the Sunday school children packed school supplies for Lutheran World Relief and are now raising money to buy a cow and our Senior High had a fun and productive leadership retreat. Encourage Member Participation – our Small Group program was launched to provide supportive structure. Opportunities for participation have been featured in sermons and communications. Twelve new groups are being formed to meet the interests of members, bringing the total small group opportunities to 50! And this fall, Pastor Leslie and the Stewardship Team led an energetic new approach to Stewardship. Day School – three scholarships were awarded to the needy; the Day School Board and the Parish Council now have overlapping members to improve alignment; and Pastor Marie and Marilyn Hamilton (Day School Director) jointly started a new "Parenting Preschoolers Faithfully" class. In conclusion, we are making really good progress toward our priorities. We will continue to keep everyone informed as the year continues. - Brad Wheeless, President

We're Making Progress! (continued from page 2)

The River City Ringers will present a hand bell concert of glorious holiday music at Christ Lutheran Church on Saturday, December 14, at 7:30 p.m. One of our own Bell Choir stars, Cyndi Erp, is a musician with the fabulous ringers. Please join us for an evening of holiday music and cheer – and bring your friends! The concert is open to the public. A free-will offering will be gratefully accepted.

River City Ringers:

A Festive Holiday Concert

Page 4

Join us between services on December 22 in Fellowship Hall as we gather for a traditional Christmas Story Time. We will read some classic children’s stories that set the mood for Christmas while enjoying delicious cookies and hot chocolate. Even those of us who are a little older still remember those magical December nights when mom or dad, grandma or grandpa read to us as our eyes grew heavy and our hearts grew light. Find the child inside and join us for this unique fellowship event.

Christmas Story Time, Cocoa & Cookies

This year for the Advent season, in lieu of gathering on Wednesday evenings at church we are encouraging everyone to participate in their own centering devotional time. Gather with your small group, or with your family or with the friends you call family or use this as a personal meditative experience. Gather in the morning, just after waking to help you start your day, gather over lunch to center your day, or gather in the evening to bring closure and quiet to your day – whatever works best for you. May you know the joy of this Advent season by awakening to hope, harmony and promise. What will you need?

Your Proclaimer Insert with the devotionals

An Advent Wreath (if you don’t have an Advent wreath, it’s a matter of just finding four candles, and they don’t even have to look alike!)

Advent Weekly Devotionals

Please join us on December 8 after worship at 11:45 a.m. in the sanctuary to decorate the church for the Christmas Season. We need adults and youth of all ages (yes, that means you!) to help with a variety of festive chores, including decorating the sanctuary, the Christmas tree, the CrossWay and exterior doors. While the adults and youth decorate, children will be busy in Fellowship Hall enjoying lunch and making ornaments! We have some fun and creative projects that will make their way onto your Christmas trees this year! Once Christ Lutheran is decorated, the adults will have lunch in the CrossWay and the children will join them for a cup of cocoa, a sweet treat and a Christmas prayer. We look forward to seeing LOTS of you there!

Decorate the Sanctuary!

Hope Circle will meet Thursday, December 12, at 9:30 a.m. in the home of Ingrid Murray and Bob and Karin Oliver at 314 Joliet Avenue. Bible study will be from Gather magazine. If you need additional information, call Karin at 826-1450.

Hope Circle

The world can be a dark place. Be a LIGHT. - Matthew 5:11 Our senior high youth met for a Leadership Team Retreat on November 1-2. Besides having a really great time playing board games and watching a movie, we also did a lot of work. We developed a new name for ourselves, a new mission statement, selected a Bible verse that defines us and planned out a year’s worth of activities and discussions. Our new name is LIGHT, and we plan to meet almost every Sunday, sometimes during Sunday School at 9: 15 a.m. DAYLIGHT (2nd & 4th Sundays) and sometimes in the evening at 6:30 p.m. NIGHTLIGHT (1st and 3rd Sundays). LIGHT stands for Living In God’s House Together, and we live out our new name by striving toward our mission statement: Through our youth ministry we gain confidence, grow together in our relationships with God and with one another, accepting everyone for who they are. We become involved in our community, and grow in our knowledge of the outside world and service to those in need. We gain greater understanding of God’s work in the world, and we learn how to communicate God’s grace and good news with others. Here is the December schedule for LIGHT: December 1: Not meeting due to Thanksgiving December 8: DAYLIGHT, 9:15 a.m. in the Youth Room Breakfast Fellowship Brenna & Corinne present on Unity December 15: NIGHTLIGHT, 6:30 p.m. at Pastor Leslie’s House Christmas Party—Secret Santa & Ugly Sweater Competition December 22: DAYLIGHT, 9:15 a.m. in Fellowship Hall All-Church Event—Story Time, Cocoa and Cookies

Senior High Youth Ministry

Page 5

The children of Christ Lutheran invite you to come to their Christmas Pageant where they will tell the story of love’s appearance to all in the form of the wonderful Christ child, who will grow to become the savior of the world! Join us at 9:15 a.m. on December 15 in the sanctuary, with a reception in the CrossWay to follow! Children in the pageant are requested to arrive at 8:30 a.m. to get into costume. We also give a huge thanks to all who are involved in helping our children tell the story: Our directors, Beth Murguia and Thomas Erwin; costume coordinators, Courtney Myers and Kim Wheeless; music director, Gloria Meyer; and all the parents who helped both at home with encouragement and at rehearsals to ensure we’re having a great time while learning the parts! Merry Christmas! Love Has Come!

Love Has Come:

Children’s Christmas Pageant

Page 6

We are thrilled that so many people are gathering regularly to care for each other, pray together, serve together and simply engage more deeply with each other, scripture and faith! Thank you to those of you who turned in registration forms in September and/or who shared on Time and Talent forms on Stewardship Sunday the groups you participate in or plan to participate in. We have almost 50 small group ministries at Christ Lutheran, including twelve groups that have formed this year! We hope this breadth of interests means there is a place for everyone to feel a sense of belonging. If you are still interested in getting involved, please contact the office. If you’re a leader or participant in a Small Group Ministry and you continue to welcome others, please send us information on upcoming events for inclusion in the monthly Proclaimer. Our deadline is the 15th of each month.

Small Group Ministry Update

On Sunday mornings, we have a lot going on as we prepare for the birth of the Christ child. We hope you can join us for these wonderful gatherings! We begin December by wrapping up our study on the book of Romans. We’ve been looking at the passages through which Martin Luther found so much hope, discovering within Paul’s writing the merciful God whom he sought. We will not meet on the first Sunday of the month in light of the Thanksgiving holiday, so there will be a take-home devotion for those who are looking to spend more time with Romans. We will then wrap up our study with Romans 12:1-21 on December 8. For the last two Faith University hours of the 2013 year, we encourage you to attend the Children’s Christmas Pageant on December 15. Jesus says, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” So it is that we truly can hear the Christmas story in a new light when we hear it from the voices of our children. On December 22, we invite you to join us for a Christmas party where we will share the stories of Christmas together. Read more on page 5.

12/1 NO FAITH UNIVERSITY – Thanksgiving Break A take-home devotion on Romans 10:1-21 will be available

12/8 Romans 12:1-21

12/15 Attend Children’s Program!

12/22 Christmas Storytelling Event

12/29 NO FAITH UNIVERSITY – Christmas Break

Faith University: Sunday Mornings

Night School has begun a study of world religions, which will be followed by a study of the various Christian denominations. We will look at everything from Hinduism to Mormonism to Judaism to our own Lutheranism. If you’ve ever wondered what the differences and similarities are between our faith and that of others, join us on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. in the CrossWay. We will meet only one Wednesday in December, the 4th, and then take a break until January 8.

Faith University Night School

Page 7

During the Christmas season, many of us look for ways to reach out to others who may need a helping hand. Here in our own community, thousands of families are in desperate need every day. Family Service Association offers us an opportunity to help through its Adopt an Angel project. These are single moms struggling to make ends meet. Families in a critical economic crunch brought on by chronic poverty, illness, disability, under-employment or desertion. Workers who have been laid off or suffered a financial setback and cannot afford to purchase even the most modest gifts or prepare a special meal for their families. Seniors and adults with mental retardation who are alone. Christ Lutheran invites our congregation to “adopt” new friends so we may make someone’s holidays a little brighter. Beginning Sunday, December 1, our Angel Tree will be displayed in the CrossWay, decorated with angels that state the names, ages, sizes and special wishes of those who will benefit from your generosity. If you can adopt an angel, pick one from the tree and return your UNWRAPPED gifts to the CrossWay no later than Monday, December 16. Attach the angel and identifying label to your gift. (Gifts of non-perishable foods and new or gently used household items, linens and furnishings are very much appreciated by these families, also.)

Be An Angel … And Adopt An Angel

SAVE THE DATES: January 30-February 2 Pastor Leslie and the women of CLC will trek into the wilderness, visiting Big Bend National Park. Lodging will be at Far Flung's Casitas in Terlingua and costs $175 per person for the three nights. We will hike, relax, and fellowship together all while taking in the beauty of God's grand creation. There will be more and less intensive hiking options to suit all levels. Call the church office or email Pastor Leslie to make your reservation.

Women Gone Wild!

Page 8

Dedication of the Herb & Karen Mueller parking lot on October 13.

Page 9

Receiving of New Members on October 24.

Lighting Candles in Memory of Loved Ones on All Saints Sunday

Page 10

The San Antonio Symphonic Band will be performing its Christmas concert on Sunday, December 15 at Christ Lutheran Church at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. This concert will feature sacred and secular favorites and some selections with a “tongue-in-cheek” twist. The concert admission is free! The small group ministry, Christ Lutheran Church Brass (CLC Brass), will provide desserts and refreshments in exchange for a good-will offering. This will assist this small group ministry in continuing to provide enhancement to our worship services through brass music. The San Antonio Symphonic Band (SASB) is a dynamic wind and percussion ensemble that presents the finest in concert band performance to the City of San Antonio and surrounding communities. The SASB, the “All America City Band,” was designated by the San Antonio City Council as the Official Band of the Alamo City on September 4, 1986. The SASB, under the direction of Alfred G. Tapia, consists of 55 volunteer professional and semi-professional musicians representing a wide variety of professions. Two of our CLC members and the CLC Brass are also active members of the SASB: Jacob and Katya Cantu.

Lovely Music in the Holiday Spirit

We hope you’ll join us and bring a friend to a very special “Service of Lessons and Carols” on Sunday, December 22 at the 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. worship hour. This revered Christian tradition is a musical, meditative and inspirational preparation for Advent and the birth of our Lord. We’ll be communing in spirit with Christian brothers and sisters around the world who will also celebrate the season in this beautiful manner. We are blessed to have the gifts of Choir Director Dan Long, Organist Bill Ross and our CLC Sanctuary Choir and Brass Ensemble to bring this tradition to life for us. It is an extraordinary experience that will give us a reflective and joyful respite from the typical holiday bustle.

Lessons and Carols

Start your Christmas season with a “Happy Birthday Jesus” party! It’ll be lots of fun and you’ll get to know fellow CLC book lovers. We’ll gather at Linda Mercer’s home, 50 Campden Circle in Oakwell Farms, on Tuesday, December 3 at 6:45 p.m. Bring a bottle of wine or a snack to share and food pantry items or books to give for Jesus' birthday to folks whose names we don’t know - through SAMM, Haven for Hope or the Alamo Heights Faith Community. Meanwhile, watch for details on our next book, which will be non-fiction.

CLC Book Club Holiday Bash

We are in need of a volunteer to work with Lucy Mathesen in the Music Room rearranging and filing music. The job will probably take just one or two Thursday mornings to complete. Please call Lucy Mathesen at 824-1899 if you can help. If there is no answer, please leave a message.

Help Needed!

Page 11

Staff

The Rev. Leslie Price

Senior Pastor

The Rev. Marie Purcell

Associate Pastor

Marilyn Hamilton

Director of Day School

Becky Richard

Office Manager/Accountant

Linda Sulser

Administrative Assistant

Dr. Dan Long

Choir Director

Bill Ross

Organist

Rosario Alferez

Church “Keeper”

Sam Tenorio

Custodian

Ryan Loyd

Sound Tech

Sandy Roe

Nursery Attendant

Parish

Council

Brad Wheeless, President

Will Garrett, Vice Pres.

Duane Westerman,

Treasurer

Katya Thompson-Cantu

Secretary

Ken Thompson, Trustee

Bob Lynch, Trustee

Dana Whelan, Trustee

Pastor Leslie Price

Pastor Marie Purcell

Christ Lutheran Church’s quilting group thanks Stephen Parker, Sandy Lewis and Danny Becvar for their donations of fabric to our mission. Most of the fabric has been cut and sewn into tops or bottoms for quilts. We have only to complete the three layers and we will have new quilts to share with our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. Since we are so fortunate with these gifts of fabric, all we have to buy is batting. In other quilting news: We are auctioning a handmade quilt – a generous gift from Helen Rotvig of Biddeford, Maine (one of our favorite “snowbirds”). Please see the bidding sheet by the beautiful quilt in the Crossway if you would like to offer a bid.

Fabric Donations =

More Quilts!

All the volunteers who helped with Oktoberfest preparations! Elizabeth Diggs and her crew put on another festive event, complete with delicious German food, lively polka music and beautiful autumn decorations.

All who have been so helpful with the rehearsals for our Sunday School Christmas Pageant! It is sure to be a success with your generous, talented assistance with rehearsals and all the details. Be sure to join us for the final product on Sunday, December 15!

All who volunteered with the St. Phillip’s Food Truck distribution. The next distribution is December 19.

Rosario for hosting a delicious breakfast for the Stewards of God’s Love Celebration.

The CLC Revelators softball team for their effort, determination and fellowship!

Pastor Darwin Huartson for presenting his wonderful “Grief and the Holidays” workshop at CLC in November.

Praises to …

Christ Lutheran Church

6720 Broadway

San Antonio, Texas 78209

www.clcah.org

210-822-3394

Non-Profit Organization

US Postage Paid

Permit #325

San Antonio, TX

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Worship Advent Sundays

December 1, 8, 15

8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Children’s Christmas Pageant Love Has Come

Sunday, December 15

9:15 a.m.

Lessons and Carols Sunday, December 22

8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Christmas Eve Worship 4:00 p.m. Child-friendly service

6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

Carols, Candle Lighting and

Communion

Christmas Day Worship 11:00 a.m.

Holiday Concerts River City Ringers

Saturday, December 14

7:30 p.m.

San Antonio Symphonic Band

Sunday, December 15

7:00 p.m. Fellowship Hall

Christmas Festivities

Hanging of the Greens

Sunday, December 8

11:30 a.m.

Christmas Cookies, Cocoa

and Storytelling

Sunday, December 22

9:15 a.m. CrossWay

Awaken to the Christ Child!