Aurora Trinity Lutheran Parish December 2012 Newsletter

Feeding Mind, Body, and Spirit with the Love of Jesus

www.auroratrinitylutheran.org
us in bringing joy to others this Christmas season. If you have questions or would like to participate please contact Jessie Kubista.

Worship Services and Time Changes:

New Member Installation/Welcome:
Sunday, December 9, 2012

Joint Budget Meeting

The Aurora/Trinity Budget Meeting will be on Monday, December 3th, 6:30 p.m. at Aurora. The following council members from both churches are required to attend: Presidents, Treasurers, and all Trustees. Please be sure to mark your calendars.

Christmas Eve Worship Service:

Monday, December 24, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. at Aurora

Christmas Day Worship Service:

Tuesday, December 25, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. at Trinity

Aurora Church Council Meeting

The Aurora Church council meeting will be on Wednesday, December 12th at 6:30 p.m.

Aurora Sunday School Christmas Program

The Aurora Sunday School Christmas Program will be on Sunday, December 16th during the 9:00 a.m. Worship Service. Come and see what the Sunday School students have been preparing.

Annual Meetings
The annual meetings for Trinity and Aurora will be taking place on the following Sundays. Please note Worship Service and Sunday School time changes on Sunday, January 20, 2012: Trinity Annual Meeting will take place on Sunday, January 20, 2012 following the Worship Service. Please note the time change for January 20th only. Aurora: 9:00 a.m. Worship Service 10:15 a.m. Sunday School Trinity: 10:30 a.m. Worship Service Aurora Annual Meeting will take place on Sunday, January 27, 2012 following the Worship Service.

January Time Change

Just a reminder that worship times will be changing in January, starting Sunday, January 6th. Aurora Worship Service: 10:30 a.m. Trinity Worship Service: 9:00 a.m. Sunday School will resume on Sunday, Jan. 6th. Aurora Sunday School: 9:15 a.m.

Sunday School Update

The last day of Sunday School before the Christmas break will be on December 9th. Sunday School will resume again on Sunday, January 6th. Please mark your calendars. Thank you!

Youth Events:

***Annual Report Information Needed***

In order to get the annual reports completed by Sunday, January 13th, all the information needs to be turned in by Sunday, January 6th. Information can be emailed to auroratrinityoffice@gmail.com

Confirmation
9 Grade --Sunday, December 9th @ 12:30 p.m. 7th & 8th Grade - Monday, December 17 @ 6:30 -8:00 p.m.
th

Newsletter Information Deadline

Please have all information for the Jan. newsletter and calendar to Lisa by Dec. 17th. Information can be sent to auroratrinityoffice@gmail.com or call 456-0740.

December Service Project:

The next service project will take place on Sunday, December 9th following the 9:00 a.m. worship service at Aurora. We will be baking cookies and creating cards to share. Please join

Young Adults Group

The December Young Adults gathering will be Friday, December 14th at 7:30 p.m. We will be meeting at Paul & Lisa Korbels house (220 Holly St. W). Its a chance to hang out and have some fun where we can sit back

and chat .Please feel free to bring an appetizer/snack if you would like & your own beverage.

reflection. Cost is $25 each, if we order 10. Otherwise, the cost is $35. Please sign-up at church or speak with Pastor Jon by December 16th, if interested.

Aurora Scholarships
Scholarship applications are now available from Pastor Jon & Jeanne Pichner, President. There are scholarships for students who are currently attending a college or trade school. The deadline for submission is Dec. 31st.

Pastoral Evaluation Results

As you know, we conducted a pastoral evaluation during the month of October at both churches. It was disappointing that only 24 people responded, however, encouraging that overall the responses were positive. Some of the comments made were: "Pastor Jon has truly been a blessing to our parish." "We are very fortunate to have him and his family with us!" "Would be good to try to include the traditional service once a month" "He is a great addition to our church" "Needs to be more communication before major changes are implemented" "Those he visits really enjoy his company" "He tries new things, buts doesn't overwhelm us with constant changes." A few people suggested we keep some of our current traditions, such as using the traditional service more. Also, improve the communication when changes are going to be made. Going forward, Pastor Jon will be using this feedback to make appropriate changes while being sensitive to what was said. If someone would like to see the entire summary of results, feel free to contact either Rich Paulson or Jeanne Picher. Thank you to all who provided your input!

Feeding Body, Mind, and Spirit with the LOVE of Jesus

Feed My Starving Children 2012 Sharing Warmth The Trinity Mitten Tree will be up until December 9th. Please decorate the tree with new or gently used mittens, gloves, hats, scarves or blankets. Lets share the warmth this Christmas Season! Care-Packages for College Students Some members of Trinity are putting together care-packages for college students in time for finals. If there is a college student from our parish you would like us to send a care-package to, please get the name and address to Pastor Jon before December 2nd.

The Book of Revelation and

the End of the World
Revelation is one of the most curious books of the Bible. It is filled with incredible symbolism and imagery that is fascinating, weird, and downright disturbing. Is it a prediction of the future? Does it give us a play-by-play of how the world will end? We will read, learn, and work through this together in our Revelation Bible Study during January and February. On Thursdays in January and Feb. 7th, join Pastor Jon at Olivias Restaurant at 10:30am or at Ken and Anne Prestegards at 6:30pm to dig deeper into this unique book of the Bible. Each participant will receive a study guide. Cost is $12. If you are interested but unable to cover this cost, please speak with Pastor Jon and it will be taken care of. Sign-up at church or speak with Pastor Jon by Dec. 16th.

Lutheran Study Bible

Would you like to own a Lutheran Study Bible? Some adults have expressed interest in purchasing the Lutheran Study Bible and we can get a discounted rate if we purchase 10 or more. This Bible features the NRSV translation as well as introductions, notes, and articles written by over sixty Lutheran pastors and teaching theologians. This resource is designed to invite readers to experience the Bible and its message through solid background material, unique Lutheran insights, and opportunities for faith

Aurora Nursery
Bonnie Johnson is willing to staff a nursery for babies through 4 years old every second Sunday of the month. This way you can enjoy the service and your little one is happy too. Bonnie will be available in the preschool/kindergarten room.

Prairie Manor
Prairie Manor Auxiliary is hosting a soup supper on December 7th from 3-6 p.m. Trinity members are encouraged to bring items for the Christmas Bake Sale. Stop in to enjoy a hot bowl of soup and warm up while you attend Blooming Prairies Holidazzle events.

Aurora Lutheran Church Council Meeting November 14, 2012 The regular monthly meeting of the Aurora Church Council met on November 14, 2012, at 7:30 PM. Those present were Pastor Jon Davis, Jeanne Pichner, Cheryl Thompson, Jodi Keck, Roger Carroll, Brett Paape, Michelle Williams, Dwight Jensen, and Curtis Jensen. Pastor Jon led devotions during our Joint council meeting held before our regular meeting. The Secretarys report was approved as read. The Treasures report read and subject to audit. General Fund: $-182.78; Building Fund: $4,004.60; Memorial Fund: $10,298.18; Parsonage Fund: $1,792.45; Cemetery Fund: $7,843.44.

1. Counting money: Roger and Jeannie reported on what other churches do. It was decided that we would have 2 people, hopefully council members, but if not, someone from the congregation, count the money after church service. Jodi will put together a check list to follow. We will start this in December. 2. Church windows: Cheryl presented the 2 proposals for windows at the church and parsonage. It was decided we need more information, Roger will contact Kirchners for more information and Brett will call Larsons. Both to report back in Dec. WELCA has money that they have set aside from the Trappers/Fairstand receipts for windows. 3. See Pastor Jon for applications for our church scholarships. You need to submit an application to be eligible for a scholarship. 4. Roger Carroll, and we will be asking Sara Pichner, to audit the treasures books. 5. The nomination committee will be meeting and sending out letters of call. 6. Roger and Curtis will be adding insulation to the parsonage. 7. Our next council meeting will be Dec 12, 2012 at 6:30PM. Respectfully Submitted, Cheryl Thompson, Secretary

Aurora Trinity Joint Council Meeting November 14, 2012 A joint council meeting was held at Aurora on Nov 14, 2012 at 6:30 PM. We went over what goals we would like to set for our churches for 2013, keeping our mission statement in mind. We came up with 3 goals that we would like to work on. Pastor Jon will be addressing them in the near future. Annual meeting dates were set. Trinity will have theirs on Jan 20, 2013 after church. We will switch service times that Sunday, Trinity will have 10:30 AM and Aurora will have 9AM. Aurora will have their annual meeting on Jan. 27, 2013 after 10:30 church service. Dec 30 Pastor Jon will be on vacation. He will plan a service that someone from the congregation can do, with lots of music. Copier: We have received a copier from McGregor Chiropractic that has been put in the home of the secretary, Lisa Korbel. They have another one that we can have if our current one at the church stops working. It was decided not to purchase a maintenance agreement. Pastor Jon will send McGregor Chiropractic a Thank You. Jeannie Pichner went over the survey results on Pastor Jon. She will summarize the results and post them in the newsletter. Rich Paulson has a copy for Trinity. Jeannie is also working on a new constitution for our church. Because we are a joint parish we have to have an agreement between our churchs. Jeannie will get something written up. Respectfully submitted, Cheryl Thompson, Aurora Secretary.

You Shall Have a Song

As soon as Thanksgiving ends, Advent and Christmas songs are all around us. Radio stations and stores play Christmas music. Students perform in holiday concerts. Familiar hymns hum away the cold, dark nights and warm our souls. Do you have a favorite song? A song that you love to listen to over and over again? One that is so beautiful it hurts and, at the same time, heals? Do you have a song that speaks to you in such a way that it makes you come alive? God promises, You shall have a song (Isaiah 30:29), even when things look the most bleak and hopeless. God even invites us to sing (Psalm 96:1). God wants to hear our song. What song will you sing? Through a sermon series this Advent and Christmas season, we will explore the songs of Scripture. December 1 Gods New Song - Psalm 96 December 9 Song of Light Isaiah 42:1-9 December 16 Servant Song Philippians 2:5-11 (Trinity only) *Childrens Christmas Program at Aurora* December 23 Marys Song Luke 1:46-55 December 24/25 Song of Hope Luke 2:1-20 December 30 Songs of the People Hymn Sing As we journey through this season of anticipation and hope, waiting for God to come among us in the flesh of Jesus, perhaps we will learn Gods song, the songs of our ancestors, and, even, a song of our own. Advent blessings to you all,

Pastor Jon