- Bay View - Milwaukee
A great place to worship and grow

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Tiiu and I still have what used to be called gramophone records (LP’s), and even a machine that plays them. (For the young, these are what we used to play music on in the olden times before CD’s.) One of them which we play every Christmas is of a Russian bass singing various carols, including an old one in Latin. The words are few and simple:

Transeamus usque Bethleem,
Et videamus hoc verbum quod factum est:
Mariam, et Joseph, et infantem,
Positum in praesepio.

"Come, let us go even unto Bethlehem; and let us see this word which has come to pass: Mary, and Joseph, and the child lying in a manger."

    This is the challenge of Christmas. It is not enough simply to enjoy it, fun though that is. It is not enough to see the umpteenth rerun of some nice old Christmas movie (though they do teach important lessons). It is not enough to deck the hall with boughs of holly, and sing Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer with the children, or read The Night before Christmas, or agree that "Yes, there is a Santa Claus". All of this is good and part of our celebration of Christmas. Let us not disparage it. It is not just for the children. We adults also need to remind ourselves of the happiness and joy of Christmas, to be a child again for at least a few days every year. It is all good. And yet, there remains the challenge.
   At the end of the day, it is all about "this word that has come to pass". Not just a word, but the Word. When we turn to the Bible for Christmas stories we usually look up Luke and the shepherds, or Matthew and the wise men. We hardly ever turn to John, And yet that is what Christmas really is about:

    Christmas ultimately is about the eternal activity and mind of Almighty God, God in action, God doing, becoming one of us, taking the form of a human baby to suffer and undergo all the tests and trials of human life. It may be that God could have achieved our redemption in any one of a thousand ways, but he chose this one: to come and be one of us. The child in the manger is literally Emmanuel, "God with us". The angels sang the glory of God’s love and humility in taking human form. "Glory to God in the highest" yes; but they were also hymning God in the lowliest. The wise men came to adore, not just to visit and leave gifts. They were wise because they recognized in some way beyond our knowledge that this child was no ordinary mortal. Herod and all earthly powers feared and did well to fear, for against the love of God for all his children no earthly power can stand.
   Two thousand years later we still look around and see a world dark with sin and pain, but it is never a lost world. No world into which God himself came as one of us could ever be a lost world. In ways which we cannot see, in sacrifices which we cannot often know, in hopes and dreams which we cannot sometimes fathom or understand, in yearnings for a better world which we too often push aside, in all of these the eternal Word made flesh continues to move us forward. At times we glimpse the glory of that light which the shepherds saw; and if our eyes were more open perhaps we would see it more often. But we have Christmas, that wonderful (in the real sense of filled with wonder) time when we rise above our everyday limitations and in heart and spirit go even unto Bethlehem to see this word which has come to pass; Mary, and Joseph, and the child lying in a manger.
   May this Christmas be again a time to share in that wonder and joy felt so many years ago by shepherds and wise men, and may God bless us, every one. Yours in Christ, Fr. Michael +

Treasurer’s Report October: Income $12,258.00 Expense $8,373.90
net income $3,884.10

UTO OFFERINGS OF THANKS BENEFIT OTHERS
   The mission of the United Thank Offering is to expand the circle of thankful people. To achieve this mission daily prayers, offerings and awareness of the abundance of God's blessings is sincerely encouraged. Every penny goes toward grant money and UTO money is used wherever in the world it is most needed. In 2007, our UTO pennies combined with others sent 104 grants of $2,439,342.46 to Idaho, Central New York, Indian Ocean, Diocese of Venezuela, Alaska, Mississippi and on and on.
   It is with most happy hearts that we at St. Lukes can know that we are among the thousands of churches who reach out to those who need our UTO pennies.
   Don't forget that we here at St. Lukes also received the amount of money needed to re-do the bathroom next to the kitchen. It is handicapped accessible thanks to UTO. It was so very much needed for those who then can also use our lift in the same area and know that they are taken care of.
   Thank you UTO. Now we want to help others in return. Next collection December 9^th. Joan Luetzow

Christmas Flower Offering
If you wish to contribute to flowers at church for Christmas you are welcome to do so. Envelopes were in last month’s newsletter, are available at church, or you may simply leave a donation with a note for whom it is ‘In memory of’ or that for which it is a ‘thank offering’.

PAYING IT FORWARD
That’s what happens to donations to Kids Kloset that just don’t appeal to kids (worn & weary stuffed animals, grubby jeans). Jeans with worn out knees still have useful pockets though so they go on to become something unique. A group of crafty ladies from Good Shepherd Church cut them out, attach carrying handles and embellishments creating pocket pals for small stuffed animals. They then go to Hope House and other shelters for moms, dads and kids. A thank you letter arrived recently assuring that "everything is put to good use. There are a lot of little people that need things…Thank God for people like you." This is truly recycling at its very best.

AFRICAN TEAM MINISTRIES– December 2^nd & 9^th
CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PROGRAM Dec. 16^th at 9am
LESSONS & CAROLS December 23^rd 9am. This tradition incorporates scripture with familiar carols and you, the people in the pews. Please join us for this beautiful time.
December 24^th Holy Eucharist for Christmas Eve 8pm with incense
CHRISTMAS DAY Mass 9am
ANNUAL MEETING in January. Please be sure to get year-end reports to the office.

ATM for your holiday shopping - that unique shopping experience --of African Team Ministries art and crafts. Over the past two years we have sent $1500.00 to support the work of the African Bishops in caring for orphans, in aiding refugees, in creating healthy environments. I thank you for your support of this ministry. Marge Kiss

ECW NEWS: On Sunday 11/18 after Mass, we had a very important meeting to decide on funding the church; money secured through hard work over a period of years. Voted, at this time, $4,000: to help reduce deficit budget St. Luke’s is facing. Our treasurer gave us a rough estimate of what’s needed to keep us current: $10,000 after turning over ECW money. Any donations greatly appreciated.
   It was explained that most churches with an ECW group, do not maintain separate checkbooks, as do we. Thus noted we have to vote on the feasibility of maintaining ECW in our church, and on a larger scale our involvement. We can still contribute toward Episcopal Church outreach, but with different practices, and leaving St Luke's in control of our money for donations on a national and worldwide level. There are other ways to cover church needs through fundraisers, social activities and the care of our precious St Luke's church and family. To further discuss, a meeting will be held January 12, 2008 to vote on keeping ECW or not. I am available for your comments at anytime concerning this 762-7360 or mrgrtlower@yahoo.com Pat Kuenstler and I will be stepping down and now is the time for someone else to rise to the occasion, possibly in a different way. Both Pat and I thank you for the help and support received over the last several years. Respectfully, Marge Lower Pres

Advent Activities:
Bells (Read 1 Cor. 13:1-13) Dashing through the snow, we hear the jingling of bells. What makes that sound beautiful? St. Paul gave us the answer in his first letter to the Corinthians: LOVE.

Question: Put St. Paul’s ‘love chapter’ into action. What are some actions in your daily life that can show qualities of love?
Activity: Thread a jingle bell on your shoelaces for a ‘jingling day’ as reminders to show God’s love to others. Cut out a large bell shape for a LOVE poster. Ask family members to write down their favorite love characteristic and one they need to work on.

The Star (Read Matt. 2:1-2, 9-10) We do a lot of stargazing this time of year: star cookies, ornaments, cards…."What’s’ so amazing that keeps us stargazing?" asks Kermit the Frog. The wise men knew.

Questions: What are some quiet ways that Jesus’ birth was announced, and some heavenly, spectacular ways.
Activity: Spread glue in a little spot on two pieces of paper. Sprinkle glitter on top – for a special star. On one piece, color a picture of what the Bethlehem star shone over, on another a picture of what a star is shining over today at your house. What are you doing under the starlight to spread the news of our Savior.

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer (Read 1 Corinthians 12:14-26)

Rudolph was blessed with an unusual talent. Soon Santa realized he needed that very talent to save the day. God blessed each of us with one-of-a-kind gifts and calls upon us to use them.
Questions: What unique ability does each person offer to your family? How can God use that talent to build his family?
Activity: Draw an outline of a body on a large piece of paper. Instead of drawing eyes, nose, clothes, etc. ask family to list talents and favorites, like hobbies, books, music……..

The Outreach Committee wishes everyone a wonderful beginning to this Holiday Season!
Dana and Larry have inspired our group with some fantastic ideas for spreading the good St. Luke’s word around Milwaukee during these joyous holidays. One of these great plans is that we will be organizing and hosting a caroling event on the afternoon of December 8^th. Instead of gathering together and just going door to door and awkwardly singing the Lord’s praises to complete strangers, we thought that we would visit some of our own St. Luke’s family members! We will be meeting at the church between 1pm-2pm (more details coming soon), and will drive together to visit shut-ins or other folks in the congregation that have a hard time getting to services because of one reason or another. A couple of these places may include Nursing Homes in the area and as with any occasion during the holidays, the more the merrier! We would love to have a great turnout for this event, including as many kids as you can find (they don’t even have to be your own)! Like Dana said, singing talent is not necessary! We will wrap up the fun and rewarding afternoon at about 5pm with some hot cocoa and a pizza party in the church, so make sure to reserve this little bit of time in your month for reaching out to our members and showing them how much we care!
Another event planned for December is a Bake Sale on 12/16 to benefit the Outreach Committee, the same day as the children’s Christmas Pageant. If you have a fabulous knack for creating culinary delights or just want to squeeze cookie dough out of a tube, we would love to have you partake in the Bake Sale to support the Group’s efforts to bring new members and new life to our loving parish. This is a wonderful opportunity to sample some fantastic fares proudly offered by your fellow churchgoers, or if you are one of the millions of cookiely-challenged Americans out there that are impaired by your sad habit of burning things and forgetting silly ingredients like oil or baking powder (like me!), this is your chance to wow visiting family members with delicious goods that you "baked all by yourself!" (hehehe)
Our next meeting is scheduled for Monday night, December 10^th, at 6pm, and we welcome any ideas that you may have! Remember to put the Christ back in Christmas and spread the word about our holiday festivities during this glorious Advent Season!
Outreach quote of the month: ‘Spread God’s love wherever you go; let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.’ Mother Theresa
Respectfully submitted by Jamie Verley

Outreach Committee Meeting Minutes, Monday, 11/12/07
Present: Mary Arriola, John Halvorsen, Dana Washburn, Larry Washburn, Jaime Verley
Next Potluck: tent. January 6, Epiphany. May have some kind of NY resolutions drawing; John is getting a prize for this drawing.
   Spaghetti Dinner: business cards distributed with address, phone number and service times. Thanks to Mary for having these printed.
   Bake sale: fundraising on December 16, day of the Christmas Pageant. Congregation to be asked to contribute and we hope many visitors will attend. Announcements will be made.
   T-shirt fundraiser in Spring after Easter; Larry will look into possibly being sponsored by his company. Tea and Art discussion will hopefully occur early Spring (perhaps talking points will be regarding art of history of the church); Dana will talk to William Holaday about this.
   Social club: Marge Lower reports parishioners already have tickets for the Nov. 30 show.
   Sign for Christmas services: Still would like a sandwich board to display on Clement Ave.. Larry will work on, contacting handy people such as Art Kuenstler or Michael Bossow (Mary has some plywood), and then perhaps we could recruit an artist (Sue Peck’s son?) John suggested we check on need for permit. We have $184 to use.
   Caroling: Want to get a group of singers together (children of all ages welcome) to carol to some shut-ins (John will talk to Father about a list). John will supply music. Date: Saturday December 8, probably about 2-5pm. Pizza & cookie party to follow.
   Newcomer materials: Dana brought some that Marge Kiss worked with Patrice to develop; included a ‘welcome’ envelope, the brochure, time & talents sheet, and business cards. Committee suggested developing a welcome letter and maybe magnets. Dana will work with Patrice on letter for the packet, as well as one that could be mailed out. Mary Arriola will get quotes for printing.
   The next meeting will be Monday, December 10, 6-7pm in the Guild Hall.

ECW FINANCIAL REPORT
Spaghetti Dinner & Bazaar Nov. 3, 2007
                                      Receipts                                   Bills

Dinner tickets: donated - Wine & cups: donated by Reslers: $71.16 (4 gallons purchased, 2 used) - Salad dressing ingredients donated -At the ECW meeting 11/18 it was voted to give $4,000 to church to help defray expenses.