Announcements

Wednesday in Lent: Soup Supper with a discussion time starts at 5:30 p. Lenten worship is at 7:00 p.

Over the last four Sundays $142.59 has been collected in the penny jar. If we continue this rate of giving, in a year we will have approximately $1,600! Keep the pennies coming!

Senior high youth answer the age old question: which came first, the chicken or the egg? The answer is—THE EGG! The eggs have to come first, or the MCC Chicken Initiative will simply not happen. Senior high youth, with the help of Beverly Brekke Bailey, have crafted egg ornaments that they will be selling before Easter. These $5 ornaments will support two things: the construction of the MCC chicken coop, and flocks of chickens through Heifer Project. While we become chicken owners, we also support this in areas of the world that will benefit from the addition of chickens into their communities. Thanks in advance for your support of Lucas Schmeider’s Eagle Scout project!

If you like to sing, but do not have a lot of time to devote to a choir, then join this year's Palm Sunday Choir! We will meet Sundays, March 14 & 21 for 20 minutes after church and Palm Sunday, March 28 we will meet at 9:15a. Please plan to attend at least 2 rehearsals. This will be short, sweet, and fun! Contact Howard Kanetzke or Jen Streit.

Four Galatians Bible Studies begin Tuesday, March 2 and Thursday March 4

Thursdays (4 consecutive), noon, at MCC with study leader Jeff Wild

Tuesdays (4 consecutive), 6 p.m., Crockpot supper at the home of Gretchen Wahl, 3302 Kingston Drive with study leader Hildy McGown

Tuesdays (4 every other week), 7 p.m. at the home of Ellen Lindgren, 6621 Maywood Ave, Middleton with study leader Sara Gillespie

Thursdays (4 consecutive), 7 p.m., host and study leader Fran Grugel, 1 White Pine Trail

MCC Women’s Lunch Bunch – Every Wednesday at 11:30 a. at the Prairie Cafe in Middleton, across from Copps Grocery Store. Good fellowship and no agenda.

Lenten Soup Suppers and Worship - The Phoenix Affirmations: A New Vision for the Future of Christianity. By Eric Elnes

Wednesday evenings, March 10-March 24 Soup is served at 5:30p. Discussion begins at 6:00p. Worship is at 7:00p.

What core beliefs about our faith do we affirm as Progressive Christians? During Lent, come and explore over soup and in worship some of the affirmations proposed

by Eric Elnes, share your own perspective and hear what some of our own community members have to say. Soup supper discussions will be led by members of the

March 10 – Kim Eighmy, Affirmation 12: Progressive Christians act on the faith that we are born with a meaning and purpose, a vocation and ministry that serve to

March 17 – Mark Geistlinger, Affirmation 3: Progressive Christians Celebrate the God whose Spirit pervades and whose glory is reflected in all of God’s Creation,

systems, the sacred and secular, the Christian and non-Christian, the human and non-human.

March 24 – Dan or Jen Streit, Affirmation 6: Progressive Christians Stand, as Jesus does, with the outcast and oppressed, the denigrated and afflicted, seeking peace

Copies of The Phoenix Affirmations: A New Vision for the Future of Christianity. By Eric Elnes are available for $10.00 in the Shalom Room.

Please sign up in the Shalom Room to bring soup or bread and to help with set-up and/or clean-up for our Lenten Soup Suppers.

Want to learn more about polar bears?? Join us Sunday, March 14, for a potluck after church at the Johnsons, 5701 Anchorage Ave., Beverly Brekke Bailey will give a powerpoint presentation followed by a DVD. All are welcome.

We meet on the third Friday of the month at 7:00 pm. Let the host know if you are going to come/or can’t come. Bring a treat to share and the host will provide the beverage. Movie: The Castle, an Australian Comedy, a host home is needed.

Please make a special effort to bring food for the Lussier Food Pantry on the 3rd Sunday of the month. Suggested items include canned goods (fruit, vegetables, tuna, beef stew, fruit juice, etc.), peanut butter, jelly, cereal. We can especially use any large grocery bags. We do not have facilities to handle fresh produce. For those who prefer to donate money, checks can be made out to the Lussier Community Education Center and designated for the pantry. Dobbin McNatt, Coordinator

Genevieve Custer Weeks will return to the Madison stage in Overture Hall after her 2 year maternity hiatus in Madison Ballet's Cinderella March 13 and 14. She will reprise her role of Cinderella in the matinees both days and dance the role of Fairy Godmother in the Evening performance. Marcella Van Kan will also perform. Tickets are available through Overture (or through Betty Custer if not already spoken for).

The St Olaf Philharmonia Orchestra (Rachel Wixson’s orchestra) will perform a FREE concert Saturday, March 20, 2010, at Luther Memorial Church, 1021 University Avenue, Madison. See http://luthermem.org/parking/ for concert parking. The concert begins at 7:30 PM and will last a little over one hour. Can you host two or more musicians? Emily Wixson is organizing home stays for the 80-piece orchestra for Saturday night, March 20. Hosts meet the musicians Saturday night at Luther Memorial after the concert. You would need to provide breakfast Sunday morning, March 21, and then bring the musicians to the bus pick-up location (most likely Westgate Mall parking lot) by ~9:00 AM. Please call or email Emily Wixson to host: 231-3385, ewixson@library.wisc.edu. Orchestra members come in pairs. Let Emily know how many musicians you can host, if there are any pet or smokers in your household, and any other details that would help with matching.

Wednesday nights: During Lent: Advent Confirmation – Lenten Service at 7:00 p

Escape this yucky spinter weather (is it spring or winter?) to full-fledged summer! Mt. Olympus has 9 indoor water slides and an indoor amusement park (Aspen says it has an awesome roller coaster!). Bring a bag lunch (to eat in the car), swim suit, towel. Cost is $6 + money for food (no carry-in food allowed). Please RSVP by Evite. Looking for adult drivers/chaperones (it would be okay to bring younger children to play together separately).

If you plan on going on the Boundary Waters Canoe trip, please return your permission slip and $50 deposit. We have a special scholarship fund for BWCA trips, so please speak up is money is at all an issue.

Have you ever heard of TheaterSports? It is the sport of comedy improv. This is a funny, clean show that will have us roaring hysterically. We’ll meet & pick up at MCC. Cost is $3 + money for “coffee” or dessert (if you want). Adult drivers needed.

Come do whatever you feel like doing – Capture the Flag, movie, foosball, and more! Bring a drink or munchie to share as well as any movies you might want to watch or games you might want to play. We’ll provide pizza.

Note: Scholarships are always available, and friends are always welcome! Jen & Dan can help coordinate rides, too. Call or email if you need anything! 232-0093 or mccyouth@tds.net

March 14, Affirmation 8: Christian Love of Neighbor includes: Walking humbly with God, acknowledging our own shortcomings while honestly seeking to understand and call forth the best in others, including those who consider us their enemies.

March 21, Affirmation 6: Christian love of neighbor includes: Standing as Jesus does, with the outcast and oppressed, the denigrated and afflicted, seeking peace and justice with or without the support of others.

On Wednesday, March 10, Kim Eighmy will share her reflections on Phoenix Affirmation 12: Progressive Christians act on the faith that we are born with a meaning and purpose, a vocation and ministry that serve to strengthen and extend God’s realm of love. Come for soup and discussion of this affirmation at 5:30 and/or for worship at 7:00.

We need you to bring soup and/or bread for the Wednesday evening Soup Suppers. Sign up in the Shalom Room.

The Women's Breakfast Group meets on the first and third Wednesday each month at 7:00 a.m. at the Hubbard Street Diner in Middleton. Come join us for coffee and conversation. Please contact Sandra Esrael at sandraesrael@tds..net if you have questions.

Those of you at the COH Annual Meeting in January may remember mention of a congregational retreat. The planning committee, made up of Tisha, Bonnie Trudell, Bryon Sirchio and Mary Schmelzer, want to fill in a few details for you.

First, the retreat will be an opportunity for Tisha to share her sabbatical experience with the congregation. And in turn, congregation members can share their own sabbatical spiritual practices with the group, whether it's the Dinners of Eight or something else.

The retreat, which will be set at the Pilgrim Center in Ripon WI, will begin on Friday October 15 and end Sunday morning with a worship service. The price for two days lodging and meals will be $98 for adults, $95 for youth, and $57 for children and $20 for infants. For people coming for only part of the retreat, there are meal prices ranging from $8 to $15 dollars. And the charge for a single overnight stay is $50. This pricing is quite reasonable and leaves the retreat open to many different budgets.

Our goal is to have 30 to 50 folks there, and we are hoping that at least 15 people will reserve their spot now, by writing a check of $100 which will go toward the $1,500 deposit due in mid-March. If there are people who know they can't attend the retreat but would like to sponsor another person's attendance, we'd welcome that kind of support as well.

This should be an exciting opportunity for us to listen, share, pray and plan for our future together.

One hundred percent of your donation will be used for the relief efforts in Haiti.

Judith Circle will meet on Tuesday, March 9, 9:30 a. at MCC. Ellen Roberts is the hostess. All are welcome for fellowship and study. If you need a ride or have any questions please call Jean Loichinger at 836-1791.

Elizabeth Circle will meet on Thursday, March 11, at 7:00 p. in the Tower Apartments- Party/Meeting Room on the third floor at Oakwood west campus.

We are a group of women who meet two hours each month at Oakwood to read and discuss a Bible study, as well as exchange friendship and support one another. We meet on the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 p. You are very welcome to visit us. Call Margaret Smith at 231-1496 for directions.

GEMS meet at MCC on Tuesday mornings from 10:30 to noon. GEMS welcomes men who are retired, about to be retired, or who wish they were retired and who are looking for stimulating conversation and friendship. We will be starting a new book, Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption, by William Kopp Moyers. The book is a memoir a terrible disease and one man’s journey through it. If you have any questions, call Al Heggen at 819-0364.

Advent women are invited for coffee each Thursday at 7 AM at PASQUAL'S in Hilldale Shopping Center, directly across from Metcalfe's Sentry. The only agenda is sharing friendship, and there is always laughter. We do service projects several times a year, pray for one another’s concerns, and celebrate joys. If you can be an early bird at least once a week, please drop by when your schedule allows!

The Women of Advent Love Offering - Pennies for Peace. A year-long drive for Greg Mortenson's schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The story of the first Pennies for Peace campaign is recounted in the Three Cups of Tea as follows (used with permission):

Jerene Mortenson had been anxiously following her son’s odyssey from her new home in River Falls, Wisconsin. After finishing her Ph.D., she had been hired as principal of the Westside Elementary School. Jerene convinced her son to visit, and to give a slide show and speech to 600 students in her school. “I’d been having a really hard time explaining to adults why I wanted to help students in Pakistan,” Mortenson says. “But the kids got it right away. When they saw the pictures, they couldn’t believe that there was a place where children sat outside in cold weather and tried to hold classes without teachers. They decided to do something about it.”

A month after returning to Berkeley, Mortenson got a letter from his mother. She explained that her students had spontaneously launched a “Pennies for Pakistan” drive. Filling two forty-gallon trash cans, they collected 62,345 pennies. When he deposited the check his mother sent along for $623.45 Mortenson felt like his luck was finally changing. “Children had taken the first step toward building the school,” Mortenson says. “And they did it with something that is basically worthless in our society – pennies. But overseas, pennies can move mountains.”

From that seminal experience Greg realized that he had two missions: one, to help children in Pakistan and Afghanistan have access to education where it never existed before; and two, to broaden and enrich education where it existed in the developed world so that students have the opportunity to become more educated global citizens. Since those early days Pennies for Peace has grown into a program that encompass thousands of schools and tens-of-thousands of students around the world.

Participate in the 2010 Synod-wide Choir Tour and visit and sing in the historic churches of Bach and Luther. This is an open invitation to anyone who wants

to sing with the choir (high school age and up) or travel as a tour companion with the choir.

The choir will be directed by Gary Lewis, Organist and Director of Music, Bethel Lutheran Church.

Tour arrangements are by Tours by Thomley, LLC, Charles Thomley, 5713 Maple Court, McFarland.

An itinerary and brochure with tentative tour cost is currently available. If you would like more information on this tour please contact Charles Thomley. His email is charlest5713@charter.net. His phone number is 608-692-0986.

- Advent’s Mission Statement and the Word About our Partnership statement found on our newsletter and in our bulletin reminding us that we are

- Be respectful of time considerations by keeping announcements specific and brief.

- Where appropriate, utilize the printed means available for making announcements through the Bulletin or Newsletter. Attempt not to be overly repetitive in

- Announcements of a partisan political or “for profit” business nature are not appropriate for our worship setting.

- Members listening to announcements are asked to do so with patient respect of the speaker, putting the best possible construction on the motives of the

Anyone with concerns about announcements is encouraged to visit with our church council president or with Pastor Jeff.

Please have your announcements to Sonja by Thursday noon each week. Email announcements welcomed.

*Weekly Announcements*
MCC Announcements Youth Announcements ADVENT NEWS COMMUNITY OF HOPE NEWS 9:00 a. Education for all ages 10:15 a. Community of Hope worships in the Covenant Room 10:15 a. Advent Lutheran worships in the Blessing Room Wednesday in Lent: Soup Supper with a discussion time starts at 5:30 p. Lenten worship is at 7:00 p. MCC ANNOUNCEMENTS - Sunday, March 7, 2010 ATENTSTOHAITI.COM or Bryan’s website is www.bryansirchio.com Tents to Haiti CPS 27361 1733 Northwest 79^th Ave Miami FL 33126-1112 Pennies for Peace Over the last four Sundays $142.59 has been collected in the penny jar. If we continue this rate of giving, in a year we will have approximately $1,600! Keep the pennies coming! Senior high youth answer the age old question: which came first, the chicken or the egg? The answer is—THE EGG! The eggs have to come first, or the MCC Chicken Initiative will simply not happen. Senior high youth, with the help of Beverly Brekke Bailey, have crafted egg ornaments that they will be selling before Easter. These $5 ornaments will support two things: the construction of the MCC chicken coop, and flocks of chickens through Heifer Project. While we become chicken owners, we also support this in areas of the world that will benefit from the addition of chickens into their communities. Thanks in advance for your support of Lucas Schmeider’s Eagle Scout project! Palm Sunday Choir If you like to sing, but do not have a lot of time to devote to a choir, then join this year's Palm Sunday Choir! We will meet Sundays, March 14 & 21 for 20 minutes after church and Palm Sunday, March 28 we will meet at 9:15a. Please plan to attend at least 2 rehearsals. This will be short, sweet, and fun! Contact Howard Kanetzke or Jen Streit. Four Galatians Bible Studies begin Tuesday, March 2 and Thursday March 4 Thursdays (4 consecutive), noon, at MCC with study leader Jeff Wild Tuesdays (4 consecutive), 6 p.m., Crockpot supper at the home of Gretchen Wahl, 3302 Kingston Drive with study leader Hildy McGown Tuesdays (4 every other week), 7 p.m. at the home of Ellen Lindgren, 6621 Maywood Ave, Middleton with study leader Sara Gillespie Thursdays (4 consecutive), 7 p.m., host and study leader Fran Grugel, 1 White Pine Trail MCC Women’s Lunch Bunch – Every Wednesday at 11:30 a. at the Prairie Cafe in Middleton, across from Copps Grocery Store. Good fellowship and no agenda. Lenten Soup Suppers and Worship - The Phoenix Affirmations: A New Vision for the Future of Christianity. By Eric Elnes Wednesday evenings, March 10-March 24 Soup is served at 5:30p. Discussion begins at 6:00p. Worship is at 7:00p. What core beliefs about our faith do we affirm as Progressive Christians? During Lent, come and explore over soup and in worship some of the affirmations proposed by Eric Elnes, share your own perspective and hear what some of our own community members have to say. Soup supper discussions will be led by members of the MCC GEMS group. March 10 – Kim Eighmy, Affirmation 12: Progressive Christians act on the faith that we are born with a meaning and purpose, a vocation and ministry that serve to strengthen and extend God’s realm of love. March 17 – Mark Geistlinger, Affirmation 3: Progressive Christians Celebrate the God whose Spirit pervades and whose glory is reflected in all of God’s Creation, including the earth and its eco- systems, the sacred and secular, the Christian and non-Christian, the human and non-human. March 24 – Dan or Jen Streit, Affirmation 6: Progressive Christians Stand, as Jesus does, with the outcast and oppressed, the denigrated and afflicted, seeking peace and justice with or without the support of others. Copies of The Phoenix Affirmations: A New Vision for the Future of Christianity. By Eric Elnes are available for $10.00 in the Shalom Room. Lenten Soup Suppers – Many Hands Make Light Work Please sign up in the Shalom Room to bring soup or bread and to help with set-up and/or clean-up for our Lenten Soup Suppers. MCC COMMUNITY GROUP Want to learn more about polar bears?? Join us Sunday, March 14, for a potluck after church at the Johnsons, 5701 Anchorage Ave., Beverly Brekke Bailey will give a powerpoint presentation followed by a DVD. All are welcome. MCC FILM GROUP – Friday, March 19 Lois Komai, coordinator We meet on the third Friday of the month at 7:00 pm. Let the host know if you are going to come/or can’t come. Bring a treat to share and the host will provide the beverage. Movie: The Castle, an Australian Comedy, a host home is needed. Food Drive for Food Pantry—Sunday, March 21 Please make a special effort to bring food for the Lussier Food Pantry on the 3rd Sunday of the month. Suggested items include canned goods (fruit, vegetables, tuna, beef stew, fruit juice, etc.), peanut butter, jelly, cereal. We can especially use any large grocery bags. We do not have facilities to handle fresh produce. For those who prefer to donate money, checks can be made out to the Lussier Community Education Center and designated for the pantry. Dobbin McNatt, Coordinator Genevieve Custer Weeks Returns to Madison Stage Genevieve Custer Weeks will return to the Madison stage in Overture Hall after her 2 year maternity hiatus in Madison Ballet's Cinderella March 13 and 14. She will reprise her role of Cinderella in the matinees both days and dance the role of Fairy Godmother in the Evening performance. Marcella Van Kan will also perform. Tickets are available through Overture (or through Betty Custer if not already spoken for). The St Olaf Philharmonia Orchestra (Rachel Wixson’s orchestra) will perform a FREE concert Saturday, March 20, 2010, at Luther Memorial Church, 1021 University Avenue, Madison. See http://luthermem.org/parking/ for concert parking. The concert begins at 7:30 PM and will last a little over one hour. Can you host two or more musicians? Emily Wixson is organizing home stays for the 80-piece orchestra for Saturday night, March 20. Hosts meet the musicians Saturday night at Luther Memorial after the concert. You would need to provide breakfast Sunday morning, March 21, and then bring the musicians to the bus pick-up location (most likely Westgate Mall parking lot) by ~9:00 AM. Please call or email Emily Wixson to host: 231-3385, ewixson@library.wisc.edu. Orchestra members come in pairs. Let Emily know how many musicians you can host, if there are any pet or smokers in your household, and any other details that would help with matching. Return to the top of the page Youth Announcements Wednesday nights: During Lent: Advent Confirmation – Lenten Service at 7:00 p Saturday, March 13 Mt. Olympus Fun Day! – MS/HS 11a-6p Escape this yucky spinter weather (is it spring or winter?) to full-fledged summer! Mt. Olympus has 9 indoor water slides and an indoor amusement park (Aspen says it has an awesome roller coaster!). Bring a bag lunch (to eat in the car), swim suit, towel. Cost is $6 + money for food (no carry-in food allowed). Please RSVP by Evite. Looking for adult drivers/chaperones (it would be okay to bring younger children to play together separately). Saturday, March 20 BWCA Deposits Due If you plan on going on the Boundary Waters Canoe trip, please return your permission slip and $50 deposit. We have a special scholarship fund for BWCA trips, so please speak up is money is at all an issue. Saturday, March 20 Atlas Improv @ Electric Earth Café – MS 7:30-10p Have you ever heard of TheaterSports? It is the sport of comedy improv. This is a funny, clean show that will have us roaring hysterically. We’ll meet & pick up at MCC. Cost is $3 + money for “coffee” or dessert (if you want). Adult drivers needed. Friday, March 26 Hang Out – HS 6-10p Come do whatever you feel like doing – Capture the Flag, movie, foosball, and more! Bring a drink or munchie to share as well as any movies you might want to watch or games you might want to play. We’ll provide pizza. Sunday, April 4 – Easter Breakfast – MS/HS Sunday, April 19 – Talent Show – MS/HS (Show @ 6:30p) Saturday, April 24 - Confirmation Service Project #3 - 9am - noon *Looking ahead…* BWCA Trip – HS - June 14-21 Rafting Trip – MS - June 24-27 Note: Scholarships are always available, and friends are always welcome! Jen & Dan can help coordinate rides, too. Call or email if you need anything! 232-0093 or mccyouth@tds.net Return to the top of the page COMMUNITY OF HOPE Please have your HOPE announcements to Sonja by Wednesday noon and your MCC announcements to Sonja by THURSDAY NOON each week. Email announcements welcomed at mcc@chorus.net Phoenix Affirmation Sermon Schedule for March March 14, Affirmation 8: Christian Love of Neighbor includes: Walking humbly with God, acknowledging our own shortcomings while honestly seeking to understand and call forth the best in others, including those who consider us their enemies. March 21, Affirmation 6: Christian love of neighbor includes: Standing as Jesus does, with the outcast and oppressed, the denigrated and afflicted, seeking peace and justice with or without the support of others. Wednesdays in Lent On Wednesday, March 10, Kim Eighmy will share her reflections on Phoenix Affirmation 12: Progressive Christians act on the faith that we are born with a meaning and purpose, a vocation and ministry that serve to strengthen and extend God’s realm of love. Come for soup and discussion of this affirmation at 5:30 and/or for worship at 7:00. Soup Suppers – Calling all Soup Makers! We need you to bring soup and/or bread for the Wednesday evening Soup Suppers. Sign up in the Shalom Room. CoH Women’s Breakfast Group The Women's Breakfast Group meets on the first and third Wednesday each month at 7:00 a.m. at the Hubbard Street Diner in Middleton. Come join us for coffee and conversation. Please contact Sandra Esrael at sandraesrael@tds..net if you have questions. COH CONGREGATIONAL RETREAT Those of you at the COH Annual Meeting in January may remember mention of a congregational retreat. The planning committee, made up of Tisha, Bonnie Trudell, Bryon Sirchio and Mary Schmelzer, want to fill in a few details for you. First, the retreat will be an opportunity for Tisha to share her sabbatical experience with the congregation. And in turn, congregation members can share their own sabbatical spiritual practices with the group, whether it's the Dinners of Eight or something else. The retreat, which will be set at the Pilgrim Center in Ripon WI, will begin on Friday October 15 and end Sunday morning with a worship service. The price for two days lodging and meals will be $98 for adults, $95 for youth, and $57 for children and $20 for infants. For people coming for only part of the retreat, there are meal prices ranging from $8 to $15 dollars. And the charge for a single overnight stay is $50. This pricing is quite reasonable and leaves the retreat open to many different budgets. Our goal is to have 30 to 50 folks there, and we are hoping that at least 15 people will reserve their spot now, by writing a check of $100 which will go toward the $1,500 deposit due in mid-March. If there are people who know they can't attend the retreat but would like to sponsor another person's attendance, we'd welcome that kind of support as well. This should be an exciting opportunity for us to listen, share, pray and plan for our future together. Return to the top of the page ADVENT Helping Haiti through the ELCA The ELCA website is www.elca.org. Click on Haiti, then Give Now One hundred percent of your donation will be used for the relief efforts in Haiti. Judith Circle Judith Circle will meet on Tuesday, March 9, 9:30 a. at MCC. Ellen Roberts is the hostess. All are welcome for fellowship and study. If you need a ride or have any questions please call Jean Loichinger at 836-1791. Advent Elizabeth Circle Elizabeth Circle will meet on Thursday, March 11, at 7:00 p. in the Tower Apartments- Party/Meeting Room on the third floor at Oakwood west campus. We are a group of women who meet two hours each month at Oakwood to read and discuss a Bible study, as well as exchange friendship and support one another. We meet on the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 p. You are very welcome to visit us. Call Margaret Smith at 231-1496 for directions. GEMS – GEMS meet at MCC on Tuesday mornings from 10:30 to noon. GEMS welcomes men who are retired, about to be retired, or who wish they were retired and who are looking for stimulating conversation and friendship. We will be starting a new book, Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption, by William Kopp Moyers. The book is a memoir a terrible disease and one man’s journey through it. If you have any questions, call Al Heggen at 819-0364. Advent Women Thursday Coffee Advent women are invited for coffee each Thursday at 7 AM at PASQUAL'S in Hilldale Shopping Center, directly across from Metcalfe's Sentry. The only agenda is sharing friendship, and there is always laughter. We do service projects several times a year, pray for one another’s concerns, and celebrate joys. If you can be an early bird at least once a week, please drop by when your schedule allows! The Women of Advent Love Offering - Pennies for Peace. A year-long drive for Greg Mortenson's schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The story of the first Pennies for Peace campaign is recounted in the Three Cups of Tea as follows (used with permission): Jerene Mortenson had been anxiously following her son’s odyssey from her new home in River Falls, Wisconsin. After finishing her Ph.D., she had been hired as principal of the Westside Elementary School. Jerene convinced her son to visit, and to give a slide show and speech to 600 students in her school. “I’d been having a really hard time explaining to adults why I wanted to help students in Pakistan,” Mortenson says. “But the kids got it right away. When they saw the pictures, they couldn’t believe that there was a place where children sat outside in cold weather and tried to hold classes without teachers. They decided to do something about it.” A month after returning to Berkeley, Mortenson got a letter from his mother. She explained that her students had spontaneously launched a “Pennies for Pakistan” drive. Filling two forty-gallon trash cans, they collected 62,345 pennies. When he deposited the check his mother sent along for $623.45 Mortenson felt like his luck was finally changing. “Children had taken the first step toward building the school,” Mortenson says. “And they did it with something that is basically worthless in our society – pennies. But overseas, pennies can move mountains.” From that seminal experience Greg realized that he had two missions: one, to help children in Pakistan and Afghanistan have access to education where it never existed before; and two, to broaden and enrich education where it existed in the developed world so that students have the opportunity to become more educated global citizens. Since those early days Pennies for Peace has grown into a program that encompass thousands of schools and tens-of-thousands of students around the world. THE PENNY JAR IS IN THE SHALOM ROOM. An Invitation to be Part of an Exciting Historical and Musical Experience (There is a flyer on the bulletin board in the Shalom Room) Participate in the 2010 Synod-wide Choir Tour and visit and sing in the historic churches of Bach and Luther. This is an open invitation to anyone who wants to sing with the choir (high school age and up) or travel as a tour companion with the choir. The choir will be directed by Gary Lewis, Organist and Director of Music, Bethel Lutheran Church. Tour arrangements are by Tours by Thomley, LLC, Charles Thomley, 5713 Maple Court, McFarland. An itinerary and brochure with tentative tour cost is currently available. If you would like more information on this tour please contact Charles Thomley. His email is charlest5713@charter.net. His phone number is 608-692-0986. Guidelines for Announcements at Advent - Advent’s Mission Statement and the Word About our Partnership statement found on our newsletter and in our bulletin reminding us that we are a sanctuary for all. Be mindful not to offend anyone present or not present. - Be respectful of time considerations by keeping announcements specific and brief. - Where appropriate, utilize the printed means available for making announcements through the Bulletin or Newsletter. Attempt not to be overly repetitive in terms of the numbers of weeks an announcement is made. - Announcements of a partisan political or “for profit” business nature are not appropriate for our worship setting. - Members listening to announcements are asked to do so with patient respect of the speaker, putting the best possible construction on the motives of the speaker, as Martin Luther advises us. Anyone with concerns about announcements is encouraged to visit with our church council president or with Pastor Jeff. Please have your announcements to Sonja by Thursday noon each week. Email announcements welcomed. Return to the top of the page