Trinity First Lutheran Church

Bulletin Announcements

November 11, 2007 through November 17, 2007

Remembering that we are brothers and sisters in the Lord, we welcome each of you.
May this worship service fill us all with confidence and hope as we prepare for the week ahead.

Prepare for worship next Sunday by reading:     Malachi 4:1-6     2 Thessalonians 3:6-13     Luke 21:5-28

Many Thanks to Pastor Brutlag for sharing a message of God's Grace in Christ Jesus with us this morning! Pastor Jake has the Sunday off and will be worshipping at 3 different congregations today.

The date for the next Council Meeting has been shifted by 1 day to next Sunday, November 18th at 11am. All are welcome!

Offering Envelopes for 2008 are now available and can be picked up by the entry-way. You may still submit your pledge card - just place it in the offering plate! Many thanks to Jim & Elray and John and Wendy for their leadership in Stewardship Recommitment and Envelope Preparation.

Wednesday morning Bible Class will be held at Augustana this week. Enter via the 1020 building. God's Holy Spirit continues to transform us as we walk thru the Gospel of John verse by verse. You are always welcome to join us!

Forum for Congregational Dialogue -
What a great turn-out!! Thanks to the 46 of you who participated in the Forum for Congregational Dialogue last Sunday! Notes from the meeting ware available this morning as a separate insert.

Congregational Mail Boxes - Please remember that the wooden mail box slots in the narthex have been removed. The plastic black box of hanging file folders that is set out on Sundays at the parking lot entrance no serves as our mail box.

Postcard Reminders about the German Service on December 9th at 2:30 pm went out in the past 2 weeks. Please tell your friends about this unique holiday festival!

Start thinking about listening to the Bible! next Sunday is National Bible Sunday and Pastor Jacob will introduce a Bible Listening Program. He'll share an easy way how you can Abide in the Word (refer to John 8:31 and 15:7). Prepare for his message by meditating on Romans 10:17!

Here at Trinity First, we make giving simple ... Thrivent's "Simply Giving" Program is a free and convenient mechanism for automating your donations.
Simply Giving allows those of you who wish to contribute on a monthly basis to do so automatically from your checking or savings account. Your donation is withdrawn from your account on either the 1st or 15th of the month, depending on your preference, and deposited into the TFL's bank account on that same day. This is all done at no cost to you or to TFL!
Enrollment in the Simply Giving program is quick and easy. You will only need to complete the shore enrollment form and submit it to the Church Office. If you want your contributions to come from your checking account you will need to include a voided check, if you will use your savings account, a deposit slip. You do not need to be a Thriven member.
If you decide to enroll in Simply Giving and later find that you need to change the donation amount or stop contributing automatically, this can be done with a quick phone call to the Church Office. As is the case with all donations, you may specify if you'd like your dollars to go the the General Fund or earmarked for a specific ministry.
Thanks for considering this way to make giving to Trinity First so simple.

Maternity Leave! With a c-section scheduled for tomorrow, November 5th Sara Neterer will be out of the office for two months (until Monday, January 7th). If you have questions about the worship folders / bulletins during this time or would like an announcement placed in the bulletin, please speak with Pastor Jake.

Our income for the Month of September fell $3700 short of what is required to meet our regular expenses. The previous two months (July and August) showed great congregational support and we were just about break even. October started well but was over $2000 short by the end of the month. Please remember that the next few months also bring very large heating costs so your continued extra support is always needed and appreciated. Do you have friends who have a gift of giving? If so, let them know of our needs here. Even better, let your heavenly Father know about it.

Coming This Month - Watch for the school's newsletter, "Reaching Up, Reaching Out." check out school stories and more, such as our enrollment boost and Tiger Club expanding again? If you have not received the RURO newsletter before please let us know so that we can add you to our mailing list.  ~ Sarah Wippich

As the Holy Days approach, please be aware ... there will be no Thanksgiving or New Years worship services. If you desire to experience either of these two services, why not visit another congregation? You will be blessed! There will be mid-week Advent, German and Christmas Eve and Day worship services. Please refer to the calendar published each week in the worship folder entitled "Key Dates Ahead" for specifics.

Book Discussion Group on Bondage  Bondage of the Will, that is! There are few books written nearly 500 years ago that are yet so relevant today. Martin Luther's signature work, On the Bondage of the Will is one of them. (Luther suggested that perhaps it was his best work - along with the Catechism) A thorough reading will bring you face-to-face with the root of dissent between Luther and the Catholic Church of the 1500s. Once there, you'll be equipped to go on and critically assess "decision theology" that is so popular in our world today. You are invited to a Book Discussion Group on Luther's Bondage of the Will! Each Monday, October 1 through November 12 (six session in all) beginning at 6:30pm hosted at the Haagenson's. So by a copy of ht book and contact Bea to get on the roster. Let's read it together and discern the nature of mankind's will!

Support your local food shelf with a cash gift to Minnesota FoodShare.  www.gmcc.org/foodshare  Donations through November will be supplemented in part by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Preaching Schedule and Key Dates:

A Measure of our Faithfulness Last Week
 + There were 69 in our Worship Service on November 4
 + Offering to General Fund received last week: $4,644

Concordia University Christmas Concert  "Let All Together Praise Our God"  features the Christus Chorus, the Jubilate Choir, the Handbell Ensemble, and others in the newly renovated Graebner Chapel on Friday & Saturday, November 30th and December 1st at 7:30 pm and then again on Sunday , December 2nd at 3:00 pm. For tickets, please call 651-209-6689 or go to www.ticketworks.com - $10 for students and seniors, $12 for all other adults.

Hospitalizations, Births and Funerals ... Please phone the church office if you or someone you know is hospitalized, has given birth, or is in need of funeral arrangements. Due to privacy laws and lack of staff, hospitals and nursing homes seldom (if ever) phone the congregation or pastor when you enter the hospital.

CD's or Cassette Tapes of this worship gathering are available to you by calling or emailing the church office, 612-870-9487.

Portals of Prayer for October-December are available in the Narthex. Suggested donation is $1. What a great way to spend time with God and your family. A limited number of large print copies are available in the church office.

Time of Grace Sundays at 6:30 am on KMSP FOX, Ch 9.  www.timeofgrace.org

Buy FoxFaith Movie Tickets and Support Trinity First! Visit www.foxfaithfund.com and enter our church code of 100013 and a credit of one dollar per ticket will be donated to Trinity First at the end of the theatrical release.

Thank You! to everyone who donates to TFL School through the use of their Target Card and the Take Charge of Education Program. The school recently received a check for $348.17 from Target. For more information on this program, please call 1-800-316-6142 or visit target.com/tcoe

Campbell's Soup Labels -  Lutheran Special Education Ministries can benefit from Campbell's soup labels - and labels from other Campbell's products as well. The ministry sends the labels to Campbell's and exchanges them for classroom equipment and materials which will benefit us at Trinity First. For information on how you can help with this project, please contact Michelle at school.

Bible Study Opportunities -

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