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Church News: December 2001 and January 2002 |
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Our Church Services in December 2001 and January 2002:Dec. 4th - 1st Sunday in Advent
Dec. 9th - 2nd Sunday in Advent Dec. 23rd - 4th Sunday in Advent Candlelight Service Dec. 24th - Christmas Eve Dec. 25th - Christmas Day Dec. 30th - 1st Sunday after Christmas Dec. 31st - New year's Eve Jan. 1st - New Year's Day Jan. 6th - Epiphany Jan. 13th - 1st Sunday after Epiphany Jan. 20th -2nd Sunday after Epiphany Jan. 27th - Septuagesimae (70 days before Easter)
Our Groups and Circles The Ladies' Group
The Church Council The Youth Group Confirmation Instruction Youth Group Mission Circle Church Choir Sunday School
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Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust,
and will not be afraid. Meditation on the Verse for the Year Dear Congregational Members, Conference of the Congregations of Toronto On November 17th, a meeting took place for bilingual congregations in Toronto under the leadership of Bishop Michael Pryse and the Synod Council of the ELCIC. The Christ-the-King/Dietrich Bonhoeffer Congregation in Thornhill was the host. The aim was to share ideas between congregations with different linguistic backgrounds: Chinese, Finnish, Baltic, German, Hungarian and several other congregations exchanged information about priorities and difficulties in congregational work. The Synod had established that 38 different languages are spoken in the Lutheran Congregations of Toronto. The most interesting result: in spite of varying cultural orientations, all congregations have this main problem in common, to commit young people to the congregation. It was stimulating to learn how manifold community life is within the Lutheran Church. It was an encouraging sign that all present wished for further meetings to take place. Unfortunately, only two representatives of each congregation were invited. It is hoped that in the future congregational members will have the opportunity to be present! Trip to the Kortright Centre On October 20th, together with congregation members, we paid a visit to the Kortright Centre in the most beautiful sunny weather. We drove there in several cars, saw a film about the monarch butterfly and ate pancakes. Afterwards, we took part in a guided tour, where we learned why the maple leaves turn yellow or red. Then we concluded our outing with a walk. We have spent a wonderful afternoon. Please be sure to join us the next time!
Our Christmas Message I Wish You Time I do not wish you a diverse selection of gifts I wish you time - not to hasten and run, I wish it may be left over for you I wish you time to hope anew, to love. Elli Michler Translation: Kaethe Kleinau We baptized Steffi Gabriela Bali Leers The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. Married were Rose Marie Pratt & David Lawrence Sylvia Lampertsdörfer & Horst Mann Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I
will lodge. News from the Nursery Wish List Is your house too crowded with toys? If so, we can help. The nursery would like to let you know that we could always use new or used toys. We currently are on the look-out for a painting easel, wooden puzzles and lego. We are also interested in finding someone who likes to work with wood. There are a few items, including a puppet theatre, we would like to have built. Welcome Rajni! A note from the nursery to let you know we are very excited to welcome Rajni Saxena to our day-care team. Rajni is a certified Early Childhood Educator from Seneca College with a total of 16 years experience in the child care field. She is a very pleasant person and has already proven to have many ideas for our nursery. Rajni is with our kindergarten-group and has presented an educational, age-appropriate program. Welcome Rajni! Our team is now complete with three qualified E.C.E.s and one E.C.A. (Early Childhood Assistant) Thanks, Marilyn Richardson Dates for Camp Edgewood 2002 Please note the following dates for Camp Edgewood:
Please register as soon as possible for the Adult Retreat so that we can do the necessary planning. Letter from Pastor Milton Schwantes from Brazil Amigas e amigos! It is some time that you have heard from me and from us. This has to do with the fact that it is quite hectic here during this semester. But first of all, I want to tell you about Guarulhos.I am again actively involved in the work in Guarulhos. My colleague, Eliézer, is already with a congregation in the south of our country, and a new colleague could not be chosen. This will only take place next year.There were sometimes difficulties during this transitional period. But then it was possible to take the interests well into account, those of the congregation and those of my colleague. We live, therefore, in peace, foremost, because my own congregation was able to master the situation with self-confidence. So, the congregation is well! And especially in the four small congregations - Casa de Esperança/Cabuçu, Terra Preta, Jardim Albertina, Parque Rodrigo Barreto - the work continues. Lise Weber is working full-time in these congregations. She is at least twice in each congregation every week. Added to these are other meetings in the small congregations, where I am also present, mostly on week-ends. Hunger is the most important problem, with which people in these small congregations have to live daily. The children who visit our Houses of Hope faithfully and take advantage of them, come partially because hunger is the characteristic of their life. In the situation of the children and in the periphery nothing has changed. On the contrary, the last years have brought greater needs and more hunger to the little ones. In these small congregations, we want to pay more attention to the education of the congregations. We dream that a better organisation of the congregations will mean more self-sufficiency of the small congregations. But the rising misery always puts new difficulties in our way. For instance: many of our most faithful co-workers had to leave. In the periphery it cannot be helped that the poorest are those being pushed to the edges. What was the periphery yesterday, will now fight for some improvements (water and light). These new expenses cause the poorest of the poor to move into the remotest places around São Paulo. That means that the people who participate in our small congregations change often. Under such conditions it is not easy to organise people. Well, my request. If it is possible for you, take a collection for these small congregations, so that we can continue to work together in solidarity. Our congregation needs your help. My heartfelt thanks, and abraços auch von Rosi. Milton Schwantes The Last Word There are two things on should aim for in life:
first, to gain what one
wishes for, then, to enjoy it. |
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cordially invite you to stay for a while
after
the Services for a cup of coffee!
other hand, this is possibly exactly the point: Jesus
Christ does not impose himself on people, he does not join commerce or noise.
Perhaps he convinces exactly hereby: with him everything is so different, so
simple. There is the trouble of finding a shelter, there is the shabby stable,
and the fact that Jesus does not fall from heaven with a big bang, but that he
is born, quite normally, as everyone of us, as a human being he comes into this
world, even though he is God's Son. With this God places himself on the side of
the unimportant people, the shepherds, the poor, the sorrowful, the burdened, of
the people with their small and large worries. The hope for this world is born
here, where this hope is mostly needed. Remarkable, for many think, perhaps,
they can live without God, they do not need Christ. Many things become
substitutes for a meaningful life, not last of all shopping. We rather surround
ourselves with restlessness than listen with calmness to the sentence
"Christ the Saviour is born" and how it can reverberate in our life
like an echo. It is a pity, for we actually rob ourselves of the great joy, that
this Jesus has been born for our salvation, too. As Christmas is the season of
wishes, I wish you that the Christmas message will enhance your joy and will
accompany you into the new year. Would it not be a great joy if you could say:
"Yes, God is my salvation; I will trust, and I will not be afraid"?
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Martin Luther Church
is a member congregation of the
Toronto Conference of the
Eastern Synod of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Canada, the
DELKINA
(Deutsche Evangelische Lutherische Konferenz
in NordAmerika / German Evangelical Lutheran
Conference in North America), and the
EKD (Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland /
Protestant Church of Germany). |