Prints of Peace - December 12

This Sunday 
8am service of Holy Communion
9:15am Sunday School /Coffee & Refreshments / Middle Schoolers’ Triple D
10:30am service of Holy CommunionWelcome New Members: We welcome into Peace Lutheran Church these faithful servants today: Karen (Todd) and Bryce Goldstein, and Stan and Diane Sanderson.  We give thanks for the life of faith we share and for these new partners in God’s mission at Peace. 
Advent Imperatives
Advent is the time of year when we raise the decibel level to proclaim that God is up to something big!  We make no excuse for letting out our excitement, joy and expectant hope!  For God is coming into the world, yes even breaking into the world with grace and blessing, turning the world upside down, transforming our lives, and renewing all creation.
The weeks of Advent through Christmas point to our essential response: not a “nice to do” or suggestion but an imperative!  We can’t not respond to the good news of God’s coming!  The expectation of God’s salvation invites a certain preparedness.  The imperatives of Advent celebrated in coming weeks look like this:
Advent 3 (Dec 15): GO AND TELL! (8am & 10:30)
                                   Reception of new members at worship 
Advent 4 (Dec 22):  DON’T BE AFRAID! (one service 9am) 
                                   Children’s Christmas Program 3pm 
Christmas Eve (Dec 24):  LET THEM IN! 
                                     4pm Family worship 
                                     11pm Communion & Candlelight worship Christmas 1 (Dec 29):  (one service 9am) 
     Advent Food Drive - runs now through December 29 (Look inside for more details)
 O Come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord! Poinsettias for Purchase: Our sanctuary will be adorned during the Christmas season with 20 beautiful red poinsettia plants. They may be purchased for $10/plant and will be available for pick-up after the 11 pm Christmas Eve service. A Sign-up Sheet and Payment Envelope labeled ‘Poinsettias’ is on the Narthex table. Questions??? Text or call Jean Foltin at 847-738-8599. Thanks! 
SEEING THE FUTURE WITH EYES OF FAITH:  Adult Ed this Sunday at 9:15am.  How does a time of transition in the church or in our lives invite us to tap the resources of our faith?  A time of transition acutely reminds us that the future is unknown. But the resources of our faith invite us nonetheless to see the future with hope, thereby enabling us to think the unthinkable and imagine the unimaginable.  In a season of Advent we are encouraged to look to the future with expectation of a great good coming.  This is not only for the pre-Christmas season, but for all seasons of our lives.  Join the learning through presentation and discussion this Sunday and next where we will explore themes of hope, vision, imagination, and more! 
Peace Lutheran Call Committee is complete!  Blessed with many nominations and strong interest, the PPC with deep appreciation for each candidate is pleased to announce the team:  Ben Dahlke, Lin Hodkinson, Tim Harris, Liz Hopman, Samantha Rozema, Nicole Thurow, Grace Trumbull.  The Call Committee is starting its work now.  We look ahead to commission these servants at worship in the near future. 
Prayer Requests: We pray for those who need healing and wholeness: for Joyce Smith, Gabriel Salami, Mike Wilms, Kevin Foley, Rob Olsen, Warren Heuck, Anita Brazeau, Giselle Zanotti, Wendy Daily, Judy Foley, Caitlyn Jacobson, Michelle and Bobby LeBlanc. We pray for an individual for at least 4 Sunday. After that time, we ask that you contact the office to keep your loved one on the prayer list. If a loved one inadvertently falls off the prayer list, please request to put this person back on the list. Thank you. We need pray-ers! If you would like to be a participant in the Circle of Prayer, please contact Terry Koncel at  peaceprays@mail.com 
Reading for This Sunday (December 15): Luke 1.  While “Luke 2” recounts the birth of Jesus, many things are happening in “Luke 1”. Of special note is Mary’s song of praise to God for choosing her to bear the Savior. Then her visit to cousin Elizabeth follows, telling her of all that is going on!  We too watch with anticipation for the coming of the Lord.  Even so now, we rejoice at his presence among us in Word and holy Supper, in church and in our homes, in silent reflection, and in works of love.  Let us pray that God would open our eyes and ears to the wonders of Christ’s advent among us!

Reading for next Sunday (December 22): Matthew 1:18-25.  Next Sunday’s Advent Imperative is “Do not be afraid.” This most frequently cited imperative in all of Scripture is the message to Joseph in a dream about Mary’s surprise pregnancy.  When he awoke from sleep he set fears aside and took her as his wife.  We all have fears that we must face.  What are the fears that perplex you or keep you from acting?  The awesome good news of a Great Good that is coming in your future is a key part of God’s gift package given to you. Welcome the gift! Do you have a Lutheran Study Bible? If not, take one from the table in the narthex.  Or if you know someone who might value from it, take one to give one and share the good news. 
Pastoral Care: Pastor Dale Ziemer is available to respond to all pastoral needs.  You can reach him by the church phone 847-438-4400, where he checks messages regularly if not in the office.  You may contact him via email at pastor@peacelutheranlz.com
When you need to connect:   Allison Hearst is church administrator (Tues – Friday 9am-1pm). When you need to get information, or to schedule something on the church calendar, contact Allison at 847-438-4400 or peacelzoffice@yahoo.commailto:peaceprays@mail.com. 
Youth
 Youth Director’s Office Hours: Our Youth Director is Tracy Katschke, engaged at Peace half-time, with office hours Monday - Thursday 2:30-6:30pm. She can be reached on her cell phone at other times for urgent matters; her cell phone can be accessed by calling the church office.  Note: Tracy does not check her church voice mail or emails on her days off (Friday and Saturday). 
Cards for Comer Kids: All congregation members are welcome to make a holiday card for children at Comer Children's Hospital in Chicago! Comer Children's is a special place for Tracy since this is where she received cancer treatment 34 years ago. A majority of the cancer patients do not get to go home for the holidays, so let's send them some holiday cheer! Please stop by the table in the narthex to create a special holiday greeting! Cards can be created on Sunday, December 15th! 
Sunday School Christmas Pageant:  All are welcome to hear the story of Christmas through hymns and readings during the Sunday school performance on Sunday, December 22 at 3:00.  Light refreshments will be served after the performance. 
Windy City Bulls Faith & Family Night!: Get ready for some fun and support the Peace Lutheran youth group at the same time! All are welcome to join us for a Windy City Bulls basketball game on Saturday, January 25th! The Windy City Bulls play at the Sears Centre and a portion of all tickets sold will go towards our 2020 Knoxville, TN mission trip! To purchase tickets: please go to the following link: https://fevo.me/peacelutheranlz             
Triple D (Donuts, Discussions & Devos): ALL Confirmation students are welcome to attend Triple D in Tracy's office from 9:15-10:15am. We will have breakfast together, talk, play games, offer homework help and more! It’s a great way to start your Sunday!
Spaghetti Dinner and Auction:  Saturday, March 7th!  The teens from Peace Lutheran, Christ Lutheran and St. Peter UCC will be embarking on their mission trip to Knoxville, Tennessee in July of 2020! In preparation for their mission trip, we will once again be hosting the Holy Spaghetti Dinner and Auction! This is an event that you will NOT want to miss 
Events
Social Outreach
Food Pantry Collection during Advent: Please consider collecting nonperishable food items, paper goods and hygiene items for our local food pantries during the month of December.  Please bring in your donations and put them in the bin in the hallway by the 29th. Thank you!
Ripping Good Mexican Potluck: will be at the Koenig's on January 18th at 5:00pm.  (This is a revised date!) Please sign up in the hallway and plan to bring something "Mexican" to share! This is an adult only event.  We will be ripping sheets into bandage strips that will be rolled on Mission Projects Day on Feb. 2. Come have fun, eat good food and do some good work! Questions-call Sue Koenig.
Mobile Food Pantry: The next mobile food pantry will be at the Chapel in Lake Zurich on Jan. 11.  The hours are from 10-12.  If you need food or know of someone who does, please come!
 Harvest Sunday: This year 7 kids, 2nd to 5th grade, helped sort, count, and deliver the following food items to Mt. St. Joseph:  8 pounds of celery, 161pounds of potatoes, 40 pounds of onions, 14 squash, 45 pounds of carrots, 3 mangoes, 30 pounds of apples, 52 pounds of oranges, 6 pounds of asparagus, 2 pounds of green beans, 3 pounds of carrots, 1 bunch of bananas, 13 pounds of sweet potatoes, 18 1/2 pounds of chicken breast, 25 pounds of pork chops.  Wow!  Well done, young and faithful servants!!!
LSSI Christmas Gifts: Thank you to all who donated gifts for the LSSI foster care children.  With our help 77 children will now have a fun gift purchased just for them this Christmas.  Your generosity is much appreciated!
Feed My Starving Children update: we had a great team of children and adults at our Feed my starving children event on December 7.  Everyone worked really hard helping to pack food, put on labels, bring items from the warehouse and load up boxes. During our session, our team and many other volunteers were able to pack enough food to feed 70 children for an entire year! We will be having another packing event in early spring so watch for more information soon!
 
Advent Food Drive: For the month of December we are collecting non-perishable food items, paper goods, and hygiene items for local food pantries.  Please see the list of most needed items in the hallway and collect what you can.  The drive will run through Dec. 29th. Those in need in our community will really appreciate your efforts. Thank you!
Mission Projects Day 2020: There are new projects to be worked on (fleece fringe to be cut for LWR and project linus blankets) and more pillows to be sewn for JourneyCare Hospice  Mark your calendar now-Mission Projects Day is February 1, 2020, starting at 9:00 a.m.
Adult Mission Trip 2020: We now have a date and a location!  We are headed to New Lisbon, WI (about 30 minutes from the Wisconsin Dells), June 21-27.  This area was hit with historic levels of flooding in 2018 and is still in the recovery and rebuilding process.  We will be helping with lots of different construction projects and we are working to build in a day of community service.This trip is open to all adults, 18 years old and over.  We have 35 spots reserved.  We will be staying at a church that is air conditioned and our meals will be provided by our host location.  There will be an informational meeting at Living Lord Lutheran church on Feb. 9, 2020 at 12:15pm. We will be collecting a non-refundable $25 deposit at that time to hold your spot.  Mark your calendar now too for the team building dinner which will be held at Peace on April 19 at 4:30pm.  The total cost will be $150/per person (including your deposit and a t-shirt).  Questions?  contact Sue Koenig.
Coins for change:  We only have a couple of inches left to top off our bottle of coins that we will be donating to PADS of Lake County, a homeless shelter system in our area. PADS provides supportive housing program, outreach programs, family shelter and a day resource center. Please bring in whatever coins you would like to donate and place them in the jar and we will have it filled by the end of 2019!
                                                                                                                                     
Free first aid and CPR class: please sign up now for a free first aid and CPR class that will be taught by certified  Red Cross instructors at Peace on Saturday January 18. The class will run from 9-2pm. Please bring your own lunch and drink. We have 20 spots available. Even if you have had these classes before, it is a great time to refresh your skills and update your knowledge. If you are an usher, please consider taking this class as we move forward to improving the safety of our congregation. If you have any questions, contact Sue Koenig
Ongoing Opportunities
Simply Giving: Many of our members and friends give with Simply Giving automated debit. This program is very important for our congregation. It keeps income steady during the summer months when giving drops because people are out of town. Please consider it! Giving forms are on the table in the narthex. If you do participate in Simply Giving, or if you do not have an offering on a particular Sunday you can still participate in the act of giving during the service by obtaining Giving Acknowledgment card from an usher and placing it in the offering plate to acknowledge your support of our ministries at Peace.
On-Line Giving: You now have the option to make a gift to Peace from your computer, tablet or phone! To give online go to the Peace web site www.PeaceLutheranLZ.com and click on the "Make a Donation" button. To give from your phone, download the Give Plus Church app and search for Peace in Lake Zurich to make your gift. Finally, to give from your phone without downloading the “Give Plus Church” app just text a gift to the Peace text number, 224-458-2996. Just enter an amount and send the text to the Peace number and you will be sent a link to complete the transaction. Questions?  See Kirk Swanson.
Saturday Morning Men’s Bible Study: Men’s Bible Study will being meeting at 8:00am on Saturday’s at Dunkin’ Lake Zurich.  All men are welcome.  Hope to see you there!
Wednesday Morning Women’s Bible Study: Please join us at Panera Bread in Deer Park at 9:00 AM for faith-based conversation, support, and of course, coffee or tea! This year we will be reading and discussing The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, a compelling book describing the author’s journey from atheism to faith. In response to his wife’s born again Christian experience, the legal affairs and award winning reporter for the Chicago Tribune initiates a campaign to prove that the resurrection of Jesus Christ never occurred. Instead, he proves the opposite. Questions? Contact Carol Wojnarowski or Jean Foltin.
Caring Tree: This outreach ministry provides services to those in the congregation with special need, i.e., dinners for new moms, meals for those following a hospitalization, or short term help with lawn cutting or snow removal. For assistance, please contact Jean Foltin by email at jfoltin5@comcast.net or by phone/text (847-738-8599), or Pastor Dale.
Altar Flowers: If you have a special date you would like to remember, please consider bringing flowers for our Sunday services. The calendar is on the bulletin board in the hallway. Vases are available for use in the kitchen cabinet behind the door. Flowers should be set out before the first service and can be picked up any time after the second service. Enter your first name on the calendar, as we have several families with the same last name. Any questions, please contact Jean Foltin.
Adult Vocal Choir: Weekly Thursday evening practices are at 7:30 in the sanctuary for all who enjoy singing in 4-part harmony.  Although the ability to read music is beneficial, it's not required if you can master your part by ear.  Practices conclude at 8:30 with group prayer followed by a brief fellowship time, sometimes with a snack we provide.  We sing on the 2nd and 4th Sundays monthly through Mother's Day, then breaks for summer . We especially need male voices!  Please join us!
Hand Bell Choir: Hand Bell Choir practices on Tuesday evenings 6:45 to 7:45pm at Peace.  We play 1 Sunday a month.  No experience needed. Come have some musical fun.
Peace Lutheran Church Facebook Page: Be sure to visit our Facebook page - Peace Lutheran Church of Lake Zurich. It's the one with recent posts. If you have an event or ministry you want promoted, and haven't seen it on our Facebook page, POST IT!! If you have questions or need help please email your request to one of the page administrators:  Allison Hearst, Karen Zicco, or Bridget Heroff.
Pictorial Directory on line:  A mobile version of our directory may now be accessed anytime, anywhere through our PLC website! To access it from your computer or phone, go to www.peacelutheranlz.com, scroll down to find, ‘On-line directory’, and click on it. An Access Code box will then appear;  enter ‘plc19’.  Questions?  Contact Jean Foltin. Need to update or add personal information? Contact Kristy Bennett.
Church Calendar: The church calendar shows events and activities of the church and is posted on our website. You can find it by clicking "Calendar of Events" on the home page, or you can access it by visiting http://peacelutheranlz.com/calendar/     If you have an event you want posted on the calendar, please email the church at the church social email:  office@peacelutheranlz.com   social@peacelutheranlz.com
Opt-Out Photo Release Forms: are on the main table in the narthex.  If you do NOT want your/family member picture on the Church's website or Facebook page please sign and put in President’s  mailbox in church office.
AmazonSmile: Shop on AmazonSmile and 0.5% of your purchase can be donated to Peace Lutheran. For information about it, go to http://smile.amazon.com/about.
Online Newsletter: Do you get the Peace Lutheran weekly newsletter Prints of Peace online?  If not, please send your email address to peacelzoffice@yahoo.com and ask to be added to the emailing list.
Have questions for the church council?  The PPC email is ppc@peacelutheranlz.com. If you wish to email a PPC member individually, please see below:
President             ppcpresident@peacelutheranlz.com          Jason Fralish
Vice President    ppcvicepresident@peacelutheranlz.com    Paul Bennett
Secretary             ppcsecretary@peacelutheranlz.com           Tim Harris
Treasurer             ppctreasurer@peacelutheranlz.com           Kirk Swanson
Transition Team transition@peacelutheranlz.com                      Fontaine Cleary                                                  This Week at Peace            
     December    15          8:00am                Worship (Holy Communion)
                                       9:15                     Sunday School, Coffee and Fellowship and
                                                                   New Members cookies and coffee
                                      10:30am              Worship (Holy Communion)
     December    16          6:30pm               Quilt Party at Koenig’s house            
                                       7:00pm                Al-Anon
     December    17          6:45pm               Bell Choir
     December    18          9:00am               Women’s Bible Study - Deer Park Panera
     December    19         12:30 - 6:30pm   Voice Lessons
                                      7:30 - 8:30          Adult Choir
    December     21         8:00am                Men’s Bible Study at Dunkin’ LZ
                                      10:30                   Joyful Noise Makers
     December    22          9:00am               Worship (Holy Communion) - one service only
                                       3:00                     Sunday School Christmas Pageant