Welcome to Worship at St. Matthew’sDecember 24, 2017

Good morning! May this time of worship and receiving God’s Word refresh and rejuvenate you for faithful living. Welcome, all! Introduction for the Day: God keeps the promise made to David, to give him an everlasting throne. The angel tells Mary that God will give David’s throne to her son Jesus. She is perplexed by Gabriel’s greeting and by the news of her coming pregnancy, but she is able to say, “Count me in.” We who know that Jesus is called

king only as he is executed still find it a mystery hard to fathom, but with Mary today we hear the news of what God is up to and say, “Count us in.”Communion: All baptized Christians who celebrate the real presence of Christ in the bread and wine are invited to the Lord’s Table. Gluten-free wafers are available if you ask your communion server. Those who desire juice instead of regular wine, please tell this to the communion assistant.

A Library book has been given to the church library by Leslie & Pat Gardner in honor of their daughter Hillary’s birthday.A donation has been made to the church library by Mark & Elaine Heinrich in honor of Mark’s aunt, Joyce Heinrich and in memory of Donald Heinrich.

Today is the 4th Sunday of Advent... and Christmas Eve. Later today, there are three Christmas Eve Services: at 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. On Monday, Christmas Day, there will be a 10 a.m. service.Worship Service on Sunday, December 31, the first Sunday after Christmas, will take place at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Christopher Manke giving the Gospel message.The next Healing Service will be offered on Sunday, January 7, 2018 during the Education Hour at 9:45 a.m. in the Sanctuary. Please note this change in January date from the Healing Service Calendar.Year-End contributions will be received in the church office through next Sunday’s offering, Sunday, December 31. The church office will also be open on Saturday, December 30 from 9 a.m. - 12 noon. Thank you for fulfilling your pledge commitments.

Bulletin Layout Planning___1__ Welcome Panel -Stock___1__ Staff Panel or Anncmnt Panel

ADDITIONAL PANELS for THIS WEEK

__10__ Bulletin Panels___1__ ESUP ___1__ Christmas Assistants___1__ ___1_____1__ Children’s Panel??

BULLETIN EMAIL - ADDITIONSWelcome to worship and fellowship in the body of Christ.

New Communion Copy:All are invited to the Table of our Lord Jesus Christ to re-ceive the real presence of Christ in bread and wine at the 8:30 service. St. Matthew’s welcomes children to receive the sacrament with parental support. Children or others not communing are always invited forward for a blessing.

If you are seated in the chapel and wish to come forward for communion please leave the chapel and join the center aisle line at any time during distribution. Gluten-free wafers are available if you ask your communion server. Those who desire juice instead of regular wine, please tell this to the communion assistant. Due to the weight of the communion trays, you may be asked to take your glass of wine from the tray as it is presented to you.

Celebrate the Joy with Christmas Worship

at St. Matthew’s

Come and celebrate Christmas at St. Matthew’s. Each service has its own feeling and expression of rejoicing in the birth of our Savior. There are 4 opportunities for Christmas worship:

Sunday, December 24 - Christmas Eve:8:30 a.m. 4th Sunday in Advent Service with Holy Communion and Senior Choir

* * * * * * *

4:00 p.m. Children and Family Service: This service includes the sights and sounds of Christmas (including the sounds of many children) with carols, readings, children’s choir and messages, a sermon and children’s participation.

7:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Traditional Service A special liturgy, handbell music, children’s and youth choirs, a St. Matthew’s orchestra and communion. Fifteen minutes of prelude Christmas music begins at 6:45 p.m.

10:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Traditional Candlelight Service Similar to the 7:00 communion service with music by the Senior Choir, Bells Angels, women’s quintet, and a St. Matthew’s orchestra. Prelude music begins at 9:45 p.m.

Christmas Day10:00 a.m. A quiet reflective service is offered on Christmas Day with the text being John 1:1... the order follows the Evangelical Lutheran Worship Book and communion is celebrated. Traditional hymns are sung throughout the service.

Sunday, December 31Worship Services on Sunday, December 31, 2017 will take place at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m.

St. Matthew’s Ev. Lutheran ChurchBulletin Announcements - December 24, 2017

Prayer Walk Group Meet on Monday mornings outdoors at the Menomonee River Parkway near Burleigh St. and Mount Mary at 8 a.m. and we will walk the parkway toward North Avenue. If it rains, we’ll meet at church and walk inside instead. A great way to start your day and your week! Join them on Mondays or contact Anne DeWitt for details: 414-840-8222

Coffee Today? Your donations at coffee time are directed toward the cost of the coffee. The price of coffee around the world is rising, so donations are more important than ever. Also, the Mt. Meru coffee we serve is a Fair Trade coffee from our partners in Tanzania which supports small farmers in the Mt. Meru region. There is a donation basket on the coffee table.

Communion: All baptized Christians who celebrate the real presence of Christ in the bread and wine are invited to the Lord’s Table at the 11:00 service. If you are seated in the chapel and wish to come forward for communion please leave the chapel and join the center aisle line at any time during distribution. Gluten-free wafers are available if you ask your communion server. Those who desire juice instead of regular wine, please tell this to the communion assistant. Due to the weight of the communion trays, you may be asked to take your glass of wine from the tray as it is presented to you.

St. Matthew’s building now has a password-protected wifi network. If you are at church and want to access our network, the password is: Welcome! (with a capital W and an exclamation point)

Christmas Undecorating will take place at a special time on Saturday, January 6, at 9 a.m. We hope you can give an hour or two of your time to help put away our beautiful Christmas decorations. Please sign up thru the church office so we can have an idea of how many are coming.

Celebrate Christmas With Us!December 24 8:30 a.m. 4th Sunday in Advent Communion Worship Service 4:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Family Service 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Traditional Candlelight Services Dec. 25: Christmas Day Worship, 10 a.m.Sunday, December 31 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. Worship Services (No 7:30 service)

Sunday, January 7 7:30 Holy Communion Service 8:30 and 11:00 Holy Communion Services 9:45 a.m. Sunday School

Taboo Talks—Faith and Politics: Moving Forward in a Time of DiscordWednesday, January 10th St. Matthew’s 6:00-8:00 p.m.You spoke. We listened. Please join us for our second of three conversations about faith and politics at St. Matthew’s facilitated by the Zeidler Center. Following up on our first discussion, with new questions and topics, come and have your opinions heard on how we might move forward as a church with a “Big Tent” of ideas and opinions and to reflect on where you sense we can move forward in spite of discord. All are welcome to join these conversations, whether you joined the first Taboo Talk or not. RSVP details will be published soon!

First Fridays Book Discussion Group meets monthly; next meeting January 5, 2018, 7 p.m. The book for discussion on Friday, Janu-ary 5 is: The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu)

A Note about Sunday Bulletin Distribution: In order to make good use of resources, fewer copies of the bulletin announcements section of your Sunday bulletin have been printed. These Bulletin Announcements Inserts are available at the Welcome Center, from an usher, or downstairs across from the church office. OR receive a sneak-peak email of these announcements and other panels on Friday morning of each week! Please sign up on the bottom of the Events Sign-Up panel in today’s bulletin and you will begin receiving the announcements as well as other notices on Fridays.

A note about healing: In ELW, at the beginning of the Healing service, we read: “Here all who sense the need for God’s healing in any aspect of their lives may join in prayers for

Week of December 25 - 31Monday: 10:00 Christmas Day ServiceTuesday:Office openWednesday: 7:00, LAC AuditionsThursday:10:00, Piano Tuning 5:00, El Salvador Trip RetreatFriday: 9:00, Bulletin StuffingSunday, Dec. 31 8:30 Worship Service11:00, Worship Service

New Dates:The next Healing Service will be offered on Sunday, January 7, 2018 during the Education Hour at 9:45 a.m. in the Sanctuary. Please note this change in January date from the Healing Service Calendar.The Annual Meeting of St. Matthew’s Congregation has been moved to Sunday, February 4, 2018, one week later than usual. Annual Reports will be available for pick-up by Sunday, January 28.

Adult Education each Sunday, 9:45-10:45 a.m. during Education Hour

Meets in the Upper RoomSunday January 7th: Learning to Listen with the Zeidler CenterLeaders and representative from the Zeidler Center for Public Discussion will join us for the Adult Ed Hour to share and reflect on their process of listening, facilitating, and having civil conversations, to further explain the Taboo Talks Series and findings from the November dialogues, and to answer questions you might have about how to engage in civil and respectful conversations with those we blatantly disagree with. Learn about how the 8th Commandment plays in as well! You’ll want to listen well!

Sunday January 14th and 21st: “In Sure and Certain Hope” Christian Funerals, Death and Dying, & Planning AheadHave you ever thought about what you’d want your funeral to be like? What have you noticed about the way we speak, sing, reflect, and think about dying and talk about life’s ending? Pastor Matt and Pastor Ann will lead us in discussions about the history, purpose, and outline of Christian funerals, answer your pressing questions, talk about cremation, burial, and culture around death, and lead and provide us with resources so you can work on thinking and planning about your own funeral service. Time will be given to work on compiling lists of hymns, bible passages, and other details of your own individual desires.

The Tanzania ConnectionOur journey is just beginning, and we need your help to ac-complish our goals of helping the poorest of the poor in Tanzania. Together (pamoja) we can!We will feature products from Tanzania through our “Connection Shop” for purchase. Look for these items in the Library commons. All proceeds from these sales will go towards our three expenses to begin our Pamoja Tool Shed. You can also make a donation to support this work as well. Check may be written out to St. Matthew’s. Please pay in the church office for any items you wish to purchase from the display outside the Upper room.To support this mission, we are asking for monetary donations towards establishing this work in Tanzania. These funds will go towards helping us with our three main costs: 1) Purchasing tools that will be loaned out for free to the needy, 2) employing an ambassa-dor in Tanzania who can manage and coordi-nate the equipment, and 3) the cost of renting space for our tool Pamoja shed.

Coming Sunday mornings in January/February-Book discussion for parents of teens!“Boundaries with Teens: When to Say Yes, How to Say No” by Dr. John Townsend Best selling author and counselor Dr. John Townsend offers insight and guidance you need to help your teens take responsibility for their actions, attitudes and emotions. This discus-sion group is for all parents of teens who are interested in taking the time to read the book, remain open-minded and engage in conversations with other parents. The group will meet on Sunday mornings from 10:00-10:45 (during adult education hour) starting January 7th. The book can be found through any book seller or purchased at the Welcome Center in December. Sign up is requested at the Welcome Center or by contacting Sue Swing, sueswing@sbcglobal.net

Upcoming Events

Children’s Ministry Groups are BACK!Come be a part of KFC/DOC for fun at church with your friends! All children in grades 1-5 are wel-come to be a part of Kids for Christ (grades 1-3) and Disciples of Christ (grades 4-5), along with friends. At these meetings, we usually eat pizza (bring $4), play games and talk, and have a devotional time.

DOC: Sunday, Jan. 17, 12:15-2:00 p.m.

KFC: Sunday, Jan. 31, 12:15-2:00 p.m.

These groups are led by Donna Gardner Manke and Pastor Chris Manke. Come and join us! It is help-ful to sign up by calling the church office, 774-0441, or Donna Gardner Manke, 414-774-5707, so that we have an idea of how many are coming.

Interested in large-print Sunday bul-letins? Do you have vision problems, or is someone you know dealing with that challenge? It has been suggested

Flower/Book Sign-Ups NeededYour Sign-Ups are needed for the altar flower/library book/DVD sign-up notebook! Want to honor a loved one or show someone you care? Designate altar flowers for them, or a library book. Sign up in the Binder at the Information Center. For a donation of $30.00, you may designate altar flowers, or for $20.00 a library book or a DVD for an occasion of your choosing, and this occasion will be listed in the Sunday bulletin. The Library Committee will select the book and a bookplate will be placed in the front of the book. The church office staff orders the flowers from A New Leaf Floral each week. It is best if you pay for your donations on the designated Sunday or before. Place a check in the offering plate and mark its purpose of payment, or drop off your payment in the office during the week. Thanks.

Adult Education Sunday January 7th: 9:45-10:45 a.m.Learning to Listen with the Zeidler Center Leaders and representative from the Zeidler Center for Public Discussion will join us for the Adult Ed Hour to share and reflect on their process of listening, facilitating, and having civil conversations, to further explain the Taboo Talks Series and findings from the November dialogues, and to answer questions you might have about how to engage in civil and respectful conversations with those we blatantly disagree with. Learn about how the 8th Commandment plays in as well! You’ll want to listen well!

Year-End Giving Opportunity:El Salvador partners to receive Food Shipment soonMany people in El Salvador face the challenge of food insecurity as a result of poverty, natural disaster, drought, or a combination of all three. The Salvadoran Lutheran Church is fully engaged in developing sustainable ways of combatting hunger, but there are still times when emergency food is desperately needed by families in poor communities. For that reason, St. Matthew’s sponsors regular shipments of nutritionally fortified rice meals to El Salvador, where they are distributed by Lutheran churches. The shipment of this food is made possible by the generosity of St. Matthew’s members. The next shipping container of food is scheduled to leave the US in early January. We are asking for your support once again to cover the $6000 shipping cost for this container of food. Checks should be made to St. Matthew’s with “El Salvador Food” written in the memo line.Thank you for your generosity. The people in El Salvador are so grateful for this buffer against hunger.

Caregivers Group meets 2nd and 4th Monday afternoons - Sharing Joys and Challenges The caregivers group will meet in the Library at 1:00 on the following dates: January 8th and 22nd.The group is facilitated by Sharon Thiel, and you are welcome to attend.

Saturday, January 13 at 6 p.m.Bring Your Winning Chili to Fellowship Chili Cook-Off and Game Night!Calling all chefs! Bring your award-win-ning Chili to share and grab your favorite board games as we gather for a night of fierce competition! St. Matt’s will take care of the drinks and sides—bring your best, your spiciest, your meatiest, your healthi-est, or your veggie chili! We’ll give prizes to the best chili, most creative chili, and many others, enjoy getting to know others from St. Matthew’s, and learn a new board game or two! Fun for all ages!

St. Matthew’s now live streams worship services: Did you miss a church service that you didn’t want to miss? Are you out of town for the weekend? Can’t come to church because it’s just too hard?Check out St. Matthew’s Live Stream of Worship Services on Sunday mornings. Go to our website, and click on the “Live Feed” link on the home page, just above the four boxes toward the bottom of the page. (www.stmattslutheran.org)

EVERY SUNDAY

During the Sunday morning prayers:St. Matthew’s has been praying through the year-long Ecumenical Prayer Cycle, a project of the World Council of Churches, whereby congregations pray for each country and nation of the world by including nations each week in the prayers:

Dec. 24: Japan, North Korea, South Korea, TaiwanGive thanks for:Those who witness to the self-giving love of Christ in the midst of cultures that value individual prosperity.Those who are working towards peace and reunification in the Korean peninsula.Christians in Japan and Taiwan who serve Christ even when they are small minorities.Pray for:An end to political unrest, border disputes and nuclear weapons.Greater protection of human rights and a decrease in political corruption.Those families torn apart by the separation of North and South Korea.Peace in this region of frequent tension and misunderstanding.Those in North Korea who suffer from malnutrition and starvation.Hope for people in North Korea who live in despair.A just and peaceful resolution to all political disputes, especially tensions between China, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.Those who seek power, prestige and wealth at the expense of spiritual wholeness, that they may be filled and renewed.Indigenous peoples in Taiwan.Look for the map in the Upper Commons by the windows for a visual representation of countries we’ve prayed for so far.

Sunday Morning Volunteers St. Matthew’s uses Ministry Scheduler Pro (MSP) an on-line scheduling program to schedule our Sunday morning volunteers. A few notes for current volunteers: • The current schedule runs

through December and is available on-line.

• Update your availability for January-March, too!

Please contact Sue Swing; sueswing@sbcglobal.net 414-774-0441 for any schedule questions.

Flower/Book Sign-Ups Needed Your Sign-Ups are needed for the altar flower/library book/DVD sign-up notebook! Want to honor a loved one or show someone you care? The 2018 months are now available for sign-up. Designate altar flowers for them, or a library book. Sign up in the Binder at the Information Center.

Prayer Walk Group Meet on Monday mornings outdoors at the Menomonee River Parkway near Burleigh St. and Mount Mary at 8 a.m. and we will walk the parkway toward North Avenue. If it rains, we’ll meet at church and walk inside instead. A great way to start your day and your week! Join them on Mondays or contact Anne DeWitt for details: 414-840-8222.

Up-Tosa Interfaith Helps Our community’s Seniors Older adults in the Tosa area have needs such as rides to the doctor, for grocery shopping, for companion visits, for phone visits, and for doing light housekeeping such as cleaning or grass cutting. Can you consider giving a few hours per month to help the elderly in our community? Once you sign up you have complete flexibility on how much or how little you do and when you do it. Maybe once a month, maybe weekly, maybe only a couple of times a year. The choice is yours – and it’s a wonderful opportunity to meet interesting people. You may call the Greater Tosa Interfaith office directly at 414-453-5750.

Coffee available for purchased in the church office this summer: Are you a regular buyer of Mt. Meru Coffee from coffee farmers in Tanzania? Or have you yet to try it? Well, now it’s going to be readily available for purchase in the church office. It sells for $10/bag, and is available in drip and whole bean, regular and decaf. There are also some available in K-cups which we can order for you. Help support this important partnership with Tanzania coffee growers. Mmmm, justice never tasted so good! Also, with Bruce Johnson retiring, Rosie Haas needs help with coffee and chocolate sales in the fall on the 2nd & 4th Sundays of each month. If you can help, contact Rosie (by email: rmhaas1@gmail.com) or speak with Sue Swing.

Tosa Interfaith Helps Our community’s Seniors Older adults in the Tosa area have needs such as rides to the doctor, for grocery shopping, for companion visits, for phone visits, and for doing light housekeeping such as cleaning or grass cutting. Can you consider giving a few hours per month to help the elderly in our community? Once you sign up you have complete flexibility on how much or how little you do and when you do it. Maybe once a month, maybe weekly, maybe only a couple of times a year. The choice is yours – and it’s a wonderful opportunity to meet interesting people. You may call the Greater Tosa Interfaith office directly at 414-453-5750.

St. Matthew’s now live streams worship services:Did you miss a church service that you didn’t want to miss? Are you out of town for the weekend? Can’t come to church because it’s just too hard?Check out St. Matthew’s Live Stream of Worship Services on Sunday mornings. Go to our website, and click on the “Live Feed” link on the home page, just above the four boxes toward the bottom of the page. (www.stmattslutheran.org)St. Matthew’s YouTube page has many videos from previous worship services and adult education presentations. You can even watch last Sunday’s worship services!Look for the St. Matt’s Tosa YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/user/StMattsTosa)And see what you missed!Thanks to our Technology Committee for their work in making this possible.

Now Collecting Breakfast Items for Repairers of the Breach Homeless Outreach Center: We have been made aware of their needs for these specific items: • Instant Oatmeal packets with

no sugar or fruit • Boxes of Low-sugar cereal

such as Wheaties, Cheerios, Special K, Kix

• Splenda low-calorie sweetener • COFFEE - regular ground, for

drip makersThese items are being collected in a box outside the church office. Thank you!

Calling All Snow ShovelersIf you or someone you know is interested in shoveling snow for our local elders please consider becoming a volunteer. After filling out a volunteer application we will add you to a list by neighborhood. You can shovel as little or as much as you want. Even one or twice this winter would be greatly appreciated.Our older adults are desperate for assistance with their shoveling needs. Call 414-453-5750, Greater Tosa Interfaith Neighborhood Outreach Program.

These over-the-counter medications are needed at the Bread of Healing Clinic at Cross Lutheran Church:

Claritin - Loratidine - 10 mg.Zyrtec - Cetirizine - 10 mg.Zantac - Ranitidine - 150 mg.Pepcid - Famotidine - 20 mg.

Prices are generally better for these items at Costco or Sam’s Club or Walmart.Also, Pill Splitters, which are available at the Dollar Store, are useful. Please con-sider picking up a couple of these to donate the next time you’re out shopping. Thanks!Tom Wilke volunteers in the clinic two days every week, and he shares this need with us. Please bring any of these items to the box in the food collection area outside the church office. Thank you so much for your support.

Battery Recycling: St. Matthews will be again, for a limited time (or longer, if it works out), offering a household battery collection. Type of batteries include:

AA, AAA, C, D, 9V & LanternMade up of: AlkalineLead-acidLithiumLithium IonMercuryNickel CadmiumNickel Metal HydrideSilverZinc Carbon

Please tape both ends of the battery to prevent them from short circuiting/corroding and place them in the blue battery recycling container, located in the “collection” area at the Education entrance. Thanks for being Environmentally conscious!

Ongoing Collection for Guest House: We have updated the list of ongoing needs for the Guest House. Please consider picking up one or two of these items when you’re shop-ping and drop them off in the box outside the church office. Thanks for your support of this important ministry.

Spray deodorant ShampooBody Wash Foot PowderCologne or aftershave Laundry Bags Men’s watches Men’s wallets

Simply Giving: St. Matthew’s Stewardship Committee partners with Thrivent Financial for electronic transfer of contributions from parishioners’ checking or savings accounts directly to St. Matthew’s bank account. For more information or to request enrollment documents, contact Jen in the church office, 414-774-0441 or jenkramer414@gmail.com.

Thank you to those who contributed to the Cross lunch meal this past Wednesday. Approximately 250 people were served. What a great

variety of salads, fruits, and desserts we had. Thank you for taking time from your schedule to remember those in our community who are “food-insecure.” And a shout-out to Tom Geib for his leadership of this ministry and his ongoing dedication to Cross’s monthly meal as well as the Repairers of the Breach bag lunches that are packed twice a month here.

The St. Matthew’s Meal Outreach Ministry

Just One More: Volunteers assemble packaged meals to be picked up by area churches and programs each weekday morning at 9:00 a.m. Food packing takes place at 6442 River Parkway, Wauwatosa. Call the JOMM office at 414-292-5112; OR go online to the JOMM website: jomministry.org and click on “volunteer” - you can sign up right there!Guest House: Three to four volunteers are needed each month to prepare and serve a dinner for 85 men at the Guest House, a homeless shelter in Milwaukee. Please contact Carl Johnson by phone 414-771-1023, by text 312-209-4248, or by email johnsoncr@cdmsmith.com to sign-up. Now seeking volunteers for January 14.Repairers of the Breach: We supply 100 bag lunches for the homeless twice a month. We pack the lunches at church on the 2nd and 4th Sunday mornings at 9:45 a.m. Volunteers are needed to provide beverages, fruit, chips and sweets and/or pack the lunches. Contact Tom Geib (414-321-3391).Serenity Inn: Volunteers prepare and serve 6-8 residents the second Sunday of each month. Volunteers carpool meeting at church at 5:15 returning at 7:15. Seeking volunteers for January 14. New Coordinator: Rachel Vetter; rcvetter@gmail.com.Cross Lutheran Lunch Program We serve 300-400 people on the fourth Wednesday of each month at Cross Lutheran Church, 1821 N. 16th Street. We carpool from St. Matthew’s at 10:45 a.m. and serve beginning at about 11:30 and returning to St. Matt’s at about 1:00. Next Meal: Wednesday, January 24, 2018. Pick up a card in worship on the Sunday prior to the meal to donate food.

2018 Contribution Envelopes are now available for pick-up - Library Commons2018 Contributions are now available for pick-up in the Library Commons. We encourage using contribution envelopes for your church donations. If loose checks are donated, the office staff must cross-reference your name to your number. This is somewhat time-consuming and is a possible source of errors in making sure you contribution is credited properly to your giving account. Please note that if you participate in the Simply Giving automatic withdrawal giving program, you will not be assigned offering envelopes.

St. Matthew’s hosts Blood Drive for Blood Center of Southeast Wisconsin -- Monday, January 29, 2018, 3-7 p.m. Blood is the essence of life and to give selflessly can make you feel more connected to your community and to the world around you. It’s a fulfilling, powerful and enriching experience to know that your donation could save lives. Unfortunately, fewer than 5% of people who are eligible to donate actually do. Imagine the lives that could be touched by your gift. It’s a quick, simple and amazing way to give back to the community.

Special thanks to the Charlson Family (John Kristen, Grace and Kate) for their generosity and team work in serving the dinner on December 10. Three to four volunteers are needed each month to pre-pare and serve a dinner for 85 men at the Guest House, a homeless shelter in Milwaukee. Please contact Carl Johnson by phone 414-771-1023, by text 312-209-4248, or by email johnsoncr@cdmsmith.com to sign-up.

Sunday School and Youth Education Ministries Simply Giving: St. Matthew’s Stewardship Committee partners with Thrivent Financial for electronic transfer of contributions from parishioners’ checking or savings accounts directly to St. Matthew’s bank account. For more information or to request enrollment documents, contact Jen in the church office, 414-774-0441 or jenkramer414@gmail.com.

We have Gorgeous Stained Glass Windows at St. Matthew’s: And now we have a beautiful new book featuring photographs taken by Pastor Chris Manke and descriptions written about them by St. Matthew’s first senior pastor, The Rev. William Niebling. They are available at the Welcome Center and in the church office for only $20. Special thanks to Linda Chadwick, who arranged the photos and descriptions and created the keepsake book.

Flower/Book Sign-Ups NeededYour Sign-Ups are needed for the altar flower/library book/DVD sign-up notebook! Want to honor a loved one or show someone you care? Designate altar flowers for them, or a library book. Sign up in the Binder at the Information Center. For a donation of $30.00, you may designate altar flowers, or for $20.00 a library book or a DVD for an occasion of your choosing, and this occasion will be listed in the Sunday bulletin. The Library Committee will select the book and a bookplate will be placed in the front of the book. The church office staff orders the flowers from A New Leaf Floral each week. It is best if you pay for your donations on the designated Sunday or before. Place a check in the offering plate and mark its purpose of payment, or drop

Spark Story Bibles Available from Church Office The Spark Story Bible is a Bible story book intended for children from age 2 years up into 2nd grade. The book is published by Augsburg Fortress and includes lively and accessible re-tellings of 150 key Bible stories, accompanied by vibrant illustrations. This is the Bible that is used in conjunction with the preschool and kindergarten Sunday School curriculum at St. Matthew’s, and it is very child-friendly and engaging. If you would like one in your home, we have some copies in the church office that can be purchased for $20.

Confirmation Schedule for December-January:7th & 8th gradesWednesday, Dec. 27: No ClassWednesday, January 3: Big Group, 7:00-8:30Wednesday, January 10: Servant NightWed., Jan. 17: Fellowship Night - Study for Final ExamContact Pastor Chris with questions.

Annual Youth Ski Trip Weekend is February 24th – 25th Middle and High School youth are invited to join us for skiing or snowboarding and enjoying the beauty of God’s winter creation as we head to Granite Peak in Wausau for two days of skiing. Watch the next issue of the Voice for more details.

Do We Have Sunday School This Week? With the holiday season upon us, this may be a question in your house. Here’s the answer: Sunday School will NOT meet on December 24th and December 31st. We will start up again on Sunday, January 7th. There will be a big group on that day for 1st – 5th graders.

Next Monthly Meeting for Youth Mission Trip is January 7th - The next monthly meeting for the 2018 Youth Mission Trip to Washington will be Sunday, January 7th at 12:15 in Fellowship Hall. All youth planning on going on the trip should plan to attend. Please bring $5 for lunch.

Ninth Graders who were confirmed on November 12: Your packets are available for pick-up near the Welcome Center, by the Chapel doors. You have a large envelope with your certificate, photo, and bulletin. Please pick yours up today!

Pop Top Collection: After a hiatus from collecting soda pop can pull tabs, we will resume the collection at this time. These pop tabs are given to the Ronald McDonald House toward the good work they do in housing out-of-town families of patients at Children’s Hospital. The collection spot will be at the entrance of the Education wing, near the other recycling and Reformation pick-up area.

Simply Giving: St. Matthew’s Stewardship Committee partners with Thrivent Financial for electronic transfer of contributions from parishioners’ checking or savings accounts directly to St. Matthew’s bank account. For more information or to request enrollment documents, contact Jen in the church office, 414-774-0441 or jenkramer414@gmail.com

Gifts of Stock are WelcomeGifts of stock are always welcome at St. Matthew’s. Our brokerage account is with Robert W. Baird here in the Milwaukee area. The contact person is Curt Brewer, 262-523-5644. He can arrange to have your gift transferred directly from your account to St. Matthew’s brokerage account. Consult with your tax advisor to see if this has significant advantages for you. As always, feel free to contact Jen in the church office with questions.

Coffee and Chocolate will be available for sale in the Upper Commons near the windows this Sunday, October 22. Plan now to refresh your supplies! Justice never tasted so good!

Benefits of MusicCome Join Us in the MusicOne of the most wonderful rewards of being part of a musical ensemble is the opportunity to create some-thing more beautiful than any one musician could create alone. When you contribute your talents to the mu-sical and spiritual life of the church, you help enrich our collective congre-gation and nurture the spirit of all.When do Choirs Resume?All are welcome to join in singing or ringing.

Bells Angels (Adults) Thursdays starting 1/4, 6:15-7:30

Senior Choir (adults) Thursdays starting 1/4, 7:30-9:00

New Generation Choir Wednesdays starting 1/10, 6:00-6:45

New Creation Choir Wednesdays starting 1/10, 7:00-8:00

The EmBELLishments Tuesdays starting 1/23, 9:30-10:30

Praise KidsThursdays starting 2/1, 4:00-5:00

City Tins are available at St. Matthew’s with proceeds from the sales going to the youth and El Salvador mission trips. There are 7 types of City Tins: Milwaukee Restaurant, Milwaukee Bar and Lounge, Milwaukee Performing Arts, Madison Restaurant, Madison Bar and Lounge, Fox River Valley Restaurant, and Cedarburg Staycation. City Tins are filled with 20 or more coaster gift cards, each worth $10 off a $25 tab at locally-owned venues. The cost of the tins, which make perfect birthday or Christmas gifts, is $30. If you ordered a City Tin at the Welcome Center, you can pick up and pay for your order in the church office. During the Education Hour on Sunday mornings, 9:45-10:45 a.m., the office will be open for these purchases; and also during the week.Get yours soon - we won’t have extras available in the office much longer.

Men’s Breakfast set for January 20The next Men’s Breakfast will be Saturday, January 20, 2018. The topic will be, The Opioid Problem from a Healthcare Perspective. The presenter will be Mary-Anne Kowol, MD, Addiction Psychiatry, Medical College of Wisconsin.The opioid problem is a prominent issue in the news and in the effects it has on millions of people’s lives in our country. Come and learn how healthcare providers treat those who are addicted to opioids.Our guest speaker on this topic is Dr. Mary-Anne Kowol, from the Medical College of Wisconsin. Her interest is in education about addiction as a disease and decreasing the stigma that goes with this disease.Please join us for food, fellowship, and a chance to learn more about this increasingly important topic in the life of our country.

Are you a caregiver who could use a listening ear? The Caregiver Support Group will meet on the following Mondays at 1 p.m. in the Library.Next mtg: May 8 & 22If you are a caregiver and would like to come and chat with others about the challenges and blessings of caregivers and resources available, you’re invited to attend. The group is facilitated by Sharon Thiel.

Vacation Bible School is the biggest event of the summer at St. Matthew’s. Mark your calendars now for August 7-11, 2017, from 8:45-11:45 a.m. each morning for ages (going into) 4K through 5th grade. Your friends, neighbors, cousins and family members are welcome! Adults, please consider giving of your time during VBS week. We need dozens of grown-ups to make the week successful. And we also need youth volunteers. Watch for a volunteer sign-up in the next few weeks, and begin signing up your children for Vacation Bible School in early June. Questions can be directed to the church office and/or Donna Gardner Manke.

‘Forward in Faith’ Annual Stewardship Program continues - did you get your packet yet?On October 22, we began this year’s stewardship campaign, ‘Forward In Faith.’ Our annual stewardship campaign is important in that it helps us determine our volunteers for next year’s ministries and it provides pledge amounts to set the church’s annual budget.As you complete your commitments for 2018, we ask that you please prayerfully consider how you can help St. Matthew’s continue to be a special place through financial commitments and/or involvement in our many activities and ministries.Thank you for your continued strong commitment and support of St. Matthew’s!

Have you considered joining The Lutheran A Cappella Choir?Following two highly successful performances of our Christmas Concert, “Savior of the Nations, Come”, sung before an audience of more than 400, the Lutheran A Cappella Choir of Milwaukee is announcing auditions for the second half of our singing season. Interested singers of all faiths with previous choral singing experience in all voice parts are welcome to audition.Scheduled audition dates are Wednesday, December 27th from 7:00-8:30pm, and again on Tuesday, January 2nd from 7:00-8:30pm. Auditions will be held at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, 1615 N. Wauwatosa Ave., Wauwatosa, where the choir also rehearses. Auditions are by appointment only. Singers wishing to schedule an audition, or for more information about the audition or the choir should send an email to director@lutheranacappella.org. Singers unable to make either date may work out another mutually convenient time with the director.

Synod Support: We are close to our goal; Only $1500 away! Your gift will be matched TWICE!One of the organizations that we support yearly with our benevolence dollars, is our Synod – The Greater Milwaukee Synod of Wisconsin. Our synod, led by our Bishop, Paul Erickson, supports the ministries of our ELCA Lutheran congregations throughout the South Eastern region of Wisconsin (from the Illinois border north to Sheboygan and from the lake west to Oconomowoc). The Synod’s work involves activities such as supporting us through the clergy call process (three times here recently at St. Matt’s with call committees calling new pastors), financially helping various inner city ministries such as our partners Reformation and Cross, supporting financially our national church ELCA and all of its ministries, offering education opportunities to clergy and congregations, and helping congregations that are in crisis, just to name a few.All donations labeled for Synod Support up to $6000 will matched. Thank you for supporting the work of our Greater Milwaukee Synod!

Planning to Make a Year-End Contribution?There are three ways to have your year end contribution to St. Matthew’s count toward the 2017 tax year.1) Bring your offering to the church office in

person on, Friday, December 29, 2017 by 4:30 p.m. or on Saturday, December 30, 2017, from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon.

2) Place your offering in the plate at any of the services on or before Sunday, December 31, 2017.

3) Mail in a check dated 12/31/17 or earlier, however, the envelope must bear a postmark of 12/31/17 or earlier.

As always, feel free to contact Jen in the church office at 414-774-0441 or jen@stmattslutheran.org with any questions.

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Ministers ThePeopleofSt.Matthew’sEv.LutheranChurchLeadPastor TheRev.ChristopherJ.P.MankeAssociatePastor TheRev.MatthewSchlake-KruseAssociatePastor TheRev.AnnWilliamsMusicMinister/Organist/NewGeneration&AdultHandbellChoirs JohnR.ParadowskiDirectorofYouthMinistries&Children’sEducationCoordinator GretchenHaugseVolunteerMinistries/SmallGroups/AdultEducation SueSwingDirectorofOlderAdultMinistries JuliaMurphyChildren’sMinistryCoordinator DonnaGardnerMankeSundaySchoolSupport JenniferDuganTechnologyCoordinator BrianSmithLibraryCoordinator(Volunteer) LindaWunderlichSeniorChoirDirector DavidMohrYouthHandbellChoirs JeffreyReevesNewCreationChoir JeffreyReevesandJohnParadowski;HeideHughes,accompanistPraiseKids!Directors(Jr.K-2grades) JeffReevesandAmyDankwardtFinancialAdministrator JenniferKramerOfficeAssistant JillDueCommunicationsSecretary SonjaMohrCustodian MarshaOlsonJanitor RobertGardnerJanitor DaveFagerbergPastorEmeritus TheRev.GaryErickson

Vision Statement: Guided byGod’s Spirit andGrace, we are a community ofdisciplesgrowinginfaith,hopeandloveinourLordandSaviorJesusChrist.(What we want to become)

Mission Statement: Called to fulfill the Great Commission, St. Matthew’swelcomesalltofaithinJesusChrist,nurturesourfaithjourney,equipsustoserveothers,andsendsusintotheworldtomakeadifferenceinJesus’name.(What we are going to do)

Values: Wewant to be people who grow in our Spiritual fruitfulness, which isshown through the Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness,Goodness,Faithfulness,Gentleness,Self-control.(Who we want to be)