. . .

A Moment

With Mark

Shiloh News December 2019 • Volume 10 Issue 12

The song says, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”

I guess it depends on who you are, as to when the time

begins. The major retailers must count on Halloween as

the “second most wonderful time of the

year.” You may have noticed there doesn’t

seem to be any notice of autumn other than

Halloween. When the jack-o-lantern décor

is put away (or in some places before) - the

inflatable Santas, reindeer, and Christmas

trees come out. Does this help you better

prepare for Christmas? Are you more

excited about celebrating the birth of Jesus

because the retailers make you think about

it sooner? Or does the early commercial

push have a negative effect and cause you to roll your eyes

and get stressed about the shopping you need to do?

When I was a kid, one of the early signs that Christmas

was coming was an Advent calendar in our kitchen. We

had a couple of different kinds. One kind had little

perforated windows or doors to open and reveal a picture;

another had candy for each day. My grandmother sent us

one which was reusable each year. It was a

felt Christmas tree on a banner with the

calendar below. Each day in December we

could unpin a felt ornament and put it on the

tree. We always saved the star on top for

Christmas Eve.

The point of the Advent season and Advent

calendars is to have time to prepare for the

arrival of Jesus. The term “advent” actually

means “the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.”

Preparing for Christmas means using the Advent season to

refocus on the excitement of God coming to earth as a

baby to become our Savior. It’s interesting to me that this

time of the year gets so busy with parties, shopping, food,

fun, and gifts that we could very easily miss Christmas

completely.

On the first Christmas, Jesus was born a tiny baby in a

stable. He gave us two gifts, one greater than the other.

That one is obviously loving us so much that He died for

us. The other gift He gave us was His example of how to

live. From His humble birth in that stable he was never

concerned with what He got for Christmas. He came to

give.

As we prepare for Christmas this year let’s

anticipate the birth of our Savior with new

thoughts. This could be a time of

repentance, a time to reflect on why you

need a Savior. Instead of an Advent

calendar, you could write a fresh journal

entry each day of December to help you

reflect on Him. If you need help getting

started, read about the events leading to

Jesus’ birth in Luke 1-2. Look for ways

people prepared for the first Christmas.

Or imagine what it would be like to meet Jesus for the first

time now. How would meeting Jesus today be different

from when you first met Him? What would your life have

been like without Him until now? What a blessing it is to

know Him.

There are also several ways you can give of yourself during

Advent. You can help spread the Good News

by being part of the Sharing Program at Shiloh.

Your gifts of food or by shopping for a child will

be a great help. You can also deliver the gifts,

meet the families, share and pray with them.

Another way would be to give some of your

time and ring the bell for the Salvation Army.

Sign up to ring on Dec 7th with Shiloh, or

arrange a time of your own at

https://www.registertoring.com/

Whatever you do to get ready for Christmas, be

intentional about Advent. With all your family, fun, and

food, focus on Him.

Anxiously awaiting His arrival,

Pastor Mark

December Sermons

Four out of five Sundays in

December are focusing on

preparation for and fully

enjoying Christmas. Using ideas from

a little book called Advent Conspiracy we

are going to bring Advent and Christmas back

to a time of worship and compassion and do our best to remove

commercialism and excess. I hope you will join us every Sunday

morning for a fresh look at the celebration of Jesus’ birth.

If you miss a Sunday morning, the sermons are available online at

www.gotoshiloh.org or on CD in the church library.

Dec. 1 - Experiencing Christmas

Dec. 8 - Treasures in Heaven

Dec. 15 - Giving Relationally

Dec. 22 - The Least of These

Dec. 24 - Christmas Eve

Dec. 29 - VISION 2020

CU Sunday!

Lunch Bunch

Lunch Bunch is a great gathering for food and fellowship each month. Mark your calendars now and clip this article as a reminder so you won’t miss the fun. See you at Silver Lake at

11:30 a.m. on December 19th!!

Looking to stay in touch?

Follow us on FACEBOOK @ SHILOH CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Visit us on the Web @: www.gotoshiloh.org Email us at: gotoshiloh@gmail.com

NEWSLETTER DEADLINE: Articles for the January

Shiloh News need to be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Monday, December 30. Please submit articles to the church office or email them to klcourtad@gmail.com

Nursery Schedule

Please look for your name on the list. If you are scheduled to work on a Sunday when you won’t be at church, please check with others on the list and trade dates.

December

1 – Brent & Allison Chambers; Christy Carlson 8 – Joe & Tracy Franklin; Aryn Freels 15 – Justin & Chelsy Roller; Deb Musall 22 – Lucy Marshall; Kathy Kennell 29 – Ed & Patty Waters; Linnea Lebo

January

5 – Paul &Vickie Hutsell; Nettie Brosge 12 – Bob & Alicia Pifer; Becky Partin 19 – Levi & Krista Pullen; Carol Sue Hayworth 26 – Steve & Chandra Felker; Krystal Shaffer

See Paul Hutsell if you’d like to be on the Nursery Volunteer list.

Sundays from 8:45 to 9:25 a.m. In the Fellowship Hall

All are welcome! Sunday school classes begin promptly at 9:30 a.m.

Shiloh Women's Fellowship enjoyed the

music of the Hilltop Strings dulcimer musicians group at the Nov. 13 meeting.

The Bake Sale on November 17 was a huge success, with about $1000 raised for future service projects. Thanks to all who baked and

all who purchased!

December 4 at 6 p.m. - The next meeting will be the Christmas party at the home of Faye Shanks, 3712 Robert Dive. Bring a $5 ornament to exchange, and

plan to have a good time!! ALL WOMEN of Shiloh are invited! This is a great time to meet new people. January 6 - SWF will host a Red Cross Blood Drive at Shiloh from 2-7 p.m. Please consider donating blood, or donating your time as a hostess. More information will be coming soon. If you haven't volunteered in the Emmaus Food Pantry on Tuesdays, you're missing an opportunity for blessing and to bless others! Sign-up in the Narthex to volunteer for a few hours soon! THANK YOU to so many who support the activities of our Women's Fellowship group!!

.

Bell choir will practice at 9 a.m. on Dec. 1 and Dec. 8. We

will perform during service on Dec. 15 and practice in the

sanctuary at 9 a.m.

We will take a winter break with NO practice until 9 a.m.

on Feb. 2. We will schedule our 2020 performances and

let you know.

Thanks for your commitment to our bell ringers. Merry

Christmas and Happy New Year!

Nancy and Carol Sue

November 9

7:30 A.M.

We may need to change the name. It

is exciting to see the men of Shiloh come out for

breakfast and Christian fellowship on a Saturday

morning. Join us December 14 at 7:30 a.m. as we

continue to study the Biblical aspects of playing the

man through Mark Batterson’s book Play the Man.

Plan to join us and sign up early so there will be plenty

of breakfast. If you don’t sign up and discover you can

come, please come anyway.

Saturday, December 14

7:30 A.M.

Special Notice

The church board has been working on trying to obtain 501(c)

(3) status, but we need help. A small committee is going to be

formed to help move this along. We want to know if you can

help … ask yourself these questions: Are you able to do your

own taxes? Do you help manage a farm / run your own

business? Are you good with reading instructions and

following them to complete a task or job?

If you answered yes to any of these, then we could use your

help. Please get in touch with either Ed Waters or Christy

Carlson if you are willing and able to lend your time and talent

to this committee.

Frank and Carol Gaumer

Golden Wedding Anniversary

OPEN HOUSE

DECEMBER 22 1-5 P.M.

Shiloh’s Fellowship Hall

All are invited to help them celebrate!

Place your order by Sunday, Dec. 8, and your gift cards will

be handed to you on the 15th. Even Amazon can’t beat that

for convenience.

Check out all the

merchants that offer a rebate to Shiloh’s Youth group –

there are hundreds of them! If you don’t have a list, pick

one up at the Information Station or check the website at

https://www.shopwithscrip.com/

Just by shopping at ShopWithScrip, you’ll be

giving a gift to Shiloh’s Youth Group!

Merry Christmas!

This year Shiloh will be ringing the bells for the Salvation Army at

D&R Fruit Market in Logansport on December 7th. There is a

sign-up sheet to sign up to fill a half hour timeslot or two. The

bell will be provided, but if you would rather sing plan for that.

Dress warm, the Red Kettle is under cover, but outdoors. This is a

great way to give a little to the community.

Sunday, December 1

Staying at a Best Western will earn 12%.

There is still

time to order

for Christmas!

Shiloh Youth Group would like to invite the church

to join in the Hanging of the Greens on December

1st following church services. We will be

preparing the building for celebrating the birth of

our Savior.

RED KETTLE CAMPAIGN

Christmas Eve – 7 P.M.

I wonder as I wander how many good Christian

men rejoice what child is this. It came upon a

midnight clear in the little town of Bethlehem,

far away in a manger.

Christmas Eve is the holy night we remember and

celebrate the first noel. Oh come all ye faithful

as we gather and rejoice together in spoken word

and in song. At 7:00 Christmas Eve we will

worship our newborn King together, celebrating

the night that changed the world.

MISSION SPOTLIGHT

In memory of

Bob Carlson.....

Without a doubt, Bob

Carlson lived his life

as a great witness for

Christ. He was

passionate about

sharing the Gospel

through his work as a

member of Gideons

International. For many years, Bob was active in

the local association, involved in a wide variety of

service projects, all aimed at spreading the Good

News. Pairs of Gideons would visit as many as 50

area churches annually, offering to pray with the

pastors, and offering to return and speak. Bob

became an approved Gideon speaker, and spoke in

many churches.

He built relationships with several area pastors,

encouraging them with visits and letters. When

Don Eller asked Bob to partner with the Royal

Center Methodist Church's backpack ministry, Bob

was there - with free Gideon Bibles for all the

children. Bob participated in the ministry at

Purdue University, standing on the street,

distributing New Testaments to students. Bob and

Grace enjoyed attending many of the annual Faith

Banquets, where Gideon chapters would come

together for growing in Christ and for fundraising,

once attending the National gathering in

Indianapolis.

Bob was actively involved in the jail ministry,

serving as a mentor for Tracy, who is currently

incarcerated. As a long-time treasurer for the local

association, Bob served his organization with

energy and conviction. Bob lived out his faith with

great joy! He will certainly be missed.....

From the Gideon's website......

THE GOSPEL CHANGES

EVERYTHING

"…The Word of God is living and active." Hebrews 4:12

"The Gideons International is

the result of a meeting between two men who

wished to band commercial travelers together for

evangelism. What began in 1908 as an Association

of Christian businessmen placing Bibles in hotel

rooms has evolved into an expanding mission to

provide Scriptures to all people in nearly every facet

of life. Today, we have taken more than 2 billion

Scriptures in more than 95 languages to 200

countries, territories, and possessions across the

globe.

We exist as an advocate for the lost, to bring them

the saving knowledge of the Word through not only

placing and distributing Scriptures, but also through

personal witnessing and by associating together for

service. As a united force for the Gospel, we remain

rooted in tradition, but we operate under the firm

belief that anyone can be a valuable asset to this

invaluable cause. We provide many opportunities to

partner with us through either prayer or financial

support. Join us, and let's spread the Good News."

To learn more, or to make a contribution to the

Gideons in memory of Bob, visit www.gideons.org

The History of the Christmas Sharing Program at Shiloh

(For those who may be newer to the Sharing Program - here is a brief history of how this tradition was started almost 70 years ago…) In the early 1950’s, my father Earl Jackson saw an opportunity to share what we at Shiloh have with those in our community that could use some assistance for whatever reason. He had a compassion for those having less, as he himself was from a family of eight. The goal was to provide enough food that a family could prepare a delicious Christmas meal to enjoy. Included with each delivery of food was a Bible for the family. As we visited at each household, an invitation was extended to come to Shiloh Church.

The Sharing Program always included the youth. Dad always taught Sunday school, and therefore knew children should always be an important part of our programs. One never knew what cute or precious thing some children might do while reciting a poem or singing their songs. It always brought joyful laughter from the congregation! Dad would prepare a lesson for the children and speak to them before donating the cans of food and money. The program was designed to teach, in part, that sharing what we have with others is a part of God's plan for us.

As an extension to our program, we also have the opportunity to choose a child and purchase a needed gift for that child. My parents always made marshmallow and peanut butter fudge as a treat for sharing. Today we have all kinds of treats from which to choose. It's a feast for the eyes! God commands us to be mindful of the needs of others, and in doing so, we bring glory and honor to Him. God will add to our eternal rewards for our goodness in sharing with others.

~ Grace Carlson

I hope you will join us December 1st at 6 p.m. There will be singing and fellowship, along with yummy treats! Every year I am blessed by the outpouring of love and support this program receives. I am honored to help carry on this tradition, and I hope you all feel the same.

Please keep Sunday, December 15th on your calendar as that is when we will deliver the boxes to the families immediately after church. It takes all of us to be the hands and feet of Christ. Thank you, Christy Carlson

Sunday, December 1 – 6 p.m.

The book of Job will take us to the end of the year. Most of

this book is a dialog of Job and his 3 friends. Watch and

see how the friends try to lead Job. What are the helpful

things they say or do? What is their perspective on why

Job is in the situation he is in? By the end of the year you

will read what God says. How does that compare to the

advice of the friends?

December 1 Job 4-5 December 2 Job 6-7 December 3 Job 8 December 4 Job 9-10 December 5 Job 11 December 6 Job 12 December 7 Job 13 December 8 Job 14 December 9 Job 15 December 10 Job 16-17 December 11 Job 18 December 12 Job 19 December 13 Job 20 December 14 Job 21 December 15 Job 22 December 16 Job 23-24 December 17 Job 25-26 December 18 Job 27 December 19 Job 28 December 20 Job 29 December 21 Job 30 December 22 Job 31 December 23 Job 32 December 24 Job 33 December 25 Job 34-35 December 26 Job 36:1-21 December 27 Job 36:22-37:24 December 28 Job 38 December 29 Job 39:1-40:5 December 30 Job 40:6-42:6

December 31 Job 42:7-17

God bless you as you READ the WORD!

December 1 Mark & Deb Musall

December 2 Lorene Dawson

December 2 Jim & Beth Musselman

December 3 Beth Kitchell

Tim McKaig

December 5 Marrian Patty

December 7 Richard Galbreath

Stacy Rans

Ernie & Vickie Bridge

December 8 Teresa Franklin

December 9 Lee Franklin

December 10 Brynlee Franklin

December 12 John & Deb Spencer

December 14 Becky Anspach

December 15 Vickie Hutsell

December 16 Jalynn Lebo

Jeremie Pearson

Bob Pifer

December 17 Harry Lytle

J.P. & Rachelle Pearson

December 19 Bob & Lynne Lesher

December 20 Frank & Carol Gaumer

Ellen Sell

December 21 Luke Blackman

Terry Shewalter

Steve Felker

December 22 Drew McKaig

December 23 Brent Chambers

December 24 Shirley Shanks

Christina Pifer

December 26 Cole Franklin

December 28 Chelsy Roller

Darren & Sarah McKaig

December 30 Sherry Simpson

December 31 Hannah Spencer

If your birthday or anniversary does not appear on this list

(and it’s in December), please contact Paul at the church

office.

Daily Bible

Reading for

December 2019

2019

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 9 am – Bell Choir practice Congregational Meeting IAC and Hanging of the Greens after services

6 pm – Sharing Program

2

Noon – Prayer

3

7 pm - Bible Study

4 6 am - Men’s Bible Study 6 pm – SWF Christmas Party @ Faye Shanks’

5

7 pm – Choir practice

6 Pastor Mark’s OFF

7 Ring Bells for Salvation Army at D&R

8

ShopWithScrip orders due

9 am – Bell Choir practice

9

Noon – Prayer

10

7 pm - Bible Study

11 6 am - Men’s Bible Study

12

7 pm – Choir practice

13

Pastor Mark’s OFF

14

7:30 am -

Just4Men

15

ShopWithScrip order pick-up 9 am – Bell Choir practice

Deliver food baskets After church

16

Noon – Prayer

6 pm – Church Board Meeting

17

7 pm - Bible Study

18

6 am - Men’s Bible Study

19

11:30 am – Lunch Bunch 7 pm – Choir practice

20 Pastor Mark’s OFF

21

22

1-5 pm – Frank & Carol

Gaumer’s 50th Anniv.

Open House at Shiloh

23 Noon – Prayer

24

7 pm – Christmas Eve Services

25

26

27 Pastor Mark’s OFF

28

29

30

Noon – Prayer Newsletter Deadline

31

January 1

January 2

January 3

Pastor Mark’s OFF

January 4

Sunday Mornings:

Coffee & Donuts – 8:45 a.m.

Sunday School - 9:30 a.m.

Worship - 10:30 a.m.

Shiloh Christian Church

1047 N Co. Rd. 350 W, Logansport IN 46947

Ph. 574-753-3331

1047 N Co. Rd. 350 W, Logansport IN

46947