E-News for the Week of Sunday, December 1, 2019

First Sunday of Advent | Contemporary Worship

Upcoming Week

Wednesday 11/27

6:15 p.m. Contemporary Choir Practice 7:15 p.m. Bell Choir Practice

Thursday 11/28

Friday 11/29

10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Kindermusik (Rental)

Sunday 12/1

10:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship Service 11:30 a.m. Worship & Music Committee Meeting 3:30-7:30 p.m. St. Timothy Worship Service (Rental)

Monday 12/2

9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. TimberNook (Rental)

Tuesday 12/3

6:00-9:00 p.m. Nunn’s Men’s Group (Rental)

Wednesday 12/4

6:15 p.m. Adult Choir 7:15 p.m. Bell Choir

View long-range calendar here: http://alcvt.org/calendar.html Need to add something? Call or email: 862-8866 or church.office@alcvt.org.

Upcoming Birthdays

11/27 Charlie Cutting

12/1 Jameson Keene

12/2 Olivia-Grace Heinchon

12/5 Gretchen Dreibelbis

12/6 Natalie Tylenda

12/7 Susan Moore

12/8 Janet Schroeter

12/13 Tommy Bruno, Sam Swanson

Pastor’s Messages

Dear Ascension sisters and brothers,

As we begin a new Christian year in Advent, the scripture readings ask us to be awake, watchful, concentrated, poised to discover the kingdom of God. Traditionally, Advent is seen as a sober period. The carols for Christmas should not be sung until Christmas Eve. Advent waiting involves disciplined awareness. Heightened awareness may include deeper prayer, a more concentrated reflection on aspects news stories

95 Allen Road, South Burlington, VT 05403

(802) 862-8866

www.alcvt.org | https://www.facebook.com/AscensionLutheranChurchVt/

Worship This Week...

Worship Participants Pastor: Rev. Dr. Nancy Wright Lector: Cheryl Couillard Altar Guild: Johanna White Communion Assistant: Bob Furst Liturgical Assistant: TBD Musical Leadership: Bill Valliere, Jeri Bergdahl, and Contemporary Choir Greeters: Karen & Peter Grant Ushers: Doug Dreibelbis, Bill Huggett, Henry Huggett Coffee Hour: Johanna White Readings Isaiah 2:1-5 Psalm 122 Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24:36-44

that feel important, or reading more deeply in Christian theology or spirituality.

Of Advent, one writer has suggested:

Paying attention is one of the main Advent themes.

• Pay attention to the people closest to you. How will you give and receive love in those relationships?

• Pay attention to the people you encounter. How might your interactions aim toward being holy moments?

• Pay attention to the people least like you. This may be more difficult, but how will you learn from them?

• Pay attention to God and to what God is doing in the world. How can you awaken your senses to notice goodness and peace?

• Pay attention to yourself. Self-awareness is highly underrated. How will you be awake to your body, soul, spirit, and values during Advent? How will that self-awareness translate into how you spend your time?

The Lutheran resource we use in worship, Sundays and Seasons, offers this reflection for Advent 1: “The gospel for today [Matt. 24: 36-44] describes a time of environmental calamity—floods sweeping away all life. The warning from Jesus, as well as from Paul in Romans, is to ‘wake up’ and prepare for the inevitable destruction. We are not to be caught off guard, lulled by distractions or sinful behavior. On this first Sunday of Advent, consider exploring what it means for the church to be prepared for the growing environmental calamities as our planet warms. How can we help others wake up to the effects of climate disruption, while reaching out to vulnerable communities that have been ravaged by floods, fires, drought, and rising sea levels? Churches can become like those mountains in the passage from Isaiah, established as strongholds to offer a place of refuge.”

I look forward to sharing with you learnings from the conferences I attended: the New England ELCA clergy gathering, focused on faith-based organizing for justice. And the American Academy of Religion meeting in San Diego. Ten thousand scholars and clergy considered diverse aspects of the world’s religions. I attended sessions on The Church and Millennials, Bonhoeffer, Religion and Ecology, and Understanding Atonement and Salvation in relation to the Planetary Crises.

Happy Thanksgiving to my beloved sisters and brothers of Ascension. See you Sunday, as we concentrate our hearts and minds during Advent on Jesus’ kingdom.

Blessings, Pr. Nancy

From the Council President

To our Ascension Community:

In the weeks following our fall stewardship drive, as we’ve surveyed the results and measured them against the draft budget we proposed, the finance committee and Council find that we are facing a significant shortfall of about $36,000. In the interest of transparency we want to convey this situation to you.

Five years ago, when Ascension Day Care moved out and we were faced with a sudden loss of income, we were in a very different place than we are today. Our Sunday school had collapsed and membership was stagnant. At that time we took a leap of faith and decided to reclaim most of the vacated space and concentrate on our Sunday School program, and that has proven successful.

Today, we have an enthusiastic education director and dedicated teachers who deliver great programs, year round. The result is that the walls are bulging with kids including a super group of new confirmands who want to stay involved.

Five years ago our music program needed support so we all pitched in and today we have a great organist and music directors who lead two choirs and our bell choir.

HARK! Important News

Holiday Giving Tree: DEADLINE THIS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1

It’s that time of year again! We will be doing gift cards for various places again this year. Gift cards should be in increments of $25.00. Cheryl has set up the tree with tags in the fellowship hall. If you have any questions, please contact Cheryl Couillard (contact information is in the directory, or reach out to the office)! The deadline is December 1.

Poinsettias

It’s time again to order flowers for Christmas! Poinsettia orders are due into the office no later than

Thursday, December 19. $10.00 per plant.

Bell Choir Concert

Northern Bronze, the Bells of Ascension, and the Ascension Choir invite you to Bells Ringing, Voices Singing: Sounds of Good Cheer. Friday, January 10, 2020, 7:00 p.m. at Ascension. Donations appreciated.

Brain Bytes…

With Thanksgiving coming, this is the perfect time to practice FWA (food waste avoidance)... Try buying bulk foods - exact amounts of what you need. Minus all the added costly packaging, you can save yourself some money and spare the planet of more waste. https://www.mnn.com/food/recipes/blogs/the-many-benefits-of-buying-bulk-foods Note: buying bulk food is not to be confused with buying food in bulk, which usually

Sunday School News

Children meet in the Sunday School wing then break off into classes at 9:00 a.m.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

• December 1 -- no Sunday School today due to Thanksgiving Break. This is the first Sunday in Advent so don't forget to light your first candle in your advent wreath!

• December 8 -- Today is our first rehearsal for our Christmas pageant! We will be doing a different pageant this year using traditional Christmas hymns for the music. If you have a favorite Christmas hymn you want us to sing, let me know and I'll see if I can add it to our show!

• December 15 -- Today is our Christmas pageant! Please make sure you plan to stay for the service today. It will be a great morning full of fun and music so you definitely don't want to miss it! Feel free to bring friends or family to join us for the pageant.

• December 22 & 29 -- No Sunday School these weeks for Christmas and New Year's breaks. We'll see you in January!

We firmly believe that the result of this positive work is that we now have new members, including singles, young couples, families with children, and grandparents, all who enrich us. We don’t want to slow down now.

So, we’ve got a budget gap, and we’re going to work to address it while continuing to support the progress we’ve made. We’re tasking our committees to take another look at their budget requests, we’re exploring options, and ask for your ideas and support so we can present a forward thinking budget on January 26.

Richard Butz

Council President

Additional News and Opportunities

You’re Invited…

First United Methodist Church (21 Buell Street) in Burlington invites the community to join us for the 20th Anniversary Celebration of Vermont Artist Janet McKenzie's award-winning painting Jesus of the People. Committed to radical Inclusion, to the premise that "everyone should be able to see themselves in the image of the Divine," and to standing against racism and misogyny in our communities, McKenzie's 1999 painting inspired accolades and death threats.

The celebration is December 6, 7 and 8 - a truly ecumenical, interfaith and community event during which we engage in conversation about racism, prejudice and misogyny as they manifest themselves in our schools and universities, places of business and worship, and on our city and village streets.

• The "gallery" will open Friday evening, December 6 for viewing images from 5 to 8 PM.

• The gallery re-opens Saturday, December 7 at 1 PM. Vt. District Superintendent (United Methodist) Rev. Jill Colley Robinson will be the first speaker of the afternoon, with the artist scheduled to speak at 2:30.

• Rev. Dr. Arnold Thomas will be the guest preacher on Sunday, December 8 at the 9:45 Worship Service. The gallery opens at 1 PM.

• The event culminates with an ecumenical and interfaith panel discussion at 3 PM on Sunday afternoon, December 8. Participants include

Dr. Wanda Heading-Grant, Vice-President for Human Resources, Diversity, and Mult-Cultural Affairs at the University of Vermont

Rev. Dr. Arnold Thomas, Pastor, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Jericho, Vermont

Rabbi Jan Salzman, Ruach haMaqom in Burlington, VT

Bishop Shannon MacVean-Brown, Episcopal Diocese of Vermont

Dr. Laurie Brands Gagne, Professor, Peace and Justice, St. Michael's College

All events will be held in the Sanctuary. Parking is free all day Sunday at the parking facility directly across the street from the church. This event is free and open to the public. The original painting Jesus of the People, will be on site as well as prints of other works, books and cards by the artist. Ms. McKenzie will be present Saturday afternoon to sign books.

You can learn more about the artist and her work at her web site: www.janetmckenzie.com.

For more information, contact Rev. Mark Demers via email (demers.mark@gmail.com) or text - 802-777-1952.

adds more to the waste stream and the waistline. If you’re looking to buy bulk food, these stores have respectable selections:

Healthy Living Market - 222 Dorset Street, South Burlington https://healthylivingmarket.com/shop-bulk/

City Market Onion River Coop - 82 S. Winooski Ave., Burlington and City Market Onion River Coop - 207 Flynn Ave., Burlington, South End. http://www.citymarket.coop/

Memorials and Celebrations

Envelopes with labels are now in the transparent folder just outside the sanctuary for gifts that the congregation may want to give in honor of or in memory of someone. A parishioner can indicate the Donor, Amount, in honor/in memory of, date to be in bulletin, flowers (if chosen). Please place the envelope with the gift in the collection plate.

Thanksgiving at the Table: Remembering the Women

All praise to you, glorious God of Grace. Throughout the ages you have blessed us With foremothers of the faith. With Sarah, we bless you for your gift of life. (Genesis 18:12) With Ruth, we praise you for family and food. (Ruth 4:13) With Miriam, we celebrate our escape from the foe. (Exodus 15:21) Remembering Deborah, we honor the words of your prophets. (Judges 4:4-5) Remembering all the women at the well, we laud you for living water. (John 4:29) Remembering Junia, we thank you for those who minister among your people. (Romans 16:7) One with the daughter of Jairus, we wake to life in you. (Mark 5:41-42)

With Mary, we magnify your name: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, My spirit rejoices in the God my Savior. (Luke 1:46)

Remembering Martha and Mary, we join Jesus at this meal. (Luke 10:38-39) Living, he healed the bleeding woman; (Mark 5:29) dying, he cared for his mother; (John 19:26-27) risen, he sent Mary Magdalene in mission. (John 20:14-18)

On the night before he died, he took bread, and gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.

Do this for the remembrance of me. Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.

With Mary, again we magnify your name: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, My sprit rejoices in the God my Savior.

Mighty god of mercy, as you heard the prayers of Hannah, so now hear us. (1 Samuel 1:27) Send your Spirit on this bread and wine, that sharing the body and blood of Christ we become his body in the world. Send your Spirit on this assembly, that light Phoebe, we serve one another with zeal. (Romans 16:1) Send your Spirit on the church, that like Anna, we tell others of your mercy. (Luke 2:38) Send your Spirit into our hearts, that like Dorcas, we care for the poor and needy. (Acts 9:40-41)

With Mary, once more we magnify your name: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

All praise to you, powerful God of peace. We adore you, our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

you who mother and feed and comfort us, today, tomorrow and forever. Amen.

Gail Ramshaw, Liturgical Author from Sundays and Seasons

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us.

We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder

of life, and the mystery of love.

We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care that surrounds us

on every side.

We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to

accomplishments that satisfy and delight us.

Grant us the gift of your Sprit, that we may know you and make you known; and through you,

at all times and in all places, give thanks in all things.

Amen.