LIFELINE DECEMBER 2020

Pastor’s Prattle

Star light, star bright

First star I see tonight

I wish I may, I wish I might

Have this wish I wish tonight

One of the first rhymes we ever learned. It was magical to wish upon a star in the hopes that it just might come true one day. It seems we spend our lives wishing for life to be perfect, for everything that’s out of sorts in our lives to be made right. We keep hoping against hope for the perfect life.

Since the very beginning, God’s people have been living with God’s promise to do just that. Throughout history, there has been a longing for God’s promise to send One to be our Savior to be fulfilled. We know that he kept his promise when Jesus came to us in Bethlehem.

We are just entering the season of Advent. We begin the Church year with the hope of a joyous celebration of Christmas, as we gather around the manger to gaze at the baby. The peace and joy of that night bring us a sense of calm that, for a time at least, lifts us above the concerns of our lives, maybe even lifts us to the stars.

We also live with the certain hope that one day God will bring everything on this earth to a close, and that we will find ourselves eternally in his presence. The thought of being lifted by him high above the stars is a wish come true. It is more than a wish, though. It is the promise of God that will be fulfilled at the end of time, just as his promise of a Savior was fulfilled “at the fullness of time.”

In the midst of this current Covid pandemic, our Christmas celebrations may look a little different. The gatherings may be a little smaller; Christmas worship services will not be as packed as usual; there may be less travel. The concerns we have about loved ones and friends may put a damper on the joy of the season. However, none of that changes what this season is all about—God has kept his promise made generations ago, and he has made another. He sent a Savior to offer salvation to the world, and he will send him again to bring home those who have accepted the offer.

May the God of hope and peace and joy and love be abundantly present with you during this holy season!

Pastor Jim

ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS SERVICES

Advent Services

Sunday Only

November 29 December 6th, 13th & 20th at 8:30 & 11:00am

There will be NO Wednesday services during Advent this year. We will celebrate during the Sunday services only at 8:30 & 11:00AM.

Sunday, December 13th

8:30AM

Concert Choir Cantata

“Appalachian Winter”

Christmas Eve Services on Thursday, December 24th

7:00PM & 11:00PM

Traditional Candlelight

Service with Holy Communion.

Christmas Day Services on Friday, December 25 ONE Service at 9:00AM

Lessons and Carols

with Holy Communion.

HELP TO

DECORATE THE

ALTAR FOR THE

CHRISTMAS

EVE SERVICES!

Each year we adorn the Christmas altars with beautiful potted poinsettias. The poinsettia project is a Youth Fundraiser. The deadline for ordering plants is December 13th. The cost per plant is $10 each. You may sign up on the bulletin board in the narthex, or stop by or call the church office, 754-0669.

The Advent devotional, “Rediscover Christmas – Good News in Troubling Times”, is available in the narthex. It takes you through Advent and into the New Year. You can take a couple of minutes every day to reflect on what it means to wait, and to fill the waiting time with an opportunity to grow.

Support Our Troops

The Patriotic Christmas Tree is up in the Narthex with many pictures of past and present

service men and women. We invite you to place a picture on the tree during this Christmas season. It is our way of recognizing what so few have done, and are doing, for so many by honoring them.

Include the name of your service member on the back of the picture so folks will know who they are.

We also invite you to donate to the two organizations that we equally support each year, which is Fisher House and Lutheran Military Veterans & Assistance for Veteran Families.

You can get a Christmas card and labeled envelope with "Support Our Troops" on it in the narthex on a table. Place your donation in the envelope, sign the card, and hang it up on the tree.

If you write a check please make it out to Lord of Life Church, and write on the memo section: “Community Service/Support Our Troops”. Thank you for your support and Happy Holidays to All!

The Community Service Ministry Team Sue Hall

We will perform “Appalachian Winter” at the Traditional Service on Sunday, December 13th at 8:30a.m. You can come to the service, or if you wish, you may watch it on Face Book, or YouTube.

Please contact Nancy Bergeron at 901-357-1855 if you have questions or would be interested in singing or playing an instrument for this special performance.

BELTLINE COMMUNITY

PROJECT

Sisters of Service are continuing to collect items for the women in the Beltline community. They are so appreciative!

During December we will focus on gift bags, tissue paper, bows & cards. In the narthex there is a container for your donations. If you prefer to make a monetary donation, please put Beltline Women on the memo line of your check. We will purchase items and deliver all items for distribution. Thanks for your help!

Staff Gift

If you are interested in contributing

this year to the Lord of Life Staff’s

Gift, please do so no later than December 13th.

Please make sure to label your envelope and/or

check referencing LOL Staff Gift. Thank you in

advance for your continued support.

If you, or someone you know, are shut-in and not able to come to church and would like to have a communion packet sent to your home, please contact the office and let us know. We will be glad to send

a communion packet containing bread and consecrated wine to your home for use when we have communion together. Office 745-0669 lordoflife@bellsouth.net

Happy Birthday!

Felix Taylor 2 Jamey Caughlin 3 Victoria Kooker 5 Karen Manasco 6 Peg Beilstein 13 Robin Clark 13 Mack Davis, III (Trae) 14 Peggy Tribble 14 Madison Hughes 20 Nancy Bergeron 21 Lisa Caughlin 24 Samantha Marsh 29 Lynn Howell 28 Natalie Waldrup 30 Jerry Nichols 30

SUNDAY ATTENDANCE

NOVEMBER

1st 54

8th 47

15th 49

22nd 50

29th 63

Flowers in December are given by:

27 – Marsh family, celebrating Samantha’s birthday

The Memorial Candle Is given in December by:

27 – Bonnie Stevens, in memory of her mother

mailto:lordoflife@bellsouth.net

LORD OF LIFE

LUTHERAN CHURCH

AND PRESCHOOL

6865 Poplar Pike

Memphis, TN 38119

Church Office

901.754.0669

Preschool Office

901.309.3980

Email

lordoflife@bellsouth.net

Online

lordoflifememphis.com

Church Office Hours

9:00AM to 2:00PM

Monday to Thursday

Closed on Friday

Sunday Worship Services

8:30AM Traditional

11:00AM Contemporary

Rev. Jim Shears Pastor pastorjim@bellsouth.net

Debi Lawler Church Secretary

lordoflife@bellsouth.net

Beth Kooker Preschool Co-Director lolpreschool38119@bellsouth.net

Nancy Bergeron Choirmaster lordoflife@bellsouth.net

Susan Steppe Church Organist Susan.Steppe@lebonheur.org

Oh Holy Night …and they will call him Emmanuel

which means, ‘God with us.’

The Staff at Lord of Life Wishes You A Very Happy, Holy Christmas

and Good Health & Blessings in the New Year!

Pastor Jim Nancy Bergeron

Beth Kooker

Debi Lawler

mailto:pastorjim@bellsouth.netmailto:lordoflife@bellsouth.netmailto:lolpreschool38119@bellsouth.netmailto:lordoflife@bellsouth.netmailto:Susan.Steppe@lebonheur.org

It was wonderful to be around to celebrate a 90th birthday!

I have been truly blessed. Thanks to all of you for remembering me with

cards and messages.

God bless you,

Erin Schultz

“Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving”

As we look back, we have many things to be “thankful” for this school year. Our teachers,

our families, our children and Lord of Life Church. We have been blessed with your support

this year and the teachers, as well as, Betsy and I wish everyone a Happy, Healthy, and

Joyful Thanksgiving with your families.

Here are a few things that Ms. Patti and Ms. Rachel’s JK class are very thankful for: Zoe is

thankful for “hugging my parents” and Persephone is thankful for “her kitty.”

Our children’s family recipes for preparing their turkey is always a favorite activity here.

Not sure if you want to follow their recipes but they are fun to read.

Austin wrote, “I would shoot it and put it in the oven for 12 hours. Put some sauce on it and

make it into a casserole with cucumber and carrots. Put it on a plate and eat it with a fork.”

Cicely wrote, “Put it in the oven for 20 minutes. Put some egg on it. Cut it up and eat it with

some pepper and milk.”

Our “Friendsgiving Feast” on Friday was full of laughter and lots to eat. We had the pilgrims

and the Native American all gather in the gym (socially distancing of course) to share, enjoy

and fellowship together.

Then all the children posed with the giant turkey for pictures.

Wendell Baechler, Nancy Balazadeh, Cydney Beets, Leslie Boyd,

Aphra Claverie, Katherine DeLoach, Nanci Gienapp, Jeanne Guenter, Sarah Gulla, Jake Howell,

Victoria Kooker, Ginger McDowell, Mac McFarland, Rick McFarland, Jim Neison, June Porter, Don Sass, Jane Soffos

RELATIVES & FRIENDS Bauschke, Grace - relative of Don Sass Ben – nephew of Nancy Balazadeh Betts, Maryanne + Kenneth – friends of Beth Kooker Bratcher, Johnny - relative of Steiners Brooks, Gwen – sister of Wendell Baechler Brown, Corrine – friend of Bob & Georgette Etherton Brown, Laurie - sister of Lynn Howell Buuck, Evelyn & family – friends of Pastor Jim Carolyn – friend of Peggy Tribble Causin, Karen – Laura Hill’s mother Cavalier, Roy, Angie & Faye –friends of Naomi Mertes Clark, Kevin – friend of Kelvin Hill Colabufo, Mary – friend of Cat Taylor Cook, Don – friend of Grace-N-Grits Cook, Margie- friend of Notes of Grace Coulter, Jill - sister of Mark Kooker Crawford, Robbie – sister of Nancy Bergeron Crosby Jim - friend to Lord of Life Church Crutchfield, Alberta – former mngr of Nancy Balazadeh Daly, Jeanne – friend of Ann Satchfield Dorris, Becky – cousin of Sue Hall Eng, Janey - wife of Peter Eng Falcon, Percy & Gloria – friends of Naomi Mertes Ford, Anna Marie – mother of Karen Manasco Furr, Mecky – grandmother of Ethan, Brandon & Aiden Furr Frisch, Judy- friend of Beth Kooker Froelich, Jack + Gerry – parents of David + Linda Froelich Geerdes, Rosemary – wife of Bob Geerdes Harmadi, Lisa – step daughter of Nancy Balazadeh Howe, Jake – friend of Naomi Mertes Howell, Frank & Lynn – former members Hugel, Susan – friend of the Bethany people Jones, Clara – friend of Nancy Balazadeh Kline, Calvin – father of Kim Lawler Leach family – Preschool family Lyles, Adrienne – daughter of Shirley + Al Lyles McGrady, Reveley – friend of Toni Pittman Majkrzak, Beth Hugel – friend of the Bethany people Marsh, Bill – father of Tony Marsh Merritt, Tony & Dixcee – friends of Laura & Kelvin Hill

Meuller, Phillip – Cousin of Jim Gienapp Miller, Sara – niece of Carol & Jim Neison Miss Nichola – friend of the Preschool Mittler, Airana – granddaughter of Ginger McDowell Nouri, Soheila – friend of Nancy Balazadeh Nuss, Katie – Terri Hill’s niece by marriage Olivia & Alec - friends of Victoria Kooker Olson, Lisa – sister of Lynn Howell Phipps, Patt – sister-in-law of Toni Pittman Porter, Kemper, Madeline, & Lynee - relatives of June Porter Rose, Allison – daughter of Toni Pittman Sanders, Betty – sister-in-law of Kim Sanders Sanders, Faye – mother-in-law of Kim Sanders Saum + family – son of Nancy Balazadeh Semovoski, Susan – mother of Kristine Etherton Star – friend of Nancy Balazadeh Steiner, Dana - wife Robert Steiner Still, Gavin - great-nephew of Cheryl White Sutton, Maurice – friend of Nancy Balazadeh Taylor, Caroline, wife of Felix Taylor Tenpenny, Cathy – friend of former Grace Gathering Thrasher, Stewart – son-in-law of Nanci & Jim Gienapp Schwartzenburg, Maverick – 3yr old patient @ St Jude Friend of Pastor Jim

Verseman, Brent - cousin of Jim Gienapp White, Bill – our former pastor Williams, Donna – friend of Laura Hill Yeo, Ellie Kate – granddaughter of Kim & Don Lawler PRAY FOR OUR MILITARY

LtCol. Andrew Alisandratos, US Marines, Okinawa, Japan - nephew of Peggy Tribble Sgt. Michael DelGoto, US Army, relative of Don Sass CDR Eric M. Etherton, USN (Joint Chiefs Staff, Suffolk, VA) son of Bob & Georgette Etherton Staff Sgt. Fletcher Lewis, Airforce – (stationed in Turkey), nephew of Sue Hall Pvt. Tyler Shotts – (stationed at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri) son of Dawn & Ken Shotts

PRAY FOR OUR MISSIONARIES Dave & Elizabeth Linkenhoker (daughter Grace) (Haiti) Josh & Nani Harris (Singapore) Debbie Ward (Panama) Pastor Didi Panzo– NALC missionary (The Democratic Republic of the Congo)

PRAY for the underground churches in North Korea and their pastors/overseers and families.

DECEMBER 2020

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

2

6:30pm Adult Choir

3

4 Office Closed

5

6 ADVENT 2

8:30 AM Trad –

11:00 AM Cont

7

10:30AM Adult

Bible Study

8

9

6:30pm Adult Choir

10

11 Office Closed

12

13 ADVENT 3

8:30 AM Trad –

Choir Christmas

Cantata

11:00 AM Cont

14

10:30AM Adult

Bible Study

15

16

17

18 Office Closed

19

20 ADVENT 4

8:30 AM Trad –

11:00 AM Cont

21

22

23

24

Christmas Eve

7:00pm Candle

Light Service

11:00pm Candle

Light Service

25

Christmas Day

9:00AM Service

with Communion

26

27

8:30 AM Trad –

11:00 AM Cont

28

Office Closed

Christmas

Holiday

29

30

31

New Year’s Eve

1

NEW YEAR’S

DAY

2

6865 Poplar Pike

Memphis TN 38119