November at First Lutheran Church
November is filled with worship, fellowship, service, and preparation for the seasons ahead at First Lutheran Church. The month begins with an important Congregational Meeting immediately following worship on Sunday, November 1, when members will vote on whether to extend a call to Rev. Dr. Wesley Khristopher Teixeira to serve as First Lutheran’s next pastor. As we gather for worship and move into a new month, we also remember the faithful saints who have gone before us and give thanks for the hope we have through Jesus Christ.
There are plenty of opportunities for members of all ages to gather during November. F.R.O.G. — “Fully Rely On God” — will host a fall event for children in kindergarten through fifth grade on Friday, November 6, while EPIC will bring together sixth-grade through high-school students on Friday, November 20. Confirmation continues on Sunday mornings, choir rehearses each Wednesday evening, and regular gatherings include Euchre, Knitwits, the Comforting Ladies quilting ministry, Joyful Women, and the CEO “Come Eat Out” fellowship group, which will meet at Café Fontana on November 19. A special Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner and service project will also be held Sunday, November 15, at 11:00 a.m., giving our church family an opportunity to share a traditional meal and assemble disaster hygiene kits for the Great Rivers Mission District.
November also offers many ways to serve our neighbors. First Lutheran’s mitten and glove tree is collecting hats, mittens, and gloves for Pontiac schoolchildren, and coats will once again be provided to local students from PreK through eighth grade. The Salvation Army Angel Tree will soon return, allowing members to provide Christmas gifts and needed household items for area families. First Lutheran will also ring bells for the Salvation Army at County Market on December 5, and volunteers are being sought for the November 25 Bloodmobile at the Pontiac Community Center. Our continuing food pantry collection provides another opportunity to help local families with food, personal-care items, paper products, and household necessities.
The congregation is also celebrating the completion of another successful Lutheran World Relief School Kit project. One hundred backpacks filled with school supplies were delivered to St. John’s in Bloomington on October 31 and will eventually help children around the world. Meanwhile, the First Lutheran Foundation is accepting grant applications through November 15 for projects supporting mission and benevolence, education, youth, worship and music, and capital improvements.
As Advent and Christmas approach, there is already much to look forward to. The Sanctuary Choir and Chamber Orchestra will present Joseph M. Martin’s A Weary World Rejoices on December 12 at 6:00 p.m. The Children’s Christmas Program will be part of worship on December 20 at 9:00 a.m., followed later in the week by Christmas Eve Candlelight Services at 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. and Christmas Day worship at 9:00 a.m. Through worship, fellowship, generosity, and service, First Lutheran continues its mission of “Worshiping Christ, Serving Our Neighbor.”
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