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This week at Mt. Carmel...
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Link to the Mt. Carmel Summit Newsletter for December 2020
We are here!!
We'd love to hear from you. Please call or email with your questions or comments. 

Phone: 805-544-2133
Email: info@mtcarmelslo.org
or on Facebook at facebook.com/mtcarmelslo

Prayer requests may be sent to the church office by email or phone

OUR MISSION
Celebrating God’s grace through worship, learning and service.
Facebook
Website
YouTube
Give Online
Online giving is now available from the comfort of you home or when you're on the road. Click the Give Online button above, or download the Give Plus Mobile App on you phone or tablet, to make a one-time offering or to set up a recurring donation. You decide how much to give and when.
Thank you for sponsoring the children at Iglesia Santa Cruz. Please call the church office to make other arrangements if you are unable to come by on December 12. We ask that you do not 'drop off' your gifts without an appointment to avoid confusion, and possibly lost packages. 

Church phone: 805-544-2133
Email: info@mtcarmelslo.org
The lights of Hanukkah are a symbol of our joy. In time of darkness, our ancestors had the courage to struggle for freedom: freedom to be themselves, freedom to worship in their own way. Theirs was a victory of the weak over the strong, the few over the many, and the righteous over the arrogant. It was a victory for all ages and all peoples.  
                                                            Jewish prayerbook

Even as we light our Advent candles we remember other candles that burn brightly in this season. We give thanks for the witness of our ancestors in the faith, to our Jewish brothers and sisters. We remember that we of the new covenant are, as the theologian Karl Barth writes, "guests in the house of Israel.” In Yeshua, the child born of the house of David, God's promise of salvation through the descendants of Abraham and Sarah has been extended to all the world. And so with our sisters and brothers who light  Hanukkah candles we pray:

O Creator of the Universe,
Let the lights we kindle shine forth for the world. 
May they illumine our lives 
even as they fill us with gratitude that our faith has been saved from extinction time and again. Amen.

Peace,
Pastor Richard
Please use the links listed here to join any of our worship services and Bible studies. We look forward to seeing you!
 
 
- Link to SUNDAY morning Zoom worship 
Sundays at 9:30 AM
For telephone: +1 669 900 9128
Meeting ID: 849 4786 1947
Passcode: 591300

- Link to WEDNESDAY Evening Zoom Service 
Wednesdays at 7:00 PM
For telephone: +1 669 900 9128
Meeting ID: 867 5095 6162
Passcode: 695333
RSVP here to attend in person

- Link to FRIDAY morning Bible study,
Fridays at 10:30 AM
For telephone:  +1 669 900 6833
Meeting ID: 552 129 433
 
- Link to SATURDAY morning Bible study,
Saturdays at 8:30 AM
For telephone:  +1 669 900 6833
Meeting ID: 831 5325 2589
Passcode: 690622

- Mt. Carmel YouTube channel, in case you missed a service.
Sunday Morning Schedule
In order to enhance our time together and our worship experience online we will follow a schedule for Sunday morning that includes an extended time before and after worship for conversation with microphones unmuted. During worship microphones will be muted (except for the Sharing the Peace and Lord's Prayer).

9:00-9:25; Bring Your Own Coffee (BYOC) Fellowship with microphones unmuted
9:25: Announcements (microphones muted)
9:30: Worship
10:30 Post Service (PS) Fellowship with microphones unmuted
10:45: Adult Forum
12:00: In-person worship on the Mt. Carmel patio (weather permitting)
Click the picture above for a full version of the Order of Worship
 
GATHER
Prelude
Words of Welcome
Advent Preface - My Soul In Stillness Waits
Confession
Kyrie
Apostolic Greeting
Prayer of the Day
Children’s Time / Lighting of the Advent Wreath
WORD
First Reading: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
Though the people had returned to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon, they continued to face hardship and oppression. In the language of the jubilee year described in Leviticus 25, the prophet, moved by the spirit of God, announces deliverance for those who are oppressed and comfort for those who mourn.

Psalm 126

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Paul concludes his letter to the Thessalonians by encouraging them to live lives of continual joy, prayer, and thanksgiving. The closing blessing is grounded in the hope of Christ’s coming.

Gospel Verse
Holy Gospel: John1:6-8, 19-28 
Sermon - Pastor Richard Rollefson
Song of the Day - Ready the Way

Affirmation of Faith
   We believe in God, 
   Creator of all that is.

   We believe in Jesus the Christ, God's child.
   His coming is the advent of God's reign of justice and peace.
   Through his life comes healing, 
   Through his death comes hope, 
   And through his rising, life eternal.

   We believe in the Spirit,
   Who speaks through the prophets,
   inspires the witness of the Church,
   and through our baptism into Christ,
   dwells within our hearts.

Prayers of the People:
Prayer requests: Sid & Beryl Bennett; Jeannie Ledford and family; Elsa Brody
Prayers for our church family: Dave, Sherri, Stephen & Makenna Parkinson; Joan Pedersen; John Perreault & Claudia Coughran
The Peace
Thanksgiving for the Word
The Lord’s Prayer
 
SENDING
Blessing
Sending Song - People Look East - ELW 248
Dismissal

Thanks to:
Lector: Bob Grosse
Children’s Time: Ingrid Frokjer
Musicians, Singers: Paul Woodring / Dave Becker / Joan Pedersen / Sue Haas-Clark / Patti Frey / Richard Rollefson
Adult Forum
Sunday, following worship
 
December Forum Series
Prose and Prophesies for Advent & Christmas
Join in for a series of scripture readings and beloved stories for the Advent and Christmas season. The series will include prophesies from the Old Testament, seasonal readings from the Gospels and a featured story. This Sunday, December 13, we will read from Jeremiah, Zephaniah, the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, and hear the classic O’Henry Christmas story,”The Gift of the Magi”.
Outdoor In-Person Worship Service
Sundays at 12 Noon

In case of rain, the outdoor service will be canceled. Those who RSVP will be notified by phone and email

Sign-up here to RSVP

We are holding in person worship and communion while observing guidelines and best practices to maximize the safety of those attending. We will continue with the existing Sunday morning schedule of Zoom worship at 9:30am followed by the Adult Forum at 10:45.

The in person service will be outdoors, under the shade canopy in front of the santuary. Please click the RSVP link above to help us prepare the space for socially distanced clusters of same household members. You are asked to bring your own chair, if possible, although metal church chairs will also be available. Attendees should be masked when arriving, will receive a temperature check and be signed in. The worship itself will be an abbreviated communion service (under 45 minutes in length). Communion will be done using prepackaged communion bread and cup kits. Entrance and departure routes will be marked and attendees are requested to mask following the service. There will not be a coffee time following worship. While we are aware that we are holding this in-person worship at a time when the weather is turning cooler and we hope for needed rain, we hope that this will be an alternative worship for those wanting to meet in person.
Our Christmas Eve worship will be a service of Holy Communion at 7:00pm on Zoom. You are invited to have bread and wine (or juice and crackers) on hand for the service along with a candle.

Join us at 6:30pm for a quiet celebration with recorded music. Afterward, grab your favorite beverage and share in a social gathering of friends.

Link to Christmas Eve Music and Worship
Meeting ID: 889 6564 4174
Passcode: 415196
An Advent Devotional

Please click on the picture above, or the link below, to download a copy of 'Readings 'Round the Advent Wreath' by Pastor Richard. This is a devotional filled with scriptures, reflections, and prayers for Advent.

Link to Advent Devotional
In the midst of the busyness of the season around us you are invited to join for a time of quiet with “Waiting and the Word,” series of midweek meditative evening prayer services. Each week will focus on an Advent theme in a contemplative setting. The Dec. 23 worship will be a “Longest Night/Blue Christmas” worship that acknowledges the challenges of this season of celebration in the midst of sadness and loss.
Social Ministry Survey

The Social Ministry Team has identified a few possible projects to implement once the pandemic is over. Current outreach projects (Iglesia Santa Cruz, Get on the Bus, SLO Food Bank, etc.) will remain in place.

Please complete and return your responses by December 15.

Thank you for your response! The results will be reported to the congregation.

Link to Social Ministry Survey
My Favorite Things Survey

Thank you for sharing your favorite things with all of us. We've had too many to post here, but you can see all of the heartwarming messages by clicking on the link below. You're invited to share continue to share your own favorite things for a couple of more weeks by clicking on the bright green survey link.

MY FAVORITE THINGS SURVEY LINK
 
Virtual Cookie Exchange
 
It's time to share your holiday treats - virtually, of course! Use the link below to send in your favorite recipe and/or photo of your goodies. We'll post a link to your responses here so that everyone can enjoy with you. The form allows you to upload a copy of your recipe, or type it in. Please contact MaryAnn in the church office if you need assistance.

Virtual Cookie Exchange Link

Matching Gifts Challenge Benefitting the SLO County Food Bank

 

Use this link to donate to the Mount Carmel matching funds challenge

If you prefer to donate to the matching funds challenge by check, make your check out to the SLO County Food Bank. Write Mt. Carmel Matching Funds Drive on the memo line so that your donation will be properly credited.  Mail to:

Food Bank Coalition of SLO County
1180 Kendall Road
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

Please do not route your food bank donations through Mount Carmel.  Doing so will delay your donation and make tracking the matching funds challenge donations difficult for the food bank.

Thank you to Mount Carmel for your always generous spirit!
Copyright © 2016 MT. CARMEL, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
1701 FREDERICKS ST., SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93405

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Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church · 1701 Fredericks St. · San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 · USA

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