| Christmas Worship Service Times Posted! |
 Confidently send friends and family to our website to see what our worship times are for Christmas. In case you can't find it yourself, here's what it looks like on our main page:
The 4:30 Christmas Eve Service is designed especially for families with young children.
Our 7:30 and 11:00 PM Christmas Eve Services are festival services with candlelight communion on this very Holy Night.
On Sunday December 25th we'll have only one service of lessons and carols at 11:00 AM.
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| Breakfast with Santa |
BREAKFAST WITH SANTA: DECEMBER 17 9AM-11AM
Please join us at what we hope will be an annual event: Breakfast with Santa on Saturday December 17 from 9AM-11AM in the Fellowship Hall!! Bring friends and family and your camera to take pictures with Santa! Enjoy some delicious breakfast goodies, make some Christmas crafts and spend some time together before the holidays! We will be collecting new books for Faith in Action's Angel Tree so please bring an item to share.
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| Feeding the Homeless on New Year's Eve! |
Our 5th Saturday meal to feed the homeless and low income in Fredericksburg falls on New Year's Eve. We will be preparing and serving the meal at the Presbyterian Church downtown. Please sign up on the sheet on the big bulletin board to help provide supplies for the meal.
This is an opportunity to start the new year off by participating in an important ministry. Please consider helping to serve. Volunteers are needed from 3:00 - 6:15. We stay busy serving over 70 people (many living on the streets) a hot meal and packing 50 bagged lunches for guests to take. This year, ring in the New Year with lasagna stains on your clothes and ice cream on your sleeve as you serve people who are truly thankful for a simple meal. There's no more important work to be done than this on New Year's Eve.
Contact Gail Taylor at 786-5031 or gltaylor90@comcast.net to become involved. Thrivent Financial provides the major funding for this ministry. They provided $425.00 in seed money for the meals in 2011 and will provide another $425.00 when we turn in $850.00 in receipts.
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| Christendom Around the World |
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During Advent and Christmas this year, each issue of our Website News will call our attention to a different part of Christendom around the world. You may be surprised to learn how richly diverse, wide, and deep is the Body of Christ!
This week, we take you to Papua New Guinea and our Evangelical Lutheran Church there!
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea (ELC-PNG), a member of the Lutheran World Federation, has its headquarters in the city of Lae. The largest Protestant church in Papua New Guinea, its membership is approximately 900,000, with congregations in all parts of the country. Pastors are educated in three seminaries. The ELC-PNG is divided into seventeen districts, each headed by a district president. Districts are comprised of circuits, parishes and congregations. Our Virginia Synod of the ELCA is a companion synod of the Islands District.
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Head Bishop, Rev. Wenge, General Secretary, Mr. Tokave and Assistant Bishop, Rev. Rapa
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The ELCPNG believes that the church is the body of Christ on earth so that people can grow in faith and live as brothers and sisters. This function of the church is seen in the preaching of the gospel and the administration of the sacraments, bringing people closer to God so that they may inherit eternal life. The promise of the Holy Spirit strengthens this work of the church. The stated aims are :
- to strengthen fellowship among members - koinonia
- to strengthen the practice of worship - liturgia
 - to strengthen the work of evangelism - martyria
- to strengthen the work of holding fast to the word of God as proclaimed by the Apostles - theology and confession - theologia
- to strengthen the work of service and welfare - diakonia.
There are five practices of faithful congregations just like us on the other side of the world!
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| Youth Ministry in ELC PNG |
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Dika Napkai
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Excerpts from a recent interview with Ms. Dika Napkai who is currently the Youth Coordinator of Papua district. Papua district is one of the few Urban Church districts of ELCPNG.
What can you say about the road that lies ahead in the coming years as you lead the youths of ELCPNG Papua district?
I see a bright future ahead of us with no doubt at all as long as we put God first in our lives, because in Him all things are possible.
What are some of the plans that you have in mind to implement in the coming years?
1. To focus more on the youths' spiritual development through fellowship and Bible Study programs.
2. To set up projects that aims at self sustaining the youth ministry financially in the years to come.
3. To empower, encourage and motivate young women to confidently take up leadership roles in their churches, communities and famlies.
4. To establish a network with youths in other partner churches in PNG and abroad.
What advice or encouragement would you give to other youth females, in the other 16 ELCPNG districts and especially in developing nations who have the potentials to be leaders like you?
Believe in yourself, step out in faith and make a difference in your family, community, Church and country.
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