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baptism we are made new daily. Martin Luther reminds us of this promise as he explains the Sacrament of Baptism in the Small Catechism.
IV. What then is the significance of such a baptism with water?
It signifies that the old person in us with all sins and evil desires is to be drowned and die through daily sorrow for sin and through repentance, and on the other hand that daily a new person is to come forth and rise up to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.
Where is this written?
St. Paul says in Romans 6, "We were buried with Christ through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life." ("Luther's Small Catechism with Evangelical Worship Texts." Copyright 2000, 2006, Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.)
May God lead us daily into the next 50 years as a body that proclaims that Jesus the Messiah has come into this world to claim us and to live with us.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Mark
Remember in Prayer 
Our faith family. Bob Buch, Nancy Budahl-Lane, Al and Joyce Schuerger, Michael Citti, Don dela Vega, Candice McGowan, Dick Booth, Lynn Hobson, Gerri Bergstrom, Faye Weber, Janie Henderson.
Other family and friends of the congregation. Harry Wood, husband of Barbara Friese's cousin; Kristine Viste, friend of Pastor Sara Quigley Brown; Paul Huffman, Betty Anderson's brother-in-law; Richard and Ann Bradsteen, Dorothy Forbes' parents; Janie Henderson's cousins, David Terrell and Sydnie; Ian, Norm and Betty Anderson's grandson; John MacInnis, Connor MacInnis' father; Amy, Barbara Markley's cousin; Phyllis Swanstrom's sister-in-law; Jan Whitefield's sister; Julia, friend of Erin Sutterer; Connie Johnston, Tom Thomas, Peg and Jim Turner--friends of Neil Hawthorne; Joel Bresser, friend of the Shewman family; Helen Pierson, Abby Allan's grandmother; Pastor Saeed; and Asia Bibi.
January Prayer Partner. Central Lutheran Church, Anchorage.
If the status of you or your loved one changes or if you prefer that a name no longer be printed in the bulletin or newsletter, thank you for notifying Rick in the church office (243-2301).
January is National Mentoring Month
With the new year fast approaching, I feel as though I must encourage you, my dear friends and family of Gloria Dei, to step out and look within our congregation for an opportunity to speak words of hope and encouragement to our young people who are walking through their years of confirmation instruction. Could this be something God is calling you to do?
Sunday-School Teachers
A HUGE "thank you" to all of the great volunteers who graced us and our young people this fall: Betty Anderson, Chuck and Holly Karjala, Aaron and Julie Shewman, Tim and Angie Astle, Heather Orf, and Cindy Morgan. We are currently looking for teachers for our Pre-Kindergarten through second-grade class for the spring quarter. Teaching slots are available in two-week blocks, and all the material is prepared for you. Doesn't get any easier than that!
Time to Hit the Slopes
Join us on Monday, January 18, for a trip to Alyeska! Take a day to spend some time away out in the great outdoors! Youth are responsible for covering their fees; and permission slips/health forms are available from Laura. We will also be looking for chaperones/drivers.
Youth Schedule for January
January 3. Youth group, grades 9-12, 7pm
January 10. Youth group, grades 9-12, 7pm
January 17. No Youth group (Go to bed early so you can ski the next day!)
January 18. Youth Ski Day at Alyeska, grades 6-12; parents needed to chaperone/drive
January 24. Youth group, grades 9-12, 7pm
January 31. Youth group, grades 9-12, 7pm
What Do You Get?
I love Christmas. Not for the stereotypical reasons that our society tends to enjoy, but rather for the reminders that the Christmas story is one that is literally crammed full of powerful encouragement and promise.
1. You're Never too Young to be Used by God: Luke 1:26-27 says, "In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary." Mary was pretty young. Scholars' opinions range anywhere from 13 or 14 years old to 18 or 19. That puts her in junior high at least. The point is this: Mary was young. And God used her in a miraculous way. That's God's M.O. He used Mary when she was still a teenager. He uses teenagers today for vital parts of His plan to redeem humankind. All we need to do is nurture them and provide the resources for them to thrive.
2. The Harder the Situation, the Greater the Faith: Matthew 1:24-25 ESV says, "When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus." Joseph may be my favorite (human) character of the Christmas Narrative. What incredible faith! Everything in him said to divorce Mary--and to do it quietly to protect her life . . . what love!. But Joseph showed immense faith in the Lord's plan. Granted, I'm sure he was a little shaken by it all, but to stand with Mary in what they were chosen to do and to become is pretty awesome. That's a faith and love that endures!
3. The Gospel is NOT a SECRET: Luke 2:17-18 says, "And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them." The shepherds saw the Baby and immediately began to spread the word. The Gospel is, by nature, contagious. We are called to be people who openly speak to the saving grace of Christ in their life. It may be a little scary at times, but speaking our heart reveals much about us and the Savior we serve.
There's much more we can take from the Nativity story that we are all accustomed to hearing. However, the one take-away we shouldn't forget is that we are all called to be servants of Christ, here to fulfill God's promises. We all play a part in the modern day Nativity story--the one where we rush to the side of the manger for our eyes to be met by the Savior of the World. It's time to come and see! That's the greatest gift!
Our Loose Change is Helping Kids In December we collected $185 through our noisy offering. Those dollars will support the Children in Transition program, which is operated by the Anchorage School District in support of children and teens who may be homeless or in need of additional support. We are grateful to the Spiritual Life Team for spearheading the loose-change offering project since March 2015.
January's loose-change offering will go toward Gloria Dei's continuing outreach to our neighborhood school, Chinook Elementary. The money given will be used to replenish school supplies used by teachers in their classrooms. (Questions may be addressed to Michelle Summers who has been coordinating this ministry.)
Thank you for your help with this important local outreach to our neighbors. And keep the nickels and dimes coming!
January is "Soup 'n Sandwich" Month
During the holidays, we turned our attention to collecting food for Thanksgiving meals, delivering the story of Jesus' birth tucked inside Christmas stockings, and providing warm clothing for needy Anchorage school kids. Thanks to all of you who responded from your hearts. Now it's time to get back to helping stock the food shelves at Lutheran Social Services of Alaska. Thousands of Anchorage students rely on free school meals daily, and those numbers translate to heavier demands on all of our city's food pantries during breaks in the school year. So thanks to all of you for giving so generously.
Hearty soups can help to take off the chill of frosty (in case there are any) January days. So this month, we'll be collecting canned or packaged soups as well as sandwich fillings--canned meats, chicken or tuna, and peanut butter. Emphasis is on nutrition, and foods should be nonperishable. You may place your gifts in the baskets or barrel across from the mailboxes, and we'll deliver them regularly to LSSA throughout the month. If you have questions or suggestions, please call Marcia DeVoe (643-1317), Marge Paulson (727-5480), or Darla Siver (223-2662). These gifts do make a difference to LSSA in responding to the very needy in our community.
"I was hungry and you gave me something to eat" Matt.25:35
Mark the dates for our ongoing projects and please help as you are able. You will find sign-up sheets posted on the Social Ministry bulletin board beside the mailboxes.
Brother Francis Shelter, sandwiches: Tuesday, January 12
Clare House, evening meal: Thursday, January 21
Socks, Valentines, and Cookies It isn't too early to start thinking about our annual "Socks and Valentines" project which will benefit clients of the Brother Francis Shelter (BFS). The Social Ministry Team hopes to collect 200 pairs of socks for the homeless clients of BFS before February 9.
We are also asking  for donations of plain sugar cookies which Sunday School students can decorate during the education hour on February 7. Cookies are a special treat for the shelter clients who rarely get dessert with their evening meal; if you would like to bring other-than-sugar cookies, we would love to have those as well on or before February 9 (our regular day for sandwich delivery to the shelter).
A basket to collect the socks will be set up outside the church offices, and a sign-up sheet will be posted on the bulletin board to let us know if you can bring cookies. The Social Ministry Team appreciates your help in making this another successful outreach to those in need in our community.
Home Visits The next meeting of our "home visitors" will be January 7 at Kaladi Brothers on Jewel Lake Road at 1pm. This group--a ministry of the Spiritual Life Team--meets once a month to plan and coordinate further visits. If you are interested in joining them or learning more about the project, you may contact Karen Ellis at 242-5278 or karenellis701@gmail.com. Karen will be happy to answer your questions. We hope to see you on the 7th.
Happy Birthday in January
Take  a moment to say a little prayer, send a card, and wish your best to those in our Gloria Dei family who will be celebrating birthdays this month. 1 David Fauske, Aaron Shewman 3 Christina Indahl Lauver, Marlys Hagen 5 McKenzie Karjala 6 Cindy Hemry 11 Donna Valentine 13 Matt Sutterer 14 Karin Hagen, Kirsten Hagen 16 Susan Brenner 17 Grant Henderson, Eric Romero 20 Connie Graff, Shirley Riddle 22 Mary Savina, Tim Astle, Sam Rardin 23 Charles Siler, Lauren Espeland, Connor MacInnis 26 Gerri Bergstrom 27 Darla Siver 29 Michael Perkins 30 Mary Lemery, Adrienne King, Bill Mans 31 Shawn Siebert, Warren Weber
LSSA Volunteer Opportunities Happy New Year! I am thankful to all of the wonderful people who have shared  their time, talents, and financial resources with our ministry. It is because of your concern and care that we were able to touch the lives of over 20,000 of our neighbors in need last year. A great big "thank you" to everyone who supplied Christmas stockings which we distributed to children of clients of our food pantry. And with these stockings, we were able to bring the Christmas message to 800 children. The parents of these children were very grateful to receive these unexpected gifts for their little ones. We served 4,000 families and close to 9,000 children this year at Neighborhood  GIft. Thanks to all who purchased toys for the Salvation Army and the Marine Corp. Toys for Tots campaign as well as those of you who volunteered your time for set-up and distribution. We couldn't do this without the tremendous effort from so many of you. Shelves at the Food Bank of Alaska have been full this holiday season, and we have also been blessed by the amount of food donated to our Food Pantry by individuals and congregations. However, we are going into the first quarter of the new year, when Food Bank donations will decrease. We can use your help in keeping our shelves full. Items like chili and soups; canned fruits; cold cereals and oatmeal, Spam and tuna; and packaged pasta, rice, or potato mixes are some of the foods most requested. As you start to plan your gardens for this coming summer, consider planting an extra row, bed, or acre for the LSSA Food Pantry. I know of three Lutheran congregations that are either talking about or have started gardens on their properties. We would love to be able to offer more fresh vegetables in our client-choice options in the Food Pantry. If you have any questions or would like to know what to plant, please give me a call at 272-0643. Beginning January 1 you will again have the opportunity to contribute to our ministry through the Pick.Click.Give. program when you apply for your Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend. When applying on-line, you will have an option called "the Gift of Giving." Simply follow the instructions to make a donation. In 2015 LSSA received $20,540 in donations through this program from 235 donors. Together, we are caring for others,
Alan Budahl, Executive Director
Lutheran Social Services of Alaska
Check your Church Mailbox
The 2016  offering envelopes are in your mailboxes. To ensure that your offerings are credited correctly throughout the year, households are assigned a posting number which corresponds to the offering envelopes provided. If you choose to give electronically, you won't need an envelope on a regular basis, but dated envelopes are included in the packet for those "extra" services like Christmas Eve or Advent and Lenten midweek worship. We encourage you to use your envelopes whenever possible for your own convenience as well as for those who count and post your gifts. Please dispose of any old envelopes as you may have a different posting number this year.
Update from your Church Council. Council has been planning for their annual council retreat (planning meeting) to ensure that, as a congregation, we are ready to start 2016 smoothly and prepare for our 50th anniversary celebration. Among other items of business, a motion to install a handicap-accessible door was put forth and passed unanimously. Work will begin as soon as bids are collected. We also discussed the loose-change offering; if you have a cause that is near and dear to your heart that you would like to see Gloria Dei support, please let a council member know. And, finally, a big thanks to all of you who completed the survey that was recently made available through e-mail or paper copies. We are sincerely interested in your opinions and comments, and so we have extended the deadline to Sunday, January 6. The online link is http://goo.gl/forms/vvzN2hq7d5 and there are still copies you can pick up at church.
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come again to the beginning of a new calendar year. Many people, at some point toward the beginning of a new year, generally do two things: First, we look back at the year/s that have passed, and then we look forward to the year that is ahead of us.
