Englewood Sunday Follow Up Email

We kicked off the Advent Season today, and this year's Advent series "Welcome the Stranger." As we explored the first theme of the season: Hope.

A special thank you to Tom Gaulke and Doug McCracken for the special song that they blessed us with at the end of the service!

If you were not able to join us in person this week for our worship service, you can watch the full recorded service below:

Click here to watch today's service.

We had some people ask if we could make an edit of just the sermon from today so that they could share it with friends. You can find that video on our YouTube channel by clicking here.

Participating in our Welcome the Stranger Advent Campaign

As we explore the call of Biblical hospitality throughout scripture and highlight how it is embedded in the nativity story this year, we have created additional ways for you to engage in this study.

1. We have an Advent calendar that you can use this holiday season, which will have different activities such as documentaries, readings, videos, and opportunities to connect with our community. There is also a kids' version on the back for ways that they can explore our theme of Welcome the Stranger.

2. There are packets that go along with our Advent Calendars that have the links to the videos, readings, etc... in them.

You can pick these up at the Welcome Desk in the Narthex or you can find the digital links on our website by clicking on the button below.

Our Welcome The Stranger Advent Series Online

Today's Announcements

1. Coat Drive: We are currently doing a kids’ coat drive of new and gently used coats in a wide variety of kids’, youth, and adult sizes. Donations can be placed on the table outside of the office through Christmas Eve. All coats will be donated to the Yakima School District Health Center that serves all Yakima students.

2. Adopting Families for Christmas: Each year, we support local families to partner with them to provide wishlist gifts to them to give to their kids. This year, we have partnered with Yakima Immigrant Response Network to adopt three local families whose father and primary provider has been detained and/or deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

There are notecards on the tree in the Narthex with an item for these families. If you take one, please bring the item back wrapped with the notecard tag attached to it by Sunday, December 21st, so that we can organize and deliver them to families. You can also see the remaining cards that need to be adopted after service today by clicking here and sign up for the one(s) you would like to cover.

If you have any questions about this effort this year, please reach out to Christie.

Current Sign Ups

We have two upcoming events that you can sign up to participate in:

The first one is to join Curtis Young on Sunday, December 14th, at 3 PM to go Christmas Caroling to our homebound members.

The second is to work a one-hour shift table outside of Wrays grocery store on Saturday, December 13, to help us collect food for the Yakima Community Aid organization that helps to provide food to those who cannot access traditional food pantries in our communities.

Click to Access our Online Sign-up Sheets

Church Directories

Several of you have asked about getting new updated church directories. Dawn has printed some of those off, and you are able to pick one up in the office.

You can also access our directory online through the password-protected area of our website.

To access the password-protected area, click here. You can call or email the office to request the password.

Joys and Concerns

Continue to pray for Kathy Helseth as she is recovering at Memorial Hospital from an emergency surgery on Friday evening. She is fighting off an infection, so at this time, they have asked for no visitors so that she can rest and have as little stress as possible.

Continue to pray for Ronnie Grey, who is at the rehab center at The Terraces. He will be moving to a new facility on Thursday. If anyone would be available to help transport some of Ronnie's belongings, he could use the assistance! Contact Jim Harwood or me if you can help.

We shared during service today that Delila Roulston has had some complications with her healing this fall after breaking her leg. Be praying for her as she continues to heal.

Pray for Bryson Stuehmer (Love), who is recovering at home from knee surgery.

Upcoming Connection Group Schedule for December