St. John’s Lutheran Church St. John’s Lutheran Paul Gruetter, Pastor 209 Broad St. PO Box 203 567-201-3455 Montpelier, Ohio 43543 419-485-3736

stjohnsmontpelier@gmail.com

stjohnsmontpelier.org

December

Shut In

Geri Gearhart

Alice Masters

Genesis Healthcare

1104 Wesley

Bryan, OH 432506

Mary DeMara

Northern Lakes Nursing

516 Williams St.

Angola, IN 46703

Gretta Wilcox

108 Bungalow Ct

Montpelier, OH, 43543

Sam and Norma Dixon

104 Evergreen Dr.

Montpelier, OH 43543

Serving in Worship during December

Nursery Schedule

7: Dawn Smith

14: Alysha Saneholtz

21: McCrae Kidston

28. Val Steinke

Acolyte

7: Lydia Grime and

Braden Saneholtz

14: Cadin Jaessing

and Kelby Sapp

21: Lydia Grime

and Alex Jacoby

28. Cadin Jaessing

and Kelby Sapp

Greeters

7: Mary Steinke and

Marcella Henry

14: Jackie, Addie, and

Erin Elser

21: High School Youth

28. Open

Lay Reader

7: Addie Thompson

14: Joe Burt

21: Zoe Bolen

28. Open

Margaret Gordon

Hillside Country Living

09876 CO RD 16 #417

Bryan, OH 43506

Jumar Kissinger 1277 Snapdragon Dr.

Montpelier, OH

43543

Elevette Greeter

7: Open

14: Open

21: High School

Youth

28. Open

Wednesday Acolyte

3: Open

10: Lydia Grime and Alex

Jacoby

17: Open

Wednesday Greeters

3: Open

10: The Grime Family

17: Open

Christmas Eve

Acolyte

24: Kelby Sapp,

Cadin Jaessing,

and Cole DeWire

Christmas Eve

Greeters

24: Kati and

Alexia Ewers

Wednesday

Elevette Greeter

3: Open

10: Open

17: Open

Christmas Eve

Elevette Greeter

24: Open

December Birthday’s

1-Jamie Davis 1-Allyson Hutchison 3-Jackie Elser 3-Braxton Henry 3-Turner Lawson 7-Holly Miller 9 –Glenda Rockey 10-Amanda Taylor 10 -Alanna Detrick 11-Wayne Henry 12-Nikki Gillen 14-Jodi Fiser 14-Joy Gruetter 14-Norman Chamberlain

15-Stacy DeMara 17- Heather O’ Neal 19- Brock O’ Neal 21- Savannah Wheeler 22- Andy Carlson 26- Al Gearhart 26- Pamela Day 26- David Clark 27- Devin Harter 29- Natasha Rupp 29- Bailey Lawson 31-Judy Handy 31- Lucas Kidston 31- Shelby White

December Anniversaries 4-Jackie and Michael Elser 5-Donald and Luella Rockey 17-Barbara and Jim Hulisz

22-Jim and Kay Rockey 15 - Craig and Gerry Dewire 16 – Dale and Susan Gearhart 17 - Dick and Elizabeth Lawson

Donations for high school Sunday class The high school Sunday school classroom is under construction. We

need your help! We are looking to update the furniture and we are

looking for donated new or used furniture. If you are updating your look

and need to get rid of that big chair, moving, or need an excuse to change

your living room look, we are looking for furniture. We have found good

homes or are repurposing our old furniture. If you have a donation or

questions please contact Jodi Grime 419-481-2450 or any high schooler.

Thank you ahead of time for all your donations and support of the high

school class.

Elevette Greeters We have added one more greeter, to be stationed at the outside door

leading to the elevette. You can welcome folks, share a smile, and even

assist with operating the elevette. Please prayerfully consider if this

ministry is for you

Thank you Collections to date for Thank Offering service is $1,123.49. WOTC would like to thank the congregation for your generosity.

Meeting for Catechism and their Mentors There will be a meeting for catechism students and their mentors on

Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 6:30 p.m. in the catechism room. Pizza is provided.

New Members We rejoice as we welcome these new members into the St. John’s family: Jodi, Lydia, Jamison and Tatum Grime; Darian Oberlin; Kyle, Stacy, Kaden,

Kelby and Kyler Sapp; Dr. Steve, Kim, Jenna, Mitchell and Blake Bumb;

Gregg and Jackie Pudell. Welcome!

Deepest Sympathy We extend our deepest Christian sympathy to Jim Engels and family, at the

death of his sister Cynthia Perkinson. Sympathy also goes out to Roger

Scott and family, at the death of his brother Wendell.

Women’s Annual Christmas Dinner All women are invited to share a Christmas dinner on Dec. 11

th at 6 PM

located at Wynn’s restaurant inside Ramada Inn. Please see or call Jeanne

Willson at 419-485-5826 to RSVP.

ANGEL TREE

The Angel Trees are up again. There is one in the narthex and one in

the hallway by pastor’s office. The names on the Angel trees are

again those of the residents from the Filling Group Homes of West

Unity and Bryan. They have been our

Christmas outreach project in the past few

years. For some of the residents, these will be

the ONLY presents they receive at Christmas

since some of them have no family. Thank you

for giving to make their Christmas one to

remember. The residents are overwhelmed and

very thankful to you for showing the love of

Jesus through your gifts.

If you would rather make a monetary donation please see Becky

Jaessing.

Please bring the gifts to the Ladies Activity Room located downstairs

by December 14th

. God Bless you for sharing in this ministry.

Poinsettias There are two sign-up sheets in the sanctuary for ordering

poinsettias and one sign-up sheet on the bulletin board by the office. ***Make checks out to: St. John’s Lutheran Church in the amount of $15 per flower ordered.

**Reminder – You must have your flowers ordered AND paid for by Dec. 10, we need to pay for the poinsettias when the order is placed in the morning of DEC. 10th. **You can leave full payment with Carol Eriksen or in the envelope provided in the office **

*ORDERS MUST BE PLACED AND PAID FOR NO LATER THAN DEC 10TH.*

Christmas Eve Cantata practices Christmas Eve Cantata practices will be held on Wed. evenings this year. There will probably only be one weekend practice right before the event.

Schedule

Wed. Dec. 3 following Advent service (about an hour)

Wed. Dec. 10 following Advent service (about an hour)

Wed. Dec. 17 following Advent service (about an hour)

Sat. Dec. 20 11:00 A.M.

Please Join us! We love to have as many as possible join to raise their

voices in celebrating Jesus birthday!

Montpelier High School Performance

Montpelier High School’s Locomotion and

Jazz Band will present a Winter Preview Show on Friday, December 5

th at 5:30pm in

the K-12 Auditeria. Dinner will be served at

5:30pm with a dynamic show to follow. Tickets are $10 apiece. For tickets, call Montpelier Schools at 419-485-6700

or see preview participants Katie Taylor or Cody Bolen. You won’t want to

miss this evening of food, fellowship, and music!

EXCITING NEWS - WE HOPE!

One of our missionary partners,

Pastor Matthew Riak, is coming to

the United States in January and

February, to visit some of his

sponsoring congregations.

We have invited him to come to St. John's!

His travel schedule is not yet arranged, and he has a lot of

sponsors, so we don't know yet if he can come to Montpelier.

But we're very excited about the possibility, and we're

praying that we can meet him in person!

ADVENT/CHRISTMAS EVENTS

Advent services:

This year’s midweek Advent services are

built around the theme “Advent Blessings”.

On Wednesday nights at 7:30 pm, we invite

you to bring in the pieces of your home

nativity scene, and we will bless them. On

December 3, bring in the shepherds and

wise men. On December 10, bring in Mary

and Joseph. And for the final service,

December 17, bring in baby Jesus.

Christmas caroling:

We meet at the church on Sunday, December 21,

at 3:00 p.m. We’ll visit some of our homebound

members and bring them greetings and joy. Come

along!

Sunday School Christmas program:

These fine young people will present their annual

program during worship at both services on

Sunday, December 21. They are already hard at

work, practicing to share the Christmas good news

with us.

Christmas Eve worship:

We gather for worship at 9:00 p.m. on

Christmas Eve. Our worship will include

familiar carols, the choir cantata, candle lighting,

and Holy Communion.

Fleece Blankets LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF IS ASKING FOR FLEECE BLANKETS,

so the Women of the Church is taking on this project, thinking this would be

something the children can do and families can do as a winter project, or

whenever they can be made. This will be a year project, and we pray we have many blankets of all colors to be sent next October. We also plan on

having a fun work day bring our fleece and making blankets together. We

hope you enjoy this project especially when you are snowed in this winter. Any questions call Jill Beck.

See and Do Donation List

Items Needed by the See & Do Food

Pantry: (In Cans or Plastic Bottles)

CANNED GOODS DRY GOODS

Spaghettios Instant potatoes

Green beans Noodles

Corn Beans

Peas Crackers

Tuna White Sugar

Peanut butter Chicken/beef broth

Pork and beans Flour

Canned beef or chicken Spaghetti

Soups Pudding

Spaghetti sauce Jell-O

Juice Macaroni

Powdered milk

OTHER Cake Mix

Toilet paper

Shampoo PERISHABLES

Bar soap Bread

Dishwashing liquids Butter

Laundry detergent Milk

Hot dogs

December is See and Do Donation month. Please donate to help

stock See and Do, Inc. Boxes are kept outside the sacristy and in

the narthex so that we may gather items year round.