Week of November 18

Greetings from Swedlanda,

Today there was a hint of winter in the area. A shower turned into a light snowfall during church services. It all melted right away, but it was a reminder of things to come.

This will be a busy week, with a Thanksgiving Eve program at 7:00 p.m. and worship on Thanksgiving Day at 9:30 a.m. We are hoping to have the Lawburgh family from Hendricks back with us for Thanksgiving Eve.

Preparations are already under way for the Advent Event to be held next Sunday. People are already beginning to bring contributions for the silent auction.

We added a few names to our prayer list. Steve B. had a surgery on his shoulder and is recovering at home. Some friends from other area congregations passed away, including Bud Zempel of Hector and Ramona Hillman of Buffalo Lake. May God bless their loved ones with His presence and promises.

Nancy and I (and Christopher) were rather busy today with the Kiwanis breakfast, which will provide support for the Hector library, which will need to buy replacement computers soon. It’s always good to see so many from the community come out in support of such things.

You will find a few announcements and a calendar below. May God provide you with a sense of gratitude this week.

God bless,

Pastor Stewart

Announcements:

The 2007 Advent Event Silent Auction will be held on Sunday, November 25, so now is the time to bring in your contribution. Crafts, gifts, baked goods and services are welcome. Tom Gruendemann will also conduct a live auction during part of the event. In addition to the silent auction, we will be decorating the church and hope to have a craft project for the children. . Auction proceeds benefit Swedlanda’s General Fund. Please contact Deb Rath or Wendy Wulkan if you have any questions.

Pastor Stewart will be attending the Region 3 Global Mission Event as a representative of our Synod on Monday and Tuesday of this week.

The treasurer's books will close on Friday, November 30th. If you are planning to make a contribution that you wish to have included in this year's report, please make it prior to that date. Thank you.

The 2007 Christmas cantata, Mary, Did you Know? will be performed Thursday, Nov. 29 at 7:00 pm at St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Olivia. Several Swedlanda members will be participating

Habitat For Humanity Raffle tickets are now available!! This year, the Grand Prize is a candy apple red 2008 Ford Mustang convertible. Other prizes include a 15” Lap Top Computer, $500 cash, Apple I Pod 80 GB Video, and 27” Digital Color TV. Tickets are $50 and may be purchased from HFH Board members, Joyce Nyhus or Pastor Stewart. The drawing will be held on February 3, 2008.

The Buffalo Lake HFH House will be dedicated on Sunday, December 2 at 2:00 p.m.