Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

Thanks to those who took from my “free stuff” bench, there is still quite a few really nice, new, items. These are free samples that I receive from publishers of Christian literature. I will leave them for another week before disposing of them so take a look if you haven’t yet.

Just as a reminder we do not have Sunday School the Sunday after Thanksgiving, November 30^th.  The December SS calendar is as follows: we do have regular class on December 7^th and 14^th; Although there is regular SS classes on December 21^st  the children involved in the Christmas Eve Chancel opera will be involved in and hour long musical rehearsal—this is only for the kids involved in the Christmas Eve performance, all other children and classes (ie:Precious Lambs & J2A) will have a regular lesson.  If you have any questions, please ask their teacher or email me. We have no Sunday School on December 28^th—classes will resume January 4^th.

TRIP TO DAYBREAK (J2A/RITE 13):  We are planning a holiday outreach trip to the Daybreak facility in Allentown on Monday December 15^th at 4pm. This is a quick (typically 1 hour) truly appreciated way to help others during the holiday season. We would like to bring along holiday “goody bags”  so I would ask that each student in the J2A and Rite 13 class bring in $3.00 by November 30^th and I will take care of assembling the bags. I know the kids are very busy, but please encourage them to attend this very worthwhile activity. Thanks

MOVIE “Four Christmases” (J2A/RITE 13):  There is a trip planned to see this movie on Sunday December 7^th around 2pm. I say this time is approximate because I will not know the exact show time until the week before. This will be at Rave Motion pictures and the movie is rated PG 13. More information will follow in the next few weeks. If you would like to check out this movie for content you can try kids-in-mind.com to determine if this film is suitable for your child.

MUSIC (ALL INVOLVED AGES):  There has been a change in our Chancel opera and I want to make sure that you are all aware of it. The original date for this piece was December 14^th at the 10:15 service. To accommodate the rehearsal time necessary we have moved that to Christmas Eve at the 4pm family service. Please begin to help your children memorize their parts and get excited about this wonderful, funny musical outing!

PAINTBALL (J2A/RITE 13):  We will be returning to Lehigh Valley Paintball on Sunday, January 11, 2009 from 2-5pm. In order to get the group rate of $35./person (a significant savings from the regular price) we need to have 10 people fully paid as a guarantee to hold the day. Therefore anyone interested needs to make full payment to me (checks made out to Mediator or cash) by December 7^th. As always, each child may bring one friend that is also prepaid and has signed a Mediator permission slip in advance. If you have any questions, please let me know. At this point I have received money from Andy Bednarczyk, Kayla Marsland, Adam Hersh and Drew Switzer….we still need 4 more paid people before 12/7 to make this thing happen.

TRIP TO NYC (CONFIRMANDS/J2A):  We are beginning to plan our Urban Adventure into NYC for our Confirmands. I have received the information about availability from most of you (thanks!) and a date will be decided soon. From there we can determine many more specifics including activities and costs. MUCH more information will be forthcoming in the next few weeks. Thank you for your quick responses and your anticipated cooperation with getting this trip together. This trip promises to be a blast!

HOLIDAY IDEA: FINAL WEEK TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS EFFORT--Perhaps some of you are beginning to think about the holidays as well; if you are looking for a way to give back at Thanksgiving for all the blessings in your life or to reach out to those in need during the Christmas season I have included the following information about our friends in Kajo  Keji and how you can help:

“The funds for these items will be sent to Sudan in mid December so that purchases (for the most part) can be made by Christmas. Many of these items: bike, water jugs, sports equipment, table & chairs - support the schools. I’m particularly moved by the fabric purchase and sewing machines. Women will learn to sew, using this fabric and the end result will be uniforms for children, we hope to purchase enough solar lights and radios for each church.”

    Gifts for Kajo Keji

Life is very simple at home in Kajo Keji, Sudan, with no electricity, no running water, no plumbing, no fridge, no stove, no phone, no TV, no computer, no local hospital, no advertising, no supermarket, no DIY store, no shopping mall, no traffic jams.

Christmas is very simple in Kajo Keji with no cards, no tree, no wish list, no decorations, no lights, no office party, no gift exchange, no revelers, no last minute shopping, no pageant, no carolers, no midnight service, no turkey, ham or roast with all the trimmings…well, yes, a family dinner with traditional Sudanese foods, and a community gathered to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Silent night, holy night, Christ the Savior is born,

Christ the Savior is born.  

      Gift                Cost      Qty     Total 

Solar Lantern   $100       ____  _____

Water Jug              5       ____  _____

Wind-up Radio    22       ____  _____  Name __________________________

Bike                   115       ____  _____  Address ________________________

Yard of Fabric        5       ____  _____  City/St/ Zip ____________________

Laying Hen           15       ____  _____  Day Phone # ____________________

Sewing Machine 150       ____  _____  Parish _________________________

Table                   75       ____  _____

Soccer Ball           35       ____  _____              Deadline December 8

Jump Rope          15       ____  _____  The Diocese of Bethlehem

Plastic Chair        12       ____  _____  333 Wyandotte Street

Basket Ball           30       ____  _____  Bethlehem , PA 18015

                                                            Attention: Christmas for Kajo Keji

                          Amt. Enclosed________

 As much as possible, these gifts will be purchased in Africa and will be in the hands of the Sudanese in December and early

January. If you have any questions about this wonderful effort, contact Jo Trepanier in the office.  

Hope that you all take some time to count your blessings as we approach Thanksgiving!

Enjoy your week,

ellen