| John M. Gorder, Pastor | gorderj@augustana.elca.org |
| Nancy Goede, Associate Pastor for Campus Ministry | ngoede@uchicago.edu |
| Larry J. Long, Director of Music Ministry | ljlong@augustana.elca.org |
| Lydia Wittman, Field Ministry Intern | lydianell@hotmail.com |
| John Flack, Campus Ministry Peer Minister | j-flack@uchicago.edu |
| Jeremy Posadas, Campus Ministry Peer Minister | jdposada@uchicago.edu |
| Meghan Smith, Campus Ministry Peer Minister | mesmith@uchicago.edu |
| Bill Holt, Campus Ministry Peer Minister | waholt@uchicago.edu |
| Dan Doering, Secretary | secretary@augustana.elca.org |
The heart of the Gospel (the Evangel, the EVANGELIUM, the Good News) is told at Christ's nativity.
God breaks through the fog of human doubt with the clear light of Love...made flesh in Jesus, the Messiah. Beginning in Bethlehem, this bright One shines out to give Light to a world shrouded in darkness. This Good News--this EVANGEL--is ours. Gloria in excelsis deo!
The Christ enters the human arena...where we actually get a chance to see God, to know God. And those who understand, sing praise to God.
As I write this reminder, the Chorus of St. Martin-In-The-Fields sings Frederick Handel's MESSIAH... How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things. Break forth into joy. Glad tidings! Glad tidings! Glad tidings! (Romans 10:18)
This good news defines who we are...both individually as Christians and together as The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. We are an evangelical church. We are a people who bring God's Good News, God's Gospel, God's EVANGELIUM to the world...to family, to neighbor, to every place.
We convey God's Good News, not just in worship, but in the lives we live, the words we speak, the decisions we make, the relationships we build, and the manner of our presence in every place. We are Good News people--living out the light of God's Spirit in creation. We are evangelicals...one and all.
If you cringe at the word "evangelical" because a political "evangelical right," "a moral majority" programs a narrowness you can't accept...then look deeper at the work of God in Christ--and the work of the church on earth. We will not let a small number claim to be the majority. They are not. Rather those who are moved by God's Spirit...who see the light of Christ in the nativity...who understand that the Messiah brings Good News to ALL people--these are the ones who are evangelical. We affirm this in the great thanksgiving of our liturgy as the cup is raised and we proclaim--The blood of Christ given for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
This is the GOOD NEWS of the incarnation.
We are all children of God's grace. We tell of this grace with great joy--we are Evangelists!
Council jumped right into new business at its Tuesday, November 13 meeting. Larry Long, our Director of Music Ministry was our guest. Council approved the temporary installation in our sanctuary of the organ from LSTC. The organ, removed from LSTC for the duration of its renovation, will enrich and enhance our worship services.
In other business, Clara Nelson, the financial secretary, reported on pledges received Sunday, November 11. The architect will visit in early January to discuss the master plan. We approved the convening of an ad hoc committee charged with developing a short, succinct mission statement for Augustana. The committee is chaired by Jeremy Posadas with members Tom Zarris, Lydia Wittman, Dick Johnson and Carolyn Ulrich. We also approved the convening of a Centennial Committee to begin developing plans for Augustana's Centennial in 2003. Council approved the covenant between our congregation and the ELCA's campus ministry structure. And lastly, the Administration and Personnel Committee reported on their recent meetings with the staff.
On December 2 we welcomed twelve new members to Augustana.
Christopher L. Barnard has worshiped faithfully at Augustana with his family for several years and affirms his membership at this time. Chris works at The Chicago Board of Trade.
Molly Bartlett, and sons (Alexander and Samuel) join Augustana. Molly is Associate Dean for External Relations at The Divinity School, University of Chicago. Alexander is ten years old and Samuel is five.
Carrie Foreman works as a receptionist at IDCFS and transfers her membership from First St. Paul's Lutheran on North LaSalle in Chicago.
David Glover joins Augustana as an Associate Member. David is a student at LSTC in Diaconal Ministry.
Byron P. and Lynda Mitchell trek to Augustana from their new home in Country Club Hills. Byron is an attorney and is transfering membership from Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Skokie, IL. Lynda is a claim analyst and transfers membership from Trinity United Church of Christ on W. 95th Street in Chicago.
Taina Rodriguez is a full time graduate student in the area of school counseling at Loyola University. She is transfering membership from Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Decatur, IL.
James Slotta lives in Hammond, In. and is a graduate student at the University of Chicago. He transfers membership from Dobbs Ferry Lutheran Church, Dobbs Ferry, New York.
Magdalene Spragle joins Augustana as an Associate Member. Magdalene is a retired nurse.
Nancy Lee Whitehead is Director of Advancement at LSTC and transfers membership from Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Freeport, IL.
A New Member Luncheon sponsored by the Evangelism Committee will be held on December 2nd.
(Note that addresses of all new members are in the 2002 Augustana Directory, available at the church on December 23.)
The new directory will be available on December 23 in the narthex. This directory gives the names of all Augustana members, associate members, and those who worship regularly at Augustana. The information includes current addresses, phone numbers, email addresses.
The directories include a brief history of Augustana.
All graduate students and young adults (loosely defined) are invited to an Ecumenical Christmas Social Event on Saturday evening, December 8, at 7:30 p.m. Everyone attending is encouraged to bring holiday cheer and a festive dessert to pass. The event will take place at the Byllesby Room at St. Paul and the Redeemer Episcopal Church, 4945 S. Dorchester, and is cosponsored by Augustana, St. Paul and the Redeemer, the Brent House (Episcopal Campus Ministry Center), and Ellis Avenue Baptist Church. Come participate in the first ever graduate/young adult mixer hosted by this consortium of Hyde Park churches.
| December 2 | First Sunday in Advent with the Parish Choir of Augustana and the Chapel Singers of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. A reception follows the service. |
| December 9 | Second Sunday in Advent |
| December 16 | Third Sunday in Advent |
| December 23 | Fourth Sunday in Advent |
A contemplative candlelight service of psalms, scripture, prayer and music.
| December 24 - 5:30 PM | Christmas Eve Candlelight Service with Children's Nativity Tableau |
| December 24 - 10:45 PM | Christmas Eve Candlelight Service |
| December 25 - 10:45 AM | Christmas Day Worship |
On Sunday, December 9 the Social Ministry Committee will conduct their annual collection for World Hunger. Sunday bulletins will contain inserts that offer more information about the ELCA World Hunger Appeal and how your contribution will change the lives of our brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering from hunger, lack of resources and crippling poverty. Giving money may seem like an impersonal way to offer social ministry, however every dime we give translates into concrete hunger relief. The bulletin inserts will provide excellent examples of how contributions to World Hunger become real help to real people.
The Augustana Confirmation Class (in conjunction with Lutheran Social Services of Illinois) is gathering ONE HUNDRED GIFTS for foster children this Advent season.
The Confirmands have the names of one hundred children available in the narthex each Sunday in Advent. They (and the foster children) hope that you will take at least one name and purchase a gift suggested by the child. $20 per gift is the general range of spending. These are the steps:
The Chicago Tribune (section 1, pg. 19, Nov. 17, 2001) reports that "in Chicago there are 25,944 children in foster care...and only a small percentage will be adopted." Our gathering of 100 Christmas gifts is a small way of sharing the responsibility of caring for the children of Chicago.
Both adults and children from Augustana who have given gifts in the past discovered a sense of joy as they entered the Christmas marketplace looking for a gift for a child in need. Please give this careful thought.
St. Paul in his letter to the Romans describes: 1) faith as coming through hearing (10:17), 2) justification as a matter of belief to the heart (10:10), and 3) salvation coming through confession (10:10). In December and January the Adult Forum will have a "conversational Bible study" on the Letter to the Ephesians led by Doug Larson. Doug describes a conversational Bible study as a combination of nonjudgmental listening followed by confession (talking about) what's on our heart. Which is another way of describing the salvation process described in the passages from Romans above. Or, in other words, faith as a conviction and assurance (Hebrews 11:1) comes through listening, and salvation as a deliverance from the motivations not based on faith (Sin) (Romans 14:23) comes from talking about (confessing) our experience of faith with one another. A conversational Bible study on Ephesians is therefore like a typical conversation involving listening and speaking with the writer of the Letter to the Ephesians as one of the conversational partners. And while the author can't hear our confessions, we can hear and experience convictions through the author's confessions and the resulting convictions and confessions of others. The Letter to the Ephesians, as perhaps one of the latest written books of the Bible, is a good book to converse with as it itself is the product of conversation with other letters specifically the Letter to the Colossians.
| 12/02 | Introduction and Conversation with Ephesians Chapter 1 |
| 12/09 | Conversation with Ephesians Chapter 2 |
| 12/16 | Conversation with Ephesians Chapter 3 |
| 12/23 | No Adult Forum Christmas |
| 12/30 | No Adult Forum New Year's |
| 1/06 | Conversation with Ephesians Chapter 4 |
| 1/13 | Conversation with Ephesians Chapter 5 |
| 1/20 | Conversation with Ephesians Chapter 6 and Conclusion |
The Adult Forum meets in the Gustavus Adolphus Fellowship Hall every Sunday morning, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
The Night Ministry serves homeless teens, young adults and their children in neighborhoods throughout the city, including Woodlawn and South Shore. This Christmas, they are asking their friends to help them by assembling stockings filled with toys and treats, and baking cookies. These will be distributed on the street to our neighbors on Christmas Eve and Day. Our campus ministry will join with Calvert House, our Catholic counterparts, for an Advent study break party on the Wednesday evening of finals week, December 5. We will stuff stockings and bake cookies (and probably eat a few ourselves) to help this terrific ministry.
Each Christmas, poinsettias bring joyful color to our worship. To celebrate Christ's nativity, as well as honor the memory of loved ones, Augustana invites you to make a $14 donation. Poinsettias are placed in the sanctuary on December 24th and remain there through January 6th.
Please indicate the person you wish to remember when making payment using envelopes in the pews (please indicate flowers). You can also send payment to the church office.