News and Announcements
Special Thanks
•To Jon Crain, owner of Crain Tree Service, for chipping all of the branches and limbs removed during our All Church Work Day.•To Lyle Falk for installing new paper towel dispensers throughout the church. This is just one more way that we are trying to be more environmentally conscious and save a little money at the same time.
•To Gary Bria for setting up our Christmas Tree Sale sign at the corner of Webster and Grand.
•To Annette Stimac for faithfully organizing the children’s activity bags in the church sanctuary on a monthly basis.
•To Dan McManus (son of Doug and Darcy and grandson of Rosella) and Sara Kimball who were married in Naples, Florida on Friday, November 11. Jeff conducted a blessing service at the church on Sunday afternoon, November 27.
•To Everett James Ruder and Sullivan Jeffrey Ruder, twin sons of Tim and Melissa, who were baptized into the Christian faith on Sunday, November 27. Everett wore the baptismal gown that Tim once wore and Sullivan wore the gown that Melissa once wore, along with all of her sisters, her father, and all of her uncles.
•To Tyson Jonathan Blum, son of Kurt and Kelly, who was baptized into the Christian faith on Sunday, November 20.
From the Archives
19th ANNUAL CHRISTMAS COOKIE SALE
Our annual Christmas Cookie Sale will be held this coming Saturday morning, December 3, from 9:00 to 1:00 outside Fellowship Hall. Members and friends of the church are invited to bake cookies and/or make financial donations to the sale. All cookies need to be dropped off the church by 6:00 this coming Thursday evening, December 1. You are also invited to help assemble cookies that same evening. Please contact Sally Ziegler at 268-0213 for more information.
CHRISTMAS GIVING
In celebration of Christmas, you are invited to order a poinsettia and/or donate to one of the six community organizations that our church supports on an ongoing basis. Your poinsettia will help decorate our sanctuary for Christmas. Your gift of money will help lift the spirits of those who are in need within our own community. You can click here to print out the form. Please return to the church office by Sunday, December 11.
WELCOME OUR NEWEST MEMBERS
On Sunday morning, November 13, we welcomed four new couples into our community of faith. You can click here to view pictures of the folks who joined the church both this past Spring and this Fall. Please give them a hearty welcome.
26th ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TREE SALE
Our annual church Christmas tree sale is now underway and runs through Christmas Eve. We sell the finest quality trees all grown in Wisconsin! Once again, everyone is invited to participate. If you are able to help sell trees, a sign-up poster is posted at the church. For more information, or to sign up, please call the church office.
ANNUAL STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN
As of this week, we have received 58 pledges for a total of $74,561. Pledge cards may be sent to the church, in care of our Financial Administrator, or they may be dropped in the offering plate on Sunday morning. The only way we can support the programs and services of our church is for everyone to do their part. Please return your pledge cards as soon as possible. If you have any questions about our annual stewardship campaign, please contact Owen Madson, our Financial Administrator, at (262) 675-2623 or owenM@portucc.org.
PLEDGE ENVELOPES AND QUARTERLY STATEMENTS
Members and friends who make a formal pledge to support the church financially receive several benefits. Each family or individual receives a box of Pledge Envelopes that allow our Financial Administrator to keep better track of your contributions. When you make a formal pledge you also receive a Quarterly Statement from our Financial Administrator that you may use for your own financial record keeping and income tax purposes. If you have any questions about this record keeping process, please contact Owen Madson, our Financial Administrator, at owenM@portucc.org.
MIDDLE SCHOOL MISSION TRIP
Lorraine Halls, the Chair of our Community Outreach Team, is planning a summer mission trip to Green Bay for middle school age girls. The trip is scheduled for July 22 – 27. The cost for the trip is $248, but members and friends of the church are able to receive a scholarship from our Mission Fund to help cover the cost. For more information, please contact Lorraine Halls at 268-1759 or lhalls@hsabank.com, as soon as possible.CHRISTMAS EVE CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
For many years, we have planned a Family Service at 5:00 on Christmas Eve. Over the years, we have done a number of different things at this service, but it has been a long time since we have staged a traditional Christmas Pageant. Jeff Suddendorf thought it might be a good year to revive this “ancient” tradition in the church and he would like to invite members and friends of the church to participate. In particular, he is looking for adults and high school age youth who might like to have some fun acting out all of the central characters. If you are interested in participating, or would like to learn more, please speak to Jeff.
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES
We have planned three evening services for Christmas Eve at 5:00, 7:00 and 9:00. The 5:00 service is designed especially for families with young children and includes a Christmas Pageant. The 7:00 service features the Senior Choir, the Senior Handbell Choir and Christmas Brass. At the 9:00 service we celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion and enjoy special music provided by several members of the Senior Choir. All three services include candle lighting and a selection of our traditional Christmas hymns. Please invite your neighbors and friends to come and join us.
CHRISTMAS DAY AND NEW YEAR’S DAY SERVICES
Both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day fall on Sundays this year, so we are planning to drop the 8:00 service and celebrate with one service on Sunday morning at 10:00. Please help spread the word.
WINTER FARMERS MARKET
As you may have heard, our church is hosting a Winter Farmers Market in Fellowship Hall each Saturday morning, from 9:00 – 1:00, through December 17. The market offers an opportunity for local farmers to sell late fall produce and meats throughout the holiday season. Don't forget that the Market will continue on the last Saturday of each month from January to May. For more information, please contact Pat Wilborn at 284-1970 or portfish.org.
17th ANNUAL HOLIDAY COAT DRIVE
Harborview Cleaners in Port Washington is hosting their annual Holiday Coat Drive for the Port Washington Food Pantry. You may bring coats to the cleaners now through December 19. They will clean the coats free of charge and deliver them to the Food Pantry. Harborview Cleaners is owned and operated by Barb Bahr, who happens to be the Moderator of our church.
CHRISTMAS GIFT-A-CHILD
The Port Washington Food Pantry is once again sponsoring the Christmas Gift-A-Child program. Last year, through the generosity of our community, over 200 children received gifts for Christmas. If you would like to participate in this wonderful project, please call the Food Pantry at 284-1148. You will be given the child’s first name, age and any gift suggestions from the parents. You may also request the age and sex of the child you wish to sponsor. You are asked to spend approximately $20.00.
SNOW CANCELLATION POLICY
In anticipation of the winter weather to come, we want to remind you of the snow cancellation policy for our Sunday services. If it should be necessary to cancel one or both of our Sunday services, we will put a message on the church answering machine by 7:00 on Sunday morning. Please call the church office, 284-2022, if you have any doubts about the weather.