All earth is hopeful, the Savior comes at last!
Furrows lie open for God’s creative task:
this, the labor of people who struggle to see
how God’s truth and justice set evr’ybody free.
All Earth is Hopeful, ELW 266 stanza 1

December 1^st is the First Sunday in Advent. Most modern dictionaries include our liturgical understanding of Advent as the first season of the Church year consisting of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. But Advent did not begin as a “church” word. Advent is a beginning; a dawning; the cusp of something new.

I can’t help but recognize this December as a special kind of Advent for all of us at NVLC. We are, indeed, on the cusp of something new – a long awaited something new! No, not a new pastor (like John the Baptist I will be quick to let you all know that I am not your long-awaited savior!). Instead, it is the fulfillment of so many things that have been waiting for the right people and time to come into being for God to work in new ways. When Jesus was born, it was clear God had done something special and that this baby, somehow, was going to do something spectacular. It was unclear on that starry night just how that baby might save the world, but the message was clear: This baby will bring God among us in unexpected ways!

This Advent, in our time of hope and expectation, our time of dreams forgotten and deferred, let us reawaken our deepest desires for our congregation, our community, our nation, and our world, and include them in our fervent prayers as we pray

“Come, Lord Jesus, Come!”

A Blessed Advent,
Pastor Stephanie

WHEN TO CALL THE PASTOR

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.
– 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Pastor Stephanie wants to make sure you receive pastoral care when you are in need.
Please do not hesitate to call Pastor Stephanie on her cell phone at 510-846-0883 at any time for a pastoral emergency.
She requests that non-emergent calls and texts be contained to the hours between 9:00 am and 9:00 pm Saturday – Thursday.
Fridays are Pastor Stephanie’s Sabbath.
Please only contact her on her phone with pastoral emergencies on Fridays.

NVLC or Pastor Stephanie may or may not be the first phone call you think to make when you are sick, when you or someone you love is on the way to the hospital, or when a loved one dies, but it is an important phone call to make. Pastor Stephanie and other members of the congregation can provide loving support during difficult and troubling times. With HIPPA and other privacy protections in place regarding your health, we will not, in most circumstances, be notified by hospitals, clinics, or care facilities of your admittance or illness. In order to help, we must be told of such situations.

When you are sick – whether or not a hospital stay is part of your treatment, if you are ill for a length of time, the pastor can come to pray with you, bring communion, or offer comfort. Members of the congregation may be called upon to help with logistics of meals or other household caretaking you may worry about. We can add you to our weekly prayer list so that prayers can be said for your healing and recovery.
When you or a loved one has gone to the hospital or will need surgery – please tell the church office and/or the pastor when a surgery is about to be performed or you are in the hospital. A pastoral visit can calm your fears and ease your mind about your surroundings. We believe that prayer is a powerful medicine and that God will use our prayers for you and your doctors to treat you and heal you.
When someone is about to die – particularly if this is an immediate relative, a member of the congregation or someone who’s funeral services will be conducted by NVLC. Again, the pastor is here to console you and can help you navigate some of the confusing procedures associated with end of life issues.
When a death has occurred – please call the pastor prior to calling the funeral home to make arrangements. We are familiar with various requirements for burial and will need to coordinate with the family and funeral home regarding scheduling services and visitation among other things. The pastor will then put into place arrangements within the congregation for preparing the sanctuary for the funeral, providing a reception, planning music and a service.
When you wish to do advance end-of-life planning – the pastor is available at any time to assist you in making plans for the time of your death which can be helpful and reassuring for both you and your family prior to the time of grief and loss they will experience at the time of your death.

COUNCIL UPDATES

The Church Council met on November 12, and discussed the work that has been done at 352 Jefferson to make it a parsonage for Pastor Stephanie, and what still needs to be completed. Bill Parks will be scheduling one or more work parties so we can finish the painting and other remaining tasks. A festive service of installation and reception will be planned for early 2025. Watch the Sunday bulletin announcements for work parties and other events to be scheduled in November. In December we will devote time to developing the budget for 2025.

Update: The Council held an emergency meeting on November 24 to discuss additional property concerns with the parsonage, and authorize expenditures to resolve issues discovered since Pastor Stephanie moved in.

SECOND MILE GIVING FOR DECEMBER

This month we have the opportunity to support two very special ministries, one in our community and one that stretches around the world! Both are involved in the most basic and necessary work – helping make sure people have enough to eat. The Napa Food Bank and the ELCA Hunger Ministries. You can deposit non-perishable food items in the grocery cart in the narthex. The food bank can use cash donations to purchase more of the items they need. You can use the enclosed envelope if you want to designate your offering to ELCA World Hunger, or pick up one of the cute piggy banks from the table in the narthex to make it more fun. Checks can be made out to NVLC, with Second Mile Giving on the memo line, and include with your offering any time this month. Thanks for your support of these vital ministries

ELCA GOOD GIFTS

Gifts that make a difference

The ELCA Good Gifts catalogs are available now.
We will have some in the narthex if you didn’t get one in the mail, or have misplaced yours. They have many new options this year, and they make great Christmas gifts.

Mid-Week Advent Together – Beginning December 4th

This Advent, Pastor Stephanie invites you to join her in devotion, discussion, and discovery. Using the book, Light of the World: A Beginners Guide to Advent by Amy-Jill Levine, we will enter and walk through the biblical texts that form our understanding of Advent and the long-awaited birth of the Savior. The book is divided easily to discuss one chapter a week during Advent and is conversational in tone to make for enjoyable (not heavy!) reading.

This year, we will hold our discussions on Wednesday evenings on Zoom at 7:00pm for about an hour. Feel free to wear something comfortable, bring your dinner to the table with you if you are just getting home, and gather with us during this hope-filled seasonal offering.

Be sure to order your participant book in time to join us! Books are available on Amazon for $10.61. If anyone is not able to purchase a book, please contact Pastor Stephanie.
If you prefer to listen on Audible or read on your Kindle, those editions are currently on sale as well.
Look up Light of the World: A Beginner’s Guide to Advent by Amy-Jill Levine.

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1501884352
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1501884351

NO WRONG DOOR?

Napa Valley Lutheran Church has too many doors! This has been said many times. Many members have been issued keys, and this makes it convenient for us to access the church buildings to carry out our respective tasks as active members. Being good stewards of our property includes making sure that the facilities are secure when they are unoccupied. We have placed many signs reminding folks to be sure they lock the doors. Especially now that the weather has been rainy, and the wooden doors swell and stick, it is very important to check as you leave to make sure that each door is both LOCKED AND LATCHED. When you leave, make sure that you have your keys, and then be sure to check the handle (especially the thumb press ones) and give it a good tug to make sure it doesn’t pop back open. If you can’t get back in, neither can someone else who isn’t authorized to be there. And that is a good thing.

NAPA VALLEY LUTHERAN CHURCH IS ONLINE!

Yes, we do have a website, and for the past several months, we have been working with a consultant to make it more useful. Have you checked it out? You can find it at:

https://napavalleylutheran.org/

We hope that the site will make it easy for folks in the community and visitors find out who and where we are, and we want it to be helpful for members, as well. If you have misplaced your NVLC newsletter, you can find it on the website, as well as the calendar. The Servers can find their schedule under the “resources” tab. If you are joining the Sunday worship on Zoom, there is a link on the home page, and you can even make your offering online with Tithe.ly! What else would you like to see on our website?
Please let us know and we will try to make it happen.
We have also established some new email addresses.
So if you want to contact the Pastor, you can email to: [email protected]
If you have news for the Secretary, You can email to: [email protected]
And, the Treasurer email is: [email protected]
The general email, [email protected] still works, too, for general communication with the church office.

A few notes from the Church Secretary…

It is time to update the church membership directory. If you have had an address change, or wish to update your preferred telephone number or e-mail address, please send your changes in as soon as possible.
Are you getting your newsletter via snail mail and/or email?
If your preference has changed, please let me know.
Please check the prayer list and let us know of any changes (additions or deletions)
as you become aware, so that we can keep the list current.
If you would like to have an announcement printed in the Sunday bulletin, please let the office know by noon on Tuesday. If
Something comes up after that, you are encouraged to let the assisting minister know on Sunday, at least 5 minutes before the service starts, so that the prayers and/or announcements can be amended.
As my time in the office is limited, the best way to get a message to me, and ensure that the spelling is accurate is to email to [email protected]. You can also leave a voice mail on the church phone # 707-226-8166.

Hope Circle remains suspended for the time being.

No Lunch Bunch in November. Join us on Thursday, December 5, at Bistro Don Giovanni. Contact Carol Holmes to make reservations.

On Thankoffering Sunday, 88 hand-knit and crocheted hats were blessed and will be distributed to the Abode homeless shelter participants in December.

Thanks to Carol Shirmang for delivering the donated food items to the Napa Food Bank. In October 44 pounds of food were delivered and more was collected in November.

DEVOTIONAL RESOURCES

CHRIST IN OUR HOME: The January, February, March 2025 booklets are available now, and there are still some left for October, November, and December 2024. If you would like to have one of these delivered to your home, please contact the church office at [email protected] or 707-226-8166 to make arrangements

Thank you to the members of our congregation that have been sending in your contributions to the church office. It is much appreciated. Your financial giving to NVLC is still necessary for us to maintain needs of the congregation. Remember, that although we did not provide boxes of offering envelopes, as in past years, we still have the opportunity to make special offerings for special occasions, any occasion that is special to you!

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