Inside: Christmas Caroling, Sugar Creek Drive-Thru: Road to Bethlehem, OWLs Watch Party

Worship

• Join us for worship online this Sunday at 8am & 10:30am, and on Wednesday at 6:15pm, at 1stlu.org/live.

COVID-19 Update

• Pastors and the Vision & Leadership team regularly evaluate when and how the church can be open. These are our current recommendations:

  • Worship: online

  • Education: online

  • Small groups: online

• For an up-to-date list of online options and cancellations please visit firstlutheranonalaska.org/thisweek.

Sugar Creek Drive-Thru: The Road to Bethlehem

On Friday, Dec. 4, 3:30–6pm, head to Sugar Creek for a drive-thru Advent experience! Journey through the Advent story visiting live action worship stations offering carols, scripture, prayer, and the chance to visit real nativity animals. Covid safety precautions in place. This is an all outdoor event, so dress appropriately for the weather, and please bring a mask for carols. Start your journey any time from 3:30–6pm. Free will offering for the ministry of Sugar Creek, as well as non-perishable item donations welcome to benefit local food pantries. Please call 608.734.3113 by Dec 3 to let them know you're coming.

OWLs Watch Party: Christmas In Norway With St. Olaf Choir

Traditionally in December the OWLs go out for dinner and a Christmas concert. This year they will do their best to create that experience virtually. On Friday, Dec. 4, at 6:30pm the OWLs will all meet on Zoom for desserts and cocktails. Grab your favorite Christmas sweet and a beverage of choice for a delightful evening. The conversation will focus on our favorite Christmas Foods. At about 7pm they’ll virtually attend “Christmas in Norway with the St. Olaf Choir.” This is a wonderful Christmas concert that takes place in the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway. Find a comfortable chair and relax with an evening of conversation and fun. Zoom information will be sent out to the OWLs mailing list a few days before. If you would like to receive the OWLs emails, please call Brian Narveson at 630.816.5917 or email owls@firstlu.org.

Give Now for Response to Hurricanes Eta and Iota

On Nov. 2, Hurricane Eta, a powerful Category 4 storm, hit Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala. Throughout Central America, at least 171 people died. Winds as high as 150 mph caused power outages and structural damage while heavy rains caused catastrophic flooding and landslides, damaging homes, crops, roads and bridges. Just two weeks later, Hurricane Iota made landfall in Nicaragua, 15 miles from where Hurricane Eta had made landfall. Iota was the first Category 5 hurricane of the 2020 season, but it weakened to a Category 4 hurricane as it made landfall. It brought strong winds and rains to areas already devastated by Hurricane Eta, hampering any ongoing recovery. To assess the immediate needs and initiate a response, Lutheran Disaster Response is engaging with many companion churches and ecumenical partners in the region. While the extent of the damage is not yet known, LDR will accompany devastated communities from immediate relief through long-term recovery. This is an important part of Christ’s call on our church. Please give today. Your gifts ensure that our church will be able to provide help and hope for those whose lives have been devastated by hurricanes Eta and Iota. Gifts designated for “Hurricane Response” will be used entirely (100%) for direct response until it is complete. Together, we can help provide immediate and long-lasting support for those whose lives have been impacted by hurricanes. Please join in prayer and partnership, and stay connected to the latest events and our response to this and other disasters through LDR’s Facebook page.

Baptismal Preparation


The pastors are considering baptisms on an individual basis. The next baptism preparation session will be Saturday, Dec. 5, at 10am. To register or ask questions contact the church office at 608.783.3326 / office@firstlu.org.

Faith Alive! U: Introduction To Enneagram

Spiritual growth takes time and calls each individual into a deeper understanding of self and others. The Enneagram is one way we can discover more about our inner self and the ways we respond to the world around us. In this introductory course on Sunday, Dec. 6 at 6pm, spend time with spiritual director, Carla Stanton, exploring which of the 9 types you might be and learn how each type responds in times of joy and times of stress. Take away a deeper knowledge of self and how you have been created to reflect unique aspects of God into God's creation. Prior to this course each participant is asked to take a brief online assessment, which can be found at 1stlu.org/assess. This event is intended for confirmation students, high schoolers and all adults. To join the Zoom meeting go to the event page at 1stlu.org/FAUzoom.

Stars and Promises Christmas Concert feat. Peter Mayer

On Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 7pm, ELCA World Hunger presents an online Christmas benefit concert featuring Peter Mayer, a longtime Lutheran and the lead guitarist for Jimmy Buffett. This concert is a gift to you this Advent season. It is a way for ELCA World Hunger to say thank you and provide a place for you to gather online with the church community as we prepare for the birth of our Savior. The concert is free and will premiere on the ELCA Facebook page, with a live chat so you can engage with the audience, ELCA staff and Peter Mayer himself. Donations to ELCA World Hunger are encouraged and will support our church’s work to respond to hunger and poverty in more than 60 countries around the world. Register now to receive a free, exclusive Peter Mayer Christmas album download, created just for this event! We hope to see you there!

ELCA Good Gifts

Wondering how to make a positive impact in the world right now? At elca.org/goodgifts you can choose from 50 charitable gifts to give in honor of friends and loved ones. Each one of these gifts makes a real impact in the world, sharing the love of Christ — one goat, water well or school uniform at a time. Start your holiday shopping now and order free, customized cards for each gift you give. Give by Dec. 10, 2020, to ensure that your cards arrive in time for Christmas.

Gingerbread House Contest

Calling all members! It is time to step away from the screens and get your creative juices flowing! This year, since we can't decorate and distribute cookies together, we are having a gingerbread house contest. Entries can be emailed to karyn@firstlu.org by Dec. 12. You can make your gingerbread house from a kit or scratch or a combination of both. Have fun! Be creative! Then send a picture with you name to karyn@firstlu.org. Voting will happen on FaceBook from Dec. 13-19, and the winners being announced on December 20.

Christmas Giving Tree

Help make Christmas special for area kids and families by buying NEW items for them. We are again partnering with La Crosse County Human Services, and have a list of people and items they or their social worker have requested. Instead of taking a tag from the tree in the church narthex, please go to 1stlu.org/givingtree, and "take a tag" by signing up for one of the gifts. In order to maintain confidentiality, each recipient is assigned a code. Please purchase the item requested, wrap it, and put a tag on the outside of the gift with the code that is on the SignUp.  Gifts should all be turned in to First Lutheran by Sunday, Dec. 13. If you are having trouble with signing up or have questions, contact Bridget at bridget@firstlu.org.

Christmas Flowers for the Sanctuary

If you would like to give a rose in honor or memory of loved ones to decorate for our Christmas Eve services, you may do so by filling out the form and return it to the church office. Cost is $5 per rose. To order a rose, please email the church office: office@firstlu.org. Send a check to First Lutheran, 410 Main St, Onalaska WI 54650. Make check out to "First Lutheran", memo "Christmas Roses." Order deadline is December 13.

First Lutheran's Online Christmas Pageant

First Lutheran will premiere our 2020 online Christmas pageant at 1stlu.org/live during 6:15pm worship on Wednesday, Dec. 16. For those participating in the production, videos need to be uploaded by Dec. 9. Questions? Contact Beth Miller, at beth@firstlu.org.

Christmas Carol Sing-a-long

On Sunday, Dec. 20 we will be hosting a live, online Christmas carol event! Grab a warm beverage, put on your favorite Christmas sweater and join Todd, Gabe and other musicians at 5pm at 1stlu.org/live as we sing our favorite Christmas carols!

No Worship on Dec. 23 & Dec. 25

While worship plans for Christmas Eve have yet to be finalized, it has been decided that in order to allow better preparations for Christmas Eve, there will be no worship — neither in-person nor live streamed — on Wednesday, Dec. 23 and Friday, Dec. 25.

Office Closures

The office will be closed on these days in December and January:

• Thursday, Dec. 24 at noon

• Friday, Dec. 25

• Thursday, Dec. 31 at noon

• Friday, Jan. 1

• Monday, Jan. 18

• Wednesday, Jan. 20

Double Your Gift to Lutheran World Relief

It may be early in the season, but Christmas will be here before you know it. Send your best gift during LWR's 2020 Christmas Matching Gift Challenge when it will be DOUBLED — dollar for dollar — until the match is met. Your generosity will reach and lift up families living in some of the harshest, most remote locations, facing famine in one of the driest regions of the world.

Snow Birds

Are you heading out? Travel safe! And please let us know if you'll be spending the winter somewhere else. If we know your seasonal address, we can keep in touch by sending you the monthly newsletter. Call or email the office with your winter address: 608.783.2236, office@firstlu.org.

Second Grade Faith Building Block: What’s Fair?

• Sunday, Jan. 3: parents/guardians only

• Sundays, Jan. 10: parents/guardians with children

• Sundays, Jan. 17: parents/guardians with children

• Sunday, Jan. 24: Faith Building Block lifted up in worship

Throughout the year each age group will have a special “Faith Building Block” session in which parents or special adults are asked to attend class with their child on Sundays at 9:15am, sharing in conversation and growing together in faith. The session lasts for three weeks, and afterwards, the Faith Building Block will be lifted up in worship in celebration of what the students have learned. Gatherings will meet via Zoom; pastors will send out meeting codes to parents & guardians of youth in each grade before the first meeting.

Applications Open for Young Adults in Global Mission

While Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) did not send volunteers for the 2020-21 program year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they plan to resume sending volunteers next year in August 2021. Applications will be open from Nov. 1, 2020, to Jan. 15, 2021. The ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission program invites young adults (ages 21-29) into a year-long international journey of service. If you, a friend, a church family member would be interested in such a journey, go to elca.org/yagm and begin the application process.

Quilters Still Need Supplies

Even though the quilters aren't meeting at the church, they can still use supplies for quilts they're working on. That includes fabric (cotton), thread, sewing notions, and sheets and pillow cases (used is fine, but they should be clean and in good condition). You can drop off donations at the church on weekdays.

Keep Up with Changes: Update Your Contact Info

Make sure the office has your current contact info, including current address, mobile number(s), carrier info (for reminders by text), and email(s). Send to office@firstlu.org.

Morning Musings

Where is God in all this? Who/what shall we pray for today? What are our questions? What is grounding us in a time when everything is shifting? Go to First Lutheran's website, Facebook page or our Youtube channel where each morning, Monday through Saturday by 8am, Pastor Stanton or Pastor Karyn post a "morning musing". It's a great way to stay connected!