Dear Church Family,
It was semester exam week here on our campus. “Be prepared!” was every teacher’s message to their students whether they would be taking their exam in-person or online. Like every teacher who truly cares, they say things like this, and they make study guides, and they have review time where they answer questions, and they give reminders to study etc… because they want their students to pass the exam. In order to do that they know their students need to be prepared. Preparation is key.
Are you prepared for Christmas? I don’t just mean are you about done with 2020 and need a break. And I’m not just asking if you’re decorating is done and your shopping finished and the gifts all wrapped and ready.
What I mean is, how’s your heart? Is it ready to receive Christ and all his gifts, or is it full of clutter? Or are there some rough areas in your heart that need to be smoothed out, maybe some rugged places that need clearing away? I’ll be honest… there is definitely some of that in my heart too.
That’s why I’m so looking forward to worshiping with you again this weekend as we’ll have the opportunity to listen to the one whom God sent long ago to prepare the way in people’s hearts for Christ. The words of the forerunner, John the Baptist, are just what we too still need today. Come let God’s Word clear out the clutter in your heart along with me!
To join me in person this weekend whether on Saturday at 5:00 pm or Sunday at 9:30 am please register with this form ahead of time. To worship online with others simply click here to visit our livestreaming platform either on Saturday at 5:00 pm or Sunday at 9:30 am.
DSC on YouTube: Watch past messages, worship services on-demand, and other Christ-centered content on our church YouTube channel. Subscribe and share with others! To watch DSA chapel services visit our chapel YouTube channel. This week I preached a message for our High School / Middle School chapel that you can watch here.
DSKids: We invite all children ages 3 to 3rd grade to join us this Sunday for our in-person DSKids Sunday morning program. We will continue on our quest to find fantastic verses of the Bible from Bible heroes to bury deep in our hearts and learn Bible stories that tell us more about these verses. Simply stop by our DSKids table outside the church doors on your way into worship and we’ll get your child checked in and ready to join us. See you Sunday!
Outdoor Christmas Decorating Contest – It’s not too late to share our church with our community and have lots of fun as you do it! Deadline to submit your photos is Sunday, Dec 20. Voting will take place on our DSC FB pages on Monday and Tuesday. The top 3 people with the most likes will receive prizes! (First prize = 1 Alcatel 10″ tablet; 2nd and 3rd prizes = $20 restaurant gift certificates)
1. Take a photo and post it on social media (Facebook = @divinesaviorchurchdoral; Instagram = @dscdoral)
2. AND Send us a private message on Facebook or Instagram with your photo.
Christmas Eve Worship – We will be celebrating the greatest gift ever – Jesus, our Savior in a special bilingual worship service on Thursday, Dec 24 at 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm. Join us in person and enjoy the outdoor live nativity and candle lights inside. Be sure to register: https://divinesavior.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/333/responses/new Or, join us online for the live-stream at the same time: https://dscdoral.online.church/ Please share the invite with your friends and family and interact and share our social media posts about it!
Christmas Eve Volunteers – Are you willing to serve? We need a handful of volunteers to serve not only our DSC family, but any guests we may have on this special night. Each position that is needed is listed here: https://divinesavior.ccbchurch.com/goto/scheduling/49/public You will see both the 5:00 and 7:00 service times. Please select the position by checking the box and hitting the SIGN UP button at the top. All volunteers will need to arrive 30 minutes prior to the worship service. Becky will contact you when you sign up to share more details.
New Year’s Eve worship – Please join us for a bilingual worship service at 7:00 pm. We will have a separate registration form to attend in-person to share next week.
Advent Devotions from Martin Luther College: Visit MLC’s seasonal devotions page where you can read the devotions online, order a print version, or sign up to have them sent to you daily during Advent.
Women’s Advent Daily Devotions – Click here to get them delivered to your inbox each day. Each devotion is written by your sisters in Christ (WELS Women’s Ministry) and built on Scripture, giving different perspectives of the account of Christ’s birth. Stop for just a moment to receive the peace and strength that only God’s Word can bring.
Marriage Moments are short, weekly videos highlighting one Biblical marriage thought accompanied by a discussion question. Click here to watch this week’s episode – A Suitable Helper. Produced by our national church body, the WELS.
Weekly Offerings: Last week: $8,535.51 | Needed weekly to meet FY ’20-’21 budget: $9,106.96 | YTD per week: $8,649.75
Online Giving: Giving online is easier than ever to do. Simply click this link to go to our secure giving page.
Weekend Playlist – Comfort, Comfort All My People CW 11 | On Jordan’s Bank The Baptist’s Cry CW 16 | Make Straight the Highway
Changing Lives with Jesus,
Pastor Ben
