Dear Church Family,
Welcome to December! Can you believe it? For many this is their favorite time of year. It holds so much promise of good times and memories to be made. For many others it’s a season that they’ve come to learn just can’t handle the weight of expectations we place on it.
But Christ can! He can and does and will meet our highest expectations. And that’s the good news that we’re really going to take to heart this coming Sunday at church as we continue our series We Want to See Jesus by learning from the prophet Jeremiah and seeing how Jesus is “the LORD our righteous Savior.”
Please join me for worship this Sunday as we have an opportunity to gather as God’s people, encourage each other, and be encouraged by God’s Word!
ICYMI – Watch my sermon from Sunday about an unexpected discovery of the Word of God.
Advent Season Devotional – Last Sunday we handed out to everyone in attendance a devotion book produced by Martin Luther College called “Word Made Flesh.” It contains wonderful daily devotions from Dec 1 – Dec 25. Pick up your copy this Sunday at church. In the meantime you can find it online here as a beautifully designed book or pdf to download.
Call Received – Hope Lutheran Church in Chino Valley and Prescott Arizona has called me to be their pastor. I seek to understand in this process of deliberating where I can best serve the Lord as a pastor—whether continuing here in Florida or there in Arizona. I humbly ask for your prayers and any feedback that you might have for me and my family as we come to a decision. Thank you!
Birthday for Jesus
Serving Opportunity:
On Saturday, December 10 we will be hosting an outreach event for families called Birthday for Jesus with children ages 3 through 5th grade in our community. In the past we’ve had many families join us that are not yet part of our church. It’s a great opportunity to point to Jesus and allow people to get to know our family in Christ. There are many opportunities for volunteers of all ages! If you would like to find out how you or your entire family can help, please contact Janette Schultz.
Attend with your children ages 3 years old through 5th grade:
Don’t you love birthday parties? Come celebrate the birth of Jesus – the best birthday ever! We’ve created this free event designed just for families with children ages 3 through 5th grade. Parents are welcome to accompany them and join in the fun or drop off their child(ren). Saturday, December 10 at 9:00am. We will end the birthday party with a special presentation for the parents at 11:30am. Click here to register.
Baptism – Are you or someone in your family interested in learning more about baptism? Join Pastor Ben to learn what the Bible teaches about baptism. Click here if interested. Divine Savior Church offers baptism for FREE to anyone of any age!
Spread the Christmas Spirit – Share the good news and rejoice at the birth of Jesus. We have extra invitations to our Christmas Eve worship services for you to share with friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, etc. Pastor Steve will introduce our campaign, “Everyone Invites One” this Sunday after the worship service. You can pick up the postcard invites this weekend and consider how you might share with others in your life.
Sharing the Love of Jesus with Brothers and Sisters on the Gulf Coast (from Pastor Jonny Lehmann, DSC-WPB) – One of the amazing blessings we have at DSC is to share a deep connection with churches across North America and the world who are committed to God’s Word and spreading the hope of Jesus. One of those church families we share that connection with is Abiding Love Lutheran Church in Cape Coral. They are hurting due to the damage done by Hurricane Ian and DSC is committed to supporting them in this time of need. Some members have lost homes and many have had their lives turned upside down in the aftermath. I’m sure at this second you’re thinking, “How can I help???” Here are some ways you can jump in! First and foremost, keep the Abiding Love church family in your prayers. In addition to that, they have requested volunteers to help clear debris and help in the rebuilding process. If you would like to support them with financial gifts, that would be another awesome way to share Jesus’ love. You could throw some Christmas candy together with a Starbucks gift card and a note of encouragement and send a care package. The sky is seriously the limit! Our goal is to help the Abiding Love family recover after the storm and to encourage them so they know they are loved and thought of during these difficult days. If you have any questions about how you can serve, feel free to reach out to our West Palm Beach campus pastor, Jonny Lehmann, and he would love to get you plugged in!
Save the Date:
- Sunday, Dec 4 College Ministry Bible Study
- Saturday, Dec 10 Birthday for Jesus
- Thursday, Dec 15 All Pro Dad’s Day
- Saturday, Dec 17 DSYouth Beach Bible Study
- Sunday, Dec 18 Blood Drive
- Saturday, Dec 24 Christmas Eve bilingual worship services at 4:00pm; 5:30pm; and 7:00pm
- Sunday, Dec 25 Christmas Day English worship at 9:30 am with Holy Communion
“$2,025 for 3 Years” is a commitment we made as a congregation to find at least 25 members would pledge to give over and above their weekly offerings for 3 years. We are currently at 23 who have pledged. $42,750 of a needed $152,000 has already been given. Please visit our special campaign web page for more info and to either 1) make your total 3 year pledge there, or 2) make a contribution toward your pledged amount. Thank you to those who have pledged and given and to all who are prayerfully considering it!
Building Project Progress Updates – Just click “connect” at the bottom menu of our DSC app and you will see an option for “Worship and Ministry Center”. Find photos, videos, and up-to-date construction updates.
Weekly Offerings to Budget:
Needed for Current FY 2022-2023: $10,002 / wk | Current Weekly Average: $ 9,947.23 / wk
Projected Amount Needed for FY 2023-2024: $11,918 / wk
Projected Amount Needed for FY 2024-2025: $12,126 / wk
DSC on YouTube: Watch past messages and worship services on-demand on our church YouTube channel.
Download Our Church App – Use it to worship online, watch archived messages, and register for events and classes that are coming up. Our app is the communication hub for everything DSC! Search “Divine Savior Church” in your app store. Select “Doral” as your campus.
Giving: To give simply follow this link to go to our secure giving page, or click Give at thebottom of the church app. You can make one-time special gifts or set up recurring gifts as well. Thank you for keeping in mind that setting up your regular giving via ACH vs credit card saves our church over 2% in additional fees.
Sunday Playlist – Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel | On Jordan’s Bank The Baptist’s Cry | Make Straight the Highway
Changing Lives with Jesus,
Pastor Ben
