Fall activities in Beach Corner, Alta.

Here is a picture that I took of little favours we passed out on LWMLC Sunday, October 24. We met once a month from February to June last year. We tried to hold a Plant and Trunk sale in May, but due to COVID-19 it was just too difficult with all the restrictions to make it work, so we will try for our Craft and Bake sale in December (we had to cancel that last year.)  We also started meeting once a month again in September. We meet at the church or someone’s house, masked and socially distanced. We have decided to do a “warm sock, toque and mitts” tree for several local missions. The tree is up, and we’ll collect till the end of November. December 4 we are planning to go ahead with our yearly bake and craft sale. At the end of last year, we had a meeting and chose to give some of our offering money (we collect mites, but then we collect an offering each month for other local projects, seed money, expenses, etc.) to the following local organizations:

§ $500 to the Seminary Guild, Edmonton
§ $300 to the convention for the ingathering
§ $100 to The Rock, Edmonton
§ $100 to Hope Mission, Edmonton 

We are a society of eight.  

Becky Wandio on behalf of Sonja Heinemann, president of St John’s LWMLC Society, Beach Corner, Alberta.  

For LWMLC Sunday we wanted to do an after-church coffee hour, but with the restrictions, we opted to do little cookie bags with our bookmark attached to the bag.  We handed one to every person who attended service that Sunday. 

MAKE ADVENT PREPARATION YEAR-LONG

Advent comes from the Latin word adventus which means “coming.” In the Christian church it is a preparation for the celebration or “coming” birth of Jesus Christ. It is also a preparation for the second “coming “of Christ.

This season in the church invites us to step away from the frenzy of the secular world and celebrate the “Light” of Jesus Christ coming into the darkness of sin in the world. A lot of attention focuses on gift shopping, baking, parties and writing of Christmas cards. We stand in long lines to acquire the trending, perfect gift, or those special foods to serve to family and friends.

But do we put the same effort into remembering Christ’s birth? Do we focus on that “Light” which came into the world to save us? Do we have an Advent calendar of chocolate? Or do we read the account of Jesus birth and life in Luke? Is there an Advent wreath in your home with the four candles reminding us of the Hope, Love, Joy and Peace that Jesus brings to us?

Advent also brings our focus onto the second coming of Christ. Are we preparing for the second coming? Do we step away from the frenzy of daily living, keeping up with the “Joneses,” work, social media, extracurricular activities? Or are we spending time daily in God’s Word, prayer, and worship?

Advent helps us reflect on the sacrifice Christ made for us by becoming human like us to live amongst us, to suffer and die on the cross to redeem us and rise from the grave that we may live again with Him in heaven. Advent is not just four weeks of preparation reflecting of the birth and second coming of Christ, but a year-round reminder of God’s gracious gift of His Son Jesus Christ, God with us, for you and me so we may be ready for His second coming of gathering all believers to be with Him forever.

Annette Borchardt