From Pastor Kristin

Jesus took a loaf of bread and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” –Matthew 26:26

It’s time to get out the stretchy pants again! You know the ones – the pants we wear on Thanksgiving Day. Or more likely, the ones we put on after we’ve indulged in stuffing and potatoes and turkey and pumpkin pie and cranberries and more dessert. When our stomachs are so full that we have to open our belt buckles, or put on our stretchy pants.

I have to admit that I am unusually excited about Thanksgiving this year, because I am looking forward to actually being thankful. To intentionally rejoice with others over all that God has entrusted into our care. I need to rejoice this year. I need to give thanks and appreciate all that we do have, because everyone else – from news anchors to politicians – keep telling me to be depressed and anxious during these lean economic times. And it’s starting to work.

Which is why I am actually excited about Thanksgiving. Which is why this year, for once, I might actually appreciate Thanksgiving. Because I’m hoping that Thanksgiving just might pull me out of focusing on what I don’t have and remind me of all that God has already given to me, and to the world. To remember that God has given us enough, when we share with one another and use only what we need.

Maybe we don’t have all that we want, but we do have enough to gather around a table on Thanksgiving and share and eat with one another. God has given us enough to gather every week around the Lord’s Table to share and eat a bit of bread and bit of wine. Little bits that hold a whole lot: abundant and eternal life. The body of Christ, in your hands, in your body, and in your life, each and every day. And for that, I give God thanks.

Pastor Kristin

Worship + Music

November 20th. – Prepare for Advent
Please join us after worship on November 20th as we get together to prepare the building for Advent.

Lighting the Advent Wreath
As part of our advent preparations, we light the candles of the advent wreath in worship and in our homes. Each week, we need a couple people to say a prayer and light the advent wreath at the beginning of worship. This is a great way for people of all ages to become involved in worship leadership! So, sign up and grab a friend, a godchild, a neighbor, or an enemy to help you light the advent candles in worship.

I/We (name/s) ______________________________________________
_____ would like to light the advent wreath in worship.
_____ would be interested in leading other parts of worship
___ Prayers of the Church ___ Serving communion
___ Benediction
I/We are available to serve on the following Sundays of advent:
___ Nov. 27 ____ Dec. 4 ____ Dec. 11 ____ Dec. 18

Return this form to the office (via mail, e-mail, fax, feet, or the offering plate).


Nutley Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service
Monday, November 21st at 7:30pm
Vincent United Methodist Church
Worship with people of all faiths, thanking God for all of the blessings we enjoy as a community, and to remember in prayer those who are in need. The offering will go towards the Caring Kitchen Meal Ministry hosted by Vincent United Methodist Church.


Gather some Greens for the Windows at Christmas
This year, when you cut or purchase your Christmas tree, please ask for any spare evergreen branches or hanging greens. Keep the evergreen branches in a cool place, and then bring them to Holy Trinity on Sunday, December 18th, when we “Hang the Greens” and ready the sanctuary for Christmas.

Christmas Services at Holy Trinity
Now’s the time to invite a friend. Go ahead, share the good news, overcome the barriers and make the connection.

December 24th at 7:30pm
Candlelight service with carols, for all ages.

December 25th at 10:00am
Christmas Day Worship with St. Paul’s UCC and Franklin Reformed, hosted by Holy Trinity.

To assist at these services, please sign up in the narthex or call the
church office.

Caring Community

Stick Around After Worship
We’ve started something new…COFFEE AND TEA TIME after worship. Stay and talk with your sisters and brothers as you share your lives together over a cup of tea or coffee every first, third, and fifth Sunday of the month. November Coffee & Tea Times on the 6th and 20th. Sign-up sheet to host Coffee & Tea in the Narthex.

Do you have any coffee mugs that are not being used or not needed? Please bring them in (or donate them) to church for use during “Coffee and Tea Time.” Thank you!


Baby Shower for Cathy and Michael Palamara
Sunday, December 11 after worship, Holy Trinity Fellowship Hall. Everyone is invited—not just women—and this is not a surprise!

Twin boys are due in February. Those planning to attend, please RSVP to Agee Lin at (973) 284-1835. Agee is also looking for additional help with planning and set-up.

Cathy and Mike are registered at Babies R Us (Search “Palamara” and then Cedar Grove). www.babiesrus.com/registry

"Your Grandmother’s Cupboard"
On Saturday, December 10 from 10am – 2pm, the WELCA group of Holy Trinity will be collecting items for Your Grandmother’s Cupboard, an organization that provides food, clothing and other necessities for the homeless, hungry and the other “invisible” children and adults in our community.

As you make the change to fall and winter clothing, why not put aside the items you no longer need or want?

Items of dire need are:

Toiletries:
Combs and brushes Bars of Soap Deodorant
Disposable Razors Feminine Hygiene products Shampoo
Toothbrushes Toothpaste Toilet paper

Clothing: for men, women, and children
Especially need: Shoes and socks; Coats, hats, and gloves, and boots
Men’s work clothes (folded and sorted, if possible)
Other: Sheets (all sizes), blankets, comforters, sleeping bags

There is also a trailer that accepts donations at St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church, Wayne, N.J. (973) 694-8316 or www.sttimothynj.org

Remember the Hungry
Donations of non-perishable food items help stock the Nutley Food Pantry, as well as provide emergency food aid to our neighbors. Please place donations in the basket in the narthex to help those of us who are hungry!

A Food Pantry Shopping List:

canned fruit, canned vegetables, tuna fish, box of pasta, pasta sauce
1-can meals, tomato paste, bar soap, toilet paper,

ELCA/HUNGER
U.S. – Alabama
On April 27, 2011, severe storms and tornadoes ravaged the small town of Phil Campbell, Alabama. The home of Nickey, Kathy, and their three grandchildren was obliterated; reduced to a heap of splinters and rubble. They received the maximum $30,000 in aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but it wasn’t enough to purchase a new home. The family of five temporarily moved into a friend’s RV. They were homeless.

Gifts to ELCA Disaster Response, directed through Lutheran Disaster Response, helped coordinate and support the rebuilding effort. With the help of volunteers, their house was rebuilt in three weeks. And just two months after the tornado leveled their home, they received the keys to their new three-bedroom home. The family was the first family in Phil Campbell to move into a new home after the disaster.

During the blessing of their home on June 30, 2010, members of the community gathered to pray for the family and the recovery of all other affected by the destructive storms. Nickey and Kathy were speechless; Kathy silently wiped away tears. In addition, local ELCA congregations provided two homemade quilts and a $500 gift card to help them furnish their new home. "I'm very grateful," Nickey said. "You can’t put it into words."

Your gifts to ELCA Disaster Response ensure that this church is ready to bring help and hope to disaster survivors.

www.elca.org/hunger

Faith Formation

Open the Scripture.
Join the Conversation.

Everyone is welcome to join the conversation at either weekly Bible Study. Looking at the scriptures to discern what in the world God is up to in the Word, in the world, and in us? Come! You are always welcome!

Monday Evenings at 7:30pm.
Fall study: Making Sense of Scripture

Thursday afternoons at 2:00pm.
Focus on the gospel text for next Sunday.

WELCA
(A brief background)
Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America is the national women’s organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America; all women of the local congregations are members. There are national and state conventions.

WELCA’s purpose is: as a community of women in the image of God, called to discipleship in Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves to grow in faith, affirm our gifts, support one another in our callings, engage in ministry and action and promote healing and wholeness in the church, society and the world.

In the congregation, women gather in circle meetings to carry out this purpose. At Holy Trinity, we have a circle which meets 6 to 8 times a year on the third Wednesday of the month for Bible Study, fellowship and occasionally go out to dinner. The next meeting will take place on Wednesday, November 16th, 7:30pm, at Marcia Hayes' home (142 Conover Avenue, Nutley). Over the years we have donated and helped with our own church projects, ministries in the community and church wide missions. All women are always invited to come to the circle meetings.

Good to Know (birthdays, notices, misc.)

Church Ticket Offer New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center, Newark, N.J.
New Jersey Devils vs. New York Islanders
Saturday, November 26, 2011 – 1:00PM.
Special Ticket Price of $40.00.

Please let our office know if you would like to be the Group Leader for this event and we will provide you with all of the pertinent information. All orders must be received by 11/20/11.

Church Directory
Please check one of the draft copies of the directory to make sure your information is up-to-date and complete. Please make sure to provide an email address if you have not done so. It is very important that you ALL take the time to review and update the information that we have listed for you. Once you have reviewed your information, please make a check mark next to your name (please only mark 1 copy). Updates are need by November 24th so that new directories can be distributed in in December.

If you cannot get to church to make corrections to your information, please call or email the office at (973) 667-0256 or office.htlcnutley@verizon.net. Thank you!


We’ve Moved!

Chris and Nancy Duhm
3 Dumphries Court
Townsend, DE 19734-2866
H: (302) 376-5643
C: (201) 965-4660

Emily Jones
2350 Route 10, Unit E2
Morris Plains, NJ 07950-1233

Elaine Miller and Terry Scalcione
4305 Harcourt Rd.
Clifton, NJ 07013

Congratulations and best wishes to all!


The Lutheran
In your offering envelope box, you should find an envelope in the fall section for a special offering to help defray the cost of our The Lutheran subscription. At a group rate, Holy Trinity pays about $8.00 per subscription. Gifts toward this expense are greatly appreciated. If you are not receiving The Lutheran and would like to, or if you do not wish to receive it, please contact the church office by phone or email. Thank you.

Like Us?
Then Like Holy Trinity’s Facebook page. You’ll get updates on the goings on at Holy Trinity, see pictures from events, read previous sermons, and even participate in sermon feedback.

Save Money. Save Trees.
We would prefer to send the newsletter and ministry updates electronically. If you haven't shared your e-mail address with the church office, please consider doing so. Send an e-mail with ADD ME TO THE MAILING LIST in the subject line to office.htlcnutley@verizon.net. We can send this newsletter to anyone with Microsoft Wordtm version 1993 or later.

November Birthdays and Anniversaries

November Birthdays
4: Erika Bacik
8: Sara Murphy
10: Jennifer Murphy
11: Chris Amlung
12: John Fenton
13: Irene Falk
18: Cathy Palamara
21: Erik Hess
27: Judi Lovas
28: Joelle Bernhard, Aida Rubens
29: Grace Viola, Bonnie Munoz
30: Nancy Duhm, Nicole Duhm, William Murphy

November Anniversaries
1: Ken & Irene Geiselmann
2: Richard & Susan Ulley
24: Louis & Terry D’Agnolo


Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Lutheran Peace Activist
Leymah Roberta Gbowee, a Lutheran Liberian peace activist, has been awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. Gbowee, a member of the Lutheran Church in Liberia, is responsible for organizing a non-violent women's movement that brought an end to a 14-year civil war in Liberia.

The Liberian women's movement led to the ousting of ex-President Charles Taylor and to the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as president of Liberia -- the first African nation with a female president. President Sirleaf also has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The war in Liberia began in 1989, but "the women's movement, our protest, didn't begin until 2003," said Gbowee. As a mother of six children, she grew tired of watching children die from hunger and "waking up every morning and not knowing whether a tomorrow was possible."

She decided it was time to stop the war and called together women of all faiths -- Christian, Muslim, indigenous and others -- from across Liberia to "step out," recognizing that Liberian women can play a critical role in peace building.

"You always see your savior in someone else other than yourself," Gbowee said. "So for us women, having never been socialized to believe that we have powers to interfere in the politics of our country, we were waiting for the bold men. (But) every time the bold men rose up, they rose up with guns and other things," she said, realizing that women needed to bring the much-desired peace "for ourselves."

Using the experiences of the women before them, Gbowee used prayer, picketing and silence to further their mission. Despite insults and other behaviors that came their way, Gbowee said, "We kept quiet because we had a sense of purpose and sense of direction." The women also put together statements of peace for African governments, engaged the media and initiated personal, one-to-one conversations with power brokers "to see how we could get the peace that Liberia was searching for," she said.

Gbowee's story is chronicled in the documentary "Pray the Devil Back to Hell," which is currently playing on PBS television channels and at pbs.org. She has just completed her memoir, "Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War" -- a book that examines "the power of women and the power of faith in getting you (out) from the darkest place in your life," she said.

"Leymah Gbowee embodies a Christian faith that will not keep silent in the face of poverty and oppression," said ELCA Presiding Bishop, Mark Hanson. "She sees the strength that comes when both women and men of different faiths join together in building a more just and peaceful world. When others may say there is no hope in the face of forces that divide and exploit, Leymah Gbowee gives a resounding 'yes' to the way of nonviolence and justice for all,"

Gbowee was awarded a scholarship from the International Leadership Development Program of the ELCA in 2006-2007 to support her study in peace building at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va.

Plants & Animals For Christmas

Beautify the Sanctuary with a Poinsettia Plant
Each poinsettia plant costs $8.00 and is in a foil wrapped 6 ½” pot. To order a poinsettia, use the order form below and place it in the offering plate or return it to the church office by Sunday, December 4, 2011 with your donation. Plants may be taken home after Christmas Eve Worship.

Animals that Make a Difference
This Christmas, give a gift that will change a life. Each gift of an animal listed below will be utilized by ELCA ministers to connect people with the resources they need to sustainably lift themselves from hunger and poverty. For every animal given, that animal will be added to the crèche in the sanctuary. For more info as well as gift cards to tell loved ones you have given a gift in their honor are available at www.elca.org/goodgifts. Could we give a whole barnyard this Christmas?
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Plants and Animals for Christmas Order Form

Name:______________________________ Phone:_________________
I wish to give the gift of:
_____ Poinsettia(s) at $8.00 each (order due Sunday. Dec 4th)
_____ Peep of chicks at $10each _____ Sheep at $125 each
_____ Duck(s) for $20 each _____ Fish Farm at $250 each
_____ Pig(s) at $30 each _____ Cow at $500 each
_____ Goat(s) at $50 each _____ Family Farm at $715 each

Total $:________ Paid via (circle one): check / cash Envelope#:_____

In Memory / Honor Of: _______________________________________