A Word from Our Pastor….
But, thanks be to God for his indescribable gift… II Corinthians 9:15
     What do you give to someone who doesn’t really need anything? Haven’t you asked yourself that before… maybe just recently as you pondered what in the world you could get for this person or that person? I know I have. The reality is that we really don’t need anything. We have all we need. Whatever we need, we have the means to get it. So, anything we get or give to each other for Christmas represents a nice thought, a kind gesture.
     A few years back, I started giving a different kind of gift to people. For the kids in the Lassalle family (my nieces and nephew), finding gifts is not an easy task. Their parents and grandparents give them many gifts, many of which are just extras because the kids already have all they need in their lives. I am thankful for that. So, instead of piling up more gifts, I decided to start giving them gifts that make a difference… in someone else’s life. They don’t need another blouse, or pair of shoes, or favorite CD, or even cash. I donate funds to various charities in their names/honor.
     Several agencies and organizations find that offering such opportunities for people to donate during the holidays goes a long way in their fundraising. So, instead of buying my teenage nieces more “stuff,” I make a donation for literacy classes for a child somewhere in the world. Or, I make a donation for soccer balls for kids who don’t have them in honor of my soccer- playing nephew. Over the years, children around the world have received food, blankets, school supplies, books, and all manner of necessities in honor of my nieces.
And, now for Christmas, the kids in my family anticipate their gifts from me and have grown to enjoy the various types of donations made in their honor.  And many people who know this about me give me such gifts too! I am hoping that they will learn more about the gift of giving to others through my yearly “gift-giving” to them. I encourage you to check into this wonderful and joy-filled giving… 
     You can go to the websites of any of these and more to begin your blessed giving…
Church World Service, Week of Compassion, Samaritan’s Purse, Bread for the World, Heifer International and others.
Serving together with you,
Rev. Susan Lassalle
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A Note From the Board…
Vice Chair Jamie Killian
History of St. Nick
       As a parent I often time ask myself if I am doing the right thing when teaching my kids about Santa Claus. I know when they are older they will realize that he is not what we made him out to be and I do not want them to think I’d lied. So is it wrong to let kids fantasize about a figure that was created but based upon a real person?
       The central figure of Christmas, Santa Claus, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker while in the Russian Orthodox Church the name is translated "St. Nikolai The Miracle Creator". He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus, whose modern name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas.
       When alive, he did many kind and generous deeds, while expecting nothing in return from anyone. Within a century of his death he was celebrated as a saint. His reputation evolved from there among the faithful. On the day after Thanksgiving or sometime in December, children and their families put up a Christmas tree. They also normally put a star or angel on the top, as a symbol of Christ's birth. On 24 December, Christmas Eve, each child puts one empty stocking/sock on their fireplace. The following morning of 25 December, the children awake to find that St. Nick has filled their stockings with candy and small presents (if the children have been good) or coal (if not). Gifts often include chocolate gold coins to represent the gold St. Nick gave to the poor and small trinkets.
       They also awake to find presents under the tree, wrapped in Christmas-themed paper. This is very traditional part of Christmas. Although the figure we understand as Santa Claus is a created embellished form of a real Christian saint the reason for the holiday season is based upon a real person. Likewise, the acts we do and the way we celebrate the season are also based upon real events. Christmas time is a great; a time for family gathering, gift giving and remembering the birth of Jesus. With all that you do, do not let the stress, gifts and the food disconnect you from the “reason for the season.”
Happy Holidays and God Bless.
Jamie Killian, Board Vice Chair