Worship Services

Announcements and Prayers

October 23rd, 2024

On-Line Viewing

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheFirstEvangelicalLutheranChurchofOdenton
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/event/537863
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FirstLutheranOdenton

Upcoming Meetings

November 4th: Ladies Auxiliary, 6:30 PM

November 11th: Planning Council, 7:00 PM

Tuesday’s: Women’s Bible Study, 9:30 AM

Wednesday’s: Men’s Bible Study, 9:30 AM

Every other Tuesday’s (next: October 30th): Young Men’s Bible Study, 7:00 PM

Disaster Relief

Volunteers needed! We will get together on Friday evening at 6pm in the Fellowship Hall to pack up flood buckets and hygiene kits for those affected by the recent hurricanes. Please join us!

Trunk or Treat

We will be hosting a trunk-or-treat crawl, along with St. Joseph Catholic Church and Nichols Bethels Methodist Church, on October 26th from 1-3pm. There will be games, crafts, contests and food. We need volunteers to decorate your trunks, and candy donations! There is a sign up sheet in the Narthex, as well as a box for donations! Thank you!

Hymn Fest

Make plans to join us on Sunday, November 17th at 3PM for our hymn fest here at First Lutheran. The theme is “We Praise You O’ God.” A Festival of Te Deum. We will sing hymns and hear instrumentals of beloved and sacred hymns from throughout the church year, all based on the Te Deum. It will be a wonderful evening of singing as we are accompanied by the organ, piano, flute, and brass quintet. This event is open to the public and a freewill offering will be collected which will go toward our organ repairs and future upgrades. Please share this with your friends, family, and neighbors. We look forward to seeing you for our hymn fest on Sunday, November 17th.

Usher Meeting

If you plan to continue serving as an usher or are interested in joining the usher group, please plan to attend a meeting after church in the sanctuary on November 3rd. If you can’t be at the meeting, but are interested in serving, talk to Donna.

Surprise Party

We will be having a surprise 95th birthday party for Buford Hansburger in the fellowship hall at 2pm on Oct 27th. Please rsvp to Margie. In lieu of gifts please consider signing up to provide a meal. Dates will be on Monday, Wednesday and Friday starting in November.

Pastoral Care

Pastor Corey will be away this week (28th-1st) delivering Disaster Relief items to Western NC. Pastor will be available by email throughout each day. If you need immediate care, please contact one of the Elders (Bryan Morgan, Mike Petersen, Mike Mrozek, Dave Pinckney).

Christmas Services Survey

Pastor Corey has begun planning December services. We will be taking a survey in the next couple of weeks to gauge interest in Christmas Eve and Christmas Day service times. Please look for that and let us know what services you would be interested in attending.

Combined Youth Group

Our next combined middle and high school youth group with St. Paul, Annapolis; St. Paul, Crofton; and Trinity Lutheran of Bowie will be hosted here at First Evangelical Lutheran on Sunday, November 10th beginning at 5pm. If you know any middle or high-school youth who would be interested in joining us, please let them know.

Congregational Meeting

There will be a congregational meeting immediately following the service on Sunday, November 10th to discuss changes to the constitution and by-laws as well as nominations for district and synod positions. Please make plans to stay as we discuss these items.

Hymn Fest

Make plans to join us on Sunday, November 17th at 3PM for our hymn fest here at First Lutheran. The theme is “We Praise You O’ God.” A Festival of Te Deum. We will sing hymns and hear instrumentals of beloved and sacred hymns from throughout the church year, all based on the Te Deum. It will be a wonderful evening of singing as we are accompanied by the organ, piano, flute, and brass quintet. This event is open to the public and a freewill offering will be collected which will go toward our organ repairs and future upgrades. Please share this with your friends, family, and neighbors. We look forward to seeing you for our hymn fest on Sunday, November 17th.

Blood Drive

Urgent Need! Please Donate! Our next blood drive is Friday October 25th 10am-4pm in the Fellowship hall. Walk-ins are welcome, but if the schedule fills up, you may be turned away. So, if you plan to donate, please schedule an appointment. To schedule an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code: FELC or call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) For more information or to volunteer to help, contact Denise Bach.

Children’s Sunday School

We meet in the church basement at 9 AM. Ages 3-10 years. It’s never too late to join us!

Feeding Our Friends

FELC will be helping BeMoreCaring each month by preparing and packaging 190 meals for delivery to our homeless friends in the Baltimore and Anne Arundel County areas. Please let Margie know if you are interested in helping. The next event will be Wednesday October 23rd from 1-4pm. Also, if you are a Thrivent member please consider putting in for an Action Team to help offset the cost for this or future opportunities.

Operation Christmas Child

We are getting closer! Packing time is coming from late October into November! Thanks for your continued donations. It sure feels good to reach the goals as we have been doing! See the new items listed below and/or on the board in the Narthex. Take the pinned cards with pictures/details of what’s new, with you to help as you shop. The weekly email and/ or bulletin has a chart showing what is still needed and the amounts. Please put items in the containers provided in the Narthex. The table by the elevator has examples of items being collected. In addition to buying items, a really important part of packing the OCC shoeboxes is a letter for each child. It helps make the gift more than just “things” but a reminder that they are cared about. Some recipients may be in orphanages and have no one who “belongs” to them. Everyone wants to feel special and that they “belong” to someone. So this is a great thing to include. The children love hearing from us and getting a personal note! A photo, when included, gives them a real connection and know that you are “real”! I can help by taking photos before or after church. We still need help with decorating the boxes and /or perhaps you would rather write a note or two to let a child know they are being prayed for and feel loved by members of FELC. Many thanks to those of you who have already taken the time to get some letter/notes written for the boxes. It is very much appreciated! We have scheduled some additional opportunities for decorating/ writing letters in the Fellowship Hall, just prior to packing the boxes. Mark your calendars for any of these dates that work best for you: Monday, October 21st and 28th, at 6:30pm, and/or Tuesday, October 22nd and 29th at 10:45 am, following the Ladies Bible Study. Every little bit helps! If you are unable to attend on these dates, on the tables by the elevator, I have set up examples and there is an information sheet available if you need ideas. Next week, examples of partially and fully packed boxes, like the children might receive, will be displayed. As always, thanks for your support! Blessings to you as we work together to bless children around the world with the love and knowledge of Jesus! Questions or clarifications needed? Contact Ursula (443-995-2035) or ask me at church! I really appreciated hearing from those of you who have reached out! If you would like to learn more about OCC just type in Operation Christmas Child/videos in your computer browser. There are videos that show the amazing stories of children who received a box and the impact it has made in their lives by bringing them to Jesus. We always ask for your prayers as the boxes are filled and the children that will be blessed by them! At the end of October we will be looking for help with the beginning packing stages of the donations. November 8th is quickly approaching and that’s the goal date for when the boxes will be filled and ready for our prayers!!

Item (As of Oct 23rd)	Quantity
Playing cards	42 decks
Boy’s underwear (size 4)	25 pairs
Washcloths(Basic, not too thick)	50
AAA batteries	100+
“Wow” gifts (small cars, or dolls, small puzzles) Stickers (non-holiday), small balls (like a tennis ball), assorted party favors or noise makers	Any amount

Men’s Breakfast

Join the men the fourth Saturday of the month at 8 AM for breakfast and fellowship. The next men’s breakfast will be October 26th in the Fellowship Hall. Breakfast will be provided.  Please contact Mike Mrozek if you have any questions.

Shut In Visitation Ministry

If you would like to be visited and/or receive Communion, please contact the Church Office (410-672-3352 or churchoffice@felcodenton.org.

Young Adult Small Group

If you are between the ages of 20 and 30, please join us for our weekly (virtual) Bible Study, 8-9PM, on scheduled weekdays. If interested please contact John Pinckney. We look forward to discussing God’s word with you!