12-21-2025

The Fourth Sunday in Advent

Announcements:  December 21, 2025

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church

                                          800 North Sumner                                                                 Pastor John Rutz

                                         Creston, Iowa       Website:  www.trinitycreston.org      Phone:  641-782-5095

For the Fourth Sunday in Advent on Dec. 21, 2025

Isaiah 7:10-17

Romans 1:1-7

Matthew 1:18-25

 For the First Sunday after Christmas on Dec. 28, 2025

 For your own personal reading at home this week.

Isaiah 63:7-14

Galatians 4:4-7

Matthew 2:13-23

This Week at Trinity

 Sun., Dec. 21  Fourth Sunday in Advent

8:00 am   Bible Class            

9:00 am   Divine Service/HC with children helping to lead the 

             Children’s Message

10:30 am   Sunday School & Fellowship Time

Mon., Dec. 22

Preschool is on Christmas break this week. Resumes Jan. 5.

Fellowship Hall reserved all day for Bloodmobile.

Tues., Dec. 23 

 7:00 am  Early Risers

Wed., Dec. 24 Christmas Eve 

  6:00 pm   Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

Thurs., Dec. 25   Christmas Day

9:00 a.m.   Christmas Day Divine Service/HC 

Sat., Dec. 27 

FH in use all day by Burgmaier family

Sun., Dec. 28 

8:00 am   Bible Class            

9:00 am   Divine Service/HC

10:30 am   Sunday School & Fellowship Time

Wed., Dec. 31

6:00 Divine Service/HC

Serving at Trinity on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025

Accompanist: Sharon Eklund

Acolyte:  Becca Swanson

Ushers in December: Dennis Brown, Mike Swanson, Kevin Kruse and Dean Hadley

Elder of the month for December: Mike Swanson

Finance Team in December: Dennis Brown & Joyce Kruse

Altar Guild for December:  Ed & Tracy Booth           

Prayer List

Cancer:  

Neal Bowman (brother of Charlie Bowman)

Sharmen Lowenberg

Tyson Stuart

Jane McNeill (friend of Corene Walter)

Ron Still (friend of Ed Booth)

Brenda McIntosh (friend of Mitzie Cellan)

Chad Simmons( friend of Melody Stoner)

Cloa Faulkner (sister of Cindy Isdahl)

On-going health concerns, Hospitalized, or Recovery:

Cindy Isdahl

Jack Quee

Mitzie Cellan

Martin Herzberg (son of Bruce and Beth Herzberg)

Shellie Wimer (friend of Doug Gooding

Kenny Kile (friend of Melody Stoner)

Curtis Decker (brother of Joy Brown)

Pat & Max Lowenberg (friends of Mitzie Cellan)

John Needles (friend of Mitzie Cellan)

Bev (Bear) Denipah (friend of Deb Melzer)

Kristi Srans (friend of Mitzie Cellan)

Wendy Stickens (friend of Mitzie Cellan)

Shut-ins: Dorothy Cook

Military: 

 Kyle Marchok (husband of Lola Hembry’s granddaughter)

Missions:

Trinity Preschool (Creston)

Life Care Clinic, (Stuart, Creston & Atlantic)

Concordia Mission Society

Pastor James and Christel Neuendorf (Puerto Rico)

Pastor Daniel Vogel (Denison Hispanic Ministry)

Pastor James and Angela Sharp and Family (Uruguay)

Rev. Dr. Walter and Robyn Steele, (East Africa)

Jesse Liebmann (Romania)

Rachel Krause (Germany)

Rev. Thomas Park (Taiwan)

Rev. David & Jennifer Preus and family (Romania)

Rev. Christian & Lula Tews (Germany)

Vicar Gavin Johnson (Dominican Republic)

Phone Numbers and Emails Addresses

To reach Pastor Rutz  phone the church office at

(641-782-5095) Ext. 3

Or, you may reach Pastor at 712-621-5971 (cell)

Pastor’s email is:

pastor@trinitycreston.org

---------------------------------------------------------------

Email Address for the Office Assistant

lhadley@trinitycreston.org

When you have announcements that need to be included in the weekly announcements, please turn them in by noon on Wednesdays.

Visitors:  We are so glad you joined us today.  We collect offerings during our worship services.  While we believe this is a chance for each believer to be a good steward of the gifts they have received from God, you are welcome but not expected to give an offering while you are our guest.  If you would like to learn more about the Lord’s ministry here at Trinity please call Pastor Rutz.  He would love to get acquainted and visit at a time that is convenient for you.  You are also invited to join members in the fellowship hall after this morning’s service.

Attendance Cards:  Visitors and members are asked to fill out an attendance card and to list names of each family member in attendance.  Hand your card to an usher at the back of the church at the end of the service.  When there is Holy Communion, please list the names of those who will be communing on the Holy Communion registration side of the card.  Hand it to an usher as you go up for communion.  If you have moved or your phone number or email address have changed, please note any changes on the attendance so that we can update our records in the office.

Weekly bulletins, announcements and sermons are available on the church website.

Children in the Divine Service Sheets are available from the basket in the back of the church.  Parents are encouraged to read these to/with their children.  Each week will have a short explanation of a different part of the church service or about something found in the church.  They are another way to aid parents in teaching their children.

Prayer Box:  The Sunday school class has started a prayer box.  It may be found in the narthex area. They ask the congregation to put prayer requests in the box.  The box will be checked each week and prayers of thanksgiving and needs will be shared to support our congregation and community.

 Attendance from last Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025

 Church Attendance 60  Communed 46

 Bible Class 10                 Sunday School 13

Attendance from Dec. 17 Advent Service 37

Thank you to all the children who helped share the story of our Savior’s birth with us this morning.   Thanks to their teachers and parents, too, for helping the children prepare.  We also thank Bethany Isdahl for sharing special music during the offering.

Bloodmobile:  Our fellowship hall will be used tomorrow, Dec. 22 for a Life Serve Bloodmobile. 

This is a last minute addition to our calendar due to a funeral being held at the Christian Church where the bloodmobile was originally scheduled to be held. There is a great demand for blood this time of year.

Book Club has been canceled for tomorrow, Dec. 22.   Their next meeting time will be on Monday, January 26. 

Deadline:  Deadline for events that need to go on the January Church Calendar is tomorrow, Dec. 22, to allow time for printing before Christmas.  Calendars will come out in the Dec. 28 bulletins.

Portals of Prayer for January-March 2026 will be handed out at the end of the service.   Please pick one up to use during your home devotions.

Mailboxes:  Please check your church mailbox in the narthex. 

Upcoming Special Services

Wed., Dec. 24  Christmas Eve Service 6:00 p.m.

Thurs., Dec. 25  Christmas Day Service/HC 9:00 a.m.

Wed., Dec. 31 New Year’s Eve Service/HC 6:00 p.m.  

OWLS will not meet in December.

Elders will not be meeting in December.

LWML You can now find Trinity LWML on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).  You don’t have to be a lady or member of the church to follow us online. The next quarterly meeting for Trinity LWML will be January 3 at 9 AM.  If we get some bad weather we’ll move the meeting to Sunday, the 11th.  All women who are members of Trinity are welcome.  We will be choosing one more voting delegate for district convention at Camp Okoboji, June 11-13, 2026. If you have questions about this or would like to be considered as a delegate but are unable to attend the meeting please reach out to Alexis Swanson (641-344-6084).   The SW Zone would also like to send one or two Young Women’s Representatives (YWR) to district convention; they should be in their 20s or 30s and a member of a congregation in the SW Zone.

2nd Annual PS Fundraiser Garage Sale:  Save the date for June 6, 2026. The Preschool Board will be having another free will donation garage sale. As you clean your house for your Christmas guests, you may find some items to save for the garage sale. No item is too big.