We are looking forward to a Christ-centered year here at Foothills Church in 2012. Last year, we kept track of our Bible reading with a simple tool (that you can download the Bible Reading Checklist here) and then Tim treated those of us to breakfast on New Year's Day. We also took to consider our tithes to the church.

In 2012, we are again tracking our Bible reading (with breakfast to follow) and taking this opportunity to pledge a tithe to Foothills. And we are introducing 366 Days of Prayer.

Tim started 366 Days of Prayer on Sunday by handing out several blank journals. We'll have more this Sunday and will end up with about nine Prayer Books total.

The Prayer Books are meant to be a place where our church body shares in prayer together. We hope that at the end of 2012 we'll receive all nine books back filled with the passions of our people.

If you have a Prayer Book, write, draw or express your prayers creatively each day that you have it. Make it as creative or simple as you want. Just be sure to use it when you have it. Pass it on to another Footie when you're done. Want to keep it a week? Great; bring it to church the next Sunday and pass it on.

Not sure how to pray? Check the weekly email newsletter or Sunday bulletin for guidance on what we're praying for as a church body.

Want a Prayer Book? Look for one on Sunday or ask your Group Leader to get one.

Further guidance on how or what to pray:
1. Read 1 Timothy Chapter 3 and write a prayer for the Elders, Pastors and Deacons of Foothills.
2. Write a prayer for God to forgive you, change you, heal you, free you, use you and glorify Jesus.
3. Drive around town with fresh eyes and write a prayer for the people, homes and community you see.
4. Write a prayer for the Church in our area.
5. Write a prayer for a friend who hasn't met Jesus.

There are a number of ways we are celebrating Christmas. Join in the fun as a family, a grandparent or as a single person with friends. These activities are built around the idea of generosity.

Week of November 27: Make a video of your family singing “Silent Night” and send it to Bart, bart@foothillsstayton.org by December 18.
Read together: John 1:1-18

Week of December 4: Orange Sunday
    8:30: Regular Gathering
    10:15: Fusion for Families
Wrap a present up for someone who isn’t expecting it.
Read together: Matthew 1:18-25

Week of December 11: Bake Christmas cookies and share them with your neighbors.
Gingerbread House Building: 10-noon, Dec. 17 (Bring a base to build on, a box of graham crackers and candies to share. We'll provide the frosting).
Read together: Luke 2:1-14

Week of December 18: Sleep under the Christmas tree together. Make a Nativity scene out of toys, take a picture of it and send it to Elena, elena@foothillsstayton.org.
Deliver Christmas baskets to needy families.
Read together: Luke 2:15-32

Christmas Eve at Foothills, Dec. 24
    4:30pm: Tailgating dinner in the parking lot
    5:30pm: Gathering (Nursery care available)

Christmas Day at Foothills, Dec. 25
Christmas Sweater Sunday! Wear your favorite Christmas sweater to church this morning.
    10:15am: Gathering (Nursery care available; no Children's Ministry; no 8:30am gathering)

So it's exciting to see that the Annual Thanksgiving Community Dinner at the Covered Bridge Cafe is in its sixth year. That's six years of people making dinner and serving it up for free to anyone who wants to come.

This year, 750 people are expected at the dinner. Anyone can come from 4-8pm, on Wednesday, Nov. 23. Volunteer workers will even bring meals to people in Stayton & Sublimity who can't leave home if they call the cafe by Nov. 22 (503.767.3945).

We are privileged at Foothills to be the ones who help make and serve the dinner and we are invited to help fund the dinner through donations. Let us know you want to help serve the meal by contact Gary & Julie Woelfle; monetary donations can be made at the cafe, 510 N Third Ave., downtown Stayton.

Download our Food Drive pdf here!

We're making our annual Food Drive Orange, thanks to a few simple steps that you can download right here. So awesome.

All of this goodness benefits the Stayton Food Bank. The food bank's most wanted items are peanut butter, canned fruit & vegetables, pasta & rice, pasta sauce, tuna and canned meals. We're accepting donations now through Oct. 30 in the church foyer.

Thanks to you!

‧ Drop off donations now through August 14 at Foothills Church. Deposit boxes are in the foyer and under the covered storage area out back.

‧ Donations should be something you'd wear or you'd let your children wear. We even take new items!

‧ We'll be sorting clothing in August - stay tuned for ways you can help out!

Questions? Send them to info@foothillsstayton.org. Thanks for being awesome.

Foothills Christmas-Gram 2010 from Foothills Church on Vimeo.

We want to share this look at Christmas present with you, and invite you to our Christmas Eve Service, 5:30pm, Friday, at Foothills. You can expect a family-friendly atmosphere, a packed house and that we'll end about 6:30pm.

We have such a great time celebrating the season of Christ's birth. We encourage families to make memories; here are some of the ways we do that around here. It's not too late to join in the fun!

Consider:
‧ Marion and Polk county food banks distributed 77,462 food boxes to individuals during fiscal year 2008-09, nearly 5.1 million pounds of food worth $6.5 million.
‧ Marion Polk Food Share has seen an increase in food box distribution of 5.3 percent every year since 1987, the year that MPFS was founded. That's an overall increase of 170.8 percent since 1987, according to a report released last month.
‧ The Feeding America national network of food banks found in its recent report that 1 in eight Americans relies on the network for food and groceries. The 37 million people using the Feeding America network include 14 million children.

We at Foothills want to help take care of the hungry in our community. Why? It's what Jesus asks us to do. We're pushed to give in Ephesians 4:28: "Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need."

One way to do that is by supporting our annual Food Drive, which wraps up this Sunday. Please bring your canned and non-perishable goods to the church foyer by Oct. 17. "Most Wanted" items include pasta, pasta sauce, beans, canned meat, canned meals and canned fruits & veggies. Our friends at Stayton Cooperative Telephone Company will deliver the food to the Stayton Community Food Bank.

Thank you to everyone who has already contributed. Your help is appreciated!

God has led Foothills, through our elders, to open our hearts and hands to West Town. Our barbecue last week was a first attempt to meet with neighbors (and many are Footies) and learn about needs in the area.

How will we know what God is leading us to? Prayer. Our conversations with God will allow us to take part in God's plan for West Town as He unfolds His story there. God's story is about Jesus, grace and mercy, so we know it's going to be amazing. We'd love to have your join us.

Prayer walk dates and times:
· 10am, Monday, Sept. 27
· 5pm, Tuesday, Oct. 5
· 6:30pm, Thursday, Oct. 14
· 10am, Saturday, Oct. 23
· 7pm, Wednesday, Nov. 3

Those of us who want to do better job with our kids have a chance to learn at a free conference put together by the Marion County Children & Families Commission. "Talk So Kids (& Teens) Will Listen and Listen So They Will Talk" is being held Oct. 8 & 9 at the Keizer Civic Center. A brochure for the event says the speakers will show participants how to solve conflicts and break it down by age level. You can find out all of the details and register for this event here at the commission's website.

The Children & Families Commission is encouraging anyone who works with kids — parents, grandparents, teachers, etc. — to participate. One of their goals is to support healthy families and communities in raising successful kids. That starts when parents have the tools they need for a healthy home life.

We at Foothills share that vision. We want to see healthy families in our community raising healthy kids. If you think you can use some new tools to create a good home environment, we encourage you to make time for this event.