Lent is beginning very soon - Ash Wednesday is February 22!
Tree of Life will once again host an Ash Wednesday "Ashes to Go" event in which church members and members of the general community may come by and receive the imposition of ashes any time between 7:00 am and 5:00 pm. We will have an Ash Wednesday service that evening at 7:00 pm.
On the remaining Wednesdays in Lent (March 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29), we will have a light "soup supper" from 5:30 to 6:30 pm, with Holden Evening Prayer worship at 7:00 pm.
And yes! We do need volunteers to assist with Ashes to Go, to serve during the Wednesday evening services, and to provide and/or serve the light meals (and clean up after). Please, let us know how you would like to help:
Ashes to Go - see the sign-up sheet in the Narthex, or send an email to Jill at OfficeMail@TreeChurch.net
Soup Dinner - see the sign-up sheet in the Narthex, or contact Maxine McConnell
Serve during Wednesday worship - send an email to Worship@TreeChurch.net or talk to Peggy Little
Pastor Chris, Wayne Rambarran, and Pat Rowe have been gone for a week and are making things happen at The King's Embrace in Bungoma, Kenya!
Anyone who would like to keep up with their travels and experiences is welcome to check out the shared album Pastor Chris has created: Kenya 2023 (nothing is easy). See pictures as well as video clips from Pastor, Wayne, and Pat featuring the work they're doing, the town, and most especially the boys and staff of TKE.
Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year, and YES! We will have worship on Christmas Day!
We will have a single service - at 10:30 am - on Dec. 25, and it will be in a "Lessons and Carols" format. Spend part of your Christmas morning with the Tree of Life family. We would love to celebrate the birth of Jesus with you! And as always, ALL ARE WELCOME!
Tree of Life will hold Candlelight Christmas Eve services at 3:00, 6:00, and 8:00 on December 24. We hope you can join us for any one of the services (or all of them, if you are so inclined!)
The 6:00 service will be live-streamed on our Facebook page and on YouTube. See the links at the top left corner of our home page.
Join us on Tuesday, December 20 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm for (the Second Annual!) Christmas At The Tree! We'll have music, Christmas crafts, and a Hot Cocoa and S'mores Bar....and LOTS OF FUN!
The plan is to set up outside, in the lower part of the parking lot in front of the Sanctuary/Office building. We hope you can be here! All are welcome!
Join us for the TOL Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 29 from 2:30 to 5:30 pm!
We'll have lots of fun things happening:
Games and activities, including a Bounce House!
Trunk-or-Treat!
Quilt Raffle!
Pumpkin Decorating Contest!
Chili Cook-off!
Potluck!
ALL ARE WELCOME!
If you'd like to enter the Pumpkin Decorating Contest or Chili Cook-off, please email the Church Office at OfficeMail@TreeChurch.net or call 936-539-9530, option 3 by Thursday, Oct. 27.
If you'd like to buy raffle tickets before the day of the Fall Festival, send an email to Raffle@TreeChurch.net!
The week of July 24-29, Tree of Life will be hosting Project: Tree Camp, a day-camp collaboration between Tree of Life, the Conroe YMCA, Lutherhill, and three other local Lutheran congregations (Grace, Spirit of Joy, and Joyful Life). This project will result in something that looks different, sounds different, and acts different than what we have had in previous years with Vacation Bible School…but it promises to be a LOT of fun for a LOT of kids and a LOT of volunteers!
Tree Camp will kick off on Sunday with the arrival of the counselors from Lutherhill and some training for the volunteers. Camp will begin Monday morning and run from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm every day through Friday.
Registration is now open! Please complete a registration form for each child that plans to attend and return it to Ikeria Green, Youth Director, at Youth@TreeChurch.net. All kids who have completed K - Grade 5 are welcome…and there is no cost to attend! Please note: registration for Tree Camp must be made no later than Sunday, July 10.
And those of us who aren’t exactly kids anymore can be a part of the fun, too! Just volunteer for one, two, or even a dozen shifts…we’re going to need the help, and you’re SURE to have a good time! Sign up in the Narthex or email Youth@TreeChurch.net to volunteer. We need volunteers in the following roles:
Camp Helper: Support Lutherhill/YMCA counselors with a group of campers. We need 8 adult volunteers per shift. Shifts are 7:30 - 10:00 am, 9:30 am - 12:00 pm, 11:30 am - 2:00 pm, and 1:30 - 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
Kitchen Volunteer: Get lunch and snacks ready for campers and counselors. We need 2 adult volunteers to work 10:30 am - 1:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
Youth Volunteer: If you’re too old to be a Tree Camp camper, but too young to be an “adult” volunteer - we’d love to have you here to help with whatever the counselors need help with!
Join us tonight as we gather to remember the brave and the innocent. Bring your grief, anger, and tears and together we will share them together and lift them to God.
Jeremiah 31:15
Thus says the Lord:
A voice is heard in Ramah,
lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children;
she refuses to be comforted for her children,
because they are no more.
Registration for Tree Camp has begun! Complete a separate registration form for each child (age 5 - 11) that plans to attend, and return the forms to Ikeria either in person or by email to Youth@TreeChurch.net. Because we need to have a camper count to Lutherhill two weeks in advance, registration forms must be submitted no later than at the late church service on Sunday, July 10. Pick up registration forms in the Narthex, or click here: Tree Camp Registration Form
Project: Tree Camp is a collaboration between Tree of Life, the Conroe YMCA, Lutherhill, and three other local ELCA churches. It will be a full-day camp running from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm Monday, July 25 through Friday, July 29. We are expecting about eighty kids (WOW!!) The camp will be staffed by counselors from both Lutherhill and the YMCA supplemented by volunteers from all four churches. (There will be more on volunteer opportunities very soon!)
We have welcomed three new members to Tree of Life during the month of May...and we already have more people asking when the next New Member Class will be! The answer: Sunday, June 5, at 9:15 am. If you would like to become a member of our church, fill out an Action card (found in the pews) on Sunday, or let Deb Zimmer know (either by telling her in person or emailing Welcome@TreeChurch.net).
After the short, informal class, we'll welcome you at the 10:30 service that day (or, if you prefer the 8:00 service, the following week).
Join us tonight as we gather to remember the brave and the innocent. Bring your grief, anger, and tears and together we will share them together and lift them to God.
