1️⃣ This Week’s Highlights
- Happy Thanksgiving Week! We hope you enjoy your holiday with friends and family! Kroc is closed Thursday, November 27; Friday, November 28 is an admin holiday.
- Staff Christmas Party — Saturday, December 6, 5–8 p.m. at Craig’s Cruisers. RSVP: https://partiful.com/e/kVmADk9pLALJsJHcd3MC
- Black Friday Promotion — November 28–30: Buy-One-Get-One Day Pass Punch Cards. Details: https://grkroc.org/black-friday-2025
2️⃣ Program Updates
- Fall 2 programs — Week 4
- Winter 1 registration continues
- Saturday: Turkey Burn-Off, Studios A & B, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
3️⃣ Facility Notices
Facility Updates/Closures
- Kroc closed Thursday, November 27
- Early closures at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 24, and Wednesday, December 31
Rentals
- No rental impacts submitted
4️⃣ Staff Announcements
Green Dot Moments & Staff Shoutouts
- Shout out to the Reeds and Marketing for helping during the Program Team meeting.
- Shout out to Victoria for outstanding personal training work.
- Shout out to everyone who helped make the Kroc Thanksgiving a success.
- Shout out to Facilities for preparing the Christmas trees for CL.
- Shout out to Steve for resolving a translation tech issue for members.
- Shout out to Pete for assisting Steve with the 3D Tour.
- Shout out to Eddie for coming in on Sunday to help with a cooler issue.
- Green Dot: Eddie for helping kids get the play cars out in the gym.
- Shout out to Bailey and Cori for leading lifeguard and babysitter training.
- Shout out to Adriana for organizing Saturday’s birthday party.
- Shout out to Joselyn for catching a CA issue and helping resolve it.
Birthdays This Week
- Nikolas V — November 24
- Luke M — November 24
- Jennifer M — November 26
Welcome New Staff
- Clara S — Fitness Attendant
- Hannah W — Lifeguard
Open Positions at the Kroc Center
- Lifeguard
- Fitness Attendant
- Child Watch Attendant
- Dance Instructor
- Swim Instructor
Apply here: grkroccenter.org/learn-more/careers
5️⃣ Reminders & Resources
- Holiday operations and staffing:
- Kroc closed Thursday, November 27; Friday, November 28 is an admin holiday.
- No roster programs November 27–30 (impacted classes move to make-up week).
- Ensure department coverage before taking time off.
- Staff Christmas Party — Saturday, December 6, 5–8 p.m. at Craig’s Cruisers. RSVP: https://partiful.com/e/kVmADk9pLALJsJHcd3MC
- Staff Training: Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events — Thursday, December 4, Fireside, 12:00–1:30 p.m.
🙌 Missional Moment
“We’ll Carry It Together”
In the winter of 1888, a young Salvation Army lassie named Ethel Richardson visited a struggling mother in London’s East End. She found her collapsed in exhaustion, with no food, no coal, and children crying from cold and hunger.
Ethel ran back to the corps and returned with two fellow Salvationists carrying whatever they had — bread, broth, a blanket, and a lantern. But they didn’t just drop off supplies. They stayed the whole night.
They cleaned the room, fed the children, prayed with the mother, and took turns watching over the family so she could rest.
News spread: “The Army didn’t just help — they carried her burden with her.”
Within days, the corps rallied around her, providing coal, clothing, and enough support to get the family back on their feet. Commissioner Railton later said of nights like this:
“We did not simply carry the woman’s burden — we became her family until she could stand again.”
Paul urges us to “carry each other’s burdens.” We flourish not by hiding struggles but by sharing them.
Practice: Reach out to someone carrying a heavy load. Offer presence, prayer, or practical help.
✝️ Note from the Pastor
If Christmas Had Not Come
In Isaiah 9:1–7, the prophet paints a powerful picture of a world drowning in darkness—people walking in deep shadows, nations weighed down by oppression, and hearts restless for hope. Into that bleak landscape, God promises a great light, one that will shatter despair and usher in joy, peace, and freedom. This light would come through a Child—a Son given, whose name would be Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.
If Christmas had not come, that promised light would never have broken through our darkness. We would still be wandering, still striving to create our own peace, still searching for meaning that only God can give. But because Christ came—because God stepped into the world in human flesh—the prophecy was fulfilled, the burden was lifted, and the possibility of true peace became real for us. Christmas is not simply a celebration of a birth; it is the celebration of God’s promise kept.
As we enter this season, let us remember that the light Christ brings is not just historical—it is personal. Where you feel darkness, He brings clarity. Where you feel overwhelmed, He brings strength. Where you feel alone, He brings everlasting love. Let the truth of Isaiah’s promise anchor your heart this week: Because Christmas came, hope lives, peace reigns, and you are never without the presence of the Mighty God who came for you.
-Captain Jack Huffman
🙏 Prayer Requests
- Please pray for Ronda and her family as they mourn the loss of her mother and mother-in-law.
- Please pray for Captain Jack as he recovers from illness.
