FAITH LUTHERAN VISITOR

Transcription

1 FAITH LUTHERAN VISITOR December Volume 65 Issue 12 Faith Lutheran Church-ELCA 201 S. 4th Street, P.O. Box 305 Cameron, WI pastor@faithcameron.org Pastor hours Mon.-Thurs. 10:00 am-12:00 pm or by appointment churchoffice@faithcameron.org Tuesday-Friday 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Office: 715/ Worship Line: Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10 Only one month until Christmas!!! Have you got your baking and shopping and Christmas Cards and decorating all done? Have you got a moment to spare during the hustle and bustle of getting ready for to celebrate with family and friends? I want to invite you to take 5 minutes each day during Advent and just be. You can look out at God s creation or close your eyes and go within, but just be in God s presence for a bit each day. I am not even going to write a long newsletter article because I would much rather have you spend the extra minutes with God today. We are about to celebrate the birth of Jesus, God with us, Emmanuel. Enjoy the gift that has been given to you, listen for the still small voice, and rest in the loving arms of our God. This is a gift not only for you and for all those around you. It is the greatest gift. So enjoy your holidays and give thanks to God. May the peace that passes all understanding be yours this Christmas season. Pastor Tamra The Mission Statement of Faith Lutheran Congregation: We, the children of God at Faith Lutheran Congregation, gathered by the Holy Spirit as loving Christian people around Word and sacrament, strive together to witness to God s grace in Jesus, inviting our neighbors to share our journey towards discipleship.

2

3 Dear Friends in Faith, It s been awhile. I haven t shared much with you over the past couple of months but, I m back in stride now with a new hip. Thanks to Pastor Tamra s steady leadership and the contributions of so many others Faith continues to spread the good news. What a great place to be! One of the hats that I wear is president of the Board for Faith Childcare. Since its inception seven years ago, director, Brynne Schieffer, her capable staff, members of the congregation, and board members have strived to serve Cameron families with dedicated, affordable care for our most precious gift, our children. Over time we strived to make things better. We faced challenges and changes that are part and parcel of serving. One of the biggest was purchasing the Birch Avenue location to expand care to infants. Despite the move, we continued to serve school-age children here at the church before and after school and during the summer. However, with the recent opening of wrap-around care at Cameron schools the numbers here at the Faith location dwindled. After three months of careful consideration the board determined that it was not feasible to continue serving the limited number of school-age children before and after school at Faith. The small numbers meant the children could be transferred to the Birch Ave. location. As of November 12 the Faith location is no longer used. We have maintained the license here at Faith so, depending on how things go, we may still need to serve expanded numbers of school-age children this coming summer. Thank you all for your patience and stay tuned as changes will likely continue. As we look forward to Christmas, we can t help but cherish the best gift ever, the birth of Jesus! Let s continue to make it Christmas Every Day! Thank you all for sharing in this GIFT! God s Work, Our Hands! Yours in Faith, Bill Knickerbocker CHILD CARE COMMITTEE Bill Knickerbocker-President Trisha Flastad-Treasurer Courtney Galvin-Staff Sam Olson-Parent Rep Courtney Knickerbocker-Secretary Brynne Schieffer-Staff Julie Ebner-Olson-Parent Rep The church building will be open during office hours (typically Tuesday-Friday) from 8:00 am-12:30 pm. If you need to access the building and are not sure if it will be open, please call the office at to check.

4 Faith Lutheran Church Council Mtg Tuesday, November 13, 2018 Present: Bill Knickerbocker, Pastor Tamra Harder, Mike Schieffer, Brad Brogan, Neil Hoffman, Annette Hoffman, and Mary Dodge. Absent: Robert Noggler, Barry Nelson, and Melissa Vinz Dwelling in the Word: Ephesians 4: Growing Young: Keychain Leadership discussion. Empathy for Young Families **Motion made to accept October's minutes was made by Bill second made by Neil and it carried. Team Reports: Property: -Add yellow safety tape to the front edge of the stair treads -Look at when building is open and how we secure it. Worship and Education: -Disease prevention- Passing of the Peace: we will increase the hand sanitizer in the pews and let people know that they are not required to shake hands if they are uncomfortable doing so. Intinction -Fun and Fellowship: Mike would like to get a person(s) to do promotion and work on baskets for auction at the Chili Fest at Luther Park. January Community Dinner is a Chili Cook-off. We will focus on this at our Faith Team Meetings in December Pastor's Report: Presidents Report: Thanks to all who came in on Saturday Nov. 3 to help with cleaning and storage. Old Business: 1. Technology Development and Promoter (TED PRO)- We have one possible candidate 2. Cameron Chronicle Ad-what do we want it to say Holiday Services. Community Supper will be Pot Luck supplied by the congregation Ted Pro if there is room 3. Appoint a Secretary- We will wait until the annual meeting to fill this 4. Church Security. The Executive Committee recommends that the church is open during Karen s working hours (one door on the west side of the building) and the door to the basement on that side will be locked unless we have an event i.e. quilting, etc. Mike and Neil will look at options for remote opening and closing. Mike made a motion that the council move forward with a video/doorbell/ remote lock system for the main entrance not to exceed $500. The motion was seconded by Mary. The motion carried. Neil got a Thrivent grant for thermostats. Thanks Neil

5 New Business Budget- coming up. 2. Childcare changes The childcare is no longer using the church building during the school year. This happened because the Cameron School District started before and after school daycare. We are maintaining our license at the church center and are hoping that we may be able to offer summer care at the church. The church will now need to pay for its snow removal, garbage removal, water bill, and many paper and plastic products. 3. Snow Removal - We will look at contracting out the plowing. We will also need to have the walks shoveled. Mike will work on this and get back to the council. Mike made a motion that the executive committee be allowed to contract for snow removal. Tamra seconded the motion. 4. Carpet Cleaning in the basement: Tamra made a motion that we have the carpet in the basement professionally cleaned. The motion was seconded by Bill and the motion carried. We will take this from the building fund 5. Constitutional Changes-Mike made a motion to change the size of council, ability to vote on motions electronically, and the size of quorum for church meetings. Annette seconded the motion and it passed. Treasurer's Report General Fund: $ Memorial Fund: $ 3, Building Fund: $ 10, Legacy Fund: $ 6, Noisy Fund: $ 1, ***A motion was made by Mary to accept the Treasurer's Report as printed, second by Neil and carried. Next meeting will be at 6:30 pm. Team Meetings will be from 5:45-6:30 pm ****A motion to adjourn at 8:10 pm was made by Neil second by Annette and carried. *Closing Prayer made by Pastor. ************************************************************************** All members are invited to the Faith Team Meetings held before council meetings (5:45-6:30 pm) each month. It is a time for you to bring ideas or concerns. Note the December meeting is a week early due to Christmas. All are welcome!

6 DECEMBER EVENTS AT FAITH LUTHERAN Christmas decorating for the church will begin Monday, December 3 at 9:00 am All are welcome! Advent Service Wednesday, December 5, 2018 Women, Wine and the Word There is a new WOMEN S group forming at Faith. In this group we will sip on WINE and embrace the WORD. Our first gathering will be held on Thursday, December 6th at 6:30 pm at the Hoffman home ( th Ave in Cameron.) If you have any questions please contact Annette ( ) or Pastor Tamra at the church office ( ) COMMUNITY SUPPER Wednesday, December 12 5:30 pm Please invite a friend or a family to join us! The meal will be potluck provided by members of Faith. Christmas Program Sunday, December 16 at 9:30 am The Program will be put on by our GIFT families. Join us for this special day! Monday, December 24th Christmas Eve Candlelight Services 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. with communion. The Church Office will be closed Tuesday, December 25.

7 We are looking for people who would be willing to help make our Christmas eve services extra special. We hope to gather together a small singing ensemble. The most moving choirs are not the ones with the greatest vocalists or the most members, they are made up of people who sing with JOY in their hearts. We need people who might like to do some solo work and also people to support them (hymn singers), no age limits. Our church has many young people with musical talent. We will begin practicing in December immediately after church services. Please contact Carol Moen ( ) if you are interested. Christmas Caroling Do you love to sing Christmas Carols? Join us at 9:15 on December 9 th and 23 rd to Sing Out in the Sanctuary before worship. This year Cameron s Boy Scout troop 52 will be working with the DNR to collect Live Christmas trees from Cameron residents for a recycling project. There will be a trailer located at Brion s Smokehouse that will be labeled for your disposal. This is free of charge and a great way to help keep biodegradable trees our of landfills. Please remove decorations prior to dumping. Thankyou so much and Happy Holidays from all of us at Troop 52. News from Lutheran World Relief Double your gift, give twice the impact! Right now, you can do twice as much for someone living in hunger and poverty. That's because a group of Lutheran World Relief supporters is challenging you to give a gift then they'll DOUBLE it to help hurting families. Your gift will transform the lives of people like Paulina and Phillip, who fled violence and war in South Sudan. They live in the Palabek refugee settlement in Uganda and once struggled to survive from the rations they were given. Thanks to the generosity of people like you, they receive seeds and agricultural training. Now they grow a variety of vegetables to eat and even to sell so they can buy the things they need. This Christmas, as you count your blessings, give a gift that doubles in value and impact for people living in poverty. Give online at

8 December 2018 Volunteer Schedule Date Ushers Lectors Dec. 2 Roger & Carol Lois Miller Berg Communion Assistants Greeters Altar Guild Acolytes Lois MIller Janet Emerson & Ben & Darlene Ashley Janet Lenbom Haugen Falstad Dec 9 Carolyn Crotteau & Mary Dodge Neil Hoffman Ruth Makela Al & Connie Hagen Ben & Darlene Haugen Hayden Huth Dec. 16 Carolyn Crotteau & Tina Saffert Mary Dodge Barry Nelson Dennis & Coleen Hillskotter Dennis & Coleen Hillskotter Katie Larson Dec. 23 Brad & Kathy Brogan Mary Dexter Debbie Bann Richard & Kirsten Huth Huth Family Tanner Saffert Dec. 24 5:00 p.m. Norman & Lavonne Olson 5:00 p.m. Rande Purdy 5:00 p.m. Judy Purdy 5:00 p.m. Ludwig Family 5:00 p.m. Jim & Jean Turner 5:00 p.m. 10:00 p.m. 10:00 p.m. Schieffer Family 10:00 p.m. Mary Dexter 10:00 p.m. Rachel 10:00 p.m. Paul & Tricia 10:00 p.m. Dec. 30 Jim & Jean Turner Kyra Vinz Norman Olson Jeff & Shannon Shatley Norman & Lavonne Olson Madi Martin Christmas Every Day We began our annual ministry campaign in November and we will continue to support Benjamin s House and it s residents through the month of December. Updated lists are provided to us each week and donations are taken to the shelter weekly. It has been a great success so far, keep up the great work to make this project so successful! Jo Romer and Lavonne Olson are the champions for November & December but we are looking for a new champion for January & February. Come with your idea of a local charity in need and Jo will provide training on what is required. It is a great way to bring attention to organizations that help others in our community and to feel good about living out your faith in a very concrete way.

9 WEEKLY GIVING REPORT Offering needed each week to meet pledges $2, October 28, 2018 Attendance 94 Noisy Offering $ Offering Received $2, Building Fund $ November 4, 2018 Attendance 84 Noisy Offering $ Offering Received $1, Building Fund $ Simply Giving $ Thrivent Choice $ November 11, 2018 Attendance 76 Noisy Offering $ Offering Received $1, Building Fund $ November 18, 2018 Attendance 60 Noisy Offering $ Offering Received $ 2, Building Fund $ Simply Giving $ 1, Prayers of Well-Being Our church Our pastor Our Synod Staff Prayers for our Servicemen and their families LTC William Moen Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Broom Sergeant Steve Thompson Sergeant Andrew Cosgrove Captain Ryan Hansen Master Sergeant Eric Krubsack Marcus Bronstad Prayers for those that are homebound or dealing with health issues Lyle Bonkrud Joyce Holmstrom Gerald Robarge Alletta Severson Remember in Prayer Sponsor the Phone Line December given by Rick & Beth Marcon Maynard Ekern Ted & Carol Lieberherr Ardie Fitzgerald Verna Perona MEMORIAL GIVING LIST * Benjamin s House (for the homeless) in Rice Lake * Feed My Starving Children - * Funds for the worship phone line so homebound people can listen ($30/month) * Cameron Food Pantry * Habitat for Humanity * Child Care Center * Scholarships for sending children to Luther Park Bible Camp Thanks to all that contributed to the Cameron Are Pack Program. We were able to mail a check in the amount of $491.00! Newsletter Articles due Annual Reports are due in to the Monday, December 17th. office by December 31st.

10

11 December Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 2 9:30 a.m Worship 10:30 am Coffee Fellowship 10:30 am Adult Forum 10:30 am Choir practice 9 9:15 Christmas Caroling 9:30 am Worship 10:30 am Coffee Fellowship 10:30 am Adult Forum 10:30 am Choir practice 16 9:30 am Christmas Program 10:30 am Coffee Fellowship 10:30 am Adult Forum 10:30 am Choir practice 23 9:15 am Christmas Caroling 9:30 am Worship 10:30 am Coffee & Adult Forum 10:30 am Choir practice 30 9:30 am Worship 10:30 am Coffee & Adult Forum 3 9:00 a.m. Christmas Decorating 10 7:30 pm Dartball 17 7:30 pm Datball 24 5:00 pm & 10:00 pm Candlelight Worship :30 p.m. Alanon 11 9:00 a.m. Quilting 10:00 a.m. FLCW Meeting 5:45 pm Faith Team Meetings 6:30 pm Church Council 7:30 p.m. Alanon 18 7:30 p.m. Alanon 25 Church Office Closed 5 4:00 pm Faith Journeyers 5:30 pm Faith Meal?? 6:30 pm Advent Service 12 4:00 pm Faith Journeyers 5:30 pm Community Supper (Member potluck) 6:00 pm GIFT 19 4:00 pm Faith Journeyers 5:15 pm Faith Meal 6:00 pm GIFT 26 No Faith Journeyers or GIFT 6 9:00 am Bible Study 5:00 pm Finance Committee 13 9:00 am Bible Study 20 9:00 am Bible Study??

12 Faith Lutheran Church PO Box South 4 th Street Cameron, WI ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED