A Blessed and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Transcription

1 LIVING WORD LUTHERAN CHURCH CHURCH DECEMBER 2018 NEWSLETTER A Blessed and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Living Word Lutheran Church staff: Lori Dockter, Pam Nelson, Kay Groethe and Pastor Kent CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Dec. 8...St. Lucia Breakfast at 9:30 AM Dec. 9...Christmas Caroling, Congregation and youth at 4:00 PM Dec LWLW General meeting at 2:00 PM Dec Sunday School Christmas Program Practice at 10:00 AM Dec NO Adult Sunday School, 8:45 AM Sunday School, 9:00 AM Coffee Fellowship, 10:00 AM Worship/Sunday School Program Dec :00 PM Worship/Candlelight Dec NO Sunday School, 9:00 AM Coffee Fellowship, 10:00 AM Worship. WHAT S INSIDE 2019 Church Council 2019 Committee Contatcs Youth News Women of the Living Word Thank You Pastor s Letter Council Minutes December Event Calendar Dec. Birth/Ann. Calendar

2 LWLC COUNCIL 2019 Church Council Left to Right: Roger Christensen, President; Larry Olson, Treasurer/Finance; Gerry Brown, Worship & Evangelism; Tim DeJong, Vice President; Roslyn Riech, Impact the World; Howard Heinje, Property & Management; Vicki Strege, Worship & Evangelism, Lance Bien, Property & Management; Janel Sandvig, Youth & Education LWLC Committee Contacts 2019 CounCiL MeMbeRs: President: Roger Christensen, , Vice President: Tim DeJong, , Youth & education: Janel Sandvig, , impact the World Committee: Roslyn Reich, , Worship & evangelism: Gerry Brown, , and Vicki Strege, , Treasurer/Finance: Larry Olson, , Property & Management: Howard Heinje, , and Lance Bien, , newsletter/website: Nancy Kruger, , Living Word Lutheran Women officers: Coordinator: Shirley Zahn, Vice-coordinator: Roslyn Reich, Secretary: Pam Nelson, Treasurer: Annette Redepenning, Mission Action: Gloria Cooley, Karen Keifer, Mission Growth: Karen McCrea, Mission Community: Carol Grimley, Quilting: Carol Forster, Thrift store Volunteers: Annette Redepenning, ,

3 YOUTH youth news making Another year has flown by and Pastor Kent and I have been so blessed to be a part of such awesome youth at Living Word. We have been trying to meet one on one with every junior and senior high kid so if we haven t met with you yet, you will be hearing from us. We love taking you out for lunch, supper or a treat to get to know you even better. In Confirmation this year, we are studying the Old Testament by going through Walk Thru the Bible. The kids will be learning 77 hand signs that trace the story of the Old Testament. Ask any one of them to do the hand signs to see what we have learned. For a service project in November we went orphan grain TRain and packed MeRCY MeaLs. We packed 15 boxes of 36 packets in each box. Surprisingly each packet serves 6 meals. That is 3,240 meals provided to a person or family in need. It is such a blessing to serve and do a small part in a difference to impact the world. Christmas season is a busy time of year filled with excitement and expectation for the coming Christ child. On Sunday, December 9 we will be CaRoLing at Park Place, Milbank Care and Rehab and St. Williams. Please join us as we share Christmas joy and love through song. The residents look forward to this. We will come back to the church afterwards for soup and chili. We will meet at the church at 4:00 PM. On Saturday, December 15 at 10:00 AM we will be practicing for the ChRisTMas PRogRaM which will be Sunday, December 16. The theme for the program is Jesus is the Light of the World. Come and worship and be blessed. Continue to pray for our youth that they will come to comprehend more and more God s deep love for them. Pray that this season of giving will be contagious and spread the light of Jesus to all we come in contact with. grow in faith, impact the world for CHRIST! Kay, Director of Youth Ministry Packing Mercy Meals at orphan grain Train

4 YOUTH operation ChRisTMas C h i L D A big Thank You to everyone who brought shoe boxes, wrapped boxes, donated gifts and money. Thank you to the Sunday school kids for helping pack the shoe boxes. We packed 56 boxes and the congregation donated $390. bowling On November 4 some of the youth went bowling. PuPPeTs On November 11 the puppets sang the song was Come to Me. The people behind the puppets are back row left to right: Kay Groethe, Bergen Nolting, Elyse Reede. Front row left to right: Isabella Anderson, Ella Sandvig, Katie Kruger.

5 WOMEN OF THE LIVING WORD Winter has arrived with the holidays soon to be here. I for one enjoy the changing of the seasons, having lived for too many years with only two seasons. This is the time for family, friends and church activities. Enjoy! Plans are progressing on our st. LuCia breakfast which will be held Saturday, December 8 at 9:30 AM. We are hoping for a good turnout and nice weather. Mark your calendar! Free tickets are available for you and your invited friends and can be obtained in the church office. There is no charge. Tickets are only for us to know the amount of food to bake sale, november 18 prepare. On Monday, December 3 at 2:00 PM we will be making the fruit soup. We ask that the decorating committee be there at that time as well to get the candles and candle holders ready for the event. Please sign up on the sheets in the fellowship hall if you can help with set up on Friday, December 7 or clean up after the event. Please note the change in date and time for the DeCeMbeR general MeeTing. It will be on December 11 at 2:00 PM with Pastor Kent leading the study on Lesson Three. New officers will be installed at this meeting. Circle duties: Devotions/Music Faith; Refreshments Dawn/Love; Decorations Mary/Martha CiRCLes will not be meeting in December. Please remember your shut-ins with a small token and a visit. Are you looking for a useful gift for Christmas, then check out the Rada Cutlery catalog which has a variety of items available besides Cutlery. A Blessed Christmas to all, Shirley Zahn, Coordinator THANK YOU I want to ank our congregation and Pastor Kent for making Confirmation day so special. I a reciate e cards, gifts and notes of encouragement at I received. I m lucky to be a member of such a wonderful church. Sincerely, E an Sullivan

6 PASTOR S LETTER night LighT John 8:12-18 I am the light of the world. (v.12) Whenever my wife and I have company overnight, we put a night light in their room. This small light is but a few inches in length and even less in width, but it provides enough light to give our guests an outline of the strange room and all the objects within. It also illuminates the path that they must take to get to the bathroom. The darkness is still dominant however, even with the presence of the night light. The room remains shrouded in black shadows. The little light can not compete. Yet, it is enough that it shows the path through the darkness. Jesus Christ is the light of the world, yet we often see mostly the darkness around us. The darkness can be overwhelming. It is omnipresent. Even though we know that Jesus is this world s light, we cannot but notice great evil and suffering. Loss and pain surround us. At times, we demand that Jesus eliminate the darkness. We cry out for healing, financial help, and peace, but after our prayers are recited again we open our eyes to a place where darkness remains and God is nowhere to be seen. We wonder why God does not dispel the darkness and fill our lives with only light. Jesus Christ provides enough light. This light does not seek to destroy all evil and pain, but it simply illuminates a path through it. Jesus is a night light. He allows the darkness to remain while giving us the strength and guidance to live in spite of it. If we concentrate on the darkness, it might overwhelm us. Instead, we should look for Jesus in every circumstance in order to discover the light that will help us through. It will be enough to guide us on. Dear Lord, guide me on through the darkness that fills so much of life. Remind me to look for you instead of stare at the problems I face. May I see the doors you open for me that will take me in the right direction. May I not fear the darkness, but instead trust in your presence. Through Christ, our Lord, we pray. Amen.

7 COUNCIL MINUTES Living Word Lutheran Church Council Minutes November 13, 2018 MeMbeRs PResenT: Dave Hepper, Tim DeJong, Brad Olson, Larry Olson, Jerry Brown, Mary Kinder, Roger Christenson, Roslyn Reich and Pastor Kent Groethe. Pastor Kent opened the meeting with devotions and prayer. Agenda amended. Motion made by Larry Olson and seconded by Tim DeJong to approve amended agenda. Agenda approved. secretary RePoRT: Motion made by Larry Olson and seconded by Roger Christensen to approve. Secretary s report approved. TReasuReR s/finance RePoRT: Motion made by Brad Olson and seconded by Jerry Brown to approve. Treasurer s/finance report approved. PasToR s observations: We are encouraged to love our neighbors. Needed is creative ideas thinking of others and doing what we are called to do. Pastor will be celebrating his 30th year in the ministry. December 2 Pastor Kent and Kay invite the congregation for cake following the service. December 16 Pastor Kent and Kay will be hosting an open house at their home. Christmas Eve service will be December 24 starting at 5:00 PM. Wednesday night services will be discontinued beginning December 19 and will be offered again beginning June 5, Pastor takes Fridays as his day off but is available if emergencies should arise. This coming January/February new member orientation will be offered. The council reviewed the list of prospective member list and shut-in list. A video by Bill Moberly was viewed. The Kingdom Building Project consists of digging wells, building a church and an addition to an orphanage. A projected trip next summer will be planned to Cambodia and Viet Nam to see the completed projects. Recommended action to impact the world mission and ministry, slate of committee members and proposed budget was reviewed. A motion was made by Roger Christensen and seconded by Mary Kinder to proceed with this project following congregation discussion during the annual meeting. Larry Olson made a motion to accept the slate of committee members and seconded by Jerry Brown. Council approved the slate and committee members. Grow in faith and impact the world! TReasuReR s/finance DisCussion: Funds that have been designated for the building fund will remain as designated. Specially labeled envelopes will be available to designate funds for the impact the world project. A motion was made by Brad Olson and seconded by Jerry Brown to earmark Thrivent Choice funds for the impact the world project. Approved. As of September 30, the BJ White scholarship account had $26, There will be 4 Living Word graduates in PRoPeRTY ManageMenT RePoRT: Tim DeJong reports that there is an issue with some of the shingles. Fortunately, no leaking. Noble Roofing has been contacted for repair. To add flood lights in parking lot will ensue an increase in the lighting bill by $20 per month. Motion made by Brad Olson and seconded by Roger Christensen to install the flood lights. Motion approved. A changing table and better signage will be completed for the nursery. Tim DeJong will contact Dewey s for snow removal. WoRshiP & evangelism RePoRT: the communion server list was updated. The usher team meeting was held November 4. A list of usher duties was distributed. It was decided that usher duties will remain with the servant teams. YouTh & education RePoRT: The Shoe Box project will be completed November 18. The Sunday school Christmas program is being planned for December 16. A sincere thank you to Brad Olson and Mary Kinder for serving on this committee. old business: Approval of new job description for Youth Director has been approved. new business: A motion was made by Larry Olson and seconded by Brad Olson to approve the operating budget for Approved. Final planning for annual meeting, Sunday, November 18 was completed. Action items for formation of grow in faith, impact the world team was reviewed and will be presented to the congregation. November 25 the council will decorate for Christmas following the service. Brad Olson researched costs for church directories. Will discuss further later. Video taping Sunday services for public television is under consideration. Roslyn Reich, Pastoral Care Asst. will turn in mileage when traveling out of town for member visits. Visioning: Great commandment: Care for the poor. Great commission: share Christ. Next council meeting will be held Tuesday, December 11 at 6:00 PM. Meeting adjourned. Meeting concluded with the Lord s Prayer. Respectfully submitted, Roslyn Reich

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