Waiting Through Advent

Transcription

1 Waiting Through Advent By the time you read this, the season of Advent will be upon us. Advent is that season of the church year when we focus on waiting. Reliving the events surrounding the birth of Christ, we wait with Mary and Joseph for the baby Jesus to be born. And as Christians on the living side of the resurrection of Jesus, we are also waiting for his second coming to raise the dead and establish the new heavens and the new earth, where we will live with him forever without sin, the effects of sin or the potential for sin. Advent is a season of waiting. But what if we are not the only ones who are waiting? What if God was waiting too? Todd Agnew s Martyr s Song is my favorite contemporary Christian piece. It is written from the perspective of Jesus, waiting for the day when he will make all things new and welcome us into glory. It s a song about the advent of Jesus; his waiting. In part, it reads: I ve been waiting to dance with you in fields full of colors you ve never seen. And I ve been waiting to show you beauty you d never dreamed that s always been in you. I ve been waiting to see you tremble as you re embraced by a world saturated with my love. I ve been waiting for the day when at last I get to say my child, you are finally home. I ve been waiting to watch you realize what all your longing was for. And I ve been waiting to show you the thread of grace that ran through all your pain. And I ve been waiting to let you drink the water of which your greatest joy on earth was just a taste. I ve been waiting for the day when at last I get to say my child, you are finally home. Waiting is hard. Jesus tells parables about the virgins who grow weary waiting for the groom to come to let them into the marriage feast and servants whose master is a long time in returning. At the end of this month, tens of thousands of people will fill Times Square in New York to watch the ball drop and welcome in I was there for the festivities in In order to get close to the ball you had to funnel in about a half mile down the street. Once you funneled in, if you had to go to the bathroom, you had to get out of line, as there were no toilets close to Times Square. There were thousands of people in line by noon. The ball drops at midnight. Yet people do it. Tens of thousands. And that s the thing. It s easier to wait with other people who are waiting. Continued on page 10

2 Reality I m still getting acquainted with Iowa, so I don t know if this is a thing here or not, but I m assuming something like it exists here in Iowa. But, in Minnesota one of the local television networks used to air something called the Reality Check every Friday night during the 10 o clock news cast. The reporter, originally Don Shelby, would talk about a hot-button, possibly controversial, issue giving light to both sides of the issue, and then his own personal thoughts on them, leaving the viewer to formulate their own opinions, ideas, or values based on the issue. It s been a few weeks now since we finished our Sunday Morning Bible Study on Worship, and how Worship can be seen and done as a practice or rehearsal for what He has called us to do in our everyday lives. So, I thought it might be time for a Reality Check of our own, concerning what we discussed in this study. We started the study by talking about how God has created us to be lovers, those who reflect and show forth the love that our God and Father has shown to us most clearly through His Son, Jesus Christ, whose Advent, or coming, incarnation and birth we celebrate at the end of this month. We also talked about how the love that we have been shown in Christ is then shown, or aimed, for a specific purpose, that being the Kingdom of God, so that more people may know and experience the love of God in their everyday lives. But we also talked about how the goal or aim of our love can be altered by the things that we do, dwell on, and consume throughout our everyday lives. And it is this reality of life, that what we do, dwell on, and consume throughout our everyday lives influences the aim and goal of the love that our God has shown to us in Christ Jesus, that we are to be especially cognizant of this Christmas season. And a relevant question that we can be pondering based on this is: Who are you listening to this Christmas season? No, I don t mean which radio station or television network are you listening to this year, but rather, who are you listening to that is shaping and forming your everyday habits and practices? Are you listening to an outlet that continues to focus you this season on yourself, and your need to consume even more than you have? Or, are you listening to, being shaped and formed by different practices and habits in your everyday life? Are you listening to and studying God s Word, the means through which the Holy Spirit works to Continued on page 10

3 Each Wednesday in Advent, Senior Youth will get together 7:00-8:00pm around Christian music. We ll YouTube music videos, we ll listen, learn, sing, play, and talk about a variety of Christian songs. Bring your playlists. Bring your voices. Guitars, ukes, and percussion instruments are welcome too. It will be a time of praise, of learning through lyrics, and a chance to connect through music and the Word. This will be totally casual - not just for the All 6th & 7th graders are invited to Café Diem on Wednesdays in December on the 5th, 12th, and 19th from 7:45am to 8:55am for Bible study and refreshments. For a ride to school after the study or for other information, please contact Amy Schmidt at Sunday, December 16 at 12 Noon, all youth in are invited to join us in St. Paul s kitchen and fellowship hall as we decorate Christmas cookies. Lunch will be provided - and yes, you can try some of the cookies we decorate! When we finish decorating, we will deliver cookies to Sunny View and to our shut-ins. Please join us as we enjoy fellowship together and with our On Wednesday, December 19, 5:30-6:15pm, the youth will be serving the Advent Supper for our congregation. We will serve walking tacos. Parents, please watch your for an online signup with opportunities to bring items for our meal and to volunteer. Thank you for serving our church as we gather for food and worship this Advent season! Save the date for one of our favorite traditions! Our annual Junior Youth Retreat at Camp Okoboji is scheduled for Friday through Sunday, February 1-3, All 6th through 8th graders are invited. Join us for a weekend of Bible Study, games, sledding or bowling, worship, and fun throughout our whole trip. More information is coming soon! Please help us plan by signing up early.

4 A Note From Pastor Hannemann at The Gate John 1:14, And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Christmas time is here! It s Christmas season again and time to break out the tree, the lights, the train set from 1989, and cookie cutters! It s also time to ponder anew the miraculous Incarnation of the Son of God and look forward to His second coming. This Advent season, we at The Gate are going through a series entitled, God with Us. This is the English translation of the word Immanuel or Emmanuel depending on how righteous you are ;) found in Isaiah 7. The Incarnation is one of many reasons Christianity is so different than any other belief systems. The creator became part of his creation, suffered, was tempted, experienced joy and sorrow, and lived a pretty ordinary life for 30 years and for what? To go to the cross, suffer the punishment we deserved, and grant us forgiveness so that we might enjoy eternity with God. That s pretty awesome. That s the beauty and miracle of the Incarnation. And now, we, as God s people, put flesh to the living God because His Spirit now lives in us. Let us remember that we give flesh to Jesus this Christmas season as we experience suffering, temptations, joys, and live out our daily callings. Let us make God s presence known and felt to our friends, family, neighbors and coworkers by being human like Jesus; bringing his love, grace, kindness, and truth to those who need it. Prayer Requests Thanksgiving for the 12 new mission team members that we welcomed this fall. We pray that they would grow in the grace and knowledge of their Lord and in the fellowship of His saints. Pray that God would guide our discussions of possibly moving to store front. May God give us wisdom as we discern how to best make disciples of Jesus, reach the lost, and serve the community. Pray that God would provide the necessary grants and offerings for us to accomplish our mission and ministry plan for For God to grow our congregation both numerically and spiritually. That God would strengthen us as we invite the unchurched to join us at The Gate. That God s Spirit would move those whom we ve invited to come and check us out. For Camila Arias (Chodur), daughter of Levi and Sila Chodur, who is struggling with cancer. We pray for a miraculous healing. For our partnerships with St. Paul and the Iowa District West; that we would continue to work together to reach the lost and to equip the found for works of service in God s kingdom. For our partnership with Moulton Elementary; that God would continue to open up doors for us to serve and bless this school, its students, teachers and families. Pastor Aaron Hannemann

5 - - Children s Christmas Service Sunday, December 9, 5:00pm North Polk High School Auditorium Join us in Midweek and Sunday School each week as we learn our songs! 1st through 7th graders will have their final rehearsal on Saturday, Dec. 8, at 5:00pm in the North Polk Auditorium. 3-year-olds through kindergartners will have their final rehearsal that Sunday morning at 9:30am at church.

6 Join the Lady Diners All widows and single ladies of all ages are invited to join the Lady Diners at Outback Steakhouse on Tuesday, December 4 at 6:00 p.m. Don t miss out on the fun, fellowship and great food! Call Betty Berlau ( ) or Carol Wenndt ( ) if you have any questions. Want to know what s going on at St. Paul? Like us on Facebook! Sunny View Worship Every third Sunday of the month at 2:00 pm, St. Paul leads a worship service for the residents at Sunny View Nursing home. Join us this month on Sunday, December 16. Please arrive at Sunny View at 1:45 pm and be ready to hand out books, help the residents turn pages, and sing the praises of our God for all he has done for us. The more volunteers the better. Please join us! Buy Gift Cards From SCRIP Thank you to all of our St. Paul members supporting the education programs at St. Paul with SCRIP card purchases. Consider using SCRIP cards for your holiday shopping needs. HyVee, Fareway, WalMart, Target, Menards, Home Depot, Kohls, Starbucks and Fleet Farm cards are all available through the SCRIP program. Kum & Go and Casey's cards are available for holiday travel. Orders placed on a Sunday are usually available the following Sunday. Please contact me ( or iowamarvin5@msn.com) with any questions. Dorothy Marvin Cancer Survivors Group Join us on Monday, December 17 at 5:30 at Perkins in Ankeny. Remember it s free pie night! Contact Mary Stratmann for more information at And the Winner Is... Congratulations to Cael Fahrmann for winning the Nintendo Switch! Thank you to everyone who purchased tickets. All proceeds benefit the St. Paul Youth Ministry.

7 Volunteer Opportunities at St. Paul Fleece Blanket Prep Perfect winter project! We need someone to sort and prep some donated fleece to be used as tie blankets for a youth project at a later date. If interested, please see Amy Schmidt. Nursery Nursery volunteers are needed. Youth, you can get service hours for helping. Sign-up is easy! Just type in the link below in your browser go/ a9a92eabf58-nursery. Contact Alissa McLellan if you have questions. Preschool Love kids and love Jesus? Come volunteer in the preschool! St. Paul's Preschool is looking for volunteers to be an extra hand in our 3- year-old classroom on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays from 9:00-11:30 am. Please contact Alissa McLellan if you are interested in getting involved in this ministry. Stewardship Committee The Stewardship Committee is looking for additional members to help plan and organize fun events for all ages. We meet once a month on the second Monday at 7:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity for fellowship and to meet new people at St. Paul! Please Jim Turner at stewardship@stpaulankeny for additional information. You can also call or text him at Donate Christmas Cards Eileen Anderson is looking for used/recycled Christmas cards to repurpose for our greeting card ministry. If you have some you d like to donate, drop them off at the church office or put in the R. Anderson mailbox. Ushers Volunteers are needed to help usher in Ushers at both Sunday services are requested, especially the 10:45 am service. Members, couples, families, senior youth, and junior youth with an assisting parent are some of the people who would be appreciated to help usher. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Dan Drefke. This is also the time for usher team leaders to let Dan know of any changes with your team. Youth Bible Study Leaders If you are interested in leading a small group Bible study for our junior or senior youth, we have the perfect opportunity. Our youth are requesting more Bible study opportunities, so we need your help to lead them. Talk to Amy Schmidt if you have an interest. She can also provide materials to get you started.

8 Evangelism Updates St. Paul members raked 18 yards for the Big Rake. Others raked two additional yards during the week. Pies and Portals of Prayer were delivered, a prayer was said with the homeowner. We received thank you notes and even some donations in appreciation. THANK YOU to all who donated food for lunch, pies, leaf bags, those who made lunch, all who came out to rake and for the prayers! Also, thank you to Jim Anderson, Dave Reddel and Gary Hauge for coordinating the stops, putting teams together and mapping out the routes. Rain may have delayed it a week, but it didn t dampen the spirit of St. Paul. Joy Wehmas Each day add an item to a box. On Christmas Eve bring the contents to Fill the Manger. Fill the Manger Fill the Manager now thru December 27. We are collecting food items along with cash donations for DMARC. Need ideas? Go to dmarcunited.org/food/most-needed-items/. There is power in your cash donation. Due to agreements with wholesalers, for each donated dollar, DMARC can purchase two to six times the amount of food that you can purchase. However you choose to help, just bring your donations and we will get them to DMARC. Thank you for helping to Fill the Manager! Or do you want to do something as a family? How about a Reverse Advent Calendar (use this one or make your own), then bring your filled box to Christmas Eve Services.

9 LWML Updates LWML is gearing up for the Christmas season. LWML will be taking orders for poinsettias until December 7. Please put your orders in Sue Stoll s bulletin box. They are $10 each. On November 30 we will be getting together at 6:00 pm to complete the Christmas ornaments for the Children s Christmas sacks. Christian Life and Mission committee will get together at Sue Johnson s house to complete making things for the LWML Christmas party on December 9 at 2:00 pm. Our annual Christmas Party will be on the 11 of December starting at 6:00 pm. It is an ugly sweater party so don your Christmas apparel and come and join in on the fun, food, and fellowship. We will be serving the Advent meal on the December 5 at 5:30 pm. Please bring in your donations of food for the meal. Our mission project this month is adopt a family for Christmas. On the Christmas tree in the Resurrection hallway is items needed. Bring the presents to church by the 9 of December. We ask that the presents be boxed or placed in a bag with the gift receipt and tag attached. We have been told parents like to wrap the presents themselves. If you have gift cards, please drop them off at the church office. The LWML thanks you for your generosity. Ongoing 2018 Mission Projects Box Tops Mt. Olive Lutheran School Pop Can Tabs Ronald McDonald House Eyeglasses Lions Club Ink Cartridges LWML Des Moines East Zone Plastic Grocery Bags IMPACT Food Pantry in Ankeny (Box in the hallway) Please drop off these items on the LWML table in the Narthex. Shoes Hope Ministries (Box located by Fellowship Hall door) POINSETTIA ORDERS Help beautify the church this Christmas season by purchasing a poinsettia for $10. Order forms are on the LWML table. All orders are due by December 7. Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year! Sue Stoll LWML President Boxes of Christmas cards are available for purchase on the LWML table in the Narthex. Each box is individually priced. Place payment in the purple or black boxes. Thank you for supporting LWML!

10 Continued from page two shape and form us into the image of God s Son (Romans 8:29), Jesus the Christ, the one who came to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21), to be our ever-present Immanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23). The Word of our God not only reminds us of all that He has done for us in the past, but also is the means through which the Holy Spirit accomplishes His work in us. And it is for this reason that we have our Daily Chapel Services at 9 am (Thursdays at 8:30 am) and also our Advent Midweek Services at 6:15 pm on Wednesday evenings. We want to offer as many opportunities to gather around the Word of our God, to listen to and study the recounting of what our God has accomplished for us, and to be shaped and formed as much as possible into the image of Christ through the working of the Holy Spirit through the means that He has promised to work through. So, Reality Check time: who are we listening to? What are we doing in our everyday lives, what habits are we forming, to aim or focus the love that our God has shown to us, in His Son Jesus Christ, for the goal or purpose of the Kingdom of God? Looking forward to gathering around God s Word with you this Christmas season! In Christ, -Pastor Andrew Continued from page one This Advent Season, join us for worship (and chapel!) as we wait together for Christ to come into the world and into our lives, sharing our hope for life in him now and the age to come. Waiting is hard; it is easier when you wait together. Pastor Duncan School Year Registration St. Paul Lutheran Preschool Registration opens to all current church and preschool families on Thursday, January 3, We will be holding an Open House for prospective students on Tuesday, January 8 from 5:00-6:30pm. Registration opens to the public on January 10 at 8:30am. All registrations are received on a first come, first serve basis. If you or someone you know is interested in our preschool program, please contact Alissa McLellan (preschool@stpaulankeny.org) to set up a tour or to request more information. Bake Sale a Success Our preschool bake sale was a huge success! Thank you to all the bakers who brought goodies to our preschool bake-sale! We also appreciate the donations from our giving tree table in the Resurrection Hallway. We have such a supportive congregation, and the preschool is thankful for all that you do to support our Christ-centered ministry! As always, we welcome you to come visit the preschool and volunteer! We could especially use an extra hand in our 3-year-old class which takes place on Tuesdays/Thursdays from 9:00-11:30am. If you would like to volunteer, please sign-up in the Resurrection Hallway. Preschool Hiring The preschool is looking to hire a part-time teacher assistant to work as a sub for our current staff. There is potential for this position to become more regular next fall. Please contact Alissa McLellan if you are interested! Alissa McLellan Preschool Director

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12 ST PAUL LUTHERAN CHURCH Church Council Meeting November :30 PM The Leadership of St Paul Lutheran Church met on Monday, October 15th at 6:30 PM for its monthly council meeting. Those in attendance were Duncan McLellan, Libby Wielenga, Andrew Coop, Cordell Wabeke, Tim Krehbiel, Joy Wehmas, Ray Marvin, Jason Buls, Amanda Weathers, Dan Drefke, David Reddel, Jim Turner, Amy Schmidt, Cari Poock, and Larry Robinson. The meeting was called to order by Ray Marvin. Pastor McLellan opened up the meeting with devotion from 1 Corinthians Pastor also discussed a recent article in the Lutheran Witness regarding Pastors and mental health. This is a real issue facing many clergy. Pastor McLellan made note that it is nice to not be part of the statistics and on behalf of DCE Amy, Pastor Coop, Thank You to St. Paul for your continued generosity, support and what you do. Devotion was followed by President Tim Krehbiel asking how each of us have been blessed. Joy Wehmas made note of the energy and excitement in the Pre- School. Secretary s Report (David Reddel) David Reddel presented the meeting minutes from the September 17th 2018 council meetings. Motion by Dan Drefke to approve September 17, 2018 council minutes. Motion Second by Cordell Wabake. Motion Passes. Senior Pastor Report - (Pastor McLellan) Daily chapel attendance is averaging 60 people per week. This continues to be a good priority for the Church. Pastor Coop will be leading Bible Study for the next 4 weeks or so. After that, we will begin a study on the Marriage. Stephen Ministries has begun. Last time this was offered there were 6 people. We now have 17 people. We will offer a again in December to go over all books of the Bible. Pastor McLellan asked for input regarding changing the start time of advent services. 7:00 PM gets too late for younger kids. Great conversation on what was best. Pastor will follow up with music and Elders. Associate Pastor Report - (Pastor Coop) Monthly Meet Ups continue to go great. Had our second meeting. Young Adults group continues to meet. Will begin Bible Study this Sunday on Habits God creates in us through Worship. Continue to work with Evangelism. Looking at more needs based things to do in the community DCE Report - (Amy Schmidt) Rummage sale brought in $ youth and adults participated in Meals from the Heartland event. Jr Youth Group has been growing this year. Have 28 youth in attendance. Mid-Week and Sunday School going well National Youth Gathering Registration underway. Gathering in Minneapolis on July 11th thru 15th, youth and adults going to the Jr. Youth Gathering coming up. 9 youth and adults going to the Sr. Youth Gathering coming up. With the amount of participation in Youth, we are exceeding our budget. Getting ready for our upcoming Christmas service on December 9. Will update Council next month on various youth statistics and metrics. Motion by Dan Drefke to accept Staff Reports. Motion Second by Joy Wehmas. Motion Passes. Treasurer s Report - (Amanda Weathers) Unrestricted income for September was $43, while YTD unrestricted income was $459, September operating costs were $56, and YTD operating costs are $402, Concerning trend in the September contributions. September represents a 5 Sunday month. Combined results of August and September represent a combined loss of $16, YTD unrestricted contributions are at 103%. Combined expenses are at 92% budget. Current surplus of $49, Expense line items that are running high include salaries, guest pastors, music, equipment maintenance, meals, equipment technology and gas and electric. Motion to accept Treasurer s Report by David Reddel. Motion Second by Larry Robinson. Motion Passes. Elder s Report - (Larry Robinson) Official acts as reported at Elders meeting as follows: Baptized -Alex Lee Ensign, Profession of Faith-Josh Remington, Received-Caitlin Remington from Zion Lutheran Church in Denison, Iowa. Transferred Out: Jamie Larsen to St. Paul Lutheran Church Ames, Iowa; Brad, Leann & Connor Nurnberg to The Gate Ankeny, Iowa; Chuck & Carol Shellmyer to Gloria Dei Urbandale, Iowa; Matthew, BreAnne, Kale & Brynn Solem to Immanuel Lutheran Church Prior Lake, Minnesota. Other items discussed were: Elders discussed and approved recommendations for compensation for all staff positions. Recommendations sent to the budget committee. All member assignments have been completed. Elder letters have been sent to members. Motion to accept Elders report by Jason Buls. Motion Second by Libby Wielenga. Motion Passes. OLD BUSINESS Mission Statement - (Pastor McLellan) Pastor McLellan discussed with Council the agreed upon Mission Statement. Plan is to still present at Voters in November for approval. Youth Research Committee (Cari Poock) Nothing new to report except that estimated compensation could be less than what was planned for Budget Committee (Ray Marvin / Amanda Weathers) Committee has met once. Amanda was able to provide some initial buget numbers based on 2018 actuals and presented some initial outlooks. Will meet again on October 23rd. PreSchool Growth Committee (Libby Wielenga) Going well. Looking at many items including space, education and how we operate

13 NEW BUSINESS Synopsis of the Future Growth Fund (Jason Buls) Jason provided a clarification of the Future Growth fund which is a restricted fund. Will present this summation to voters at November Voters meeting. Summation as follows: Fund established to pay future capital expenditures of St. Paul Lutheran Church as approved by the St. Paul voter s assembly for this location or a new location, thereby reducing future borrowing needs or debt obligations. This is not a fundraising campaign, but an available opportunity for those members who wish to contribute to assist in paying future capital needs instead of borrowing future debt. Upon approval by the voter s assembly, giving to the Future Growth fund will be available through four quarterly designated envelopes in the 2019 envelope boxes and as an online giving option effective January 1, Communication regarding the new fund will go out to the entire congregation in December. The fund was approved by the St. Paul Church Council at the July 2018 council meeting. Recap of Timeline for Constitution Committee (Pastor McLellan and Council) Council reflected upon the book discussion had by those who could attend regarding their assigned readings focused on Church structures and growth. It was also discussed to invited members of the congregation to go through the same process of reading one of the assigned books should any congregational members want to be part of future committee to look at current church structure. Committee to be established for those who have went through the prerequisite readings to review current constitution and current church governance structure to determine if it is helping or hindering current Mission and Ministry efforts of St. Paul. BOARD REPORTS Christian Education (Cordell Wabeke) Working on Christmas program and 2019 budget request Evangelism (Joy Wehmas) Lots of great things going on. Helped PreSchool with Dad s and Donuts. Still need volunteers for Trunk and Treat event on October 21st. Pushed the location of vehicles back a little based on feedback from previous years. Worked on budget numbers for Budget Committee. Planning on doing a skit for October 14th service to promote Big Rake. Utilized halfpricedbanners.com to create banner for Evangelism to promote Trunk and Treat. Finance (Jason Buls) New counters to add to the list of volunteers Property (Dan Drefke) Lots going on. Highlights are as follows with further detail in Dropbox. Property has decided to hang on to old lawn mower. Comes in very handy for hauling items. Working on identifying and replacing light fixtures. Trying to track down all reported leaks. If you find a leak or think there is a leak, please mark it. Discussion with council regarding the need to keep old stage. We have not used in over a year. End of year inspections going on. Would like to make a motion at November Voters meeting to transfer / gift The Gate trailer with language allowing St Paul first right of purchase should The Gate decide to sell at a later date. Motion to present to Voters as follows: St. Paul Lutheran Church will gift the trailer and its contents to The Gate effective 11/27/2018. If at any time The Gate chooses to sell or transfer ownership of the trailer and /or its contents, St. Paul is to be notified and given opportunity to purchase or have ownership transferred back to St. Paul Lutheran Church. Stewardship (Jim Turner) Nothing new to report. Continue to sign up for donuts. Budget has been summited to Budget Committee Youth (Cari Poock) Nothing new to report from what Amy has already reported. Rummage sale was great. Raised $ Meals from the Heartland event was also great. Preschool (Libby Wielenga) Preschool sign looks great. Cost of redoing the sign was donated. Preschool passed both the DHS and Fire Marshall Inspection. Preschool Christmas program to be held on December 13. Libby also discussed the need to insure offerings are accounted for accurately when funds are being counted on Sunday. Need to correctly identify Tuition versus Friends of Preschool Motion to accept Board Reports by Dan Drefke. Motion Second by Jason Buls. Motion Passes CLOSING Motion to adjourn council meeting by David Reddel. Motion second by Jason Buls. Motion Passes. Meeting adjourned. Lord s Prayer. Next scheduled council meeting for November 19th 2018 as normally scheduled. Respectfully Submitted and Presented by David Reddel St Paul Lutheran Board Secretary

14 St. Paul Lutheran Church Board of Elders Board of Elders Meeting November 6, 2018 Official Acts (baptism, confirmation, wedding, funeral): Baptized: Blake Daniel Reeder, October 14, 2018 To be received, transferred or released on November 6, 2018: Profession of Faith: Joel, Caleb & Ella Ausan Received: Caleb & Candra Grev Transferred: Jason, Lynn, McKenna, Oakley & Cashton Demaray to St. Paul s, Fredericksburg, IA Average worship Attendance in October: 2018: : 409 (incl. The Gate) Average Worship Attendance YTD through October: 2018: : 468 (incl. The Gate) Total Baptized and Confirmed members: Baptized 787 Confirmed 625 Family Units 305