BLUE GRASS SERVICE. Faith, Hope, Love Pastor Dave. Continued... NEW SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY

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1 September St. Matthew Lutheran Church Sundays at 9:00am WOW Wednesdays at 5:30 pm Pr. Dave Raemisch Cell Phone (319) Office Phone (319) A message from Pastor Dave Great things are happening here at St. Matthew Lutheran Church thanks be to God - and what a month September is going to be! It all kicks off with an Ice Cream Social on Sunday, September 2 nd (4-7 pm) with proceeds benefiting our Vacation Bible School program, then on Wednesday, September 5 th WOW begins with an Orientation Meeting for the whole family from 6:15-7:00 pm. All WOW parents and children, including Confirmation students, should plan to attend the Orientation Meeting. The first full session of WOW happens on Wednesday, September 12 th starting with a meal at 5:30 pm followed by a family friendly worship service at 6:15 pm then classes for children, confirmation students (8 th & 9 th graders), and High School students from 6:50-7:30 pm. If you know of any families with children aged kindergarten to High School, be sure to invite them to come to WOW! This year, WOW is going to be better than ever because we ve made some big changes in how WOW works. We ll be doing many new and exciting things at WOW this year, including replacement of traditional WOW sermons with a Word of the Week teaching format involving a scripture reading and brief commentary on the text followed by a 3-5-minute teaching video, then classroom lessons and discussions on the Word of the Week after worship. I m also happy to share with you that the WOW ministry team has determined that in order to make WOW a more effective outreach ministry, WOW will be a contemporary worship service this year. We ll open every WOW worship service with our theme song for the year - I Will Call Upon the Lord that s based upon Psalm 18. I d also like to share with you that we ll be taking a group of youth to the next ELCA Youth Gathering in Minneapolis in Continued

2 Continued... Our Sunday morning worship service has benefited greatly by much more careful selection of tradition hymns, paying special attention to selecting hymns that are familiar and singable. We re grateful for the many people involved in the selection of hymns for Sunday morning worship, including DaLana Rigby, Shirley Hanssen, Jim & Joan Berends, Marty Scharff, Angie Wink, Junelle Benter, Art & Sharon Krominga, Roger & Nancy Digman, Dave & Shirley Titman, Mark & Jeanine Dirks, Charlie & Carolyn Tonn, Lynn & Steve Goode, and I even get in on the action once in a while myself! We re also making a change in how we do baptisms here at St. Matthew. From now on, every time we have a baptism, whether or not it happens to fall on the 1 st and 3 rd Sunday of the month (when we normally have communion), we ll be celebrating communion. This will allow us to share our special communion service, including the beautiful song Remember Now My Children with those attending the baptism. We also sing Borning Cry at the close of every baptism. On Sunday mornings we continue to use the beautiful liturgy of LBW setting #1 and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. It s the liturgy I grew up with and I love its poetic form; best of all it s about as Lutheran as you can get! Starting in September we ll have a new bible study right after worship on Sunday mornings. All are welcome to join us in the fellowship room to discuss the sermon text and sermon from the worship service. It should be fun, so please come join us! Faith, Hope, Love Pastor Dave NEW SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY Starting September 2nd, every Sunday right after church we ll gather in the fellowship room at 10:15 am to discuss and explore the sermon and sermon text of the day. All are welcome to join us for this casual group discussion led by Pastor Dave. BLUE GRASS SERVICE OCTOBER 21,

3 St. Matthew Fall Dinner & Bazaar Thursday, October 4th 4:30-7:00 pm Dinner & Bake Sale Menu Baked Steak Mashed Potatoes Sweet Corn Dinner Rolls Salads Desserts Adults - $12.00 Kids 6-12 yrs. - $6.00 Kids under 5 - Free Food Donations Please sign-up at church to bring salads and desserts Monetary Donations Please make donations for the purchase of food by dropping donations off at the church office Mon.-Thur. 9:00 am - 3:30 pm Kiev Symphony Orchestra & Chorus 7:30 p.m. Friday, September 7th Monticello High School Adults $20; Students $10 For more information or tickets, contact: Delana

4 For Those with Eyes to See and Ears to Hear (submitted by a member of our church) As the story goes, a woman told her pastor she d no longer be attending church. Perplexed, he asked her why. She said, I m just so frustrated! I ve seen more than a few members who are nothing but hypocrites, members gossiping about other members, some so-called leaders making too many changes for my taste, people not dressing properly for church, some looking at their phones during worship, and so many other things that are wrong with our church. The pastor was sad to hear of her discontent, but not the least surprised as he d heard it all before. So, he asked her if she d be willing to do just one thing before she stopped coming to church. She agreed, so in a rather unusual request, he asked her to take a glass of water - full to the brim - and walk around the church three times without spilling a drop. After that, leave the church if you still want to. She thought it an odd request to say the least, but did it anyway. The next Sunday, right before worship started, she followed her pastor s instructions by walking three times around the sanctuary with a glass plumb full of water then returned to the pastor task completed. The pastor said to her, before you leave our church I ve got a question for you. When you were walking around the sanctuary this morning with a glass full of water did you see anyone gossiping? She said No. Did you see any hypocrites? Again, she said No. He asked, Did you see any leaders doing something you don t agree with? No was her answer again. How about people not dressed the way you think they should for church? Once again, she said No. The pastor then shared this thought with her. When you walked around the church, you were focused on the glass to make sure you didn t stumble and spill any water. It s the same with our lives! With our eyes focused on Jesus, we don t have eyes to see the flaws, frailties, weaknesses, and mistakes of others. Then we re able to see other people as God does, with compassion, mercy, and grace. By concentrating on our own walk with the Lord, instead of what s wrong with other people and what s wrong with our church, we can grow in faith and share the love of God with all people. Are you worried about the wrong thing, or are you worried about the things of God? stmatthewmonticello@gmail.com Visit our website to see what s new Echoes, Links to Sermons Church Council Meetings Wow News And so much more! Men s Bible Study Thursday mornings at 10:00 am And 2nd & 4th Fridays at 6:30 am All Are Welcome! 4

5 All women are invited to WELCA meetings and activities. Please join us in the Education Unit. Prayer Shawl Ministry: Monday, September 1:00 PM in the Library Hope Circle: Tuesday, September 9:00 am Ruth Circle: Wednesday, September 1:30 pm Sewing Circle: Wednesday, September 1:30 pm. INVITATION FOR ALL WOMEN EVENING BIBLE STUDY Beginning September 12 th in church basement at 6:50 pm. We dismiss when the children are dismissed. When Words Fail A Study of Psalms by Proverbs 31 Ministries Open the book of Psalms and you ll find a book that encapsulates what it means to feel, from moments of unparalleled joy to seasons of sorrow and anger, but above all you ll see how to seek God as a safe haven and place of rest during all of life s emotions. Whatever you re experiencing, turn to these psalms for reassurance that you re not alone, and learn how to process your emotions in the steadiness of His presence. In the busyness of life there may be those of us who feel commitment to every Wednesday evening is unrealistic. This study is one that easily adapts to come when you can. See you soon! LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF SCHOOL BAGS It is that time of year again. We will be collecting supplies for school bags through the end of September. We will be assembling and packing on October 18th at 1:00 pm. Items needed for each bag: 4-70-sheet spiral notebooks 1-12 ruler either wood or plastic 1 - pencil sharpener 1 - safety tip blunt scissors 5 - #2 pencils w/erasers unsharpened 1 - large eraser 2-1/2 long 5 - ballpoint pens (no gel ink) 1 - box (16 or 24) crayons If you need to check the list, it is printed in your women s book. Thank you! ** We are also collecting Grace Zimmerman bar soap to include in Kathy Gerdes in the bags. Co-chairs 5 5

6 WOW STARTS IN SEPTEMBER September 2nd Ice Cream Social 4 7 pm Proceeds to benefit Vacation Bible School, 2019 September 5th Parent Orientation Night for WOW And Confirmation 6:15 7:00 pm (no meal) If you know of any families with children aged kindergarten to High School, be sure to invite them to come to WOW! September 12th Meal 5:30 pm Worship Service 6:15 pm Classes 6:50 pm 6

7 The purpose of our church is to grow in faith and share the love of God with all people St. Matthew Lutheran Church Council Minutes August 9, 2018 Call to Order: The August meeting of St. Matthew Lutheran Church Council was called to order by president Sandy Hinrichs. Present along with Hinrichs were Dave Titman, Stu Gerdes, Joan Berends, Greg Wink, Jeff Hinrichs, Jim Berends, Tricia Lambert, Dan Lahr, Craig Thompson, Spencer Pins, Sheralyn Lahr and Pastor Dave. Not present or excused, Mandy Norton, Pam Hardersen, Pam Kray, Dale Zimmerman, Gary Brokens. Jim Behrends gave devotions. Minutes- The minutes from the July meeting were reviewed Pastor s report- Pastor Dave reported that he had 25 pastoral care visits this month. Worship songs at our 9am service are being picked by many people to get a variety of people picking songs. Worship on Wednesday is averaging only 10 people through the summer so the service will not be continued next summer. Implementing a new Word of the Week teaching format for WOW involving a scripture reading a brief sermon on the text followed by a 3-5 minute teaching video, then classroom discussions on the word of the week after worship. New bible study starting in September right after worship on Sunday to discuss sermon and sermon text. Treasurer s Report- July report was reviewed. Benevolence- The Benevolence report was not available Building and Maintenance- Report was reviewed. Stu made a motion to accept the above financial reports as presented. Dan seconded and motion carried. Youth and Family Ministry Report- WOW begins September 12th. Sign-up sheets will be up in the back of church for volunteers, teachers and food work groups. Would like more teachers than last year and do bibles for all. Planning on going to the 2021 Youth Gathering in Minneapolis. Great Youth Ministry team meeting with ideas separated into what to keep and change and stop. Trustees Report- Cutting up boiler to remove to save money for the boiler fund. We will start a campaign for fundraising for the boiler. Dishwasher fit in the space next to sink and should be hooked up soon. They will look into finding tray(s) for silverware to fit into the dishwasher. Check elevator for possible door not being locked if it is not at that floor. Elders Report- Nothing to report. Deacons Report- Nothing to report. Old Business- Amendment to Board of Education passed at Semi Annual meeting. New boiler for educational unit passed at the semi annual meeting. Continued

8 Minutes Continued... Discussed waiting for Account Payable to be done with secretary until beginning of the year. New Business- Received a note from LaDonna Retzlaff stating she was resigning from the Memorial Board. Dan made a motion to accept the resignation. Craig seconded. Motion carried. Dan nominated Nanci Paulsen to fill the 1 year term. Stu seconded. Motion carried. Nominating committee members are Jim Berends, Dale Zimmerman, Marty Scharff, Nanci Paulsen and Dave Paulsen. Discussed reaching out to members and a temple talk on becoming a member of St. Matthew. With the new format of WOW Tricia states that they would like a bigger bulletin board in the entryway of the educational unit. Dave, Stu and Greg volunteered to research this. New members of the church are Candy Langerman, Jessica Manternach and children Maci, Marleigh and Mila Manternach, Jim Lorenzen and Nathalia Franco. Stu made a motion to accept new members Craig seconded and motion carried. Greg made a motion to adjourn and second by Stu. Motion carried. Next meeting is Sept 13th at 7:00 with Craig leading devotions. Closed with the Lord s Prayer. Respectfully submitted, Sheralyn Lahr, Council Secretary Join us on Sunday mornings for fellowship (coffee & treats) in the church basement after the 9:00 am Worship service. All are welcome! READERS FOR SEPTEMBER SUNDAY SERVICES 2nd - Nanci Paulsen 23rd - Tricia Lambert 9th - Tara Norton 30th - Marty Scharff 16th - Roger Digmann We will the readings to you earlier in the week for your practice. There will be a large print copy on the lectern on Sunday. GREETERS FOR SEPTEMBER SUNDAY SERVICES 2nd - Dave & Nanci Paulsen 23rd - David Plueger 9th - Jim & Joan Berends 30th - Marty & Larry Scharff 16th - Roger & Nancy Digmann ORGANIST (9:00 Am Service) Junelle Benter USHERS FOR SEPTEMBER SUNDAY SERVICES Jim Eby, Cliff Mardorf, Dan Lahr, Craig Thompson SEPTEMBER COMMUNION ASSISTANTS Pam Thompson and Anna Belle Oswald ALTAR GUILD FOR SEPTEMBER Pam Thompson and Anna Belle Oswald POWER POINT TECH FOR SEPTEMBER Eric Dirks 8

9 WORSHIP ATTENDANCE WEEK OF: SUNDAY WOW TOTAL for WEEK July August August August RECEIPTS for the month of July CURRENT BENEVOLENCE BUILDING $11, $ $3, THANK YOU to those parishioners who helped remove the old boiler system in preparation for Kraus Plumbing s installation of the new heating system. 9 9

10 If you need a ride to church please call the church office Monday thru Thursday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and let Rosy know your address and contact info. We currently have 3 members who have volunteered to help give rides to members that would like to come to church. We need to have more on the list to help give rides, so it would not just be one person all the time. As people call in for rides those that will give the rides will be rotated. Please consider helping out with rides to church and let Rosy know to add you to the list. Please check the spinner in the Narthex each month to sign up to be communion helpers. We need communion helpers on the 1st and 3rd week of the month as well as help with homebound the 1st Sunday of each month. If you would like to know more about this please contact Sandy Hinrichs. It is a wonderful time of fellowship with those that cannot make it to church. Monticello public access Channel 4 has church services broadcast on Fridays at 10AM and Sundays at 9AM. Visit our website for links to more sermons and services. If you or someone you know is hospitalized, call the church office or Pastor Dave directly to enable a visit from church. Office-( ). Pastor Dave s Cell-( ) 10

11 \\\ Please remember our parish members with a prayer, a card or a visit. Monticello Care Center Pinehaven, Monticello, IA Betty Hinrichs 105 Carlene Adams 208 Laura Ambuehl 211 Meta Tobiason 603 Marvin Wink 606 Pennington Square Pinehaven, Monticello, IA Ed Brokens #111 Pinicon Place Breca Ridge Drive Anamosa,52205 Betty Zumbach 107 Bernice Like 121 Individual Addresses: Sycamore Gardens (Ann, Shirley, Dan, John Kim, Deb), N. Sycamore St., Monticello, IA Linda Hall, 211 E. Seventh St., Monticello, IA Don & Ardis Hagen, 410 N. Maple, #303, Monticello, IA Luverne & Anne Marie Plueger, 410 N. Maple, #205, Monticello, IA Irene Mardorf, Jones-Delaware Rd., Monticello, IA Darlene Gottleber, 327 N. Gill, Monticello, IA Dilly Wennekamp, (and Sister Donna) 206 W. 3rd, Monticello, IA How You Can Help... Reach out to those who can t make it to church with a card or letter to show we are thinking of them

12 St. Matthew Lutheran Church 226 N. Cedar Monticello, Iowa RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED U.S. POSTAGE PAID NON-PROFIT ORG. PERMIT NO. 111 MONTICELLO, IOWA 12