August/September 2015

Transcription

1 August/September

2 Staff: Jim Demke, Pastor, cell , parsonage Gwen Arneson, Lay Pastoral Assistant & Organist, ; cell Rhoda Schmidt, Office Assistant, Jon & Jeannette Myrvik, Custodians, c (Jon) c (Jeannette) there is no landline phone for Myrviks Our Website: Mailing Address: PO Box 166, Cottonwood, MN Phones: Office: Kitchen: s: christlutheran@christcotton.com pastorjim3@gmail.com gwenarneson@yahoo.com jeannette.myrvik@schwans.com jjmyrvik@charter.net Congregational Officers President: Craig Aamodt Vice President: Greg Isaackson Chair, Board of Deacons Tracy Sterner Financial Secretary (Giving) Mary Schwisow Secretary: Cal Teske Treasurer: Jonathan Olson Chair, Board of Trustees Jessica Laleman Please let us know... ~ Your church family-the body of Christ, wants to bring you Christ s love in all the seasons of your life. Therefore, please notify Pastor Jim or Lay Pastoral Assistant Gwen Arneson when: There is a birth or adoption; There is a death in your family; There is a hospitalization in your family; Someone becomes homebound, moves to a care center or assisted living; Someone becomes unemployed; You move or get a new phone number; A child moves out of the house, attends college, graduates from college; There are other causes for sorrow or joy. 2

3 - Who We Are - CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH Mission Identity The people of Christ Lutheran Church are daily called into God s new creation, empowered by the Spirit, and sent to show the Good News of Jesus Christ bringing welcome, forgiveness, healing, renewal and hope to our neighbors here and in all the world Come meet your Savior in Worship! Worship: 9:30 a.m. through September 13 Sunday, September 20, we switch to the school year worship schedule of 10:15 a.m. Sunday Morning Live Youth Education also begins this date at 9 a.m. Worship on Cottonwood Cable Access Channel 180: Sunday 10:45 a.m. and Monday 5 p.m. Fellowship, with Refreshments, served in heaping amounts before and after Worship! 3

4 ~~ Thank You for Your Part in Our Shared Ministry ~~ Watch What Jesus Does God isn t looking for servants. God isn t looking for slaves, workers, contestants to play the game or jump the hoops correctly. God is simply looking for images! God wants images of God to walk around the earth. God wants useable instruments who will carry the mystery, who can bear the darkness and light, who can hold the paradox of incarnation flesh and spirit, human and divine, joy and suffering, at the same time, just as Jesus did. Watch what Jesus does, and do the same thing! (Richard Rohr, in Things Hidden) We live as grateful people these past weeks in part because of people who have reflected God s image, including: Those who have been watering and caring for the Prayer Garden and outdoor plants on these hot summer days Those who have planned, executed, and served in so many ways to make VBS go smoothly, (Christian Education Committee, Pr. Eunice Woodberry, Kitchen Crew, Discussion Leaders) Eli Dovre, Katie Louwagie, Anika Schwarz, Michael Louwagie, Denise Nelsen Demke, Chad Nelsen, and Pr. Jim Demke for the ways they will share their experiences in Detroit with our congregation in the weeks to come Vicki Myers for writing the curriculum to be used to tell Bible stories in Sunday Morning Live Those who have generously supported Chad Nelsen for his upcoming yearlong stay in Rwanda with Young Adults in Global Mission by attending his fundraising concert and contributing financially to that funding 4 ~ Connued On Next Page

5 Those who came to work on the landscaping at the parsonage to remove shrubs and rocks, and to Wade Breyfogle for providing the loader to help with the project Those who baked pies, served pies and ice cream, and coordinated the Pie Social for Coming Home Days Those who served at Esther s Kitchen in Marshall and those who financially contributed. Amy Jo Remmele and Brenda Olson who played for worship to allow Gwen Arneson to be away for Continuing Education and family time Those who run the PA and Video each week for worship so that others may see and hear and be a part of the faith community in their homes, as well Susanne Lee for her creativity in regularly designing and drawing on the Global Café announcement board Jonathan Olson for coordinating the fellowship hour after worship and making sure we have goodies to enjoy Anne Isaackson, Barb Crouse, Wendy and Kaitlin Fisher, David Roe, Doug and Joyce Warnke, Craig Aamodt, Denise Thomas, Eric Anderson, Marv Kremin, Terry and Becky Timm for serving the Prayer Garden fundraiser at Cottonwood s Central Park Market Those who live out their lives every day reflecting the image of Christ at work and play, home and out in the world 5

6 Rise Up Together, Christ Lutheran! It s been just a few days since returning from our Churchwide ELCA Youth Gathering in Detroit. Wow! What a trip literally and figuratively. Our theme was Rise Up Together! And did we ever. The experience is being described as life-changing, amazing, unimaginable, and impactful If there s a picture for hope, I think we saw several of them over those five days. Detroit police officers, whose jobs were made rather challenging by the invasion of their city by 30,000 youth and accompanying adults, saying, We re so glad you came A homeless person reaching up to high five the youth walking down the street. Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, in the highest position of leadership in our denomination, lifting old tires to help clear and reclaim a lot in the city. Tears welling up in thousands of listeners as we heard a pastor from Milwaukee tell of an exemplary teenage boy, who would have been there in Detroit with us had not his neighbor pulled out a gun and shot him as he was taking out the garbage simply because this neighbor didn t want ANY blacks living next door... and then hearing how the boy s mother forgave the shooter 6 ~ Connued On Next Page

7 Listening to an elderly woman, founder of Children s Defense Fund and first black lawyer in the state of Mississippi, tell thousands of youth that the things we do for others are the dues we pay for living, which also includes voting our Christian values. Having the story of Jesus Resurrection read to us from Mark, the one Gospel which ends abruptly without a conclusion, and then being told: YOU are the ending to Mark s Gospel now go and proclaim Resurrection! That s just a sampling of the pictures of hope that surrounded us in Detroit, a city noted for having little hope. As I sat in my seat one of the evenings at Ford Field, I suddenly felt tired. Not so much physically (although there was a bit of that). I felt tired of holding back. Tired of being cautious and moderate. Tired of always waiting to determine if something will fly before trying it out. Tired of racking my brain to think of some activity, some new formula, some new event that will engage others. Tired of waiting for a bolt of lightning from heaven to change this visible path of decline the church has been on for some time. Tired of feeling defeated. I also realized that I was tired of being tired. And that I don t have to be. We have Resurrection to proclaim! We are called to say, Rise Up! in words and actions. If declaring the message of resurrection can rock Detroit, it can rock Christ Lutheran, our community, and our world, as well! We ve spent enough time in our tombs of hurt and despair. It s time to Rise Up! It s time to rise to the occasions before us! We have things we can do! We may not change everything. But we can change the focus. We can change the future. 7 ~ Connued On Next Page

8 Our last stop before leaving Detroit was at the birthplace of Motown, a rather modest, wood frame house. Motown was not just another music company. It was not just a very successful company for black musicians. It was a new approach to music that quickly broke barriers and bridged cultures around the world. Black music in the 1950s was concentrated around the blues. Berry Gordy, Motown s founder, had a different vision. He believed that while music needs to acknowledge the hard realities of life, it should also point to hope and joy. So the world was treated to the new uplifting sound and message of Motown, the music of Dianna Ross and the Supremes, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Temptations, Little Stevie Wonder (who began recording at age 11), the Jackson 5, and Marvin Gaye. It s the type of music that can invite the world to go Dancing In the Street, and sing about The Tears of A Clown and leave you feeling good. Or hear Marvin Gaye lament, Brother, brother, brother There s far too many of you dying yet leave you with the hope that You know we ve got to find a way To bring some lovin here today If Motown could infect the world with its rise up sound and message, we in the church can surely claim our distinctive sound as people who bear the news that the tomb is empty, that Christ himself has been raised up, and is busy spreading resurrection to and through his followers! So enough with lamenting how things are and how things used to be. Enough with feeling exhausted by schedules and demands. Enough of feeling put down by a culture that is no longer interested in lifting us up. ~ Connued On Next Page 8

9 It s not the world s job to raise us up. It s God s job. And the God who raised up the little girl, and raised Lazarus from the dead, can certainly raise us up, too. God is at work raising us up so we can raise up the world! So Rise Up, Christ Lutheran! We are not stuck with the way things are. We are not limited by all that gets us down. Rise Up, Together! We work best as a team! As individuals connected in the Body of Christ, we can work miracles together. We can be our own Smokey Robinson and the Miracles! We can work a Rise Up miracle with a phone call or positive social media message. We can work a Rise Up miracle by showing up and lending our presence together with those who are older and younger. We can work a Rise Up miracle with an invite, with food, or a ride. We can work a Rise Up miracle by engaging in faith learning together in our church building and with our family at home. We can work a Rise Up miracle by donating to the life-changing work of Lutheran Social Services in our state, or Lutheran Disaster Appeal, or World Hunger. Are you tired of being down? No need to be. Our Lord is declaring that we Rise Up! Let this be a time for us to dump the blues and start singing the music of the Resurrection! Let this be a time that we Rise Up Together, for our sake, and for the sake of the world God continues to love so much Rising In Christ! Pastor Jim 9

10 Detroit Reflections from ELCA Youth Gathering Four students and 3 adults attended the Churchwide Youth Gathering in Detroit in July, rallying around the message: Rise Up Together! That was truly the experience of youth and adults who gathered, as well as the people of Detroit who were happy to share their city and join in lifting us up! Both visitors and residents learned that each has something to offer as well as receive from each other. Read Pastor Jim s message in this issue of Connections for more detail about the experience. Also go to youthgathering and click on the link to actual videos of the event to get in on the powerful messages and music that 30,000 youth and adults experienced each night in Ford Field! A very big thank you from Anika Schwarz, Michael and Katie Louwagie, Eli Dovre, Pastor Jim and Denise Nelsen Demke, and Chad Nelsen for the generous support of this congregation to be able to attend this life-changing event! 10

11 Youth Reflection on Detroit, by Anika Schwarz When thinking about the gathering prior to the trip, many thoughts went through my mind: Are Pastor Jim and Denise going to be too strict? Am I going to have any fun with such a small group? Am I even going to learn anything? I decided to go simply because it was my only chance to experience what my older friends could only explain as "amazing" and "life changing. I was decently surprised to say the least. The speakers were phenomenal and inspiring. There were so many opportunities to help the surrounding community, as well as hunger in Africa. In just 3 days, we raised over $300,000 for "Walk for Water." The trip to and from Detroit had its perks as well. We stopped at the sand dunes on Lake Michigan where we raced to the top of a very, VERY steep sand dune. We also stopped at the Motown Museum and got to sing My Girl in the same recording studio as The Temptations, The Jackson 5, and other Motown singers. Perhaps the thing I will remember most though, is the poverty. The look on the faces of each homeless person I gave a single dollar to is something I will never forget. I saw a man walking on streets full of broken glass without any shoes on. I return to my comfortable, privileged life feeling unsettled, yet full of hope for change. I would like to thank Christ Lutheran for all of their prayers and support as we took part in this life changing experience. 11

12 Free Family Movie Night Sunday, August 2nd, 6:30 pm, at Christ Lutheran! BRING A FRIEND! We will show the movie "McFarland, USA" in the cool theater seats of our sanctuary for family entertainment on Sunday evening, August 2 nd, at 6:30. This is a Disney movie (rated PG) starring Kevin Costner and is based on a true story. It is the inspiring story of underdogs triumphing over tremendous obstacles. This heartwarming drama follows novice runners who strive to build a cross-country team under Coach Jim White (Kevin Costner) in their predominantly Latino high school. Everyone has a lot to learn about each other, but when Coach realizes the boys' exceptional running ability, things change. Beyond their talent, it's the power of family, commitment to each other and work ethic that transforms them into champions - helping them achieve their own American dream. Come, bring a friend, and join us at 6:30 for the movie and popcorn! 12

13 Opportunities for August and September Common life under the Word begins with common worship at the beginning of the day The deep stillness of morning is broken first by the prayer and song of the fellowship. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian, anti-nazi dissident, and key founding member of the Confessing Church.) August August 2 Worship with Holy Communion at 9:30 AM August 9 Worship at 9:30 AM August 16 Worship with Holy Communion at 9:30 AM August 23 Worship at 9:30 AM August 30 Worship at 9:30 AM September September 6 Worship with Holy Communion at 9:30 AM September 13 Worship with Holy Communion at 9:30 AM before dispersing for God s Work. Our Hands. Day activities at 10 a.m. Re-assemble at 11:30 for concluding prayers, benediction and song. September 20 Worship at 10:15 AM NOTE TIME CHANGE TO FALL SCHEDULE September 27 Worship at 10:15 AM 13

14 You are Invited... Thursday, September 10, 7 p.m.... to visit the Holy Land at Christ Lutheran... when Greg and Anne Isaackson will share pictures and stories from Israel and Jordan, where scripture becomes alive! This is for the entire congregation; space available for your friends, too! God s Work. Our Hands. Day September 13 th On Sunday, September 13, 2015, we will participate in another God s Work. Our Hands. Day event to kick off our fall programming at Christ Lutheran, and to join with ELCA Christians across the United States in acts of service and outreach. Our previous two GWOH Days have been well-received by participants and recipients, alike, and we look forward to this fall s event to be rewarding and life-giving, as well! We will gather for worship (maybe wearing our canary yellow T-shirts and comfy work clothes!) at 9:30 AM where we will be fed with Holy Communion and strengthened for service. At 10:00 we will disperse to do a variety of tasks and projects for 90 minutes. At 11:30 we will reconvene, share briefly about our morning s activities, have a time of prayer, and close with our sending song. We will conclude before noon. Please plan to join us on this great day! We look forward to using our hands and feet, minds and voices, tools and cleaning supplies, fabric and meal ingredients all together to serve in Christ s name! 14

15 FAITH AFFIRMATION JOURNEY (Confirmation) ORIENTATION EVENTS in SEPTEMBER Mark your calendars, and be looking in postal mail and for important information to come about the launch of these two legs in the Faith Journey of our youth! September 2, 7 pm - 10th Grade Students, Parents, Deacons, Mentors Orientation September 9, 7 pm - 6th - 9th Grade Students, Parents, Deacons Orientation 15

16 Rally Day First Day of Sunday Morning Live! September 20 th As we look ahead on the calendar with fall approaching, we are excited to announce that Sunday Morning Live will begin again on Sunday, September 20 th! ** If you have children (3 years old through high school) who may not yet be on our class lists, please contact the church office with that information ( ). SML begins at 9:00 on Sunday mornings during the school year. We will be using a new curriculum especially written for Christ Lutheran by one of our own members, Vicki Myers! We have a 5 year rotation schedule of Bible stories that will shape our lessons each week in SML. Labor Day is as late on the calendar as it can possibly be in 2015, and God s Work. Our Hands. Day will be held on September 13 th. Prayer Pillows, Bibles, Prayer Books Please keep your eyes and ears open for announcements and mailings about Milestone Ministry dates for the fall as various ages of children and youth receive Prayer Books, Bibles, and Prayer Pillows during Worship. Turn to the next page for information about our Wednesday night worship, discussion, and Sunday school for all ages called F.I.R.E. 16

17 F.I.R.E. Is Being Re-Kindled On Wednesday, September 23! F.I.R.E. is how Faith Is Reaching Everyone. F.I.R.E. is how Christ Lutheran is responding to our changing needs. F.I.R.E. is a great way to be church together into the future! Expectation is growing already as we look forward to a new year of F.I.R.E., our Wednesday evening meal, worship, and Christian education time for all ages. For over two years, F.I.R.E. has been a fun way to nurture faith in our younger generations, something done most effectively through the presence of our more experienced generations. Likewise, it s been a great time for our more experienced generations to be inspired by our youth! Each week there are new stories of aha moments and humorous quips and faith deepened. Be a part of igniting F.I.R.E. once again this September! We begin with a meal that is provided and served from 5:45 to 6:30, then worship around the tables from 6:30 to 7:00, and move to adult and teen discussion and Sunday School for kids and youth from 7:00 to 7:45. Come as you are and walk up to a meal already prepared for you. Relax around a table with friends and other interesting people. Enjoy worship around the tables that reconnects life to faith and to one another. Get nourished in body and spirit. Come for yourself, and come for others who need YOU! 17

18 SEWING Days for August and September AUGUST 18 and SEPTMBER 15, Tuesdays at 9 a.m. To find out what types of projects are available to work on, contact Nellie Bjornebo ( ), Anne Isaackson ( ), Rose Wisdorf ( ), or Barb Crouse ( ). Even if you re not good with a needle, there may be other ways to help. ~~ Esther s Kitchen/Loaves & Fishes ~~ Our AUGUST serving date is THURSDAY, the 27th. Our SEPTEMBER serving date is Monday, the 21st. Esther s Kitchen is located in Marshall at Christ United Presbyterian Church, 400 W. Lyon Street (north of Wells Fargo Bank). You are invited to sign up online at our website, OR, by using the sheet at the rear of the Sanctuary. Also, Christ Lutheran has also made a commitment to support the project of feeding the hungry by asking its members to give a freewill offering that will be used for providing food for the meals that are served. A container is located in the back of the sanctuary dedicated to receiving monies that will be given to Loaves & Fishes; checks can be made out to Loaves & Fishes. WELCA Quarterly Meeting: Thursday, September 10, at 7 p.m. The entire congregation is invited on September 10 when Greg and Anne Isaackson will share their trip pictures and stories of Israel and Jordan. Serving: June Schwartz, Marge Reishus Door Hosts: Carol Huso, Margaret Rewerts 18

19 August 20, 2015 (Thursday) Annual SALAD LUNCHEON sponsored by the women of our congregation (proceeds go to W-ELCA mission projects) Serving from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Invite your coworkers, neighbors, family, friends! Take-out container available. If questions on the day of the luncheon, call the kitchen at In order to offer a wide selection of salads, all CLC women are asked to furnish a salad, with this suggestion as to type: If your last name begins with the letter: A through G: Meat H through L: Vegetable M through Z: Fruit Or, bring your favorite salad! 19

20 SAVE THE DATE!! Sunday, October 11 TH! It s our Annual FALL FELLOWSHIP FAIR! And, it will be delicious! (Jean Dahl, Coordinator) Dear Christ Lutheran Friends, Thank you so much for your incredibly generous support. I was simply blown away by the funds raised at my benefit concert on July 9. The Young Adults in Global Mission program has been a dream of mine for a few years now. I cannot wait to learn from, live, serve with the people of Rwanda. Martin Luther s theology of the cross calls members of faith communities to stand in solidarity with individuals and communities who have been underprivileged, oppressed, and with whom we have differences, just as Christ embraced solidarity with humanity in his death on the cross. Your generous support, financially, emotionally, and spiritually, allow lucky folks like me to engage the world and live out the call that Christ gives. I am forever grateful for this opportunity and encourage you to follow along and walk this journey with me at my blog: ramblingsfromrwanda.wordpress.com. My most sincere thanks, Chad Nelsen 20

21 21 Flat Jesus Jesus said in Matthew: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember I will always be with you until the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20) Jesus commissions us to share our faith with others and promises that he will always be with us. We want to show that he is with us and active and alive in our world. The idea is called Flat Jesus. As we take Flat Jesus with us, it will remind us that Jesus is ALWAYS with us! He is always loving us and encouraging us to love others. You can color your own Flat Jesus to take with you on your adventures! Extra Flat Jesuses are on the World Exchange Serving Counter (Fireside Room). Take them anytime. Please keep an eye out for opportunities to take a picture of you or your child with your Flat Jesus and upload those pictures to the Christ Lutheran Facebook Page. Please make sure you mention where you are and what is going on in the shot. The map in the hallway between Pastor Jim and Gwen s office will be marked with a cross where Flat Jesus has visited. Check out all of the cool places he will go.and think of all the kind and loving things you and Flat Jesus can do together! For questions, please ask one of the Christian Education Committee Members: Tiffany Teske, LeeAnn Boehne, Dani Brower, Julie Gregoire, Jessica Laleman; or Gwen or Pastor Jim. THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!!

22 Funeral Pall for Congregational Use As funeral worship services begin in our sanctuary, we begin with a Thanksgiving for Baptism with these or similar words: All who are baptized into Christ have put on Christ. In her/his baptism, was clothed with Christ. In the day of Christ s coming, she/he shall be clothed with glory. (ELW, page 280) At this point, a large white cloth called a pall may be draped over the casket (or a smaller white cloth over an urn) and the covered casket is brought to the front of the sanctuary as part of the procession of family members and other mourners. Palls may be simple and unadorned, or they may be quite ornate with Christian symbols that focus on Christ and on the resurrection. This is a ritual that has not been a part our tradition here at Christ Lutheran. A couple recent funerals have used a smaller funeral pall that was made to cover urns with cremains. We don t have a pall large enough to cover a casket. A pall helps us to remember the promise that all who are baptized into Christ have clothed themselves with Christ, and that all who are buried with Christ will be raised with him in newness of life. The pall may help the congregation focus on the worship of God and the hope of the resurrection by, in a small way, deemphasizing the relative expense of coffins and showing the equality of all people in Christ. The white color of the pall reminds the congregation of their faith in the resurrection and further symbolizes putting on the robe of Christ s righteousness in baptism. It is especially appropriate to recall baptism the beginning of Christian life as the body of someone who has faithfully served Christ during life enters the sanctuary for the last time. 22 ~ Connued On Next Page

23 If a floral bouquet had been placed on the casket during visitation time, it would be removed before placing the pall on the casket. The bouquet could be placed on a table near the casket at the front of the sanctuary, or could be left on a table at the rear of the sanctuary. The bouquet would be placed on the casket again at the end of the worship service when the pall is removed, and before the casket is taken in the hearse to the place of burial. A funeral casket pall will be purchased with memorial gifts to honor the memory of Lester Axdahl, Gwen Arneson s father. It will become the property of Christ Lutheran Church. Those who wish to use it may do so at the time of a funeral at Christ Lutheran. The same is true for the smaller urn pall available here at Christ Lutheran. It will not be required for families to use a pall at any Christ Lutheran funeral. Thanks be to God for the promises we hold dear, given to us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ! LSS Hymn Sing at Central Lutheran Church, Minneapolis September 26, 2015 Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota is celebrating its 150 th anniversary this year! On Saturday, September 26, 2015, they will host a Hymn Sing to kick off their Celebration for Changing Lives. The 75 minute Hymn Sing is free and open to the public. It will be held at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis at 3:00 PM. Additional information may be found at: For 150 years, congregations like Christ Lutheran have invested in Lutheran Social Service to make a difference for our neighbors throughout the state. Consider joining many others to lift our voices in song to celebrate this milestone anniversary and to honor the choral legacy we have as Lutherans in Minnesota! 23

24 Chad Nelsen s YAGM Concert Ongoing Opportunities for Giving Thanks to the generosity of those who attended Chad s fundraising concert, he was able to raise just over a fourth of the $4000 he is expected to raise toward the cost of his year in Rwanda with Young Adults in Global Mission. If you weren t able to be at the concert in July and wish to still contribute to his work in the months to come, you may make a financial contribution to Christ Lutheran Church, with Chad Nelsen YAGM in the memo line. We will make sure that it goes toward the amount he is responsible to raise. Thank you for your support! Workers in Mongolia Supported by Christ Lutheran Church: Charles and Anita Jackson Joint Christian Services Int. PO 51 Box 189 BZD Ulaanbaatar Mongolia sonrose.anita@gmail.com sonrose.charles@gmail.com Missionary Support by Christ Lutheran Church Robin s Nest Children s Home in Jamaica: Mailing address: P.O. Box 122, Lake Elmo, MN Kikatiti Secondary School (Tanzania) c/o Bill Koeckeritz Our Savior Lutheran Church 1400 S. State Street New Ulm, MN Headmaster at school: Tareto Elia Nassari Kikatiti Secondary School PO Box 262 Usa River 24

25 ~~ August and September Birthdays ~~ August 1 - Colby Marczak 1 - Don Rye 1 - Kelsi Schultz 2 - Lauren Braun 2 - Robert Olson 5 - Jessica Fauteck 5 - Adrian Golberg 6 - Brandon Wee 7 - Corey Moseng 8 - Jordan Fischer 9 - Paul Geihl 11 - Katrina Hanson 11 - Rhett Lange 11 - Shelby St. Pierre 12 - Dani Brower 12 - Kathie Erickson 13 - Josh Myrvik 15 -Teagan Neuman 16 - Jovie Benson 20 - Megan Elston 21 - Jace Bitker 21 - Cale Bitker 22 - Averly Benson 27 - Ben Schultz 28 - Neil Dovre 28 - Norman Nelson 28 - Todd Schuler 29 - Scott Boehne 29 - Maddox Viessman 30 - Noah Dovre 30 - Ryan Mosch September 1 - Keely Huso 2 - Stan Aamodt 2 - Courtney Popowski 3 - Eric Anderson 3 - Doug Warnke 4 - Karen Geihl 5 - Jasmine Schroer 7 - David Dahl 7 - Erin Eaton 7 - Barb Evers 7 - Jessica Laleman 9 - Dawn Bahn 9 - Shannon Geihl 10 - Jocelyn Bitker 13 - Benjamin Schwarz 14 - Emree Olson 16 - Audrey Hostetler 18 - Kaitlin Fischer Please contact Rhoda at the church office if you are not on the list or if we have a wrong date: ; christlutheran@ christcotton.com Thanks! 18 - David Johnson 18 - Erik Lundberg 19 - Sara Anderson 19 - Macey Brower 19 - Marv Christenson 21 - Greg Golberg 22 - Tucker Anderson 22 - Jacob Myers 23 - Jennifer Rye 24 - Mally Javens 24 - JR Klocow 25 - Stephanie Lundberg 26 - Landyn Balding 26 - Kim Louwagie 27 - Tracy Sterner 29 - Quenten Hoehne 30 - Kayla Kuyper 30 - Delbert Lange 25

26 Here at Christ Lutheran, the third Sunday of each month is ELCA World Hunger Appeal and Disaster Response Emphasis. Thank you for your 2015 offerings through July 26: $

27 ELCA Giving Opportunities We are grateful and blessed to receive the generous offerings of all the brothers and sisters in Christ who find Christ Lutheran Church to be a place to grow in faith as the Gospel is proclaimed and the body is strengthened for service through Word and Sacraments. Because of your generosity in giving, ministry happens. Because of your generosity, lives are changed. Because of your generosity, Christ s light shines into some very dark corners through all those people God has equipped to do so even here in Cottonwood and southwestern Minnesota. Your offerings are stewarded carefully to do God s work with our hands THROUGH this our Christ Lutheran congregation to make a difference in the world. Our congregation s annual operating budget does not include any line item of support to our Southwestern Minnesota Synod s work and mission, nor to our denomination s (the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) work and mission. Any financial support that is forwarded on to our local synod or the larger denomination comes solely from the designated gifts of our members. We invite you to consider such a designated monetary gift to the work and mission we share in Jesus name to support the ministry done THROUGH our Synod Office in Redwood Falls, or the ministry done THROUGH our ELCA offices in Chicago. If you feel called to do this, please indicate clearly on the memo line of your check that it is for the SW MN SYNOD/ELCA. You may also give online at christcottonwood.org 27

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