CONGREGATIONAL ANNUAL MEETING SUNDAY, MAY 5, Sunday, May 5 at 10:00am in Fellowship Hall

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1 CONGREGATIONAL ANNUAL MEETING SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2013 The congregation s ANNUAL MEETING will take place on: Sunday, May 5 at 10:00am in Fellowship Hall April 2013 Newsletter This will be immediately following worship. Please mark the date on your calendar and plan to attend. There will still be Sunday School and Confirmation this day at the regular 10:30am time. Ministry leaders will need to submit their individual reports to Shannon Stoker in the church office by April 23. This is a particularly important annual meeting to attend as we will be not just reporting where we ve been and where we are financially, spiritually and missionally as a congregation; we ll also be sharing some ideas of where our leadership believes we are heading and what we need to do to get there. The congregational council will also be attending a day-long retreat on Saturday, May 11 to further hone these ideas and begin the process of bringing them to life. Please plan on attending to both listen and give input into our ongoing ideas and plans for mission and ministry at Living Hope! Michael McAllister, Pastor michael@livinghopesaukville.org Shannon Stoker, Secretary & Business Manager shannon@livinghopesaukville.org

2 **LIVING HOPE ADULT FORUM** SUNDAY, APRIL 28 at 10:30am THE LIFE-FAITH EXPERIENCE OF A U.S. SOLDIER IN AFGHANISTAN Special Guest: Matthew Miller, SFC Matthew Miller, SFC (Sergeant First Class) and son to the Speerbrechers here at Living Hope, recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan and will join us for an hour-long conversation focusing on the challenges, insights and experiences of living out his faith and life in the midst of the Afghan people. Join us for a first-hand account of life in Afghanistan from the perspective of an American soldier with connections to our own Living Hope church family. Matthew is willing to field questions, share his experiences and bring some pictures and other visual artifacts/remembrances of his time in this war-torn country. Matt s wife, Becky, has been attending Living Hope with her two sons, Aiden and Zakary, while Matt has been serving overseas. Becky, a stay at home mom and cancer survivor, also volunteers full time for the Army serving military families and soldiers through the Family Readiness Group at the 102nd MP Co. She s also learning how to mentor other military volunteers as a Command Volunteer Coordinator through the 200th Military Police Battalion. The family lives in Fredonia. 2

3 LIVING HOPE SUMMER WORSHIP SCHEDULE Summer Sunday Worship times will continue to be 9:00am **The last day of Sunday School for the current program year is Sunday, May 19, 2013** Wednesday Night worship at Living Hope this Summer! Join us every Wednesday night this summer at 6:30pm starting June 12, 2013 The service itself will be informal with an in-depth spiritual aspect and a more intimate setting than Sunday. Each week the message will be a different focus from Sunday s sermon. The message time itself will include a short sermon and some life application questions for guided discussion and study. A couple Wednesdays during the summer we ll plan on worshipping outside and eat treats afterwards by the campfire (look for those dates to come). Come join us for this midweek spiritual journey this summer at Living Hope!! SAVE THE DATE: Saturday & Sunday, June 8 & 9 Weekend VBS More details coming soon! 3

4 Spring Cleaners Kudos to the Living Hope Clean Team who walked into a musty and dusty church and left it gleaming and smelling spring-time fresh. Members who worked from 9 am until noon on Saturday March 23 rd were Dale and Linda Herrick, Mike and Jude Dow, Linda and Norm Speerbrecher, Gerry and Kathy Karrels, Bill Ehlers, Laura Meyers, Luanne Boyle, Lois Swanson, Pastor Alice Horton, Ralph Luedtke, Amy Lorence, and Jerry and Pat Baganz. Special thanks to Jude Dow for signing up this hard-working crew! Door Fixed Thanks to Gerry Karrels, the door to the church sanctuary is now repaired. Gerry, one of the Property team members, came in and using his carpentry skills, fixed the cracked door frame. As our church starts to age, the skills of our members in maintaining this structure is so valuable and so much appreciated. Help Raise Funds to Fix the Church Entrance Overhang and Win a $25 Scrip Card Do you buy Scrip? Have you wanted to buy Scrip? Would you like to win a $25 Scrip card of your choice? Now is the Chance!!! Starting Now - you will have the opportunity to once a month win a $25 Scrip card of your choice for every Sunday you purchase Scrip (those who purchased Scrip in March will automatically be part of the drawing). The first winner will be announced on April 7 th and we will continue to draw a winner every month through June! Proceeds from the Scrip Program will be used to replace and repair the church entrance overhang (estimates on repair costs vary from $3000 to $9000, depending on how much water damage there has been). Please visit the Welcome Desk for more information or contact Linda Herrick at or at herrick47@wi.rr.com Men's Group will meet April 3 & 10 at 6pm, discussing "The Life of St. Peter" 4

5 Would you like paper.or plastic? God said Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. Genesis 1:28 God calls us to be good Stewards of His creation, a message from the Stewardship Discipleship Team. About a hundred billion plastic bags are used every year in the US alone. And then, when one considers the huge economies and populations of India, China, Europe, and other parts of the world, the numbers can be staggering. The problem is further exacerbated by the developed countries shipping off their plastic waste to developing countries like India. There are many harmful effects of pollution by plastic bags. How are Plastic Bags Harmful to the Environment? Plastic bags are used by everybody. You get them right from a vegetable vendor to a designer store. They are convenient and easy-to-use. But, most of us are blissfully ignorant of the repercussions that are occurring and will take place in the future. Litter the landscape Once they are used, most bags go into a landfill. Each year more and more bags are ending up littering the environment. Once they become litter, plastic bags find their way into our waterways, parks, beaches, and streets. And, if they are burned, they infuse the air with toxic fumes. Kill animals About 100,000 animals such as dolphins, turtles whales, penguins are killed every year due to these bags. Many animals ingest plastic bags, mistaking them for food, usually leading to death. And worse, the ingested plastic bag remains intact even after the death and decomposition of the animal. Thus, it lies around in the landscape where another victim may ingest it. Non-biodegradable And one of the worst environmental effects is that they are non-biodegradable. The decomposition takes about 400 years. No one will live so long to witness decomposition of plastic. Thus, save the environment for the future generation of humans as well as animals. So, What Can be Done about the Use of Plastic Bags? Single-use bags have become such a ubiquitous way of life that it seems as if we simply cannot do without them. However, if we have the will, we can start reducing their use in small ways. A tote bag can make a good substitute for holding the shopping. You can keep the bag with the cashier, and then put your purchases into it instead of the usual plastic bag. Recycling the bags you already have is another good idea. These can come into use for various purposes, like holding your garbage, instead of purchasing new ones. While governments may be working out ways to lessen the impact of plastic bags on the environment, however, each of us should shoulder some of the responsibility for this problem, which ultimately harms us. From the above paragraphs, you must have understood the gist of the harmful effects of plastic bags on environment. They are not only non-biodegradable, but are one of the major pollutants of the sea. For a clean and green environment, try to use alternatives to plastic whenever and wherever possible. Cut down on your use of plastic, and do your bit to save our planet. 5

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7 A Note from Music Minister, Mary Seboldt Easter blessings to you all. Thanks to everyone for their hard work during Lent, Holy Week, and Easter Sunday. The children's choir will sing on May 5th. The Living Hope choir will sing April 14th and 28th with warm-ups at 8:30am before each service. Choir rehearsals will return to the second and fourth Thursdaysat 6:30pm. We need special music for April 21st. Peace in Christ, Mary Monthly Contribution Report for February 2013 Monthly Year to Date Actual Contribution $ 13, $ 25, Budgeted Contribution $ 13, $ 26, Budget Over/Short $ 1.90 $ The Food Pantry, Inc. February Contributions from Living Hope pounds February Distributions 363 units (7, pounds) and $ in Sentry food-only gift certificates February Expenses $1, Items needed at the pantry for the month of April April 7-cereal, soup, Manwich, boxed cold salads, peanut butter, canned dinners (large size), bathroom tissue, dish detergent, and cash donations April 14-cereal, soup, jam/jelly, tomato paste, canned peas, carrots, and beets, peanut butter, gravy and broth, diapers (size 5 & 6), and laundry detergent April 21-cereal, soup, peanut butter, canned hash, applesauce, bar hand soap, bathroom tissue April 28-cereal, applesauce, dried peas and beans, canned peas, beets and carrots, rice, pasta, Manwich, bar hand soap, diapers (size 5 & 6) 7

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