THE OUR GLASS. The Newsletter of Our Saviour s Lutheran Church 3009 N. Meade St., Appleton, Wisconsin NOVEMBER 2015 N.U.T.S.

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1 THE OUR GLASS The Newsletter of Our Saviour s Lutheran Church 3009 N. Meade St., Appleton, Wisconsin NOVEMBER 2015 Cover image Ethics by Natalie Cox. Copyright Natalie Cox. All rights reserved. Used by permission of the artist. (Through Sundays and Seasons.) N.U.T.S. Never Underestimate More from Rick Warren about Four Heart Attitudes for Giving page 4 Harvest Day at OSLC on Thursday, November 5th and Sunday, November 8th. Turn in your Intention of Giving Card at Worship. If you re not able to attend Harvest Day, please turn in your Intention of Giving Card the week before or the week after Nov. 5/8.

2 2 C O N T E N T S & N E W S Our Saviour s Lutheran Church 3009 N. Meade Street Appleton, Wisconsin Rev. Kurt Hoffman Rev. Dee Sim Vision: love God. love others. Mission: gather. grow. go. Phone...(920) Fax...(920) office@oslc-appleton.org Youth youth@oslc-appleton.org Web Site... Office Hours M-F 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Worship Hours Thursday: 6:30 pm Sunday: 8:00 or 10:30 am Highlights From The Pastor s Desk... pg. 2 Thanksgiving Eve Worship... pg. 2 News from the Youth... pg. 3 N.U.T.S. (Stewardship)... pg. 4 Opportunities... pg. 5 Christmas Decorating... pg. 5 Caring for Creation... pg. 6 Soup Cook-off Results... pg. 6 Thanksgiving Food Drive Info.... pg. 6 Updates... pg. 7 Conversations Matter... pg. 7 Interesting Options... pg. 8 J.O.Y. (Young@Heart) Info.... pg. 9 Celebrating Newest Members... pg. 10 Church Calendar... pg. 11 Worship Associate Schedule... pg. 12 Trunk or Treat Memories... pg. 13 Council Highlights... pgs. 14 & 15 Tailgate Pictures... pgs. 16 & 17 OSLC Paid Position Available... pg. 18 Occasional Fill-in Custodian Needed Soul Sisters & No-sew Dolls... pg. 18 From the Pastor s Desk... Dear family and friends of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Each fall our East Central Synod holds a Theological conference. It allows us to meet as an entire Synod to be engaged with one another in worship, learning, and fellowship. This year our co-presenters were the Rev. Dr. Anna Madsen and the Rev. Dr. Troy Troftgruben. They both focused much of their presentations on the deeper meaning our Synod's Mission and Vision Statements. In Christ we are Stirred by the Spirit - Walking Together - Engaging the World with Love With Christ we are Feeding and Equipping Leaders - Listening Deeply to the Voice of Other - Collaborating with Partners in Minis- try- Building Bridges Across All the Differences that Divide Thanksgiving Eve Worship During her presentations Rev. Dr. Anna Madsen made a statement that I am sure you all will hear me repeat because, to our everyday experience as Christians, it speaks the gospel. She explained the significance of Christ s resurrection and the impact it has on our entire life. Her words were "Death is real but Life is realer." Perhaps this statement struck me as so profound because we know what death looks like and we have experience seeing loved ones die but the good news is that death does not have the final say. Death is not the end. Oh, death is real, all transition and transformations are real, yet Christ has showed us that his and our resurrection raises us all above the finite of death into the infinite of life. This is why we as Christians are called "Easter People." We understand and are comforted with knowing that even though we die, we live. We are about to celebrate All Saints Day on November 1st, when we remember all who have died and with that will come our own feelings of great sorrow and grief. We can celebrate however, because we know that in Christ there is more to come. The kingdom is coming. During our worship we all will be invited to light a candle in remembrance of our saints, our loved ones. This year as we light the candles, I will be thinking that yes "Death is Real but LIFE is REALER!" Blessings, Pastor Dee Sim Worship at 10:00 a.m. or 6:30 p.m. There will not be Adult Choir practice, Confirmation meal, or Confirmation class this evening. Confirmation students and their family should attend Worship.

3 8th Grade Retreat Friday, November 6 to Saturday, November 7 OSLC Our 8th grade class is invited to an overnight retreat at OSLC with Brian! With a year done of confirmation and another to go, we ll discuss what we ve learned so far and learn more about being a Christian in our schools and wherever God has us. Of course, pizza, games and lots of fun go with this retreat! Please return sign-ups to Brian by Wednesday, November 4th! This is a required confirmation event. November Wednesday Night Schedule: Wednesday, November 4th 5:45: Optional Youth Dinner 6:30: Confirmation 7th-8th: Joshua & Judges 9th: Mentor Night/Goodwill Service 10th-12th: NO BEYOND (Pizza Ranch on the 1st) Wednesday, November 11th 5:45: Optional Youth Dinner 6:30: Confirmation 7th-8th: Women of the Old Testament 9th: Mentor Night/Goodwill Service 10th-12th: BEYOND (7:30) Wednesday, November 18th 5:45: Optional Youth Dinner 6:30: Confirmation 7th-8th: Samuel & the Kings 9th: Topical Study: Prayer 10th-12th: BEYOND (7:30) Wednesday, November 25th No meal 6:30: Thanksgiving Eve Worship NO BEYOND Y O U T H & Y O U N G A D U L T M I N I S T R Y 3 Beyond at the Pizza Ranch! 1st & 3rd Sunday Every Month 6:30-8:30pm Pizza Ranch of Darboy All high schoolers Come for free food and lots of fun! Girls After God s Heart Every Sunday in November Except November 29th 9:15-10:15am in New Youth Room All high school girls are welcome! Come for breakfast and a chance to get to know other high school girls and learn what it means to be a girl after God s heart. Led weekly by Allie Westerbur. QUAKE FORMS ARE DUE NOVEMBER 11TH! Quake: February 19-20, 7th-9th grade MISSION TRIP Mission Trip forms are due December 2nd. Our next mission trip meeting is December 9th at 7:35pm in the fellowship hall. 9th Graders at Destination: Unknown Retreat

4 4 N. U. T. S. Four Heart Attitudes for Giving N.U.T.S. Never Underestimate The Spirit Rick Warren Which Will You Serve: God or Money? Rick Warren Would you agree that we live in a culture of materialism? It s like the goal is to get more and more and more. And just about the time you catch up with the Joneses, they refinance or file bankruptcy. And just about the time you think you ve got it all, the Christmas advertisements come out, and they tell you about all kinds of things you didn t know you couldn t live without. It s tough keeping your priorities right when you live in a society that s all about getting. The one with the most toys wins, right? No! The one with the most toys still dies, whether or not you ve got toys. There is only one antidote to materialism: generosity. Every time you re generous, you have a spiritual victory in your heart. Every time you re generous, your heart grows. Every time you re generous, you break the grip of materialism in your life. Why? Because materialism is all about getting get, get, get! It is your nature to get and to hold on. God says every time you re generous, you are breaking that grip and defeating materialism in your life. By the way, that s why if you re a parent you need to have your kids watch you giving. They need to see you being generous, because they re not going to learn it anywhere else. Make sure they can learn it too. The Bible says in Matthew 6:24, No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (NIV) Notice it doesn t say you should not. It says you cannot. It s impossible. You can t have two number ones in your life. You have to xhoose what s gong to be number one. Choose generosity. It will transform your relationships with other people and your relationship with God. It will change you from the inside out as you learn to be generous like God is generous with you. Soul Sisters Study Group Come; join the Soul Sisters when we gather on Monday, November 2nd at 7:00 p.m. at church. The meeting s theme is Modern Reflections on 7 Royal Women of the Old Testament. We will learn about the key roles that 7 women played in Biblical history. We will also discuss life lessons that can be gleaned from their stories. New members are always welcome. Please contact Jeanne Seitz at or jeanneseitz@yahoo.com if you are interested in attending. All Men of Our Saviour s Lutheran The 2 nd & 4 th Thursday of each month from 7:30-8:30 a.m. at The Diner on West Wisconsin Ave (by Fleet Farm) is home to our Breakfast & Bible Study. Please don t hesitate to come and be part of the conversations. Tell your friends too! Upcoming Theme: Nov 12: Book of Jude A pastoral leader in the early church delivers a constructive but firm warning to a community under his care to be prepared and vigilant in confronting false teachers. Selfish in their motivations, distorters of sound doctrine, and immoral in character, these teachers are to be vigorously opposed and resisted, rather than listened to or welcomed. The author lifts up the love, mercy, and steadfastness of God as a foundation for hope and celebration. The Letter of Jude has gone through periods of considerable neglect in modern times, but it is not difficult to see why (with its sense of vivid urgency) it was highly valued in the early church.

5 O P P O R T U N I T I E S 5 MARK YOUR CALENDAR Christmas Decorating of Our Saviour s December 5 th, 2015 at 9am Good news from heaven the angels bring, Glad tidings to the earth they sing: To us this day a child is given, To crown us with the joy of heaven. - Martin Luther Your Worship & Music Committee is working to gather a group of volunteers to help in decorating our church for Christmas. Please consider joining us on the 5 th of December to spread some Christmas cheer and beautify our church! November Offerings from Fox Valley Lutheran Homes Resources at the Library November will feature two educational events at our facility at 425 S. Linwood in Appleton. Members any of our Churches in the Fox Valley are welcomed to attend our free programs. Monday, November 9 th at 10:30 am Elizabeth, a Reference Librarian at Appleton Library will discuss resources available at the Appleton Library. Many other libraries in the valley also have similar services to offer, so, this would be helpful for folks outside of the Appleton Library system. Please call Ruth at and leave a message of your intention to come, this assists in assuring enough handouts are available. The meeting will take place in the Linwood Commons. Office for the Visually Impaired and Blind Monday, November 16 th at 10:30 am Jean Keneman, a representative from the Office for the Blind and Visually Impaired, will demonstrate a number of visual aids. This is an excellent opportunity to learn and view devices to assist vision. Not only is this an excellent hands on opportunity for persons with vision problems but also for family members to familiarize themselves with aids for their loved ones and assist in living an independent and more rewarding life. Again, please call Ruth at if you or a family would like to attend so we have sufficient number of handouts available. VOLUNTEER BARISTAS/ BAKERS NEEDED Many of our members are enjoying coffee, tea, lemonade, hot chocolate and a sweet treat between services, but we want many more of you to join in. It is a great way to meet OSLC members that attend a different service, and just meet new people to visit a while. We ask for a coffee donation and the sweet treats are baked by members of OSLC; all verrrrrry gooooood treats! As we roll into the later months of 2015 and into 2016, we are asking you to sign up on the sheets located just before you get you coffee if you are willing to bake a treat and/or would like to be a Barista and make the coffee and do the set-up for this enjoyable time to have a relaxed visit with friends. Your help is always appreciated as a baker or Barista. Sweet treats do not have to be home baked, purchased treats are very acceptable. We ask that you provide at least 2 dozen pieces, be that bars, cookies, or something else. If you have questions, please contact or Thank you for volunteering. OSLC Needs YOU! Please share... your gift(s). Please consider which ministry you could support with your talent(s). Every individual is a part of the Body of Christ. [ ] Yes, I am interested in the Worship Nursery Supervisor Position. [ ] Yes, I am interested in being a part of the J.O.Y. Group (incl. Young@Heart) Planning Committee [ ] Yes, I am interested in teaching Sunday School and/or helping with the Children s Christmas Program. [ ] Yes, I am interested in being a Coffee Barista and/or baking for Sunday mornings. [ ] Yes, I am interested in being an Usher, Communion Assistant, or Technology Assistant. [ ] Yes, I am interested in helping coordinate special events like the Thanksgiving Food Drive and/or Adopt-a-Friend at Christmas Collection. [ ] Yes, I am interested in sewing pillowcase dresses, making no-sew prayer dolls, quilting, or knitting prayer shawls. [ ] Yes, I am interested in taking my turn at filling Communion Cups for the weekend s Worship. [ ] Yes, I am interested in helping to coordinate SCRIP gift card purchases to benefit the Adult Mission Trips. This is a way I can participate in this ministry. [ ] Yes, I am interested in helping with. Name: Phone: Please return to the church office.

6 6 C A R I N G F O R C R E A T I O N AND THE WINNERS ARE... The Record Setting 4 th Annual OSLC Fall Soup Cook-off was held on Sun., Oct. 25 th. 1 st Place: Pastor Kurt Hoffman 2 nd Place TIE: Larry Williams 2 nd Place TIE: Val & Allie Hackbart 3 rd Place: Lavonne Babcock 4 th Place TIE: Amy Arps 4 th Place TIE: Tom & Kim Cody 4 th Place TIE: Erik Krauss THE REAL WINNERS... are the girls who will wear the dresses! Why record setting you might ask? 20 soup entries 114 Taste testers/voters $484 raised to benefit the Pillowcase Dresses Ministry. There were lots of smiling faces!! Thank you, everyone, who entered their soup, baked desserts, donated, or participated in the fun of tasting & voting. A very special thank you to Tom Cerull who kept up with the monumental task of kitchen duty during this event! Larry Williams, Event Coordinator The Thanksgiving Food Drive will collect until November 18th! The Thanksgiving table in the Narthex has tags for donation needs! You can also give a monetary donation. There are envelopes and an offering box on the Thanksgiving table as well. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you would like to nominate an individual or family in need, please contact the church office for a nomination form or Kara Lendved at kara@oslc-appleton.org EARLY DEADLINE! Articles for the December Issue of the Our Glass newsletter are due Thursday, November 12th. Prayer Shawl Ministry The OSLC Prayer Shawl Ministry Group gathers from 9:00-11:00 a.m. at OSLC on Saturday, Nov. 21st. Please drop in for any part or all of the time. Call Kathy Hoffman with questions at (Groups meets the 3rd Saturday of the month.)

7 U P D A T E S 7 Our Saviour s is holding two additional opportunities for Conversations around the topic of Same Gender Marriage and whether or not Pastor Dee and Pastor Kurt will be able to officiate at these ceremonies. The dates are: Thursday, November 12 th following 6:30 p.m. worship and Sunday, November 15 th between Worship Services. Conversations will be held in the Sanctuary. Interested in a bible study, but feeling a bit intimidated? Want to know more, but wondering if you know enough? Equip! could be your answer. Equip! is a casual study and conversation group that meets on Sunday mornings from 9:15-10:00 in the Sunday school wing study lounge. We explore how our faith intersects with and guides everyday life. Each week features a different topic so there are no commitments to a long -term study. Come when you can. You already know enough to attend...bible expertise is NOT required! November Topics: 1 Nov Fear 8 Nov - A Present Help 15 Nov - Dwelling In The Word for guidance in our lives 22 Nov - Too Many Laws? 29 Nov - The Unforgivable Sin Miyah Ione Ricker Born: Oct, Baptized: Nov. 5, 2015 Daughter of Nicholas & Rebecca Ricker Marco Andreas Fourness and Mariaelena Castro Fourness Born: March 22, 2015 Baptized: Nov. 8, 2015 Twin son & daughter of Michael & Kathy Fourness In honor of Fred and Joyce Lecker A memorial bench was donated by Fred & Joyce Lecker s family: Tim & Cheryl Lecker, Penny & Chris Van Camp, Judy & Neal Fischer, Fred & Rhonda Lecker, Kathy & John Peotter, Sandy Geiger, and Vicki & Duane Wendt. Their Great Grandfather, Fred Lecker Sr., owned the farm that this church and The Bridges (nursing home) now reside on. Our prayers and sympathies remain with the families & friends of Diane Bremer who was born to eternal life on August 23, 2015 Ted Landmann who entered eternal life on October 21, 2015 Charles Bruemmer who was born to eternal life on October 24, 2015 Received by Our Saviour s Lutheran Church In loving memory of Diane Bremer In loving memory of Ted Landmann In loving memory of Grace Boehm Received by Our Saviour s Lutheran Church From Ron & Sue Ernst In memory of Ted Landmann

8 8 I N T E R E S T I N G O P T I O N S OSLC Book Club Book Review from the OSLC Library Committee Member, Joyce Green: Tears of a Warrior Tears of a Warrior is a Family s Story of Combat and Living with PTSD by Janet J. Seahorn, PH.D. and E. Anthony Seahorn, MBA This non-fiction book was written by a husband and wife team as a reference and help for men and women returning from combat. They spent seven years researching how the brain and body reacts to trauma. Several times they would have to take weeks off so Tony could recover from reliving the memories. Tony Seahorn served in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot between 1966 and 68 and has been living with Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder since then. It is written in a clear and well organized manner. It isn t meant to be read in any particular order. I started with Tony s experiences in Vietnam. There are chapters on: What PTSD is How it affects others Keeping relationships together Systems of support Glossary of terms Helpful suggestions for spouses and veterans Questionnaires for families and veterans to reflect on how they are coping A very valuable reference for anyone wishing to know more about PTSD or wishing to help or understand those suffering from it. Plan to meet on Wed., Nov. 25 th at 11:30 in Fellowship Hall. The group will be discussing A World Such As Heaven Intended by Amanda Lauer. This Civil War Romance is beautifully written, addressing the struggle, conflict, and lives forever changed. On Monday, December 14th, the book club will meet at 11:30 a.m. for a Christmas potluck. Read your own Christmas Book and share what you read with the group. Psalm 100 "Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! "For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations." Many of us serve the Lord out of obligation. Why? Maybe we think if we serve the Lord we can earn his favor and blessing? It's as if we try to negotiate with God. "I'll give you my gifts, money, time, or love if you, God, will give me...." How many times do we try to do this? How many times do we forget that it is the Lord who made us? How often do we overlook that we are his people and we dwell in his pasture? Too often, we serve with the wrong motivation. Our heart is in the wrong place. Pastor Kurt is leading a Sunday morning conversation series on serving with joy between the worship services (9:15-10:00) from November 1, 8, 15, 22 called: Summoned to Serve Come to this celebration of whom it is God created each of us to be! There will be: NO ARM TWISTING NO GUILT NO SHAMING

9 J. O. Y. ( Y O U N H E A R T ) 9 The Annual Christmas Lunch is scheduled for Wednesday, December 2nd at Mark s East Side 1405 E. Wisconsin Ave., Appleton Cocktail Hour: 11:00 a.m. Noon Luncheon: 12:15 p.m. Order from the menu and pay your own way. Sign-up is needed so the restaurant has an accurate count. Please sign-up on the bulletin board in the Narthex by the big table. This is always a very fun event!! A Planning Committee is being formed for the J.O.Y (Jesus Older Youth, including Young@Heart) group. Please consider serving on this committee. Our first meeting will be on Nov. 11th at 11:00 a.m. All are welcome and your input will be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions in regards to this committee talk to Pastor Dee or Ann Hiltunen, annhiltie@aol.com. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Our Pie and Ice Cream Social and Silent Auction were a huge success and we owe many of you a big thank you for helping us make it great! Thank you for your pies, for your silent auction donations, for your attendance at the Pie and Ice Cream Social, and for bidding upon the Silent Auction items. Without all of you, we couldn t make this such a success. Thank you again for being the supporting bodies that help us help seniors in the Fox Valley area. We are launching a new program here at Fox Valley Lutheran Homes, or really just resurrecting an old program. (Lutherans really like resurrection, right?) Our new program is called Connections because we want more Connections with YOU, the congregations in the Appleton Conference. There are two parts to this program: (1) a spokesperson in each congregation who will announce the news of Fox Valley Lutheran Homes during announcement time, and (2) adopting an apartment getting to know the tenants, building a relationship, making Connections. Call Becky or Pastor Jennie at for more information or to get started, or we ll be calling you! Mark your calendars for December 6! This will be an entirely new fund raiser for us our first Christmas Tour of Homes. You will be able to tour inside five (hopefully six) homes totally decked out for Christmas and see their arrays! It is scheduled for Sunday, December 6, from 1 to 6 P.M. (No Packer game that day!) Tickets will be for sale at each home so you can start the tour at any of the homes. We suggest you end the tour at Fox Valley Lutheran Homes, with the last home, an apartment there which is on the tour and enjoy the refreshments which will be available there in our Commons. Admission is $10. We are still looking for a sixth home, preferably in the Neenah Menasha area. Contact Becky if you d consider adding your home to our tour. We hope to have live music in each home; mine will have John Harmon! Becky Luett, AIM, Executive Director

10 10 C E L E B R A T I N G M E M B E R S On October 25, 2015 the Congregation of Our Saviour s Lutheran Church formally welcomed our newest members. So glad you re here!! Top to bottom & Left to right: Marlys Pickett Nancy Behnke Bill, Judi, Jake, Abby Sommer Jack, Kristin, Tim, Roselynne, Margaret Robertson Doug, Melissa, Blake, Te a Koehler

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13 T R U N K O R T R E A T 13 A Huge Thank You to All Who Participated in Trunk or Treat 2015!! We had a great turn out this year with approximately 12 Trunks and lots of candy and Happy Halloweens!! After some counting, the thought was that we had well over 150 kids this year with lots of fun and costumes! Not only were the Trunks appreciated but also a great big thanks to those who donated candy to the Big Blue Cart which was all handed out to lots of smiling faces!!

14 14 C O U N C I L H I G H L I G H T S Next Council Meeting: November 10th at 6:45 p.m. OCTOBER 2015 COUNCIL MEETING HIGHLIGHTS: 1. There was thoughtful participation in the two Conversation Matters sessions on same sex marriage. Further conversations will be held. 2. The council is preparing an initial draft of a proposed budget for 2016, and committee requests budgets need to be in by November 1, There are a number of council openings. Congregation members are strongly encouraged to consider getting involved with serving Our Saviour's in this capacity. Our Saviour s Lutheran Church Council Minutes September 8, 2015 Present: Jim Pierce, Diane Bezella, Kris Bougie, Pastor Kurt Hoffman, Alan Babcock, Jim Leppla,, Steve Alstad, Pastor Dee Sim, Lorna Wulterkens, Pete Bailen, Elizabeth Panzer, Brian Hiltunen, Caralyn Karck, Amy Kiefer, Mike Stevens and Brian Westerbur. Absent: None 1. Opening Prayers & Spiritual Growth: Our meeting opened at 6:45pm with prayers and devotion led by Pastor Kurt Hoffman. Council members shared both blessings as well as prayer requests. 2. Minutes: Minutes from the August 11 th, 2015 council meeting were voted on and approved. 3. Pastoral Perspectives: Pastor Kurt will be meeting with members of the Adult Mission Trip ministry team to talk about utilizing the SCRIP program to fund the OSLC Adult Mission trip ministry. He stated that they will not be using any gasoline cards as the youth fund raise with this method, but will be utilizing other offers. We have information from both Christ the King Lutheran and Christus Lutheran who both utilize the SCRIP program to fund congregational ministries quite successfully. Pastor Dee updated the Council on upcoming events which may interest council and/or congregational members. They included Common Ground how to complete advanced directives on ; State of Black America at the Radisson on and also Different Approaches

15 M O R E F R O M T H E C O U N C I L 15 to Healthcare on with Thedacare. 4. Staff and Committee Reports: Written reports are reviewed by council in advance of each council meeting. These reports are on file in the church office. Only issues raised by committee chairs for discussion are recorded in the minutes. Financial Updates: Kris Bougie spoke to the Council with regard to our current financial standing. She provided both the January-August 2015 updates and noted that we are doing well in managing both income and expenses. We continue to pay $200 per month on the line of credit and have not had to take anything more from this line to meet current expenses. There was some minimal discussion among council members regarding the maximums of the current line of credit vs. lenders. Property: Alan Babcock discussed with the Council the recommendations and/or updates necessary for the Safe Child Policy in order to increase property insurance coverage. Elizabeth Panzer will look into these requirements and the Property Committee will continue to explore what options our church does have in relation to both coverage and companies. Personnel: Steve Alstad updated the committee on his work in relation current benefits for paid staff at Our Saviour s. He will be having an upcoming meeting and the end of September with Portico as well as review all of the current benefits we are offering our staff through our current health and retirement providers. He noted that there will also be upcoming employee annual reviews held this Fall. He will be providing staff a list of the questions prior to their individual meetings for their review. Steve also noted that they were looking for more members for the Personnel Committee. At this point there were few members and anyone interested can contact Steve at Evangelism: Jim Pierce did update the Council on the Tailgate Party which would be scheduled for September 20 th. A signup sheet for help is located in the Narthex at this point for anyone willing to lend a hand. They had also obtained a grant from Thrivent to help in covering expenses. Amy Kiefer was able to give specific updates as to where help was needed and she also noted that the Survey Report meeting would be held on between services for congregational updates. New Business: Jim Pierce then discussed with the Council a report provided to him by the office on the inactive status of many of our congregational members. There was discussion as to how the council may be able to help in connecting with these members. We would continue this discussion next month. Jim also noted that our Vice President, Brian Hiltunen, would be heading a nomination group for upcoming openings in our Church Council. He is reviewing with Brian the upcoming specific openings and noted that officers in the executive committee may serve only two, 1 year, consecutive terms. He noted that both he and Brian were open to anyone interested in filling any of these Council openings. The Council then entered into a group discussion of our remaining 2015 goals. There were many great ideas of both short and longer term goals indentified. Jim asked that all council members consider and pray about all of these ideas and suggestions, contemplating how they may be able to help with any one of these areas. The ideas included the following: Congregational Inactive List Completed Finalized Staff Benefit Packages Same Sex Marriage Discussion Finalized Coordinated event with Hmong Congregation Concept of a One Service Event for all Members to Meet One Another Reaching out to Shut Ins Reach Out for Additional Leadership in Congregation Readable Colors for Fonts in Overhead Projection Activities for High School Kids after Confirmation Support to Sunday School Coordinator and Activities Video Streaming of Services Recruit Volunteers for Outside Fall Clean Up Completing Presentation of Survey Results- Implementing Change Identifying Wants and Needs of Older Members of Church Outreach Events or Ideas to Our Neighborhood Working on Events to Welcome Others- ie. Bring A Friend To Church Sunday 5. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned after the Lord s Prayer at 8:45 pm. Respectfully Submitted, Diane Bezella

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17 COURTESY OF SUNLIGHT STUDIOS LLC BY KATY SUNSTROM 17

18 18 In October, the Soul Sisters Group had a really fun evening learning about the no-sew prayer dolls that are placed in the pocket of the pillowcase dresses. The attendees also learned how to make a prayer doll and were able to finish one doll during the meeting. If you would like to learn how to make no-sew prayer dolls, contact the church office or Kim Teigen at kimquilts@new.rr.com. If you would like to join the Soul Sisters, contact Jeanne at jeannseitz@yahoo.com. OSLC Worship Nursery Supervisor Paid Position We have one supervisor and have an opening for one more. The Sundays are split between the two supervisors. The Worship Nursery is staffed during the school year no summers. If you are interested and would like more information or want to submit your resume for consideration, please contact Steve Alstad, Personnel Committee Chair, at or stevealstad@gmail.com. Fill-in Custodian Needed OSLC occasionally needs someone to tidy up the building when the custodian is out for a couple days or more. If you are available/willing to be on this call list, please contact the office or Steve Alstad at or stevealstad@gmail.com. Looking ahead.... Be part of the Praise Band for a short-term commitment! Practices at OSLC on Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m. on the following dates: Nov. 19 th, Dec. 3 rd & (if needed) 10 th Performances: Dec. 20 th at 8:00 AND 10:30 Worship Dec. 13 Sunday School Children Sing 10:30 am Worship Dec. 16 Children s Christmas Program 6:30 pm Dec. 24 Worship at 10:00 am, 3:00 pm, 5:00 pm, 8:00 pm