The VOICE. September First Lutheran Church Box th Avenue South St. James, Minnesota Phone

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "The VOICE. September First Lutheran Church Box th Avenue South St. James, Minnesota Phone"

Amos Wood
5 years ago
Views:

The VOICE September 2018 First Lueran Church Box 268 719 6 Avenue Sou St. James, Minnesota 56081-0268 Phone 507-375-3472 www.flcstjames.

1 The VOICE September 2018 First Lueran Church Box Avenue Sou St. James, Minnesota Phone Pastor Andrew Hermodson-Olsen Pastor Matew Seegert JESUS AT THE CENTER by Pastor Andy We re here! Pastor Matt and I have been working togeer for a mon so we have it all figured out! What a blessing it is to share e work of e office of e pastor wi Pastor Matt who is oughtful and diligent. And what a gift Erin and Corinne are to work wi. It s been a great start here at First Lueran as I get to know e staff. This has been a summer of emotion for me and my family as we said good-bye to a fai community and home of e last nineteen years. The Brownton folk were very kind and uplifting to us as we said our goodbyes. It is interesting to leave what is so familiar to you and venture into a new home, new job, new people and traditions. But I m enjoying it! And it has been uplifting to have such a great welcome from you for Rosine and me and e family. We are excited to be here. When Jesus started his ministry, he had probably e shortest sermon on reco. The time is fulfilled, e kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in e good news. (Mark 1:8) It s such a great summary of what Jesus en does in his ministry showing at indeed e reign of God was now present to e world in Jesus. In my ministry, I will be echoing Jesus preaching, pointing to Jesus, teaching of Jesus, praying at we grow into e fulness of Jesus. Yes, it s all about Jesus here. Jesus really is e center of what pastors are called to do as servant leaders of Jesus Church. But e Church has also become institutionalized. There are programs to make happen, schedules to keep, and traditions to observe. Sometimes overseeing e institutional nature of e Church can cause one to lose track of e primary calling of bo pastor and congregation. So it is good to see all at we do as falling under e reign of Jesus. We ask questions like how does is serve e Gospel of Jesus? How does is help people know Jesus and put eir trust in him? More an an institution to maintain, we want to be a ministry at makes a difference in e lives of oers. Continued on page 2 Page 1

2 The VOICE First Lueran Church, St. James, MN September 2018 Continued from page 1 We have our fall programming starting up! Please see all e information in is newsletter at we wish for you to know so at you can find your place in our congregation s ministry. As we begin ese ings, may our fai in Jesus be nurtured and may our congregation grow in fai and love. PARISH LIFE Baptism: Hendrix Anony Priester Deas: Fred Gratz Carol Jacoby Lorrie Odega Karla Wolle Transferred: Jenna Blomgren Hauser to Celebration Lueran Church, Sartell, MN MEN S CHOIR A Men s Choir will sing at e 9:00 a.m. service on Sunday, September nd 2. Director Gary Paulson is very confident in e skills and abilities of is group, so ere will be no rehearsal. Following e time wi e children, e men will be invited forwa to sing a familiar hymn. First Lueran Church and members of ELCA congregations all across e country will roll up eir sleeves for a day of dedicated service to our communities and world. September 9 is e day set aside for God s Work, Our Hands Sunday. We ll gaer for worship at 9:00 a.m. Then it s up to e Social Hall for brunch. The Community Life Boa will again serve eir gourmet Mission McMuffins. After at, we will head out into e community for various projects you sign up for e one at you feel most fits your talents, skills or likes. This year, God s Work, Our Hands will:» do landscaping work at e High School» paint on i floor of our church» paint a shed at e Humane Society» perform random acts of cleanliness in e community» scrape and prime Sertoma building at e Fairgrounds» stuff backpacks wi food items at Marian Hall» tie quilts in e Social Hall There is a sign-up table in e gaering space. All hands, young and old, are needed to help at day, so please choose a project. Page 2

3 The VOICE First Lueran Church, St. James, MN September 2018 FLCW NOTES by Carol Paulson Our fall season begins on September 6 at 6:30 p.m. (note change in time) wi e quarterly FLCW meeting and celebration of biays in e Social Hall. Come and get acquainted wi our new pastors and eir families and give em a First Lueran welcome. This will also be a time to Meet e Baby. While gifts are certainly not necessary, suggested items for Olivia Jane are books, diapers, gifts cas, and cloing 12 mons and older. A special offering will be received for Bibles to be presented to our 3 graders and 3 year-olds. Everyone is invited to share in e fun and of course ere will be coffee and treats! The 48 Annual Noic Bazaar will be held on September 26 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Donations of fancy work, baked goods, gaen produce or items for Attic Treasures (wi a new boutique including jewelry, purses and scarves) would be appreciated. The quilt for e drawing will be on display in e Social Hall. Watch for more information about drawing tickets in upcoming bulletins. If you do not receive a call to help and you would like to do so, please call Gloria Ekstedt at or Betty Windschill at Dates to remember: September 4-5 8:00 a.m. Apple pie baking September 6 6:30 p.m. FLCW Biay Party/Meet New Pastors September 13 9:00 a.m. Boa meeting September 20 9:30 a.m., noon & 6:30 p.m. Circles meet September a.m.-1:30 p.m. 48 Annual Noic Bazaar Please note at ere are no workshop days in September. Many anks and hugs from all of Bonnie Bolin s family. She so appreciated e hospital and nursing home visits, cas and prayers. Special anks to Pastors Bob and Gwen, e radio broadcast sponsors and communion servers. The FLCW was so oughtful wi eir cas, visits and treats. All of e work ey do is marvelous, including preparing for Mom s funeral. The love and concern from our First Lueran family has been so helpful. God Bless all of you! The Bolins Richa, Susanne, Paul, Carol and Jane We wish to say ank-you to our family and also our church family for e flowers and e beautiful cas we received for our 70 wedding anniversary. We especially enjoyed e coffee hour reception. Hubert and Fern Branstad Page 3

The VOICE First Lueran Church, St. James, MN September 2018 EDUCATION NOTES by Erin Kuehl Confirmation Schedule: Wed., Sept. 5 7:00 p.m. Parent & Guide meeting Wed., Sept. 12 No Event Wed., Sept. 19 6:30-7:00 p.

4 The VOICE First Lueran Church, St. James, MN September 2018 EDUCATION NOTES by Erin Kuehl Confirmation Schedule: Wed., Sept. 5 7:00 p.m. Parent & Guide meeting Wed., Sept. 12 No Event Wed., Sept. 19 6:30-7:00 p.m. 7 Grade Bible Blessing 7:00-8:15 p.m. Event 1 8:15-8:30 p.m. Acolyte Training Wed., Sept. 26 7:00-8:15 p.m. Event 2 All Confirmation events will be held in e Davis Conference Room. Sunday School Schedule: Nursery-K: 10:00-11:00 a.m. Classrooms st (Music in 1 Floor Commons from 10:20-10:40 a.m.) Grades 1-4: 10:00-10:20 a.m. 3 Floor Music 10:20-11:00 a.m. 3 Floor Classrooms Grades 5-6: 10:00-10:40 a.m. 3 Floor Classrooms 10:40-11:00 a.m. 3 Floor Music Back to School Blessing: Bring your backpack to church on Sunday, September 9 at 9:00 a.m. Students of all ages and Sunday School teachers will be blessed as ey begin eir new year of learning. September 16 is Bible Sunday. A Bible Blessing for 3 year-olds and 3 Graders will be held during e 9:00 a.m. worship service. Thank you to e FLCW for providing e gift of new bibles. Classes begin September 16. Each week during music time an offering will be gaered. The contributions is fall will be split 15% to e church and 85% to e Watonwan Backpack Food program. Our goal again for e school year is to collect $750 for 125 backpacks. Have you liked our Facebook pages? You can find information on upcoming events and photos from e year. First Lueran has 4 pages: First Lueran Church First Lueran Church Confirmation First Lueran Church Sunday School First Lueran Church Step It Up Step It Up will meet Sundays, September 16 and 30 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Contact Erin Kuehl or Ashley Tetzloff wi any questions about our high school ministries. All 9-12 grade students are welcome to attend. Page 4

5 The VOICE First Lueran Church, St. James, MN September 2018 FAITH & FICTION Plan to join Fai & Fiction at e Encore Café on Thursday, September 13 at 5:00 p.m. when e group discusses The Line Becomes a River by Francisco Cantu. The selection for October 11 is Small Secrets by Joan Jacobson. New attendees are welcome! GATHERINGS EVENT Be a part of wine-tasting and good food at Indian Island Winery on Satuay, September 15 at 4:00 p.m. Enjoy a night of fun, relaxation and conversation! Feel free to invite a friend and car-pool. Please RSVP to Samana Paris at sjparis831@hotmail.com or by September 12 if you would like to join us. Pub Theology will resume in October. Early Risers Bible Study venturing into e study of e Gospel of John will begin Thursday, September 27. Gaer every oer week from 6:30 to 7:15 a.m. in e Davis Conference Room. Sign up in e church office by September 9 to purchase e new study guides for $13. Contact Karla Beck for more information. Newcomers are welcome! PRAYERS AND VISITATION Pastor Andy and Pastor Matt desire to support people in eir prayers and visits. Prayers: If you wish e prayers of e pastors for whatever reason, please call e office and speak wi Corinne or one of e pastors about including you in prayer. You may want to be included e prayer list we print in e bulletin, on e prayer chain list, or on e pastors private prayer list (or any combination of e ree). Visitation: The pastors will be visiting e nursing homes, assisted living facilities and homebound at ey are aware of from our church. If you would like to have a visit from one of e pastors while you are hospitalized, recuperating at home, or for anoer reason, please call to make arrangements wi one of em. They will make every effort to come and see you in a timely basis. Bo visitation and prayer ministry is an important part of eir ministry among us. PRAYER CHAIN UPDATE As members of First Lueran, we know e importance of prayer in our lives. We are updating our prayer chain lists is fall, so if you wish to become someone who is willing to pray for oers, please call e church office and let em know. We currently have about 75 faiful members on our prayer chain and some who prefer to be on our telephone prayer chain. Prayer is one of God s special gifts to us and a wonderful way we can be a blessing to oers. Thank you! Page 5

Jeff Wesley, our long-time committee member and secretary,

Jeff Wesley, our long-time committee member and secretary, Volume 66, Number 8 October 2014 Internet Web Site: www.stmattspringfield.org From Our Pastor I lift up my eyes to e hills - from where will my help come? My help comes from e LORD, who made heaven and