First Lutheran Church November Newsletter

Transcription

1 FIRST LUTHERAN CHURC H 408 Ninth Street NW Mandan, ND Phone: Fax: jackie@firstlutheranofmandan.org First Lutheran Church November Newsletter Building Faith and Transforming Lives in Christ. We re on the web! ADDRESS LABEL Happy Thanksgiving from the staff at First Lutheran Church! November 2014 First Lutheran Staff Administrative Pastor Rev. Lee Herberg Associate Pastor Rev. Christina Martin Administrative Assistant & Coordinator of Lay Ministries Jackie Schulz (o) (h) Custodians Ron & Mavis Watson Financial Administration Jennifer Scheet First Lutheran Is A Mission Partner with Camp of the Cross Ministries The month of October is one of my favorite months of the year. October usually has many sunny days with the wonderful smell of the fallen leaves in the air. I suppose the real reason I like October is that the bugs are gone no more scrubbing insects off the windshield or dodging the wasps and bees that somehow seek me out. This October has been especially memorable warm days, not much wind, incredible colors all around. October so far, has been a great month to celebrate the gift of life! This October has also been a great month to celebrate life a family of faith gathered and scattered here at First Lutheran. On Sunday afternoon, October 12th, walkers from our congregation again joined other passionate people who took time out of busy lives to lift up the needs of other children of God in far away places who must travel great distances on food to acquire a basic of life, water to drink. Thank you to all who participated! Faith Lutheran in Bismarck was the lead congregation this year. I m sure it will be our turn again soon as we last led the walk in October of The following Saturday, I was again gratified to see so many here to pitch-in for our annual Lutefisk and Lefse Extravaganza. It is one of those Paula Deen of Food Network fame kind of meals, lots of butter, covered in gravy goodness. Thanks to Lori Meyers for heading up this event again this year we appreciate your dedication and organization in pulling everything together! Here was another example of the body of Christ gathering to help out for our largest fund raiser of the year but also having hopefully fun with your fellow brother and sister in Christ while doing so. Thank you! It is important to note though that it is getting more difficult every year to secure volunteers for this event; please consider the opportunity for fun and fellowship if you haven t yet. As I write this, the annual Western North Dakota Synod LYO Youth Gathering has concluded, this year the event was held in Bismarck. Over 200 youth from our synod gathered for worship, learning, fun and service. October also has ushered in the return of LAF for a new school year. This month so far has seen a increase in attendance each week with about 450 served on Thursday, October 2nd and Thursday, October 9th. Here again, willing volunteers gather to share Christ s love in food and fellowship. Thank you to all our great volunteers who faithfully gather here on Thursdays and to everyone who has given donations specifically for LAF. Your support is so appreciated! You may notice a theme in my message this month...its THANK YOU! As this is the November Newsletter, we focus on Thanksgiving. I would also commend to you to focus on Thanks living. God gives us gifts to share with one another, and your congregation exists for us to live in thanks living with one another. On Wednesday, November 5th and Sunday, November 9th, we will gather as Christ s body to commit to Christ our commitment both financially and through the sharing of our time our desire to continue to engage in thanks living for the coming year! Enjoy the rest of these glorious fall days! Until next time, Pastor Lee

2 PAGE 2 FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH November 2014 November is Stewardship Month! As we gather for Thanksgiving this year in homes across community, we also give thanks to God for our faith home. Wednesday, November 5 th and Sunday, November 9 th will be our stewardship ingathering services as we pledge our commitment to Christ and his church for Thank you to everyone who helped out for our lutefisk supper. It was greatly appreciated!! This is a congregational event that takes many people to accomplish great things. Special thanks to Lori Meyers & Richard Gaasland for again faithfully acting as Coordinators. Be sure to set your clocks back 1 hour before you go to bed on Saturday, November 1 st.

3 PAGE 10 FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH NOVEMBER 2014 The Saints who have departed from our congregation since our last All Saints observance on November 3, 2013: Mark Your Calendar Upcoming Events Dear Parents & Other Caregivers of 2 nd Graders, 2 nd graders will be receiving their own Bible on Wednesday, November 12 th at the 6:00 P.M. worship or Sunday, November 16 th at the 10:45 A.M. worship. Here at First Lutheran we are pleased and excited to join with you for this Bible Milestone. Please come with your child to place the Scriptures in his/her hands during the worship service. Please contact Pastor Christina at or her at: Kerry Sneed Whitley Sharff Jason Nelson Donald Bentz Ann Popelka Carrie Thorson Terry Piper Tom Joblinski Eldo Johnson Gwyneth Jensen Joshua Sailer Eunice Keller Vernon Tschider Virginia Schwartz Jeffrey Longtine Elmer Munsch 5th: 7pm - Confirmation - Large Group 6th: LAF ~ Hot Dogs 12th: 7pm - Confirmation - Large Group 13th: LAF ~ Sloppy Joes 19th: 7pm - Confirmation - Small Group 20th: LAF ~ Sandwiches 26th: No Confirmation christina@firstlutheranofmandan.org and let her know which day you will be attending. Please contact Christina no later than Sunday, November 2 nd. Remember there is NO church school or confirmation on Wednesday November 26 and NO church school on Sunday November 30!!!! Gary Oberlander Bernice Achtenberg Janna Stein Joseph Rader Henry Serr Bette Buehler Holly & Ivy Nadeau Alice Lundstrom Katherine Clark

4 NOVEMBER 2014 FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH PAGE 4 PAGE 9 FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH NOVEMBER 2014 Pastoral Acts Baptisms: October 5 October 12 October 19 October 26 October 26 Weddings: Zayden Uriah Leyton Lindley Hartley Jaedde Kunrath Nora Wren Glarum Jordin Emma Braun Penelope Jo Leno We have lefse available to buy. The cost for lefse is $1.50 per sheet. Please stop in the office or call Thank you! Funerals: October 6 October 16 Pamela Boehm Katherine Clark Memorial Fund Given by John & Ellen Welk. In memory of Bette Buehler given by Lorraine Moos, Ralph & Naida Feland, Glen & Loretta White, Walter & Leona Keidel, Norma Lundstrom, Russ & Jan Grabinger. In memory of Kay Clark given by Gary & Claudia Tomanek. November ~ Mission of the Month Salvation Army Items needed are non-perishable food items, diapers, toiletries, & paper products. You may put your items in the boxes in the Narthex. Thank you Special Thanks Thank you to all the greeters, ushers, communion servers, readers, communion set-up, coffee hour workers, and to all who have supplied goodies for the last month. Your help is greatly appreciated! Deadline for articles for the December Newsletter will be November 19 th. Worship Schedule Sunday ~ 8:30 am ~ Traditional 10:45 am ~ Contemporary 9:30 am ~ Coffee 9:30 am ~ Church School Wednesday ~ 6:00 pm ~ Transitional 6:00 pm ~ Church School 7:00 pm ~ Confirmation First Lutheran Mission Endowment Fund A report from the Mission Endowment Fund Committee - What is a Mission Endowment Fund? A Mission Endowment Fund is created in a church for the purpose to fund mission work at home and around the world above and beyond programs supported through regular offerings. The fund supports current and future ministry of the church. Distributions from an endowment fund come from a distribution amount established by the mission endowment fund leadership. Additional gifts and sound distribution strategy help maintain the endowment; it produces a steady stream of income from which the congregation can strengthen mission and ministry for years to come. A Mission Endowment Fund can attract current giving through cash and planned and future gifts, as people are inspired to leave a legacy for ministry. The fund can also provide an option should our congregation receive a large gift. A congregation Mission Endowment Fund has the flexibility to be created for general purposes, or for special uses, like funding seminary scholarships, outreach efforts, sponsoring missionaries, youth programs, building maintenance and Christian education ministries. The Committee would also like to inform you that ND offers an income tax credit for making one or more charitable contributions totaling at least $5,000 to a qualified endowment fund. Talk to your professional tax advisor about making a gift to First Lutheran's Mission Endowment Fund for 2014.

5 PAGE 8 FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH NOVEMBER 2014 NOVEMBER 2014 FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH PAGE 5 First Lutheran Church Council Minutes Thursday, September 25, :00PM Present: Pastor Lee Herberg, Pastor Christina Martin, President Tammy Lapp-Harris, Secretary Jill Miller, Janet Reineke, Den Na Lee Fewson, Terryl Gaebe, John Pake, Kris Elijah Absent: Vice-President Brock Schmeling, Dot Frank. Special Guest: Mr. Robert Sanderson, CEO of Lutheran Social Services of ND had a video presentation to show what kind of programs contributions to LSS help with. LSS of ND is asking First Lutheran for a donation of $5,000 for their capital campaign contribution. In all of Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota s history, congregations have never been asked to contribute to an LSS Capital Campaign. All ELCA congregations in North Dakota are being asked for a gift based on their size. Pastor Lee thanked Mr. Sanderson for his presentation and council will discuss the contribution. Devotions: President Tammy Lapp-Harris called the meeting to order. Pastor Lee led devotions. Approval of Agenda: Moved by Den Na Lee, seconded by Janet to approve the agenda as presented. Motion passed. Secretary s Report/Review and Approval of the minutes: Moved by Den Na Lee, seconded by Kris to approve the council minutes of August 21, 2014 as presented. Financial Report/Review: August expenses exceeded income. Additional expenses related to boiler repair are adding negative pressure to the budget. Other ELCA churches in Bismarck Mandan have reported their giving is also down this year. Unfinished Business: Moving Forward in Faith Projects: L & H Manufacturing has almost completed all projects, the final bill is yet to be determined Air Handling Unit: Lindtech has replaced the electronic controller for the boiler and in completing their checklist on the performance of the boiler. Policy and Procedure Manual: A rough draft of the revision for the Policy and Procedure Manual up to the Administrative Section was given to council members for review. Retaining Walls: The retaining walls in the east side parking lot are starting to lean and will need to have someone look to be redone.

6 PAGE 6 FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH NOVEMBER 2014 NEW BUSINESS: Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota has asked First Lutheran of Mandan for a contribution of $5,000 for their capital campaign contribution. Discussion was held regarding the amount and where the money should come from. There is a balance of $30, in the churches unrestricted general savings account. A pledge could also be made and have half taken for the 2015 year and the remaining balance taken from the following year. Moved by Den Na Lee, seconded by John to take the $5,000 for ND LSS from the unrestricted general savings account. Motion passed. Steve Sathre was at the May council meeting and spoke about the Capital Campaign for the Camp of the Cross. First Lutheran need to either elect or appoint a church member for the Congregation Campaign Leader. Discussion was held. More information will be needed before contacts are made. REPORTS: Pastor Lee s report 2 baptisms, 1 wedding, 3 funerals, and is continuing to mentor with William Dodd. Pastor Chris s report 1 baptism, 2 weddings, 1 funeral. Special Events Annual Lutefisk and Lefse dinner will be held October 18, 2014 beginning at 3:30 P.M. LAF will begin for the year on Thursday, October 2 nd. Stewardship No report. Worship No report. Parish Education/Youth C-Squad is very large on Wednesdays, that will be continued to be monitored to see what to do, LYO is the weekend of Oct 17 th, Pastor Chris will have youth training to attend in November, 8 th grade confirmation will have a trip to Camp of the Cross. Evangelism and Outreach The Freezer Meal night has been set for Tuesday, October 7 at 7 P.M. to prepare 7 different recipes for take home meals. A sign-up sheet will be in the narthex. A Trunk-or-Treat event will be held on Halloween. The hope is to have 25 cars available to hand out candy in the parking lot. In the basement of the church, food will be served and games and crafts will be set up. New member supper will be Sunday, October 12 at 6 P.M. in the basement. Council members are asked to be present and bring a dish for the potluck dinner. Property and Management The snow contract for winter has been signed, Jason Tomanek has finished the meditation garden and fall cleanup is underway. Ron Watson still needs to have the sprinklers blown out for the season, and ice melt has been ordered. CORRESPONDENCE: A thank you was send from Golden Age Services on behalf of the Mandan Senior Citizens for the $96.78 donation for the Home Delivered Meals program. Motion to Adjourn/Lord s Prayer: Moved by Terryl, seconded by John to adjourn the council meeting. Motion passed. The meeting closed with the Lord s Prayer. Submitted by: Jill Miller