First Lutheran Church

Transcription

1 THE VISITOR IS THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR THE MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA SYNOD + EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA THE VISITOR FEBRUARY 2015 First Lutheran Church PARISH STAFF Pastor Pastor Ben Schori Organist Elaine Sweeney Secretary Nancy White Custodial Services Range Center Job Corps PARISH COUNCIL William Clymer Larry Elj Mazie Englund Renae Grabanski Elizabeth Kolden Genevieve Lervik Rev. Benjamin Schori Linda Smith Paul Stavnes CONGREGATIONAL TREASURER Alice White YOUTH EDUCATION Sunday September May Sunday morning Pre-Kindergarten Grade 6 Confirmation September May Wednesday evening 6:00 7:00 pm Grades 7 9 High Youth Group September May Wednesday evening 7:00 8:00 pm ADULT EDUCATION Bible Study September - May Wednesday 10:00 am 11:00 pm WORSHIP & MINISTRY Holy Communion Service Sundays at 9:30 am Telecast Live HPAT channel 5 Rebroadcast: 10pm Wednesdays 2pm Thursdays Nursery provided Weddings Make arrangements in advance by contacting the office. Baptisms Make arrangements in advance by contacting the office. Pastoral Care Contact the office CONTACT US PARISH OFFICE Hours: Mon Thurs, 8:00 am 12:00 pm; 1:00 5:00 pm on Fridays rd Avenue East, Hibbing, MN Tel: Rev. Benjamin Schori Office office@firsthibbing.org pastorben@firsthibbing.org Website:

2 What s Happening at Voyageurs Lutheran Ministry vlm@vlmcamps.org Camp Hiawatha, and Camp Vermilion Gretchen Bachman, Program Director ~Winter Fun Day at Camp Vermilion February 28! Take some time to play at Camp Vermilion! Enjoy our great sledding hill and playing in the snow. Bring your snowshoes or cross-country skis and explore the trails around camp. Come for a day of fun with your family, or on your own. Snacks, cocoa and cider will be available when you are ready to warm up. Cost: $5 per person. $20 family maximum. Cost includes all activities and snacks. To register over the phone or to get more information, contact the VLM office at or register online at and go to the Winter Fun Day page. ~VLM Annual Meeting is on Saturday, February 7, at First Lutheran Church in Duluth. Registration is at 10:30 and the meeting starts at 11:00. We will be breaking for lunch around 1:00 and if we have any unfinished business that will be taken care of after lunch. Church Finances Many thanks to all who support First Lutheran Church and its extended ministries. FLC's General Fund contributions fuel this congregation's operational needs and extended ministries. Currently seven percent of general fund offerings is shared with our NE MN Synod and the ELCA Churchwide office to help ELCA Bible camps, youth ministry, seminaries, global outreach, various endeavors to promote peace and justice, and administrative costs. Individuals also may contribute special gifts to support seminarians, missionaries, hunger & poverty concerns and alleviation of suffering caused by natural disasters. Weekly contributions received: December 7 $4, December 14 $1, December 21 $6, December 28 $14, January 4 $1, January 11 $3, January 18 $2, January 25 $$2, Submitted by Alice White, Council Treasurer A note from our Pastor. I regret that this February greeting will be shorter and more to the point than most of my newsletter messages, but with the added business at First Lutheran this past month and my own battle with sickness, time has not been my ally recently. The beginning of February marks the coming of Ash Wednesday and the liturgical season of Lent. Our Lenten theme this year will be Making Change. All of our lives have changed this past year; some in minor ways and some in major. It is the nature of life: always moving and transforming, never staying still. This can be a good thing and it can be the hardest of things when that change comes with great loss. Wherever you are right now on this pilgrimage we call life, I encourage you to open your hearts and minds to what God has in store for you and us this Lenten season, and what kind of change the Holy Spirit might be calling us to. Pr. Ben Alleviating Hunger Donations received in December and January totaled approximately $ The money we collect is divided between the Hibbing Food Shelf and the First Lutheran Salvation Army Soup Kitchen Account. The soup kitchen account provides meals for the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen two times a month. Make your check payable to First Lutheran Church and note in the memo Food Shelf/Soup Kitchen. All donations made to the parish are included on your financial statements for tax purposes. On the second Thursday and the third Tuesday of the month, First Lutheran members volunteer at the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen. Volunteers are needed to help at the Thursday soup kitchen; please call Rodney Jacobson at On Wednesday, February 18, we will observe Ash Wednesday with a worship service and the imposition of Ashes at 6:00 pm in the Sanctuary. Five consecutive Lenten Wednesday Evening worship services and soup suppers will begin on February 25. Worship will begin at 6:00 pm the Sanctuary, and soup will be served in the parish hall following worship. To donate soup, sign-up on the sheets provided in the parish hall, or call the church office. We ll need two or three soups, and each batch should be able to serve people. Make your soup at home or use the church kitchen. Bread and crackers will be provided. The confirmation students will provide the manpower such as serving soup and cleaning up, However, in order to have the soup suppers we need a few people to organize and supervise the suppers. Let s work together to continue to keep this an important part of our Lenten activities.

3 + First Lutheran Church Council + Meeting Minutes December 9, 2014 Members Present Larry Elj, Pastor Ben Schori, Gen Lervik, Mazie Englund, Renae Grabanski, Linda Smith; Members Absent Bill Clymer, Paul Stavnes, Liz Kolden Call to Order 5:00 PM Prayer November meeting minutes approved November financial statement approved Pastor Ben Schori s report Baptism Claire Alice Vogt November 30, 2014 Funeral Mary June Rossetter November 13, 2014 Sunday Christmas Program to be held on December 21, Old Business Annual Meeting to be held January 18, Budget: Pastor Ben, Renae, Nancy, and Alice will work the budget, and will consult with Conner Michels, FLC accountant. New Business Three FLC youth will be attending the National Youth Gathering this summer in Detroit Next Council Meeting - Tuesday, January 13, :00 pm Meeting Adjourned 5:20 PM Respectfully submitted by Larry Elj, Council Secretary First Lutheran Church Bi-Annual Congregational Meeting Minutes January 25, 2015 Meeting held in the Fellowship Hall after Sunday service and called to order at 10:40 AM by Council President, Renae Grabanski. A Quorum of 52 voting congregational members were present. Prayer led by Pastor Ben Schori. Bi-Annual meeting minutes from June 18, 2014 approved. (Motioned, Second, and Carried) 2015 Proposed budget and financial report was approved. (Motioned, Second, and Carried) Pastoral Acts All pastoral acts were listed in the report to congregational members for the 2014 year. Acts included all performed by both Pastor Larry Quanbeck and Pastor Ben Schori. Other financial reports were referenced from the following: Endowment Fund Hobby Club Soup Kitchen Memorial Fund Welca Youth Fund Helping Hand Fund Synod voting members to the NE MN Synod Assembly (May 1, 2, 3) will be Pr. Ben Schori, Wendy Rue, and Ann Vucetich. Meeting was adjourned by Renae Grabanski at 10:55 AM. Respectfully submitted by Larry Elj, Council Secretary Members present -- Bill Clymer, Paul Stavnes, Linda Smith, Mazie Englund, Renae Grabanski, Pastor Ben Shori, Gen Lervik Members absent Larry Elj, Liz Kolden Call to order 5:00 PM Prayer Secretary s Report approved Treasurer s Report approved Pastor Ben Shori s Report Baptism Louisa Elizabeth Skraba December 28, 2014 Funeral Delores I. Flynn January 13, 2015 Zooner Sundvall will be on January 14, 2015 Communion classes are being held on Wednesdays and Thursdays for those parents and children who are receiving communion at this time and who need to know more about that Sacrament. Confirmation classes are in session again. Pastor Ben will be away from January 28 January 30 to attend pastoral continuing education. Permission was granted by the Council to allow a Youth Group from Minneapolis to use our Church for housing while they are on a ski outing at Giants Ridge on February 27 February 29. Property Committee Report Parsonage garage repair work will be completed when weather moderates. Conversion of Parsonage heating system to natural gas is under discussion. Old Business + First Lutheran Church Council + Meeting Minutes January 13, 2015 Thank you notes from Nancy White and Elaine Sweeny for their Christmas gifts from the Church were received. The proposed budget for 2015 was studied and notations made of items that needed clarification. MSP That the proposed budget, with several Council noted revised line items, being approved by this Council, be presented to our Congregation for their approval at the First Lutheran Church Annual Meeting on January 25, New Business Lent/Holy Week services will be observed starting with Ash Wednesday services on February 18. Following Wednesday services will start with a half hour service and soup supper served after worship. Times of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services will be discussed at our February meeting. Fund raising by our youth delegates to the gathering in Detroit was discussed. Some of that activity will be a joint effort with Our Saviors youth. Next Council Meeting: Tuesday, February 10, 2015 at 5:00 pm Meeting Adjourned 6:15 PM Respectfully submitted by Mazie Englund, Acting Secretary

4 All women of First Lutheran are members of WELCA! We are looking for a WELCA president. Maybe two people could share in this responsibility president and vice president? Due to the fact that we do not have a president, no meetings will be held until we find one. Widow s Lunch will be held at the Brickyard Restaurant at 11:30 am on Wednesday, February 4. Call Delores Gilbert at if you have questions. Hobby Quilt Club. The group meets on Mondays from 1pm 4 pm. At 3:00 pm we have a coffee and snack break. No special talents are needed. If you don t like to sew, how would you like to cut or stuff squares, iron fabric, or just join us for a cup of coffee? New participants are welcome to be part of this ongoing ministry! WELCA will be collecting Baby Care Kits During February Bringing a baby into the world can be a difficult and scary thing for a mother living in poverty. She worries about her baby s health and well-being when there is a lack of money to buy things every mother wants for her newborn. The items included in a Baby Care Kit provide the things a mother needs to care for her baby the way she hopes to soft blankets to give warmth and comfort, soap to keep germs away. Lack of something to dress her baby in often keeps a mother isolated from her community, but the clothes in the kit welcome both mother and baby into the world. Include the following items in each care kit: Two lightweight cotton t-shirts Two long or short sleeved gowns or sleepers (without feet) Two receiving blankets, medium weight cotton or flannel, or crocheted or knitted with lightweight yarn up to 52 square Four cloth diapers, flat fold preferred One jacket, sweater or sweatshirt with a hood, or include a baby cap Two pairs of socks One hand towel, dark color recommended Two bath-size bars (4 to 5 oz.) of gentle soap, in original wrapping Two diaper pins or large safety pins Do not add other items or leave out items listed. Gently used, clean items (no stains or tears) can be substituted for new ones. Wrap items in one of the receiving blankets and secure with diaper pins. Do not enclose the kit or any of its contents in plastic bags. Louisa Elizabeth Skraba was baptized on December 28, 2014 at First Lutheran Church. Her parents are Scott and Stephanie (Schweiberger) Skraba. Louisa has a sister, Cora, and a brother Andrew. Louisa s grandparents are Keith and Lynn Schweiberger, and her great-grandma is Alice White. Condolences to and prayers for: The family and friends of Dolores Flynn. Delores died on January 8, Her funeral service was held on Tuesday, January 13 at First Lutheran Church. The family and friends of Martin Zooner Sundvall. Zooner died on January 9, His funeral service was held on Wednesday, January 14 at First Lutheran Church. The family and friends of Amy Vadis. Amy died on January 13, Her funeral service was held on Saturday, January 24 at First Lutheran Church. Blessings to Krystle Marie Larson and Randy Thomas Haupt who were married at First Lutheran Church on January 31, 2015.

5 First Lutheran Church is blessed with many volunteers who with dedication and commitment serve the church, the Hibbing community, and the world. During December and January these people helped Sunday worship happen: Assisting Ministers: Bill Clymer, Paul Stavnes, Jonathan Rue, Lynn Schweiberger, Ann Vucetich, Mazie England, Jean Nelson, and Gen Lervik Acolytes: Tore Tuin, Gracie Stimac, Sidney Walters, Olivia Lund, Hannah Anderson, Ryley Lund, Hanna Knuckey, and Kobie Zgonc Readers: David Rian, Betty Aanes, Jean Nelson, Linda Smith, Tom Arnold, Bobbi Nyland, and Dave Rian Greeters: The Tuin family, Richard & Karen Podominick, The Rue family, John and Angela Schweiberger, Gavin Schweiberger, Stella Schweiberger, Mel & Shirley Scofield, the Knuckey family, Dennis and Sharon Estey, Ryley Lund & family, and the Walters family. Ushers: Art & Mazie Englund, John Rue, Lillian Rue, George & Gloria Maras, Jeanne Albrecht, Bill Clymer, Shirley Szweduik, Loyal & Barbara Tanem, Steve & Mindy Jesperson, Liz Kolden, Carly Kolden, Drew Kolden, Kay Dague, and Karyl Giombetti. Videographers: Larry Elj, Cathy & Forrest Koland, Dave Rian, and Marty Vadis Offering Counters: Steve & Sandy Carlson, Paul & Darlene Stavnes, Darlene Bennett, Bobbi Nyland, Kay Dague, Karyl Giombetti, Renae Grabanski, Dave & Phyllis Rian, and Art & Mazie Englund Altar Guild Group: Connie Bryant, Kay Dague, Karyl Giombetti, Deno Kubena, and Gen Lervik Sunday Staff: Patty Barsness, Phyllis Rian, Angela Schweiberger, and Linda Smith Fellowship Hosts: Alice White, Lynn Schweiberger, Liz Kolden, Angie Schweiberger, Stephanie Weyrauch, the Tokarczyk families, Russ & Linda Smith, Loyal & Barb Tanem, Jeanne Albrecht, Shirley Szweduik, Art & Mazie Englund, Jean Nelson, Beth Baldwin, and Hannah Anderson Helping Worship Happen! If you would like to participate in hosting, ushering, reading, greeting, or any of the other Sunday Morning Helpers categories but haven t been called, please contact the church office. Memorial Fund Report Thank you to those who underwrite the cost of altar flowers and/or telecasting of FLC s Sunday morning worship service. During the month of December and January, telecasts were given in memory of Scott Stavnes by his family, in memory of Otto & Agda Pearson by their family, in memory of Ruggie Lobland by his family, in memory of loved ones by Bill Clymer, in memory of loved ones by Alice White, in honor of Gen Lervik by Hazel Christianson, in memory of Hartie & Esther Swanson by their family, and in memory of George Carter by Gen Lervik, George & Margaret Carter & their families. Altar flowers were given in memory of Wes Lind by Dawn Lind, in memory loved ones by Alice White, and in memory of George Carter by Gen Lervik, George & Margaret Carter & their families To underwrite the telecast of FLC's Sunday morning worship service, to contribute Altar flowers, or to donate a memorial gift for other designated purposes, please call the church office. The telecast cost is $30/week which includes the live-feed on Sunday morning and re-runs on Wednesday, 10:00 pm and Thursday, 2:00 pm. FLC s Memorial Fund Committee: Sandy Carlson, Jean Crep, Liz Kolden, Gen Lervik Youth Gathering We have a goal of $6000 to finance the three FLC youth that will be attending the Rise Up Together National Youth Gathering to be held in July in Detroit, Michigan. Sometimes it can be difficult to fund raise in our society of numerous fundraisers. We thought our congregation might also like to support these young people without purchasing any merchandise or product. If you would like to donate, please send your financial donation to the church office make checks out to First Lutheran Church with NYG in the memo section. We will have fundraising events in the coming months which will include fundraisers in conjunction with Our Savior s Lutheran Church. Be sure to come and show your support. Eight young people and one chaperone from Our Savior s Lutheran Church and First Lutheran will attend the gathering. Those youth attending from FLC are: Hannah Anderson, Hanna Knuckey, Gracie Stimac

6 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday First Lutheran Church 2201 Third Avenue East Hibbing, MN Office Pr. Ben Schori FEBRUARY 2015 AT FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH 1 Fourth Sunday after Epiphany 2 The Presentation of our Lord 1:00 pm Hobby Quilt Club 3 Ansgar, Bishop of Hamburg, Missionary to Denmark and Sweden 4 11:30 am Widows Lunch 6 7:00 pm Confirmation 7 8:00 pm High Group 5 The Martyrs of Japan Fifth Sunday after Epiphany 9 1:00 pm Hobby Quilt Club 10 4:00 pm Property Committee 5:00 pm Church Council :00 pm Confirmation 7 8:00 pm High Group 12 12:00 pm FLC serves meal at Salvation Army 3:00 pm ELCA service at Guardian Angels Cyril, monk, missionary to the Slavs, Methodius, bishop, missionary to the Slavs 15 Transfiguration of our Lord 16 1:00 pm Hobby Quilt Club 17 1:00 pm FLC serves meal at Salvation Army 18 Martin Luther, renewer of the church 6:00 pm Ash Wednesday Worship First Sunday in Lent 23 St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, martyr 1:00 pm Hobby Club Elizabeth Fedde, deaconess 6:00 pm Worship and Soup Supper Upcoming March events: Wednesday evening Lenten worship & soup suppers March 8 Daylight savings time begins March 29 Palm Sunday