We are a community of faith called together to worship God and sent out to bring God s message to the world. Pastor Jim s Monthly Message Here we go again another school year is upon us. Our two oldest are now off to college. But Christina, our youngest will be in fifth grade this year. I am very thankful for our teachers commitment to our kids education. Our kids, like, I am sure, your kids, have run into many teachers who have sincerely nurtured their minds in the classroom. I think we can learn a lesson from these dedicated teachers. Namely, as they have nurtured our kids minds, we as Christian parents and grandparents are called to nurture our kids spirits. Remember Paul s words in Romans 8: the Spirit himself testifies with our spirits that we are God s children. Also consider the simple call in Ephesians 5: Be filled with the Spirit. I believe these words are for our children and teenagers just as much as for us adults. So, what can we do to nurture our kids spirits during the upcoming school year? As one very imperfect parent, I offer these suggestions. 1. Give kids Sabbath time. They say rest is good for the body and the soul. I think this is true. Intentional Sabbath time not only would refresh our kids spirits as it refreshes their bodies, it would lead them to trust their lives and activities to God. In other words our kids spirits would be able to let it go in peace with the certainty that God will not let their foot slip (Ps. 127). September 2013 Newsletter Grand Meadow Lutheran 115 1st St. NE PO Box 1021 Grand Meadow, MN 55936 507-754-5203 officegml@arvig.net grandmeadowlutheranchurch.org Secretary Hours Wednesday Evenings Pastor Jim Scaife Home Phone: 507-864-2896 E-Mail: jtscaife@acegroup.cc Pastor Jim s Office Hours TUESDAYS WEDNESDAYS If you need to reach Pastor Jim outside of office hours, please contact him at home. 2. Give kids a daily sense of God s love and Presence. In our home we do this through a short, simple devotional time. It is meant to be one moment every day when our kids hear something about God s love and care for them. There are lots of good devotional books out there for kids and teens. However, frankly, we don t usually use them. We just read from the Bible and say the Lord s Prayer. Psalms, Matthew and Luke have all worked well for us for daily readings. Worship Schedule 9 am 3. Cultivate thankful hearts among our kids. There is nothing that helps any person of any age see their skills, talents, opportunities and friendships in the proper light more than recognizing all these things as gifts from our Father in heaven, who blesses us lavishly out of his grace. A quick, daily examination of what we are thankful for is a great exercise to move our kids hearts toward thankfulness. Sunday, Sept. 15 -Contemporary Worship -Sunday School opener/bibles presented/ Sunday School teachers installed -Blessing of backpacks Sunday, Sept. 1 Traditional Worship Sunday, Sept. 8 Service of Word and Prayer Sunday, Sept. 22 Old Time Religion Worship Sunday, Sept. 29 Traditional Worship
Page 2 Pastor Jim s Monthly Message (Cont.) 4. Present worship as a time to encounter the living God. The burdens of middle and high school call for Christ s peace and strength just as much as adult concerns. Our Lord longs to share his peace and strength with any who turn to him. The living relationship of our kids to the Son who gives his body and blood freely for them, will strengthen and sustain them in their needs as it has for us so many times. As our teachers diligently nurture our kids minds in the classroom this year, let us make our homes and our church places of spiritual nurture for our kids, always entrusting them to Christ our Lord, who loves them even more than we do, and through his Spirit seeks to bring them close to him. -Pastor Jim Sunday School News Sunday School starts September 15 We are excited to have 61 kids in Sunday School this year! We are especially excited to welcome new families and eight incoming three-yearolds! We look forward to sharing the kids energy with the congregation throughout the year through singing, puppet ministry and children s programs. Thank you to everyone in the congregation for your support of this growing ministry. Upcoming dates for Sunday School: Sept. 15: Bible Presentations to incoming three-year-olds and third graders Sept: 15: First Day of Sunday School Sept. 29: Notes of Joy children s choir to sing at morning worship Wanted: You! Children s Ministry volunteer opportunities Because of our growing Children s Ministry, we need more help. Please consider some of the following opportunities to be involved with the kids (maybe a chance for you AND your kids!) in our church. If you re not interested in the school year commitment of teaching, please think about other ways you can share your gift of time. These have been in previous bulletins and newsletters, but we have not had any volunteers come forward. We can use your talents and time! For more information, please contact Sara Lee, Sunday School coordinator, ericsara@frontiernet.net or 507-440-0901. Thank you for considering! Substitute teacher: Our teachers may be Superheroes, but they also have life events that take them away from church some Sundays. As a sub, the teacher will provide all the background materials you need, so there would be minimal preparation needed. Time commitment: 1 hour per sub request. Puppet ministry advisor: We have an fantastic group of kids, led by Lydia Bacon, who are eager and willing to present puppet skits in church. We re looking for an adult advisor who can assist them with setup, identifying appropriate scripts that align with the lessons, care for and storage of the puppets and skit coaching. Time commitment: 1 hour /month Mission project coordinator: This would be a great position for someone interested in international experience and/or someone who speaks Spanish! Through the mission organization, Lizwan, the Sunday School sponsors a student who is interested in a pen pal relationship with GMLC Sunday School. The position would involve contact with Lizwan, sending and receiving correspondence and sharing it with our Sunday School, and sharing our offering tithe with the student. All is done electronically, so no stamps and envelopes involved! Time commitment: less than 1 hour/month. Thank you for considering these! Please let Sara Lee, Sunday School coordinator, know if you are interested: 507-440-0901 or ericsara@frontiernet.net Wanted: Beanbag chairs! If you have any beanbag chairs sitting around that you d like to get rid of, the third and fourth grade Sunday School class would love to have them! We have a very large class this year and could use some extra beanbag chairs. If you have any to donate, please let Joanne Dimick know, or just bring them upstairs to the third and fourth grade Sunday School room. Thank you!
Page 3 September Grand Meadow Lutheran Volunteers DATE ACOLYTES USHERS LECTOR GREETERS SEP 1 Makenzie Olson Allie Sloan Gary Sloan Family Brooke Sloan Pat Lester and Eleanor Riedemann SEP 8 Ryan Nesbitt Trever Green Brad & Lisa Whalen Marilyn Calkins Richard & Darlene Steinhorst SEP 15 Max Jech Rian Leichtnam Wayne & Cindy DeWall Margene Myhre Mike & Donna Fenton SEP 22 Makenzie Olson Allie Sloan Einar & Margene Myhre Dillon Denisen Arvin & Dorothy Christensen SEP 29 Ryan Nesbitt Trever Green Dan & Leslie Hen- Eric Lee drickson Mark & Tracy Jacobson Family Head Usher: Paul Schultze Altar Guild: Marilyn Calkins and Jeanie Schultze Prayer Announcements PRAYER CONCERNS: Family of Joy Salverda, Family of Matthew Scrabeck, Audrey Queensland, Deb Queensland, Dolores Stanaway (Bev Edland s sister), Jim Bustad, Nik Bloomfield, Jim Thorsen (heart surgery), Pete Olson, Hank Kahl, Russell Anderson (Joanne Dimick s father), Millie Simes w/ms (Mother of Deb Lester), Amy Green, Agnes Jensen, Maurcie Thorsen, Naomi Goodsell, Andrea Peterson, Kristin and Austin Eyre (daughter and grandson of Dennis Milburn), Carter Bessert (Grandson of Boone s), Chelsea Farnham, Leona Unverzagt, Lenora Jensen (Amy Green s sister (Alzheimers)), Helen Steinbring, Jane Queensland, Agnes Olson, Louis Foster, Betty Rasmussen, Pastor Lydia Mittag, Jane Sievertsen, David Steinhorst (lung cancer), Arlene Olson (pancreatic and lung cancer), Sabrina Blair (Paul Person s great niece), Ray Monson (Diane Jech s father), Loraine Johnson, Magda Lilana (sponsored by Sunday School), victims of natural disasters, victims of domestic violence, and victims of oppression; Habitat for Humanity; our Community Food Shelf; A.A.; the Church, leaders of our country & world, the men and women who serve our country: Kaleb Bill (grandson of Julie Kahl), Bruce Williams, Hans Burtt, Katie Guy and those we mention in the silence of our hearts. If you are hospitalized please notify the church office 754-5203 or e-mail atofficegml@arvig.net
Page 4 Grand Meadow Women of the ELCA News The Grand Meadow Women of the ELCA met Wednesday, August 14, at 1:30 p.m. at the Meadows Assisted Living with 15 members present. Pastor Jim led the Bible study. Following the meeting members joined the residents of the Meadows in the dining room for coffee and dessert. The Treasurer reported total donations to the "Bakeless Bake Sale" as $735. Thank you everyone for your donations. Thanks also to those who helped serve the Vacation Bible School hotdog and root beer supper. The Fall Festival is going to be Saturday, October 12. The plans are to make lefse Friday, September 13 and Saturday, September 14 in the church kitchen. Please mark these dates on your calendar and bring your griddle (if you have one) and rolling pin and join the fun. The SE MN Synodical Women's Organization Convention will be held Saturday, September 21, at Grace Lutheran Church in Albert Lea. The Organization awards twenty- five$50 scholarships (5 per conference) to pairs of women attending the Convention for the first time. Kathy Berge and Pat Lester were awarded these scholarships which covers the registration fees. Jeanie Schultze will be representing Grand Meadow Lutheran WELCA as a voting delegate. Any WELCA member who would like to attend this Convention must send in the registration fee of $25 by September 15. Contact Ila Johnson for registration forms and information. The next WELCA meeting will be Wednesday, September 11, at 1:30 at the Meadows Assisted Living. Vacation Bible School Thanks VBS was great success! We had 21 kids who came. Our evenings were filled with Bible stories, crafts, games, movie theater, songs and the puppet theater. We had a great time learning all about Standing Strong for God! The final night of VBS- We kicked off the evening with hotdogs and root beer followed by a short program with the puppet theater and singing. Thank you to all the parents, grandparents and friends who came to watch us. The kids learned 5 key Bible points: 1. God s love helps us stand strong. 2. Family and friends help us stand strong. 3. Prayer helps us stand strong. 4. Trusting God helps us stand strong. 5. The Bible helps us stand strong. Special Thanks to: Leaders: Joanne Dimick, Leslie Hendrickson, Becky Monty and Sara Lee Puppet Theater: Lydia Bacon and Kenzie Olson Student Helpers: Lydia Bacon, Sydney Bacon, Kenzie Olson and Trevor Green Meals: Gail Clemmons and the Ladies Aid of GML Treats: Diane Jech and Jodie Jacobson
Page 5 Announcements The Mower County Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is sponsoring a bus trip to Chanhassen Dinner Theatre to see "Fiddler on the Roof" Wednesday, October 16. Cost is $54 and includes bus trip, lunch, and show. Bus pickup at 8:30 a.m. at Little Cedar, Adams and 9:00 a.m. at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Brownsdale. There are only 54 seats available so call Eleanore Gordon soon (507-5823682) to reserve your ticket and seat on the bus or e-mail her: emgordon02@frontiernet.net. money must be given to Eleanore by September 14. Checks made payable to: Mower County chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. You do not have to be a member of Thrivent to go on this trip. More details on poster on bulletin board in the church narthex or call Dorothy Jacobson (7545423) if you have any questions.