October 2017 Newport Lutheran Church B e a c o n Inside this issue: Trunk or Treat 1 Blood Drive 1 Community Meal 1 Pastor s Ponderings 2 Worship and Music 3 Social Concerns 4 Roof Fundraiser 4 August Expenses 5 Thank you/stories 6 Getting Involved 7 Social Concerns Cont. 7 Youth and Family 8 Cross-Generational 8 Library News 9 God s Work Our Hands 9 Fellowship 10 Morning Woodcarvers Men s Discussion Group Quilters Book Club Women s Bible Study Council 11 Announcements 11 Life Lines 11 Please join us on October 29th for our Annual Trunk or Treat. Festivities start at 4pm. We will have trunk to trunk trick or treating, cookie decorating, games, and prizes for best decorated trunk! Everyone is welcome! Please tell your neighbors, family, and friends! If you would like to help please contact Sara in the office. We are hosting another Red Cross Blood Drive in our Fireside Room on Monday, October 16, 2017 from 12:30 6:30 PM. All eligible donors are encouraged to sign up to donate. The sign up sheets are available in the church entry, or you can call Jane Benson @ 651-459-6816. I will need some help running the drive, so please contact me if you are available to give a couple hours of your time to help with the canteen or greeter positions. Community Meal Do you love to cook? Do you enjoy helping people? If you answered yes, you are the person we are looking for! The second Saturday of each month we offer a community meal and currently we have several months that need to be filled. It would be great to see some new faces with new meal ideas for this outreach! If you would like to help or find out more about this event please contact Pastor Sue in the Church office at (651)459-2447
Pastor s Ponderings During my illness one of the important lessons I have learned is that sometimes I need help. This is not easy for me to ask for assistance. While my family was willing to help out, I still wanted to do it by myself. Even something as simple as washing the dishes became a joy when my counts would rebound. This is also true here at church. Some have stepped in to help bring communion to shut-ins. Others have opened and locked up the church when I was not here. Still others helped serve communion. Many, many of you prayed for me!!! Whatever you have done THANK YOU. (Keep those prayers coming!) I am not the only one that needs help. There are many ministries we do that are in need of people to step in and help out from Intergenerational Sunday School, to reading to setting up communion. These are fundamental ministries here at Newport Lutheran Church. Other out reach ministries such as Night to Unite, the Community Dinner, and other outreach efforts are in need of people to help as well. These are great community events that make an impact on our community. If you are not currently involved, consider how you may get involved with the ministry and outreach. You could sign up to teach the Inter-Generational Sunday School as a family. Just think of the ideas your kids may have to make it great. Or perhaps you partner with others and set-up communion. It wouldn t take long and you could go out for coffee after you are done. If we all do a small piece, no one will get overwhelmed and burnt out. When we work together we get to know each other better and have more fun in and outside of church. We are all part of something bigger than ourselves and it makes a difference in our world. Blessings, 37 Then Jesus said to his disciples, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Matthew 9:37-38 2
Worship and Music The Worship and Music Committee has posted a flower chart on the bulletin board located by the fireside room. If you would like to put flowers/plant on the altar in memory of someone or in honor of a special occasion, please add your name on the chart for the Sunday you would like. Please let the church office know if you would like the flowers to be mentioned in the bulletin. Please take the flowers with you following the last service, do not leave them at the church. Thank you. If you have questions please contact Vicki Gardner at 459-0148 You Pick the Hymns! Have you ever wished you could pick the hymns we sing in worship? Now is your chance to come and give your input. You do not have to be musically inclined or understand worship. Just a willingness to give your input and learn more about what is involved in hymn selection. Mark your calendar for the following days. Hope to see you there! * October 3rd @ 10:00 a.m * November 7th @ 10:00 a.m. Reformation Sunday On Sunday, October 29 th we will celebrate the 500 th Anniversary of the Reformation! Come and enjoy this music packed day. It will be an uplifting service highlighting the way the Reformation influenced church music. Be sure to wear red!!! All Saints Sunday November 5 th November 5 th we will remember all those loved ones who have passed before us. We will read their names and ring a bell in remembrance. We will also be decorating our sanctuary with butterflies symbolizing the new life they have through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If you would like to color a butterfly, we have a variety to choose from. There are easy ones all the way to butterflies that are for adults to color. They are on a table in the Narthex. Grab one and return it when you are done. 3
Social Concerns PIE SOCIAL Sunday, October 15 Proceeds go toward Secondary School Scholarships Iranga / Kimala, Tanzania If you would like to donate a pie the sign-up will be in the Narthex on October 1st. SECONDARY SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS IN TANZANIA Education is the way to get ahead in Tanzania and other third world countries. More and more students are wanting to attend secondary school, so they can get jobs or go on to college. School scholarships for most students in Tanzania are $ 600 a year, which includes room and board. We at Newport Lutheran are committed to 5 scholarships per year. In the past, a number of families have signed on to sponsor a student. We now need more contributions / sponsors. If you would like to help out a needy student, just write "Tanzania Scholarships" on the memo line of your check, and add it the offering. The October 15 pie social will be a fundraiser for scholarships. Thrivent Choice Dollars will match up to $ 300 contributed. Our goal is to collect enough for one scholarship. Come and enjoy the pie and help a student! Loaves and Fishes - Thursday, October 5 at River Heights Vineyard Church, 6070 Cahill Ave. E, Inver Grove Heights. Servers are needed from 5 to 7 p.m. See Marty Wells if interested. Roof Fundraiser On October 29 th, right after our morning worship service we will be having a roof fundraising brunch in the Fireside Room. The Church Council will be providing the meal. We will be asking for donations, all of which will go to help pay down the principle of our roof loan. Please come and share a meal together while helping to pay down our loan. No donation is too small. 4
August Expenses Our giving is falling significantly behind our expenses especially when you factor in the loan payment for the roof. While we expect giving to decrease in the summer months, we do still have expenses that continue all year. With your help we can make up this deficit and once again be in a strong financial position. Please know that every donation, no matter what the size makes a difference and is APPRECIATED!!!! Thank you again for your generosity! See you in worship! August Revenue $12,778.73 YTD Revenue $77,023.21 August Expenses 14,901.55 YTD Expenses 76,718.51 Aug. Loan Payment-Principle 738.01 YTD Loan Principle pd. 3,640.96 Aug. Net (Loss) $(2,860.83) YTD (Loss) $(3,336.26) Debt: Loan (Parking lot & roof) $147,625.87 Principle Payment- August $738.01 Interest Payment- August 543.15 Total Loan Payment-Aug. $1,281.16 Fundraising (Roof) @ 8/31/17 Memorials $7,362.96 ECFE Money 13,000.00 Thrivent Choice 2,500.00 Donations 35,665.81 Total @ 8/31/17 $58,528.77 5
Thank You Stories of Changing Lives A big Thank You to Pastor Sue for coordinating the Birthday Boxes. We made 11 Birthday Boxes that will go to children in need that don t get to celebrate their Birthdays due to poverty, homelessness, and/or illness. Thank you Kaylee McKusky for coordinating the trash pick-up for Gods Work Our Hands. Thank You Sandy McAllister for coordinating the singing at White Pines. Newport Lutheran Church, Thank you again so much for the beautifully packed and wrapped boxes. We appreciate it so very much. I forgot to ask if we could post something to our Facebook page and tag you. Let me know. (Check out Facebook to see if you can see our donation)! Thanks! Thank you to everyone that volunteered for God s Work Our Hands. A special thank you to LaVerna and Dave Scholz for donating the materials and their time to make donuts for us. With their help we raised $467.00 that will go to our roof loan. Dan Scholz and Dan Ward for making the sign post for our weekly worship themes. Thank you to the Brunch chefs: Bruce Gravelle, Brian Klinga, Chuck and Dorothy Schulz, and Larry Benson. 6
Help Needed!!!! We need people to help in the following areas: Communion Set-Up Set-up and put away the bread and wine for communion. You would commit to one month a year, setting up communion on Saturday and putting it away on Sunday. We currently need people for August and October. This would entail two weekends in August and three in October. In October you would also be changing the altar paraments (the cloths on the altar from green to red for Reformation Sunday, the last Sunday in October). Contact Sara or Pastor Sue in the church office if you are interested. Training will be provided. Readers Needed! Getting Involved We are especially in need of people who are willing and able to read on Saturday evenings. If you would like to do this, please contact the church office at 651-459-2447. Thank you!!!!! Social Concerns Cont... NLC's mission recipient for the month of October is Lutheran Social Services (LSS), the largest state-wide, non-profit social services organization in Minnesota, LSS was started in 1865 when Pastor Norelius from Vasa Lutheran Church opened its doors to care for four homeless children. This began a community response that inspired hope and changed the life of the community. LSS's work is grounded by two principles: 1) God loves all people without condition, and 2) God wants us to love our neighbors. LSS holds these values at the core of their vision and mission, which is to express the love of Christ for all people through services that inspire hope, changes lives, and builds community. Their service goals are organized around children, youth, and family; people with disabilities; and older adults. Their services include adoption, behavioral and mental health, crisis nurseries for babies and youth, disaster response, employment services, foster care, homeless and at-risk youth, to denote just a few of the critical services. Mission Sunday is October 8th and your support is needed and very much appreciated. 7
Youth and Family Reminder there will not be any confirmation on Sunday, October 22 nd due to MEA Weekend. Please remember to e-mail or text Pastor Sue the answer to the questions for the week. Cross-Generational Sunday School Everything you need is ready for you. Sign up for a day, take the materials and off you go. Sara Korpi has been working hard to make it easy for you!!!! Bible Readers Go around the circle or if too many have them do it at their tables to share highs and lows. read a Bible reading for the day and ask a few questions. The reading, questions and answers are provided. Activities/Craft Coordinator help with the activities for the day. Suggested activities are given. You may use them as they are, modify them, or come up with your own ideas. At the end of the day you will lead the prayer and blessing. The prayer will be printed for you or you can come up with your own. Encourage others to pray. Then once we have prayed, you begin the blessing by placing a cross on someone s forehead, telling others to do the same. Substitute Director for the Day this person will ensure everything is set-up and ready to go if Sara is not there. The supplies will already be on a cart ready for you to put out. Also, you will have a list of who is helping that day. If someone is unable to attend, you can either fill in for them or find someone who is willing to help. Substitutes People who are will to be a sub for a day in the event someone is ill or unable to be there. We would like to have a list of names to call in the event this happens as well as people who are willing to step in at the last minute. 8
Library News New Books in NLC Library There are three new children s books in the church library. The Duckling Gets A Cookie by Mo Willems; Let s Go For a Drive by Mo Willems; Should I Share My Ice Cream? By Mo Willems All three of the books show the humor and cleverness of Mo Willems! There are two new books for adults. Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance This book was donated to the library by Marty Wells. This book has been a bestseller for several months. It is a memoir about the author s upbringing in Ohio and Kentucky and the Appalachian values and culture. Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom This book tells about animals who bond in the most unexpected ways. Besides the stories are many delightful pictures of the animals. This book was donated by Betty Walker. God s Work Our Hand Success God blessed us with a beautiful day, even if it was a bit chilly, for outside worship and outreach for God's work Our hands Sunday. A huge thank you to Dave and LaVerna Scholz for not only making donuts for us but for donating their time and supplies to us. Also thank you to Dan Scholz for helping with donuts. We made $467.00 that will go toward our roof! Also thank you to everyone that helped by going out to the community and helping with clean-up, singing, and making the Birthday boxes. We made 11 boxes that will go out to children in need that don't get a birthday party. Thank you to Bruce Gravelle, Chuck and Dorothy Schultz, Larry Benson and Brian Klinga for helping with the pancake brunch. 9
Morning Woodcarving Wednesdays, 8-11 am Wednesdays from 8-11 a.m. in the Fireside room. Come and join our group for a fun filled morning of carving, fellowship and coffee. WOMEN'S AFTERNOON BIBLE STUDY is offered the second Monday of each month. Please join us October 9th at 1:00pm. All women are welcome to join! Fellowship Join the men of Newport Lutheran to discuss the issues of the day and discover how the Bible is relevant to the issues we face in the 21st century. Join us for refreshments, Christian fellowship, stimulating discussion and life long friendships. We meet on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month from 8:00 9:00 am at Newport Lutheran Church. Call Gordy Urdhal (651) 459-4964 or Neal Wells (651) 739-6144 with questions. Women s Morning Bible Study will meet Tuesday October 10th at 9am at Church. All women are welcome! BOOK CLUB NEWS Next meeting will be October 24th at 6:30pm All are welcome. Quilters Quilters meet the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month from 9-11am. All are welcome! Creation Choir Wednesday night 6:15-7:15pm. If you are interested in joining contact Deb Dudley at 651-459- 6673 10
Council Members President: Emily White, white.emily@comcast.net, 651-459-3066 Vice President: Kalee McKusky, kmckusky@yahoo.com, 651-786-9101 Pastoral/Staff: Lin Gisselquist, lgisselquist1@gmail.com, 651-458-5313, cell 612-224-5406 Property: Dave Partch, 651-330-5997, cell 651-341-7998, dpartch67@gmail.com Secretary: Vicki Gardner, vicki.gardner68@gmail.com, 651-459-0148 Social Concerns: Brett Arnold, hazelridgefarm@aol.com, 612-816-7150 Stewardship and Finance: Kristin Anderson, andernutz@me.com, 612-770-2671 Worship and Music: Ben Winkler, benwinklermusic@gmail.com, 651-216-5597 Youth and Family Ministry: Brian Klinga, klingas@comcast.net, 651-253-5214 Announcements From the Treasurer To request a copy of the Treasurer s Report, email Treasurer at treasurer900@comcast.net Beacon Items for the Beacon are due in the church office by the 20th of the month. Any items you want in Sunday s bulletin are due by Tuesday of that week. Life Lines Prayer Requests To be part of or to make prayer requests on the email prayer chain, contact Vicki Gardner at (651)459-0148 or vicki.gardner68@gmail.com Baptism: Willoh Sky McNeill who was baptized on Sept. 24th. Willoh's parents are: Beth Ann & Scott Andrew McNeill 11
Newport Lutheran Church 900 Fifteenth Street Newport MN 55055 Address Service Requested Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Permit # 1 Newport, MN 55055 Our Mission Newport Lutheran Church We are a caring community that shares faith, shows love, and lives as disciples of Christ. Pastor Susan Gravelle Phone: 651-459-2447 E-mail: newportlutheran@comcast.net Web Address: www.newportlutheran.com Office Hours Tuesday-Friday 9:30-12:30 Worship Saturday 5:30 p.m. Sunday: 9:00 a.m. Holy Communion Served: 1st & 3rd Weekends 12