SLC News www.slcmonte.org 320-269-7624 slcelca@msn.com Calendar Highlights: 4yr Old Milestone Oct. 7 Gr. 10 Milestone Oct. 14 The Banquet Trip Oct. 27 Sun. School Sings Oct. 28 Earlier that morning I had read the creation story to the kids before they went off to their classes. As I read the story, I was troubled by the length to which many modern (and primarily American) Christians go to make this story a basis for challenging scientific facts. God created the universe - let s not deny that but God doesn t need us to prove how it was done at the expense of On Sunday, September 24, children from Salem s Sunday School drew with chalk the seven-day creation story from Genesis. The following morning it was still there, and with rain in the forecast, I decided to snap a few photos with my phone. Once I loaded the photo on my computer, it became apparent that in this particular photo of the earth and the passage from Genesis 1:31, the flecks of stone in the asphalt looked much like stars as if billions of them in the background. There were several creation-themed works in chalk there on the circle drive, one for each day of creation, all of which were very good. This particular one sums up the story quite well. believing that the earth is round (the seven day creation story does not take into account that God created the laws of physics) or that humans are contributing to the acceleration of climate change (because apparently God doesn t care if American Christians trash the planet). These increasingly popular viewpoints attributed to Christianity do no service to God, the Bible, or to Christianity. It is this type of narrow thinking that is the justification for the self-centeredness of American Christians who create a fact-denying reality in order to follow a version of God that gives them power. Article Continued on Page 3...

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday with Noisy Offering 30 Milestones for 4 th & 8 th Graders 10:45am Acolyte Training 1 2 ELCA Confirmation Class at Our Savior s 3 6:30am 4 Salem Men's Breakfast and Bible Study (The River s) 5 Office Admin. out of office today 6 Community Men s Breakfast with Guest Speaker at Salem 7 with Holy Communion Milestone for 4- year-olds 8 9 6pm Worship & Music Committee Meeting 10 Bible Study at Salem ELCA Confirmation Class at Our Savior s 11 12pm Morning Out: LSS Sr. Care Group meets at Salem 12 13 14 Milestone for 10 th Graders 15 16 17 7pm Salem Committees Meet (as needed) 7:30pm Salem Council Meets 18 19 20 21 No 22 23 24 ELCA Confirmation Class at Our Savior s 25 26 27 8:30 Free Community Meal at Salem 8am The Banquet Serving Trip 28 with Noisy Offering and Sings in Worship 29 30 31 ELCA Confirmation Class at Our Savior s History of Halloween Nov 1 6:30am Salem Men's Breakfast and Bible Study (The River s) Nov 2 Nov 3

Article Continued At the core of human sinfulness is the longing for a version of God that gives power over others, especially those different from us in appearance, culture, or belief. What follows is the idea that surely God must provide special privileges, right? The privilege to oppress people, the privilege to use up resources, and the privilege to gain more power at any cost. The truth of the creation stories in Genesis (and there are two, which are blended) is that God is the source of everything that we know. More importantly, the truth is summed up in this verse that the kids wrote out so beautifully on the pavement: God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. These stories of Scripture are inspired by God to give us a framework through which to understand the human condition. God is God. Humans are God s creation and humans are notoriously good at framing faith in a way that puts us in control. That s sin. God s goodness is not about power, but quite the opposite. By the example of Jesus Christ, we find that by his goodness, we are powerless. However, through his suffering, death, we are forgiven and empowered by the risen Christ to take part in God s goodness which often appears in places and from sources we would least expect. The creation stories in the Bible are good, just as God s creation is indeed good. Thank you to the kids for showing us that the most important thing about creation is that through it, God s goodness is revealed. God s goodness empowers us to love and serve others, and to accept truth that moves us to be stewards of goodness. Blessings, MP Salem E-Giving Salem has provided e-giving to make your offering easier and more convenient than ever! Salem s online and mobile giving options are serviced by Vanco Payment Services, making it safe and secure. Vanco s Give+ Service is trusted by 20,000+ churches! To Access Salem s Online Giving: Open Salem s website: www.slcmonte.org Click the green Salem Give+ button Salem s online giving page will open. Follow the on-screen instructions. To Access Salem s Mobile Giving: Using your smartphone s QR code reader, scan the provided code box. Salem s mobile giving page will open. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Announcements Salem Serving at The Banquet of Sioux Falls: Salem has volunteered to serve a meal at The Banquet of Sioux Falls on Saturday, October 27. Bus transportation will be provided (leave from Salem at 8:00 a.m. on October 27) - please sign-up or contact us right away to volunteer; Salem will be inviting members of other local churches to help fill volunteer spots. Community Men s Breakfast on Saturday, October 6: Salem will host a Community Men s Breakfast with a guest speaker on Saturday, October 6 at 8:30 a.m. - open to all men who would like to attend. Community Breakfast at Salem: Salem hosts a free community breakfast on the last Saturday of each month, 8:30-10 a.m., and is in need of volunteers to cook and serve. A volunteer sign-up sheet is available at Salem - on Sundays, it can be found on the Usher Stand in the Sanctuary. You may also check Salem s Community webpage (on our site, www.slcmonte.org, select the Community tab in the header), where the volunteer list is posted. Please contact us to be added to the volunteer list! Salem Apparel Ordering: If you are interested in purchasing Salem Lutheran Church embroidered clothing, options and order information can be found in Salem s main lobby. For questions, please contact Pr. Matt or Tom Fossell. Updated Salem Directory: Please help Salem update its member directory by e-mailing us a current individual or family photo to: slcelca@msn.com. Please include name(s) with your photo and a current household phone number. Please send photos as soon as possible as we will begin creating the new directory this Fall! If you do not use e-mail, you may drop off a printed photo in the Salem office and we will scan it in for you. Thank you for your help with this! Stewardship Steak Supper: Salem s Stewardship Steak Supper, which has been in November for the last three years, will not be taking place this year. The Stewardship Committee is open to any new ideas and volunteers to help with a new event to take it s place. Stewardship Report Through August 2018 (full financial report is available in the Church Office): Year to Date Income: $87,622.69 Year to Date Budgeted Income: $106,825.00 Year to Date Expenses: $106,566.10 Year to Date Budgeted Expense: $107, 927.00 Next Salem Council Meeting: Wednesday, October 17 at 7:30 p.m. AmazonSmile: If you are an Amazon shopper, please start at the AmazonSmile homepage (smile. amazon.com) and shop in support of Salem Lutheran Church of Montevideo. It is that simple and no extra cost to you! Shop as you normally would and a portion of your purchase will support Salem!

Announcements October and November Milestones: 10-7-18: 4 year olds Family Devotions 10-14-18: 10th Grade Licensed to Drive 11-4-18: Baby Baptism Anniversary & 5th Grade Baptismal Sponsor 11-18-18: 2nd Grade Stewards of Money ers Sing During Worship on the Following Dates: 10-28-18 (Reformation Sunday) 11-18-18 (Thanks for Giving Sunday) Teachers for October: 10-7-18: Amy Hamilton, Heather Goslee, Amanda Blom and Amanda Macziewski 10-14-18: Dani Saeger, Char Dahl and Molly Field 10-28-18: Molly Field, Matt & Kayla Brown and Jennifer Philaya NO Confirmation Class on October 17 (MEA Break) NO on October 21 (MEA Break) Thank You to Families: began on Rally Sunday, September 16 - thank you to Salem s families for attending and helping to begin the new year! A special thank you to all parents who have signed up to teach, and to Heather Goslee for her leadership during Rally Sunday. Thank You to Alzheimer s Association Fund-raiser Contributors: Karla Buseman and her Walk to End Alzheimer s team, Janis Crew, hosted a bake sale fund-raiser at Salem on Sunday, September 23. They want to thank everyone who contributed to the success of the bake sale through your donations and purchases. Their bake sale raised over $200, which helped Janis Crew exceed their fund-raising goal this year! All funds raised are turned over to the Alzheimer s Association during the West Central Walk to End Alzheimer s in Willmar on Saturday, September 29 - majority of funds goes toward the care and support of those living with Alzheimer s, as well as caregivers, and Alzheimer s awareness and research efforts. Janis Crew is very grateful to the people of Salem for their participation and support. Submitting News and Thank Yous : Salem has a great community of people who volunteer time and talents in many ways and make a point of attending Salem worship, Christian education, Salem events, and other community events that connect us. As we come into the busy season, we ask that you help us stay informed. Please help us recognize individuals and groups in our congregation or community who are doing something special! Please also feel free to send us information about any local community events you are involved with. We love to hear from you: give us a call during office hours, or leave a message; write an e-mail or even a Facebook message! Salem News Deadlines: Sunday Bulletin Announcements: Fridays at ; Newsletter Announcements: 15th of the Month; Calendar changes and website/ Facebook posts can be submitted any time (may not post same-day)

The Table Free Community BreakFast Weekly & Treats In Salem s Strombeck Room Friday Mornings At 10 a.m. Last Saturday of Every Month 8:30-10 a.m. Salem Lutheran Church 631 N. 7th St. Montevideo Salem Prayer Chain The Salem Prayer Chain is a volunteer group of Salem members who pray by request for the needs of others. Prayer requests may be for yourself or someone else, and may be for healing or other challenges in life. Requests can remain anonymous if you wish, and privacy of individuals is always respected. Please contact Ruby Flickinger at 269-2220 or 226-8591, or Arlys Tilberg at 269-8440 with any requests you may have. This is different from the Sunday prayers listed in the bulletin. To be included in the Sunday prayers, please call: 269-7624 or e-mail: slcelca@msn.com. Moms of Montevideo Area This open group for moms of young children meets at Salem on the 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of each month, September - May. Morning Out: L.S.S. Senior Care Respite Group This open group for Seniors and their caregivers meets at Salem on the second Thursday of each month from - Noon. Bible Study The Men s Breakfast and Bible Study is an open men s group that meets on the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 a.m. at The Rivers in Montevideo. Together, they eat breakfast, have conversation and then Bible Study. The Bible Study is usually about the Bible text for the upcoming Sunday with conversation about how it applies to current events and daily life. Bible Study is an open Bible Study group which meets at Salem on the second Wednesday of each month at 10:00 a.m. This group, formerly known as the Salem Women s Luncheon is now a coffee fellowship Bible Study and is open to anyone, men and women of all ages. Salem Quilters Open Group: Every Tuesday At 10 a.m. If you have a scissor, needles and are able to tie a knot, you can join the Salem Quilters! They would love to have more people join them! For those who would like to help the quilters from home: The Salem Quilters need volunteers to sew fabric squares together to make quilt tops - they will provide the fabric!

Staying Connected with Salem Salem s Weekday Office Hours Mondays: 4:30 - Tuesdays: - 12pm Wednesdays: - 2:30pm No office hours on Thursdays Fridays: - 2:30pm Salem s Office Administrator (Ally Buseman) is the main contact for questions, announcements, scheduling, etc. You can reach her by e-mail any time (slcelca@msn. com), or call/stop in during her office hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Outside of her office hours, you can leave her a message and she will get back to you promptly! Tuesday office hours are fulfilled by an office volunteer, Carol Westberg. Salem s Monthly Worship Schedule 1st Sunday: Traditional service & full Communion 2nd Sunday: Traditional service without Communion 3rd Sunday: *Blended service & Communion 4th Sunday: *Blended service without Communion *A blended service is a more contemporary-style service Salem Age 3 - Grade 6 8:30 a.m. Sept. - May Access Channel 180 Salem s days and times are: Wednesdays at 9 a.m. & 6:30 p.m. Fridays at 9 a.m. Find Salem on the web at: www.slcmonte.org Salem s website is updated weekly with current news, announcements and event information! If you are not yet receiving Salem news e-mails, please send us an e-mail with your name to: slcelca@ msn.com to be added to our e-mail list! If you have done this, and are still not seeing the e-mails in your inbox, please check your junk folder. Stay connected on Facebook by following our page: www.facebook.com/slcmonte/ Once on the Salem Lutheran Church, ELCA Facebook page, click Like & Follow in the header to see our posts in your news feed! Salem also has a Facebook group; find Salem s Facebook group by searching slcmonte in the Facebook search bar and click Join. We will see your request and add you to the group! Salem has also made use of an app called remind which helps to keep you informed by sending texts directly to your phone. These texts are not frequent, likely only a few per month depending on what Salem has going on. We currently have two different remind groups - one is for Salem and the other is Salem Announcements. Salem Announcements is used mostly to notify about worship or event changes, whereas Salem helps to remind Salem s families about special events, such as Milestones. To join the remind groups, please do the following: For announcements, text this: @slcmonte to: 81010 (or to the number 320-334-2145) For, text this: @salemsu to: 81010 (or to the number 320-334-2145)

Salem Lutheran Church 631 North Seventh Street Montevideo, MN 56265 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 54 Montevideo, MN 56265 SLC Newsletter