Our Savior s Moravian Church October 2018 Blank Pages As a child I remember spending many fall days out in the yard raking up piles of leaves and pine needles. Most of the time my sisters and I would rake the leaves into one big pile and jump deep into the pile so that even our heads were covered with crisp colorful leaves. Like freshly mown grass, a pile of leaves has a distinct smell to it. It is not exactly a pleasant smell like a beautiful spring flower, but it certainly is not a bad smell either. All I know, is that every time I get a whiff of that smell of freshly fallen leaves, my mind takes me back to those days of jumping in the piles that we raked. I tend to think of life as a book. When we are young there are many blank pages that need to be written in. The story has so many different paths it could potential take. At this point in life, we tend to find ourselves looking ahead to these blank pages with much anticipation of what might come next; but as we get older, and the pages with writing on them begin to outnumber the blank pages, we tend to take time to go through and read some of those old pages. When Amy and I first started to date we had the idea to share a diary. We would pass it back a forth taking turns writing about the things we did recently or or how we were felling about our new relationship. After a year or so, we wrote in it less and less, but we still keep those diaries and every once in a while we take the time to go back and reread those pages that help us remember what it felt like when we first became a couple. For many of us, rereading those old pages of our lives has a great deal of meaning. Some pages are difficult to read and others are very enjoyable. While reading the pages that have already been written can be heartwarming and comfortable, I encourage you to remember that the book is not complete. There are blank pages that still need to be written. Where is God calling you? What does God have planned for those unfinished pages? I think it s time for me to grab a warm drink, have a seat on the front porch, breathe in a big whiff of those fall leaves, and take the time to reminisce over what once was, and then to turn my mind to what is still yet to come. Grace and Peace, Pastor Greg
October 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 7 8:30am Sunday School 8:45am Brass Practice 9:30am Worship Fire/EMS Sunday followed by fellowship hour 5:00pm Confirmation 14 8:30am Sunday School 8:45am Adult Sunday School (Spiritual Practices) 9:30am Worship 150 th Anniversary of Hebron Moravian Church My Faith Journey Series 1 2 3 Chimes 8 Blood Drive 1:00-7:00pm 9 15 16 Joint Board Meeting 7:00pm The Gathering Photo Session 2:00-9:00pm 10 17 7:15pm Chimes 7:15pm Chimes 7:15pm Photo Session 2:00-9:00pm 4 11 18 Yoga 6:30pm Yoga 6:30pm Yoga 6:30pm 5 6 12 13 19 20 Crafting Ministry 9:00am-Noon Family Fall Fest Ferguson s Orchards 2:00-4:00pm Church Lock-in 7 th -12 th Begins at 7:00pm 21 8:30am Sunday School 8:45am Adult Sunday School (Spiritual Practices) 9:30am Worship 5:00pm Confirmation 22 23 The Gathering Worship Planning Team 7:00pm 24 Chimes 7:15pm 25 Yoga 6:30pm Bylaw Committee 6:30pm 26 27 28 8:30am Sunday School 9:30am Contemporary Worship Sunday 29 30 31
The Purpose of this Church shall be to glorify God in adoration, Love and service as God s missionary to our community, our nation, and our world, bearing witness to God s redeeming grace in Jesus Christ. 2018 Congregational Watchword: With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Isaiah 12:3 ************************************************************************ Board of Elders Board of Trustees Cemetery Board Pastor Greg Behrend Chair Mike Lovlien Chair Scott Decker Kathy Brosig Vice Chair Andy VanLoon Vice Chair Ken Krage Brenda Sing - Secretary Dale Krage - Secretary Glenn Schumacher Steve Pasche Mark Stephan Roger Schumacher Wendy Sue Murphy Toby Brummer October Birthdays: October Anniversaries Sam Lovlien 10/1 Tim & Wendy Murphy 10/4 Don Ihrke 10/27 Andy & Michelle VanLoon 10/6 Scott Decker 10/31 *We are working to update our church records. If your birthday or anniversary was not listed in the newsletter please let Pastor Greg know so that we can add your information to our database Thank You! Thank you Tim Murphy for your continued efforts to improve our church yard! Thank You to Janet Majerus, Jodi Schumacher, Angela Decker and the many volunteers who help lead our Sunday School Program! Thank you to Julie Johnson for helping to coordinate our yoga classes! Thank you to Angela Decker for sharing your faith journey with us! Thank you Mark Stephan for serving as a missionary in St Thomas!
Life of the Congregation Top 3 Board Topics In our efforts to share with the congregation some of the current topics of our church leadership, the joint board shares with you these top 3 topics currently being addressed. 1. Pictorial Directory This fall we will be getting a new church directory and will be asking families to sign up for a FREE photoshoot here at the church on October 16 or 17 th from 2:00-9:00pm each day. Please talk to Brenda Sing or visit our church website to sign up you and your family for your photo shoot! All families will receive 1 FREE 10x8 family portrait as well as a new church directory! 2. Church Survey The Joint Board has made available a church survey to help give members of our congregation a voice in our current ministries and how we might continue to strengthen our efforts. Please take the time to fill out the survey online or on paper before October 31 st. 3. Memorial Gifts Whether you are planning your legacy for the future or you are wanting to make a donation in honor of a loved one who has passed away, we would ask that all memorial gifts be given directly to a member of our Board of Trustee with a designation (if desired) by the gift giver. We ask this to help insure that any gifts given are designated for the desire of those who gave the gift. Thank you! My Faith Journey Series Sunday October 14 th The My Faith Journey series continues with our sister in Christ Stephanie Lovlien. Come and join us as we hear Stephanie share about her life and how her faith has played an important role throughout it. Crafting Group Saturday October 20 th 9:00am-12:00pm Our crafting group is starting back up this fall and would welcome anyone who is interested in crafting to come and join us! We will be continuing to work on making tote bags for walkers to be given to individuals who need walkers to assist them. All are welcome! Adult Sunday School 8:40am 10/14 & 10/23 There will be a variety of topics discussed and focused on this year during Adult Sunday School. Topics include: 1. September - The 4 Gospels and what makes them unique 2. October - Spiritual Enrichment Discovering spiritual practices to enrich our faith journey 3. November - Empowering Lay Leaders of the Church 4. January - Local Mission: What are the needs and how can we help?
Yoga Class Thursday Nights 6:30pm All are welcome to join us on Thursday nights for a beginners level yoga class. We meet in the Sunday School section of the church and work together to improve our body, mind and spirit! Firefighter & EMS Sunday Sunday October 7 th Worship Service at 9:30am Everyone is invited to join us for a special worship service on October 7 th as we give thanks to and pray for the men and women who serve our local communities through the Volunteer Fire Department and Emergency Medical Service Our Savior s Moravian Church Monday October 8 th (1:00pm-7:00pm) 150 th Anniversary of Hebron Moravian Church Sunday October 14 th During worship on October 14 th we will be celebrating the 150 th anniversary of the Hebron Moravian Church. If you have any items (pictures, memories, etc.) of the old church please bring them to the church to share as part of our celebration. We also will ask anyone who attended Hebron Moravian to share some of their memories as part of our worship service!
Fellowship Forks & Fellowship A Home Supper Club Ministry Forks & Fellowship is a new opportunity to serve other families and friends from our congregation by providing a meal, as well as a time of fellowship and companionship. Each month a handful of different families from the congregation will sign up to host one meal at their home. Then, other families or individuals from the congregation can sign up to be a guest with a host family that is offering a meal during a day/time that works well for the guest family to attend. On the night that you have signed up for, you will gather together as either the host or guest and enjoy a night of food, fellowship, and togetherness. This is a ministry of getting to know your neighbor and strengthening the Christian bonds as members of Christ s Church. If you would like to be a host family in the month of October or November please let Pastor Greg know a date and time for your meal as well as how many guests you can accommodate or sign up on the church website! Youth and Families October Family Fall Festival October 20th (2:00-4:00pm) Ferguson s Orchards Galesville, WI N17543 Grover Lane Galesville, WI 54630 **all ages and families are welcome** $7.00 per person (children age 2 and under FREE) High School Lock-in October 20 th 7:00pm 7 th -12 th Grade All junior and senior high youth are welcome to join us for a church lock-in! Bring sleeping bags, air mattress, games and snacks! Bring your friends too!!
Our grade school Sunday School program s exploring a new way of teaching this year. Instead of a traditional classroom setting, the new Sunday School Station Program will have different stations throughout the Sunday School hour that will focus on engaging our children in a variety of different learning techniques. Each station will be approximately 12 minutes. Stations: Music Time --- Lesson of the Day --- Game/Activity Time --- Crafting Corner To help us live into this new model, we are looking for volunteers who would be willing to help lead these stations periodically throughout the school year. If you are willing to serve as a Sunday School volunteer sign up on our church website or speak with Jodi Schumacher - 507.313.4451 Music Ministry Chimes The Chimes will begin rehearsals on Wednesday October 3 rd at! All are welcome to join us (you do not need to have previous musical experience to join the chimes choir). We encourage anyone who is interested in joining to speak with the group s director Steve Pasche - 507.429.1550 The will also begin rehearsals on Wednesday October 3 rd at 7:15pm. We would encourage anyone who is interested in joining to come and sing with us. Brass Ensemble The Brass Ensemble will be playing during worship on October 7th. We will practice that morning before worship at 8:40am in the sanctuary. Come and join us! The Gathering To provide an opportunity to experience different styles of worship, the Worship Planning Team is preparing an upcoming Contemporary Worship service for Sunday October 28 th. This worship service will include a variety of praise hymns and will feature several different musicians from our church family. We are looking to add some singing voices to our guitarist, and together will from a new group called The Gathering. Please come and join The Gathering for practice on Tuesday evenings October 16 th and 23 rd at!
Opportunities to Give Once again, the Altura Lions Club will be collecting old and clean shoes to help those in our world living without adequate footwear. Our Savior s Moravian will be one of the several drop-off locations for those wishing to donate shoes. Please bring any show you wish to donate and place them in the collection bin in the front entry. The collection this year will be during the months of September and October, so don t delay! To learn more, visit our church website Supporting the Ahuas Clinic in Hondurous Our Savior s Moravian Mission Festival November 11 (10:30am) On November 11, we are excited to have Rick Nelson with us to talk about the work of the Ahuas Clinic located in rural Hondurous. This area is home to many of our Moravian brothers and sisters and the clinic has provided lifesaving medical treatment. Rick has been serving through the Board of World Mission for many years and he will be sharing some of the newest updates and plans for this medical mission as well as their new infant feeding program. As part of our commitment to the work of Ahus Clinic, we will be gathering medical items such as new bottles of Tylenol, ibuprofen, and asprin; as well as rubber gloves, tongue depressors, gauze rolls, newborn layettes, baby blankets and a variety of other supplies to send to Ahus. We will begin collecting items in October 14 th!