Faith On the rise - Valley City Faith Lutheran
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Faith On the rise Faith Lutheran Church . 309 Fourth Street Northeast . Valley City . North Dakota . 58072 Volume XXVII Issue X Monthly October 2020 IN THIS ISSUE: Come and Celebrate God’s Faithfulness! Pages 2 & 3 A Word from our Pastor We invite you to worship in person or online. Sunday worship is at 9:30am. Page 4 We have much to celebrate this month! Our theme is “God’s Promises” as we Message from share important Old Testament readings. Council President Book Study October 4: The Promise of Passover and Celebration of Page 5 Addison Gerhardt, Madison Mikkelsen, Kassidy Schulz and Cemetery Update Wade Sorensen who received communion instruction in March. Video Engineer Position We welcome them to Jesus’ table. Page 6 WELCA News October 11: Golden Calf and Moses. Pastor Appreciation Sunday. Thanksgiving Baskets Page 7 October 18: God Answers Hannah and God answers our Men’s Group News prayers: We will celebrate the Completion of our Capital Mission Team News Campaign, sharing reflections of God’s actions in our Page 8 congregation as we responded to the loss of our church facility October Birthdays and were strengthened by Christ to RISE UP for renewal and & Anniversaries rebuilding. October Service & Care September Transitions October 25: God’s Promise to David and Affirmation of Baptism: Nurtured Page 9 by faithful parents, encouraged by small group guides and Sunday school Pumpkin BINGO teachers, welcomed by many of you, 8 students will be making promises to God Squash Distribution Influenza Flu Shot Clinic and our congregation at our 9:30am worship service. We give thanks to God September Memorials for these 10th graders who have open hearts to what God has in store. Team Meetings They have grown in their relationship with Jesus and we Page 10 celebrate with them! Join Haidyn Becker, Wyatt Friestad, Sunday School News Gavin Gerhardt, Tyson Hovland, Joesi Klein, Nick LeMier, Faith Kids Club Kelsey Schulz and Abbey Thornton in worship and praise. Page 11 Confirmation News Jr/Sr High Youth Project Faith Lutheran Is Live-Streaming Worship Jr/Sr High Breakfast Club We are so thankful to have the capability to live-stream our worship services Page 12 each Sunday! We would like people to view our worship service live if Staff Info possible, to make better connections between our in person worship and the Inserts viewed worship. We open the “live event” on Facebook at 9:20am. Please type Calendar/ WELCA Letter in a “hello!” in the comments to let us know you are watching. Share a prayer concern or joy. Most Sundays we will have a “host” responding to your comments in real time, offering virtual hospitality.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom”. Colossians 3:16 (NRSV) “Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with one another. None of this going off and doing your own thing. Cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ - the Message - have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives...Let every detail of your lives - words, actions, whatever - be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.” Colossians 3:15, 17 (the Message) In several phone conversations this past week with members that I haven’t seen in person for several months, I have been asked: “What’s new with Church?” I gush about seeing our students again and the fun and challenge of new confirmation materials. We have such great teenagers in our church and so many caring parents, it has been excellent to see them again and work together. A confirmation ministry is a “team sport”, meaning it is only as strong as the surrounding community. By being a member of Faith Lutheran you are committed by baptism to engage others in Christian life through words and actions. I am thankful for parents who are invested in strengthening the relationship they have with their teen. As Pastor Natalie Gessert Hall (the author of our Confirmation materials) writes: “A faithful person cannot be “created” according to a specific program. Church isn’t a place to “make” Christians, it is a place to practice Christianity together, building one another up in faith and life. When confirmands practice faith together with you, you are more likely to see how faith impacts daily life now and into the future.” All members of FLC are welcome to take part in our confirmation sessions on Wednesdays from 6:30-7:30 pm. With COVID-19 present in our area, we are taking precautions of physical distancing and wearing face coverings when within 8 feet of each other. I am thankful for those who have agreed to serve as mentors and guides. While we can’t accommodate more than 150 people in our sanctuary/fellowship hall right now, we could easily have more people safely take part in the Wednesday sessions (when feeling well!) The more people our youth see practicing their Christian faith, the more likely they can see that they too belong and have gifts to share in God’s kingdom. On each person’s baptism day, God’s people gather to add their “yes!” to God’s “yes!” This means that if you are a baptized Christian and part of a congregation, you have promised to receive other baptized people as wanted, loved, forgiven, and chosen people. Furthermore, you have made promises to be in relationship together with God’s people as they develop in Christian faith and life. 2
These are among the promises of baptism made by parents, sponsors, and the congregation: Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with you in Holy Baptism: …to live with them among God’s faithful people, This is your call to be at worship and to participate in education, fellowship, and service with your church. Young people need to see how a great diversity of people engage the world around them in faith, and you are part of that plan. …to bring them to the word of God and the holy supper, All baptized people need to regularly hear God’s Word (see the Third Commandment!) and receive God’s promises in Holy Communion. It is both for you and so that those you are with can see what God’s gifts mean for you. …teach them the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments, place in their hands the holy scriptures, and nurture them in faith and prayer, These are the tools of the church that help us put our faith into context and action. … ...so that your children may learn to trust God, proclaim Christ through word and deed, God calls us to talk about faith and why it matters using both our words and actions. By speaking about and acting on your faith, you help others learn how they can do likewise. ...care for others and the world God made, You serve God at home with the people you call family, at work with your colleagues, at school with your peers, while having fun with friends, and beyond. By wondering aloud about and sharing examples of the way you seek to serve others because of faith in Jesus Christ, you give others a broader imagination about ways they can care for God’s people. ...and work for justice and peace. Sometimes striving for justice and peace is as simple as offering words of comfort or a meal. Other times it is developing a larger project and action plan. No matter what, you are called to show up and thereby help others recognize their part in bringing God’s justice and peace to bear right in your own community. Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Augsberg Fortress, p. 229 Used by permission from the Rev. Natalie Gessert Hall Thank you for living out your hope in Christ and encouraging the next generation to live with God and God’s people. In Christ, Pastor Jolene 3
A Message from Our Council President I love the fall season. The beautiful colors, the crisp air, and, of course, pumpkin. As I sat down to write this article, I recalled the story of the pumpkin and how it reminds us of what it is like to be a Christian. What is it like to be a Christian? It is like being a pumpkin that is carved into a jack-o-lantern. God picks us from the pumpkin patch and brings us in from the field. The Bible says He selects us out of the world. We are in the world but no longer of the world. Jesus said, "As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world." (John 15:19) God washes all the "dirt" off the outside that we received from being around all the other pumpkins. All the outside influences of our former life must be cleaned up. God carefully removes all the "yucky stuff" called "sin" from the inside. He then changes us from the inside out by the Power of His Word. He carves a new smiling face. Our countenance is changed by the power of His presence in our life. We then become so grateful. It can even show on our face! Finally, God puts His light inside of us to shine for all the world to see. Thank you for shining your light at Faith Lutheran and in our community. Also, during this month we will celebrate Pastor Appreciation. We are thankful for her leadership, insight and compassion. Please take a moment to send a card or personally thank Pastor Jolene for her ministry with us. God Bless! Val Moritz, Council President Book Study Opportunity Thursdays 7-8pm Starting on October 22 I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown Reading about race in America is hard and talking about what we are reading can be tricky. But it is important that we practice being brave together. Austin Channing Brown’s book is very accessible and offers great insight. A discussion guide will be provided. It is a great resource to foster good conversation. You may order the book on your own (available online, on Kindle, in bookstores) or ask the Church to order it for you. Email or call the Church office to let us know you would like to be part of a good conversation about a timely book. We will meet 7-8pm via Zoom from the comfort of our own homes. Dates will be October 22 & 29, November 5,12 & 19, December 3. Lead by Pastor Jolene for both men and women. 4
Cemetery Update This summer has been busy out at the Faith Lutheran Cemetery! Two big projects that have been in the works for a few years have been completed. The first was changing the slope of the ditch to make it safer for our caretakers while mowing. There was also a second approach added to the west side that will allow for a road to be constructed around the property. The addition of the road will allow for more parking, reducing the need to park on the highway, and make exiting the cemetery safer and easier for ceremonies. The Cemetery Board thanks Tim Logan, Jarrod Lindemann, and Alan Skogen for donating the materials for the projects. We would also like to thank Gowan Construction for taking the time to work us into their busy schedule to complete this project. God Bless, Faith Lutheran Cemetery Board Video Engineer Position Available Do you enjoy technology? Do you have good attention to detail? Faith Lutheran Church is seeking a videographer to record worship services 2 Sundays a month. Thanking will be provided. We have a Huddlecam HD 1080 HDMI Camera that is remotely controlled by a joystick and a computer keyboard. We use OBS software for recording. A Mac-Mini is the computer interface. The camera is connected to our Behringer sound board. Hours of work are 9am-11am. We would like a 2 Sunday per month commitment, but more Sundays can be added if mutually agreed upon. Wage is $15 per hour. (Time training will be paid). Faith Lutheran Church’s mission is to Worship Christ, Welcome All and Serve Others. We are thankful for the technology to reach many people with the hope of Jesus Christ in this pandemic. Please send a letter of interest to Pastor Jolene. Email: pastor@faithlutheranvc.org. 5
WELCA News Faith WELCA met Wednesday, September 9 at the church. Plans for the Quilt Sale, which will replace the Fall Festival this year were finalized. We will be selling the quilts Sundays, October 4 and October 11, 10:30am-12:00pm; Wednesday, October 7, 1:00pm-6:00pm; and Saturday, October 10, 10:00am-2:00pm. Please note that you may purchase a quilt anytime during the year if you would like a quilt. We are asking the members of Faith to seriously consider donating a monetary amount to WELCA to make it possible for us to continue to support the nonprofits we have supported in the past with the money raised at the Fall Festival. In this newsletter you will find an addressed envelope you can mail or leave at the church with your donation enclosed. Please make checks payable to WELCA. Amy Johnson has set up a button for online donations to WELCA on the Faith Lutheran website: www.faithlutheranvc.org. Thank you to those of you who have already donated. Hopefully, next year we will be able to hold the Fall Festival. We are happy to share the news that the old church dishes are being repurposed at the “old, new” Nome School which will be a multipurpose venue once its restoration and remodeling is completed. The new recipients were as ecstatic to receive the dishes as we were that they were going to be put to good use. The next Lutheran World Relief Drive will be October 12-16. We will be donating quilts and the personal care kits we were unable to deliver this spring to Lutheran World Relief. Lutheran World Relief, with your support, is able to bring the much-needed quilts, personal care kits, school kits and baby care kits to countries all over the world as well as the United States. We also decided to change our regular meeting dates to the second Wednesday of the month at 3:30pm. Our next meeting will be Wednesday, October 14. Happy Fall, Cheryl Foell, WELCA President Community Thanksgiving Baskets The 2020 Community Thanksgiving Basket event committee is in the process of deciding how to make it happen and be socially responsible to keep everyone as safe as possible. The Thanksgiving Baskets would be filled Friday, November 19 and picked up/delivered Saturday, November 20. If you are interested in helping with this event please contact the office. If you would like to give a monetary donation toward the Thanksgiving project, you can either send your donation to Faith Lutheran—PO Box 606, drop it off at Faith or enclose it in one of the donation envelopes and mark it Faith Lutheran Thanksgiving Baskets and put it in the offering place. 6
Men’s Group News—Pancake Brunch Faith Lutheran Men’s Group is back in action. Like most of us, we have been sidelined by the Covid-19 virus with limited to no activities since March. We did manage to have a summer get-together in July at the lake, thanks to Mark Brandvold. Now in September, we finally were able to have our monthly Breakfast meeting. The major business at our meeting was to decide if we should have our Fall Pancake Brunch and if we do, how should we do it. After much discussion, both pro and con, we decided to have our Brunch on October 18th. This year we will do it differently with all ‘to go’ orders, served from 8-11am and have a free will offering so that no money is passed back and forth. We decided it is better to try something different rather than do nothing at all. It will be interesting to see how it turns out, but we know that GOD will guide us and hopefully members and the community will support us once again. We invite more Men of Faith Lutheran to join our Group as we have Fun and share good Fellowship in GOD’s name. We close by asking GOD’s Blessing on all of our Family of Faith. Duane Larson Mission Team Project News Thank you for your donations of socks for the Abused Persons Outreach Center. The socks will keep the feet of young and old dry and warm. They are greatly appreciated. October and November we will be collecting new hats, mittens and gloves for donation to our local schools and community. Please note that warm, thick, water-proof gloves are best for our schools since students are playing in the snow at recess. In mid-November the Mission Team will set up the Christmas tree with names of boys and girls and the gifts they would like in support of the Angel Tree Prison Ministry Program. Remember our “Mission Christmas” Fund. All Sundays, loose change in the offering is given towards Mission Christmas (for those in need) Fund. The 1st & 3rd Sundays of each month are designated dollar Sundays, and all loose dollars go into this fund. Our account is at $468.19 as of September 25. This mission is a quiet, but powerful impact but we need your help to continue this mission. Please consider supporting this mission with your pocket change and dollars. Donations may also be given using the pew envelopes. The Mission Team will meet Tuesday, October 6 at 5:30pm. 7
OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS: 1. Addalynn September Service & Care Auka, Brooklynn Auka, Dean Pederson, **needs chairs Lincoln Pilgrim; Blake Shape, Owen Tichy; 3. Bruce Moritz; 4. Jocey Haugen, Ashley Jeff & Jennifer Bergner Nelson; 5. Zoey Bopp, Mary Rausch, Gloria Glandt Alexandria Rohde; 6. Christina Sayler; 7. Mike Nix; Kent & Patty Gronlie 8. Summer Burchill, Scott Tichy; 9. Sammy Beaudry, Dallas & Linda Gruebele Jean Reitan; 10. Brody Tompt; 12. Jonah Harstad, Ray & Wanda Haugen Erik Johnson; 14. LaVerne Bjornson, Lorraine Nitschke, Mark & Cyndi Hill Cheryl Peterson; 15. Brian Klevgaard, Jennifer Kohler, Ralph & JoAnn Hooper Tonya Samuelson; 17. Cindy Knudson; 18. Roger Dennis Hoye & Linda Lane Mulvaney, Kaylyn Nadeau, Carol Oppegard; 19. Sara Mark & Krista Johnson Gilbertson, Nathan Rausch; 20. Haley Dalgliesh, Trierre Ryan & Jessica Johnson Smith; 21. Martee Lunde, Wes Peterson; 22. Steven Randy & Teri McClaflin Horner, Anna Metcalf, Julie Moritz; 23. Clint Meyer, Ryan & Erin Metcalf Joey Sayler; 24. Brayden Klevgaard, Carol Moritz, Brenda Brandon & Nikki Moen Ventsch; 25. Brody Lindgren, Elise Miller; 26. Lyndsay Sue Olson & Verlynn Christianson Burns, Dylan Lunn, Dalton Ness, Jan Oppegaard, Peyton Cory & Alison Rodin Pederson, Brenda Stearns; 28. Tara Nelson, Elizabeth Greg & Kellie Schulz Oppegaard, Olivia Pederson; 29. Melissa Pedersen; Al & Nancy Sorensen 30. Ashley Kellogg, Larry Pederson, Arlene Rasmussen, James & Janet Thornton Eleanor Stearns; 31. Gloria Glandt. Gary & Bonnie Wieck Scott & Wendi Wilmes OCTOBER ANNIVERSARIES: 1. Mikkal & Wanda *Thank you for serving! Auka; 3. Corey & Debby Neseth; 4. Al & Nancy Sorensen; 7. Gary & Diane Sommerfeld; 8. Rob & Amanda Boock; 9. Lance & Elaine Jenision; 13. Bob & Ilene Hetler; 17. Merl & Tiffany Greenley, Steve & Karen Nitschke; September Attendance 18. Brian & Georgia Welken; 19. Nick & Ashley Horner, September 6 29 & 149 online views Howard & Carol Oppegard; 20. Duane & Diana Larson, September 13 37 & 151 online views Shawn & Karla Ranisate; 21. Randy & Kay Bostrom; September 20 63 & 122 online views 28. Chuck & Deb Shape. September 27 46 & 83 online views *online views are households watching Offering September Transitions in Our Parish January $18,110.48 BAPTISMS: We celebrated God’s promise in Holy Baptism February $21,585.00 for Lincoln Rhett Johnson, born August 11, 2020 and March $17,027.00 baptized Sunday, September 27, 2020. His parents are April $15,633.00 Ryan & Jessica Johnson and big sister is Oakleigh. God May $17,979.00 bless Lincoln and his family. June $12,133.00 July $16,062.00 DEATHS: Our sympathies to the family & friends of August $18,554.00 Irene Haugen. Irene died Sunday, September 6, 2020. September $15,158.00 Her funeral was held Friday, September 11 at Faith with Pastor Jolene officiating. Needed monthly to meet Mission Plan: $20,585.61 8
October Family Fun—PUMPKIN BINGO! Friday, October 2nd, at 7pm, enjoy Pumpkin Bingo at the church. Please plan on being outside in the church parking lot! If the weather isn’t nice, we will be distanced inside the church! Squash Distribution—October 4th Dan Faust wants to bless his neighbors with freshly harvested squash. His pickup truck with 600 pounds of squash will be parked in front of Faith Lutheran on Sunday, October 4th from 9am-12:30pm. Each household may take up to 8 squash. Spread the word! Influenza Flu Shot Clinic Flu immunizations for children 6 months-adults will be offered by City-County Health District on Sunday, October 11th, 10:30-11am here at Faith. High-dose and conventional vaccine will be available. Please bring your health insurance card(s) to receive immunization. Medicare Part B recipients do not pay at time of clinic. Billable Insurance: BCBS, SanfordHealth, Humana, Medica, HealthPartners, Medicaid. Please pre-register with Julie Moritz in the office, 845-4390 or on the sign up sheet in the gathering area. For more information you may call City-County Health, 845-8518 or go to their website: www.citycountyhealth.org. September Memorials In memory of Torrey Berge given by Margie Lima (Foundation). In memory of Scott Hansen given by Dean & Amy Pederson (Building Fund). In memory of Irene Haugen given by Marlys Freadhoff (Building Maintenance); by Illa Glandt (Undesignated); by Mary Johnson (Building Maintenance); by Jan Legler (Undesignated) by Julie Moritz (Building Maintenance); by Roger & Sandy Mulvaney (Undesignated); by Cindy Waagen (Building Maintenance). In memory of Eileen Maresh given by Elaine Walls (Altar Guild); by Gary & Bonnie Wieck (Sound System). In memory of Dave Vareberg given by Elaine Walls (Altar Guild). OCTOBER TEAM MEETINGS Council—Meets Thur, Oct 15 Mission Team—Meets Tue, Oct 6 at 5:30pm at 7:00pm November Service & Care— Meets through FLC Staff—Meets Wed, Oct 7 emails/texts/ phone at 1:30pm & Wed, Oct 21 at 1:30pm WELCA—Meets Wed, Oct 14 at 3:30pm Men’s Group—Meets Sat, Oct 17 at 8am 9
Sunday School News We had Rally Sunday on Sunday, September 20th! It was so nice and fun to meet together again to celebrate Jesus! We are starting a new curriculum this year, “Kids Own Worship” that allows us to all meet together socially distanced in the sanctuary, outside, or in the gathering space. We won’t be using the Sunday School rooms this year, so we can keep kids at a distance! Thank you so much to Angela Van Bruggen, Amy Tichy, Erin Metcalf, and Jenna Mairs for volunteering to teach this year! Also, thank you to our confirmation students, Taylor Yanish, Madison Trzpuc, Deegan Kirschenmann, Kaleb McClaflin,Brenna Storly, Abby Wilmes and Alyssa Wilmes who have volunteered to help lead a skit for the preschoolers and help with the preschoolers each Sunday! Faith Kids Club Schedule We welcome all 4th-6th graders to come to our Wednesday afterschool program! Kids Club meets Wednesdays from 3:15-5pm here at Faith or once a month we go do a service project around the community. This year we might not be able to do service projects as frequently due to the health guidelines we will be following. The children are picked up with the church van from Washington School and parents pick them up from Faith. Wendi Wilmes leads Faith Kids Club. If there is no school at Valley City Public Schools, there will be no Kids Club. *October 7—we will be at Faith *October 14—we will be at Faith *October 21—NO KIDS CLUB due to no school on Thursday and Friday * October 28—we will be at Faith 10
Confirmation sessions will be offered in person and online this school year. We will meet in the sanctuary and it is easy to physical distance. Masks will be worn when you are talking with someone or when you cannot observe 6 feet apart. Those that are needing to be isolating or have health conditions that make them uneasy about coming to gatherings will be able to participate online. A parent or mentor is asked to attend with each student. Confirmation students be sure to read the scripture for each lesson and be ready to answer the questions. Take the time to do the Relate to Church sheet and the Faith5 each week also. With your parents and mentors accompaniment we are making daily connections to our Christian Faith. Regular Wednesday Schedule: 6-6:25pm - Gathering Time w/healthy snacks served 6:30-7:30pm - Large Group Learning and Worship Time October 7: Small Group October 14: Give us this day our daily bread October 21: No Church Activities October 28: Forgive us our sins as we forgive November 4: Small Group October 25: Affirmation of Christian Faith Hey Jr/Sr High Youth! On Sunday, October 11th come to the church for pizza and games at 5:30pm. Hopefully, the weather will be nice and we can play some fun outside games, but if not we will play games inside. We will then head to Our Savior’s to help set up supplies for the Community Closet opening on Monday, October 12th. (All the supplies are down in the church basement, and they need help bringing all the supplies upstairs to be ready to put outside on that Monday). This is a wonderful opportunity to help people in our community. Please bring a mask to wear while we are in the church. Thank you! I hope to see you there! Wendi Jr/Sr High Breakfast Drive Thru Club Breakfast Drive Thru Club is on Wednesday mornings starting at 8am! This will be available for all Faith 7th-12th graders! Come to Faith to receive a breakfast treat, juice box, fruit and a blessing in a sack that you can take with you on your way to school! 11
Dear Members of Faith, As you probably have heard, WELCA will not be holding the annual Fall Festival. Instead we will be selling quilts during the week of Oct 4-11. The hours we will be at the church to sell are: Sundays Oct. 4 and 11: 10:30-12:00 Wednesday Oct. 7: 1:00-6:00 Saturday Oct. 10: 10:00-2:00 What we are asking of our members is to carefully consider donating an amount to WELCA in lieu of donating baked items and crafts. An envelope for your donation has been included in this month’s newsletter. This can be mailed or dropped off at the church. Make checks payable to WELCA. You also have the option of designating an amount on Faith’s online giving site. Thank you for your part in raising funds for the non-profits which WELCA annually contributes to. These non-profits will be struggling this year because of the pandemic and we want to do as much as we can to “keep them in business as usual”. Thank you again in advance for your generosity and a special thank you to those who have already donated. We truly belong to a Faith family of love and giving. Sincerely, Cheryl Foell, WELCA Pres.
Church Staff Church Office: (701) 845-4390 Pastor: Rev. Jolene Knudson-Hanse Fax Number: (701) 845-5887 Administrative Assistant: Julie Moritz Website: www.faithlutheranvc.org Treasurer: Amy Johnson Coordinator of Youth Ministry and Sunday School: Wendi Wilmes Accompanist/ Worship Coordinator: Cyndi Hill Custodians: Mark & Sandy Brandvold E-Mail Address: office@faithlutheranvc.org Council President: Val Moritz Pr. Jolene’s E-Mail: pastor@faithlutheranvc.org Council: Sandy Brandvold, Paulette Everson, Cyndi’s E-Mail: cyndi.r.hill@gmail.com Brandon Nadeau, Mike Nix, Karla Ranisate, Amy’s E-Mail: treasurer@faithlutheranvc.org Tyler Van Bruggen, Cindy Waagen, Jeremy Wendi’s E-Mail: wendi.wilmes@gmail.com Wiebe Mark’s E-Mail: mbrandvold@valleyplainsequipment.com “Rejoice! The Lord is near.” Philippians 4:5
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