This month, I want to share with you a lovely story of the Spirit at work in this congregation. It all started when Katherine Anderson and Kristin Mensing wanted to have a Christmas craft project for the younger Sunday School children.
They decided to tie in their handiwork with good works, and sell the items they made to raise money for Heifer International. Heifer’s mission is to work with communities around the world to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth. They provide agricultural animals and education to those communities, so that the “gift” may be passed along.
All the Sunday School teachers embraced the craft project, and a recent addition to our community, Ramona Kohrs, volunteered to lead one of the crafting “bees”.
At about the same time, Pastor Miller and Carolyn Miller contacted me. Carolyn reminded me that matching funds from Thrivent for Lutherans’ “Care in Congregations” program were available, and needed to be accessed by the end of the year. She said we would actually be doing a good work just by asking for matching funds -Thrivent needs to give away a certain amount of money each year in order to maintain their not-for-profit status. Up to $1300 could be matched, dollar for dollar.
I told Carolyn about the Heifer project, and she agreed that it would be an ideal match. She and Pastor Miller did the necessary paper work to register our project with Thrivent, and the children got busy.
Katherine and Kristin were pretty sure that the kids would not be able to make and sell $1300 worth of crafts, so we made an appeal for donations to the congregation. By the end of coffee hour on Sunday, December 17th, sales of crafts had raised about $350 dollars, and members’ donations had raised the remaining funds to meet our $1300 goal.
This week we received a check from Thrivent for our matching funds. Early in January, the Sunday School children will decide how they want to spend the $2600 - heifers, geese, llama, water buffalo, trees, there are so many choices in the Heifer gift catalog.
The light of Christ shone throughout this Christmas project—children, parents, teachers, volunteers, generous givers, service organizations, all helping to incarnate, to put flesh on the good news that a child has been born for us, a Savior, Christ, the Lord. Alleluia!
Pr. Parsons
January 7th
Isaiah 43:1-7; Psalm 29; Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
January 14th
Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 36:5-10; 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11; John 2:1-11
January 21st
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21
January 28th
Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Luke 4:21-30
Stewardship Report for January
- Sunday attendance in December averaged 113 (through December 24)
- Sunday offerings averaged $2630.
Servers for Sundays in January
Sunday, January 7th Assisting Minister - Berthe Razafindramaro; Communion Assistant - Edmond
Rakotonjanahary; Lector - Emma Vizzini; Acolytes: Stacy Locke, Nils Axen, Eliza Dumais
Coffee hour: Mark & Zlatka Lennihan
Sunday January 14th Assisting Minister - David Dumais; Communion Assistant - Jeanne Somers;
Lector -Evelyn Larson; Acolytes: Izzy Hiigel, Katherine Dumais, Rondy Bholanauth
Coffee HourTBA
Sunday January 21st Assisting Minister -Gene Hiigel; Communion Assistant -Kathleen Axen;
Lector -Minter Krotzer; Acolytes: Liana Fong, Matthew Croak, Mallory Croak Coffee Hour: TBA
Sunday, January 28th Assisting Minister - Jim Vizzini; Communion Assistant - Nanciann Piekarski;
Lector - Valmekie Basil; Acolytes: Katherine Dumais, Siiri Rikala, Nicholas Fasano Coffee Hour: Genis/Dumais Family
Member Birthdays in January
Evan Gruenburg 1/5
Pat Luback 1/18
Donald Smith 1/6
Colene Williams 1/18
Sarah Wamester 1/10
Frankie Luback 1/20
Minter Krotzer 1/11
Judy Diers 1/21
Emily Schamann 1/14
Fran Fong 1/27
Roger Rakotondrazafy 1/31
Memorials
Memorial Gifts have been received in loving memory of:
Marie Smith, born 1/3… from Ruth Gerlitz
Lillie Spach, born 1/24… from Margery Baer
