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| Newsletters > Good News > 01-02-08 | ||
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Another New Year, and another attempt at keeping a new resolution. As in the words of Charlie Brown, “Argh!!” I think out of my 46 New Year’s I have experienced, 45 of those years I have NOT been able to keep the resolutions I have made. (The first years of my life, I didn’t make a resolution. I was still trying to figure out this whole New Year’s program!) Let’s commit in 2008 to be a congregation about two resolutions: These are simple resolutions that are worthy keeping, yet can be difficult. May God bless you and your family in the New Year! In His Grace,
Congregational Annual Meeting Part II The second part of the Annual Meeting of our congregation will take place on Sunday, January 27, at 9:40 a.m. in the Genszler Room. The purpose of this meeting will be to adopt a Budget for 2008. Reports from the ministry committees will be available. The Stewardship Committee will present an update. Your attendance as a voting member is most important!
Following the recent Congregation Council meeting, a new slate of church officers has been announced: Congregation President, Sue Kieffer; Vice-President, Sara Larson; Secretary, Steve Hammond. Our thanks to retiring officers and Council representatives that have served us with dedication.
The month of January we will be studying LUTHERAN BASICS. It is a time to dust off what you learned in Confirmation many years ago. Or, if you have come from a different church background it is a chance to better understand the BASICS of being LUTHERAN. All are welcome! Join us in the Genszler Room, beginning Sunday, January 6, at 9:40 a.m.
Children’s Time Plus Each Sunday our church offers a special Children’s Time during the worship services where the children are invited to the front of the church for a special message intended just for them. They are then excused from the chancel to the Chapel for a story, or crafts, or a short movie during the sermon, allowing parents to actually hear what the pastor has to say without interruption. But we need your help! We are looking for moms or dads who could give about 15 minutes once a month to assist in the Chapel. If you are interested, please contact the church office. If you have questions about the program, please see Mary Gorges.
The cold, dark months of winter can seem especially difficult and long, especially when you are grieving the loss of a loved one. Find the support of others who care at our next Grief Support meeting on Tuesday, January 29. We will meet from 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the Genszler Room. Bring your family and friends! - Deaconess Deb
Visitation Team “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” - Matt. 10:40 We’re looking for additional volunteers! Each week our church sends out a Visitation Team to greet the previous Sunday’s visitors with a friendly “hello” and homemade cookies. It’s a marvelous outreach to the people in our community who may be looking for a new church home. If you would be willing to help, please contact Lee Anne in the church office. Thank you!
Deb Binversie to serve as the I am thrilled and very pleased to announce that Deb Binversie has volunteered to serve as our new Befriender Coordinator! As the Befriender Coordinator, Deb will meet with me on a monthly basis in order to assess the befriending needs of our members. She will match and connect those individuals with specific Befrienders through telephone and personal contact, and she will lead the monthly Befriender meetings that are held on All Committee Night. Deb will also be a support to our Befrienders. Deb is a trained Befriender who is very passionate about re-energizing our Befriender program and keeping it alive and active. She is very well organized, energetic, outgoing, and is a true leader. I am confident that she will be a gift to all of us! Deb has asked that we not commission or publicly recognize her during worship, so we will have a private commissioning for her at the next Befriender meeting on Monday, January 14. All current and “retired” Befrienders are invited and encouraged to come and welcome her. We will meet in Room 8 after the All Committee Night dinner, at 7:00 p.m. If you would like a Befriender to contact you, please call Deb Binversie (893-5351) or me (452-2401). Thank you. - Deaconess Deb
In February or March of 2008, Dr. Abe Caceres, a well known music leader in the Greater Milwaukee Synod, will teach music at Makumira University in the Diocese of Meru. This will be the second time that Abe has flown to Tanzania to teach for 2+ weeks. With a doctorate in Ethnic Musicology, Abe brings a wide variety of New World , Old World , Asian and African musical traditions to the classroom. However, musical instruments are necessary to continue and expand this program. To enhance this program, Pastor Pam Marolla, from Our Savior’s Lutheran in West Bend , is raising money to buy instruments in Tanzania and to ship donated instruments from Wisconsin . They are accepting instruments of all kinds, but they must be in excellent condition (for example, the pads on woodwinds must be in very good condition, and string instruments cannot have cracks, etc.). If you have an instrument that you would like to donate, please bring it to the church office by Sunday, January 20, with a note stating that it is for Tanzania . Offerings towards the shipping costs, and supplies such as valve oil, strings, instrument care and cleaning supplies are also very welcome. Makumira University is at the edge of the Makumira Farm property that the Diocese of Meru has identified as an economic development priority. The demand for university education is driving the need to expand Makumira, but dormitory space limits the ability of Makumira to grow. The Diocese of Meru at the request of Makumira has a proposal to build those dormitories on a portion of the farm.
Come in from the cold !! The VILs invite all retirees age 55 and over to their traditional Soup Luncheon on Monday, January 21, at 12:00 noon in Fellowship Hall, where you will be treated to delicious homemade soups and breads made by Bill and Nancy Truby. Following lunch, the movie “A Prairie Home Companion” will be shown, complete with popcorn (if you still have room!). Please call the church office to make your reservation!
Great Beginnings Preschool enrollment Enrollment for the congregation members of First United for the 2008-2009 school year will open Tuesday, January 15. Please watch for further information in the church bulletin!
In Deepest Sympathy We offer our Christian love to the family of Dan Jones at the death of his brother.
The next deadline for Good News articles is Monday, January 7. Please mail, email at office@firstuni.org, or bring your article/s to the church office so that we can include it in the next issue. Big changes are coming for our newsletter! Beginning in April (we hope) the Good News will only be coming to your homes once a month, instead of twice each month. In the interest of paper used, and other costs, there should be a considerable savings. We will be working with Liturgical Publications, who will be training our staff with a new program and set-up, and they will be doing all the printing and collating. The new newsletter will be in full color, which should enhance much of the work we do here at First United, and allow us to feature photos of the many events held here, as well. The only draw back will be the deadline, which will be set in stone, as the newsletter needs to be sent to Liturgical Publications for printing on a set date each month. We’re very excited about the new change, and hope you’ll enjoy the new look!
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