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| Newsletters > Good News > 04-01-08 | ||
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Finally, April is here! Which should mean no more snow and warmer weather. But, there are no promises, because this is the Badger state after all! Let’s just assume April does mean that spring is here. Spring gives us a sense of a “fresh start” and a “new beginning.” Spring is that time of year when … Spring is an opportunity for a “fresh start” and a “new beginning.” With this being the Easter Season we are reminded of the “fresh start” and “new beginning” we are given because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. How wonderful to know Jesus has cleaned up our lives for us, and brings us hope this spring! In God’s newness, Pastor Todd Smith P.S. As you can see, our Good News Newsletter has also gotten a “fresh start” and “new beginning.” I hope you enjoy the new format, and that it feels a little more reader-friendly!
Grab your coffee and donut after worship this April and come to Donuts & Dialogue to hear lots of interesting speakers! Join us on April 6, as we explore a world on the other side of the world! Learn about the simple joys and the daily struggles of life in the small villages of Tanzania, Africa, through vibrant pictures and captivating stories as told by Tanzanian native, Roland Maanga, and missionary, Sue Werner! We will hear about their customs, clothing employment, and much more! Learn all about the Sheboygan County Interfaith Organization on April 20, from Executive Director, Kristin Blanchard! Kristin will talk about all of the various ministries of SCIO, and answer questions. See the video, “Earth Day,” on Sunday, April 27, and hear more on how we can better care for the earth from Joe McKillips!
April’s Donuts & Dialogue Schedule April 6 - Roland Maanga & Sue Werner
PRAISEFEST Come to Praisefest, a joyful worship service, filled with music, with one of our partner congregations, Cross Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, on Sunday, April 6! Worship will begin at 3:00 p.m., followed by a potluck dinner. Please sign up on the kiosk if you plan to go, so we can plan to carpool.
Support the Mt. Meru Coffee Project Congregations like ours have helped make the Mt. Meru Coffee Project grow. When the Project began, coffee prices were so low that many of the farmers could no longer receive a family income, so they stopped tending the coffee plants on their small 1-3 acre farms. The Coffee Project provides consistent and fair prices, and now more and more farmers are diligently caring for their coffee plants, adding new plants and replacing those that have been uprooted. The Diocese of Meru, with your help and help from the Greater Milwaukee Synod, has started revitalizing the 280 acre Makumira Estate so that it can be used as a regional demonstration and training farm. Our synod is asking us, and all of the Mt. Meru Coffee congregations, to help raise approximately $6,000, which is needed to develop this coffee plot. Approximately $2,000 is needed by mid-April for the first stage. Please help if you can! Make checks payable to: First United Lutheran Church, attn: Mt. Meru Coffee Project. Your generosity is very much appreciated by coffee farmers of the Meru Diocese! If they were here with us, they would say…
Thank you! Your support of this year’s Easter Breakfast is so very ppreciated! What a marvelous morning of not only rejoicing in our Savior’s resurrection, but sharing a wonderful breakfast with our church family! The proceeds from this breakfast will assist our youth who will be attending the Appalachian Service Project this summer. They thank you all!!
Pray without ceasing First United has a Prayer Group that meets every Thursday morning from 9:00-10:00 a.m. in the Genszler Room. Each week they read the Bible lessons for the up-coming Sunday, update the prayer list, and pray! They pray for all the prayer requests received - for the church, the world and special concerns. If you have a prayer request, please fill out a prayer request next to the white “prayer box” in the Gathering Area, and place it in the box. If you’d care to join us, please come any Thursday morning at 9:00 a.m.!
Scholarships Available The First United Church Foundation Fund is announcing that scholarships are available for the coming year. Please submit your request/s in writing in the next few weeks to the Foundation Fund for consideration. If you have any questions regarding these scholarships, please contact Dave Dielentheis, Chairperson, or Cindy in the church office.
In the hospital? To insure that the church office and the pastor are made aware of hospitalizations in the most error free and speedy manner, you and your family members are encouraged to notify the church directly, and not rely on the hospital to make that call. The staff does its very best to follow up and visit with our members who are hospitalized, but we are not always informed of newly admitted members, especially if admitted through emergency. If you are admitted, please be sure to tell the hospital, AND YOUR FAMILY, that you would like a visit from your church. The church office phone number is: 452-2401. If it’s after hours, please listen for the extension of either Pastor Todd, Deaconess Deb, or leave a message with the front desk. We care about you!!
Want to go to Tanzania?! The members of our Tanzanian Partnership Committee are in the beginning stages of planning a trip to the Meru Diocese of Tanzania in 2009! We hope to take a small group of six to eight people to visit the members of our partner congregation, the Maangashiny Parish. We plan to visit their churches, schools, and homes, in order to get to know them better, and learn more about their lifestyle and needs. We also plan to go on a safari, and hope to visit the synod office and a Mt. Meru coffee plantation! Do you want to come with us ?! Depending on the time of year we travel, flight costs, etc., the total cost of the trip (including visa and shots, etc.) will be around $4,000 per person. Because this is an important mission trip to deepen our partnership with the Maangashiny Parish, we are exploring various means in which to financially help those who will be going. Please sign up on the kiosk, or talk to Deaconess Deb (452-2401) if you are interested! Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 2, at 12:00 noon, in the Bride’s Room. Please come! Medical Supplies are needed We are collecting medical supplies during the month of April for the “Bread of Healing” medical clinic that is operated by Cross Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, one of our partner congregations. This clinic offers free primary medical care to people in the Milwaukee area who can’t afford health insurance. This care includes medical exams, lab tests, and follow-up care. The clinic is non-profit. Everyone, including the doctors and nurses, volunteer their time and services. Their clinic is in great need of medical supplies! Please help by donating the following items: Accu-Chek ACTIVE Diabetic Glucose Meter Strips (pick up at a pharmacy without a prescription) They are also in need of 8 ½x 11” computer paper, pens, pencils, labels (1x2 ⅝ ”), UN-used cosmetics, all kinds of hygiene products, especially soap, tooth-brushes, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, and gift cards to Staples or Office Depot (to buy office supplies). Please check expiration dates and donate only NEW items that are in SEALED packages. Thank you! ~The Social Ministry Committee
Our Deepest Sympathy We offer our Christian love to the families of...Pearl Harter, at her death; and to Tom & Andrea Thorpe at the death of his grandmother, and Hannah and Emily Thorpe’s great-grandmother.
Food Items needed Please remember to help our hungry neighbors by bringing in non-perishable food items for the St. Mark Food Pantry. There is a collection barrel and a shopping cart conveniently located next to the small “serving kitchen” (next to the Gathering Area). Non-perishable food items, paper products, detergents, soap, and other items can be brought in at any time, and are very much needed! Please see the list below for needed food items: Canned soups (not boxed soups!)
Sunday School Choir Sings Mark your calendars! The Sunday School children will be singing in worship on Sunday, May 18, for the last day of Sunday School
Second Grade Bible Distribution Second Grade Bible distribution will take place at the 8:30 a.m. worship service on Sunday, April 20. Old Testament Instruction will follow at 9:40 a.m. in Fellowship Hall, and it will continue with New Testament Instruction on Sunday, April 27, at 9:40 a.m. Parents are encouraged to attend these instruction periods with their children. If your child is in need of a Bible, or Bible instruction, please contact Mary Gorges in the church office. A letter with more details will be mailed out to all parents of Second Grade youth in late March.
Great Beginnings Sunday Join us on Sunday, April 20, for a morning devoted to showcasing our wonderful preschool. The three and four year olds of Great Beginnings Preschool will be singing at worship that morning, and the teachers will be available for questions. You can even take a tour of the classroom. Please help to support this wonderful children’s ministry here at First United! If you are interested in enrolling your child in our preschool program, we encourage you to call the church office, or talk to either Sandy Gosse or Erin Mueller, our preschool teachers, for more information regarding the school and tuition costs.
Great Beginnings Sunday Special Offering Special offerings on Sunday, April 20, will be dedicated to our Great Beginnings Preschool, which has been serving the early educational needs of children in a Christian environment for over 30 years. Your generous donations help support their educational programs and activities!
Movie Night for 5th & 6th graders rescheduled!! Both Thom and Mary are feeling much better, and are ready to spend an afternoon with the 5th and 6th graders here at church. The movie afternoon for the 5th and 6th graders has been rescheduled for Sunday, April 13, after the late service. There will be pizza and games, and we will watch the movie, “Evan Almighty!” Sign up on the sheet located on the Youth & Family kiosk in the Gathering Area. Questions? See Thom or Mary!
Mark Your Calendars This year our Vacation Bible School will take place during the week of July 28 through August 1. Mark your calendars now! This year we will discover the power of Jesus through a science-themed VBS week. AFS Host Families needed AFS is looking for a few great families to host foreign exchange students arriving in Sheboygan this August for a ten month stay. Many First United members have hosted students in the past. Make life-long connections while you share your family and your love. You do not need to have high school age students of your own to host. Call Cindy Van Akkeren at 458-3761 for more information.
Boy Scout Fundraiser Our Boy Scout Troop 861 will receive 10% of the sales during their fundraiser at The Pizza Ranch in Oostburg on Monday, April 28. The scouts will be washing dishes, busing tables, serving dessert pizza and bringing drink refills to customers. You can help our Troop by taking your family out to dinner that Monday for pizza!
VILs Retirees, 55 and older, are cordially invited to a catered luncheon on Monday, April 21, here at First United. This luncheon, catered by Jumes Restaurant, will include hot ham and beef sandwiches, potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw, fresh vegetables, bread, rolls, beverages and dessert. The cost is just $10 per person. After lunch, we are honored to have Steve Farwig give a presentation on the work of First United’s Foundation Fund. He will tell us how First United reaches out with aid and assistance to a variety of worthy people and causes. Learn, too, about living wills, health care power of attorney, and other matters of interest to those 55 years and older. Please call the church office to make your reservation. Your VIL Advisory Committee also needs your help in planning future programs! They currently have 2 possibilities for you to consider: Fireside Theater matinee presentation of Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes.” Cost is estimated at $75 per person for dinner, show and transportation. The Milwaukee Museum exhibit “Body Worlds” featuring nearly 200 real human specimens so that visitors can better understand the wonders of the human body. Estimated cost is $45 for the exhibit, lunch and transportation. If either or both of these interest you, please call the church office.
Time and Talent Sunday God has given all his children special gifts. That includes YOU! Not just talents and interests and experiences that are unique to every person - God has also given you spiritual gifts! We use these gifts, guided by the Holy Spirit, to benefit God’s kingdom and God’s people. When we utilize these gifts, we see people’s lives being changed, and we experience great blessing! In worship on Sunday, April 27, we will be filling out Time & Talent forms. The responses will be used to fill immediate needs, and for planning the 2008-2009 program year, starting in July, 2008. Your time and talents are so vital to the ministry of First United! So we encourage you to take some time to think about how God has blessed you, and how you may be able to use your many gifts to serve God, your church, and your community.
What to expect on Time & Talent Sunday Upon arriving at church, pick up your Time & Talent response form and envelope included with your church bulletin. Each member is encouraged to fill out their own response form. (Extra forms are available from the ushers.) After prayerfully considering your gifts and blessings from God, please indicate your areas of interest on the form. Seal your response in the enclosed envelope. Place your response envelope in the basket as you come forward during the offering.
Quilters Do you have any old blankets, sheets, or pieces of material lying around your house that you would be willing to donate to our Quilters? They’ve been working so hard that they’re almost out of material to work with! Please bring your items to the church office!
Women of the ELCA Morning Glories - Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m. Prayer Group - Thursdays, 9:00 a.m. Quilters - 2nd & 4th Wednesdays, 9:00 a.m. Martha Circle - Third Tuesday, 1:30 p.m. Naomi Circle - Second Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. New Spirit Circle - First Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. All Committee Night The next meeting of all committees is scheduled for Monday, April14, beginning at 6:15 p.m. with a meal in the Gathering Area, followed by individual committee meetings in various classrooms at 7:00 p.m. As always, our committees are looking for new people to get involved with the life and decision-making of our congregation. We encourage you to come and sit in on any committee meeting.
Men’s Group The Men’s Group of our congregation meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. All men of the congregation are invited to attend these meetings. On Wednesday, April 2, our guest speaker will tell us about the Student Teaching Program offered at Lakeland College. Please join us!
First Communion Blessings to the young people in Grade 2 of our congregation who received their First Communion on Maundy Thursday, March 20, in the 7:00 p.m. worship service. They are: Meghan Batzner
Good News Deadline The deadline for the May issue of the Good News is April 9. We’re working with the Post Office in regard to time this issue will make it into your homes. As the months go by, and issues make it to your home earlier than expected, our deadline will change. So please, be sure to watch for this deadline as we CAN NOT deviate from the date. Time is needed to transfer our final copy to Liturgical Publications for printing and then back to us for labeling and mailing. Thank you for your patience as we begin this new process. Please help by letting us know if you receive your copy after the 1st of the month.
Interested in Playing Softball? There is a sign-up sheet on the kiosk in the Gathering Area for anyone interested in playing softball this summer for First United on Monday evenings, beginning Memorial Day and running through Labor Day. Both men and women, ages 18-80, are encouraged to join! Please contact Lance Nennig if you have questions regarding this new team!
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