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Rally Day!

Sunday, September 11, Rally Day!

We return to two Holy Communion worship services held at 8:30 a.m. with Electric Gospel, and 10:45 a.m. using liturgy from With One Voice, and special music provided by the Sanctuary Choir. This Rally Day continues with the Vacation Bible School theme: Serengeti Trek! Following the 8:30 a.m. service, Sunday School students will meet their teachers from 9:30-10:00 a.m. ALL are invited to join in the Rally Day activities and refreshments in fellowship hall from 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Sunday, September 18

This Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost we will celebrate Holy Communion at 8:30 and 10:45 a.m. using liturgy from LBW, Second Setting. Special music will be provided by the Christus Choir at 8:30, and the Sanctuary Choir at 10:45 a.m. Three-year olds will receive their first Bibles at the 8:30 a.m. service.

Seminary Professor at First United!

On Saturday evening, October 1, at 7:00 p.m., we have the unique opportunity to hear from a preaching professor from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Craig Satterlee is also Dean of the Doctor of Ministry in Preaching Program, the program in which Pastor Gail is currently enrolled, and happens to serve as her advisor. He is the author of three books on preaching and is the editor of “Preaching Helps” for the seminary’s journal.

On October 1 he will speak in the chapel at First United on “Preaching and the Baptized.” Baptized into Christ, we are all called to preach. While pastors preach from pulpits, Christians preach in family rooms, classrooms, offices, airports, and countless other places. Christians may not speak uninterrupted for twenty minutes, but they do have opportunities to speak to people pastors will never reach. Dr. Satterlee will reflect on the call of the baptized to preach, how the preaching of the baptized relates to the preaching that occurs on Sunday mornings, and how all God’s people can contribute to Sunday preaching by becoming better listeners.

Dr. Satterlee will also preach on Sunday morning, October 2, and hold a “press conference” during Donuts and Dialogue between worship services. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to hear from one of our seminary professors. It promises to be an interesting weekend!

Reflections on the ELCA Churchwide Assembly

Romans 12:1-18

The following is the sermon I preached at First United on August 21, a week after I attended the Churchwide Assembly in Florida as a voting member. Pastor Karl suggested that we include this as an insert to the newsletter, particularly for those who were unable to attend worship that day.

St. Paul writes, “So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.” (Romans 12:5)

Looking around the enormous assembly hall in Orlando, Florida, it was hard to imagine that we were one body. Over a thousand voting members gathered for the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America during the second week of August to discuss a wide variety of issues confronting the church today. From a proposed African descent ministry strategy to a process towards creating a new hymnal, the agenda was jam-packed with items that needed to be voted on by 1,015 people with equally as many opinions. Should we continue to move towards full communion with the United Methodist Church? Should we adopt an Arab and Middle Eastern Ministry Strategy? What should our stance as a church be on engagement in Israel and Palestine?

These were some of the myriad questions put before us as a diverse governing body and somehow, in some way, sometime before Christ’s second coming, and preferably within seven days, we were to come to some decision on all of these matters. One thousand fifteen individuals with one thousand fifteen perspectives and St. Paul would dare call us the one body in Christ. I guess Paul didn’t know how challenging it could be for that many members to navigate Robert’s Rules of Order and still remain intact.

St. Paul also didn’t know that the church might one day be discussing such volatile and divisive issues as the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination, consecration, and commissioning of people in same-sex relationships. These were the two issues at the Churchwide Assembly which drew more than 6,000 individuals to watch the live proceedings online. These were the issues that occupied the most time, both before and during the assembly, involving congregations across the country in a study leading up to the recommendations before the assembly, generating over 28,000 responses from people involved in that study, and dozens of recommendations from synods across the ELCA. Fourteen substitute motions and amendments to the recommendations came before the assembly, in order to more accurately represent the unbelievably diverse opinions that people held regarding the sexuality issues. And, for seven hours on Friday the assembly voiced its concerns, questions, appeals, and convictions. One after another, people approached the microphones with green signs to show their favor for the issue at hand or red signs to show their opposition. Back and forth, back and forth, speaking for and against these issues which hit the very raw nerve of how we read and understand the Word of God. Earlier in the morning 87% of the assembly agreed that we should find ways to remain unified in the midst of disagreements, and yet it wasn’t entirely clear how we would achieve that goal with so many clashing viewpoints. Impassioned individuals on both sides of the debate came forward to tell their stories, to share their convictions, their utter belief that the way they interpreted Scripture was the right way, despite the fact that they were diametrically opposed to nearly one-half of the rest of the individuals in the room. In the midst of such a clash of Biblical understandings, where would we find our unity? How could this many members with this many opinions be called one body? In the midst of such profound disagreement, how could we be members one of another?

After I was chosen last year to be a voting member to the Churchwide Assembly I was quite concerned about the unity of the church and my role in holding the church together in the midst of the debate. From the moment word got out that I was heading to Florida all the way to the night before I left, I was bombarded with viewpoints from all sides of the debate, with people lining up at my office door in order to let me know their opinion on the sexuality issues. I spent the year reading and listening to as much as I could about the issues facing us, from the recommendations of the Task Force on Sexuality to articles in our church’s national magazine to, most importantly, God’s Word itself. And everywhere I looked I saw conflict and disagreement and I prayed fervently for God to show me how I was supposed to maintain the unity of our church in the midst of such divisions. The task seemed weighty and impossible to attain and I could not imagine the burdensome responsibility of trying to hold the church together based on which button I pushed on the voting machine in Orlando.

What I came to realize, however, long before the assembly and through the help of a wise friend, is that while the church, the ELCA in our case, while the church may be divided, the body of Christ cannot be divided by anything we say or do. The body of Christ is knit together by God and God will keep that body together, despite our best efforts to tear it apart. Our history as Lutherans began as a result of not only division in the church but a definite breaking off from the church of the time, namely, the Catholic church. We as Lutherans were born out of conflict, a conflict which, by the grace of God renewed and reformed the church, but more importantly, a conflict through which the body of Christ was not broken. Nearly five centuries later the body of Christ is still being held together, certainly not by our doing, but by the God who continues to love us despite our warring madness. Over the years the body of Christ has weathered the church-dividing issues of

slavery, women’s ordination, divorce, abortion, and apartheid, and it will once again weather the issues of homosexuality now before us. Yes, people will leave the church over the decisions that were made last week, people on both sides of the issue who believe the decisions don’t go far enough towards being truly faithful to the will of God. But the body of Christ will survive this, just as it has survived all of our other decisions in the church, decisions which are limited by our human nature and our persistent conformity to this world.

Evidence that the body of Christ was alive and well in Florida came every morning at 11:00. In the middle of our day together, after two and a half hours of debate in the morning and preceding at least four hours of debate in the afternoon, the 1,015 voting members, the 500 visitors, and countless resource people and staff, gathered together as the one body of Christ to worship the God who made us in our extraordinary diversity. Gays and lesbians sat next to members of a group called Solid Rock Lutherans, individuals who opposed same-sex unions and the ordination of homosexuals. People who spoke at red microphones sat next to those who spoke at green microphones just moments before worship. Nearly 2,000 voices sang with one voice, praising the God who had blessed them with a variety of gifts. And every day, in the center of the day, for Christ is at the center of our life together, the body of Christ received in its hands Christ’s body, broken only for our brokenness, for the sake of the church’s salvation.

It is in this body, the body of Christ broken for us all, that we find our unity, a unity which will prevail whether 87% of the Churchwide Assembly voted for it or not. God’s power to keep us together as the body of Christ is far, far more powerful than our efforts to keep us apart, whether we are debating issues regarding sexuality, worship resources, multi-cultural ministry strategies, or that wall dividing Palestine and Israel. Ultimately, these issues are of this world and all of these issues will one day fade away. In the meantime, God calls us to transformation, to return to that which is truly essential, the one thing that holds us together as the body of Christ, that is, Jesus Christ Himself.

“Marked With the Cross of Christ Forever” was the apt theme of this year’s assembly, calling us back to that which unites us, our one baptism into the one body of Christ with many members. For that miraculous gift of God’s unfailing grace we give thanks. Amen.

-Pastor Gail

RALLY DAY!

Our VBS Serengeti Trek continues as we open the Sunday School year on Sunday, September 11. Make tracks and join us for worship at 8:30 a.m. and an exciting morning of special treats, crafts, and a SCAVENGER HUNT! Children of all ages are encouraged to attend!

Following in the “tracks” of our week of Vacation Bible School, may we ask that you bring a non-perishable food item which will be given to the local food pantries.

We also need help! There is a list posted on the kiosk in the gathering area for you to designate what you would be willing to bring. And...we’re looking for people willing to bake a coffee cake for that morning. Please contact Lee Anne (452-2401) if you are willing to bake.

You could also help with crafts and activities! Please sign up on the kiosk, or contact Carmen Dolson (451-0171).

We hope you’ll join us for a “ roaring ” good time as we continue our Serengeti Trek!!

Rally Day Special Offering

Special offerings on Rally Day will be given to the Fund for Leaders in Mission-Seminary Education. The vision of the Fund for Leaders in Mission is to provide support for all qualified students preparing for ordained or rostered lay ministry through one of the eight ELCA seminaries.

Christus and Cherub Choirs

Our church has an outstanding reputation for excellent music! In order to continue in that tradition, we need the commitment and dedication of both youth and adults! The youth choirs will begin rehearsing on Wednesday evening, September 14, and continue throughout the year. The Cherub Choir rehearsals begin at 5:00 p.m., and the Christus Choir rehearsals begin at 5:30 p.m., both in the choir room. Pizza is offered for supper, serving from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Jeanne Mueller will once again direct these youth choirs, and is looking forward to seeing old and new faces this year!

Five-Star Sunday School Needs You!

Please sign up to be a teacher for this coming school year! Help First United’s children grow with the Holy Spirit. Sign-up sheets will be in the gathering area.

What is Five-Star Sunday School?

One Bible story is taught in different ways over the course of a couple weeks. The 3rd-6th grades are involved in this style of teaching. They rotate to one of five learning centers which include FOOD, SCIENCE, GAMES, CRAFTS and MUSIC. The rotation is crucial because it encourages retention of the story with variety and excitement.

Teachers can select the area of their interest, and are responsible for teaching that class for only 3-5 weeks. This allows our teachers flexibility in their personal schedules during the busy year. Are you interested? Call the church office if you have questions!

Donuts & Dialogue

We have another exciting year of Donuts and Dialogue sessions planned and we hope to see more people join our weekly conversations! Donuts and Dialogue takes place every Sunday morning between worship services, from 9:40-10:30 AM, in the Genszler Room. All adults are welcome to discuss topics facing the church today, study the Bible, and learn more about what members of our congregation are doing to share Christ with others! Please join us this fall for the following:

September 11: Serengeti Trek Rally Day - check out the events in Fellowship Hall!

September 18: ELCA Churchwise Assembly Report from Pastor Gail and Pastor Karl

September 25: South Dakota Mission Trip presentation

October 2: Craig Satterlee, Preaching Professor at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

October 9: Shalom: The Biblical Concept of Peace

October 16: Shalom: The Biblical Concept of Peace

October 23: Shalom: The Biblical Concept of Peace

October 30: Shalom: The Biblical Concept of Peace

November 6: The Challenges of Discipleship: Blessed Living

November 13: The Challenges of Discipleship: Stewardship

November 20: The Challenges of Discipleship: Compassion

November 27: Advent Event

December 4: Annual Meeting, Part 1

December 11: The Challenges of Discipleship

December 18: Christmas Program

Great Beginnings Preschool is a wonderful place for your child to grow and learn!

School has begun, and Great Beginnings starts next week! There are still openings for this fall! If you are interested in more information about our preschool, please call the church office or stop by to get the registration forms.

All Committee Night

The ministry groups of First United will gather on Monday evening, September 12, to make plans for the 2005-2006 season. A “Fall Harvest” dinner will be served in the gathering area at 6:15 p.m., followed by individual board meetings. Please plan to come and share in this time of fellowship and decision-making for our congregation. The boards are always most happy to have new members, so please give serious thought to participating in the activity and worship planning of our church.

Rally Day Displays

All small groups and committees are invited to put up a table display in fellowship hall during Rally Day festivities on Sunday, September 11. Use the display to promote your activity or group, recruit “new members,” or to simply let others know what your group is all about!

Set up can take place at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 9, or from 8:00 a.m. until noon on Saturday, September 10. All groups with a display are responsible for setting it up, and then taking it down immediately following the Rally Day activities. Please call Deaconess Deb (452-2401) by Thursday, September 8, to request table space, or if you have any questions.

Join the New Spirit Circle!

The New Spirit Circle is a Bible Study for women that meets at 7:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday evening of each month in members’ homes. We begin with a Bible study and lively conversation, and then enjoy refreshments and more lively conversation!

The Bible Study this fall will be “No Experience Necessary: Help Wanted.” This study is for women who want to answer God’s call to get to work doing something that really matters. But no experience is necessary, and everyone is welcome!

If you would like to join the New Spirit Circle, please sign up on the kiosk or call Lee Anne Gilson or Deaconess Deb at 452-2401.

San Antonio Fund Raisers

The planning and fund-raising for our trip to San Antonio is in full swing! Sign-up sheets for the next fundraiser is located in the Youth & Family Ministry area. We will be selling “Walking Tacos” at the Christ’s Shore Youth Worship Conference being held at the Armory on Saturday, September 24. This is a full day event and help is needed morning, noon and evening to prepare and sell the “walking tacos.” Sign up on the “Christ’s Shore” sign-up sheet at church!

Holy Weeders

Holy Weeders are reminded to check their flowerbeds. It’s time for some needed trimming and weeding!

We offer our Christian love to the family of Shirley Widder at the death of her sister; to the family of Joan Pangborn at her death; to the family of Audrey Aardappel at the death of her uncle; and to the family of Jim & Pat Torrison at the death of their sister-in-law.

Help Is Needed at Bridgeway

Bridgeway is a transitional housing facility located at 1251 Geele Ave., that is run by the Sheboygan County Interfaith Organization (SCIO). Bridgeway helps women with children who are struggling financially or in other ways. First United is a member of SCIO, and has agreed to help with their evening meal program once a month. On the seventh of every month two volunteers are needed from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. to help with this meal program, wherever needed. This may mean helping the moms prepare, serve and clean up the evening meal, or it might mean playing with the children so the mom can make dinner. The food is provided by Bridgeway, and the volunteers are invited and asked to stay for dinner and eat with the family. We need volunteers forthe next few months! Please sign up on the kiosk to get involved. Thank you!

Nominations Committee seeks candidate suggestions

In the next issue, you will find a survey in the Good News and the Sunday bulletin asking for your suggestions as we seek qualified and committee persons to serve in various elected and appointed positions for our church. Please watch for this survey and return your suggestions to the church office!

Monday Night Books

Clean off your reading glasses, it’s time for Monday Night Books again! We will read four books this year, three of which are novels, all of which have some kind of “religious” theme. Our first discussion will take place on September 26 at 6:30 PM in the Genszler Room. Please read the first book, The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich, prior to the meeting date. We will talk about the book on that date, so bring your insights!

Future Monday Night Books and dates (order your books now!):

December 5: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

February 6: TBA. Please note: the book listed in the last newsletter for this date is out-of-print. We will decide in December as a group what book to read (hint: it will be related to Dietrich Bonhoeffer!).

May 1: Souls Raised From the Dead by Doris Betts

If you have any questions about Monday Night Books, please contact Pastor Gail (452-2401).

W .O .M .E .N of the ELCA

The new 2005-06 booklet of the First United women’s organization’s schedules is printed and ready to be picked up in the church office.

“Here We Stand”

Confirmation Program

We have an exciting year of Confirmation planned for our 7th-9th graders, utilizing a brand new curriculum, “Here We Stand.” This curriculum utilizes solid Lutheran resources that connect with young people and includes Power Point presentations, Internet resources, and other multimedia in order to make faith come alive. “The Lutheran Handbook,” part of the “Here We Stand curriculum, was featured in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, an article that is posted on the Youth and Family bulletin board near the gathering area.

We still need small group guides for the 7 th and 8 th graders in order to make this program successful! Every Wednesday guides are responsible for leading groups of six students in conversation about the material presented by the pastors in the large group. This year the small groups will only meet for 30 minutes and preparation time is minimal. If you are interested in becoming a small group guide, please contact the church office. Spaces are filling fast, so act now!

We also need mentors for our 9 th grade students, men and women, who meet one-on-one with a 9 th grader for conversations on faith and life. Mentors meet on the first and third Wednesdays of the month with their mentees, attending large group sessions from 6:45-7:15 and spending 30-45 minutes with their mentees afterwards. This is a highlight of the confirmation program for many of our students and the mentors who have served in the past say that it is a valuable and rewarding experience for them as well. Please contact the church office if you would like to become a mentor to a 9 th grader this year. Your ministry to our young people would be greatly appreciated.

Confirmation Instruction Begins

Orientation has already taken place for the 7 th and 8 th grade class, and orientation for 9 th grade mentors takes place Wednesday, September 7th. Classes for youth will begin as listed below:

• 7 th & 8 th Grade Class: Meet each Wednesday evening, beginning September 14, from 6:15-8:00 p.m.
• 9 th Grade Class: Meet on the first and third Wednesdays, beginning September 21 from 6:45-8:00 p.m.
  
  
  

Attention - High School Christians!

The Flock is gathering! Each Sunday morning between services, Keith and Sue Potter will be hosting a Christian discussion group for 9 th through 12 th graders. The mission of this group is to relate Christian values to everyday life through casual discussions, fellowship, church and community projects, all while eating snacks and drinking hot cocoa! Remember, just around the corner is Christ’s Shore worship event featuring “walking tacos,” October’s Crop Walk, and the Flamingo fundraiser! The first meeting will be held on Sunday morning, September 18, beginning at 9:40 a.m. Please join us...we’ll supply the mugs!!

Our congratulations to Mark Krebsbach and Erin Traudt who were married August 27 in Milwaukee. May God bless them as they establish a new life together!

Crossways Golf Outing

A golf outing is scheduled for Sunday, October 2, to benefit Crossways Camping Ministries, which includes Pine Lake, the camp that our Confirmation students attend each year. The event will take place in the Green Bay area at two courses to accommodate 18 and 9-hole golfers with an all-you-can-eat chicken dinner to follow. The Packers do not play this day. Registration for 18 holes is $75; for 9 holes, $55 per person, payable to Crossways. More registration infor-mation and registration forms are located at the kiosk in the gathering area. Sign up by September 19 and help benefit our Lutheran camps!

Director of Middle and High School Education Needed

The personnel committee is looking for applicants for the Director of Middle and High School Education. This is a part-time position, averaging 20 hours per week, without personnel benefits. We are seeking people with an education or teaching background. If you are interested in applying, please send your resume and a list of references to the church office, attention Pastor Karl.

Lost and Found

There is a brown, suede London Fog jacket (XXL) hanging in the hallway outside the church office.

Why Buy Mt. Meru Coffee?

You have probably seen the Mt. Meru Coffee display in the Gathering Area at church and wondered, why should I buy Mt. Meru coffee? The answer? It’s allabout doing justice!

The Mt. Meru Coffee Project was organized in 2000, to create a justice based relationship between coffee farmers in Tanzania and coffee consumers in the U.S. It is one element of the ministry partnership we have with the Meru Diocese.

This Project is managed by an all volunteer staff. Their mission: to promote justice by trading fairly. Their objective: to raise the income and standard of living of family farmers by providing a fair price, significantly above market, for their coffee.

Most rural Tanzanianslive on one to three acres of land, grow food for themselves and raise coffee as a cash crop. With low market prices for coffee, farmers are unable to improve their crops or pay for health care and education. The Project provides economic and social justice by significantly increasing their incomes and generating funds which are used for civic and social programs such as improved health care and education for people in the Meru Diocese.

Mt. Meru coffee is made from the highest quality of Arabica coffee, grown in the rich volcanic soils on the slopes of Mt. Meru. All coffee is inspected, sampled and approved prior to import. The coffee is roasted by Alterra to a medium dark roast, providing a rich, flavorful cup of coffee.

Fresh Mt. Meru Coffee is available at the display area located at the far north west side of the Gathering Area (near the sacristy). You can purchase decaf and regular coffee in drip or bean. So pick up a bag today, because doing justice never tasted so good!

Yarn available for Holy Knitters

Thanks to some generous contributions, we now have yarn available for Holy Knitters who are ready to start another Prayer Shawl or Lap Blanket!

We also have a large variety of yarn “remnants” available that are perfect for anyone wanting to make mittens, hats and scarves for Adopt-a-Family and for our local schools. These “remnants” consist of many small to large balls of yarn, and partial to full skeins of many different colors and types of yarn. The smaller balls would be great for adding a design, stripe, or tassel to hats and mittens. They could also be used to knit or crochet small squares for an afghan. There are many possibilities, and we would love to see this yarn put to good use! Some knitting needles are also available, if you need them.

You can pick up the yarn and needles at the next Holy Knitters gathering in Room 8 on Monday, September 12, from 5:00-6:00 p.m., or call Deaconess Deb (452-2401).

Drivers Needed!

Emmanuel Kamana has his temporary driver’s permit and is taking professional driving lessons with Lakeshore Driver’s School. He needs to spend more time driving with licensed, adult drivers. Getting his driver’s license will help Emmanuel and his family be more independent and self-sufficient. We have a car available to use for these driving sessions. Please call the church office (452-2401) if you are able to help. Thank you!

Bible Study Opportunities

First United offers many opportunities to study God’s word together. Listed below are just a few you can choose from:

Morningstar: This men’s group meets for an early morning breakfast and Bible study each Tuesday morning at 6:30 p.m. in the Genszler Room, beginning September 7. Contact Louis Milsted (565-2531) for more information

Morning Glories: Women of the congregation meet each Wednesday morning in the Genszler Room beginning at 11:30 a.m. for study and fellowship. Everyone brings a bag lunch. Contact Jean Craney (467-2546).

Mom’s Bible Study: The moms of our congregation meet each Wednesday morning at 9:15 a.m. for coffee and Bible study in the library of our church. Child care is provided by Mary Eissens. Contact Debbie Schneider (208-1311).

VILs head to Packer Country

On Monday, September 19, the VILs will begin their trip with a tour of the Natural Ovens plant, tour the West of the Lake Gardens, lunch at the Courthouse Pub, and then tour the Packer Hall of Fame as well as take the Stadium tour. The tour ends at Serrogy’s Shop to sample chocolates and coffee. The cost is $39. There’s plenty of room! Contact the church office today!

CropWalk to Make a Difference!

Come rain or shine, many people are gearing up to join in the Sheboygan/Plymouth area CROP Walk for Hunger on Sunday, October 16, at 1:00 p.m. Registration begins at 12:30 p.m. Two routes, one approximately 5 miles long and the other approximately 2.5 miles long, will begin and end at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 623 Ontario Avenue. Twenty-five percent of all the money raised will go to Sheboygan and Plymouth food banks. The 2004 CROP Walk raised $17,512. First United was represented by 64 walkers who together raised $3,177.50, which was the second highest amount raised, and we will be awarded the Silver Sandal award at the start of this year’s walk.

Please continue to show your support by walking or pledging a walker. CROP Walk pledge forms can be picked up at the information table in the gathering area. If you are unable to join us for the walk, please consider pledging a walker, or simply making a contribution to the CROP Walk. Confirmation students in grades 7 and 8 and high school youth will be walking again this year, and will be accepting pledges beginning Sunday, September 18. Your tax-deductible donation can be made payable to Church World Service, or CWS/CROP. Together we can make a difference!

Rainbow Kids is seeking a part-time Executive Administrator, who is experienced in Microsoft Windows, Office, and QuickBooks. Mail or email resumé to: Rainbow Kids, 531 Denison Circle, Sheboygan Falls 53085, or email rainbowkids@excel.net.

Food Pantry thank you from St. Mark Church

To all of our brothers and sisters in Christ, we want to again extend our most profound thanks for your continuing support of our food pantry.

Having written that, we must also mention that the summer months can be difficult for pantries. ... Please continue with your donations. We normally serve between 225 and 275 families per month, but that number will increase as school approaches. With pantry shelves already poorly stocked, we will struggle to help these people without your assistance.

... Currently, we have 27 volunteers working for our pantry. Twenty-two of these people work on pantry days, which fall on the first and third Fridays of each month. The remaining 5 people do various jobs, including shopping, picking up donations, and writing thank-you letters to donors. On the 2 nd and 4 th Wednesdays of each month, our pantry receives food donations from Fresh Brands in the form of packaged products. These products were generally in poor condition, and must be sorted before the shelves are stocked. The job is not especially easy, but it would be less difficult if there were more people to assist. If anyone is interested, they can contact Bev Sorenson at 458-4279. ...

Thank you again for your wonderful, continuing support. May the Lord bless you as you minister to His children everywhere!

-St. Mark Lutheran Church

(Foods most requested by the Food Pantry include soup, peanut butter, cereal, and canned corn.)