Bulletin Announcements (you may also link to this month's FLARE newsletter for more info)
Sunday School Begins Join us Sunday, September 19 at 8:45 a.m. as we begin a new year of Sunday School. Kids—meet in the fellowship hall for a short opening before going to class. We'll celebrate summer birthdays and enjoy muffins and juice. Adults—meet Pastor Dennis for the adult study in the quilting room at the end of the hall in the Education Wing. Hope to see you there!
Sunday Adult Class: 8:45 AM starting September 19th We'll start the year together by viewing and discussing a 7 part DVD series, “How Lutherans Interpret the Bible” by Dr. Mark Allen Powell. Dr. Powell is a Lutheran pastor and Bible professor at Trinity Lutheran Seminary. He was also a presenter at our E WA/ID Synod assembly of the ELCA last spring. A number of Lutheran congregations have said this is the most helpful thing they have seen on Bible interpretation in a long time. It's helpful of course to see all 7 parts, but each segment can also stand alone. So if you miss a Sunday it will still make sense. Everyone is welcome to join us in the quilting room at 8:45 on Sunday mornings.
Annual FLCW Rummage Sale: Fri., October 1 ~ 9:00-4:00 and Sat., October 2 ~ 9:00-1:00. The Annual FLCW Rummage Sale is coming right up on the first Friday in October! Items can be brought to the church starting Monday, September 27th until noon on Thursday, September 30th. Please, no magazines, shoes, cell phones, computers, or exercise equipment. Please, make sure all appliances and clothing are clean. We will need help marking items and organizing the donations. Please drop in to help when you can. We need lots of help the day and a half of the sale and help with loading leftovers into pickups Saturday a.m. We will also need many pies and bread! BAKERS—Please bring your baked goods in by Friday morning! Any questions? Please call Donna Morris, Diana Lien, Linda Strand or Ann Ringe.
Join the Choir It's time to start singing to get those pipes warmed up for choir rehearsals which will begin in October in the Sanctuary. Of course, we at First Lutheran sing in church every Sunday, (and sing very well, too) but we love to have our choir sing anthems to help celebrate what God has done for us. Please consider joining the choir this fall. Nik Caoile will be back to direct us, and those who come have such a good time. We would LOVE to have you join us! Great singing voices and reading abilities are not the most important factor. The important thing is that you love to sing and learn new music. I have heard many good singing voices in the congregation this summer--we really encourage you to make this commitment. High school students are most welcome.
Ladies—It's time to register for our “Women of Faith Retreat.” We hope you will join us October 8-10 at Lazy F to be refreshed by a weekend of fellowship with your Christian sisters! All ages are invited! Friends from other churches are welcome to attend. The retreat will begin Friday at 7:00 p.m. and will end Sunday morning. Please return your form to the church office. We hope you will join us this year! For more information please see Sheila Johnson or Carla Bergman.
Confirmation Pizza Feed: Wednesday, September 15th at 6:30p.m. at First Lutheran. This is for 6th, 7th and 8th grade confirmation students and their families. (9th graders we will start meeting in October.) Please, tell Pastor Dennis how many from your family are coming so that he orders enough pizza. Church 925-2844 or home 933-2605. Also Sarah Smith will be doing some fun activities with Middle Schoolers this year. Come share your ideas!
2010 High School Youth Gathering: The 2010 High School Youth Gathering will be held Friday, September 17th to Sunday, September 19th at Lutherhaven. The theme this year is “The Road”. The music will be led by Rachel Kurz! The gathering is designed for youth, and adults who work with youth. Eligible youth must be 14 or older, or attending High School. Adult leaders must be at least 21. We must have at least one adult per 8 youth of the same sex. Cost for the event will be $150 (before September 3rd). Get registered early, they are limiting the number of participants to 200, so if you would like to attend, please let Luke & Chelsea know ASAP! http://www.youthgathering.org for updates and more information.
Coins for F.I.S.H: Look for the “FISH Bowl” on the little table by the organ. Do you have any change in your purse or pocket today? Drop it in the FISH Bowl on your way out and help out our local food bank. Thank you!
Food Bank news: Roger McCune, director of the Food Bank announces that “about anything will happily be received by the Food Bank” particularly peanut butter, pastas, canned fruit and produce.
The financial giving statements will be sent via email if the givers email address is in the church computer.If you would like your giving statement emailed to you please make sure the church office has your email address. For those without an email address, a printed copy will still be made available.
The Lutheran is the monthly magazine of the ELCA published through Augsburg Fortress. It nurtures awareness of Christ's presence in our lives and in the world, shares stories of God's people living their faith, connects us with the global Christian community, provides an open forum for discussion, and challenges us to bring God's grace and care to all. Please find several copies of the June edition on the children's table in the fellowship hall and are FREE to take—please help yourself to a copy. Subscription information is found on the contents page if you are interested in receiving it monthly.
"Servant Keeper" is the name of our new Church Management Software. As a result of the arson fire in the offices in October 2007, all of our membership information was lost. The only records that we've been operating with for over a year now is just names, addresses, and phone numbers from a copy of the Church Directory. With the new software, we will again be able to create a database of congregational information to help us in our ministry. This software efficiently handles membership, attendance, labels, groups, graphs, and administration details. It will enable us to quickly and easily do mass mailings, track church groups, do directories, and lots more. Your information will be secure; the program is accessed by the staff alone and will be only used for church purposes. Please fill out the form and put it in the box on the counter of the office, or take it home to complete and mail it to 512 N. Ruby St. You don't have to be a member. All friends of First Lutheran are welcome to be a part of this much needed database. If you have any questions, please contact Carla Bergman.
Consider Simply Giving® Simply Giving® is an automated giving program designed to help you conveniently and consistently contribute to your church. Through Simply Giving®, your financial gifts are made through a pre-authorized withdrawal from your bank account. You determine the frequency of your automatic gift—weekly, semi-monthly or monthly—the option is yours. Your gift or payment is deposited into the church's bank account on the same day it is withdrawn from your account—at no cost to you or the church. You may also designate specific amounts to separate funds, such as Operating Budget, Building Loan, or Youth funds.... Simply Giving® is a reliable, safe way to move your stewardship plan into action. It allows you to share your gifts through planned giving and activates your generosity into ongoing stewardship. Because your gift is given consistently, you won't need to play "catch-up" at year-end or worry about forgotten checkbooks or missed Sunday offerings--especially during the summer and holidays. But you're not the only one that benefits. Your congregation benefits from steady, more predictable revenues throughout the year, more efficient bookkeeping and greater confidence in meeting its financial commitments. Forms are available on the Thrivent Board by the sanctuary doors. For more information contact Jim Stolte, Edna Madsen, or Marla Firman.
The FLARE is a monthly publication of First Lutheran Church and welcomes articles from all members. If you would like to be included on this mailing list please contact the church office, 925-2844 or email us at flceburg@yahoo.com Do you have something for the FLARE? How about a story, poem, testimony of your “faith journey”, book review, thank you note, or favorite recipe? Please submit your FLARE item to the FLC office or by email: flceburg@yahoo.com by the 15th. All articles will be printed in the FLARE upon approval of Pastor and Ministry Associate.
Hospice Friends' Hospitality House: I would like to remind everyone about the Hospice Friends' Hospitality House. The Hospitality House is a place to stay for out-of-town family members that are visiting a loved one with a life threatening illness or attending the funeral of a loved one. This home-away-from-home can be incredibly rewarding for families that are under an enormous amount of stress. The house is available through the generosity of one of our volunteers, Caroline Onstot. She has opened her house to guests, but has promised that they don't have to spend their time engaging in polite conversation with her unless they want to. They have access to the kitchen, their own bathroom, and a private entrance, allowing them to truly use her home as a place of retreat and relaxation. To be honest I feel disappointed in myself that we have not been able to get more people to utilize this service when I know it would be a benefit to them. But I also know that families need a personal invitation to use this type of service. As a family, we were extremely blessed by this service when my mother-in-law, Kathryn Johnson, passed away at the end of August. If you personally know of families that could benefit from this service and/or you want to know more about the Hospitality house, please contact Hospice Friends at 962-7379. ~Sheila Johnson
Café Highlights Women’s Issues: Café is an award-winning, online magazine from Women of the ELCA that features timely articles about faith and life, scripture reflections, and an opportunity for sharing your thoughts with others. The e-zine’s articles will inform and inspire women of all ages. Some of the latest topics covered in Café, are: spiritual consequences of credit card debt, forgiveness for good health, looking at hunger, and the current article, “Timelines and Transition.” Café continues to be well received in young and older audiences alike in our church and beyond. Come to www.womenoftheelca.org/cafe and refresh your spirit.
PRAYER CHAIN When prayer requests come to the office they are passed on to the head of each chain. Each person in the chain calls the next one to inform them of the concerns. If you are interested in being a part of the prayer chain, please call Carla Bergman at the church office 925-2844.