September 2017 Newsletter

Good News Connections Important Dates Coming Up September 3rd – 9a Worship with Noisy Offering for SCC Backpack Program September 4th – Labor Day – Office Closed for Holiday September 6th – 7p Worship September 10th – 9a Worship, 10:15a 1st day of Sunday School September 11th – 4p Acts Adult Study, 7p Council Meeting September 13th – 5:30p Confirmation Small Group Leader Meeting, 6p Confirmation Parent/Student Orientation, 7p Worship September 17th – 9a Worship with Installation of Chelsea Lloyd, Faith Marker, & Backpack Blessing, 10:15a Sunday School September 18th – 4p Acts Adult Study, 5p Worship Committee Meeting, 6:30p Stewardship Committee Meeting September 20th – 6p Confirmation, 7p Worship September 21st – NEWSLETTER DEADLINE September 24th – 9a Worship, 10:15a Sunday School September 25th – 4p Acts Adult Study September 27th – 6p Confirmation, 7p Worship October 1st – 9a Worship with Chelsea Lloyd playing piano Cross Lutheran Church September 2017 Pastor Durk Peterson, Pastor 1246 County Road TT Roberts, WI 54023

Pastor’s Message – It’s Time to “Step Up”!Every month my wife, Susan, and I sit down to pay bills. We gothrough the stack of bills, look them over and then pay them.Some months are easier than others. As we do this, we also keepour church offerings and other charitable gifts on the table.Whether you pay bills online or with automatic payments or bychecks, financial obligations are always in front of us. And,whether you have a budget for spending and finances, thereality is always there.Our church operates solely on the gifts of our members givingfinancial offerings. The budget is set by the congregation eachJanuary and the council oversees the budget throughout theyear.In October you will be challenged with the giving of financialofferings. If you’ve not been engaged in giving, this fall can be agreat time to start. If you are giving at a level you would like toincrease, this will also be a great time increase.Our Lord provides us with income and financial resources for life.Here are a few benefits of giving:  It enables our church to operate and give dollars to our synod for mission work.  Reminds us each week that God provides for us and in our giving we give back a portion of this for the sake of the kingdom.  Helps us to see God is at work in our lives and in our congregation  Leads us to see that giving to church is a team effort- it takes every one giving to the church to make out congregation and its ministries happen.  Opens our hearts to hear Jesus’ message and call to discipleship- sacrificing for the sake of the kingdom.Our Stewardship Committee is organizing this Fall StewardshipDrive for our general budget. On October 8th and 15th we willcelebrate God’s gifts to us and make our commitments to ourLord for the giving of financial offerings.

The theme this year is “Step Up!” This is a call and a challenge togrow in our giving and/or to start giving financial offerings to thechurch.Blessings to all you!-Pastor Durk K. PetersonStaff Locations UpdateOur addition construction has started!The church office operations are nowlocated at the Fouks home with thesame hours as before (Monday –Thursday noon - 4p) and she will be atchurch most Sunday mornings. Tocontact Tiff for any needs, you canstill email or call the church phonenumber. The church phone numberwill be forwarded to Tiff during office hours otherwise you canleave a message and she will get back to you.Amanda will be on site Sunday mornings and Wednesdayevenings. She can be contacted through email or by calling hercell at (715) 220-1064.Pastor Durk will be rotating around local establishments duringconstruction. He can be contacted through his email or bycalling/texting his cell at (612) 702-5509.The sanctuary will always be available for Wednesday andSunday services. All events, committees and ministries willcontinue during construction. Locations of these groups will beannounced through the weekly email, so please watch thatemail for your locations.Updated information will be shared as it becomes available (i.e.when office locations change).Construction UpdateWalls and a roof are being added! Soon it may feel like there islittle to no progress being made. Take heart though, there will beprogress it will just be inside where we will not be able to see it asreadily. So far we are on schedule with the progress of theaddition! Please keep being vigilant and careful while we areunder construction. 3

Satellite restrooms are on the south side of the church. Those will be available until the new restrooms are completed as the interior restrooms no longer exist for the moment. Fellowship hour will continue out of the food trailer located on the south side of the church also. Currently we are in need of only a few people to serve fellowship. If you’d like to fill in those open spots, please contact Tiff in the office If you’d like to see updated pictures of ourbuilding project, you can check out the church facebook page.We will be posting photos there often! If you have any questions,please contact Dave Peterson (715) 426-5533.Welcome Chelsea Lloyd!I am very pleased to announcethat Chelsea Lloyd hasaccepted our offer to becomeour new Choir Director at Cross!The interview team appointedby our Mutual MinistryCommittee consisted of BarbDull, Mary Ellen Melby, and Pastor Durk. Chelsea was raised inStewartville, Minnesota and attended St. Olaf College before sheenrolled at UW – River Falls as a Music Education Major. She sangin the choir last spring for Easter Sunday and was encouraged byour previous director Richard Thomas to apply for our position.Chelsea is very excited to begin her work with us and I am sure willbe well received. She brings a wealth of choir and theatreexperience to her position with us. Now is a great time to join theadult choir! If you have questions, please contact Chelsea at(507) 269-9786 and [email protected] YOU!  Thank you to all who have volunteered to help teach Sunday School and be small group leaders for Confirmation.  Thank you to Kim Olson for making all the food for VBS and to all those who donated for the VBS Dinner.  Thank you to all for your generous contributions this year to Cross!  Thank you to Jim Hartmon for repairing the mower and facilitating the mowing schedule.4

 Thank you to all who have helped arrange, coordinate, and make everything run as smoothly as possible in this transition time!NEW: Connections!Do you want to build some new friendships atCross? Do you want to feel more connected? Doyou want to grow in your faith and in fellowship?We are excited to announce to you that severalnew small groups will be formed this fall at Cross!Connections! will be a new fellowship ministry atCross. The purpose of Connections! is to build friendships, deeperconnections, and have fun in our life together in Christ.Here are the Connections! groups that are forming:* Book Groups: read and talk about a novel.* Bible Study 101 Groups: read a book of the Bible together anddiscuss.* Brew and Bible: enjoy your favorite beer, try new brands andshare devotion.* Women and Wine: taste new wines and enjoy fellowship* Dinner Groups: meet for a meal at different homes for fun andfellowship* Parents of Younger Children: share experiences and tips forparenting.* Wood Working: learn how to make projects from wood* Board and Card Games: play your favorite card and boardgames.* Newly Retired: share how you are doing in your transitions andwhat activities you are pursuing* Knitting: enjoy some fellowship and knit for a while!Each group will have a leader who will facilitate gatherings. Yourgroup will decide on locations, days and times to meet. As Crossgrows this year and the years ahead, the Connections! groups willbe a powerful way for everyone to feel at home and connected.Sign-ups will be passed in worship on Wednesdays and Sundaysstarting in August. Questions or ideas for new groups? PleasePastor Durk at (612)702-5509 or [email protected] 5

Prayer MinistryKeep in prayer Barb and LeRoyDull’s grandniece, Sloan; Barb’sbrother, Dean; Troy Rippentrop’sbrother, Terry; Rich Miller; KayBjerke’s friend, Carol; JessieSimpson’s friend, Ron Leninger;Barb Shank’s friend, Pete Morlandand Karen Melstrom’s sister-in-lawin their struggles with cancer.MaryAnn Hartmon’s great niece,Abby, still needs prayer as shecontinues her journey to controlpain. Others needing our prayers are Connor Dykes for continuedhealing of health issues (Son of Mindy and Dave). Others withchronic health issues are: Denise Wakefield’s friend who has ablood clot in her lung; and Barb Shank’s friend, Jeanine.Give thanks for successful surgery and continued recovery forKaylee Melby and Lee Kempf.On-going prayer concerns at Cross Lutheran are asked forMonica Jensen, Elsie Takle and Jeanne Lang who deal withcomplicated health issues. Remember those loved ones who arein nursing homes; Renay Briese, and Cy Bjerke’s sister, Twilia. Prayfor those who are unemployed and also for those who are servingin the military.Keep the Hartmon families in your prayers as they grieve thedeath of Bob and Jim’s mother, LilyAnn Hartmon.Let us not forget to pray for guidance and wisdom for the CrossLutheran Church body, the Council, the committees, especiallythe Building Committee and Pastor Durk as we enter a largebuilding project this summer.We would appreciate updates from those of you who haveasked for prayer for yourself or for someone else. If you would liketo join the Prayer Ministry Fellowship in the ministry of intercessoryprayer, or have a prayer request please call Sue at 796-2975 orthe Church Office. You may email Sue at – [email protected] you would like to pray with a Prayer Minister please call one ofthe following persons:Diane Ullom – 425-9719 Kay Bjerke – 381-58026

Mary Ellen Melby – 749-3280 Teri Peterson – 749-3502Ron Campbell – 377-5493 Ellen Beer –749-4069Please talk to one of the above persons if you would like tobecome a Prayer Minister. If you know anyone who could use thehelp of Prayers in Motion, or if you can be involved in that ministry,contact Kelly Mansell at 612-655-8307. _______“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Youare reading the column updating you on the people whoseburdens you have been willing to share. When you choose to beon this Prayer Fellowship you also choose to take time out of yourbusy day to pause and pray for the requests that come to you. Ihave people tell me that they felt their burden lessened byknowing that a group of people are remembering them in prayer.Being a part of this group is actually a ministry. Also, pleaseremember to share your requests when the need arises. KnowingChristian Friends are praying for you brings a wonderful sense ofpeace.~~Kay Bjerke, Prayer Ministry September Baptism Birthdays1st – Linda Kempen & Cal Schwartz; 5th – Kylee Collins;6th – Diane Aho & Greta Nyhus; 7th – Caden Sie;9th – Braeden Bloom; 10th – Kerry Schlueter; 11th – Gayle Bohatta;13th – Kristi Miller; 16th – Austin Larson; 19th Grace Mansell;22nd – Indi Hamlin; 23rd – Grace Hanson; 24th – Lee Kempf;26th – Robbie Fouks & Lucy Mansell; 27th – Mona Nelson;28th – Blake Olson; 30th – Zoe & Stone Poeschel & Nate Weinandt 7

Child, Youth and Family Ministry Happenings Amanda Swanson, Director of Children, Youth and Families [email protected] Dan Briese, Education Committee Chair [email protected] Children & Youth Ministry The first day of Sunday School is Sunday, September 10. Please join us for a fun-filled fantastic morning! Sunday School starts at 10:15a and will meet in the sanctuary! There will be a new check-in/check-out process that Amanda will help parents with…nothing complicated! Just a new and better way to ensure the safety of the children and help with attendance tracking. Sunday School will take place in the sanctuary while the construction is being completed. The children will work through 4 different stations (Bible story, craft, game and activity) that will be guided by a teacher. We will still start the hour off with 15 minutes of music and opening activities lead by Melissa Briese! The Sunday School teachers for the 2017-2018 school year are as follows: Preschool/Pre-K: Sarah Host and Kathy Johnson Kindergarten/First Grade: Myah Olson and Marie Hamlim Second and Third Grade: Rachel Welsh and Dan Briese Fourth and Fifth Grade: Kari Johnson and Rachel Vogt Faith Markers Program: Katie Tate Large Group Sundays: Jessica Dahl New this year, is a Children’s Ministry handbook which has all the important dates for this year, information about our Faith Markers program and memory work for all children. In previous years, only the older children had memory work, but this year all classes will work on some sort of memory project throughout the year. The goal is that the children will recite their work as a class at the end of the year. 8

Confirmation/Youth News Confirmation starts on September 13 at 6p! Parents are required to attend this night. The first workshop for students is on September 20. We are planning for a mission trip to BOSTON July 22-28, 2018! We need to have final numbers and a deposit in within 8 weeks of reserving our spot, so if you (as an adult chaperone) or your child is interested in attending, please let Amanda know as soon as possible. High School Youth Group will start in September-the date has not been set yet. Amanda will email families soon! Family News Thanks to all who attend Family VBS! Special thanks to Kim Olson for preparing and serving the food and to Ron Campbell for setting up the decorations! The first family event of the 2017-2018 year will be on Sunday, September 24th after Sunday School. Lunch will be served! 9

Confirmation RegistrationConfirmation starts Wednesday, September 13th at 6p withParent & Student Orientation. Confirmation classes areWednesdays from 6-7:30p. Questions, please contactPastor Durk.Parent/Guardian:________________________________________Address: ______________________________________________City, State, Zip: __________________________________________Home Phone: ________________ Cell Phone: _______________Email Address: _________________________________________Parent Signature: _______________________________________This signature signifies consent use of photographs of your child for church publications, including our website and Facebook page.Child’s Name: _________________________________________Age: ______ Grade 2017/2018: ______ M or FBirth Date: ______/______/______Special Needs or Allergies: ____________________________Child’s Name: _________________________________________Age: ______ Grade 2017/2018: ______ M or FBirth Date: ______/______/______Special Needs or Allergies: ____________________________ 11

September We Date Scripture Reader Communion September 3rd AssistantsSeptember 10th Bill Couch Bill Couch &September 17th Geri CampbellSeptember 24th Teri Peterson Ellen Beer & T Dana Flanders Sydney Burgess Mary Ann Hartmon & Gene Hanson Paul Nyhus Steve & Diane SmartOctober 1st LeRoy Dull LeRoy & Barb Dull Coffee Servers Altar Flowers EternalSeptember 3rd – Mindy & September 3rd – John & September 3rdDavid Dykes Mary Dykstra BeckerSeptember 10th – Jan September 10th – Jim & September 10Manore Carolyn Hartmon Carolyn HartmSeptember 17th – Kevin & September 17th – Robert & September 17Becca Soltis Ellen Beer – In Honor of Sandy Johnso Their 18th AnniversarySeptember 24th – The Nyhus September 24Family September 24th – The Fouks Family – In Hon Family – In Honor of Robbie’s 14th BOctober 1st – Tom & Sue Robbie’s 14th BirthdayCody October 1st – T October 1st – Tom & Sue Cody Cody

eekly MinistersUshers Acolytes Greeters Worship Assistant Dave & Ardie NEEDED Cy & Kay Bjerke Peterson Ron Campbell Elise Bill & Jan ManoreTom & Sue Cody Rippentrop Amanda SwansonCary & Jennifer Savannah Dick & Joy Reese Linda Kempen Leen BrieseLynn & Sandy Lucy Ray & Teri Jane Hamlin Steglich Mansell PetersonTom Sullwold & Rhett Steve & Diane Pam Miles Ray Takle Schweitzer Smart Candle Website Host:d – Janie 0th – Jim & The Graf Familymon If you can’t serve at your scheduled time, please contact the 7th – Bob & Church Office or someone on the Minister list.on Please let us know if you want your name added or removed from a list, or if you need to make any other changes. 4th – The Fouks Thank you for playing such a vital role in the worship experience nor of at Cross Lutheran Church! Birthday Tom & Sue

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Cross Lutheran Church1246 County Road TTRoberts, WI 54023 12