GN THE GOOD NEWS ! Community Church of Walker United Church of Christ P.O. Box 267 Hwy 371 & Tianna Drive Walker, MN 56484 (218) 547-1093 Rev. Lynn Strandt Our Mission To offer a welcoming church home to all, where friendships grow, spiritual needs are met, community concerns are addressed and where вЂњGod is Still Speaking...вЂќ NOVEMBER 2014 Discussion Group 9:00 a.m. Worship 10:00 a.m. Sunday School 10:15 a.m. Fellowship 11:00 a.m. The Good News!вЂ”November 2014 Page 2 A PASTORвЂ™S PONDERINGS вЂњSo if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 2 Corinthians 5:17 Driving back from Bemidji yesterday in a snow вЂ�stormвЂ™ was an awakening awareness of the season that is coming after so much nice weather. I was on the lake only a week or so ago. Then when I walked into my office at home, I saw the catalog from which I will be ordering the Advent and Christmas Eve bulletins that Spiritual Life decided on. I heard on the news or someplace that itвЂ™s only 50 some days to ChristmasвЂ¦yikes! Where does the time go? The other day, Kerry helped secure the dates of November 24th and 25th for STS to help us with the hanging of the greens. This weekend we вЂ�fall backвЂ™ as we change back to standard time. Change!! Change is many times hard but it is inevitable. But, perhaps another way to look at it is go ahead and lament what was and move into whatвЂ™s aheadвЂ¦sometimes, actually many times, itвЂ™s pretty amazing. I imagine all of us can think of many wonderful things not expected that arose out of change. I am rejoicing at how the council has evolved into not only a larger representative group, but also how the many more voices are being engaged in decisions that affect all of us. The decisionsвЂ”yes, sometimes bringing changeвЂ”are ones that have been discussed respectfully and then voted on. This, I believe, is how it is meant to be: everyone having an equal voice; the vote taken with the majority ruling; and then we move forward. It is being practiced in other settings than the council, and the feedback that I have been given is that it is appreciated. I appreciate all leaders and chairs who engage this kind of practice, as it allows for the many good ideas each of you have to be part of the solutionsвЂ”the ways we can move into being a more responsive and strong church family. Thanks to everyone who shares their ideas as they have brought about some great solutions and ways of being the church in Walker. After all, only God has all the right answers, so let us continue to allow God to speak through each of us. GodвЂ™s blessings as we move forward together, Pastor Lynn The Church has been given a lovely piano by Loretta and Sheldon Mayclin. We have replaced the large and much older piano with the one from the Mayclins. Perhaps you have noticed this change in the Fellowship Hall. We do thank them for thinking of us and will always remember how beautifully Loretta could play the piano. The older piano is now in one of the Sunday School rooms and LOOKING FOR A HOME!!! If you would like to have this piano, or know of someone who would like it, itвЂ™s your/theirs for the TAKING AND MOVING!!! If you have any questions, please call the Music Board Chair, Darlene at (218) 547-1063 The Good News!вЂ”November 2014 Page 3 MODERATORвЂ™S NOTES As all the leaves and acorns are falling we look to the next season of winter and what our church and our members will be doing. Most of our snowbirds have left and we wish them a great winter and will look forward to them coming back in the spring. Lots of good things are happening in our church: the new Congregational Directory is being worked on; WomenвЂ™s Fellowship are busy with activities; for the younger ones we have Release Time, Youth Group and Confirmation; the policy for the church is being worked on; the HunterвЂ™s Feast is being organized - be sure to buy tickets and attend that great meal. Thank you to everyone for all your hard work. Our council meeting last night was longer than I planned and hoped forвЂ”it was 3 hoursвЂ”I will try my best to make them shorter in future! We did, however, have a lot of things to consider, plus our new neighbors, Northern Peace Funeral Home, came to explain what they will be doingвЂ”their plans are so exciting. Last month I asked that if anyone wanted something on the agenda to let me know by the Friday before the Council Meeting and that is working well. I would like it if reports could be given to me by the Sunday before the Council Meeting in the hopes that this will make is less confusing at the start of meeting. This month I copied all the information and handed out the packetвЂ”but I had forgotten to put the September minutes in that packet! As Barb said, вЂњFirst timeвЂ™s always a goof.вЂќ I will try to get everything in from now on. The Policy Committee is working on the new Church policy and each council member took them home to read. We will be discussing them in the November meeting. Last but not least, remember to check out the Honor Our Veterans bulletin board. We thank them for their service to our country and we are very proud of all you. Your Moderator, Pat Finney The Good News!вЂ”November 2014 Page 4 FINANCIAL SECRETARYвЂ™S REPORT Pledge/Giving Analysis: 09/01/2014 - 09/30/2014 Summary - Non-Pledged 1 - Pledges 2,885.00 10 - Fund Raisers 25.00 11 - Miscellaneous 99.75 2 - Regular 942.00 3 - Plate 243.65 4 - Rent 375.00 Grand Total $4,570.40 Count: 44 Giving selection: Only those who gave Pledging selection: All. Accounts selected: All accounts People where: Excluding terminated/inactive. Also includes: donations individuals, donations groups, membership groups. Thank you for your continued support of the Community Church of Walker UCC. Vera Demars, Financial Secretary and Ruth Niedermann, Financial Secretary Vera mrd@arvig.net Ruth rnieder@arvig.net Home Phone 547-3390 Home Phone 547-1656 UCC COMMUNITY CHURCH COUNCIL MINUTES October 21st, 2014 Attending: Pastor Lynn, Bar b Br ownlow, Deb Far r ell, Pat Finney, J o Hor ak, Alice J ohnson, Dor is Johnson, Ruth Niedermann, JoAnn Rand, Doris Splichal, Sue Standeven, Darlene Stilson, Kerry Swenson. Also attending: Doug Olson Moderator: Pat Finney asked Pastor Lynn to opened the meeting with a prayer. Pat had no report. Jarrod & Jenelle Mankie attended the meeting to give us an update on the Northern Peace building project. Three ponds are being developed on the property and there will be Memorial Paths along the paving stones that will circle the ponds. 64 Cremation Niches, benches and possibly fountains will be placed along the path. A Veterans Memorial displaying dog tags will be made of the large pines that were taken down for the building project. Pastor Lynn: The Confirmation Class will attend worship in Onigum with Pastor Mark Olson, which Council approved. Pastor Lynn created and distributed a monthly вЂњGeneral Use of TimeвЂќ report on her daily activities. Treasurer: Deb presented her report for the board and said church finances still look good at this time. Council approved. Financial: Vera gave her report and Council approved it. Memorials: Ruth made no report. Continued on Page 5 The Good News!вЂ”November 2014 Page 5 Continued from Page 4 Trustees: Kerry would like there to be a "church volunteers" list for anyone who will be working with children. This will solve the problem with the confusion of вЂњwho is doing what.вЂќ Benevolence: "Neighbors in Need" has taken in $350.00 so far for the month of October. Doris J. asked the Benevolence committee if the Christmas Eve Fund collection should be taken earlier in the month when more people would be present. The committee decided to continue doing this on Christmas Eve as done in the past. History: They are making progress. Christian Ed: Jo reports there were 4 kids for the first High School Release Time. There would be a possible 18 kids for the Elementary School group. John Thompson has volunteered to help on April 15th, 2015, for the High School Release Time; 2 adults are required to be present at all times when kids are involved. Advent Workshop will be held on November 30th and the Christmas Program on December 14th. Spiritual Life: Daily Advent books ar e her e and will be put out closer to Advent. The Congr egational Directory rough draft is on the conference table. Please check out the information under your name such as: address, spelling, phone numbers and email. If there is information you do not want in the directory, cross it out. After you have approved it, please initial it. Music: The contract with Luke has been signed for $400.00 a month with one Sunday a month off when Celebrate will perform instead of the choir. An ad for the sale of the piano will be in the Walker paper. There is an ad in the Walker paper for an accompanist for Sunday mornings choir practice and church service. Juliane has volunteered to play the organ for the hymns. We are so pleased about this. Marina has also been so kind as to play the piano until we can find a full time person. When both Marina and Juliane are there at the same time, they will play the hymns together. We are so thankful for these two great and talented ladies for working this out for us. The organ is in need of some attention. Juliane will keep us informed about what the repairman will find. We hope our music budget will cover the expenseвЂ” this is necessary, so letвЂ™s all hope it wonвЂ™t be too costly. WomenвЂ™s Fellowship: The WomenвЂ™s Fellowship meeting will be held on November 19th. The Christmas Tea will be on Saturday, December 6th at 5:00 p.m. Carpets upstairs and downstairs will be cleaned. They are starting to collect shoes for the Sentence to Serve people. Old Business: The HunterвЂ™s Feast tickets are ready to be picked up for people to sell. Pastor Lynn's contract was handed out and read by the council. Discussion and questions followed resulting in corrections and additions being made. Pat read an email from Bonnie Bailey concerning the loan on the van for Tammy Artley. After discussion, Kerry made a motion for the church to pay $565.00 out of undesignated funds in Memorial of Jane Bailey. A paper vote was taken and the results were 7 yes, 5 no. New Business: Pat will be attending the Northern Peace zoning meeting at the city. A motion by Vera to adjourn, seconded by Barb, ayes all. Alice Johnson: Clerk 10:00 p.m. The Good News!вЂ”November 2014 Page 6 Our next scheduled meeting will be Wednesday, November 19th at 1:00 p.m. at our church. Faith Circle will host. All women are welcome to join us for good discussion and great fellowship. On October 27th (and possibly the 28th) we will sponsor a two level carpet cleaning of the church done by the STS crew. The lower level was last cleaned over two years ago and the upper one much longer ago. Since we have a new church vacuum (see Pat smile) it is a good time for a fresh start on all levels. Dates to remember for the future are our Christmas Tea on Saturday, December 6th at 5:00 p.m. Mark your calendars now and invite a friend. We will again take reservations. More details available soon. Women's Fellowship Board Advent Workshop and Pot Luck ItвЂ™s never too early to start thinking about purchasing Christmas Cards. November 30th after Church The Recycled Cards Gals have been busy. Cards can be purchased individually or in bundles. Advent logs & other crafts Look in the Fellowship Hall for cards for all occasions. Bring something to share CHRISTIAN EDUCATION BOARD Our Board met on Sunday, October 19th, at 11:15 a.m. Discussion centered on these upcoming events. Dates are as follows: Advent WorkshopвЂ”Sunday, November 30th (during Fellowship Time). Good fun, learning, and sharing for both young and young in heart. Please plan to join us! All craft ideas are welcome. Just let a member of CE Board know your plans. Another date is December 14th, when our Christmas play will be performed as a part of the Sunday morning service. Please plan to be there! Two sessions of Release Time have been held so far and are going fairly well. October 1st High School group had 4 youth, and October 22nd Elementary School group welcomed 18 kids. Special thanks to Lead Teacher, Amber, and all who assisted with the most recent eventвЂ”Dick, Darlene, and Betty (snacks), Kathy, Jo and Bev (assist) and Pastor Lynn (inspiration and music). Release TimeвЂ™s next date is November 5th. Thanks to all who support our various CE activities! Christian Education Board next meets Sunday November 15th. Blessings to you from the Christian Education Board. The Good News!вЂ”November 2014 Page 7 8th ANNUAL HUNTERвЂ™S FEAST Saturday, November 8th 5:00вЂ”7:30 p.m. Adults $12 Kids 5-11 $7 Show us your hunting license and save $2 RIBS & CHICKEN Scalloped Potatoes Hot Vegetable, Rolls, Salads, Desserts and Beverages Community Church of Walker United Church of Christ Located at the corner of Hwy 371 & Tianna Drive, Walker The Good News!вЂ”November 2014 Page 8 WORSHIP MINISTRY ~ NOVEMBER USHER SOUND SYSTEM Doug Olson Karen Compton and Pat Finney November 2 November 9 November 16 November 23 November 30 GREETERS LITURGISTS Ruth & Earl Niedermann JoAnn Rand Beth Alderson Doris & Don Splichal Meryle OвЂ™Connor Kerry Swenson Chris Kolp Deb Farrell John Thompson Bev Jorland COMMUNION ASSISTANTS November December January February March Steve Bilben Barb Brownlow Don & Doris Splichal Vera Demars Don & Doris Splichal The Good News!вЂ”November 2014 Page 9 PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Let us pray together for: п‚· All the natural disaster victims worldwide. п‚· The victims and their families lost to acts of violence. п‚· Peace in the Middle East and all over the world. п‚· The men and women in the Armed Forces and National Guard who have been called to active duty. We pray for the health of our members, friends and loved-ones: Yvonne Ahles, Ruth Aksamit, Gene Alderson, The Family and Friends of Bill Alderson (GeneвЂ™s Brother), Tammy Artley, Kathy Austreng, Dale Boone, The Family of Ken and Mary Butzier, Lois Caldwell, Jim Canada, Rev. Milan and Joan Davig, Ardith Fischer, Penny Fisher, Vida Fuller, Virginia Hallett, Emma Halverson, Dick Hein, Ed and Betty Hopps, Georgie Howard, Bill Koch, Jerome Markel, Loretta Mayclin, Kristy Meyer, Pat and Bob Moore, Kent Olson, Arthur Reese, Bob Stonebraker NOVEMBER DATES TO CELEBRATE BIRTHDAYS 1 10 11 14 20 21 23 24 25 26 27 29 Ken Huber Paula Stittsworth Peggy Berglund Penny Fisher Jack Metzger Matthew Paul Karen Pooley Beverly Lloyd Deb Farrell Wendy Paul Chris Kolp Vida Fuller Chick Knight Lorraine Henselin Tammy Artley ANNIVERSARIES 6 19 Bruce and Ruby Haugen Matt and Wendy Paul The Good News!вЂ”November 2014 Page 10 The Good News! is a monthly newsletter publication of the Community Church of Walker United Church of Christ located at the corner of Highway 371 & Tianna Drive Walker, MN 56484 Mailing address: P.O. Box 267, Walker, MN 56484 Phone: (218) 547-1093 Email: commchurchucc@ar vig.net Web Site: www.uccwalker.com Rev. Lynn Strandt (218) 547-6413 pastorlynnucc@arvig.net Secretary: Mar ina Lovell Email: commchurchucc@ar vig.net Office Hours: Wednesday and Thursday 1:00-4:00 p.m. Music/Choir Director: Luke Bar nar d Bell Choir Director: Heidi Hoppe Custodian: Pat Finney Email: l.bar n@hotmail.com Email: bbking456@yahoo.com Email: pat57@ar vig.net Church Moderator: Pat Finney Vice-Moderator: JoAnn Rand Clerk: Alice Johnson Treasurer: Deb Farrell Financial Secretary Co-Chairs: Vera Demars and Ruth Niedermann Historian: Darlene Stilson Chair, Board of Trustees: Kerry Swenson Chair, Board of Benevolence: Doris Johnson Chair, Board of Christian Education: Jo Horak Chair, Board of Memorials: Ruth Niedermann Chair, Board of Music: Darlene Stilson Chair, Board of Spiritual Life: Seasonal Co-Chairs Barb Brownlow & Doris Splichal WomenвЂ™s Fellowship President: Jo Horak Minister/Church Relations Board Members: JoAnn Rand (Vice-Moderator), Deb Farrell, Marge Koch, John Thompson Materials for the December Good News! Newsletter need to be in the office by 9:00 a.m. Thursday November 20th, 2014 2 Communion 8:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 10:15 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Choir Practice Discussion Grp Worship Sunday School Fellowship 3 MONDAY NOVEMBER 2014 4 TUESDAY 10:00 a.m.- noon 3:00-6:30 p.m. National Christmas Weight Watchers Tree travelling through Walker 6:00 p.m. Boy Scouts 9 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 10:15 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Discussion Grp Worship Sunday School Fellowship 16 8:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 10:15 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Choir Practice Discussion Grp Worship Sunday School Fellowship 8:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 10:15 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 5 6 1:00-4:00 p.m. Office Hours 1:00-4:00 p.m. Office Hours 4:00-6:15 p.m. Confirmation 1:00-4:00 p.m. Recycled Cards 11 12 13 6:00 p.m. Boy Scouts 3:00-6:30 p.m. Weight Watchers 1:00-4:00 p.m. Office Hours 1:00-4:00 p.m. Office Hours 4:00-6:15 p.m. Youth Group 1:00-4:00 p.m. Recycled Cards 20 17 18 19 6:00 p.m. Boy Scouts 3:00-6:30 p.m. Weight Watchers 8:40 a.m.-3:00 p.m. 9:00 a.m. Deadline for Release Time Elem. Sch. December Newsletter submissions 1:00 p.m. WomenвЂ™s Fellowship Meeting 1:00-4:00 p.m. Office Hours 1:00-4:00 p.m. Office Hours 1:00-4:00 p.m. Recycled Cards 4:00-6:15 p.m. Confirmation 1:00 p.m. Esther Circle at May Creek 6:00 p.m. Board Meetings 24 Choir Practice Discussion Grp Worship Sunday School Fellowship THURSDAY 10 7:00 p.m. Council Meeting 23 WEDNESDAY 25 26 9:30 a.m. 9:30 a.m. Hanging of the Greens Hanging of the Greens 1:00-4:00 p.m. Office Hours 6:00 p.m. Boy Scouts 4:00-6:15 p.m. Youth Group 3:00-6:30 p.m. Weight Watchers 27 FRIDAY 7 SATURDAY 8 5:00-7:30 p.m. HunterвЂ™s Feast 14 15 21 22 28 29 The Good News!вЂ”November 2014 SUNDAY 30 Page 11 8:30 a.m. Choir Practice 9:00 a.m. Discussion Grp 10:00 a.m. Worship 10:15 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Advent Workshop and Potluck Community Church of Walker United Church of Christ P.O. Box 267 Walker, MN 56484 Return Service Requested The Good News! Community Church of Walker United Church of Christ 2014 Place Postage Here