REJOICE REFLECTIONS OCTOBER 2015 Rejoice Lutheran Church 1155 County Rd 75 P O Box 307 Clearwater, MN 55320 Worship Schedule 8:30 am Worship 9:30 Fellowship 10:30 Worship Holy Communion is served the second & fourth Sundays Inside this Issue: Council Minutes Stewardship Financial Recap Celebrations Fall Festival Young at Heart Notices Grow & Go! October Calendar October Servants from Pastor Laurie Weis “Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17 LOVE A neat package tied up in string. The outside looks good; Bring it here, but don’t unwrap it. it should. You might tear the paper It’s been re-wrapped or break the ribbon. again and again; The mystery is what makes it unique. until when Speak about love. it’s opened for good Ponder what’s inside… and set free but hide to be the curiosity. all it’s supposed to be. Tempting, tempting Let’s see! to shake it, break it The wrapping’s undone, lift up the lid, but won’t it be fun forbid all those feelings to see what’s really inside? that might escape and arise Surprise! so disguise It’s empty. them in pretty tissue or foil continued next page
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REJOICE REFLECTIONS OCTOBER 2015
Rejoice Lutheran
Church 1155 County Rd 75
P O Box 307
Clearwater, MN
55320
Worship Schedule
8:30 am Worship
9:30 Fellowship
10:30 Worship
Holy Communion
is served the second
& fourth Sundays
Inside this Issue:
Council Minutes
Stewardship
Financial Recap
Celebrations
Fall Festival
Young at Heart
Notices
Grow & Go!
October Calendar
October Servants
from Pastor Laurie Weis
“Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift is from above, coming
down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow
due to change.” James 1:17
LOVE
A neat package tied up in string. The outside looks good;
Bring it here, but don’t unwrap it. it should.
You might tear the paper It’s been re-wrapped
or break the ribbon. again and again;
The mystery is what makes it unique. until when
Speak about love. it’s opened for good
Ponder what’s inside… and set free
but hide to be
the curiosity. all it’s supposed to be.
Tempting, tempting Let’s see!
to shake it, break it The wrapping’s undone,
lift up the lid, but won’t it be fun
forbid all those feelings to see what’s really inside?
that might escape and arise Surprise!
so disguise It’s empty.
them in pretty tissue or foil
continued next page
Pastor Laurie Weis continued
I wrote this poem nearly twenty-five years ago at a time in my life where there was struggle. And as the years
have passed, I can appreciate the emptiness of the box as a gift in itself, see it as opportunity to fill it with the
love God has given us all; offering it back to God and neighbor.
Within the gift of love God has for us, lie other gifts, too. Some we might describe from a stewardship
perspective as gifts of time, talents, and treasures. How do we un-wrap and offer them a gift so the mission of
God is carried out and a greater good in Jesus’ name is accomplished through you and me? How do we
express our gratitude in gifts of time, talent, and treasures out of all God has given and done for us?
One way is through the body of Christ, as we proclaim and bear witness to the world. As people of God,
people of Rejoice Lutheran Church, we can accomplish much more as a congregation, as a community of
disciples, than we could ever do on our own. Gathering to worship, learn, celebrate, mourn, and carry out the
mission and ministry of God’s kingdom is compounded when we generously give of our offerings of time,
talent, and treasures together.
Our stewardship emphasis during October is Consecration Sunday, culminating with Consecration Weekend
on Sunday, October 18th
. (Please see Paul Amundson’s article about Consecration’s spiritual emphasis
on gratitude and our response to God’s generosity rather than meeting a budget in order to pay the
bills.)
The Bible verse from James is a call for us to live our lives wisely and generously with the gifts given us,
knowing it all comes from God and belongs to God anyway; trusting, too, that what undergirds it all is God’s
steadfast love, a gift given freely in Jesus Christ, who emptied himself through his death and resurrection for
the sake of us all! With gratitude for all of you,
Pastor Laurie
from the Rejoice Church Council
Council Meeting Condensed Minutes
September 8, 2015
Members Present: Chari Ahrenholz, Paul Amundson, Carolyn Bissell, Denise Kantor, Kay Krogstad,
David Lindberg, Janelle Rudningen, Ruthie Seidenkranz
Members Absent: Becky Brzinski, Jim Eich
Advisory Member: Pastor Laurie Weis (present)
Ex-Officio Members: Rhoda Senkler (present)
• Council approved donation of $1,200 from Thrivent Financial Choice Dollars Fund to get Young at
Heart group started.
• Stewardship campaign reviewed; first letter to congregation will be mailed on Thursday, September
24.
• Council discussed 2016 wedding services and implementing weekly communion. No changes will be
made in policy/procedure prior to hiring new lead pastor.
• Two education leaders are needed for 7th
grade confirmation students and one for Sunday School. Also
looking for more musicians for traditional worship service.
We Are Church Together
Consecration Sunday is coming…..
Rejoice Lutheran approaches financial stewardship from a Biblical perspective. We do not view the
money members tithe to the church merely as a weekly bill payment. Rather, we see financial contributions
as a way to help people grow spiritually in their relationship with God by supporting God’s ministry with a
percentage of their income.
Our congregation’s stewardship committee has selected Consecration Sunday as a way to share the
biblical and spiritual principles of generous giving. Consecration Sunday is based on the Biblical philosophy
of the need of the giver to give for his or her own spiritual development, rather than the need of the church to
receive. Instead of treating people like members of a social club who pay dues, we intend to treat our
members like followers of Jesus Christ who want to give unselfishly as an act of discipleship. Consecration
Sunday encourages people toward proportionate and systematic giving in response to the question, “What
percentage of my income is God calling me to tithe?”
Consecration Sunday at Rejoice is scheduled for October 18th
. During morning worship, we are asking
our members/friends to make their financial commitments to Rejoice’s ministries: benevolent, educational,
and missional in this community and around the world.
Every friend and member who completes an Estimate of Giving does so voluntarily during morning
worship. For those who feel opposed to completing an Estimate of Giving, the invitation is done in such a
way that no one feels personal embarrassment if he or she chooses not to fill out an estimate. During morning
worship Pastor Laurie will offer help and direction followed by members making their commitments as a
confidential act of worship and gratitude for all God has given us.
Please join us for a Celebration Luncheon immediately following the Consecration Sunday service. This
is a catered brunch, and not a potluck, for all congregational friends and members. It is a time to celebrate
how richly God has blessed us and our congregation and a small Thank You to the members / friends of
Rejoice for their faithfulness.
Thanks in advance for your enthusiastic participation in Consecration Sunday events,
Paul Amundson, Stewardship Chair
August 2015 Financial Recap
August giving almost covered expenses for the month. A return to Fall programs and activities will
hopefully improve our bottom line.
Our biggest fundraiser, our annual Fall Festival on September 26th
, is an important component
of our financial health. Please support this event in any way you are able. Attend with your family and
friends. Promote and enjoy the day. Sell raffle tickets. Partake of our celebrated Lutefisk & Swedish
Meatball dinner.
Our annual Stewardship campaign will finish up in October. Hopefully you are prayerfully
considering your commitment to Rejoice, especially during this time of transition.
Rhoda Senkler, Treasurer
General Fund Income Expenses Gain/Loss (-)
August $21,751.14 $22,613.99 -$862.85
YTD $171,172.18 $207,201.97 -$36,029.79
Mortgage Fund Income Expenses Gain/Loss (-)
August $7,963.50 $7,845.00 $118.50
YTD $61,373.50 $62,760.00 -$1,386.50
Sunday School Update The children will be singing at both devices on Sunday, Oct. 4.
FALL FESTIVAL DONATIONS
If you’re making a donation to the Fall Festival, please try to drop off by Friday, September 25 if possible.
The office is open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 am-4:00 pm. It will also be open on Thursday (24th
)
evening from 6:00 pm-7:30 pm, and Friday from 7:30 am-7:00 pm. Donations are accepted for Bake Sale,
Silent Auction, Granny’s Attic, Crafts & Gifts, & Produce. Everything that is dropped off needs to be priced
and placed and that takes time. Thank you.
We ask that you be prudent about your donations to Granny’s Attic. We have to deal with unsold items
and have no disposal options for large electronics, old appliances, broken toys, chipped dishes, etc. Please use
good judgement.
RAFFLE TICKETS
Some of you paid for your raffle tickets when you picked them up but have not yet turned in your
completed stubs. By law, each raffle ticket must be accounted for. Please turn in your completed stubs as soon
as possible.
The more we can do before the day of the Fall Festival, the better the day will be. We appreciate your
cooperation!
Raffle tickets will be for sale as long as there are any left or until about 30 minutes before the drawing time
of 5:00pm on Saturday. Our goal is to sell them all.
October Celebrations
Birthdays
2 Emma Marx 8 Richard Bender 14 Kody Kantor 20 Allen Bissell
2 Hailey Michalski 8 Doug McRae 14 Nick Schaeffer 21 Joanne Simon
2 Adelyn Driggs 8 James Miller 14 Jody Trovall 21 Jonette Tschida
3 Abigail Frahm 8 Owen Plath 15 Alan Gross 23 Les Feist
3 Mark Doering 9 Kennedy Bican 15 Jeff Michakski 23 Taylor Anderson
3 Emily Titcomb 10 Linda Boie 16 Brent Johnson 24 Addison Rodenborg
3 Kirsten Nickolauson 10 Josh Linder 16 Rory Graham 25 Edith Johnson