Now that many of you have had a chance to see the wonderful Rich Melheim in action I am sure you are fired up about where Sunday school is headed. We have had almost a year with the Biblesong curriculum which has had some changes and adjustments along the way. We are going to make another change next fall and move to what is called Generations in Faith Together or GIFT. This will still be Biblesong but families will be participating together on Sunday mornings. In continuing with Rich's view of "incubating faith every night in every home" we invite families to participate in Sunday school together. This is a great way to start Faith 5 conversations for the week as well as take home a lesson to explore as a family. GIFT will be a time for elementary age children and their families whether it be parents, grandparents and/or aunts and uncles to engage together in their faith. The middle school and high school students will continue to have a separate curriculum.

If you would like to start engaging in Sunday school with your child now we welcome you to come and join us on Sunday mornings whenever you would like. Please note that the lesson is split over two Sundays. The first part of the lesson is a large group time where students are participating in music, trivia, and theater. The second part of the lesson consists of music with the large group and then we break out into small groups for art attack, and Faith 5. We look forward to having you join us!

Lenten Soup Suppers will begin on Ash Wednesday, March 9, and continue through April 13. This year we are asking members to bring a soup of their choice to share with others, or, you may bring a dessert. Bread will be provided. Serving time will begin at 5:30 p.m. Crock pots will be plugged in to keep the soups warm. If you can provide your favorite soup or dessert, please indicate so on the sign up sheet located on the Welcome Center table. Join us in this opportunity to share in a simple supper of soup and bread prior to each Lenten service. If you have questions, contact Pauline Eisenberg, 377-1318 or Sue Fretheim, 204-9467.

We have been serving coffee with the new Farmer Brothers machines for a year now. We extend our thanks to all volunteers who have set up before the 8:15 service and those who have cleaned up after the 10:30 service. Some of these volunteers would like to take a break. Congregational Care has a new, simplified plan! We would like one person to set up by 9 am and clean up after 10:30 each week. Paper cups would be used so there will be no cups to wash. Questions? Ask anyone wearing an ASK ME ABOUT COFFEE sticker, or call Sue Fretheim, 204-9467.

If you see some folks walking around church with puzzled looks on their faces, or hear them muttering strange foreign-sounding gibberish, chances are you have just encountered one or more of the members of our Greek Class, gathering twice a week under the tutelage of Pastor Bruce Bergquist.

The class has been meeting since early January, and they are now well on their way to becoming "New Testament Scholars"-although they would all most likely chuckle at that designation!

But in truth, they are making good progress. After one recent intense class session, a class member remarked, observing the board covered with all sorts of sentences and phrases written in Greek, "You know, we really have made some progress, haven't we? I can look at that now, and it actually makes sense!"

Half a dozen class participants, including SOTH members Bud Kamrud, Chris Walker, Harlan Fretheim, and Kathy Wendland, are slogging their way through this challenging language-absorbing not only all the unusual and difficult points of grammar, but also adding 30 vocabulary words to their memory banks with each lesson.

So why are these good people subjecting themselves to such a grueling routine? Basically, just because of their love for the Bible and the desire to learn a skill that will help them understand what the New Testament says more clearly. As they advance in their knowledge of Greek, they will appreciate the difficulties of Bible translation, and see how there are emphases and connections present in the Greek New Testament that are inevitably lost in translation.

According to Jeremy Duff, the author of the textbook the class is using, reading the New Testament in Greek is something like watching a football game on TV rather than listening to it on the radio. It's more interesting in many ways-still, ultimately, it doesn't change the score of the game!

Monthly Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America Fellowship Circles:

Ruth Circle: All women from the church are welcome, even if you don't regularly attend. We meet the 3rd Monday of each month at 6:30 pm at members' homes. Contact Lois Lawson, 226-1046, for more information.

Lydia/Miriam Circle: We meet the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 9:30 am at the church. Theme: The people of God: Unity in the Midst of Diversity. Join us! Contact Janet Haferman, 221-1677, for more information.

Mary Circle: We meet the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 1:30 pm at the church. Theme: The People of God: Unity in the Midst of Diversity. Join us! Contact Carleen Thorn, 223-8151, for more information.

Sewing Circle: Meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 9-Noon at the church. Contact Nancy Wick for details.

Good Samaritan Mending Group: Typically meets the 4th Wednesday of each month at 9:00 am at Good Samaritan Village of Fort Collins. Join us!

The Book Club will meet again on March 22 at 1pm at the church. The book is: Elephant Keeper by Christopher Nicholson.  Reviewer: Mary Raich.

Silver Singles: Our Silver Singles meets 2nd Thursday of each month @ 11:30 am.   We will meet at Castillon's located on College Ave on March 10th.  Opal Laird is our hostess this month.

 Crocheters, Knitters and Wannabes... Our Prayer Shawl Ministry has begun in the Narthex area. We meet the 2nd & 4th Thursday of each month. We would love to have anyone who is interested! Come for Fellowship and a cup of coffee!