Quick Notes and Reminders
Please check the calendar for more information.
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Food Pantry Item for August is 100% Juice in cans or plastic bottles.
June Donated Totals were 81 items and $515.00
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This Week's Ministry Blog
It Takes Time
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 John 6:24-35
It takes time. Healthy relationships take time to cultivate, grow and mature. It takes time, commitment, understanding, patience and trust. We see this in the way Jesus took time with the crowds after the miraculous feeding of the 5,000 in the Gospel of John. The crowd had experienced the unexpected feast which led them to further seek out Jesus.
On the other side of the sea, Jesus engaged them in a dialogue that increased their understanding of his identity and work. The conversation invited them into the journey.
Jesus: Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life...
Crowd: What must we do to perform the works of God?
Jesus: This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.
The event of the feeding led to the dialogue and the dialogue held the promise of Jesus: I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
In the rush of things it's easy to lose sight of how we are called to be in relationship. In John, the sense of believing goes beyond intellectual assent. It is to participate in the gift of God's love for us and the world. It is an unfolding and dynamic thing. And so when we read these stories in John about bread we cannot help but think of the sacraments and all that we receive through them.
In the sacraments we are held in God's mercy as we are fed by the simple gifts of bread and wine - nurtured in the promise of baptism that we are forever accompanied by God. And so we are enlivened in faith and live into the gift of abundant life.
Congregational life is most alive when we share in the rhythm of weekly worship and are fed by a holy meal. We find meaning in the opportunity to be in caring conversations, to ask our searching questions, to ponder and to wonder together - knowing that the Spirit is in all of this.
As God takes time for us so we take time for one another.
Pastor Randy
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The RenewingFaith Capital Campaign has raised some questions that we would like to share.
Q. Why are we tithing to Always Being Made New: The Campaign for the ELCA when we already give to the ELCA through our regular offering?
A. It has been Faith's tradition in capital campaigns to follow the practice of giving our first fruits through tithing, and an important goal of RenewingFaith is to honor this tradition. Always Being Made New: The Campaign for the ELCA offers a well-timed opportunity to be part of the church as a whole-and accomplish more than we can alone. The majority of Always Being Made New dollars will directly support efforts to end world hunger, poverty, and malaria, while a smaller portion will be used to build up the church's ministry and leaders.
Q. How is our current debt structured, and what do we expect from the $300,000 debt reduction?
A. Faith's long-term debt is approximately $1.9 million at an interest rate of 4 percent, which is fixed until mid-2017. Approximately 14 percent of general giving currently goes to pay this debt. An increase in interest rates would require an increase in expenses to pay this debt, and could greatly impact our operating budget and ministry programs. While we would love to pay the debt in full, a $300,000 reduction helps reduce our debt expenses and risks while still caring for our current and future operating expenses and our ministry goals.
Go to www.faithlc.org/renewingfaith to find answers to more frequently asked questions.
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Did you notice the coffee cart is missing? Coffee and fellowship was moved into St. Michael's Hall last fall and we thought it was time the coffee cart followed. Watch for more new and exciting changes to Sunday morning coffee and fellowship this fall.
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| Altar Guild Needs Your Help |
Would you be willing to launder the acolyte robes on occasion or mend linens when needed? Would you like to help prepare the altar for communion on Sunday mornings? If you would like to help with any of these or have questions, please contact Cheryl at 224-4847 or cheryl.hamilitondm@gmail.com.
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Meals from the Heartland's Annual
Hunger Fight is Coming!
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Yes, it's time to join 15,000 of your closest friends to fight hunger in downtown Des Moines! The Annual Hunger Fight is at Hy-Vee Hall August 26-29. Shifts start at 9:00 a.m. and run until 8:00 p.m. Children as young as five can package so bring your families, friends and co-workers. If you can't package, donations are needed to buy the ingredients. Each meal costs $.20/each. You can register online at www.mealsfromtheheartland.org. The goal is to package 5,000,000 meals in four days and we can do it with your help! The meals are distributed throughout the U.S. and throughout the world. Questions? Contact Sandy Niland at sandy.niland@mealsfromtheheartland.org or at 473-9530.
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Golf Outing Committee is looking for sponsors for contest or door prizes. Do you work for a company that would like to have signage at a contest hole? Would you like your name on a contest hole? No donation is too big or small. Contact a committee member for more details.
Jim Ridge, Marty Dunn, Mary Ellison, Casey Miller, Craig Murphy, Phil Hintz
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Preschool Openings Available for the
2015-2016 Preschool Year
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Seeds of Faith Early Learning Center has a few openings in the following classes for the 2015-2016 preschool year:
* Two-year-old Classes: Fridays from 9:15-11:15 a.m.
* Three-year-old Classes: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:15-11:45 a.m. OR 1:00-3:30 p.m.
* Four-year-old Classes: Monday through Thursday from 12:45-3:15 p.m.
To be eligible for programming, children must be the age for the class by September 15, 2015. Seeds of Faith offers quality faith-based half-day preschool programming for children ages two through five. A ministry of Faith Lutheran Church, Seeds of Faith utilizes the Creative Curriculum and the Project Approach to provide a developmentally appropriate preschool experience in a loving and nurturing environment. Our classrooms are center-based with an emphasis on learning through play. Seeds of Faith is rated five stars on Iowa's Quality Rating System (QRS).
To learn more information or to set up a time to visit, please contact Heidi LaBounty, Director, at 515-689-8334 or seedsoffaith@faithlc.org.
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Parents who are expecting a new baby or who have new babies are invited to attend a baptism orientation. The next quarterly session will be held on Thursday, August 6, at 6:30 p.m. here at church. Please sign up for the class by emailing Kala at kalazanoni@faithlc.org or calling her at 225-8334.
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