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Quick Notes and Reminders
Please check the calendar for more information.
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Food Pantry Item for February is canned soup Faith Feast and Faith Night The menu for Wednesday, February 17, will feature macaroni and cheese. Faith Feast is served on Wednesday evenings from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Come enjoy fellowship and a filling, healthy meal, all for only $5.00 per person ($4.00 for kids nine and under).
Out-to-Lunch Bunch Join us at Mazatlan on Swanson Boulevard in Clive this Thursday, February 18, at 11:30 a.m. Everyone is welcome. Please make a reservation with Kala at 225-8334 or kalazanoni@faithlc.org. |
This Week's Ministry Blog
Into the Wilderness
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It's time for us to go there.
On Ash Wednesday it hit me: this is a strange thing we do.
We listen as the scripture call us to do the things that don't come easy: humility, charity, prayer, fasting.
We confess a lengthy and detailed list of our sins.
We willingly line up to have our faces smeared with ash.
We allow someone to tell us the hard truth that we will die.
We do it publicly.
We do it together.
It's nothing that the people want.
It's everything that the world does its best to avoid.
It's the opposite of what our culture celebrates and values.
Nevertheless, this is the direction we head every year in Lent. And Christians aren't the only ones.
Every major religion has a season set aside for communal acts of mourning and repentance, when all are called to engage in self-discipline and practice compassion. It seems that humanity realized a long time ago that this was something the individual could not do alone. We need a community to face up to the things that scare us the most: our failures, our temptations, our mortality.
And because we do it together, we are engaging in an act of resistance to the most tempting and seductive of lies:
I can do it myself.
I can fix myself.
I can save myself.
I am alone.
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus appears to be on his own out there in the wilderness.
But he is not.
All the while the Holy Spirit is leading him, filling him despite his empty stomach.
Jesus quotes scripture, not to best the devil, but to remind himself that he is not alone.
The Word is his constant companion.
Trust bridges the isolation, bringing the Father close.
And we are there, too. Those hearing this story over the generations are with him, also.
So that for all the times that will come-when it seems as if one is all alone-we can remember the truth. We are not alone. We were never meant to be.
As we set off into the wilderness of Lent, ask yourself:
How will the community go with you?
How might God be present-in spirit, in word, in the flesh?
Pastor Sarah
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Celebrate Valentine's Day at the Faith Café!
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 Youth and Family Ministry is hosting a Faith Café this Sunday, February 14. There will be a variety of hot beverages and plenty of Valentine-themed baked goods for sale (This is in lieu of the coffee normally provided). All funds raised will be used for the 2016 mission trip to Minnesota's Leech Lake Indian Reservation. Please remember to bring cash or a check so you can support our youth while enjoying delicious refreshments!
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Did you know that one of the largest refugee populations in Iowa is from Burma? Did you also know that many of the families at Crestview Elementary are Burmese? EMBARC (Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource Center) will join us on February 14, to share about the different ethnic groups of Burma and the refugee experience. On Sunday, February 21, Marti Jensen will lead Animate Faith Study. Each session of the Animate series offers a video with a well-known Christian thinker and a lively discussion. Join us!
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 Cancer Support Group will meet at the church this afternoon, Sunday, February 14, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. Jan Stegeman, R.N. and Barbara Cavallin, Ph.D. are the facilitators. Anyone who is dealing with cancer, has a friend or relative who is, or is dealing with the loss of a loved one from cancer, is encouraged to come for this inspirational, compassionate, uplifting time of devotion, information, sharing, caring and prayer. If you have any materials that you would like to share with the group, please bring them and join us.
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Picture Directory Inserts are Here!
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The inserts for your picture directory are here! Please pick up one for your directory from the table in the Commons. One per directory please. There is a self-adhesive strip on the back to easily insert it into the directory. If you need a picture directory these are also available.
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Messiah Hall Art Gallery
Artist Meet and Greet
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Krister Strandskov, a student at Grandview University, combines his passion for traditional photography and imaging with his desire to work with his hands. Please stop by the Messiah Hall Art Gallery Sunday, February 14, to see his stunning works and say hello.
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Rachel Corpus, our Director of Children & Family Ministry has accepted a position at Plymouth UCC in Des Moines. Her last day at Faith will be February 28. We will send Rachel, Ed and their children forth with our blessings during worship that day. A reception will be held in Advent Hall during the Sunday school hour for Rachel. Stop by to say thank you and wish her well.
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Don't Forget to Update Your Online Giving to Match Your 2016 Pledge.
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Just a reminder that if you use Simply Giving for your pledges, you need to change your giving to match your pledge. This is not done automatically. If you're writing checks and preparing envelopes every week, you may find it more convenient to give online. In a few short minutes, you can make a one-time gift or set up a donation that will process automatically on a recurring basis. Recurring donations are convenient and provide our church with much needed consistent support throughout the year. To give online, visit our website and locate the link under Quick Links/Simply Giving.
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David Zaun and Jason Humphrey from Harvest Plains Health of Des Moines will be here to tell us about health insurance and the connection to hospitals. On the menu for lunch: baked chicken in lemon sauce. Reservations are required by Monday, February 22. Please make yours by calling Kala at 225-8334 or emailing kalazanoni@faithlc.org. All are welcome!
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 This year's Children's Musical was a great success last weekend. Thank you to all of the members who participated in this wonderful tradition. A huge thank you goes to all of the amazing parents and volunteers who, without your help, the musical would not be possible! There are still programs available if you need a memento.
Anyone wishing to order a photo and/or a DVD has until Sunday, February 14, to do so. The forms are available in the Commons.
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Children and Family Ministry
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 Want to have some fun and raise money for camp scholarships? Buy your tickets now for the annual Mother and Son Dance taking place on Friday, February 19, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. This event is open to the public and all mother and son couples are invited. Couples can be grandmas and grandsons, special neighbors, aunts and nephews...you name it! Enjoy the sparkle and wonder of our winter season at this year's "Snow-Ball"! Each mother (or special friend) will receive a silk rose from her date, dance to a super DJ, play party games, and enjoy yummy refreshments. Tickets are available online , in the church office and before each of the musical performances on February 6 and 7. Want to help with this event? Contact Rachel.
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Holy Communion Retreat and Holy Communion for All Ages
(Date added)
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 We will hold a learning retreat on Sunday, February 21, from 11:30 a.m - 1:30 p.m. and Saturday, February 27, from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m., for anyone wishing to celebrate their first communion. Though many of our backgrounds suggest that first communion occurs in the 1st grade year, we encourage anyone who is ready to receive their first communion to do so. Many children start taking communion at a younger age, and there are older kids and adults who would like to celebrate this milestone in their faith as well. If you or your children would like to learn about communion, regardless of whether or not you or your child have received communion in worship, we invite you to this morning retreat. Lunch on will be served on Sunday and breakfast on Saturday will be served. Please let Kala in the office know if you plan to attend.
We will be celebrating communion on Saturday, March 5, and Sunday, March 6, with the homemade bread that the children made.
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Youth and Family Ministry
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Sunday, February 14 - Faith Café and Bake Sale Tuesday, February 16 - YFM Team Meeting 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Sunday, February 21 - Mission Trip meeting at Faith at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, February 24 - Donations for Silent Auction due (youth service plus 3!) Saturday, March 5 - Set-up for Auction & Lunch from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Sunday, March 6 - Silent Auction & Spaghetti Lunch 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Friday, March 11 - Mission Trip deposits due Sunday, March 27 - Easter Breakfast fundraiser Sunday, April 17 - Baccalaureate for Seniors 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Sunday, April 24 - Confirmation Banquet at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 27 - Last day of Confirmation Classes Saturday, April 30 - Affirmation of Baptism at 5:00 p.m. |
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