Faith E-news    March 4, 2016  

Quick Notes and Reminders    

Please check the calendar for more information.


Food Pantry Item for March is Peanut Butter

Faith Feast  The menu for Wednesday, March 9, will feature corn beef and cabbage. 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).

This Week's Ministry Blog 
At Home with Compassion  
 
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
 
I was back to my home town the other day visiting my mother and drove by the house I grew up in. It was a long time ago when I left there for college and then to live in many other places. To see my childhood house naturally brought back memories. You know how that is. The memories remind us of the importance of place and what it means to be home. Mary and I have moved enough so that we have wondered where we feel most at home. Everywhere we have lived has brought wonderful connections, friendships and more dear memories. It has helped us widen our understanding of home.
 
Now in Iowa we have come to appreciate a new place and feel once again that we are home. What makes it so is in large part because of the life and nature of the church. You can say that the gospel is always bringing us back home. The hospitality of congregational life and the means of grace are constantly returning us to the heart of our relationship with God and with others.
 
The parable of the prodigal son shapes an important understanding of what it takes to feel at home. We learn that it is not merely us finding a place to call home but the realization that by God's grace we are found to be at home. In other words, home is where love abides.
 
In the parable we see the wayward son coming to his senses to return home. We see his older brother who has never left home. At the center of the story is the father who filled with compassion runs down the road with open arms to welcome in the prodigal; he then turns to his elder son to remind him that he too shares in the same compassion that brings them all together.
 
Lent is a season for homecoming. The time invites us to participate in compassion in most real ways! This compassion is of welcome, mercy and new beginnings. It turns us to look at our relationships anew and to celebrate the gift that brings everything together. Paul's words are fitting to the parable: that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us (2 Corinthians 5:19).
 
Pastor Randy
 

Sunday School
  
On Sunday, March 6, take time to stroll the Youth's Silent Auction items during the Sunday School hour. There will also be videos from previous mission trips playing in St. Michael's Hall.

On Sunday, March 13, join us for a brief video and engaging discussion led by Brady Campbell, Ministry Assistant. This is part of our Animate Faith Bible Study and will focus on the topic of the bible.
    

Thank You 

Thank you to all of the Thrivent Members who recommended Faith Lutheran Church to be the recipient of their Choice Dollars. Based on your recommendations, we received $8,323 from Thrivent Financial's charitable outreach funds in 2015.
 

Silent Auction and Spaghetti
Lunch This Weekend!
  
Don't forget about the Annual Silent Auction and Spaghetti Lunch this Saturday and Sunday, March 5 and 6!

Saturday, 4:30 p.m.   Bidding Opens

                  6:30 p.m.   Bidding is suspended

Sunday,    8:00 a.m.   Bidding Resumes

                11:30 a.m.   Lunch is served - Free will offering

                12:30 p.m    Bidding closes

                12:30 p.m.   Tanzanian auction

                  1:00 p.m.   Check-out begins  

 


Children and Family Ministry Interim Directors
 
Andrea Stone and Erika Weber are serving as our Interim Directors of Children and Family Ministry. They will be sharing the responsibilities of leading CFM and working with the CFM Team as we seek to fill the director position. Andrea and Erika have worked together in our ministry to children and families in many different ways. They are very familiar with many aspects of our ministry and bring great enthusiasm for it. Take time to welcome them into their new role among us.
 

Lutheran Schools Week March 6-12
 
Seeds of Faith Logo Seeds of Faith will be celebrating Lutheran Schools Week March 6-12. "God's Kids. Our Kids" is this year's theme. As a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Education Association (ELEA), the preschool recognizes the blessings of teaching young children about God's love. As a faith-based preschool, we pray together, learn and play together, and reach out and serve others together. In honor of this special week, the preschool provided the donuts for fellowship and the flowers for this morning. This is such a small way to share our gratitude to our church for embracing our ministry. Seeds of Faith will also be making a contribution to ELCA's Good Gifts program. Please contact Heidi LaBounty at [email protected] or 689-8334 if you wish to contribute to this donation in honor of Lutheran Schools Week.
 

Youth Adults and Global Missions Presentation
 
Join us Wednesday, March 9, at 6:15 p.m., in St. Michael's Hall as we welcome a special guest Sarah Brock. Sarah recently returned to Minnesota after a year of service in Rwanda with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) Young Adults in Global Mission program. YAGM is one of the programs this congregation is supporting through our Renewing Faith Capital Campaign tithe to Always Being Made New:The Campaign for the ELCA.
 

Faith Hosting Family Promise Families 
 
family promise Our congregation will be hosting Family Promise - homeless families with children - at the Gathering House from Sunday, March 27- Sunday, April 3. There will again be opportunities to prepare and/or serve meals, to host during the evening or overnight, and help set up and take down needed supplies. Sign-up sheets and additional information will be available in the Commons between services during the next several weeks. Please help us in providing for our guest families.
 

Serve Over Spring Break at Meals from the Heartland
  Meals logo
 Join Meals from the Heartland for their Spring Break Packaging Event! If you're looking for a fun way to earn silver cord hours, or want to spend your day off giving back, this is for you! There will be theme days, music and some friendly competition. Get your friends together and help Meals from the Heartland reach their goal of one million meals from Monday, March 14 - Friday, March 18. Please sign up at www.mealsfromtheheartland.org. Hope to see you there!
 

Change in 2016 Donut Holes
 
Beginning on Sunday March 13, we will be reducing the number of donut holes we order on Sunday mornings. Sponsorships are still available through May at a reduced dollar amount of only $25 per week. Please go to SignUp Genius on the website under Quick Links or contact the church office.
 

Children and Family Ministry     

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Save the Date
VBS at Faith 2016
 

Vacation Bible School at Faith will be Sunday, June 12 - Thursday, June 16, from 5:30-8:00 p.m. for campers ages Prekindergarten thru Junior High. Registration for campers and volunteers will be released after Easter
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Youth and Family Ministry     

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Dates to Remember   
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.