THANK YOU to our BOLD WOMEN FLCW SERVING GROUP LEADER MISSION TEAM: Evie Nelson; Maxine Loerch; Ellie Schneibel; Deb Kourajian; Joyce Lillemon; Dianne Susag; Joleen Swang
Mission Statement - Women of the ELCA To Mobilize women to act boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ.
Blessed Christmas Greetings, Dear Girlfriends in Christ,
THE WORK OF BEING IN WONDER
Mary treasured up all things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19
Someone once said that after God created the world and assigned various tasks to the elements of his new creation, there was one job that remained unassigned: the work of being in awe and wonder. It is not a task of doing. It is a task of delighting (or simply being in awe)! God then gave that important job to the crowning element of his creation: humankind.
In the scripture verse, we find Mary engaged in this awesome work. She “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
There was certainly a lot to treasure and ponder: a miraculous pregnancy; a healthy baby; a surprise visit by some shepherds; and a report of angels in the skies over Bethlehem!
A few months before these events, Mary had found someone to join her in the work of wonder: her cousin Elizabeth (Luke 1: 39-56). Together, they had delighted in what God was doing for them and through them.
Are we ready for this assignment from God? There is so much for us to ponder. We have awakened to a new day, to a world filled with beauty and delight. Above all, God has given us the awesome gift of his own Son to reshape our future. There is no more appropriate time of the year than Christmas to “treasure up all things and ponder them in our hearts”.
Let us slow down this season – enough to reflect, remember, and recall. Let us put away the idol of busyness. Let us prepare for the work of being in awe of the Lord and all that He has done. Let us readily see the wonders of the Lord.
(Adapted from an article written by David Den Haan)
FLCW UPDATE:
We find ourselves very busy doing “GOD’S WORK WITH OUR HANDS” again this fall. Amidst the busyness, I treasure having a purpose, and most of all, the fellowship of my sisters in Christ as we go about the missions before us. Aside from the regular missions of the fall schedule, we have served three funerals in the last couple of weeks. KUDOS again to our Group Chairman and work groups for their complete dedication to helping grieving families by offering our best hospitality, and hopefully easing that journey just a little bit.
► Just a reminder that STAMP COLLECTING will continue through the month of December. THANK YOU to all of you who have participated in this mission, and especially to Dianne Susag for leading the way and always being so faithful with collecting and preparing the stamps to be sent off.
► CHRISTMAS SPIRIT SALE went well, bringing in about $1,000.00, which included the Caramel Roll sales. THANK YOU to Joleen Swang and Gail Wangen for heading up this project and to the numerous people who helped with this mammoth project. It was a lot of work and a lot of hours. There really was no junk that was donated for this. There were numerous and beautiful holiday items that were donated. We sold a lot, and have since donated what was left to various entities throughout the state. It was a fun project, but probably one that we won’t suggest doing again – at least in the near future.
► THANK YOU to Beth Huseth and Carrie Varner for doing the TRUNK AND TREAT for FLCW. We were blessed to be able to offer over 300 kids from the community into the warmth of our church on a very cold night. COMMUNITY OUTREACH AT IT’S BEST!
► Your Group Chairman are in the process of calling everyone, asking if you would be willing to give toward the BAKELESS BAKE SALE. As I understand, there has already been very generous responses to this endeavor. THANK YOU so much to all who contribute. Your contributions go toward missions and the financial support of our church when needed. FLCW is very instrumental in having the ability to help out with church finances when funds get stretched.
► THANK YOU to the women who served pie and coffee at the COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING SERVICE that was held at our church. Appreciate so very much your doing this after several busy days in the kitchen serving funerals.
► Don’t forget about your THANKOFFERING JARS. Our annual celebration of BOLD WOMEN and THANKOFFERING is set for February 11th. Please take note of ideas for filling your jar with loose change elsewhere in this newsletter ► We are still looking for someone to say “YES” to serving as Vice President for FLCW. I have decided to continue with serving as President, but it would be nice to fill our officer roster. PLEASE PRAY ABOUT ACCEPTING THIS LEADERSHIP POSITION.
► The next FLCW GENERAL MEETING will be Sunday, December 3rd, at 8:45 am. ALL WOMEN ARE WELCOME.
On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:11
In His Service, Kathy Muscha President, First Lutheran Church Women
First Lutheran Church Women's Officers 2022-2023 President: Kathy Muscha Vice-President: Heather Mayer Secretary: Joyce Pestal Treasurer: Evie Nelson
Bible Conversations - All women are welcome!
Bible Conversations will meet at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 13. We will be continuing with the book study. The book is, Hallelujah Anyway Rediscovering Mercy by Anne Lamont. We have chosen a book to study, one chapter each month. The book, Hallelujah Anyway Rediscovering Mercy by Anne Lamont, is available in the narthex. Looking forward to trying something new!!!
The quilters are in need of sheets, sheet blankets, or lightweight blankets to use for liners in the quilts they make for Lutheran World Relief. They don’t need to be in really good shape. It’s all right if they have stains or small holes. If you have any to donate, please take them to the quilting room in the basement or leave them on the pew just inside the office door entrance. Thank you!
Sewers Needed – The quilters are looking for people to sew tops at home. Fabric that is already cut into squares or strips would be provided to you, and you could sew whenever you feel like doing so. There is no deadline. Anyone willing to do this should contact Norma Tureson at 218-340-9511.
THANKOFFERING - February 11th, 2024
For several years, we have encouraged you to put your loose change in your THANKOFFERING JAR, and then bring it to THANKOFFERING SUNDAY to be presented to the Women of the ELCA for churchwide mission work.
I am offering a new twist on how you can fill your THANKOFFERING JAR. Do it by the monthly suggestion, which I offer below, through the month of January, 2024.
December, 2023 - $5.00 in thanks for the GREATEST GIFT that God gave us at Christmas January, 2024 - $1.00 for every day in January that the high temperature is above 20 degrees
This is simply a suggestion, but maybe can put a little more fun in our giving.
Contact Kathy Muscha (701-341-1127) if you are in need of a THANKOFERING JAR.