Thank you to the Grade 1-6 Sunday School children for sharing their beautiful bell song on Reformation Sunday! Thank you also for making lanterns and singing in worship today on St Martin’s Day. It won’t be long before we start preparing for the Christmas program!
Here are some things to note on your calendar for the month of November:
Nov. 15: Winter clothes drive ends. All are encouraged to share new or gently used (and clean) winter coats, hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves and place in the barrels at either entrance of the church. Donations will go to PPL (Project Pride for Living) and Matter.
Nov. 22: 2nd annual “Family (Advent)ures” An interactive event for families with children of all ages to prepare for the Advent and Christmas season. Families will also participate in a service project assembling care packages for our college age students (see article for more details).
Nov. 29: Advent calendars (with chocolate!) will be distributed to children.
Looking ahead: Christmas program is Sunday, December 13. Final Rehearsal will be the morning of Saturday, December 12.
On Sunday, November 22nd, we will celebrate Thanksgiving at Lake of the Isles. Members of the congregation will offer their reflections on what they are thankful for this year. A pie fellowship will follow the worship service. You are invited to bring canned goods for the Food Shelf.
In honor of St. Martin and his legacy, our St. Martin Fest dinner will kick-off a winter clothes drive for Matter and PPL (Project Pride for Living). Participants are encouraged to share gently used mittens, gloves and hats, as well as new or gently used and cleaned winter jackets. Bins are located near church entrances.
A warm welcome to our new and returning kids in Sunday School!It is so good to have the classrooms filled with children again!We have a great staff of both high school and adult teachers making some wonderful connections with the kids.
Guardian Angel program kicks off this month. The Sunday School children will begin receiving communication from his/her Guardian Angel this month. If you are interested in being a Guardian Angel, please contact Diane LaMere ([email protected]).
Here are October happenings in Children’s Ministry:
October 4: Blessing of the stuffed animals!Kids of all ages are welcome to bring their most treasured stuffed animals for a special blessing after worship with Pastor Haug.A fun and important tradition to honor St Francis enjoyed by all.
October 18: NO Sunday School – MEA break
October 25: Children ring bells in worship.Details will be emailed to families as we get closer to this date.
On behalf of the Church Council, I would like to thank you for your financial gifts. Surprisingly, in spite of the usual low, summer attendance, we were able to stay largely on budget, particularly with our expenses and to move towards a solid foundation for the fall. We faithfully count on September’s strong financial giving to pull us eventually out of the summertime slump. The month of September usually allows us to catch up on the lost income during the summer months and to pay the outstanding deferred expenses.
Unfortunately, this September’s giving was unusually weak. While attendance has been up, and new activities have begun, overall giving has not kept pace. As we head into the month of October with both the TC Marathon and MEA weekend, we anticipate lower income.
I would like to invite you to consider an additional or an extraordinary gift to carry the church through this period. As Pastor Haug has reminded us all in the past, the congregation has no reserves to draw from. We simply try to be good stewards of the gifts we have been entrusted.
Thank you for your prayerful and intentional gifts.
Ross Bartels, Treasurer
As you begin to look at your gently used winter gear from last year and find that your children have outgrown them, please set them aside to donate to our winter gear drive. Winter coats, hats, mittens and scarves are needed. Adults are welcome to contribute as well!
The choir has been rehearsing and is looking for new members to sing major new works for Sunday worship including a Buxtehude cantata for the blessing of the new church bell.
Choir rehearsal is Wednesday nights at 7:30 in Fellowship Hall.
Conversation and Cuisine is a casual evening of getting better acquainted while enjoying a meal in our homes (or choice of a restaurant). Groups of 5-7 members and friends of Lake of the Isles Lutheran Church gather for three meals during the course of the year. Four groups were formed this past year and from all reports, it sounds like they really enjoyed their time together. New groups will be formed so that everyone will have a chance to get to know some more Lake of the Isles members. If you would like to participate in the 2015-2016 groups, please let Janna Haug know by October 4th at the latest. You can talk to her during church coffee or contact her by phone (651-497-0099) or email ([email protected]).
There was a great turnout on a beautiful September day for the pie and ice cream social. As you can see from the pictures below, everyone had great choices of pie and some very tasty homemade ice cream provided by Wendy Westerberg and Margaret Coleman. The Madson Family and Friends provided music during the worship service.
Sunday School starts on Sunday, September 13. Please register now to help with planning. The registration form is on the website (and paper forms are available at church).
We still need teachers — confirmed high school youth and adults who love working with children are invited to sign up to volunteer. Sign-up forms are on the website and paper forms are at the church. Teacher training is on September 9th. More information to follow.
Members of the congregation will offer their reflections on what they are thankful for this year. A pie fellowship will follow the worship service. You are invited to bring canned goods for the Food Shelf.
The choir has been rehearsing and is looking for new members to sing major new works for Sunday worship including a Buxtehude cantata for the blessing of the new church bell.
