H
O LY
N
AT I V I T Y
TIDINGS
WORSHIP SCHEDULE
Worship on Sunday at 8:30 & 10:30am
Education for All at 9:30am (September—May)
Coffee/Fellowship 9:30am-11:00am
Communion Celebrated 1st and 3rd Sunday
of each month
Office Hours
Monday-Thursday
9:00am-5:00pm
Friday (September-May) 9:00am-3:00pm
Friday (June-August)
9:00am-1:00pm
OUR MISSION
~ to learn the Gospel
~ to serve the Gospel
~ and to share the Gospel!
During Lent this year, we will hear from the twelve disciples as
they appear before us and introduce themselves. We will be invited to think about how the lives of the disciples might influence our
lives as modern-day disciples of Jesus. How are we called to
live? Who are we called to be? As followers of Jesus, we can
learn much from those original twelve. Come and be a part of our
Lenten worship series this year as we learn about and from “The
Unforgettable Twelve.” Join us Wednesday evenings at 7:00pm,
following our soup supper.
EATING AND SHOPPING ON PALM SUNDAY!
April 29th is Palm Sunday and we will again be having our breakfast and silent auction! If you are
interested in donating an item (or items!) to the
auction, please contact Brian, Wendy Grimes or
the church office. Donation cut-off
date is Sunday, March 15th. The auction runs from 9:00am-noon.
Our Holy Week Worship
We are also looking for breakfast item donations.
Please sign up on the kiosk if you are willing to donate something for the breakfast.
PASSION /PALM SUNDAY – March 29
8:30/10:30am
9:00am Breakfast and Silent Auction
MAUNDY THURSDAY – April 2
Noon and 7:00pm
GOOD FRIDAY – April 3
7:00pm
THE RESURRECTION of OUR LORD
(EASTER) – April 5
8:30/10:30am
9:30am Fellowship Time
Plan to join us from 9:00-11:00am for a
delicious breakfast of eggs, sausage, pancakes, fruit, juice and coffee. Free-will
offering.
THANKS FOR SUPPORTING THE YOUTH!
Please sign up on the sheet on the kiosk if you can be a worship assistant during Holy Week. We need help on Maundy Thursday and
Easter Sunday. Thanks so much!
You are invited to help plant our Easter Garden! Please bring in cut flowers, green plants, flowering plants (it’s your choice!)
to decorate the altar area for Easter. Items should be dropped off Saturday, April 4th between 9:00am and noon.
You may also turn in an Easter Flowers envelope with your money and we will order flowers for you. Be sure to let us
know by Monday, March 30 if your flowers are in honor and/or memory of someone so we can put the list in our
Easter bulletin. You may pick up your flowers after the 10:30am Easter Sunday service so they can decorate your own home!
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From the Pastor…
As we marked the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday worship on February 18, I could not help but notice that the high temperature
that day was two degrees. While this was certainly uncomfortably cold, and the coldest day in February, it reminded me of one of the
reasons I love the season of Lent. Lent begins in what often feels like the middle of winter (it sure did this year), but when it ends 40 days
later, spring has most certainly arrived. As Holy Nativity nears the end of nearly eighteen months of transition, perhaps it is fitting that it
will end during Lent. As you are likely aware, Holy Nativity will be voting on Sunday, March 1, to call Pastor Ashley Updegraff-Balow as
our new associate pastor. Thank you to the call committee for all their hard work finding us this excellent candidate. We will be blessed
by Ashley’s presence and leadership with us. Please look for more information about Ashley and from the call committee elsewhere in
this newsletter!
In addition to being a season of transition, Lent also offers us a chance to change our routine a bit and spend some time thinking about
our relationship with God, the church, and the world. While some of these Lenten opportunities have already begun, you are not too late
to join us. Wednesday Lenten worship is a great second weekly worship opportunity. We gather together for soup suppers and then worship using Holden Evening Prayer. This year, we are hearing from the twelve disciples and thinking about how we might learn from their
experiences. Note we also worship each Wednesday at noon. On Sunday mornings, our Sunday Forum is a series on Islam. Join us as
we try to move past disinformation rooted in stereotype and fear, learning instead what Muslims believe, how they live out their faith, and
how we can build relationships across the lines of faith.
Finally, I invite you to provide some valuable input to the Church Marketing Team in the form of a survey. You will find a copy in this
newsletter, but the survey is also available online – go to our website, www.holynativity.net, for a link. All individuals age 13 and up
should complete the survey. Please note this survey is intended to give us some valuable data about what our perceptions are of the
congregation. We will use this data in conjunction with data from people outside the congregation as we craft a vision for the future. We
will continue to share our work with you as it develops.
In God’s amazing grace, Pastor Jason
Our next NEW MEMBER CLASS is Sunday,
March 22nd at noon. If you are interested in
Holy Nativity membership, please fill out a registration form (on the kiosk) and turn it in to the
church office or drop it in the offering plate. Child care is available
if needed. There will be a brunch at 11:30am and the class
begins at noon. Please let the church office know if you will be
attending so we can have a count for the brunch.
SPECIAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING!
Please join us on Sunday, March 1st at 11:30am for a special congregational meeting where we will vote to fill the
Associate Pastor position. There will be time for questions
and discussion and a vote will be taken.
Remember...it is the congregation that makes the final decision so let’s have a great turn-out!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Our annual summer Habitat For Humanity project will be the week
of June 15th-19th. We will be working at 3602 Grimes Avenue
North in Robbinsdale.
The Youth will be sponsoring a LIVE AUCTION fundraiser at the
end of April. Watch for the exact date and more information.
Lenten Centering Prayer Group
On Tuesday evenings at 6pm during Lent, members of Holy Nativity will be meeting to practice
Centering Prayer together. Centering Prayer is a
modern expression of the ancient Christian practice of contemplation.
In Centering Prayer we sit in silence for 20
minutes, surrendering the time to God, followed
by discussion.
The remaining dates for Centering Prayer are
March 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31st. Please
join us for this transformative practice! Holy Nativity Youth Intern Brian Rajcok will lead the sessions.
MEN’S FELLOWSHIP DINNER
The next Men’s Fellowship Dinner will be on Sunday,
March 8th at 5:00pm at First Lutheran Church of
Crystal, 7708—62nd Avenue North. The speaker will
be Stew Thornley, the official scorer for Major League
Baseball. He makes the decisions on whether a play is
a hit or an error.
Sign up in the Narthex by March 1st.
FYI: In the interest of safety and security, the outside door locks are being re-keyed in early March. Also, the new LOST AND FOUND
box is now in the entryway.
Time to SPRING AHEAD! …. Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday, March 8th. Turn clocks ahead 1 hour on
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Saturday, March 7th.
Hello everyone! Thank you for your patience and prayer through our discernment of finding the next Associate Pastor for Holy Nativity
Church. We have some information to release on our new Associate Pastor candidate, Pastor Ashley Updegraff-Balow or just Pastor Ashley, as she would say. The reason we, the call committee, choose this particular candidate are the qualities that fit our Ministry Site Profile plus some bonuses we were totally blessed with in this candidate.
Our profile anticipated that this candidate try and fit as many of the goals that we had set forth. The primary goal with the candidate first
and foremost was to build strong working relationships with the senior pastor, other staff and lay leadership as well as build close relationships with all of our church members. This candidate began building relationships with the call committee the moment we met in the first
interview and continued that relationship through this whole process.
Pastor Ashley came into the interviews wanting to learn more from us and why we attend Holy Nativity Church, familiarized herself to our
church looking through all our information, website and newsletters. She had great questions for us as well! This shows a person’s character of total commitment and want to be a part of the relationship with our church. We feel strongly that she will be able to commit to
Holy Nativity as her family is putting roots down here in MN. Plus with her call here, they would begin looking for a home to buy in the
community to be close to their respective work places.
Pastor Ashley is very much behind our mission statement, will provide wonderful outreach to our homebound church members, connect
youth with seniors, share in the leadership where needed and is definitely a team player. Pastor Ashley has an extraordinary ability to be
very efficient and organized in her administrative rolls plus an unprecedented way of remembering names and faces.
Here is a biography on Pastor Ashley –
~She graduated from Luther Seminary, and then served her first call in Urbana, Illinois as an Associate Pastor of Youth and Family Ministry. When in Urbana, Pastor Ashley was responsible for Confirmation, High School Ministry, and providing opportunities for families to
grow together in faith. In May of 2014, Ashley, and her husband, Tim, moved back to the Twin Cities because Tim received a great job
opportunity. They are glad to be back, having fallen in love with the lakes, the snow, and all that the cities have to offer during their years
in Seminary. They are thrilled to be making Minnesota their long-time home.
There are lots of aspects of ministry that Pastor Ashley loves—she loves preaching and building relationships and planning impactful worship and spending time with youth. Faith formation for people of all ages is a passion of hers; we’re all trying to figure out how to follow
Jesus, and Pastor Ashley loves walking alongside others as we do just that—together.
At Holy Nativity, Ashley is especially excited about the ways that the opportunity balances her call to serve youth and families and her call
to be a pastor to all people, leading and caring beyond the realm of youth and family. She’s looking forward to exploring creative and Spirit-led ways to connect to the broader community, and serve alongside the Wildfire and Bonfire congregations. In addition, she’s eager to
seek out ways to draw the people of Holy Nativity into deeper fellowship with each other and God!
Beyond life in the church, Pastor Ashley enjoys reading, going to the movies (can anyone say popcorn?!), and spending time outdoors.
She loves being with her family, traveling, cooking (and eating!), and cuddling with her two cats. Tim and Ashley are big football fans, and
even though they are Minnesotans now, their loyalties still lie with the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Green Bay Packers. Don’t hold it against
them!
The opportunity to serve at Holy Nativity is an incredible gift for Ashley (and Tim), and she can’t wait to get to know the congregation better!~
Join us on March 1st after the 10:30am service to bring all your questions to this special congregational meeting. Let us pray that this will
be the last piece needed to continue the wonderful ministry of our congregation, our community and beyond!
I thank each and every congregational member and leaders who lifted us up in prayer, provided their feedback and most of all trusts us to
do right for this church. I myself was truly blessed to work with 7 wonderful members of our church that helped me grow deeper in my
faith. Please take the time to reach out and thank them for their time on this process!
If you have any further questions or comments, please feel free to speak to any of the Associate Call Committee members.
God’s Blessings,
Tina Haugstad
Chair, Associate Pastor Call Committee
Associate Call Committee members – Bill Hartman, Kristin Daniels, Ted Davis, Connie Toavs, Wayne Moen, Dale Wilson, Pastor Jason 3
(our guiding light!)
Holy Nativity Lutheran Church Council Meeting Minutes - Tuesday, February 17th, 2015
(unapproved)
Call to Order: 7:00 pm
Devotions: Wayne Frederickson
Secretary’s Report: M/S/Approved.
Communications Received: Thank you’s from KidPack for hosting the dinner, LSS of MN for $250 contribution, PRISM for $895 contribution, Dinner at Your Dinner for $50 contribution.
Treasurer’s Report:
General Fund Giving
Operating Fund Income
Operating Fund Expenses
Operating Surplus/Deficit
General Savings Account
Balance
January
Plan
January
Actual
January
Difference
YTD
Plan
YTD
Actual
YTD Difference
33,000
62,790
-47,758
15,032
28,692
58,121
-41,525
16,596
-4,308
-4,669
6,233
1,564
33,000
62,790
-47,758
15,032
28,692
58,121
-41,525
16,596
-4,308
-4,669
6,233
1,564
15,000
½ parking lot revenue received in January. While general giving was under plan, it was $6,000 more than January 2014. M/S/Approved.
OLD BUSINESS: Building Use Committee – Questionnaire to be completed by each ministry team and several other committees (e.g.,
day care, WELCA, kitchen committee, men’s group). Associate Pastor Call Committee – Congregational meeting set for 3/1/15. M/S/
Approved compensation package for Pastor Ashley.
NEW BUSINESS: Appointments to Endowment Committee: Jim Monner (3 year term), Mary Johnson (2 year term). M/S/Approved.
Re-key Locks: M/S/Approved to re-key exterior locks. M/S/Approved to direct staff to establish process for monitoring keys. Housing
Allowance: Per IRS rules, M/S/Approved to designate portion of pastors’ compensation as housing allowance. Council Elections –
One vacancy to fill in May. Dennis will be on the nominating committee. Full church inventory – Nominate Kirby, Wayne, and Jerry to
act as a planning committee – M/S/Approved.
PASTOR REPORTS: Wildfire all council gathering 3/5/15 at 6 pm at Cross of Glory. Church marketing team – Survey going out to all
congregation members. Planning in home meet & greets to get to know Pastor Ashley and talk about our church. Implementing membership sponsors for new members.
MINISTRY TEAM REPORTS: No action items.
Closing prayer by Pastor Jason.
M/S/Approved to adjourn at 8:35pm
Native American Spirituality Seminary
SATURDAY, April 25th in the HNLC
Fellowship Hall 8:44am – 4:30pm. Presenters are
Basil & Charlotte Brave Heart. The suggested gift
donation is $50.00 payable directly to Basil & Charlotte. YOU need to register because there is limited
seating. Contact Wayne or Lori Frederickson at 763533-1181 (leave a message) or [email protected].
Volleyball Anyone???
What?
Adult, co-ed, recreational
(no Olympic style)
When? Friday nights 7:00-9:00pm
Where? Sandburg Middle School, Gym B
Who?
Any adult willing to play non-power volleyball—singles, couples, friends, neighbors
Format: New teams picked each night, play about 810 games, no need to play the full two hours.
Cost:
About $4.00/person/night
March schedule: 6th, 13th, 20th,
???: Call Bob Madsen 763-522-2942 or 612-219-7131
Pine Ridge Mission Trip 2015
HNLC Pine Ridge, South Dakota 2015
Mission trip dates are: Depart HNLC
parking lot SUNDAY, JULY 26TH
6:57am and return HNLC parking lot
SATURDAY, AUGUST 1ST evening. If
you are interested in going please contact Wayne or
Lori Frederickson 763-533-1181 or the HNLC office
763-545-1647.
Thank you to all who have been so generous
K
C
in your donations to KidPack! Please keep in
PA mind that this is an on-going need so you can
D
KI
still donate! $54 sponsors a child for the entire
school year, but any amount is welcome.
The next KidPack bag packing is Tuesday, March 31st at
4:00pm. Please join us!
Contact Deborrah Mickelson (763-559-7665) or Dorothy
Jorenby (763-315-0220) with any questions.
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PRISM FOOD SHELF, AND CLOTHING
PRISM—People Responding In Social Ministry
730 Florida Ave So, Golden Valley, MN 55426
PRISM FOODSHELF, CLOTHING and so much more!! Check
out the PRISM website www.prismmpls.org, or "like" PRISM's
Facebook page or contact Pat Harwell @ 763-544-7186
or [email protected]
MARCH IS MN FOODSHARE MONTH - Our congregation will
join people of goodwill from across Minnesota to help alleviate
hunger. Minnesota FoodShare's March Campaign is the largest
food drive in the state. Last year the campaign raised more than
12 million pounds and dollars for Minnesota's food shelves On
March 20-22 we will Pack the Pews! This is an opportunity for
our congregation to donate funds, engage, and fill our pews with
food. We ask each family to bring a bag of non-perishable food to
church that weekend!
EMPTY BOWLS EVENT - MARCH 3, 4-7pm, Sandburg Learning Center. This is another opportunity to support the PRISM
and NEAR Food Shelves.
NEW PROGRAM TO PREVENT HOMELESSNESS - PRISM has
received a grant from Hennepin County to focus on Emergency
Assistance and Rapid Rehousing and Prevention. They will be
working with people living within the PRISM service area and this
will be one of the first suburban shelter services.
2nd ANNUAL TASTE OF THE BURBS GALA - MAY 28 - again
at the Metropolitan in Golden Valley. Mark your calendars.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES - Volunteers are always needed
in the Food Shelf and Shop for Change, especially as PRISM tries
to increase its service hours. Contact Eleanor Trenary (763-4324210, [email protected]) and she will find just the right
spot for you!
BOOK LOOK!
Mary Coin by Marisa Silver is a fascinating and
very readable book. She takes Dorothea
Lange's "Migrant Mother " photograph as inspiration for a compelling re-invention about
two women, one famous and one forgotten, and the remarkable legacy of their chance encounter.
In 1936, a young mother resting by the side of a road in
central California is spontaneously photographed by a
woman documenting the migrant laborers who have taken
to America's farms in search of work. Little personal information is exchanged, and neither woman has any way of
knowing that they have produced what will become the
most iconic image of the Great Depression.
Three vibrant characters anchor the narrative of Mary
Coin. Mary, the migrant mother herself, who emerges as a
woman with deep reserves of courage and nerve, with private passions and carefully guarded secrets. Vera Dare, the
photographer wrestling with creative ambition, who
makes the choice to leave her children in order to pursue
her work. And Walker Dodge, a present-day professor of
cultural history, who discovers a family mystery embedded
in the picture. In luminous prose, Silver creates an extraordinary tale from a brief moment in history and reminds us
that although a great photograph can capture the essence
of a moment, it only scratches the surfaces of a life.
Mary Coin is a book that you will love for both its story and
the beauty of Silver's writing, as there are passages to underline on almost every page.
Church should be a place for growing healthy minds and spirits, but what about healthy bodies? Much of the time we spend at church
involves food – Wednesday dinners, Sunday coffee, potlucks, the list goes on. The food being shared in these situations often has limited
healthy options – particularly on Sunday mornings where only donuts or other sugary treats are available. We feel providing healthier
options along with the treats might encourage better choices AND allow for wider participation in this time of fellowship. We would like to
find more volunteers to help us in this endeavor. If we can identify a group of 12-15 people willing to participate, we can develop a schedule such that each person only needs to bring something every 3-4 months.
Volunteers will be asked to bring 1 or 2 kinds of fruit – your choice (one week Janet brought 1 cut cantaloupe and ~ 1 ½ pounds of
grapes). On your Sunday, you should bring the fruit cleaned/prepared and ready to set out before 9:30am, and then pick up the containers with any leftovers after the coffee hour is over. The coffee servers already have enough work, so we do not want to leave unwashed/
uncut fruit for them to prepare or expect them to clean up additional leftovers/dishes. At this time, we are not asking the church for reimbursement – so if you are willing, understand that what you spend would be considered a donation.
If you are interested in participating, please talk to Kari Johnson or Janet Kubly, or just go into the link below and sign up for a date (it’s a
google doc, so it will automatically update for all to see). If you find that your schedule has changed go back in and sign up for a different
date, or find someone to switch with. You will receive an email reminder the week of your Sunday.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I6Byr9_HtwSO_r2IlFka8b9eVdj_E7hOhtYTTwOokkw/edit?usp=sharing
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Sunday Forums for March
3/1: “The Jesus Fatwah: Love Your (Muslim)
Neighbor as Yourself”
Session 2: Misconceptions about Islam:
In Which We Help You Adjust Your
Malarkey Filter.
3/8: “The Jesus Fatwah: Love Your (Muslim)
Neighbor as Yourself”
Session 3: Islam in American: In Which We
Introduce You to People Who Love
America and Pray Towards Mecca.
3/15: “The Jesus Fatwah: Love Your (Muslim)
Neighbor as Yourself”
Session 4: Making Connections, Part 1:
In Which Non-Muslims Make a Case.
3/22: “The Jesus Fatwah: Love Your (Muslim)
Neighbor as Yourself”
Session 5: Making Connections, Part 2:
In Which Muslims Have Their Say.
3/29: No Forum (Palm Sunday Breakfast!)
Youth Forums for March
3/1:
3/8:
3/15:
3/22:
3/29:
Forgiveness
Current Events…with Wendy
Theology of the Cross/Theology of Glory
Why Did Jesus Have To Die?
No Forum (Palm Sunday Breakfast!)
Sunday School Notes:
Thanks to all the teachers and kids for a fantastic job on Worship Participation Sunday, February
8th!
The Sunday School kids will begin rehearsing in
March to sing for the 10:30am Palm Sunday service on Sunday, March 29th. Information will go
home with the kids the beginning of March.
Wednesday Night Adult Education
There will not be Wednesday Night Adult Education in March during Lent. April Adult Education
information will be available in the April Tidings.
Camp Wapo and VBS Dates
Mark your calendars! Dates for dates for Vacation Bible School are July 27th–31st (MondayFriday). VBS information will be available and go
home with the Sunday School kids in April.
Please contact Kari Johnson if you have any questions or would like to help with VBS.
Dates for our youth to attend Camp Wapo are
August 2nd-7th (Sunday-Friday). Camp Wapo information is at the Youth Booth. Registrations
are online this year and should be made by
March 15th. Contact Kari if you have any questions or need help with this.
Confirmation Notes:
There will not be Confirmation classes during
Lent, however we would like the kids to attend
the Lenten services on Wednesday nights with
their family or friends.
9th grade students will meet with their mentors
Wednesday evenings during Lent, beginning February 25th. Individual schedules will be worked
out between the kids and their mentors.
Reminder: Lent is a great time for the kids to
catch up on their points! Kids may turn in sermon notes as well as sign up to acolyte for the
Lenten services.
Our next Confirmation class is on April 8th—a
Wildfire Event. Information will be emailed to
families.
Choristers Schedule
Choristers will not rehearse during Lent. Their
next rehearsal is Wednesday, April 8th—6:307:30pm.
~ ~ Blood Donors are Special People ...
Many thanks to all of the Holy Nativity blood donors! We collected
21 units at our drive on February 5th. These units could help as
many as 63 individuals. We had 2 donors give double red cell
units! You are all STARS! Please consider donating again on
August 20th, 2015.
~ ~ In Norwegian there is an expression which translates to
“many thousand thanks” and KidPack would like to send those
thanks to all of the HN members who made our KidPack fundraiser on January 20th such a success. From set up to serving, bringing bars, the kitchen crew, the Choristers, the youth, clean-up and
sound technology, you were all wonderful! Our guests felt welcomed and enjoyed themselves. It was Holy Nativity at its best
and it couldn’t have been done without all your help! Also thanks
to Thrivent (NW Branch) for giving KidPack a matching grant of
$1600!
~ ~ Thanks to everyone who has brought watches and eye glasses for Leisure Age over the years. Leisure Age will be stopping
on April 15, so we will not be collecting these items after April 1st.
And THANK YOU Ardis Folstad for being our Leisure Age liaison
for all these years.
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Holy Nativity Lutheran Church, ELCA
3900 Winnetka Avenue North
New Hope, Minnesota 55427
(763) 545-1647 Fax: 763-545-8339
Email: [email protected]
Web site: www.holynativity.net
MARCH 2015
Volume 58 (Issue 3) Issued Monthly
Celebrating 50+ Years!
NON PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Twin Cities MN
Permit No. 2285
MARCH MISSION
OFFERING IS DESIGNATED TO
PRISM.
Thanks to all who used the Amazon Smile program between October 1st and December 31st, 2014. We just received a check for $15.79. Keep on Smiling!
Pastoral Acts:
Baptism:
2/15
HOLY NATIVITY STAFF
Senior Pastor Jason Wahlstrom
(H) 763-767-3051
[email protected]
Interim Pastor Linda Wahlstrom
(C) 651-280-0761
[email protected]
Iver Hubert
Director of Music Ministry
[email protected]
Lisa Baker
Organist & Administrative Asst.
[email protected]
Linda Lien
Coordinator of Parish Life
[email protected]
Kari Johnson
Christian Ed. Director
[email protected]
Kara Holt
Financial Coordinator
[email protected]
Brian Johnson /Tom Wiblishauser
Custodians
Kelli Hovland
Nursery Coordinator
[email protected]
Brittany Anderson
Childcare Director
(HNCCCC Office) 763-591-0681
[email protected]
General Message
[email protected]
Bennett Marquis Johnson
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Patrick
Martin and family upon the death of his father, Richard Martin.
“Blessed are those who mourn for they will
be comforted” ~~ Matthew 5:4
Our thoughts and prayers continue for
those in military service overseas:
Michael Ditty, Matt Eittreim, Lucas
Gates, Lenny Arntson, William Meade,
Sylvia Meade, Chris Weaver, Alex Bjorkstrand,
Alex Folkerds
Please call the church office with updates, or to add a
loved one serving in the military to this list.
The 2015 flower chart is posted across from
the office. Please consider contributing
Sunday altar flowers. $25 for flowers or
plant. Please sign up!
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