November 2016

Sunday Evening November 20 ~ Sanctuary

Meeting at 7 pm

Feeding Nicaragua Food Packing Event Friday, November 18 5:30 pm ~ Set-Up 6:30 pm ~ Packing Begins

All are Welcome! Help us make an impact in the lives of the people in Nicaragua.

Metro East Thanksgiving Worship First United Methodist Church

504 E. Highway 50 Tuesday, November 22 ~ 6 pm

O’FALLON COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING MEAL Thursday, November 24

11 am to 1:30 pm

All are Welcome Free

Here at Faith

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A proactive response to whatever might be: Due to the way our scheduling works at Faith Lutheran, I am

writing this November newsletter article on October 12 so that it can be submitted before the October 16 newsletter article deadline. It takes a couple of weeks for us to actually compile all the articles and put together a newsletter. Usually that is not an issue; but when the congregation is making an important, perhaps church-life changing decision on October 23, it poses a bit of a conundrum. By the time you read this article, we will have already either committed to pursuing a building program at Faith, postponed any decision, or perhaps decided not to build at all – only remodel what we have. So, I write not knowing where we are at or where we are going on what just may be the biggest single undertaking that will happen or fail to happen in my many decades of serving the church as a pastor. So what can I say at this point? I know that big decisions do not come easily to me. Therefore, that they would also be difficult for a congregation to make is no surprise. I find it interesting that there are a variety of opinions when it comes to decision making. For example, four centuries before Christ was born, the Greek tragedian Sophocles wrote “quick decisions are unsafe decisions.” As a supposed expert in tragedy – i.e. things turning out badly – I tend to think he might know what he’s talking about. On the other end of the spectrum is the late great mega church optimist Robert Schuller who said: “High achievers spot rich opportunities swiftly, make big decisions quickly and move into action immediately. Follow these principles and you can make your dreams come true.” And then, there are the more measured words of Pope Francis who said: “I am always wary of decisions made hastily. I am always wary of the first decision, that is, the first thing that comes to my mind if I have to make a decision. This is usually the wrong thing. I have to wait and assess, looking deep into myself, taking the necessary time.” The only thing I feel is 100% certain about when making big decisions is uncertainty. Andy Stanley, a well-known church leader and lecturer, (who I heard speak at my last continuing education event, the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, Georgia which I attended at the beginning of October) perhaps put it best when he said: “There will be very few occasions when you are absolutely certain about anything. You will consistently be called upon to make decisions with limited information. That being the case, your goal should not be to eliminate uncertainty. Instead, you must develop the art of being clear in the face of uncertainty.” I believe what haunts most of us in making big life changing decisions – even in the church – is that we are afraid of failure. We live in a culture that is obsessed with success – where the worst case scenario is imagining taking something on and failing. This will brand you forever, scar you psyche, and put you on the fast track to becoming a complete

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As cold weather approaches and fields become barren and brown, or we are stuck behind a slow moving combine, or the sun is setting quicker and is making it hard to see on the way home, and it is now dark on our way to work . . . what a perfect time in our calendar to celebrate Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and give thanks for our blessings, rewards from labor, and our family/friends. Before the leaves fall, we get to enjoy a palate of color God has designed for our trees, crisp revitalizing air as we stroll through the apple orchards, children returning home from college for a small break, even gathering with friends around a fire pit enjoying hot cider. But it is not always easy to see this. Satan puts chaos into our lives to shield us from these views. Whether it is too many commitments, appliances breaking down, engines not starting, or that second semester tuition check coming due, we need to focus on our blessings and give thanks to God for them. Our church is experiencing growing pains, and truly, not so much pains as growing blessings. God has put people in our path for us to join with and seek opportunities of expansion to further His missions. He has given us marvelous youth to mold into strong Christians and future leaders of our church and country. He has given us a church family full of love and support to walk down various paths, all the while giving thanks to our God. And He has provided a church council to work diligently and help guide our church through the 21st century, keeping it a safe place to worship, be educated, and gather for

loser – or so our culture of success teaches us. I believe this is where it is important for us to remember that our faith teaches us something a little different than our culture. We are not called to be successful, we are called to be faithful. If we focus on being faithful, even big decisions are not so big because faithfulness is always lived in small steps. It is very much like what the writer of Hebrews taught about Abraham (in Hebrews 11:8): “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going.” Abraham’s faithfulness, like all long journeys, began with the first step, then the second, then the third, etc. This is why I am confident that as big as the decision we will make (have already made) on October 23 – a decision that just may change everything for many years, it will really change nothing essential to us. Whatever we decide, we will continue to act faithfully in carrying out God’s mission of engaging this world with the saving word of Jesus Christ and the promise of his glorious kingdom. This is what lies at the core of who we are and what we are about. It is such clarity of our faithful purpose that helps us see through the fog of uncertainty and gives us the confidence to take the next step. Peace and God’s blessings, Pastor Bob

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Grace and Peace to you! As I write this, my heart and prayers have been focused on the Vision 20/20 campaign that Faith will be voting on in just one week. By the time this is published, the first step in building our future facility will have been decided by the congrega-tion on October 23. In the midst of these thoughts and prayers, the memory book for this past summer’s 2016 mission trip came across my desk. It is filled with pictures of teens and adult chaperones serving those in need outside the walls of Faith. The Holy Spirit is timely - what better way to focus my mind on WHY we are talking about building at Faith! This is WHY:

Young people collected in mission for the furthering of God’s Kingdom.

For me, this is the heart and soul of why we are considering taking on this large stewardship task. It is about securing a base for mission work, sanctuary, and fellowship for generations of young people. Having a building that is inviting, safe, and up-to-date provides a space for the Holy Spirit to gather young people, shape them into disciples, and ultimately send them back out into the world. This is a short article, but not because I have little to say about what lies ahead for our building campaign. But because what I have to say is not nearly as important as what I am praying the Holy Spirit is going to do. Let our minds be focused on this work, to the point where words are merely a reflection of what our hands and feet are already doing to build and grow here at Faith. See you at the annual meeting in November, there is much to do! Peace & Joy, Pastor Candice

fellowship and music. It is in all this that we are THANKFUL and thank God that we have a place to worship freely and be the gospel He created us to be. Andy Dichsen, President

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It’s November and Jane Wieland will be working on the December worship volunteer schedule! Email Jane if you have vacation plans during the holidays.

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As I write this article, we are a week away from my mom having a leg amputated. At this point, we don’t know if this is the beginning of something new or an ending. Let me tell you, this is a tough place to be! It can also be a very lonely and exhausting place. I don’t know about you, but I do ok with going it alone. Ok, not really, but going it alone allows me to shore up my reserve and plug through the hard stuff. I feel like I have it handled and am under control. Then I come into this space of community, of love, of care; and I just fall apart. I get into worship and as we pray, I feel everyone’s presence and the walls come tumbling down. I see my small group friends and feel the love and care. I am no longer alone in my pain. I am no longer alone in my fear. I am in the presence of God and others and the weight of life is lifted and the weight of love is replaced. Admittedly, sometimes the weight of love is as overwhelming as the weight of life, but the weight of love also gives me strength and courage to take the next steps, to start the next day, to make the next decision. It gives me comfort that even though I am not in control, it’s ok. If I fall apart, there is someone who will wipe my tears and raise me back up. I know it is scary. I know that sometimes it just seems better to keep the walls up and people out. Probably at times, that may be the best thing for you to do, but at some point I think it is important to get back to the community of love that will safely help you bring those walls down so that you can fully let God in. Thank you all for being part of this community of faith, for sharing your prayers, love, and concern with me. Hopefully you are able to receive the prayers, love and concern from your brothers and sisters in Christ. Personally, thank you for giving me the space to accept your love and the love of Christ. Now, may your walls of control and self-reliance come tumbling down so that you may accept the love of Christ that has been freely given to you. -Janet Hernandez, AdminCoordinator

STOP

READ

PSALM 121:1-3

PRAY

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FINANCIAL SECRETARY’S REPORT – WEEK 39 FINANCIAL STATUS

GENERAL FUND As of SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 2016 2016 39thWEEK Full Year ACTUAL BUDGET GENERAL FUND RECEIPTS Regular Envelope: Pledged* $381,453.40 $497,077.00 Regular Envelope: Non-Pledged $ 61,007.00 $ 92,000.00 Plate Offering $ 6,720.80 $ 10,000.00 Other/Building Use/Transfers in $ 7,785.15 $ 8,200.00 TOTAL INCOME $456.966.35 $607,277.00 BUDGETED EXPENSES $416,286.78 $555,049.00 Benevolence at 10.75% $ 48,286.98 $ 64,401.00 TOTAL EXPENSES $464.573.76 $619,450.00 VARIANCE $ ( 7,607.41) $ (12,173.00) NOTES: Our General Fund giving as of September 30th shows a negative variance of ($7,607.41) as compared to budgeted expenses. The $381,453 of Pledged giving represents over 100% of Pledged giving expected per budget. Compared to last year at this time, in 2016 we have received $29,321 more in plate and envelope giving, (about a 7 % increase). The “Other” category includes Transfers into the General Fund from Allocated funds, Building Use fees, Thrivent Choice Dollars, Interest, etc. DESIGNATED/RESTRICTED Funds (Highlights Only) So far this year we have also received donations into our Designated and/ or Restricted funds of the following: $2,524 for the Traditional Music Fund; $3,830 for the Praise Music Fund; $3,817for the Love Fund, $1680for the Food Pantry, and the September Noisy Offering raised $507.05 for the Thanksgiving Community Meal. Average weekly attendance to date for 2016: 277 Average weekly attendance to date for 2015: 265

Respectfully Submitted, Jan Mikkelson, Financial Secretary

Treasurer’s Report September 2016

* Income includes Plate and Pledged Offerings, Budget Add-ons, Allocated Add-ons, Thrivent Choice, Building Use and Interest ** Expense includes Discretionary, Fixed and Benevolence Expenses Account balances as of 30 September 2016 were:

First Bank Checking Account $160,348.89

Regions Bank Savings/Checking $ 32,777.29 (Endowment Fund)

Merrill Lynch Investment Account $ 53,393.34 (as of 10/07/2016) The allocated fund balance totaled $ 184,742.63. The General Fund balance was $29,009.35. The principle balance for the Church mortgage is $298,537.68. Additional information: - Noisy Offering: $507.05 was received for the Community Thanksgiving Meal. - Great Lakes SCRIP Program Sales: $123.25 was received from SCRIP sales.

Budgeted Income*

September Actual Budget Income*

Year to Date Actual

Budget Income*

Percent Received

607,277.00 49,611.93 462,076.67 76.1%

Budgeted Expense**

September Actual Budget

Expense**

Year to Date Actual

Budget Expense**

Percent Used

619,452.00 46,248.77 446,790.80 72.9%

Over (Short)

Over (Short)

Over (Short)

(12,175.00) 3,363.16 15,285.87

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Health Concerns Don Hubert, Emily Wood, Ethel Klusman, Alison Gill, Oscar in Nicaragua, Ross Hall, Larry Osborn, Olivia Schmidt, Ruth Harrison, Marty Gallagher, Catherine Pritchett, Brian Kohnke, Debbie Eisele, Jeffrey Melan-son, Walt Marvich, Carmen Zambelli, Mark Courtney, Rev. Dean Phillips, John Puricelli, Logan Durre, Jean Baker, Emme Lankheit, Sandra Allen, Terry Mikkelson, May Curran, Esther Updike, Pam Dauphin, Marie Har-vey, Kristin Barkley, Don Holmgren, Dick & Carolyn Rawlings, Wilma Schwarz, Joanne Bowley, Franny Osborn, Dennis Buske, Shirley Markee, Carolyn Brown, Dawn Leaderbrand, Michelle Middendorf, Jerilyn Schmidt, Linda Cipfl, Brian Thomas, Janet Munie, Herb Halwachs, Marge Guilleman, Charis Van der Platts, Shirley Dauphin, Ricardo Cabrera, Rachel & Polly Mar-kus, Ralph Ferguson, Patricia McDonnell, Paul Bilyeu, Billy May, Marie Mitchell, Kenny Cruce, Bob Austen, Michael Pritchett, Larry Whitaker, Steven Wargo, Ruth Mader, Kristin Walker, Jamie Nobis, Genna Grella, Terry Robison, Rick Hastey, Pat Hrasky, Carol Soltys, Lorene Simmons

Grieving

Cory Fletcher & family, loss of father Kenda Wunder & family, loss of father Mary Ferguson, loss of nephew Pam Andrew & family, loss of stepfather Roger Rader, loss of son Pam Andrew & family, loss of sister Bill Brunner & family, loss of sister Roger Rader, loss of sister Jim Campbell & family, loss of sister Bill Souser & family, loss of sister Charles Gerth & family, loss of grandmother Kristi Pulcher & family, loss of mother Erika Lane & family, loss of grandfather Dawn Cooper & family, loss of great-aunt Roy Carlson & family, loss of sister-in-law Jill Johansen Hastey & family, loss of father Family & friends of Julia Flor Family & friends of Karen Rader Family & friends of Shirley May Rod Brown & family, loss of father

Birthdays 11/02 Isaiah Siron, Sheila Buch, Taylor Dichsen 11/03 Chloe Schumann, Tam Pirmann 11/05 Marie McClung, Jack McFarlane, Carleigh

McFarlane, Jane Bergo, Margo Belt, Jane Wieland

11/06 Bryant Peppler 11/07 Ruth Mader, Emma Herwick 11/08 Luke Harper 11/09 Lauren Mikkelson, Eileen Wiederanders, Ella

Eccher, Ginger Davis 11/10 Brandy Benedick, Caroline Hawkins 11/11 Diane Strojia, Tammy Harty, Jane Bossart,

Ruth Addison 11/12 Shirley Marcin 11/13 Meghan Schauble, Lauren Schauble, Austin

Dichsen 11/14 Lin Haskett, Luke Barnett 11/15 Gail Buck, Jill Johansen Hastey, Michael

Coyle 11/17 Mike Gray, Craig Ord, Zachary Malare 11/18 Noah Engel 11/20 Joe Shepherd, Jan Mikkelson 11/22 Cadence Wolfe, Katie Coyle 11/23 Christopher Totzke, Nathan Layfield 11/24 Christina Farmer 11/26 Jessica Gerth, Michael Peppler, Terri Ahlvin,

Garrett Stone 11/27 Samuel Barnett, Onnie Wargo, Abigail Stone 11/29 Jaime Obszanski, Barbara Curtis 11/30 Missy Kimbrell, Peyton Coyle Anniversaries 11/07/1987 Billy & Mary Ray 11/09/1963 Lyle & Pat Johnson 11/18/1967 Robert & Anita Snyder 11/20/1982 Mark & Diane Runyan 11/28/1992 Ingrid & Steve Heinrich

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Nursery News

We have some exciting things happening in the nursery! One of which is we have hired a new staff member named Sandy Basinger. She has two kids of her own, as well as background as a lactation consultant and a pediatric E.R. nurse. Sandy will make a great addition to our nursery staff and is very excited to be a part of our staff. Starting in November, we will offer childcare for Praise Band/Choir rehearsals on Thursday evenings from 7-8 pm. So if you are interested in participating in either of these activities but don’t have childcare, please take advantage of this opportunity to try it out. The nursery is also in great need of volunteers for the 9:30 and 10:45 services on Sunday morning. Each volunteer only helps out at one service a month. If you are interested in this, please email me for more information. Finally, we are going into cold and flu season. The nursery could really use Lysol spray. If you are able to donate some, just drop it off in the Nursery at anytime. Thank you for your support of our little ones! God Bless, Kristin Howe (Nursery Manager)

Children’s Christmas Musical

‘Jesus Means Christmas to Me’ December 4

3 pm ~ Sanctuary

Reception follows in Fellowship Hall

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November News from PYC! A lot has been happening around PYC! We have reached our six week adjustment period and the children are settling in nicely as they have learned the routine, discovered new friends and are enjoying lovely days out on the playground or our beloved hill side.

Enrollment news….we are full in our Toddler programs with 38 infants and toddlers participating in weekly Playgroups (parents attend with child) and Toddler Time (PMO) and our Preschool program has 63 out of 70 spots filled. Explorations in the classrooms are centered around many things we see in the Fall--apples, pumpkins, acorns, squirrels and leaves. We are excited to meet with parents soon as we prepare for parent-teacher conferences. This is a great opportunity to share each child’s strengths while also watching for areas of concern.

Our new family support program, Baby TALK is in full swing! Our home visitors (family support specialists) are really excited about the new curriculum. These personal encounters with families provide an unparalleled opportunity to engage parents around the development of their children while also identifying delays. Baby TALK home visits/personal encounters focus on these goals:

To establish and deepen working relationships with families. To support the child’s development through strengthening the parent-child relationship. To empower parents to set goals for themselves and their children. To support families’ mastery in their growth and development.

We hope to move forward with this program into the community by collaborating more with other programs. Some of the things we will be working towards include Newborn Encounters at the local hospitals, Lullaby-Literacy events for families to encourage reading and getting books into every home through our Books in Every Cradle program. We are continuing our relationship with Fontebella as we provide prenatal counseling along with beginning parenting skills to 5 moms and 3 babies who are currently residing there.

We wish you all a wonderful month as we reflect on our blessings. How thankful we are for the opportunities we have at Faith to provide an environment of loving and learning to families who seek a Christ-centered program for their children.

In service to Him, Kim Lloyd, Director

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FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2016 the Food pantry spent an additional $10,691.86 for extra food. 301 families were served; 626 were adults and 308 were children, making a total of 934 served. The pantry was open 12 days in September.

The pantry thanks everyone who helped us with food items and bags. Please remember that only non-perishable food items and paper and plastic bags should be placed in the little red wagon in the foyer. If you have non-food items that you wish to donate to the township’s monthly garage sale (that benefits the Food Pantry), please take those items directly to the township garage in back of the township building.

God’s Blessings, Marj Ballard

Feeding Nicaragua November 18 - Fellowship Hall

5:30 pm - Unload Truck 6:30 pm - Start Packing

Put Feeding Nicaragua on your calendar! This is when you can spend a little time to do a lot of good for people who really need our help - and have fun doing it! Everyone is invited to come help. If you're not familiar with Feeding Nicaragua, it is a meal packaging program. We pack enough nutritious dry food in a plastic pouch to feed six people. The food is then shipped to Nicaragua and distributed to the people who need it. On November 18 we plan to package 15,000 meals. That's 2,500 packages! We can use a lot of help.

- ESCRIP Rebate (Schnucks): $50.34 was received from Church membership purchases at Schnucks. - Thrivent Choice: $86.00 was received from Thrivent members. Respectfully submitted, Susan Carlson, Treasurer

Wednesday Advent Worship and Dinners

November 30, and December 7, 14, 21

Meals begin at 6 pm - Fellowship Hall Worship at 7 pm - Sanctuary

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Angel Tree Gift Tags Available November 27

Approximately 60 children in our immediate area will be blessed by a few gifts under their tree from a caring family. The process is easy: choose an angel from the Angel Tree, fill out your information in the logbook, and return your wrapped gifts (with tags attached). As of this writing, we do not know the deadline for the gifts to be returned. Please check the bulletin announcements and website for updates! We thank Lutheran Child and Family Services for distributing the gifts to these foster children, and thank you for sponsoring one of these children! Questions? Call Christina Farmer.

Lefse Baking Event in the Kitchen

Saturday, December 3 ~ 9 am to Noon Please contact Jane Bergo if you would like to attend so we have enough equipment and ingredients! We’ll be in the kitchen making Lefse, Krumkage, Flatbread, Aebelskiever, and Rosettes. This will be an enjoyable morning of baking and fellowship!

Greening of the Church Saturday, November 26

at 10 am

Help us decorate the church ! All are welcome!

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Nov 1 All Saints Day LWR Quilters at 6:30 pm in E4 Nov 1, 8, 15 Grief Share at 6:30 pm in the Youth House 22 & 29 Nov 2, 9, 16 Men’s Bible Study at 6:30 am at Cracker 23 & 30 Barrel Nov 6 All Saints’ Sunday Daylight Savings Time Ends Nov 6 & 13 Sr. High at 6 pm in the Youth House Nov 7 & 21 ALPHA at 6 pm in the Youth House Nov 7, 14, Community Meals at 5 pm in the 21 & 28 Fellowship Hall Katie’s Table Bible Study at 6:30 pm in the Martin Luther Library Nov 8 Election Day-Polling Station Here Nov 8 & 22 Needlecrafters at 7 pm in the Lounge Nov 11 Veteran’s Day—Office Closed Nov 12 Congregation Work Day at 8 am

Nov 15 NAMISWI Peer Group at 7 pm in the Youth House Nov 18 Mothers-in-Fellowship at 9:15 am in E2 Feeding Nicaragua at 5:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall Soul Sisters - help with Feeding Nicaragua Nov 20 Newsletter Deadline Today!!! Annual Meeting of the Congregation at 7 pm Nov 22 Book Club at 7:00 pm in the Library Nov 24 Thanksgiving Day-Office Closed Community Thanksgiving Meal at 11 am in the Fellowship Hall Nov 25 Office Closed Nov 26 Greening of the Church at 10 am Nov 27 Advent Noisy Offering Nov 29 Newsletter Assembly at 11 am Nov 30 Mid-Week Meal at 6 pm Mid-Week Service at 7 pm