418 West Main Street

Sidney, MT 59270 Phone: (406) 433-3350

Fax: (406) 433-3352

Email: pella@pellachurch.net Facebook: Pella Lutheran Church Web page: www.pellachurch.net

Radio Broadcast: 95.1 FM 9 am

Web page: www.pellachurch.net

PELLA LUTHERAN

CHURCH

PASTOR: Audrey Rydbom

pastoraudrey@pellachurch.net DIRECTOR OF YOUTH AND

FAMILY MINISTRY: Janelle Leader Lamb

jlamb@pellachurch.net

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Chole Butler cbutler@pellachurch.net

PARISH ASSISTANT: Becky Reidle

breidle@pellachurch.net CUSTODIAN:

Donnie Miller MISSION PARTNER

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church at Rocky Boy

COMPANION SYNOD Cape Orange Diocese Evangelical Lutheran Church

of South Africa

COMPANION CONGREGATOIN Upington Parish

Northern Cape, South Africa

THE PELLA

“AMBASSADOR” IS

PUBLISHED MONTHLY

BY PELLA LUTHERAN

CHURCH

Office Hours

Monday - Friday

8:30 am - 4:30 pm

(Closed from Noon to

1:00 pm for lunch)

Pella Lutheran Church

418 West Main Street

Sidney, Montana 59270

Wanted: Rhubarb! If you have rhubarb you are willing to donate to the

Pella Pantry, we would be very grateful. August and the Richland County Fair will be here in no time

and we will be baking lots of pies to sell at our booth.

Meals on Wheels — HELP! HELP! We need your assistance during the

3rd (17-21) week in June. Please contact the church office or the sign-up

sheets are on the information desk in the gathering commons.

Thank you for serving in this way.

June 2 - Sunday

9:00 am Worship

10:00 am Fellowship FH/K

June 4 - Tuesday 8:00 am Quilting CR D&E

5:30 pm VBS Planning Mtg

June 6 - Thursday

7:00 pm Table Talk Meadowlark

June 7 - Friday

4:30 pm Wedding Rehearsal

June 8 - Saturday

4:30 pm Torgerson Wedding

June 9 - Sunday - Pentecost

9:00 am Worship

10:00 am Fellowship FH/K

June 10-16

Set up/Prep for VBS Week

June 10 - Monday

8:00 am—12:00 pm Adult

Mental Health Training FH

June 11 - Tuesday

6:30 am Endowment Mtg FH/K

8:00 am—12:00 pm Adult

Mental Health Training FH

7:00 pm Council Mtg CR C

June 13 - Thursday

7:00 pm Table Talk Meadowlark

June 14 - Friday

5:00 pm Wedding Rehearsal

June 15 - Saturday

5:00 pm Dynneson Wedding

June 16 - Sunday - Holy Trinity

9:00 am Worship

10:00 am Fellowship FH

June 17-21

Vacation Bible School 1:00 - 5:00 pm All rooms

June 20 - Thursday

Newsletter Articles Due

7:00 pm No Table Talk

June 19 - 28

Pastor gone out of town

June 23 - Sunday

9:00 am Worship

10:00 am Fellowship FH/K

Evening Sing-a-long

June 25 - Tuesday

8:00 am Quilting CR D&E

5:30 pm Christian Ed Mtg W

June 27 - Thursday

7:00 pm Table Talk - Meadowlark

June 30 - Sunday

10:30 am Worship in the Park

Potluck to follow

* LOOKING AHEAD *

JULY - AUGUST Office closed, July 4th

July 7 & 8 Staff Retreat

Pella Pie baking,

July 29-August 2

Pella Pantry shifts, County Fair

July 31-August 3

Memorials Set Free to Serve

In honor of Greta Thunberg

From Terry Anvik

In memory of Elsie Redlin

From Beth Redlin & Dan Mocko

Radio Fund

In memory of Audrey Sampson

From Iona Hansen

In memory of Marjory Hanson

From Iona Hansen

Quilts and Fabric Kits

We would like to thank

everyone who has

donated material and

sheets for the quilt

ministry.

This past year we made 207 quilts

for Lutheran World Relief and also

donated to Pella High School

Seniors, LYO auction, Camp

UMM, Rocky Boy, LaDuke Benefit

and the High School Band

fundraiser.

The Faith Circle group organized

and gathered the materials for 33

fabric kits that were also sent to

Lutheran World Relief this spring.

During the summer months the

quilters meet occasionally and you

can find those times posted on the

church calendar.

This fall our schedule will resume

at 8:00 a.m., Tuesdays. We

welcome anyone who would be

interested in working with us to

please come and join in the fun!

Room Codes: FH = Fellowship Hall, K = Kitchen, CR-D&E = Double Classroom, CR-C = Corner Classroom, CR-B = Kindergarten,

CR-A = Preschool room, L = Library, N = Nursery, CR-Comm = Classroom Commons, M = Music, GC = Gathering Commons,

NX = Narthex, S = Sanctuary, W = Work room in Office. Basement areas: YR = Youth room, LL-CR = Lower Level Classroom

June 2019

Food Bank Needs

Canned fruit - all kinds (15 oz.)

Canned peas

Dry milk/nuclear milk (boxed)

Cooking oil (Olive or Vegetable)

Grocery bags

For more information contact

Candy Markwald.

Ambassador

6/2 7th Sunday of Easter

Acts 16:16-34

Psalm 97

Revelation 22:12-21

St. John 17:20-26

6/9 Day of Pentecost

Acts 2:1-21

Psalm 104:24-35

Romans 8:14-17

St. John 14:8-17, 25-27

6/16 The Holy Trinity

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

Psalm 8

Romans 5:1-5

St. John 16:12-15

6/23 2nd Sunday of Pentecost

Isaiah 65:1-9

Psalm 22:19-28

Galatians 3:23-29

St. Luke 8:26-39

6/30 3rd Sunday of Pentecost

1Kings 19:15-16, 19-21

Psalm 16

Galatians 5:1, 13-25

St. Luke 9:51-62

Scripture for June

Page 10

Council Meeting Summary - May 4, 2019 Financial report - General fund for April $117,963.30, Income was $49,965.04 & Expenses were $29,175.05.

Set Free to Serve balance is $288,710.87.

Christian Education - WBS will be ending May 15.

Noodles & Doodles raised about $2,785. Social media

is being discussed at LYO, and Table Talk studies will

resume on May 9 at the Meadowlark.

Property & Grounds - LED light for Fellowship Hall

found. Outside yard maintenance contract discussed.

The crosses have been installed outside. Boy Scout

building bids are being collected, and the local troop is

willing to contribute funds.

Outreach - Planning service in Park on June 30 at

10:30 am and also a second one in August. Name

tags are being worked on for members.

Council summary continued …

Worship - A new chalice, communion

tray and carafe are being researched. A sing-along is planned for June 23 in

the evening. Blue Sunday, April 28,

was a very moving service.

Endowment - Rob McGarvey spoke to

and encouraged the committee to keep

doing what they have been doing. Next

meeting June 11.

OLD BUSINESS 2019 Goals - The Red Cross Shelter

agreement has been approved.

Groundskeeper contract needs to be

finalized by June.

NEW BUSINESS Building Use Agreement - Adding a

checklist and possibly adding a clean-

up deposit. Add statement “leave the

building, as you found it or better”

and “set-up and take down is the

responsibility of the requesting

party.”

Benevolence - April $4,496.85 and

March $2,475.51 was approved.

Next Meeting - June 11, 2019.

Complete council meeting minutes

are kept on file in the church office.

If you would like a copy, please

contact us.

Page 9

June 2019

ENJOY THE CONVENIENCE OF AUTOMATED GIVING

We now offer several options for automatic giving as a convenience for

members and friends of Pella!

The “Simply Giving” option automatically transfers funds from your

checking or savings account to the church’s bank account once

authorization forms are completed. Pella has participated in Vanco’s

“Simply Giving” program for nearly 20 years.

We are pleased to announce that Electronic Giving is now available! Online giving allows you to go

to www.pellachurch.net at any time to set up an automatic donation plan, change your donation

plan, make a one-time donation or view your online donation history. If you have a smart-phone or

tablet, E-giving is accomplished by downloading the “Give Plus +” app by Vanco on your

device and following the prompts for one-time or recurring donations.

Electronic giving offers convenience for individual congregation members and provides

much-needed donation consistency for our congregation.

As you contemplate future contributions, consider automated giving. Authorization forms and addi-

tional information are available at the church office.

PELLA PANTRY It’s that time of year again to be preparing the Pella Pantry for the fair and

looking for volunteers. We ask that you check your calendars to see where

you can help during the course of the fair. Yvonne Gebhardt and Kelly

Johnson start the organizing and recruiting long before fair week.

This will be Yvonne’s last year of overseeing everything. She has been doing this for 30 years and is

ready to step down. If you are interested in taking on this position, please let her know.

Kelly has been instrumental in recruiting for shifts, cooking, overseeing closing and clean up on the

late night shifts. She also will be stepping down. Kelly spends several hours in July calling to get

the shifts covered.

We are asking for your help to take a shift or two during the fair. Friday and Saturday are the harder

ones to fill, so we are especially asking for your help with those days. In addition, volunteers are

needed to help with cleaning the booth the Sunday before and Sunday after fair.

Linda Anderson is in charge of pie baking which begins Tuesday, the day before fair starts, through

Friday of fair week. We need volunteers to help with the pie making and baking, too. Also needed

are people to bring pies from the church to Pantry daily.

The booth is open Wednesday at noon to Saturday night at 11 pm. Please consider volunteering — it

is a fun time and great fellowship! Thank you.

Youth & Family News ( … continued)

WEDNESDAY BIBLE SCHOOL & CONFIRMATION — FINAL NIGHT FESTIVITIES

COMMUNITY MEAL VOLUNTEERS

Thank you to all those who volunteered for our Wednesday Community

Meals in 2018/2019.

Ambassador Page 8

5TH GRADE: MELISSA BUCKLEY

Curtis Anderson

Duane & Linda Anderson

Dawn & George Biebl

April Boehler

Kim Hill

Bev Jones

Bill Linder

Russ Markwald

Greg & Linette Miller

Leo & Shirley Miller

Deb Milne

Trish Neiss

Marilyn & Mark Olson

Chandler Padgett

Ruth Reidle

Eileen Rein

Judy Sondeno

Carol Thorgramson

Linda Wick

YEAR 1 CONFIRMATION (6TH GRADE)

YEAR 2 CONFIRMATION (7TH GRADE)

Thank You 2018/2019

Confirmation Leaders: April Boehler, Kaci Dean, Jen Doty,

Kristin Larson, Eric Rydbom,

Luke Savage, Tonya Schoepp

Page 7

June 2019

Youth & Family News ( … continued)

WEDNESDAY BIBLE SCHOOL — FINAL NIGHT FESTIVITIES

4TH GRADE: SUSAN IVERSEN

3RD GRADE: JOANNA HORSBURGH

2ND GRADE: JEN CARLSEN

Ambassador Page 6

Youth & Family News ( … continued)

WEDNESDAY BIBLE SCHOOL — FINAL NIGHT FESTIVITIES

PRESCHOOL: JANE OLSON,

DIANE SAVAGE & MIKAEL

SAVAGE

KINDERGARTEN: CRYSTAL

STRAIT & MERCEDES LAMB

1ST GRADE: NICOLE GOULART WICK

Page 5

June 2019

Youth & Family News ( … continued)

CONFIRMATION 2019 On Sunday, May 5, 2019, ten 8th grade

students affirmed their faith during worship.

Students shared their favorite Bible verses

and their faith statements among family and

friends.

Pictured here are the newest members of

Pella Lutheran Church:

Top:

Bradyn Page and Pastor Audrey

Middle :

Ben Carlsen, Tyler Olson, Max

Nicholson, Hannah Anderson and

Avery Iversen

Bottom:

Hattie Brothen, Whitney Van Hook,

Emma Doty, Mika Villegas and

Jen Doty (Leader)

Three other students: Colten Dahl, Mikael Savage and Payten Syth will affirm their faith during

worship on Sunday, July 28, 2019.

Seniors recognized on Sunday, May 12, 2019. Top: Shanyn Reidle, Lauren Beenken, Sean Montgomery, Trev Stewart.

Bottom: Katrina Meldahl, Carlee Strasheim, Katie Berglund, Brooke Franklin, Jace Winter.

June Acolytes

2 Braylon DiFonzo &

Parker Syth

9 Sienna Boehler &

Parker Brothen

16 Jori Horsburgh &

Nathan Carlsen

23 Drew Ellingson

30 Corben Holler &

Mercedes Lamb

Youth & Family News By Janelle Leader Lamb

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

June is here, and that means it’s time for Vacation Bible School.

Pella’s 2019 VBS will be held from 1-5 p.m. June 17-21 (M-F).

Students

If your student(s) aren’t registered, no worries. There is still time to

register either online or by picking up a form at the church. VBS is

for students entering preschool through 5th grade in Fall 2019.

Volunteers A lot of great people have stepped up to volunteer. We ask that you

please pray for them all. Our main station leaders this year are:

Bible Story — Claire Frank

Crafts — Joanna Horsburgh & Linda Wick

Science — Susan Iversen

Recreation — Erika Snow

Snacks — Bev Jones

Preschool — Megan Coryell & Aleah Rosaaen

We always can use more hands … We are looking for people to help with preparations/

behind-the-scenes work, as well as volunteers who will be in the action the week of VBS.

Please let Janelle know how you would like to assist.

Supplies We currently are collecting the following items:

There is a “Donation Station” in the Gathering Commons. You can place donations there, as well as

watch for updates of what we need.

Meetings/Decorating/Training

We will have one more planning meeting on Tuesday, June, 4, at 5:30 p.m.

We will be decorating daily the week before VBS. Contact the office about when and where help is

needed. We will be training youth volunteers the week before VBS also. Details will be provided to

those who volunteer.

Ambassador Page 4

2-liter bottles

(empty, clean, any color, no wrappers or lids)

Masking tape (1”)

Blue painter’s tape (1”)

AA batteries

Pillow cases (new, white, standard size)

Hole punches

White vinegar

Marshmallows (mini, regular, jumbo)

Mini water bottles

June 2019 Page 3

FLAGS Many have noticed the flags have been moved. No longer are they displayed at the

front of the sanctuary; now the flags lead us out into the community God calls us.

The change came about Maundy Thursday when the staff was preparing for the

stripping of the altar. It became known to the staff that the flags were full of dust. Due to this the

flags were taken outside to blow in the wind. In the discussion of where to put them for Maundy

Thursday it was learned that flags have not always been part of the chancel area of the sanctuary. The

Christian flag was adopted by the National Council of Churches in 1942. The United States flag

appeared in American German Lutheran churches during World War II as a sign of loyalty to the

United States and to avoid persecution for being German. Until this time the purpose of the chancel

was to be the primary sources of faith – Word, Baptism, and Eucharist.

As people of the twenty-first century we need to keep our focus on the primary sources of faith and

then remember the action our faith calls us to. It is for these reasons the flags have been moved by

the doors. When we have been fed by the Word, reminded of the forgiveness given to us in baptism,

and fed by the meal, we are called to go out into the community God has placed us and live out our

faith actively. The flags serve as one final reminder of where and how God calls us to go forth. We

are to go forth as people of the Way to love and serve the Lord in the United States. Notice the flags

and think about how and where God is calling you.

DISABILITIES MINISTRIES OF THE ELCA MENTAL HEALTH GRANT In December of 2018, Pella Lutheran and the Mental Health Local Advisory Council

(LAC) of Richland County teamed up to apply for a $10,000 grant through the

Disabilities Ministry of the ELCA. More than 50 congregations applied for this grant,

and only 25 grants were awarded. In May it was learned that Pella and LAC were

awarded the grant.

The premise of the grant is to team with other faith-based organizations in the community to start

peer-to-peer groups. One of the action plans of the Mental Health First Aid curriculum is to

“encourage self-help and other support strategies” which include peer-to-peer groups, however

Richland County has very few to refer individuals in need.

In the near future we will be inviting leaders of faith-based organizations to gather at Pella and

decide what peer-to-peer groups are most needed in our area. These leaders will also be asked to

identify which peer-to-peer group will be hosted by their organization. It will be up to each

organization to identify lay people to facilitate the peer-to-peer group. These lay people will be

trained in Adult Mental Health First Aid and how to facilitate a peer-to-peer group. Once facilitators

are trained the groups can begin. All costs associated with training, facilitating, and resources will be

covered by the grant.

Please pray for this implementation of this grant. It is hoped that by offering peer-to-peer support,

individuals who suffer from mental health illness will get the support they need and avoid crisis. If,

in your prayer, you are nudged with a vision for a peer-to-peer group that would benefit our

community please, contact Pastor Audrey.

Page 2 Ambassador

FROM THE DOG HOUSE

Hello Everyone,

Duke here this month of June.

WOW, time just flew by! We’ve been here in Sidney a whole year now! We sure like it here, me and

Ruby, and Gunner, and Verdell, and Clementine, and Rella. There are so many nice people from the

church across the street. We have had a lot of them come visit us, especially young people. They are

always so nice to us. They pet us and throw the ball for us and pay attention to us. Then Pastor

Audrey and Eric have friends over for fun parties, and those people pet us and play with us too. You

see, we don’t ask for much. We’re the happiest when people love us and pay attention to us.

Sometimes, it’s a long time between people coming over and sometimes Pastor Audrey and Eric are

gone a lot during the day. We spend a lot of time all alone, and it makes us sad. I suppose people are

the same way. They are happiest and feel loved when other people just pay attention to them and say

hello. It doesn’t take much effort and it makes other people and us, so happy

for such a simple thing.

We love all people and always greet them with smiles and hugs! Pastor

Audrey keeps telling us about this guy Jesus who did the same thing all the

time, greeted everyone no matter who they were and made them feel special.

We figure if he can do it and make people happy, maybe we can too. So

please stop by and see us sometime. We love it! And greet other people to

make them feel special! We always get a smile when WE do it.

‘Til next month,

DUKE!

NAME TAGS AT PELLA

Soon when you arrive at church on Sunday morning there will be a name

tag for you. This is one way we can all get to know each other’s names

and also greet new people and guests to our church on Sunday mornings.

June 2019 With Christ; We Welcome, Nurture, Equip and Serve.

Pella Lutheran Church

Ambassador

I recently read that “many young Christians who are adamant about their

faith reject the label ‘evangelical’ or ‘Christian’ altogether today.” One of

the reasons stated for this rejection is that they do not want their faith

identified with this “weird” Christian nationalism that’s swept the nation.

They would rather have people find out about their beliefs through their

actions and kind words; not by a label that has taken on many definitions depending on who is

speaking.

While not exactly my own thoughts, I do bristle when I hear someone identify me as a “Christian.”

I bristle because I am not sure of this other person’s definition of Christian. Does being a “Christian”

mean that I automatically believe that those who do not believe the same doctrine of theology as

I do are condemned to an eternal pit of fire? Does being a “Christian,” in the eyes of the other,

automatically label me as a homophobe or a preacher of hell and damnation? If so, I do not want this

label. Due to these concerns, you might even notice I refrain from using the term Christian when

I preach or am in casual conversation with others.

It is not that I am ashamed to be a follower of Jesus; I am ashamed of how the term has been

co-opted by the media and others wanting to hide behind a shield rather than stand up for who Jesus

calls us to be. It also helps that the term “Christian” was not how the earliest followers of Jesus

“named” themselves. In fact the earliest use of Christian was more than likely a term coined by

people not of the faith who used the term in a derogatory way to identify followers of Jesus.

Biblically the earliest followers of Jesus simply identified themselves as “the Way.” (Acts

9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22.) Torah classically was understood by the Hebrew people as laying out

“the way” in which Israel might experience human flourishing. In the gospel of John, Jesus says

“I am the way and the truth and the life.” As a follower of Jesus I, too, believe Jesus came to teach

us how to live in such a way that all people might have the experience of a flourishing life. I believe

the Kingdom of God is all humanity experiencing a flourishing life. When we practice the Way we

get a glimpse of what a flourishing life is.

I pray my words and actions identify me as a follower of Jesus, of the Way, and that I don’t need an

identifier that has been co-opted. I pray the same for Pella. I would rather we be known as people of

the Way than any other title. As people of the Way we will not be pigeon-holed; we will be able to

soar in the ministry the Holy Spirit guides us to.

In Christ,

Pastor Audrey