Living Faith Weekly News (Week of February 23, 2025)

THANK YOU, Pastor Halaas, for all you have done for Living Faith over the years!

Last Week

Living Faith celebrated our final Sunday service with Pastor David Halaas with special messages, gifts, prayers, and music!

The service started with the gift of a Living Faith stole for Pastor Halaas.

Pastor Halaas read God is Here by Lisa Tawn Bergren for Celebration Time!

Nathan Summerside, accompanied by Dawn Richards, sang "We Are an Offering".

Thank you to Judd Kopperud, Tim Kass, Dawn Richards, Nathan Summerside, Kari Kopperud, John and Peg McAllister and Sharon Utesch for all your help with Sunday's worship service!

"You belong to God, live out your God-created identity."

After singing the Doxology, we gathered in the Fellowship Hall for an "Emergency Potluck" where we enjoyed Living Faith's food offerings complete with Bings from Pastor Halaas!

Takk Skal du Ha, Pastor Halaas!......You shall have thanks, Pastor Halaas!

Following our meal, we feted Pastor Halaas with a short program of "You know you're a Lutheran if...." jokes, recalling Pastor Halaas' history with Living Faith from June of 2022 to the present and a Lutheran Raygun shirt! Nathan Summerside completed the program by serenading Pastor Halaas and Living Faith with the national anthem of Norway.

Next Sunday

Pastor Jean Ziettlow will preside over our March 2nd worship service!

Join us in the sanctuary of the Presbyterian United Church of Christ at 858 7th Ave. SE for our 11:00 worship on Transfiguration Sunday! Along with Pastor Jean, Gail Kass will be accompanying us on the piano, Karen Schroeder will read scripture and Kay Allen will be assisting with Communion.

Immediately following our worship service on Sunday, Living Faith will have the opportunity to meet and greet our pastoral candidate. Once introduced, we will head to the Fellowship Hall for a Soup and Sandwich luncheon and a time for an informal visit!

Two Sundays in a row of enjoying the culinary talents of Living Faith members!

Name tags will be out on the sign up table on Sunday. Please stop by and put one on to help out our candidate during the meet and greet and meal times!

Faith + Fellowship takes place each Sunday at 10:00 in the Fellowship Hall with our PUCC friends. Thank you to Sharon Utesch who provided the treats for last Sunday's hour!

Ash Wednesday service will be held Wednesday, March 5 at 5:00 in the afternoon in the sanctuary of the PUCC. Vicar Grace Baumgartel will preside over this service which will include the Imposition of Ashes and Holy Communion. We will be using the ashes we created when we burned the palm branches from Palm Sunday 2024. If you are interested in serving communion for this service, please let Kay know.

Midweek Lenten services will begin on Wednesday, March 12 at 5:00 PM in the sanctuary of the PUCC. Each week we will begin the services with the Holden Evening Prayer liturgy with Kjersten Rathke as our song leader and Rachel Cunningham accompanying us on the piano. We will conclude each service with a guest speaker who will highlight a need in our area.

Lenten meals will be served following each service. There will be a sign up sheet on the table in the narthex for volunteers to bring items for each meal. On Sunday, look for the first sign up sheet for our March 12 meal of lasagna!

From 6:15 - 7:00 each Wednesday of Lent, there will be a joint time of discussion with our PUCC friends. The topic this year, led by the PUCC, will be "Reclaiming Wholeness: Hospitality, Fear and Relationship in a Divided World."

Lenten devotionals for adults and families are available in the baskets on the sign up table in the narthex. Stop by and pick one up on Sunday!

There will be a Congregational Meeting on March 9th following our worship service. The purpose of the meeting is to vote on a call and compensation package for a part-time pastoral candidate for Living Faith.

Bishop Lorna Halaas announces that Living Faith has been approved with its new constitution and received by the Western Iowa Synod Council! Living Faith will be officially welcomed into the Western Iowa Synod at the June Synod Assembly.

Living Faith can send 4 delegates to the Synod Assembly where a new bishop will be elected! We can send one male, one female, one adult 30 years old or younger and one teen. Let anyone on the Leadership Team know if you are interested in attending! Living Faith will pay your registration fees for this event!

Living Faith will once again have an Easter Egg Tree from Sleep in Heavenly Peace on display in the narthex. Stop by the tree, pick an egg, and purchase that item which will be collected and donated to Sleep in Heavenly Peace! This will be a Lenten service project for our friends in need so items and your eggs can be returned to Living Faith any time from March 2 - April 20!

Sleep in Heavenly Peace Bed Build!

Living Faith, the PUCC and many community members came together on Saturday to build a total of 199 beds for Sleep in Heavenly Peace by the time the last shift of building was finished!

Congratulations to Marley Stream for completing her Eagle Scout project, a bee pollinator box!

Please hold in prayer:

• Karin, Ted Hallberg's sister

• Ali, Julie Hurt's sister

• Beth, Pastor Halaas' sister

• Marilynn, Pastor Jean and Rich Ziettlow's sister-in-law

• Rick Stream

• Living Faith and its pastoral candidate

• The Living Faith brother and sister you're praying for

"We give you thanks, almighty God, that you have refreshed us through the healing power of this gift of life. In your mercy, strengthen us - that our living faith may bring peace and hope to all the world. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen."