Living Faith Weekly News (Week of June 1, 2025)

Pastor Paige offers her first "Living Faith Letter" in this week's news! Find it below!

Living Faith observes the Ascension of Our Lord.

Thank you to Pastor Paige for leading us in worship, Gail Kass for accompanying us on piano, Nathan Summerside for reading scripture, John and Peg McAllister for preparing Holy Communion, Peg McAllister for assisting with Holy Communion, Tim Kass for ushering, Angela Catton for live streaming the service, and Kinley, Anniston, Jenelle Van Otterloo and

Kay Allen for assisting with cleaning up after the service.

During the service, Pastor Paige installed the first Church Council for Living Faith: President - Tim Kass, Vice-President - Todd Lang, Secretary - Kay Michaelson, Treasurer - Sandy Heeren, and Engagement Coordinator - Angela Catton. Please keep these individuals in your prayers as they work this year on behalf of Living Faith!

Next Week

Sunday, June 8 is Pentecost Sunday!

We will celebrate the entrance of the Holy Spirit with worship led by Pastor Paige. Travis Balt will accompany us on the piano. Kari Kopperud will read Scripture and Mark Catton will assist with Holy Communion.

YOU are invited to worship at Living Faith! Our service begins at 11:00 in the Sanctuary of the Presbyterian United Church of Christ (858 7th Ave. SE) in Le Mars! Park in the front part of the parking lot and enter through the glass door on the south side of the building. Tim Kass will greet you in the Narthex with a bulletin!

Faith + Fellowship is at 10:00 in the Fellowship Hall of the PUCC

Thank you to Kay Allen for serving during last week's Faith + Fellowship hour. During this hour we join with our PUCC friends for conversation and refreshments - and both were in abundance last week! This week, Kari Kopperud will provide refreshments for this hour!

If you would like a bird's eye view of the entire parade route that the Ice Cream Days Parade covers, sign up to ride our float entry in this year's parade! We could use some more riders to wave to the folks along the route and spread the news about Living Faith! There is a sign up sheet on the Living Faith table in the narthex for you to volunteer! The parade takes place on Saturday, June 21and float riders will be asked to report at 9:00 to our starting off point!

"No child left un-candied!" is our motto here at Living Faith! If you would like to donate parade candy for the Ice Cream Days Parade on June 21st, drop your donations in the red bin in the narthex! Donations will be taken through June 19th!

Shawn Shipley (4th grader at Clark School) is off to Lutheran Lakeside Bible Camp beginning June 8. Living Faith has gifted Shawn's family a scholarship to go towards camp registration and expenses. Please keep Shawn in your prayers during the week of June 8!

Please text or email a picture of your father by June 12 to Kay Michaelson (540-5368 or bkmich4@gmail.com) for a Father's Day presentation during worship. Thank you!

There's still lots for the taking on the freebie table in the Narthex! Stop by on Sunday to find something you'd like to pick up!

Wednesday, June 4

• Living Faith Church Council meets at 6:30 in Room 105.

  
  

Thursday, June 12

• Living Faith members will gather at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Sioux City (5200 Glenn Ave.) at 6:30 to honor Bishop Lorna for her years of ministry. There will be a meal following where Living Faith has been asked to provide vanilla bean ice cream for those wishing to top off their pie! The cost for the meal is $20 payable at the door. Those attending from Living Faith will be: Sharon Utesch, Rich and Pastor Jean Ziettlow, Karen Schroeder, Brian and Kay Michaelson, Mark and Cheryl Juhl, Yvonne Law, Kevin and Dawn Richards, Travis Balt and Sue Stream.

Friday, June 13

• Living Faith will be recognized at the opening worship service of the Synod Assembly as the newest congregation of the Western Iowa Synod. Members will gather at the Nativity Parish Center (4242 Natalia Way) at 4:00 prior to the 4:30 worship service. Wear your Living Faith gear if you have it. You are invited to stay for the meal following. Those attending from Living Faith are: Mark and Cheryl Juhl, Jim and Sandy Heeren, Brian and Kay Michaelson, Angela Catton, Sharon Utesch, Karen Schroeder, Rich and Pastor Jean Ziettlow, Yvonne Law, June Ferguson, Sue Stream, Tim and Gail Kass, Travis Balt and Pastor Paige.

Saturday, June 21

• Living Faith will have an entry in the Ice Cream Days parade. See the above article about how you can help!

Thursday, June 26

• Do-Day with the PUCC begins at 9:30 in the Fellowship Hall. We will be making receiving blankets and baby hats for the Honduras Mission. Taco salads will be ordered for lunch. More information about what to bring comes soon!

Sunday, June 29

• Welcome Sunday at Living Faith! Please see Pastor Paige if you would like to join Living Faith! We will have a special time of welcome for all who have been or wish to worship at Living Faith!

Pastor Paige's office hours are Mondays from 10 - 2 and Thursdays from 1 - 4.

Living Faith Letters

From Pastor Paige: "I'm excited for my first message in the newsletter!...I want these messages to be for Living Faith to fill any spiritual gaps, so I'm listening."

Living Faith Letters from the Pastor

June 2, 2025

Dear Living Faith,

With your first funeral as a new congregation and with many of you grieving the loss of

other community members and loved ones, I want to share with you a few adapted words from Bob Gibson’s funeral. I invite you to read Philippians 4:4, where Paul writes to the church from prison with surprising joy, and Matthew 5:4, where Jesus blesses those who mourn. These two verses remind us that the Bible is full of contradictions. It compels you to rejoice on your hardest days and gives you permission to mourn, too. I think most people would classify mourning and rejoicing as very different emotions – some may even call them opposites! But what if they’re not that different? What if mourning is a form of rejoicing? What if rejoicing is a way to express one’s grief?

Mourning and rejoicing are both fueled by love. The pain you feel when someone dies is due to a love so powerful that extends beyond death. And love is also a source of joy. When you rejoice, you celebrate something you love. We sometimes call funerals a “celebration of life” because we love the life of the deceased. You rejoice when someone dies because you had the great privilege of loving a child of God. Mourning and rejoicing are not opposites; they are tightly tied together by a deep love for another. So, in this season of loss, whether you find yourself mourning or rejoicing, you can be certain that love abounds. Let loss be your reminder that you have loved well and that you have been loved well. Most importantly, know that you are loved eternally by the one who created all things living.

Blessing in life and in love,

Pastor Paige

We pray for:

The Gibson Family

The Family of Judy Bowman

Kristy Pecks

Karen Schroeder

Pastor Trish Underberg

Mitch Lang

Amy Beveridge

Joe Catton

Karin

Pixie

Ali

Beth

Marilynn

Pastor Paige

Living Faith

The Living Faith Brother or Sister you are praying for