Living Faith Weekly News (Week of March 22, 2026)

Last Lenten Service this Wednesday

Living Faith Lenten Theme: "Journey to Easter Vigil"

This Week: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego

Our final Lenten service of this season will take place on Wednesday, March 25. Here is the schedule for the evening:

6:00 PM - Lenten Meal - Pizza is on the menu!

The meal will take place in the Fellowship Hall of the Presbyterian United Church of Christ at 6:00 PM! Join us for pizza and conversation!

7:00 PM Lenten Service in the sanctuary of the PUCC

Pastor Paige will lead our service, Clara Kass will read scripture, Dawn Richards will accompany us on the piano, and Tim Kass will usher. Once again, the service will have music, readings, conversation, and a time of prayer.

Following Lenten services: The Living Faith Pop Up Choir will rehearse their selection for Easter Sunday!

For our pizza feed, Sharon Utesch and Kay Allen will provide bottles of water, Sharon Utesch, Kari Kopperud, Kay Michaelson and Amy Riccio-Beveridge will provide desserts, and Kay Michaelson will provide sodas.

Palm Sunday, March 29th

Sunday, March 29th at 11:00 AM is Living Faith's Palm Sunday worship service! When you arrive, see Tim Kass for a bulletin and a palm branch! We will gather outside (weather permitting) with Pastor Paige McGrath under the portico with palm branches and process inside the Presbyterian United Church of Christ's sanctuary. Readers for this service will be Kim Lang, Kay Michaelson, Nathan Summerside, and Karen Schroeder. Travis Balt will accompany us on the piano, Angela Catton will live stream our service, and Todd Lang will assist with Holy Communion.

Bible Study takes place at 9:30 on Sunday mornings in Room 105 with Pastor Paige leading the discussion. On Sunday we will dive further into the Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego story we heard on Wednesday. Come be a part of this hour! (There will be no Bible Study on Easter Sunday.)

At 10:30, you are invited to the PUCC Fellowship Hall where our PUCC friends are hosting a brunch during this season of Lent! This week is a brunch potluck! If you have a dish you'd like to share, bring it to the church kitchen by 10:00 Sunday morning!

Last Week at Living Faith....

Wednesday's Lenten Meal and Service

Thank you to everyone who brought items for our tavern dinner last week: Kari Kopperud, Mark and Angela Catton, Sandy Heeren, Kay Michaelson Karen Schroeder, Sharon Utesch, Yvonne Law, Debbie Gibson, Peg McAllister and Dawn Richards. We appreciate your generosity!

Pastor Paige led our Wednesday worship with song, readings, conversation, prayer and Holy Communion.

Thank you to all who helped with this service: Pastor Paige, Gail and Tim Kass, John and Peg McAllister, Kenzie McLaughlin, Nate Rathke and Clara Kass.

Sunday's Service

Worshipers were welcomed into Living Faith's Sunday service by Pastor Paige McGrath. See Living Faith's Facebook page for Pastor Paige's sermon on hope as she shared a personal experience she had where she felt hope when she was in a fearful situation!

Thank you to Nathan Summerside for reading Scripture, Peg McAllister for preparing Holy Communion, Travis Balt for accompanying us on the piano, Tim Kass for ushering and running the sound board, Trish Underberg for live streaming our service, and Brian Michaelson for assisting with Holy Communion. Thank you to those who helped after the service: Yvonne Law, Sharon Utesch, Sandy Heeren, Tim Kass and Brian and Kay Michaelson.

We closed our service with learning "Jesus Loves Me" in American Sign Language.

Here are all the services coming up next week along with volunteers who are yet needed to help out:

March 29th - Palm Sunday

11:00 AM Worship in the PUCC Sanctuary

Readers: Kim Lang, Karen Schroeder, Nathan Summerside and Kay Michaelson

Communion Assistant: Todd Lang

Accompanist: Travis Balt

April 2nd - Maundy Thursday

7:00 PM Worship in the PUCC Chapel

Reader: Travis Balt

Communion Server: Kim Lang

Strip the Altar: Todd Lang and Kay Michaelson - 1 more volunteer needed

Accompanist: Gail Kass

April 3rd - Good Friday

7:00 PM Worship in the PUCC Chapel

Readers: Travis Balt and Bailey Quanbeck

Accompanist: Dawn Richards

April 4th - Easter Vigil

7:00 PM Worship in the PUCC Chapel

2 Greeters/Ushers needed

Candle bearer needed

Binder Holder: Kay Michaelson

3 - 12 Readers: Karen Schroeder, Travis Balt, Bailey Quanbeck

1 - 9 more readers needed; must be willing to "rehearse" with Pastor Paige earlier in the day on Saturday or earlier in the week

Accompanist: Travis Balt

April 5th - Easter Sunday

10:00 - 11:00 Easter Brunch in the Fellowship Hall

(Sign up on the Living Faith table in the narthex to bring items for this.)

Photobooth in the narthex

10:30 - Easter Egg Hunt on the front lawn (weather permitting)

11:00 AM Easter Worship in the PUCC Sanctuary

Scripture reader: Kari Kopperud

Communion assistant: Jordan or Jess Kopperud

Accompanist: Travis Balt

More Information for the Season

Living Faith will have a Pop-Up Choir for Easter Sunday. Our first rehearsal will be Wednesday, March 25th after Lenten service - approximately 7:45 - in the PUCC sanctuary. See Kay Michaelson to pick up the sheet music for our selection.

You are invited to purchase a flowering plant to decorate our sanctuary for Easter! Bring your plant to the PUCC Fellowship Hall by Friday, April 3rd. Please do not purchase an Easter lily as that flower causes allergies for some worshipers. Your plant may be taken home following Living Faith's 11:00 worship on Easter Sunday.

Living Faith is collecting items for Sleep in Heavenly Peace throughout this Lenten season. If you haven't had a chance to stop by the egg tree in the PUCC narthex, pick an egg, follow the directions inside the egg, and return your egg and item to the narthex by Easter Sunday. Lots of good donations are filling up by the tree so far!

Our Lenten offering is designated to Sleep in Heavenly Peace as well. The offering box will be out on the table in the PUCC Fellowship Hall during Wednesday night's meal.

You can also sign up to be a part of the Sleep in Heavenly Peace bed build this Saturday at Le Mars Chevy & GMC. Go to the Sleep in heavenly Peace web page and search for the Sioux City chapter. Once are you on the Sioux City web page, you can find the March 28th build and sign up online for either 9 - 11 time slot or the 1 - 3 time slot.

Sunday is the last Sunday in March and the Noisy Offering box will be out on the Living Faith table in the narthex for you to drop your spare change into! This year's Noisy Offering will go to the Le Mars Backpack program.

Wednesday, March 25 - 6:00 PM - Lenten Meal in the PUCC Fellowship Hall

Wednesday, March 25 - 7:00 PM - Lenten Service in the PUCC sanctuary

Wednesday, March 25 - 7:45 PM - Choir rehearsal in the PUCC sanctuary

Sunday, March 29 - 9:30 AM - Lenten Bible study in Room 105

Sunday, March 29 - 10:30 PM - PUCC Brunch potluck in the Fellowship Hall

Sunday, March 29 - 11:00 AM - Palm Sunday service in the PUCC sanctuary

Living Faith's Prayer List

Trish Underberg

Clayton and Janice Kooiker

Joh, Peg and Katie McAllister

Rick, Sue, Marley and the Stream and Brennan Families

The Kristy Pecks Family

The Easton Riddle Family

The Ostermyer Family

The Matthew Kenny Family

Sherry Jo Wittkop and Family

Rod Hallberg

Marilynn

Ali

Marie

Pastor Paige

Living Faith

The Living Faith Brother or Sister you are praying for