Living Faith Weekly News (Week of March 24, 2024)

Kay Michaelson
Mar 25, 2024
4 min read

ree — Living Faith celebrated Palm Sunday with Deacon Eric Haitz!

Last Week

Living Faith read the Passion narrative from the book of Mark and heard beautiful special music from Deacon Eric Haitz. The hymns, accompanied by Dawn Richards, were just right for what we were reflecting on during the service!

Thank you to our reader, Peg McAllister, usher Tim Kass, greeters, John and Peg McAllister, Angela Catton for live streaming our worship service and the Rathke family for assisting with the distribution of palms and worship bulletins! Thank you to our PUCC friends for ordering palm branches for Living Faith!

This Week

It's Holy Week and there are many opportunities to walk the journey to the cross and grave towards Easter Sunday!

Thursday, March 28 - Maundy Thursday

Worship with Hope Lutheran in Sioux Center: Meet in the PUCC parking lot at 5:15 to pool rides to Hope Lutheran. Join in the 6:00 meal (please bring a dessert to share) and participate in their 7:00 Maundy Thursday service. OR

Worship with the PUCC at 7:00 in the Sanctuary.

Friday, March 29 - Good Friday

Worship at 7:00 PM with Pastor Halaas and St. Mark Lutheran Church in Sioux City - 5200

Glenn Avenue

Sunday, March 31 - Easter Sunday

Living Faith worships within the Presbyterian United Church of Christ, 858 7th Ave. SE in Le Mars. This Sunday we will be worshiping in the PUCC Sanctuary. Please enter through the western south facing door near the front part of the parking lot.

10:45 - Continental breakfast in the narthex of the PUCC. Treats, coffee and juice will be offered. There will be a photo booth for families. Easter gifts will be out for the little ones. Enjoy fellowship time with our PUCC and Living Faith friends! There will be no Faith + Fellowship in Room 103 on Easter Sunday.

11:15 - Worship in the PUCC Sanctuary with Pastor Halaas. Judd Kopperud will read Scripture and Peg McAllister will assist with Communion. Gail Kass will accompany us on the piano and Tim Kass will usher for us. Angela Catton will be live streaming our service if you cannot worship with us in person. Kay Michaelson will greet you at the door!

Thank you to Living Faith members who donated flowering plants to decorate the PUCC sanctuary for Easter!

Russ and Linda Mayrose in memory of Karen Bugge, Hilda & Arnie Mohning, and John & Margaret Mayrose
Dell and June Ferguson in memory of their parents
Karen Schroeder to the Glory of God
Mark and Cheryl Juhl to the Glory of God
Tim and Gail Kass in memory of Mr. & Mrs. James Kass and Darwin Toussaint
Yvonne Law in memory of Don Law
John and Peg McAllister in memory of Bob Ashmore (Peg's father), Jerry & Marilyn McAllister (John's parents) and in honor of Dorothy Ashmore (Peg's mother)
Judd & Kari Kopperud and Family in memory of Loved Ones
Brian & Kay Michaelson in memory of Dwight & Sally Puttmann and Herb & Jo Michaelson
Sharon Utesch in memory of Roger & Daniel Utesch & Parents
Mark & Angela Catton in honor our our Living Faith Family

Flowering plants may be picked up and taken home following our 11:15 worship service.

Easter tree items for Sleep in Heavenly Peace are due back to Living Faith on Sunday!

Thank you for your generous donations for this charity that does good work for our community's children!

There are also a few cartons of Resurrection Eggs left on the sign up table. Stop by and pick up a carton!

Living Faith Annual Meeting is Sunday, April 7th!

Stay for the potluck after the 11:15 worship service that day. The Leadership Team will provide pulled pork sandwiches. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share.

Annual meeting will follow the meal. Meeting items include an annual report, approving a 2024 budget and discussing benevolent partners for 2024.

Thank you to all who contributed to our worship, our meals and our discussion time during this season of Lent!

Thank you to Kjersten Rathke, Gail Kass and Rachel Cunningham for leading us in Holden Evening Prayer.

We learned much from our benevolent partners and those who serve our young people: The Table at Rejoice!, Lutheran Lakeside Bible Camp, Center for Financial Education, Spirit 712 and the Le Mars Backpack program and their representatives: Tina Gray, Britt Swanson, Beverly Bowman, Dave Grosenheider, and Brenda Nohava. Thank you to all!

Thank you to all who contributed to our weekly meals together! Good food comes out of the PUCC kitchen from Living Faith members! In particular, thank you to those who donated to our last meal: Cheryl Juhl, Kopperuds, Kay Michaelson, Kay Allen, Sue Stream, Karen Schroeder, Peg McAllister, Yvonne Law, Dawn Richards, Sharon Utesch, June Ferguson, Ardis Boetger and Rich & Jean Ziettlow.

Thank you to all who attended the discussion sessions we had on Civic Life and Faith. It was good to sit together and share thoughts and experiences!

Here are some photos from our final Wednesday Lenten evening:

Our Lenten offering for Conor Rathke's trip to the National Youth Gathering in New Orleans this summer came to $752! Adding in the Ash Wednesday offering of $155 totaled $907. The Leadership Team decided to round that up to $1,000 for Conor's trip! Thank you for your generosity, Living Faith!

Additionally, young people who are attending the National Youth Gathering came to Living Faith to conduct worship on February 25. Supplying pulpits for congregations of the Western Iowa Synod is a part of fundraising efforts for this group and their trip. The pulpit supply cost is $175. Living Faith also provided special offering envelopes for members to donate to the teens and their trip and these envelopes contained $675. A total of $850 was sent to the group - and they were surprised and delighted at Living Faith's response to their efforts!