Living Faith Weekly News (Week of November 3, 2024)

Kay Michaelson
Nov 4, 2024
5 min read

Updated: Nov 5, 2024

Living Faith announces the formation of a scholarship fund for Living Faith youth!

Last Week

Living Faith celebrated All Saints' Sunday in the sanctuary of the Presbyterian United Church of Christ with Pastor Jean Ziettlow presiding. We remembered those saints who have gone before us:

Donna Toussaint - Mother of Gail Kass

Jake and Verna Van Oort

Don Law - Husband of Yvonne Law

Roger Utesch - Husband of Sharon Utesch

Daniel Utesch - Infant Son of Roger and Sharon Utesch

George and Amanda Bultman - Parents of Sharon Utesch

Merlin and Dorothy Utesch - Parents of Roger Utesch

and all those dear to our Living Faith worshiping community.

Thank you to Pastor Jean for leading our service, Debbie Gibson for reading our scripture lessons, Yvonne Law for assisting with Communion, Gail Kass for accompanying us on the piano, Tim Kass for ushering and running the sound system, Angela Catton for live-streaming our service and Kari Kopperud for helping to take care of our communion ware after our service.

Next Week

Living Faith will be worshiping at 11:00 AM in the sanctuary of the PUCC (858 7th Ave. SE) with Pastor David Halaas presiding and Gail Kass accompanying us on the piano. We are in need of someone to read Scripture and assist with Communion at this service. Contact Kay if you would like to volunteer to help with this.

Thank you to the PUCC for the pancake feed they hosted during last Sunday's

Faith + Fellowship hour!

This coming Sunday we will gather at 10:00 in the Fellowship Hall to share highs and lows and then visit with our PUCC friends when their service dismisses for coffee and fellowship!

The Leadership Team announces the formation of the Living Faith Scholarship Fund! This fund will provide financial assistance to students in the amount of $1,000 to a member of Living Faith who plans to attend a college, university, vocational/trade school, or seminary. Details about this scholarship and how to apply can be found on our Living Faith website: https://www.livingfaithlemars.com/living-faithfully/living-faith-lutheran-scholarship

Seed money for this scholarship in the amount of $1,250 has been provided by Kyle and Kari Van Oort as a memorial to their parents, Jake and Verna Van Oort. Members are encouraged to prayerfully consider donating to this fund. The sign up table contains information about the scholarship along with a QR code that can take you to the scholarship information page on our website. There are envelopes in which to place your donation and these can be put in the offering plate on Sundays or given to Kari Kopperud directly. Thank you to Kay Allen and Karen Schroeder for developing the guidelines for this scholarship!

***A challenge has been made to Living Faith! Any donations made between now and December 1st will be matched up to $5,000 by an anonymous donor!***

Living Faith has been blessed with the following memorial gifts in 2024:

Living Faith Scholarship Fund - Kyle and Kari Van Oort in memory of Jake and Verna Van Oort

Monetary donation - Kay Allen in memory of Donna Toussaint, mother of Gail Kass

Communion tray - Tim and Gail Kass in memory of Donna Toussaint

Communion tray - Sharon Utesch in memory of Roger Utesch

Offering plate - Dell and June Ferguson

November Worship Schedule

November 10 - Worship at 11:00 AM with Pastor David Halaas

November 17 - Worship at 11:00 AM with Deacon Eric Haitz and Vicar Bruce Pollack. There will be no communion at this service. We will be worshiping in the Chapel this day. The PUCC is worshiping at 10:00 and having their annual Thanksgiving meal at 11:00 in the Fellowship Hall, thus the change in location. Faith + Fellowship will be held at 10:00 in Room 103 that day.

November 24 - Christ the King Worship at 11:00 AM with Vicar Paige McGrath in the sanctuary of the PUCC.

Turkey pulling for Rejoice!'s Community Thanksgiving Meal preparation!

Once again, Living Faith would like to help with the meal preparation for Rejoice! Community Church's annual Thanksgiving meal, a gift to residents of the Le Mars Community and surrounding area! Check out the sign up sheet on the table in the narthex to sign up for this event: Two more volunteers are needed for Saturday, November 9 at 4:00 PM at Rejoice! Contact Kay if you'd like to fill one of those slots. Two more volunteers are needed for Saturday, November 16 at 4:00 at Rejoice! You can sign up on Sunday for one of those slots! Thank you to all who are free that day to help out with this community project!

Thanksgiving activities for Living Faith families and other members will be available on Sunday, November 24!

Living Faith's Christmas Tree at Pioneer Village!

Living Faith will again have a decorated tree at Pioneer Village for its Christmas celebration, Pioneer Village Christmas Wonderland, on December 7 & 8 and 14 & 15. Anyone who would like to help decorate the tree is welcome to come to Century Hall at the Plymouth County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, November 26 at 6:00 PM. We will have all the supplies there so just come and help to get everything on the tree! If there is someone who could go at 4:00 to pick out a tree for us, that would be greatly appreciated! Let Kay know!

There will be a Tour of Steeples in Sioux City on Saturday, December 7 from 10 AM - 2PM! There is a sign up sheet for those interested in carpooling to this event on the table in the narthex! Sign up and be thinking where you'd like to share lunch together that day! Pastor Halaas' church, St. Mark, is on this tour!

How Can Living Faith Help Our Community?

Packing Backpack Snacks

Living Faith will be helping with the packing of snacks for the Backpack Program for Le Mars Community and Gehlen Catholic elementary students on Wednesday, November 20 at 4:30 PM at the Nohava Construction building, 210 2nd St. SW. Enter through the east facing door with the Backpack Program notice. Depending on how many come to help out, this event will take around a half hour.

Packing the snacks will kick off our Cereal Drive for the Backpack Program, our Advent Mission Project for 2024! Over the long Christmas holiday, students are given a box of cereal to help with their nutrition needs. Costs of cereal have gone up and the Backpack Program is in need of donations to make it possible to send a box home with each student in need. From November 24 - December 8, Living Faith, along with our PUCC friends, will collect boxes of cereal for this drive. Boxes (please do not purchase bags of cereal) may be placed under our sign up table until our Christmas tree is put up in the narthex and then they can be placed under the tree. Ruth Peters, a friend of Living Faith who resides in Spirit Lake now, has donated $300 for a Living Faith mission project and we will use this donation to purchase cereal as well! Thank you, Ruth!

If you would like to offer a special musical selection for any upcoming worship service, please contact any member of the Leadership Team: Tim Kass, Todd Lang, Kari Kopperud, Angela Catton, Kay Michaelson or Pastor Halaas!

Communion Help Needed!

Peg and John McAllister work each Sunday morning to get the elements of Communion ready for our worship service. Peg also supplies the bread each Sunday! Thank you, McAllisters!

Help is needed after worship to take care of the Communion ware: cleaning it and putting it away, disposing of the cups, disposing of leftover bread and wine, and cleaning the baskets. Kay will walk you through each task. If you would like to help with this, please let Kay know. If enough people volunteer, we can set up a monthly schedule for each volunteer!