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CALVARY CALLING www.calvarygf.org NOVEMBER 2017 Last Month at Calvary...
Called by God | Centered in Grace | Calvary Serves and Ignites People for Christ
Calvary UpdatesThis is a forum to find out what’s happening at Calvary. Our church is a living, breathing place. Take some time to read about the body that is Calvary so we can tell each other and the community our story, who we are, what we care about and what we believe.
In These Pages... As fall continues you will notice Calvary is a busy place! We are a big church with a lot going on. That means many ways to connect with your church family- worship events, education opportunities for all ages, classes, groups, and activities. There is something for everyone...take a look!
Third graders and their families gathered on October 12 to learn and grow together as they prepared to receive their Bibles in wor-ship on October 15 & 25.
Thirty-four young people affirmed their baptisms on Sunday, October 29. The congre-gation celebrated with them on the 500th Anni-versary of the Reformation. A joyus Sunday for many! Congratulations 11th graders!
Middle schoolers and high schoolers had all kinds of fellowship and fun this month including pumpkin carving, learning about the Reformation,
games and food as they watched UND hockey together and they finished the month with the Flashlight Dash at the Valley Corn Maze. Thanks to the youth team for keeping the young people of Calvary involved and in community!
“Nothing that is God’s is obtainable by money.” Tertullian, Christian Theologian, 3rd Century
“Lives based on having are less free than lives based on doing or being.” William James, Philosopher, early 20th Century
“It is a preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents persons from living freely and nobly.” Bertrand Russell, Philosopher, early 20th Century
“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” Sir Winston Churchill, mid-20th Century
“If a person gets his attitude toward money right, it will straighten out almost every area in his life.” Billy Graham, Christian Evangelist, late 20th Century
+++++ I am writing about stewardship. And, as Mark Allen Powell says in his book, Giving to God, “Stewardship, is about getting completely wet. It is about looking at ourselves, discovering what it is that we would like to keep dry, and then immersing whatever that is in the waters of Holy Baptism.” In other words, stewardship is about giving to God. It is about turning total control of our lives over to God. It is about freely and heartily giving ourselves to God, for God’s disposal, for God’s good pleasure. That also means that our stewardship as people who love Jesus includes deciding what portion of our money we give away, as well as what portion of our money we keep. That means that stewardship is what we do, how we live as Christians, after we say, “I believe!” It means what we do ALL THE TIME as people who love Jesus. Calvary has a Stewardship Committee whose task will be to talk with you, listen to you, teach you, and challenge you as you look for ways to give yourselves to God – as you look for ALL of the ways to give yourselves to God: your time, your talents, and your money. In that we Lutherans are celebrating/recognizing the 500th year since the Reformation, Martin Luther is always a good quote. And Martin Luther supposedly said people need to experi-ence three conversions: 1. of their heart 2. of their mind 3. of their purse With that conversion comes peace, happiness, and really, really, really better living! Re-member that, please - immerse yourselves in that - when you are reporting the financial estimate of how much you will be giving to Calvary in 2018. If you do so, when the Stewardship Commit-tee asks you to make that estimate (i.e. “pledge”), you people of Calvary will say, “Amen!”God’s Peace!
Pastor Luther Anderson
A Note From Pastor LutherFall at Calvary
Get InvolvedConnect with People at Church
CONNECTS
Calvary
THE UNFORGETTABLESThis unique and joy-filled choral experience is for people living with Alzheimer’s or other types of Dementia and their care partners. The Unforgettables is based on the successful Giving Voices Chorus in Minneapo-lis that has been in the news. Directed by Carol Geiszler, a longtime Grand Forks choral director and music educator, we will sing old and new songs, share memories, learn vocal techniques and ensemble skills, en-joy refreshments and being together. No vocal experience is necessary. The choir will meet weekly, begin-ning January 10, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall, and run through April 18, 2018. A concert will be held for family and friends on April 18. “Give It a Try” days will be November 8 and 15 from 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Please pass the word! Registration is $25, but grant money is available for anyone whose participation may be hindered due to financial means. Each person who reg-isters needs to be accompanied by a family member or caregiver. The Unforgettables is funded from grants awarded by the Calvary Foundation and the Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks and Region. Call Mary Ann Devig at 772-4897 to register or ask questions.
BOOK CLUBNovember 20 @ 11:00 a.m. Join us as we read Exit West by Mohsin Hamid. Saeed and Nadia leave an unnamed country in the midst of a civil war and journey to Greece, England, and eventually the United States to invent new lives for themselves.” Coming up:December 18: Mary Called Magdalene by Margaret GeorgeJanuary 15: Ordinary Grace by William Kent KrugerFebruary 19: The Women in the Castle by Jessica ShattuckMarch 19: The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan
SEWING CLUBNovember 2 & 16 @ 1:30 p.m. Meets the first and third Thursdays of the month in the Library. This is open to all women who want to bring their “handiwork” for an afternoon of fellowship and sewing.
YOUNG ADULTSNovember 6 & 20 @ 7:00 p.m. Young Adults: Post high school and older! Join us for dinner and conversation - 7:00 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month in the Fellowship Hall. See you soon!
SILVER STARSNovmeber 8 @ 2:00 p.m. Please join us for Silver Stars: 65+ Fellowship! Our scheduled program will be Cathy Altepeter. Cathy has been volunteering at Memorial Park Cemetery for the last five years, cleaning the grass from and around the flat markers. In taking on this project, Cathy has found that she also loves to do research and has begun checking obituaries and other information - not for the famous people, but for the ordinary people of Grand Forks, mostly before 1923. In Cathy’s work, she has found that “every stone has a story.” Come and join us for this interesting presen-tation as well as a devotion and light refreshments following the presentation.
QUILTING DAYNovember 28 @ 9:30 a.m. Join us on the last Tuesday of the month in the Fellowship Hall from 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Potluck lunch will begin at 12:00 p.m. Come for an hour or two or the day!
MEMORY CAFENovember 14 @ 1:00 p.m. Join us in the Fellowship Hall from 1:00-3:30 p.m. This month’s program will be “Legal Mat-ters” beginning at 1:30 p.m. with Tiffany J. Kallod, Attorney at Law from Zimney Foster PC present-ing. Refreshments will be served following the program. The event is free and all are welcome!. Contact parish nurse Mary Ann Devig for questions or details.
KNITTING/CROCHETING GROUPNovember 18 @ 10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.•Patterns available•Learn about prayer shawl ministry•Come and work on your own projects•Learners always welcome-- supplies and patient teachers available!
MAIN OFFICE 1405 S. 9th St.Grand Forks, ND 58201Mon - Fri | 8:30am - 4:30pm
CARING MINISTRIES Get Involved in Calvary’s Caring Ministries - Here’s How!
CALVARY LUTHERAN CHURCH WOMEN Calvary Lutheran Church Women meet the first Tuesday of the month at 1:00 p.m. beginning with a pastor-led Bible study titled Gather. A program follows the Bible study. The program on No-vember 7 will be about Calvary’s Memory Cafe by Mary Ann Devig. A monetary offering will be taken to support the Memory Cafe.
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILDCOLLECTION DAYS NOVEMBER 12-17For many years, Calvary has participated in this ministry. We fill and send shoebox gifts to chil-dren all over the world. Here is how you can help: Pick up an empty shoebox (Narthex/Education office) Buy items (check the shopping list inside the box) Pack the items and include $7 (if able) for shipping Bring your filled shoebox to Calvary by Friday, November 17. With your love and support millions of children will receive their first Christmas gifts.
SALVATION ARMY BELL RINGINGCalvary’s day of bell ringing for the Salvation Army is coming up on Saturday, December 2. This is the seventh year that Calvary will ring bells at all the kettle locations for the entire day. Two hours of your time multiplies into a year’s worth of support for individuals and families in the local area. Money raised goes to rent and utility assistance, warm clothing, food, school supplies, Christmas presents for kids and outreach to area youth and veterans. This is the Salvation Army’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Lt. Beatty so appreci-ates that we cover the entire day because it allows the staff a bit of a break from having to change out kettles between every change of volunteers. This is a great opportunity for families and groups. We have our biggest challenge ever with 87 time slots to fill. You can sign up in the church narthex on Novem-ber 19 and 26. You can also go directly to the website at http://signup.com/go/HzTMMCc The online sign up will be available beginning on November 6. Con-tact Donna Remer at 701-740-9355 or at [email protected] for details or questions. Thank you for your gift of time for this ministry.
FAREWELL FOR PR. LUTHER Pastor Luther has helped lead us through the time between Interim Pastor Mark and our new Lead Pastor Meseck. Join us in celebrating his time with us at Calvary on Sunday, November 26, between the 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. services. Come and say a word of gratitude as we enjoy a time of coffee and dessert together!
Thank you Pastor Luther for your time and service to Calvary! You have been a blessing in this time of transition at Calvary.
Pastor Luther’s last day is November 26 and Pastor Kirk will begin on December 1.
LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF Calvary Lutheran Church has partnered with Lutheran World Relief for over 40 years. Luther-an World Relief is a nonprofit organization that helps families in the world’s poorest communities build the resilience they need to thrive. Today and everyday, Lutheran World Relief kits give families throughout the world a helping hand, a sign of comfort and hope for the future!
This year Calvary sent:4 Baby Care Kits2 Personal Care Kits31 QuiltsThanks to all who helped and donated!
Treasurer’s Report
Income for the month of September was $8,300 higher when comparing only with the prior year. When comparing current versus prior year income on a monthly basis, two-thirds of the months have been higher in the current year. While this information feels promising, we need to remember expenses are also being incurred at a higher level due to budget decisions.
Noisy Offering in September was collected for Lutheran Disaster Response for hurricane assistance in the amount of $900 and for Christus Rex Campus Ministry in the amount of $1,200. September was a month full of events. The African Children’s Choir gave a concert at the begin-ning of the month, the fall schedule kicked off with carnival games and food on a stick, individuals 65 and older were invited to a Silver Stars event and middle school and high school students were invited to a retreat at Castaway Club.
Year-to-date income through September is 2% ($14,500) lower when looking at a five-year aver-age, while year-to-date expenses are 5% ($39,300) higher than the five-year average. Calvary has experienced a lot of changes over the last two years. Often changes in staff, policies, and worship services can cause congregation members to evaluate how they feel “fed” at Calvary. The way members feel “fed” affects participation in church life and the ways people feel called to support Calvary. Pray for our congregation as the time of transition continues.
Council BusinessThe Calvary Council and congregation has voted to send a Letter of Call to Pastor Kirk Meseck from Faith Lutheran Church in Madison, MN. The Letter of Call and the compensation package goes to the Synod for approval and then to Pastor Meseck for consideration. He has 30 days to respond.
Officers and Ministry TeamsCalvary now owns the two houses on the Calvary block. There are several parties interested in buying and moving the white house. This space will eventually be used for parking space.
Sunday School registrations are still coming in. Some classes are getting too big so need to be divided, which means more teachers are needed! Forty-nine third grade students will be receiving their Bibles on Sunday, October. 15. Reports from the Confirmation retreat at Castaway were good. Fifty-three middle school and high school students attended the fall retreats. 6-8th grade confirmation kids had a servant event on October 4. Each classroom was assigned a room to help furnish for the new CVIC shelter called Mary’s Place. The event was very successful!9th grade confirmation kids collected 753 lbs. of food on October 4 for the St. Joseph’s Food Pan-try. 10 graders had a parent meeting last Sunday. The kids have picked their mentors and will begin monthly meetings in November.11th graders are getting confirmed on October 29th. They worked on making their stoles on Octo-ber 4 and confirmation pictures were taken October 11. There are 43 confirmands this year.
SPECIAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING - October 8, 2017Brian Harris presided over the meeting. Introduction of the Call Committee and Pastor Kirk Meseck by Cindy Flom-Meland. Ballots were passed out to the congregation for voting. Dick Olson made a motion to send the letter of call to Pastor Kirk Meseck. Larry Eickman seconded the motion.Ballots were collected and counted with the following results:250 - Yes 2 - Abstentions 1 - No 253 - Total voters The motion by the Council to approve the compensation package was approved by a show of hands.
Highlights of theCHURCH COUNCIL October 2017
STOCK DONATIONSDid you know you can donate stock as a gift to Calvary? Have you wondered how to accomplish donating this gift?
You can instruct you broker that you wish to do-nate a designated stock to Calvary. We have an account at Edward Jones. If you are not dealing with this brokerage, your broker would know how to accomplish this process.
Donations can also be issued in Calvary’s name and brought directly to the brokerage or or Calvary’s finance manager, Heather Vandervort. If you have a certificate in your name, bring the certificate to the brokerage of to Calvary along with a letter of transfer.
Please designate which church fund or funds should be credited, and the donations will be sold and credited properly. If you are consider-ing this gift, December 1 is the last day this type of donation can be recieved.
YEAR-END GIVINGThank you for support-ing Calvary through your financial gifts! If you would like to make any gifts for the 2017 year please make sure they are received by the church office by 12:00 noon on Sunday, December 31. All gifts received in wor-ship that day or brought to the church office by that time will be included on your 2017 contribution statement. When giving gifts by mail, please allow for at least seven business days for your gift to arrive at Calvary.
MORE THAN MONEY MATTERS: You’re invited to join us for a free financial educational series called More Than Money Matters®. It’s a four session series, created by Thrivent Financial, that’s designed to equip you with tools and infor-mation to help you manage your money wisely and make spending decisions that align with your goals and values. During the workshop, you’ll learn how to: Set SMART goals, find money to save, understand credit and debt and put ut it all together by creating a budget to help manage your finances.
The educational workshop will be offered at Calvary Lutheran Church, 1405 S. 9th St., will be led by Dexter Albrecht and will take place: Thurs., Nov. 9, 6 pm – Set Smart Money GoalsThurs., Nov. 16, 6 pm – Find Money to SaveThurs., Nov. 30, 6 pm- Understand Credit and DebtThurs., Dec. 7, 6 pm – Put it all together by creating a budget to help manage your financesComplimentary dinner will be served at each session.To register, stop by the church office to sign up or call Dexter Albrecht at 701-370-9515.
OUR RECORD OF PARTICIPATION OFFERINGS
9/24/17 10,064.26 10/1/17 18,261.46 10/8/17 12,455.30
Proposed 2017 Budget -- $1,073,442 Offering received through 9/18 -- $629,366
BALANCE OF BUILDING EXPANSION LOAN
$1,047,012.09 WEDDINGS
10-14-17 Nolan Higdem and Alexandra Erickson
BAPTISMS
9-24–17 Griffin Kent Larson, child of Chad and Anna Larson. 10-1–17 Adalyn Mae Bernhardt, child of Tim and Lisa Bernhardt. 10-1–17 Emmet William McCoy, child of Ernest and Kaia McCoy. 10-8–17 Ella Marie Lemoine, child of Ashton and Samantha Lemoine. 10-15–17 Hadley Proulx Messner, child of Jacob and Kayla Messner. 10-22–17 Maria Gayle McLean, child of Michael and Liza McLean. 10-26–17 Bennie David Arens.
Our Prayers & Christian Sympathy To: Terra Wokenfuss whose father, Ricky Lorenson died
September 23. The family of Martha Torkelson, who died on September 29 Brad Stenberg whose mother Helen, October 3. The family of Willard Norstebon, who died October 6. The family of Judith Gronlie, who died October 8. Leroy Sondrol whose brother, Elton died October 15. Barb Lunde and Claire Evans whose mother, Doris
Martinson died October 25.
MEMORIALS & GIFTS
FOUNDATION In memory of Dick Koppenhaver by Bethel Bank In memory of Joseph Hegstad by Karen and Everett Knudsvig
BUILDING & RENOVATION FUND In memory of Dick Koppenhaver by Michael Erickson, Dick & Darlene Acker, Audrey Berfening, Gary & Roberta Zick, James & Sharon Holter, Ronald and Sandra Lunde, Jerry & Nadine Olson, Ruth Larson In memory of Joseph Hegstad by Donald and Nancy Krogstad In memory of Jennifer Holth by Mark and Gloria Sanford
CHOIR FUND In memory of Dorothy Holte by Ione & Richard Lawson
MUSIC FUND In memory of Dick Koppenhaver by Marilyn Lundberg, Kathy McCue, Richard Sorlie In memory of Joseph Hegstad by Art, Doug and Ruby Grove, Helen Wheeler, Florence Danielson, Lawrence Brokke In memory of Dale Swanson by Einar & Elaine Einarson In memory of Ruby Zimney by Bob and Nancy Zimney
GOOD SAM FUND In memory of Donna Thompson by Bob and Nancy Zimney
HONDURAS MISSION FUND In memory of Dick Koppenhaver & Dale Swanson by Bob and Nancy Zimney
Look for more memorials in the December Calvary Calling
If I give a gift to Calvary, how will it be used?
Music fund - Provide support to non-budgeted items such as a stipend for Calvary Choir college interns, traditional and contemporary music, instruments and worship needs.
General fund - Help support the operational needs of Calvary! This fund keeps the building running and ready for worship, kids programs, confirmation and all the other things that happen at Calvary every day of the week.
October Youth 33,445.66 Honduras Mission 19,785.57 Family Mission
497.22 Good Sam 2,743.62 Altar Guild 2,930.78
Refugee 5,994.87 Pastor's Cont Ed
3,029.07 Campership 0.00 Music
12,066.04 Library 3,178.31 Lutheran College 0.00 Undesignated Memorials
633.44 Landscaping 1,065.66
Contemporary 1,343.80 Education 14,174.78 Fine Arts
572.83 Program Development 97.18
Missions 28,284.32 Prayer Chain 3,000.00 Hymnal & Bible Fund
1,015.84 Adoption Awareness 1,723.85 Coffee Shop
784.80 Columbarium 9,238.53 Support Services
12,656.16 Stephen Ministry 563.75 Operation Technology
9,656.72 Organ/Piano 1,347.71 General Maintenance 1,738.73 Seminary
4,475.95 Sanctuary Projector/Screen 364.10
Building Expansion 157,595.66 Hearing Aid Loop 2,022.00
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Calvary Lutheran Church 1405 South 9th StreetGrand Forks, ND 58201
701-772-4897RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
CALVARY STAFFPastors: Luther Anderson, Kristen Larsen-Schmidt, Sonja BrucklacherEducation: Jackie Spiros, Tammie BurrisYouth: Aaron Bye, Katie EdgarOffice Staff: Cathy Bubb, Meghan Olson, Heather VandervortParish Nurse: Mary Ann DevigVolunteer Coordinator: Nichole ByeCustodian: Mary Beth Vigness
