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PILGRIM'S PROGRESS SEPTEMBER 2014

THE GIFT OF CHURCH MEMBERSHIP-

When we repent of sin and place our faith in Jesus Christ, we receive the gift of salvation: "For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift- not from works, so that no one can boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). Throughout the Bible, we see verse after verse that speaks of the gift of salvation, the gift of Christ's work for us, and the gift that means we cannot earn salvation through our own works.

When we receive the gift of salvation, we become part of the body of Christ. Right before the apostle Paul notes some of the gifts of the Spirit, he writes these words: "Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it. And God has placed these in the church" (I Cor. 12:27-28). Do you see what's taking place? You received a gift, the free gift of salvation. It includes forgiveness of sins by Christ's death on the cross. It includes adoption by God the Father. It includes the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And it includes becoming a part of the body of Christ. That's right: membership in the body of Christ, the church, is a gift from God. It's not a legalistic obligation. It's not country club perks. It's not a license for entitlements. It's a gift from God: a gift that we should treasure with great joy and anticipation. It should not be taken for granted or considered lightly. Because it is a gift, we must always be thankful for it. Church Membership is a gift. We respond to gifts with gratitude. The key way we express our gratitude is to serve like Jesus did and like He told us to do.

When we see life, salvation, and church membership as gifts, our whole perspective changes. We don't have any sense of entitlement or expectation. To the contrary, we want to be last and receive the least because that's the way Jesus did it. And we want to be more like Him. Church membership is a gift, a joyous gift. Treat it as such.

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PILGRIM SERVING IN SEPTEMBER­Elders Sat - Jim Schaub

Sun - Paul Pett

NEWSLETTER DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 18th

Altar Guild - Ruth Manke

SEPTEMBER VOTERS MEETING - The September Voters Meeting will be held on Monday, September 8th at 7 p.m. We are delighted to tell you that Pastor Ted Voll has agreed to become our Interim Pastor. He will be attending our Voters Meeting that night to meet everyone and discuss his service to Pilgrim. Everyone is encouraged to attend.

FALL OFFICE HOURS- Starting the 2nct of September the church secretary's office hours will be from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

QUILTING STARTS- The Quilters will begin work on Tuesday, September 2nd at 9:30a.m. in the Blue Room. The quilters are in need of people to do some basic sewing either in their own homes or here at church.

WELCOME TO SUNDAY SCHOOL- You are invited to join us at Sunday School beginning on Sunday, September 7th at 9:15 a.m. We will meet in the Sunday School Rooms. Parents are welcome to stay any time or to attend Bible Class in the Blue Room. Kim McDonald and Adeline Wicker will be working together for the upcoming Sunday School year. We will use a combination of lessons from the Dave C. Cook series, www.sundayschoolcenter.com, and various other resources. Singing and music were enjoyed by all last year, along with learning Bible Stories and Bible Verses. We welcome anyone who would wish to help, even on a limited basis. Thank you to Billie Jo McDonald for volunteering to organize the Sunday School area for our upcoming year. Thank you to parents, family members, and friends for bringing children to our Sunday School and helping. We are glad for all who are able to come throughout the year.

WOMEN'S GUILD -The Women's Guild will be having their annual Salad Supper to start off the Fall Season -Thursday, September 11th at 6:30 p.m. Bring a salad dish to pass and your own table service. If you bring something different or unusual please bring along the recipe to share. Everyone is invited and we would like to see some new faces! The hostesses are Ruth Manke and Debra Wentworth. This group is for all the women of Pilgrim to share fun, fellowship, missions, and to serve the Lord. Please come and take part.

KEENAGERS POTLUCK - The Keenagers will hold their first meeting for the fall on September 18th at 11 :00 a.m. in the Blue Room. All senior citizens of Pilgrim are invited to attend. Please bring a dish to pass and your own table service and join the fun and fellowship!

THANK YOU- The theme this year at Vacation Bible School was "Christmas in July." We had 13 children attend. They learned about the birth of Jesus, had a great time learning, singing, and making crafts. Thank you to everyone that gave a donation for VBS. A BIG thank you goes out to all the workers: Emily Wagner, Madison Wagner, Jessie Gibbs, Andrew Painter, Spencer Smigiel, Logan, Mackenzie, Kaitlyn, Nicklas Eckerd, Kimberlee McDonald, Jessica Gohs, Bev Dagneau, Kathy Kemp, and Billie Jo McDonald. Without helpers like you, we would not be able to do VBS. Thanks again.

ATTENDANCE AND CONTRIBUTIONS-

SAT SUN H.C. GEN FUND IMP FUND TOTAL +OR-6/29=152 126 $3,248.30 0.00 $3,248.30 + 474

7/05=19 7/06=42 46 1,374.97 5.00 1,379.97 -1394 7/12=19 7/13=52 1,368.13 0.00 1,368.13 -1406 7/19=18 7/20=52 59 2,177.00 0.00 2,177.00 - 597 7/26=18 7/27=58 1,665.80 0.00 1,665.80 -1108 8/02=22 8/03=43 54 1,555.40 0.00 1,555.40 -1219 8/09=24 8/10=47 1,605.10 0.00 1,605.10 -1169 8/16=16 8/17=63 55 1,843.73 0.00 1,843.73 - 930 8/23=17 8/24=50 1,515.00 0.00 1,515.00 -1259

$16,353.43 5.00 $16,358.43 -8608

Special Gifts . . . Food Pantry, $10.00; Adopt-a-Student, $40.00; Pastor's Retirement Gift and Dinner, $306.00; Gift from Tai Chi, $8.00; Vacation Bible School, $25.00

OUR STEWARDSHIP TO THE LORD AND TO PILGRIM

Pilgrim's 2014 Budget Budget through August 24th Contributions through August 24th Contributions Under Budget needs

PASTORAL ACTS . . ..

$144,245.00 $ 94,313.96 $ 74,517.33 $ 19,796.63

Funerals- Alfred R. Schaefer departed this life on Tuesday, August 5th at 78 years of age. He was given a Christian Funeral Service on Friday, August 8th and laid to rest in Elm Lawn Cemetery.

"/ know that my Redeemer lives!"

LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF -Once again we are collecting for Lutheran World Relief. They are still not accepting any items of clothing. Items needed are new bars of soap and blankets. Remember that soap is very scarce in other parts of the world and can sell for as much as $10.00 a bar, it it's even available at all! A gift of $5 will purchase a blanket. Starting on September 13th there will be a collection box in the hallway by a quilt that the ladies have made. For each $5 deposited, please pin a pretend $5 bill to the quilt. Let's fill it up with our donations! Please bring your donations to the church by October 12th.

BENEFIT SPAGHETTI DINNER- Trinity-St. James Lutheran Church, 119 E Munger Road, Munger is hosting a Benefit Spaghetti Dinner for the family of Sandi Fader. All money raised will help the family with medical and funeral expenses. The all you can eat dinner will be held on Sunday, September 14th from 12 noon to 7 p.m. Cost is $8 for adults. $5 for kids, and free for 5 and under. There will be great food, a bake sale, garage sale, and a silent auction with great items.

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LUTHERAN MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER- A weekend of discovery- a lifetime of love. Lutheran Marriage Encounter is a weekend experience that teaches couples how to communicate more effectively and build closeness and intimacy within the marriage relationship. Led by other couples who found the Weekend a blessing to their marriage, participants will learn from their life experiences in a setting which is very private and free from outside distractions. Two Weekends are currently scheduled: the first is October 24 - 26, in Warren and the second is April 17 - 19, 2015 in Battle Creek. Register early- a place on the Weekend cannot be guaranteed after four weeks prior to the Weekend. For additional information and brochures contact Larry & Liz Grupe (586-566-1525). You can also log onto www.GodLovesMarriage.org.

THE 30TH ANNUAL WALTHER LEAGUE REUNION- Come join us to help celebrate the 30th Annual Walther League Reunion on Saturday, September 2ih. We will meet in the Composers Room at the Bavarian Inn Lodge, One Covered Bridge Lane, Frankenmuth, Ml at 11:00 a.m. Dinner will be served at 12 noon. There will be Fellowship, Good Food, Message, Shared Memories, Laughs, and Singing. Hear a message from Richard Herman and Brian Becker from Wheatridge Ministries: "Walther League/Young Adults & Wheatridge Ministries Yesterday, Today, and the Future." Cost is $20. Reservation deadline is September 181

h. Contact Elna Kempff at 2252 Mallard Drive, Reese, Ml 48757. Phone 989-868-9921. Any questions: e-mail mwoodyf@charter.net

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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday I

1 2 3 4 5 61 Makenzie Morse Gerald Brigham David Bernreuter Sarah Walraven

Rick Ramirez

Wendy VanOoteghem

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Kayleen VanWert Melissa Carrion Brandon Barber Dave Borchardt Faye Witzke

Michael VanWert Suzanne Gibbs

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Vickie Zook Carol Smith Christopher

Dagneau Trajan Ward

David Wojcik

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Kaitlyn Barber Claire Schulz Sharon Grigg Marie Dardas Sloan Barratt

Chris Wagner Lois Groulx

28 29 30

Happy September Birthdays!

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CJ Thrivent Financial for Lutherans-

SEPTEMBER 2014 Sunday Monday

Labor Day 1

OFFICE CLOSED

13tr Sunday after Pentecost 8 7 Elders, 6

Sunday School, 9:15 Bible Class, 9: 15 Voters, 7 HOLY COMMUNION, 10:30 Trustees, 11 :30 14tr Sunday after Pentecost 15

14 Food Sunday School, 9:15 Pantry Bible Class, 9:15 Week WORSHIP SERVICE, 10:30 15'r Sunday after Pentecost 22

21 Sunday School, 9:15 Bible Class, 9: 15 HOLY COMMUNION, 10:30

1 EF Sunday after Pentecost 29 28

Sunday School, 9: 15 Bible Class, 9:1 5 WORSHIP SERVICE, 10:30

P.ilgrim Lutheran Church 1705 Nebobish Avenue

Essexville, Michigan 48732

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

2 3 Fall Office Hours Begin, 8-4 Preschool Begins 9 & 12:15 Quilting, 9:30

9 10 Quilting , 9:30 Prayer Women's Guild

4

11

Network, 3 Salad Supper, 6:30

16 17 18 Quilting , 9:30 Keenagers, 11

Newsletter Deadline

23 24 25 Quilting, 9:30 Prayer

Network, Call-In or E-Mail

30 Quilting, 9:30

Friday Saturday

5 6 HOLY COMMUNION, 7

12 13 WORSHIP SERVICE, 7

19 20 HOLY COMMUNION, 7

26 27 WORSHIP SERVICE, 7

Office: 893-7224 I