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January 2016

The Messenger Union Congregational United Church of Christ — Reinbeck, Iowa 50669

On behalf of our church staff, I would like to wish you and your families a Happy New Year and the very best in 2016. We truly appreciate the ministry we share and look forward to accomplishing great things in the coming year.

These last few months we have been talking a lot about goals and aspirations for our church. The draft report from our consultant has been circulated among the leader- ship of the boards and committees of the church and we will be ready to share it with the congregation very soon.

Some of the things we will want to discuss right away will be:

adding a couple of part time people to our staff, specifically a music person (to work with the choir and perhaps introduce new and different musical styles to our services of worship; and a tech person who can take over the website and social media functions as well as the technical aspects of our services of wor- ship.

Streamline existing boards and committees and find ways to help the leadership of the church to work more efficiently.

Find new ways to reach out to those in and those beyond our community in mis- sion, worship and community service.

I’m looking forward to the coming year and all of the exciting things that God has in store for us as a congregation. I feel blessed to be serving as your pastor and desire, along with you, to grow spiritually in the ways and purposes of Jesus Christ.

Joel

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United Church of Christ

Board Members

Moderator

Chelsea Wyatt

Church Council Mary Lou Moser - Trustee Gary Thede - Trustee Diane Staker - Trustee Allan Schott - Diaconate LaVonne Block - Diaconate Phil Lauterbach - Diaconate Jayne Love - Christian Education Carie Sager - Christian Education

Council At Large Gregg Moser Kathy Westberg Michele Cooper

Staff Pastor Joel Love Barbara Brandt - Parish Adm.

Trustees Mary Lou Moser Steve Mckinstry Richard Bouska Gary Thede Denise Freeseman Diane Staker Tim Sweet

Diaconate Allan Schott Del Jungling Connie Hansen Karol Storjohann Ginger Bouska LaVonne Block Phil Lauterbach Carolyn Ehlers Betty Shoup Neal Allen

Christian Education Jill Lauterbach

Gina Mathern

Jayne Love

Jenni Cooper

Kristy Giesking

Carie Sager

United Church of Christ Newsletter: Gregg Moser greggam@reinbeck.net

Junior Thede

Is our Spotlight Volunteer for January. Junior has probably started winding down from all of the things he used to do here at the church. He was always here with his brothers Wayne and Robert, ready to take on almost any “handyman” work around the church. He did anything from laying floor tile to remodeling the restrooms downstairs, to helping with eve- ry major remodeling project here at the church . . . and then some. It must be in the Thede blood!

He is probably most visible as a bass singer in the choir. In fact, Junior has sung in the choir for 70 plus years, more than anyone else in our Congregation. Junior and his late wife, Ann, sang at many funerals as well as per- forming in programs here at the church.

If you haven’t heard Junior tell about his dying and com- ing back to like, you need to ask him about it. A big party was even given in his honor in December.

When you see Junior next time, remember to tell him thanks for all he has done.

Volunteer Spotlight

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RESPONSIBLITIES for January 2016

Deacons

Ginger Bouska and Allan Schott

Candle Lighter

Kaitlyn Sager

Lay Reader

Jan. 3 Shawna Jones

Jan. 10 Connie Hansen

Jan. 17 Allan Schott

Jan. 24 June Mittler

Jan. 31 Ann Rae Billerbeck

Eve Circle

No meeting for the month of January

Sunday Mornings at 9:00

In the Chapel

Join US!!

Prayer Shawl Group

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

7:15 p.m.

At the home of Nancy Lauterbach

Greeters

Jan. 3 Gregg and Mary Lou Moser

Jan. 10 Gary and Marlys Karkosh

Jan. 17 Phil and Nancy Lauterbach

Jan. 24 Tim and Jackie Sweet

Jan. 31 Gene and Mary Kubik

Servers for Fellowship

Jan. 3 Gary and Tracy Thede

Jan. 10 Bob and Shawna Jones

Jan. 17 Florence Jones

Jan. 24 Phil and Nancy Lauterbach

Jan. 31 Gregg and Mary Lou Moser

Nursery

Jan. 3 Clarissa Nicholson

Jan. 10 Dave and Kristy Giesking

Jan. 17 Jason and Gina Mathern

Jan. 24 Neal Allen and Jane Johnson

Jan. 27 Dave and Denise Freeseman

Too Much Stuff . . .

If you have served on a funeral committee, fellow-

ship committee or any other social function at the

church, or you or someone you may know may have

furnished food . . . You may be one of the many who

has containers, cake pans, etc. left in the kitchen.

Please check the counter in the kitch- en and take

home whatever belongs to you. Thanks.

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KNITTERS/CROCHETERS . . .

If any of you are working on the baby hats, as

explained in the Little Hats, Big Hearts news

article in last month's Messenger, the deadline

to turn them in is January 15th. They will then be

delivered to the American Heart Association

office in West Des Moines, to be handed out to

every new baby born in the Des Moines area

during the month of February (Heart Month).

Thanks to all of you who are working on this

project.

Budget Meeting:

The Budget meeting to approve the budget for 2016 was held on Sunday, December 7th. The operating budget totaled $223,575.00, an in- crease of 1% over last year. By vote of those present, the budget passed. We will need the help and support of each and every one of you so if you have not filled out a pledge card for 2016, please do so at your earliest convenience. We are currently about 60% pledged – it would be good to start the New Year with about 67% of the budget pledged. We can do it! Offering envelopes for 2016 are available in the hallway across from Barb’s office. Please start using them on January 3, 2016 Final 2015 statements will go out after the first of the year. Please check yours over and re- port any discrepancies immediately to the of- fice.

Just a reminder . . .

If you haven’t completed your pledge for 2015,

please do so ASAP.

Also if you have not filled out a pledge card for

2016, we would appreciate getting that done as

well.

From: Kim Anderson

Sent: Monday, December 14, 2015 10:25 PM

To: United Church of Christ

Subject: World Wide Village

Hi UCC - I just wanted to send along an up-

date about World Wide Village. We are cur-

rently in the process of building a permanent

medical clinic in Haiti! The land has been

purchased, the well dug, the road built and the

foundation poured. The next step is building

the clinic! The church gave funds to this project

over the summer, so I wanted to give an

update that we're making progress! I'm

attaching a couple photos of the clinic

foundation being poured and a video of our

vision for healthcare in Haiti. Feel free to share

any of this in the newsletter. Would you like

to be added to the World Wide Vil- lage e-mail

list to get periodic updates? Hope you have a

very Merry Christmas!

Kim Anderson

Sunday, January 31, 2016,

immediately following the Worship Service.

We will remain in the sanctuary for the meeting.

If you are a secretary, please get the report

from your board and/or committee into the office

as soon as possible.

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Birthdays

Jan.10 Matt Wyatt

Jan. 11 Rosalyn Moser

Jan. 12 Richard Winterroth

Jan. 19 Florence Jones

Jan. 19 Pam Jones

Jan. 21 Phoenix Jones

Jan. 24 Arlyn Billerbeck

Jan. 31 Junior Thede

Anniversaries

Jan. 18 Jack and Betty Shoup

Thanks to our Retiring Board and

Committee Personnel:

We are grateful to those who have served

the last three years on our boards. We ap-

preciate the vision that each and every one

of you has for the Church and its members.

Your service is greatly appreciated.

Retiring members:

Trustees: Diane Staker and Tim Sweet

Diaconate: Neal Allen, Betty Shoup, Phil

Lauterbach and Carolyn Ehlers

Christian Education: Clarissa Nicholson

and Elizabeth Jones

Moderator: Chelsea Wyatt

The new slate of nominees to be voted on

at the Annual Meeting on January 31, 2016

Congratulations to Kyle and Melissa Henrichs on the birth of their son, Jack William, born on November 14, 2015.

Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for this Christmas and New Year full of blessings and hope. Thank you for my Christmas present. Luis Ruben Moctezuma, Umul

Thank you for all the food donations and

luncheon prepared for the funeral of Doris

Slessor. The Doris Slessor family.

Hospital Calls

The Pastor and Called to Care Ministers make

hospital visits when notified of a hospitaliza-

tion, please contact the church office if you

know of such a need. Please note that be-

cause of privacy concerns, hospitals do not

contact Pastors nor share information with the

church, so you MUST call to request a visit.

There are, on occasion, professional courte-

sies involved as well, generally speaking, we

limit visits to members of our church or those

unchurched folks whose needs are not already

being met by pastors from other churches.

We Need Your Help: Be a Volunteer

After the first of the year, our visioning committee,

boards and council will be working on ways in

which we can streamline some of the boards and

committees, in order that they be able to function

more effectively. We will be putting together ways

in which you, all of the congregation, can sign up

for duties and/or sign up for areas that interest you

the most. In essence, you will be pledging your

time and talents as well as your financial support.

Please watch for details shortly.

Jan. 5 Tim Sweet

Jan. 7 Jennifer Sweet Williams

Jan. 9 Madison Cooper

Pastoral Care The Pastor and Called to Care Ministers make home

visits to those who cannot get out to the UCC ser- vices.

Please contact the office if you or someone you know

desire a visit. We are glad to bring Com- munion to you

also. Videos of the Sunday Services are available and

can be loaned to you upon request. The services are

also available on RTU Cable TV, Reinbeck Channel on

Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

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Youth News: The youth have had a busy month in Decem-

ber! The Board of Christian Education would like

to thank all of the kids and their parents for

attending Sunday School every week in order to

prepare for the Christmas program! The efforts

are much appreciated! The program went well,

as did the soup dinner following. Through the gift

of memorial money from Lucille Thede, we

purchased a few new costumes for the pag-

eant. The kids wore them well! We will also be

purchasing a TV for the Sunday School room, for

use during youth activities. The Sunday School

kids have collected offering over time, and were

able to donate $500 to the Grundy County

Christmas. We helped many families celebrate

Christmas.

In addition to program preparation, the youth

served fellowship this month. The confirmation

students helped decorate the church for Christ-

mas and attended the annual meeting. Regular

confirmation classes will begin in January.

There will be a pajama day during Sunday

School on Dec 27 with a movie, and a youth

Scenes from Our Christmas Program . . .

(grades 5-12) activity on December 28 from 2:00-

5:00 with movie, food, and activities. Please bring

a friend and enjoy the fun. Sunday School will

continue at 9:00 each week. Come join the Deep

Blue Sea....attendance has been great!

January 2016

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

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9 am Coffee Shop 7 pm Choir Practice 6 pm Casual Worship 9 am Sunday School

10 am Worship

7:15 pm Diaconate

11 am Fellowship 7:15pm Trustees

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9 am Coffee Shop 7 pm Choir Practice 6 pm Casual Worship 9 am Sunday School 10 am Worship Service 11 am Fellowship

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9 am Coffee Shop 7 pm Choir Practice 6 pm Casual Worship 10 am CCPE 9 am Sunday School

10 am Worship Service

6:30 pm Committee

11 am Fellowship

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9 am Coffee Shop 7 pm Choir Practice 6 pm Casual Worship 9 am Sunday School 10 am Worship Service 7:15 Pray Shawl at 11 am Fellowship Nancy Lauterbach

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9 am Coffee Shop 1 2 3 4 5 6

9 am Sunday School 7 pm Choir Practice 6 pm Casual Worship 10 am Worship Service 7:15 pm Diaconate 11 am Annual Meeting 7:15 pm Trustees 11 am Fellowship

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Do You Have a Mission Project for Our Church? The mission committee is always looking for

new and different mission projects. While we

get lots of ideas through the internet and mail,

we would like to give you the chance to be in

the process as well.

This is Kathy Westberg’s idea for working on

new mission projects:

While working on New Year’s resolution

(mission) ideas, the idea morphed into Valen-

tine’s Conversation Hearts. Here is how it will

work: There will be large conversation hearts in

a basket on the bulletin table just inside the

sanctuary doors. Simply write down your mis-

sion project, along with any special thoughts or

instructions, and put the hearts in the offer- ing

plate, lay it on the table (near the basket) or

hand it to one of the Mission Committee

members.

Some of our most successful and meaningful

mission projects have come from the mem-

bers of our Congregation – While we probably

cannot do all of them, careful consideration will

be given to each idea. Thanks in ad- vance.

Mission Committee: Kathy Westberg, Doree

Cronan and Barb Brandt

Dear United Church of Christ members:

I’m contacting you about volunteer opportunities to pro- vide transportation for residents at Westview Estates who do not have family available to transport them to medical appointments out of town. During the last 4 months that I’ve been manager of Westview Estates, it has been a pleasure meeting local pastors and mem- bers of different churches who volunteer regularly to provide services and brighten the lives of residents. Transportation is the one area in which I continue to see a need. If anyone in your congregation would like to learn more about this opportunity, they are welcome to call me : 319-345-6761. Thank you.

Cathi Burnette, Manager

Please Take Note . . .

We are seeing fewer and fewer people signing up

for fellowship. Please don’t leave it up to the same

10—12 couples to do it all the time. It’s not fair to

ask the same people to make coffee and clean-up.

If there is not a committee for a Sun- day, there

will not be a fellowship time that week No Coffee!

Following is a note from the Christmas in

Grundy County Christmas Store . . .

Partners - Good Morning!

We are humbled to write the Christmas Store

served 156 families which translates to 400 plus

kids being shopped for and approximately 800

plus gifts being purchased by parents/caregivers

and it doesn’t stop there! Each family left with a

Story Book telling the story of Jesus and a Re-

source Brochure of where they can attend a

Christmas Eve Service!

We also celebrate the Kids Zone where 156 kids

were able to hear the Christmas Story, make crafts

and pick out a gift for their parents/ caregivers.

Lastly, 160 volunteers joyfully served the King-

dom of God together. A tremendous thank you to

all who served!

Christmas in Gundy County received an over-

whelming amount of support from the entire

county, toys and donations came until the day of

the event. We look forward to partnering with you

all in 2016.

With much appreciation and a very Merry Christ-

mas to all.

The Christmas in Grundy County Planning Team

Mission Committee: Doree Cronan, Kathy

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Poinsettias:

In memory of Robert and Lucille Thede and Matthew Thede by Jan Lee, Ken and Susan Nichols and Allen and Von Thede and Families

In memory of Phyllis Giesking by Wendell Giesking

In memory of Marge and Alan Paton by Jill, Julie, Nick and Nathan Hamblen

In memory of Virtus Ramundt by Jill, Julie, Nick and Nathan Hamblen

Phil and Nancy Lauterbach

In memory of Emily Sweet by Tim and Jackie Sweet

In memory of Susan Wyatt and Marguerite and Everett Wyatt by Frank Wyatt Family

In memory of Lyman and Frances Barker and Joe and Thelma Karkosh by Gene and Dianne Barker

In memory of Ray and Mabel Morrison and Marcus and Clara Billerbeck by Don and Ann Rae Billerbeck

In memory of Marlin R. Peters and Al and Imogene Peters by Donna Peters and Family

In memory of Bryon Dale and Neal Allen Family

In memory of Wayne Thede and Judy Betts by Delane Thede

In memory of Paul Plaehn, Kevin Plaehn, and Tom Bolen by Darlene Plaehn and Family

In memory of H. Ann Thede by H. Junior Thede

In memory of Phyllis Giesking by David and Kristy Giesking and Boys

Gary and Marlys Karkosh

In memory of Don Dirks and four parents by Beth Dirks

In memory of Grace and Raymond Shoup and Alevena Hoeppner by Jack and Betty Shoup (2)

In memory of Harry Beebe by Carrol Beebe

In memory of Ralph and Mildred Knaack, Chuck and Anna Marie Pleahn and Jim Plaehn by Vern and Julie Knaack

Gregg and Mary Lou Moser

In memory of Great Grandma Hughes by Jason, Gina, Austen, Trevor and Hunter Mathern

In memory of Mary Lou Wrage by Les, Lynn, Kim and Cathy Wrage

In memory of Pat and Harold Petersen and Bernis and Keith Bailey by Bruce and Pattie Bailey and Family (2)

In memory of Virtus Ramundt by Shirley, Curt and Donna and Randy and Jennifer Ramundt

In memory of Chris Roberts by his Family

In memory of Iner and Vivian Larsen and Randy and Sandy Juhl by Kirk and Lora Dinsdale and Family

In memory of John and Loretta Blohm and Glen and Elvina VanderZwagg by Bob and Yvonne Blohm (2)

In memory and in honor of Roger and Norma Thede by their Family

In memory of Ralph and Bernice Jones and Dale Abbas by Bob and Shawna Jones

In memory of Melvin Freeseman, JoAnn Billerbeck and Colleeen Billerbeck by Dave and Denise Freeseman

FROM THE MISSION COMMITTEE:

We wish to thank everyone who helped out with Christmas in Grundy County this year. This is an

amazing program and we were extremely pleased to be a part of it. In addition to a near full box of

toys (we’re talking a box about 6 foot on each side and 4 ft. high), we had people making cookies,

decorating, serving as personal shoppers, gift wrappers, dining room servers and shoppers to help

the kids with their parents’ gifts. Thank you, Thank you.

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Union Congregational

United Church of Christ

225 Broad Street

Reinbeck, IA 50669

Phone: 319-788-6434

www.unioncongucc.org

Rev. Joel Love, Pastor

Barbara Brandt, Parish Administrator

January 2016

Address Service Requested

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JOIN US: Wednesday Worship at 6:00 p.m. Sunday School at 9:00 a.m.

Coffee Shop 9:00 a.m. Sunday Worship at 10:00 a.m.

Non-Profit Org.

U. S. POSTAGE

PAID

Permit #1

Reinbeck, IA 50669