Announcements for November 3: All Saints Sunday

Poinsettia Fundraiser for NYG

The next National Youth Gathering fundraiser sponsored by SPY is upon us.  The group will be selling poinsettias that can be used to decorate your home or office, give as gifts, or to donate to the church altar. You may also purchase vouchers to select your own plants from Varner’s at your discretion. Orders will be taken from November 3-17. If you order plants, they will be ready for pick up on November 30.  If you purchase a voucher, you will get that in hand when you pay, to use as you wish. Altar donations will be handled by SPY and delivered to the church at the appropriate time. Order forms will be available at church and with all youth. Order details (including options and prices) will be available on Sunday, November 3, and posted to the church website soon. If you have questions, direct them to Krista Hunt at 6sbhunts@gmail.com and 574-339-5479. Thank you for helping our kids get to next summer’s NYG!

A Four-Week Pilgrimage into Our Lutheran Heritage and St. Peter Congregation

For the next few weeks, enjoy a fresh encounter with our Lutheran heritage and St. Peter congregation at the following opportunities:

Sunday, November 3: All Saints Sunday

• 9am Adult Study: Stories and pictures from the Clarks’ St. Louis Pilgrimage and St. Peter Prayer Labyrinth pilgrimages; blessing prayer labyrinths for our “homebound saints”
• 10am worship: All Saints remembrance (remember to submit your form for loved ones lost since last November by Tues, Oct 29 – see below)

Sunday November 10 (Luther’s birthday) and Sunday November 17

• 9am Adult Study: Come learn about the Reformation Era, Luther and Melanchthon, and the Women of the Reformation with our own Hannah Stevenson, Ph.D. Candidate in Reformation History at the University of Notre Dame.

Cub Scouts: Might YOU Support this Outreach Opportunity?

As Pastor Clark shared in a recent sermon, Cub Scout Pack 108 is inquiring if we might be interested in becoming their Charter Organization. This primarily would involve housing some meetings and events at the church, finding opportunities to extend hospitality (snacks and chats) throughout the year, and potentially joining in common service projects. Pack 108 has 35-40 boys and girls who meet weekly, most of whom live in the neighborhoods around the church. So this could be a great outreach opportunity!

However, as Pastor also shared, we are called to “steward the surprise” of a new opportunity by prayerfully discerning: do we have the resources to meet it?

To say yes to Pack 108, we need for individuals to step forward in one or both of two ways:
1. Join an Engagement Team led by Dave Gurnee to coordinate opportunities for hospitality and joint service.
2. Commit to make every attempt to join in when the Engagement Team calls.

Please click here to indicate a willingness to serve on the Engagement Team -OR- to join in when the Team identifies specific opportunities.

Announcing the Fall Voters’ Assembly: Save the Date for Sunday, Nov 10th after worship

Definite items of business: the 2025 Kingdom Spending Plan (church budget) and the District Overture on a Process for Consensus. Keep your eyes peeled for a revision of the Overture, based on our Oct 20 discussion, coming soon.

Resurrection Lutheran Academy (RLA)
News, Info, and Ministry Opportunities

Gym Floor Fundraiser

This summer Resurrection Lutheran Academy was able to refinish our gym floor thanks to the help of some generous donors. This gift has allowed students and student-athletes to play and practice safely, without fear of sliding around. We use our gym daily for play and gatherings. The entire school gathers at the end of the day for dismissal in the gym, weekly in our family groups for chapel, and for big events like our Christmas program. For the bigger events, we need to put out chairs and tables, which is the leading cause of scratches and damage to the floor. 

To prevent damage from the chairs and tables and preserve the life of our gym floor, we are starting a funding drive for a cover. The cover is 300 tiles that are 6’x3′. This cover style will give RLA the flexibility to selectively protect portions of the floor and leave other parts usable, such as during basketball and volleyball games. As a school, and with the help of our associated churches, we need to meet our goal by Nov. 1st so that the cover can be ordered and in place in time for the Christmas program. If each family works to collect donations equivalent to 2-3 tiles, which are $50 each, we will reach our goal!

If a donor would like to support in the name of one of our school families we are hosting a raffle for the families at school. There will be several items in the raffle for the school families but the grand prize is a $250 gift card to Generations Venture Plex. Every tile that a family brings back funded, or funded in their name, gets entered into the raffle. 

Please reach out to Donald Swift by calling 574-272-2200. Thank you all for all of the support that you show RLA. 

Bible Studies & Ministry Updates and Opportunities

All who help lead the Divine Service gather promptly at 10:05am to take 3 minutes to prepare their hearts and minds for worship. If you are serving as altar guild, usher, crucifer/acolyte, lector, greeter, tech person, elder, musician/dancer, doorkeeper or other HEART member, etc. on a particular Sunday, please come together for quick introductions and short prayer led by Deaconess Amy Smessaert. Together, we will ask God to bless our service to God’s people as we live connected in spiritual formation in Christ. All confirmands and parents are encouraged to participate, whether or not you are serving on that Sunday.   

Fall Mid-Week Bible Studies

THURSDAY MORNING, 9am at church: we meet in the “library area” of the narthex. The new study beginning Nov. 7 is called “Casting Stones.” We’d love for you to join us! Connect with Paula Ryan or call Renee in the office (574-255-5585).

FRIDAY NIGHT: 1st and 3rd Fridays 6:30pm: we meet in the fellowship hall. Hosts offer dinner from 6:30-7, with study beginning at 7 and lasting about an hour, usually. This year begins with a study of 1 Corinthians, followed by Isaiah around the first of the year. If you’ve never been part of this group and would like to join, please see John Schroeder or Mike Fonck. All are welcome!

Pick Your Next Usher Date!

Thanks to everyone who has served as an usher or part of an usher team. It’s time to pick another date to serve! Please sign up on the Sunday Servants sheet on the slat wall. You can see the specific list of duties, with video demos, here. A veteran usher will assist you and teach you one extra duty beyond communion each time you serve.

Offerings
General Fund: $13,529

Worship Attendance
Sunday 10/27: 118

M.A.C. Food Pantry
• the food pantry is closed until Nov. 19 but you can still drop donations in our collection box at the front entrance in the narthex
• this week’s shopping list: jelly and jam, LOTS of soup, pancake mix, CAN OPENERS, TOOTHBRUSHES, TOOTHPASTE
Contact Cindy Matthews (574) 855-3504 for more information.

Braille Bible Team
• 6 books of Galatians-Philemon in Spanish this week
Contact Sharon Csaszar (574) 904-1411 or Sandy Ellis (574) 220-3636 for more information.

Sewing Quilt Team
• 8 quilts this week
Through the program year, the sewing group meets Tuesdays to cut squares, size sheets, assemble backs and fronts of quilts, iron sheets, sew and pin quilts. Participants of ANY skill level from the least to the greatest are welcome. If you are interested in this human care ministry, contact Helga Platz (574) 514-3751 for more information.

Prayer Requests may be submitted by:

• Using the convenient on-line Submit New Prayer Request Here Link
• Adding written prayers to the “Our Gathering Prayers” form on Sunday morning