February
2 (Tues.) 10:30 am – The Healing Circle
3 (Wed.) 10:30 am – Our Home K Care Service
3:45 pm – Elementary Youth Groups
4 (Thurs.) 9:30 am – Guild- Bible Study
1:00 pm – Hand Bell Choir
5 (Fri.) 8:00 am – Men’s Bible Study*
7 (Sun.) 9:30 am – Full Service
Holy Communion
11:00 am – Adult Study Class
10 (Wed.) 3:45 pm – Elementary Youth Group
5:30 – 6:30 pm - Soup Supper
7:00pm:
ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE
11 (Thurs.) 1:00 pm – Hand Bell Choir
12 (Fri.) 8:00 am – Men’s Bible Study*
14 (Sun.) 9:30 am – Full Service LENT
Happy Valentine’s Day
16(Tues.) 10:30 am – The Healing Circle
17 (Wed.) 9:30 am – Session Meeting
3:45 pm – Elementary Youth Groups
18 (Thurs.) 9:30 am - Guild – work session
1:00 pm – Hand Bell Choir
Chit Chat articles due
19 (Fri.) 8:00 am – Men’s Bible Study*
21 (Sun.) 9:30 am – Full Service LENT
11:00 am – Adult Study Class
24 (Wed.) 3:45 pm – Youth Groups
25 (Thurs.) 1:00 pm – Hand Bell Choir
26 (Fri.) 8:00 am – Men’s Bible Study*
28 (Sun.) 9:30 am – Full Service LENT
*- meets at Little Bohemia
Duties
Ushers
Feb. 7 Mark & Marla Suckow
Feb. 14 Mark & Marla Suckow
Feb. 21 Bob & Pauline Rider
Feb. 28 Bob & Pauline Rider
Liturgist:
7, 14 & 28 – David Foster
21 – Ramona Kubica
Communion Person – Janie Williams
Lay Leader:
Feb. 7 & 14 - Nan Bloch
Feb. 21 Helyn Woolf
Feb. 28 Mid Sharpe
Counters
Feb. 7 Bob Bridges and Vince Hoehn
Feb. 14 Dave Lukas and Deane Galloway
Feb. 21 David Foster and Sharon Lukas
Feb. 28 Mid Sharpe and Mary Koster
I am the light of the World;
He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
John: 8:12
SESSION MEMBERS 2016
Clerk Carol Bohlin-715-356-4060
Janie Williams – 218-969-7118
Joan Ouimette- 715-476-3887
Deane Galloway-715-543-8010
Dave Lukas-715-686-7697
Mark Schuelke-715-686-7223
Helyn Woolf-715-686-7173
DuWayne Schumacher-715-686-2074
Dale Ekdahl - 715-686-2244
Margo Perkins – 715-686-2035
Nan Bloch – 715-356-9410
John Suffron – 715-686-2668
Session meets the third Wednesday of the month
DEACONS 2016
Susan Schroeter, Sharon Lukas, Carmen Farwell,
Jan Schumacher, Manny Markham, Dick Smith
Feel free to contact a Session or Deacon member with any concerns or questions.
Membership
Well, the Merry Christmas greetings are over and it is almost time for me to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day. I hope you have an indulgent day planned to soothe the cabin fever. As I write this, we have sunk low into the deep freeze. If you can brave the elements and enjoy the abundance of winter sports we have available to us, kudos to you. We finally received enough snow for snowmobiling, cross country skiing, downhill skiing, snow shoeing and the ice is thick enough to fish through. I, personally, would rather wait until the lake is wet and splashy again!
I whole heartedly thank each and every one of you who stayed for the Taking Down of the Greens. There were well over 60 people helping to pack up and carry down and we served 53 people chili, etc. for a lively lunch.
If you need to look up a phone number for a fellow member or put a face to a name, I hope you are enjoying our new directory. We received them in late November and Lois sat for a couple of weeks in the Narthex to hand deliver to as many people as she could catch. If you have not received one, see Lois in the office or give her a call and she can mail it out to you. If you have your portrait in the directory, the book is complimentary. If you do not have your picture included, you may purchase a book for $5.00. If you are new or just missed being included in the directory, I would be happy to take your picture, record your information and we will print a page for everyone to add to their book.
As we began our new year with events and ideas to plan, my heart reminds me daily that I am missing a dear friend and valued member of the Membership Committee, Audrey Winchell. There will be a big void in almost every aspect of our church for a very long time. I miss her deeply.
A couple of months ago, you may have seen an insert in the Sunday bulletin with a description and request for new members of each of the major
committees which keep our church running smoothly. I am pleased to bring a new member into our fold for the Membership Committee,
Dick Smith. We are looking forward to meeting and brainstorming some new ideas. I hope to be informing you of plans that we will implement in 2016. Stay tuned! The Membership Committee, as well as many other concerns in the church, could always use another set of hands and another voice. Please consider getting involved.
Now, go hug someone and give them the sign of love,
Helyn Woolf, Membership Chairlady
I asked God to take away my pain. God said, No. It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. God said, No. Her spirit was whole,
her body was only temporary.
I asked God to grant me patience. God said, No. Patience is a by product of tribulations,
it isn’t granted, it is earned.
I asked God to give me happiness. God said, No. I give you blessings, Happincess is up to you.
I asked God to spare me pain. God said, No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares
and brings you closer to me.
I asked God to make my spirit grow. God said, No. You must grow on your own, but I will prune you
to make you fruitful.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. God said, No. I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things.
I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as he loves me. God said…Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.
Christian Education
At the beginning of the year, we set up a program where the kids could earn a Pizza Party, and they have met the goal! CONGRATULATIONS to all of them.
We held our Party on January 27th. It included snow play time, a few crafts, Pizza (of course) and ice cream. We usually have a snow play day in December, but this year it was just way too sloppy, so we were glad to have another opportunity. They will continue working to earn another prize, but have not yet decided what it will be.
We will be having a teacher’s meeting at 2:30 on February 3rd. We also will be scheduling a Christian Ed committee meeting in the latter half of March. At that meeting we will be reviewing curricula options for next year.
Don’t forget,
February 10th is
Ash Wednesday.
This is the beginning of the Lenten Season. It is the time for all of us to reflect on the sacrifice that Jesus made for each of us. A few ideas for observing Lent are: sacrificing something (food, TV or other favorite activity) praying more, volunteer service work, and forgiveness (both giving and asking for).
To help us all get started,
we invite you to come to our
Soup Supper
served from 5:30 – 6:30
then stay for the
Worship service at 7:00 pm.
In His service and yours,
Joan Dioszegi
REMEMBERING:
Fourth Chapter of the History of Madams & Sirs
Chapter 4 of the history of Madams & Sirs was supposed to start with a celebration of the last few years and what it brought to our church and community. However, this author begins with a deep sadness at the loss of one of our long time members. But Audrey would not want us to linger long but rather discuss the value of M&S. She would have included many stories.
Through the years M&S and Fleazaar always gave thoughtful consideration to where the funds would go. It was not always an easy task. Needy families in our community, Presbyterian Relief, Food Pantries, Playground equipment for MW, the JOY offering, projects around the church and the list is endless. A request was always made with the final determination made a month later unless it was an emergency. We also began keeping track of items going out of the barns during the year so the congregation would know where they went.
In the minutes of August, 2011 there was considerable discussion about the value of Fleazaar. There was no question it should continue and here are some of the reasons.
1. The closeness it brings to our church,
2. New people become involved and thus join the
church,
3. The reputation we have in the community about
working hard and helping people,
4. Being able to provide for needs in our church
and community such as Christmas for Kids,
5. Involving other churches brings a closeness,
6. The financial help to our church for projects we
otherwise might not be able to afford such as
replacement of computers and fixing the
electrical wiring in the fellowship hall.
The last meeting of M&S was one mixed with sadness, memories, and laughter. We thought of those who had gone before us. They had worked so hard for our church - willingly and selflessly. For those of us involved, there is a deep hole in our life of this church. If you have read these 4 chapters carefully, you will see a history of an organization that was an integral part of MWCPC.
Thus ends the history lesson!
FLEAZAAR
As many of you know, Nan and Dan Bloch will not be continuing as Co-Directors of Fleazaar for 2016. They have done an outstanding job the past two years and we will miss their leadership. Since no one has volunteered to replace them in the Director role, the 2016 Fleazaar will be managed by a committee of people who have been actively involved in prior years.
Following the very successful 2015 Fleazaar, this committee has met twice to discuss opportunities to continue improving the year round operation of Fleazaar. As Fleazaar has continued to grow, the workload on our volunteers has grown tremendously, particularly for the Director(s) and those who work year round collecting, receiving, sorting, and storing the donations we receive, as well as for those who set up the tents, sawhorses, plywood, etc. the Saturday before Fleazaar sale day and for those who take down and return those same items to the barns for storage on the Thursday following sale day.
As a point of reference, in 2001 the gross sales for Fleazaar were $20,500, which is also the year the first barn was built. In 2011 gross sales were $43,362 and in 2015 were $64,265. To accommodate that growth we now have 19 tents, 225 sheets of plywood, and 500 saw horses, a huge increase from just 15 years ago, that require many more people hours to set up and take down. That has translated into much longer work days for those who help on Saturday and Thursday.
As a result of the committee discussions, the changes planned for future Fleazaars include the following:
(1) Possible use of outside, paid labor for set up and take down
(2) Updating the list of donated items we do not accept
(3) Getting additional input/help from tent captains
(4) Changing the way we handle the plywood and saw horses, so they can be mechanically stacked, unstacked, and moved between the barns and tent areas with a small tractor
(5) Obtaining additional vehicles to transport people between the airport parking area and the Church
(6) Gathering specific sales totals for each tent/area
(7) In light of no one volunteering for the Director position, the workload will be spread among more people. While most of the Fleazaar activities will be managed by the same people as last year, Jay Woolf and Manny Markham have volunteered to coordinate pick-ups. Please contact them rather than Dan Bloch for that purpose. All other Fleazaar questions should be directed to Deane Galloway.
Deane Galloway,
Session Fleazaar representative
Fleazaar
This is a special time of the year for many of us. It is a time when we don't feel guilty about what we do. Christmas is over and the time of frantic baking, decorating, shopping and card writing is finished. And, it is too early to worry about yard and garden issues. So - many of us find this to be a good time to dig into projects. Dan is busy working on finishing a bathroom which I have decorated with several Fleazaar purchases. I am trying to purge and organize drawers and cupboards. Last week I found 3 paper punches in one desk drawer!
If you find cleaning and sorting to be cathartic, please think of items Fleazaar can use. General guidelines are: make sure the items work, are clean and are not on the "Do not accept" list. Check the Church's website, www.mwcpc.org for a list of items not accepted. There are exceptions to items on the "Do not Accept" list. Generally, vacuums don't sell, but shop vacs and pricey vacuums like Dyson or Oreck do, if they work.
The same is true of some exercise equipment and sewing machines. We can use a couple, but it is best to check before bringing them to the barns. If you have linens to donate it is very helpful to label the bedding, twin, full, queen or king.
The Barns are closed, currently, and Manny & Jay with their crew are not making pickups while there is so much snow. If a drop off cannot wait until Spring, please contact Manny or Jay to see if arrangements can be made earlier.
Dan and Nan Bloch
MISSIONS
On this cold and snowy morning, my thoughts turn to all of our dedicated volunteers, and the generous donations of food, monies, and time our congregation so freely gives.