Monthly Musings...From the Team Ministry.

THANKS LIVING!

...Thanksgiving is about more than simple courtesy. It is about more than saying the right words at the right time, or even celebrating all the wonderful things we have. Looking at Deuteronomy 26: 1-11, we are challenged to think about what it might be like truly to live as a thankful people.      North American Thanksgiving festivals date from the English harvest festival and the experience of American Pilgrims, rather than from any Biblical source, but this passage comes closest to celebrating similar things. For the Israelites the first fruit of all life was considered holy, and needed to be offered to God before any human use was appropriate. This passage gives us the ritual that the people used to give thanks for the first sign of the early grain crop. In Palestine this was ordinarily celebrated in late Spring, around the time of Pentecost, but the liturgy is appropriate for harvest thanksgiving at other times too.       The Book of Deuteronomy as we know it was compiled and edited during the Exile, although it uses material which is very much older. Given all we have learned about the despair, grief, and mourning of that time period it is a real tribute to the faith of the exiled people that they were able to keep alive the celebration of this festival. Even when they were not in the promised land anymore it was important to celebrate how God had given it to their care... (Excerpts from the "Whole People of God," 1998)

In our world there are many who are hungry. There are many who are in exile. There are many who are so caught up in despair that they can think of no justifiable reason to give thanks. As Christians we need to be aware of them all, and to address their physical

SUNDAY WORSHIP TIMES

9:00 am St. Stephen's in Paynesville
(320)243-2012
320 Wendell Street, Paynesville, MN 56362

10:00 am Our Saviour's in Little Falls
(320)-632-5731)
113 NE 4th Street (PO Box 344) Little Falls, MN 56345

11:00 am Good Samaritan in Sauk Centre
(320)-352-6882
529 Main Street (PO Box 205) Sauk Centre, MN 56378

WEDNESDAY NOON PRAYER

12:00 pm Our Saviour's in Little Falls

Rummage Sale Coming!

It's not too soon to start thinking about Our Saviour's Spring rummage sale! As you're looking through your old clothes this winter and trying to eliminate some "stuff" out of your life–think of us. Hold on to those treasures! Our Saviour will be having the rummage sale in the spring to raise money for the church. Contact Nancy McCrudden if you can help coordinate the event. Thanks!

Advent Workshoop

Join us at Our Savior's on December 1st as we celebrate the beginning of the Advent season by making our own Advent wreaths and other crafts for our homes. We will have a special participatory Advent candle lighting liturgy during our usual 10 a.m. service followed by pizza, pop, crafts & fun! We need all ages to make this work. We may also play an intergenerational game or two. Please contact Kathy Bies-Jaede if you can help (259-7153). Please bring $5 per family to cover the costs of the wreath and craft materials; also please sign up at Our Saviour's or call Kathy so she can plan accordingly.

PRAYERS FOR:

Quentin & Charlene, Rob, Amy, Jenni & John Peike, Rachel, Cheyenne & Tommy, Heather, Jack, Lisa, Delaney, Ruby, Gerry, Lloyd & Joan

CELEBRATIONS FOR:

November Birthdays
Max Kaufman, November 2
Rob Cavanna, November 5
Char Hedin, November 5
Don Pederson, November 7
Jon Lovdahl, November 12
Patrick Youngblood, November 13
Norval Curry, November 13
Nina Quillo, November 16
Mary Ann Erdmann, November 17
Bunny Zehren, November 22
Ron Lyschik, November 23
Rose Ekegren, November 30
Gina Cavanna, November 30

Special Congratulations To:
Nancy McCrudden & John Carlson on their wedding

Becoming Aware of Disability Needs
By Jan Zeman

Becoming aware of the needs in our communities is only the first step in any successful ministry. Knowing where the resources are that can help is equally important. Your total ministry team continues education and training in leadership, conflict, time management and many other issues including disability and family issues. Last month we invited a guest speaker from Independent Lifestyles, St. Cloud, to tell us about their resources that are available in our communities for persons with disabilities. Disability includes physical, mental, learning, social and other less noticeable challenges that interfere with enjoyment of activities, comfortable living and a sense of independence. Help may include accessibility issues, ADA Surveys and assessment, skills training, socialization and support groups, housing, transportation, representative payee, and many others. If you or someone in your family or your neighborhood needs some help in these areas, you can call 320-529-9000 to discuss your concerns and find out what they can help you with. Brochures are also available in the literature section at your church, or ask any of your ministry team.

UTO Time!

It's that time of year again! The annual in-gathering for the United Thank Offering (UTO) will be on November 3rd and 10th at Our Saviour's. Please take the change from your boxes and write a check to the church with a note in the memo section. If you don't have a box or you lost your box, don't despair! You can still write a check as a donation on either of these Sundays.

New Tri-Church Phone Answering System!

Beginning now any call you make to your local church should be forwarded for free to Kathy Bies-Jaede for referral. Or if you prefer, the

Vestry Meetings in November:

Good Samaritan: November 17, 12:10 p.m.

Good Samaritan is going into winter mode and the snowbirds are flying south! Snow removal is set for winter and they may try to have services in the Guild Hall after Christmas to save heat until Easter.

St. Stephen's: no meeting in November

No Vestry Report submitted for newsletter publication this month.

Our Saviour's: November 13, 7 p.m.

No Vestry Report submitted for newsletter publication this month.

Elders of the Church Offer Support!

By Pat Gillespie The Team Ministers have called Team Elders to support and advise the team. These Team Elders have agreed to bless and support our ministers and our parishes with their prayers and wisdom:
Bill Cheeseman from Our Saviour's
Bunny Zehren from Our Saviour's
Dorothy Peterson from Good Samaritan
Ivy Hildebrand from Good Samaritan
Jack Bugbee from St. Stephen's
Joan McMillan from St. Stephen's
John Halvorson from St. Stephen's

Team Ministers and other Elders who would like to share in this ministry, or to learn more about it, are invited to gather on selected November Sundays after worship and go out together with the Pastoral Mentor for an Elders' Lunch/Brunch. Join Us!
Good Samaritan: November 10
St. Stephen's: November 17
Our Saviour's: November 24

Continuing Christian Education (C.E.) Classes

Bible Study on Psalms Group:
Good Samaritan, 2nd and 4th Tuesdays each month at Noon–Join us this month on November 12 and 26.

Book Study on Women of the Bible:
St. Stephen's, Join us this month on November 6th at 11 a.m., Joan McMillian's

World Religions Study Group:
Our Saviour's. Join us this month on November 25th at the Black and White Hamburger Shop at 7pm.

Advent is Coming!
By Kathy Bies-Jaede

I love this time of year even more than Christmas I think. The waiting of Advent and the preparation for Christmas is so much fun! It's easy to forget the religious origins of the holiday when surrounded by so much commercialism however. This year I will be printing out for each church family a special Advent guide to use at home to help make the season more special. To save expense I will leave enough copies at each church for pick up. Our Savior's copies will be available at the Advent Workshop after church on December 1st!

By Maren Kay Welsand
We were very busy getting ready for the commissioning and ordination ceremony (October 6) this past month. Attending EFM classes three weeks each month and helping as needed at all three churches has kept us very busy. As the main event drew nearer we practiced on Saturday and Sunday before the service and we all had a good time and finally got it together! There were so many people that helped from all of the churches to make the service work. Wasn't it nice to see Our Saviour's bursting at the seams? It was also great to see the great progress being made on the new parish Hall. Soon there will be a lot happening in that new space! Now it is time for all of us to get busy with God's work and the work of all God's people. God Bless!

Who are we?

Pat Gillespie, Pastoral Mentor, Priest in Charge, Webminister
Mary Ann Erdmann, Finance Administrator (Staff)
Kathy Bies-Jaede, Communications/Christian Education(Staff)
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Harriette Burkhalter, St. Stephen's, Lay Evangelist and Outreach Minister
Doris Dodds, St.Stephen's, Lay Evangelist and Outreach Minister
Rob Cavanna, St. John's, Priest Sacramentalist and Preacher
Cynthia Evans, Good Samaritan, Lay Intercessor
Cedar Morrigan, Our Saviour's, Priest Sacramentalist
Johanna Morrigan, Our Saviour's, Deacon Preacher
Roger Phillips, Good Samaritan, Sacramentalist in Formation
Lu Tax, Our Saviour's, Lay Liturgist
Maren Kay Welsand, St. John's, Lay Community Life Minister
Randy Welsand, St. John's, Priest Sacramentalist and Pastoral Care Minister
Jan (Zippy) Zeman, Our Saviour's, Lay Preacher

Thanksgiving Twenty Questions Game
This traditional game was known to Puritan children; the Thanksgiving variation is to ask that objects be something for which the participant is grateful! The other players take turns asking up to 20 questions in order to guess the name of the objects. Each question must be answered only with "yes" or "no." Possible questions: Is it a person? Is it bigger than you? Can you eat it? Is there one in this room? Can you buy it? Try the game after Thanksgiving dinner. For something else different this year, try holding hands during a group grace before dinner...you could even try singing it! Happy