NEWS YOU CAN USE

RECYCLE the WARMth

Every year St. Vincent de Paul provides free blankets and bedding to anyone who seeks their help. Your help is requested to ensure there is enough bedding available for everyone that needs it. To participate in this drive, you may purchase new, or donate gently used, blankets, pillows, sheets and other bedding.

Two bins will be available in the Central Hallway and Gathering Area on Monday, January 30.

Recycle The Warmth envelopes will also be available for you to make donations that will be used to purchase new blankets and bedding. Make checks payable to McFarland Lutheran Church.

VISIT WITH PASTOR TIM

Would you like to visit with Pastor Tim but did not sign up for a “Get to Know Pastor Tim Gathering?”

Sarah Schutt invites you to the McFarland House Café at 7:45 AM on Friday, January 27 for a time of fellowship with Pastor Tim.

To attend: Please call Sarah (838-9769) or email her sschutt@charter.net.

If you all ready signed up for a “Get to Know Pastor Tim Gathering” you will be contacted by a host in the coming weeks.

CALLING ALL KIDS!

There has been a change to our children’s music program. If you are a child age 3-5th grade, and you love to sing, there is still a place for you to do so! Kids’ music will now be happening during Sunday School time in room 101 beginning February 5th. You are welcome to come and sing, even if you are not enrolled in Sunday School!
Grade 1-5: 10:30 am
Ages 3—Kindergarten: 11:00am

Please join us!

THE BASIC'S OF ALZHEIMER's

On Monday, February 13, at 6 pm in Room 113 the Alzheimer’s Association will provide useful information for friends and family, caregivers and those living with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Please join us.

MOM'S NIGHT OUT

Please join us on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 6:15pm in room 122 for our next Mom’s Night Out. This month we will get to know Pastor Tim and discover his faith journey. All Mom’s are welcome! Hope to see you there!

MISSION AND MARDI GRAUS

Support MLC's mission to Puerto Rico over brunch! The Puerto Rico mission team will be hosting a brunch on Sunday, February 19, in the Family Life Center, from 10:30am - 12:30pm (following the 9:15 and 10:30 worship services). Freewill donations will support the upcoming mission trip to Puerto Rico. This is the last Sunday before Lent, so don't forget your beads.

MISSION AND MARDI GRAUS

VOLUNTEER FOR DISASTER RESPONSE

Lutheran Disaster Response leads recovery efforts around the world following natural disasters. MLC’s Global Mission Team is organizing volunteers to travel to Minot, ND, to help rebuild following the devastating flooding of the Souris River earlier this year. Volunteers have already "mucked & gutted" many homes and are now in the process of reconstruction. There is plenty of work for both skilled and non-skilled volunteers. Our team will spend 5 days on site March 18-24. Housing and meals are provided by local churches. If you have questions or interest in learning more about this volunteer opportunity contact Janet Knutson (838-3498) or Pastor Katya (kouchakof@McFarlandLutheran.org).

GOOD NEWS RELATING TO THE NURSERY

The remodel is underway to solve the longstanding space issues in the nursery. The nursery will expand into an office & a storage room that currently share a wall with the nursery. This will double the size of our nursery. The current library will be enclosed to create an office for our Coordinator of Youth Ministry & our Director of Music Ministry. The storage room will move to a closet by the back doors. For now the library is packed into boxes in room 113. The need for a different library space will be addressed in the near future. Stay tuned for more information.

During construction the nursery will be located in the CLM “Tots Room” which is on the other side of the small corridor next to the current nursery. Look for the signs. We are excited about our new nursery and are confident the children will love the new space. Thank you to our MLC/CLM staff, our council and the nursery task force for working together to make this possible. Any questions, feel free to contact anyone on the task force: Dawn Blau, Kristi Thorson, Ken Anderson, Deb Nygaard, Huldah Ellestad, Pastor Tim, Tom or Betty Showers.

COUNCIL MINUTES FOR December 19TH

Council Minutes reports the discussions and actions that have been taken by the church council. Look at the December 19th "Council Minutes". Please contact a member of the church council for more details.

CHURCH COUNCIL

Click on, Council Contact Information to see a list of the Council Members and contact information. Please contact them with any of your ideas or concerns.

NEWSLETTER BY EMAIL

Would you prefer the MLC newsletter to come via email? Send your request by email to office@mcfarlandlutheran.org.

"LIKE" MCFARLAND LUTHERAN CHURCH!

We now have an active Facebook page, complete with photos and announcements of upcoming events. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Pastor Katya Ouchakof at kouchakof@mcfarlandlutheran.org or 838-3184 x112.

Sharing God's Word,
Showing God's Love,
Serving God's World

We hope this website will help introduce you to McFarland Lutheran Church. We are a wonderful mix of children, parents, grandparents, teachers, government workers, trades people, business people, homemakers, health professionals, artists and entrepreneurs claimed by God’s love through Holy Baptism. Some love golfing, some love hunting, some love fishing, some love camping, others love music, the arts and curling up with a good book.

We gather weekly to laugh together, cry together, and support one another as we worship, share fellowship, and receive training as disciples of Jesus Christ. We are sent from our gatherings renewed in faith to reach out and serve our neighbors both here and around the world.