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October 2022 at Caledonia Congregational Church

10/1/2022

Friends -
I am more convinced than ever that most of us have too much on our plates. I certainly did at the potluck on the 25th! But that is not what I'm talking about...

I mean, of course, that we all tend towards busyness, towards doing more than we can handle, towards neglecting our own souls in the process. We tend not to listen to God as well as we should, if at all. In the struggle between being Mary or Martha, many of us end up being Martha, even if we don't want to.

Life does that. We want to do our part. We want to make a difference. We want to help those we can. All noble thoughts, and all worth pursuing. Just not to the point that we have nothing left to give. Not until it makes us brittle or cranky. Not if it means neglecting Jesus. I can be so busy doing what I am convinced God wants me to do, that I can't hear him invite me to come and rest. He is inviting. And we do need the rest.

I've already talked about this, so I'll stop. But please!! For your own well-being, and to make Jesus smile, start to build more stillness into your life. You will find you can do far more when you are rested than when you are not.

And we all know how much there is to do.

Love you all!
Gary

Calendar
Sundays - Every Sunday - God's Attributes as Displayed in Nature class - 9:15 am - church basement.
- Worship Service - 10:30 am in person and via Zoom.
10/2 - Communion Sunday

Wednesdays - Every Wednesday Bible Study via Zoom - 7:30 PM - via Zoom

Thursdays - 10/6 - Church Board for October via Zoom - 7:00 PM - via Zoom

Contact Gary bridmin@aol.com for Zoom links

Fridays - 10/14 - New Date! Third Annual Chili Cook-off and Dessert Bake-off Event - 5:30 PM - Details below.

Other News -
Communion - Communion will be on Sunday, October 2. If you are attending in person the elements will be provided. If you are on Zoom and want to participate, please have your own ready.

Sunday Morning Class - There are still 6 sessions left of the series being offered on Sunday mornings at 9:15 am. Plan on attending God's Attributes as Displayed in Nature in the church basement. Al Steely, a science teacher at Christian Life and a photographer is leading the program. Everyone is welcome!

Third Annual Chili Cook-off and New this year...Dessert Bake-Off - Please note the new date! It is time for some good food and fun competition! Make plans to come on Friday, October 14 at 5:30 PM outside at the church. There is a sign-up sheet for the chili and baking competition in the fellowship room. If you don't want to compete, there is plenty of other things you can sign up to bring. Bring your own lawn chair and your appetite! We will have a bonfire as well. If the weather doesn't cooperate we will move into the church basement.

Thanks - Thank you to everyone who helped in some way while Gary and Jennifer were away in August and September, and there were a lot of you! We appreciate everyone who pitched in in some way. Special thanks for the wonderful potluck held on September 25th! It was a great way to be welcomed back.

Garden - Hard to believe that summer is over and it is time to think about clearing out the garden area. If anyone is interested in helping do that towards the end of the month, please talk, text, or email Jennifer.

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We work our best when we get our rest...

9/26/2022

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August & September at Caledonia Congregational church

8/5/2022

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Dear friends,

We'll be on sabbatical for most of August and September. So this newsletter will be for both months.

But, what the heck is a sabbatical, anyway?

It is sort of like a vacation, in that you seek to get away from routine and work and assignments. But a sabbatical is a time when you intentionally seek to rest, be refreshed, learn, renew your vision, and listen more intently to the inner voice- your own, and God's. I seldom do all of that if I am just on vacation. Then I just want to get away and have fun!

Vacation has as its root "vacate" meaning to leave, or empty. Sabbatical has as its root "sabbath", a time of spiritual attentiveness and abstinence from work. God commands sabbath for all of us because he loves us and wants us to be healthy and whole. But most of us in our culture observe it poorly, if at all. A sabbatical is a period to sort of "catch up" on the practices and solitudes that may have gone missing in our very busy lives.

This will now be the fourth sabbatical I have taken in my years of ministry, all of them since I started at Caledonia. Each has been a sabbath not only from Caledonia but from the other ministries I am engaged in. I am eager for the time and grateful to the church for extending it to me. You won't see me on Sunday mornings, or likely on Wednesday nights, either.

But I want to be clear that we are not trying to get away from you!! Not at all. You are our dear friends, and you do not need to avoid us or be afraid that you are infringing on our sabbatical. So if you want to talk or just want to hang out feel free to text or call us. What we are setting aside is our responsibilities, not you. The hope is that in doing so, we return refreshed and better able to do the work we are called to.

We can't all take a sabbatical, but we can all build sabbath into our lives, weekly and even daily. I would encourage you to do just that.

I also want to encourage you to continue attending church while we are gone. The deacons are working hard to make sure each Sunday is covered with a speaker and music. Please support their efforts by coming when you can.

Love you all!

Gary

PS Thanks to all of you for your concern and prayers over my swollen face! Your kindness was wonderful. Saw the dentist, who prescribed an antibiotic. The swelling and pain are about gone. I will have a root canal next week Tuesday, the day after the sabbatical officially begins!

Calendar
Wednesdays - Every Wednesday Bible Study via Zoom - 7:30 PM

Thursdays - 8/4 - Church Board Meeting for August via Zoom - 7:30 PM
9/1 - Church Board Meeting for September via Zoom - 7:30 PM

Sundays - Every Sunday - Worship Service - 10:30 am in person and via Zoom.
  8/7 - Communion Sunday
8/21 - Jefferson Prairie Free Concert - 4 PM - more info below.
8/28 - Coin Collection Sunday
9/4 - Communion Sunday
9/18 - New Sunday morning program starts at 9:15 in the basement - more info below.

Other News -
Communion - Communion will be on Sundays August 7 and September 4. If you are attending in person, the elements will be provided. If you are on Zoom and want to participate, please have your own ready.

Garden - Have you noticed how beautiful our garden area looks? Thanks to Rita Gillette who tended it in the month of July. Her efforts are so appreciated. We are in need of someone to take the month of August now. Please let Jennifer know if you would be willing to do that. It won't look so pretty if it doesn't have someone caring for it. We also need a September gardener.

Refreshments - There is always coffee on Sunday mornings and usually some kind of treats. Feel free to bring something occasionally to help with our fellowship time. It is such a good time to get to know others better or check in with people you already know.

Offering -  There are two options for your offering: bring it to church on Sunday mornings and place in the plate at the back of the church or mail it to Nathalie Lyford. Thanks for your continued faithfulness with your offerings.

Kiddie Bags - Did you know we have new kiddie bags in the back of the sanctuary? These totes are filled with things to keep little ones occupied during church. If you see someone visiting with little kids, be sure to direct them to the bags to use during church. Thanks to Jill Gray for putting them together! (she also brought the instruments!)

Hospitalized - Please continue to pray for Dan Akerlund in Swedish American. They hope he will soon to moved to rehab. Keep Sara in your thoughts and prayers as well. Also, Deb Schroeder is asking for prayers for a friend who had a brain aneurysm. He will be in ICU for a least 3 weeks. Gary and Jennifer have a friend Todd who also is hospitalized with extremely serious heart and lung problems. Keep him in prayer too.

Free Concert - Jefferson Prairie Lutheran is inviting us to a free outdoor concert on Sunday, August 21 at 4:00. The band is Good Vibrations which plays easy listening and classic rock with a beach vibe. Bring a lawn chair. There will be snacks and desserts for sale. In case of rain, the event will be moved inside.

New Class -  Plan on coming to an 8-week series on Sunday mornings before worship starting Sunday, September 18.  God's Attributes as Displayed in Nature is the title of the series.   We will gather from 9:15 -10:10. The class will be led by Al Steely. He is a science teacher at Christian Life and a photographer. He will come with his slide presentation of God's creation. He will show how much God cares for us... by showing the care and detail God put into nature. There will also be a time for questions and answers. We will meet in the church basement. All ages welcome!

Looking Ahead-
Third Annual Chili Cook-off and New this year... Dessert Bake-Off ! - Once again we will gather for a fun time of eating and competition! This year we are adding another level to our fun by having a dessert bake-off alongside our chili cook-off. So start working on your recipes for chili and desserts! Tentatively we will gather outside at the church on Saturday, October 15 at 5:00 PM. Starting Sunday, September 25 there will be a sign-up sheet for chili and desserts contestants, plus various other things we need for the night. We will have a bonfire too!

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Who. me?

8/3/2022

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Wanna be great?

7/27/2022

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Really? Submit?

7/17/2022

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Get alone...

7/10/2022

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Simplify!

7/5/2022

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July 2022 at Caledonia Congregational Church

7/1/2022

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Friends-
I love just about everything about summer: the food, the music, the events, the freedom, travel, slower pace, being constantly outdoors- I love it all!

There's only one thing I don't love about summer: its beginning means the days are getting shorter. There is no way to notice it yet, but I assure you it is so. And it is inevitable. We can't move around the sun as we do without the change in daylight hours. It's part of God's amazing plan. I just wish somehow it didn't have to happen...

Like I wish friends didn't have to die. Like I wish I could eat whatever I want and not so easily gain weight. Like I wish I could do whatever I want without negative consequences. It just doesn't work that way. The freedom we always celebrate in this month brings with it the reminder of the cost of that freedom. It's just that way.

So summer days will unfold and all of the adventures they bring... AND they will steadily get shorter. But of course, the day will come when they start getting longer again! I'm better off accepting the rhythm, accepting the changes, and living each day- summer, winter, spring, fall- as fully as I can! Like God intends.

Have a great summer!
Gary

Calendar
Sundays - Every Sunday - Worship Service - 10:30 am in person and via Zoom.
7/3 - Outdoor Worship with Communion
7/10 - Meeting after worship for those that are interested in being baptized on July 17.
7/17 - Service at church and via zoom, then outside potluck and baptisms at Ginny Johnsons.

Wednesdays - Every Wednesday Bible Study via Zoom - 7:30 PM

Thursdays - 7/7 - Church Board Meeting via Zoom - 7 PM

For Zoom links contact Gary at bridmin@aol.com

Other News -
Outdoor Worship - We are planning on outdoor worship under the oaks this Sunday, July 3 at 10:30 am. If the weather cooperates on other Sundays in July we will also try to be outside. We will send out an email by the Friday before to let you know that we will worship outdoors. Bring a chair if you want your own. Also, it is nice to have a few people help set up and take down equipment. This is your notice for Sunday, July 3!

Communion - Communion will be celebrated outdoors this Sunday, July 3. If you are attending in person, the elements will be served. If you are attending on Zoom, please have your own ready if you wish to participate.

Baptism - Are you interested in being baptized outdoors in the creek at Ginny Johnsons? We will be heading there after church for baptisms and a potluck on Sunday, July 17. If you are interested in being baptized, plan on staying briefly for a meeting the week before, July 10. If you have questions, talk to Gary. In June we celebrated two baptisms, Lillian Deutinger and Jazmine Boezem. Please pray for those two little girls to grow up into their faith.

Potluck - We are planning a picnic potluck lunch on the day of the outdoor baptisms, Sunday, July 17. After church, we will head to Ginny Johnson's beautiful farm to eat together and have baptisms in the creek. Bring a simple dish or two to share with everyone. Think simple picnic food! Tableware and drinks provided.

Upper Room Devotionals/Bibles - The July/August devotionals are out at the church. Be sure to pick one up. We also now have free Bibles available to anyone that needs or wants one. They are on the shelf in the entryway along with other free literature.

Garden - Our church garden is looking so lovely! Thanks to Sara Akerlund for tending it in June. We still have some months ahead that need a volunteer to water, weed, and generally oversee the garden and shed area for a month. Please talk to Jennifer if you are interested.

Condolences - We want to continue to offer our sympathy and prayers for the families of Doris Luckey and Lois Murphy. Both of these wonderful 91-year-olds passed away in June. Peace to their memories.

Thanks - So many people pitched in to help in some way with Lois Murphy's funeral Thank you so much to all of you! It was a beautiful day to pay tribute to a beautiful lady! We only had very few participate in the bed building project at the Argyle Church but thanks to those who gave time or money.

Offering - We continue to offer two options for your offering: mail it to Nathalie Lyford or place it in the offering plate at the back of the church (or outside) on Sunday mornings.

Refreshments - Every Sunday there is coffee after church. If you would like something to go with that, consider bringing a treat some week to share with everyone.

October 2022 at Caledonia Congregational Church

We work our best when we get our rest...

August & September at Caledonia Congregational church

Who. me?

Wanna be great?

Really? Submit?

Get alone...

Simplify!

July 2022 at Caledonia Congregational Church

Are you a good student?

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