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Friends-
In light of the current COVID19 crisis, and after MUCH thought, prayer, and consideration, the board of our Caledonia Church has decided to suspend worship services and all other activities (Wednesday Bible study, propose youth overnight, etc.) until further notice. As you can imagine, this has not been an easy decision to arrive at, and you should thank your board members for faithfully wrestling with it. We, the board, will continue to monitor the situation and will reconvene us as a congregation when we believe it is prudent and safe. This does not mean no worship! I would encourage all of you to expand worship, prayer, song, and scripture reading in your homes. The web is full of great messages, music, and teachings. If you need suggestions, let me know. I welcome your questions, your calls, your texts, your emails. I want us to be together as a congregation as much as this interruption allows. Certainly, let us pray for one another, for our church, for our nation, and for the world. If you have particular prayer requests, let me know. And this does not mean no work! We need to be Jesus to the world now more than ever. Your neighbors, friends, co-workers, and fellow students may very much need your help. Ask God. He'll let you know. It DOES mean waiting... waiting until God says it is time for us to get together again. And in that time, let's keep our eyes, ears, and hearts on him Know that you are dear to me and it is hard for me to not see you face to face. Know also, that God is in charge of all of this, and that he can use this, and these days for great good if we will let him! Gary Friends-
Folklore tells us that if March comes in like a lamb, it will go out like a lion. And if it comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb. I'm not sure where this comes from. Maybe it's because March launches spring, and weather tends to be pretty topsy-turvy this time of year. I'm really not sure. But it makes me think of Jesus. In the Bible, he is referred to both as the Lamb of God, and the Lion of Judah. He is both gentle and approachable, and fierce and powerful. He is the lamb that takes away the sin of the world, and the lion who conquers evil and chases it away. And we need him in both of these manifestations, don't we? As we enter Lent, we recall his passion, his struggle, and his sacrifice, as he went to the cross to atone, not for his sins, but for ours. And while at the time, that looked like a complete defeat, upon his resurrection, it proved to be complete victory. And while we still live in a world weary with evil, we have the confidence that as the Great Lion of God, he will come again to put all things right, and usher in the new age, where tears will be no more. Looks like March will be coming in like a lamb this year. So look out on the 31st! But better still, "...look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..." (Hebrews 12:2). Neither weather nor circumstances matter, if our eyes and our hearts are on him. Have a great month! Gary Calendar Sundays - Every Sunday: Worship Service at 10:30 am. 3/1 - Communion Sunday 3/29 - Coin Collection Sunday and making lunches for Miss Carly's after church. Tuesdays - 3/3 - Church Board Meeting - 7 PM - Fellowship Room - New night for this month. Wednesdays - Every Wednesday - Bible Study - 6 PM - Fellowship Room - Everyone welcome. Thursdays - 3/26 - Community Dinner - 5:30 PM - Poplar Grove Church - Come to eat and/or serve. Saturdays - 3/8 - Don't forget to set your clocks ahead one hour tonight! Spring ahead 1 hour! Other News: Lenten Reading - February 26 was the first day of Lent. Rediscover Jesus by Matthew Kelly has 40 short chapters, so it makes the perfect choice for devotional reading during Lent. Skip Sundays and you will finish the book the day before Easter. Thanks - Thanks to everyone who helped in some way with Margaret Lamont's memorial service. It was a lovely tribute to our dear Margaret. Coin Collection Sunday - Just a reminder that we collect coins on a quarterly basis for our benevolence fund. March 29 is the next Sunday to bring your coins! Thank you for your generosity! Miss Carly's Collection Bin - Nikki offers her thanks and love to all who helped make lunches on February 16. It was a huge success and was accomplished in less than 2 hours. She is planning again to make lunches on March 29 after church. Check the bin in the fellowship room to see what is needed. Non perishables can be brought any time, perishables can be brought on the 29th or earlier if you put in the refrigerator. She is looking for help to make the lunches as well. Talk to Nikki if you have questions. Refreshments - Be sure to stay after church and enjoy fellowship, coffee, and surprise treats every week! Potluck style every Sunday. Thanks to those who have been recently bringing food! Communion - We offer communion to all believers. You can choose a gluten-free option for the bread and we use grape juice for our cup. Looking Ahead - Maundy Thursday - Thursday, April 9 - We will gather for a soup supper at 5:30 PM. This will be followed by a 7 PM Communion worship service. Sign up sheet will be out later in March. Easter Sunday - Sunday, April 12 is Easter! Great time to invite friends and family! Friends- Normally, I might be writing you a letter in February about love, or about the real St. Valentine, or something related. And while this applies, I want to talk to you about something else. It's a leap year! When is the last time you lept? Leaping is generally reserved for the young, or frogs. I am neither. But not all leaping involves our legs. I want you to consider leaping into the arms of the One who knows you best and loves you most. I want you to consider taking a leap of faith. When was the last time you did that? As I get older, I can tell that I am more cautious in many ways than I was before. Which is wise and prudent on the one hand. But when it comes to faith, when it comes to love, God challenges me- and us- to throw caution to the wind. To trust him completely. To leap into his arms. Maybe you did that once. Maybe it has been a while. I don't think it is something we do just once. I think it is an invitation he extends to us every day. And oh the joy I get when, against my fears and better judgement, I leap, and he catches me! It's a leap year. Take a chance. Take several. Take one a day. Leap. He's waiting to catch you! Gary February 2020 Calendar Sundays - Every Sunday: Worship Service at 10:30 am 2/2 - Communion Sunday and Installation of Board Members. Wednesdays - Every Wednesday - Bible Study - 6 PM - Fellowship Room - Everyone invited! 2/26 - Ash Wednesday - Lent begins. Thursdays - 2/6 - Church Board Meeting - 7 PM - Fellowship Room 2/27 - Community Dinner - 5:30 PM - Poplar Grove Church - Come to eat and/or serve. Saturdays - 2/8 - Margaret Lamont's Memorial Service - 11 am - followed by lunch in the basement. Other News: Church Board - The board for 2020 consists of Deacons: Mark Zellman and Barb Kohl, Trustees: Curt Moore, Bob Lyford, and Dave Kohl, Communion Helpers; Rita Gillette and Deb Zellman, Financial Secretary: Nathalie Lyford, Treasurer: Dave Walker and Moderator: Pastor Gary. Tim Murphy is the member at large for helping fill next year's slate. Officially we are to have 3 Deacons, so please pray that we could fill that last spot. Help Needed - Please talk to Judy Murphy if you would be willing to help with the lunch for Margaret Lamont's memorial service on Feb 8. Help is needed to provide some of the food and/or to help set up and serve lunch. Southern Breakfast - The House of God in Rockford is having its annual Southern Breakfast on Saturday, February 8. The menu is usually eggs, biscuits and gravy, grits, ham, coffee, and juice. Serving starts at 7:30 am. They are located at 840 Brooke Rd. Come early to eat before heading to Margaret's service. Talk to Gary and Jennifer if you are interested. Cost is $10. Prayers and Praise - Praises for the wonderful long life of Margaret Lamont who passed away at the age of 100 on January 12. Please pray for her family at this time of sorrow. Praises that Mark Loewecke is now at home and continue to pray as he is treated. Continue praying for Dylan Dossett as well. Flowers - There are still openings to provide flowers, or a plant, or candle for the front of the church. Sign up for a month on the signup sheet in the fellowship room. Thanks again to everyone who provided for this last year! Refreshments - Keep in mind that our Sunday morning fellowship following worship is potluck style treats. Please think about bringing something this month! Chocolate perhaps to celebrate Valentines' Day? Communion - We offer communion to all believers. You can choose a gluten-free option for the bread and we use grape juice for our cup. Friends-
Time is a concept that interests me. Is it a circle? A line? Both? Why is it sometimes I seem to have so much of it, and other times, not nearly enough? Why is it that sometimes it seems to just fly by, and other times it crawls? As we celebrate the coming of a new year, the tendency is to both look-back and to look ahead. Back to see where we have been, and ahead to see, if we can, where we are going. Both are good exercises or can be if properly used. However, looking back can also be an exercise in regret or remorse. And looking ahead can be an exercise in fear or anxiety. Either of those would be non-productive, negative, hurtful. Not what God intends. Jesus makes it clear that the place to focus our thoughts is this day, this moment (Matthew 6:25-34). Really, it is the only one we have. And the more we learn to live in it, to embrace it, to rejoice in it, the better off we will be. His advice to us is to not be anxious at all. To put our loyalty to and trust in Him first. Then we can rely on him guiding us, moment by moment and day by day. Since unlike us, God is not bound by time or place, He is the perfect guide for seeing us through our day to day existence. Let's make it our business to put ourselves fully in his hands as we start the new year. Let's endeavor to see each day, each moment, as the gift and the adventure that it is. He is always with us! We need never be afraid! Praying for you a great launch into this new year! Gary Calendar Sundays - Every Sunday: Worship Service at 10:30 am. 1/5 - Communion Sunday 1/19 - Annual Meeting and Potluck right after worship. Church basement. Wednesdays - 1/8 - Bible Study starts back up - 6 PM - Fellowship Room. Will continue to meet every Wednesday for the rest of the month. Thursdays - 1/9 - Church Board Meeting - 7 PM - Fellowship Room. 1/23 - Community Dinner - 5:30 PM - Poplar Grove Church - All welcome to eat and/or serve. Other News: Annual Meeting and Potluck - Plan on staying for our annual meeting on Sunday, January 19. We will start with a potluck dinner right after our worship service. If possible bring a hot and a cold dish for the potluck. This is an important time to discuss things related to our church. Your thoughts and input are needed! You will receive your minutes from the 2019 meeting via email. Please read and/or bring along to the meeting. Thanks - Thank you to everyone who brought cookies in the month of December! What a spread we had! Also thanks for the outpouring of money and items for our Christmas gift collection. Special thanks also to the Murphys and Akerlunds for our fellowship times in their homes. Finally a belated thank you to Curt Moore and Bob and Nathalie Lyford for the delicious turkeys they prepared for our Fall Harvest Potluck. Flowers - Would you like to provide flowers, or a plant, or a candle, or some type of decoration for the front of the church? Consider signing up for a month in 2020. Signup sheet in the fellowship room. Refreshments - Every week (except annual meeting potluck -Jan 19) we will gather in the fellowship room for snacks and fellowship. What we eat depends on what you bring! No signup sheet, just potluck style each Sunday. Please consider taking a turn occasionally and bringing something to share. Coordinator Needed - We are looking for a Christmas Eve coordinator for 2020. Please talk to Jennifer if interested. Friends-
To what extent would you go to make a point? To convince a doubter? To create change? I suppose it depends on how significant that point is. God spared no expense to make a most significant point: That he exists; that he is love; that he loves the whole world and everyone in it. Such a significant point would demand significant action, and God did not disappoint. He never does. Of all the ways he might have chosen to make his point, God chose the most impactful, and the most costly. He came. He became one of us. He took on human flesh, with all of its weakness and all of its risk. He was born of a human mother, and grew and lived as a baby, a human child, an adolescent, a young man, an adult. He used words, and examples, and miracles, and his very life, and ultimately his death, to make his point as clear as he could. What we call Christmas is our celebration of that most significant coming. It would seem to demand an equally significant response. What can we do to show our appreciation? Let's let that question shape our words and our actions this Christmas season. He has come! What joy! Gary Calendar Sundays - Every Sunday: Worship Service at 10:30 am. 12/1 - Communion Sunday - First Sunday in Advent - Congregational Meeting right after worship 12/8 - Second Sunday in Advent - Fellowship time immediately after at Tim and Judy Murphy's home. 12/15 - Third Sunday in Advent - Fellowship time immediately after at Dan and Sara Akerlund's home 12/22 - Fourth Sunday in Advent 12/29 - Collection of coins for benevolence funds. Tuesdays - 12/24 - Christmas Eve Candlelight Service - 7 PM - Cookies and punch served in the fellowship room after the service. Wednesdays - 12/4 and 12/11 - Bible Study - 6 PM - Fellowship Room 12/18 - Sing the Songs of Christmas - 6:30 PM - Sanctuary - cookies afterward! Thursdays - 12/5 - Church Board Meeting - 7 PM - Fellowship Room. - No community dinner this month. News: Congregational Meeting - A short congregational meeting will be held immediately after church on Sunday, December 1. Decisions about the church budget will be discussed. Plan on staying for this important meeting. We will meet first, then have fellowship time. Just plan on staying in the sanctuary when the service is over. Refreshments - On Sunday, December 8 we will head over to Tim and Judy Murphy's house for our time of fellowship after church. Takes only a few minutes to get there. Carpool for easier parking. On Sunday, December 15 we are invited to Dan and Sara Akerlund's for fellowship, also right after church. Again please try to carpool. We will head on over to each home when the worship service is over. December 22 and 29 will be our usual potluck treats in the fellowship room. Sing the Songs of Christmas - We are having an indoor Christmas carol sing-along on Wednesday, December 18. Invite friends and family for a fun night to sing all of your favorite Christmas carols and songs. Cookies and milk afterward. If you are not into singing, just come for fun and fellowship and to celebrate the season. Cookies - We need cookies! We would like to have cookies or some kind of treats for our Christmas sing-along on December 18 and also for our Christmas Eve service. Please bring some if you are able. Thanks! Coin Collection - Our quarterly collection of your coins will be Sunday, December 29. Thanks for all your support of this effort to build up our benevolence fund. The next collection will be on March 29. Flowers - A new sign up sheet for altar flowers for 2020 is in the fellowship room. Choose a month and furnish some type of flower, plant, candle, or decor for each Sunday in your month. Thanks to all who furnished such beautiful arrangements in 2019. Very much appreciated. Looking Ahead: Annual Meeting and Potluck - Sunday, January 19 Friends,
November has never been a favorite month with me. Even though it has given me two of my very favorite people ever- my dad and my wife, who happened to be born on the same day, 33 years apart. Despite that bonus, it remains a month that is less than spectacular for me: the days get shorter, the nights longer; the temperatures plummet; all the brilliant colors of fall fade to gray and brown; baseball is over. Sigh... But someone was a genius. Into this muddy mess of a month comes the celebration of Thanksgiving, one of my very favorite holidays. I like it because it is laid back (I hear all of you that cook saying "That's because you're not cooking the meal!"). Friends and family come over and get together. There is very little commercialization. We eat too much, we talk a lot, we nap, we eat some more. Oh! and we give thanks! That's the point, right? It used to be for a good harvest. Now it's just a reminder to be grateful. And what could be better in a month as grim as this one? Thanksgiving is easy in spring or summer. But thanksgiving in November takes commitment, takes courage, takes trust. Thanksgiving in November is a reminder for us the rest of our months, that when things are going November-like in our lives when things are not the way we want them, we still need to give thanks. Because God deserves it and wants it, and because it frees us from grumbling and self-pity. It reminds us that God has been and will be good to us. God can be trusted. Better days are coming. So, okay. It's November. I'll get through it. I just need to learn to love gray and brown. Have a great month! Gary Calendar Saturdays - 11/2 - Set your clocks back 1 hour tonight! Daylight Savings Time ends! Sundays - Every Sunday - Worship Service - 10:30 am 11/3 - Communion Sunday - Middle school and high school kids meeting - after worship 11/17 - Fall Harvest Potluck - downstairs after worship 11/24 - Thanksgiving Worship Service - Decorate the church for Christmas after the worship service. Wednesdays - Every Wednesday - Bible Study - 6 PM - Fellowship Room. 11/6 - Deadline to sign up for youth overnight. Thursdays - 11/7 - Church Board Meeting - 7 PM - Fellowship Room. 11/28 - Happy Thanksgiving! Fridays - 11/8 - Youth Overnight - Leaving from the church at 6 PM. Other News: Youth Overnight - Middle school and high school students are having an overnight event on Friday, November 8. There is no cost to come. We will leave the church at 6 PM to head to a cabin out near Durand. Please eat dinner before you come! Snacks and breakfast will be provided, but bring some of your own favorite snacks if you want. We will return to the church by noon on Saturday. Bring a sleeping bag, your pillow, and anything else you need for an overnight. You must let Pastor Gary know you are going by Wednesday, November 6. Come to church on November 3rd and we will discuss details. Fall Harvest Potluck - Everyone is invited to stay after church on Sunday, November 17 for a turkey dinner. Bob, Nathalie, and Curt are making the turkey, dressing, and gravy. The rest of us will fill in with Thanksgiving-style side dishes. Please sign up in the fellowship room. Hope to see you all there. If you can help set up before church, please come early that day. We don't want anyone to have to stay down and work and miss worship. So let's get set up ahead of time. Decorating for Christmas - Please plan on staying after church on Sunday, November 24 to decorate the church for Advent and Christmas. Advent starts on December 1. What is advent? A season of waiting and preparing, getting ready for the coming of Jesus. Refreshments - Sunday fellowship hour is your chance to bring some kind of treat to share with everyone else. Please consider bringing something this month! (except on the 17th when we will have our turkey dinner) Chili Shootout - Great crowd, great chili, great side dishes, great conversations, great fun! Thanks to all, especially our chili cooks and the Greens for hosting. Start practicing for next year, we want to make this an annual event! Coin Collection - Thanks to everyone who brought their jars of coins and bills at the end of September. We collected $202.82! The next collection will be Sunday, December 29. This all goes into our benevolence fund. Communion - We offer communion to all. You can choose a gluten-free option for the bread and we use grape juice for our cup. Looking Ahead: December is always a full month. Plan on Advent candles, Christmas carol singing party, special Sunday fellowship in a member's home, Christmas Eve service, and maybe if you are lucky, a short congregational meeting to make some budget decisions! Specifics coming in the next newsletter. Friends-
How are you with change? I suppose it depends on whether it is a change for the better, or a change for the worse. The trouble is, how can you tell? People who love summer say changing to fall is for the worse: shorter days, less sunshine, fewer outdoor activities, more darkness, the onset of cooler weather. Those who love fall say the change is wonderful: cooler weather, trees turning color, campfires, no lawns to mow. The secret, I believe, is in learning to accept change as it comes. You can have a favorite season, but learn to find beauty in all of them. Being open to change allows us to embrace every day as a gift and an adventure, and to find God in the midst of it. Jesus says, "Behold! I make all things new!" Paul writes, "If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has past away, and the new has come." If you are going to be in Christ, and be his follower, he is going to make you new. He is going to change you. Count on it. And what you see as a bad change, might in the bigger picture, turn in to one of great joy. We cannot see what God sees. Trust him with your changes. He will turn them to good. Have a great month! Gary Calendar Wednesdays - Every Wednesday - Bible Study - New time - 6 PM - All welcome. Thursdays - 10/3 - Church Board Meeting - 7 PM - Fellowship Room 10/24 - Community Dinner - 5:30 PM - Poplar Grove Church - Help and/or Eat. Fridays - 10/18 - Chili Shootout and Bonfire - 6 PM - Stacy and Angela Greens home Sundays - Every Sunday - Worship Service - 10:30 am 10/6 - Communion Sunday Other News - Margaret LaMont - Turns 100 years old on October 7! Please send her a card at a new different address in Michigan. Chili Shootout and Bonfire - Who makes the best chili? If you think you do, then we need you! Who likes to eat chili? We need you too! We will be having a chili shootout on Friday, October 18 at 6:00 PM at Stacy and Angela Greens home. There will be a sign-up sheet for chili, cornbread, drinks, desserts, and other items. We will be voting for the best chili at Caledonia Congregational! We will have a bonfire as well, weather permitting. This is an all-church event, and we hope you come and come hungry! Their home is across from the church, the one with the big yard and chicken coop. Congratulations - Kyle, Brittni, and Anna Zick welcomed Griffin John on 9/10/19! Mike Pffanginger was featured on WIFR about his upcoming retirement as head custodian at Caledonia Elementary. You can Google it and watch it! Directory - We will be updating our church directory. If any of your information has changed, or you want to be included, please let Nikki Maurice know. Spiritual Growth Ideas - Is there something you would like to study or learn about that could help you grow spiritually? Or maybe an event or training you would like to have? do you have some ideas or suggestions? Please share those with Pastor Gary. We are looking for new opportunities if there is interest. Refreshments - Thanks for all the great treats on Sunday mornings! We will continue with our potluck-style fellowship. If you want to bring something to share, please do! Coin Collection - Our jars of coins were collected September 30 and will be again December 29. The coins are used for our benevolence giving. Men's Campout - Caledonia men are invited to our annual men's campout, October 24-27 at Devil's Lake, Wisconsin. Great food, great fun, great fellowship. Consider joining us. Let Stacy or Gary know of your interest. Looking Ahead Sunday, November 24 we will decorate the church for the Christmas season. Plan on staying after fellowship time to help. Friends-
I love this time of year... and I hate it. I love the freshness of fall, the beginnings of change in the weather and the colors, the depth of blue in the sky, crickets singing every night. I'm not so crazy about having to wear more layers of clothing, the end of summer activities, the end of summer freedom. Most of my life has had summer as the end and fall as the beginning of my year. That's because for most of my life I was either in school or working with students who were. So this is the time of year that always pushes me to ask, "What do I need to know this year?" "What do I want to learn?" I always want to be learning. I always want to know more. And as important as that all is, there is something more important than knowledge. Wisdom. Wisdom is how we apply what we know. Without it, all of our knowledge is worthless, or even dangerous. The book of Proverbs champions the value and importance of wisdom; the need to grow in it, and to hang on to it. It tells us this: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" Proverbs 9:10 Putting God first in all matters, in all areas of our lives, is the way to be wise. It doesn't matter the month or the season. If we are going to live the life God intends, we need to be wise, we need to be submitted to Him. Are you wise? Have a great month! Gary Calendar Sundays - Every Sunday - Worship Service - 10:30 am 9/1 - Communion Sunday - Congregational Meeting to vote on the new basement windows. 9/29 - Coin Collection Sunday Wednesdays - Every Wednesday - Bible Study - 7 PM - Fellowship Room Between topics. Good time to join us! Thursdays - 9/5 - Church Board Meeting - 7 PM - Fellowship Room 9/26 - Community Dinner - 5:30 PM - Poplar Grove Church - Eat and/or serve. Other News - Towel Collection - Sisters in Service and Spirit would like to thank everyone for the overwhelming support of the towel collection this summer. What a blessing to be able to give so many towels to the Rockford Rescue Mission. Thank you so much! Spiritual Growth Ideas - Is there something you would like to study or learn about that would help you grow spiritually? Or maybe an event or training you would like to have? Do you have some ideas or suggestions? Please share those with Pastor Gary. We are looking for new opportunities if there is interest. Directory - We will be updating our church directory. If any of your information has changed, please let Nikki Maurice know. Coin Collection - Time to bring in your jars of coins again! Please bring them in on Sunday, September 29. This money is used for benevolence giving. Refreshments - Thanks for those who have occasionally brought some treats this summer. We will continue on with our potluck-style fellowship time on Sundays. No sign-up, please consider bringing something to share. |
AuthorGary Schwerin, pastor Archives
March 2020
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