E-Voice: weekly news & updates
|
|
Note: anything that is underlined is a link you can click on! |
|
Entering the Church Building |
We have new procedures in place to enter the church building. The parking lot doors are open from 9am-12pm Monday through Friday. If you need to drop off or pick up an item, there is a table in the entry. Alert us to what you need. We will leave it for you to find and you may come and go in the entry as you please. You may pick up devotional books, The Lutheran magazine, and communion kits.
We ask that you stay in the entry if you need to enter into the building. Call us at 608-784-9335. A staff member is happy to come out and assist you with signing in and sanitizing procedures.
We know this is not an ideal situation and it's not the warm welcome you're used to. However, in order to keep our church family and staff safe, we ask that you do not come into the church unless it is absolutely needed. We want you to stay home and stay healthy so we can get back to worshipping together as a church family once again.
|
|
Please wait in the parking lot entry
and call the office
for assistance! :)
|
|
|
|
Dear ELC members,
Wednesday afternoon I watched in horror as an armed mob stormed our US Capitol. I wish I had a glib answer to what we Americans can do about all of this. Though the protesters were, in fact, not disenfranchised, they acted and felt as if they were. That tells me that the American dream isn’t working for these people, any more than it has for those treated differently in our law enforcement and legal system due to race or gender. Desperation causes desperate acts.
There must be laws and there must be compassionate enforcement of those same laws. We in the church, and all Americans, must work hard to make sure all are treated equally. We must work just as hard to be compassionate to those who believe differently than we might, and who act differently.
I commit myself to strive harder for justice, and to work harder at listening. Many of us Americans are in terrible emotional pain. I likewise commit myself to give even more of my voice and time to those who need a listening ear or someone to help shoulder their burden. I commit to pray more and love more, so that the events of this past year might fade into the forgotten memory of a truly just society.
Jesus, you understand the suffering of all. Help us to be more attuned to the world’s anguish and to never ever be dismissive of others’ suffering. Help us to be better at understanding than we have been. In Your Name we pray. Amen.
Pastor Glen Bickford
|
|
|
Your Estimate of Giving
is appreciated!
|
|
Your gifts, no matter what size, are important to the ministry we continue. We pray that in 2021 we can begin to be together as a church family. Your Estimate of Giving for next year helps our Vision Board and Finance Committee plan for the momentous day when we're together again!
|
|
|
|
|
Every resident at Bethany Riverside has a wall calendar in their room. When they leave, the calendar goes with them or is discarded. When a new resident is admitted, they get a new calendar. The nursing home goes through a LOT of calendars throughout the year! Bethany Riverside normally gets a good number of donated calendars, but this year has been different, for a lot of reasons.
If you have an extra 2021 calendar at home to donate, please drop it off in ELC's parking lot entry between 9am-12pm, Monday through Friday. We'll deliver them over to the nursing home.
|
|
|
|
|
This year, 94 "gifts" have been purchased for a total of $2,625 going to ELCA Good Gifts! Thank you!!
Many in our world live in poverty and face acute hunger every day. Your purchase of Good Gifts makes a difference! We purchased:
|
|
|
|
|
Dear Siblings in Christ,
My time of serving as Bishop of the La Crosse Area Synod has come to an end. So, I am taking this opportunity to thank you. It has been an honor to serve as your bishop, to represent you throughout the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and beyond. It has been a pleasure to serve with you in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ through word and deed. And, while it has been challenging at times to lead us through difficult times, changes in our church, and a pandemic, I have always been aware of your prayers for my work, for our work, for Christ’s work. Thank you for your efforts, your gifts, and your prayers.
|
|
|
|
|
We welcome Interim Bishop of the La Crosse Area Synod, The Rev. Chris Boerger! Pastor Boerger served as Secretary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America from November 2013 until October 2019. Prior to this, he served two terms as bishop of the Northwest Washington Synod, Seattle, WA. He was ordained in June of 1978.
He is married to Dede Boerger and they have two grown children and four grandchildren.
|
|
|
|
|
You may not be able to see us running around the building, serving breakfasts or playing music right now but youth ministry is still happening! Confirmation students are invited to Next Steps, a weekly faith talk on Sunday mornings on Zoom. We play games and focus on the Faith 5 using the gospel lesson for the week. We've also been holding monthly "fun" Zooms with a seasonal theme! The next one for 7th and 8th graders will be on January 31st. High School students have the opportunity to gather on the 1st and 3rd Sundays for youth group time which has a little bit of everything. We do part check-in, part devotion and part games! Our next meeting will be January 17th at 6:30pm.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
