January 2025 Witness

JANUARY | 2025

SEE, I AM DOING A NEW THING

As we step into January, we find ourselves at the starting line of a brand-new year. There’s something refreshing about this time—the sense of possibility, the hope for something better, and the desire to begin again. Maybe you’ve made a resolution or two, like being more present with your family, or carving out time for prayer or the gym, or even just drinking more water. The new year is a great opportunity to take a deep breath and start fresh.

But what if we looked at new beginnings the way God does? In Isaiah 43, God says, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” And in Revelation God says, “Behold, I am making all things new!” God isn’t just a God of second chances—God is constantly renewing us, transforming our lives, and surprising us with hope. Every single day is an opportunity to grow, to forgive, and to live into God’s love.

After all the emotions of the holidays, the joys and the letdowns, the family meals and get-togethers, as well as the family fights, as we enter into a new year, it seems like we just need a break. In the cold dark days of January, things seem a little dead anyway. But here at Vinje, the new year brings fresh opportunities for us as a community. Maybe this is the year you take a leap and start a small group, or share your musical talent, or volunteer in a new way. Maybe it’s the year we work together to serve our neighbors in new and creative ways. Whatever lies ahead, God is calling us to step boldly into the future, trusting that we are never alone on the journey.

So, as we gather this month for worship, community, and service, let’s remember this: God is doing something new in our lives every morning, and each day is a chance to begin again. Whether we’re carrying excitement for what’s ahead or some leftover burdens from the past year, God is with us, leading us forward. I’m excited to start this new year with you, ready to follow where God leads.

-Pastor Dane

REVELATION: HOPE BEYOND THE MYSTERY

Revelation is often misunderstood, with its verses frequently taken out of context to fuel speculation about the future. But what does this remarkable book really say? At its heart, Revelation offers a timeless message of hope and perseverance for Christians across the ages. Over six weeks, we’ll delve into its vivid visions, which confront the powers of evil, inspire faith in God’s ultimate victory, and call us to live with confident hope. Join us as we uncover how Revelation shapes our understanding of God, the world, and the promise of the new Jerusalem.

January 12

God Saves

January 19

God’s Messengers are Rejected

January 26

Good vs Evil

February 2

Earthly Powers Fail

February 9

A New Creation

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LIGHT OF CHRISTMAS DONATIONS!

We are simply overwhelmed and overjoyed by your incredibly generous giving towards our Light of Christmas campaign for 2024. Donations of more than $3100 were received! In addition, members generously purchased more than 70 gifts from the tags from our Light of Christmas tree! These gifts (along with other purchased gifts and gift cards) provided Christmas joy to many neighbors in need! 18 adults and 54 children in our county all received a gift, a clothing item and a household necessity or a gift card. All three elementary school received boots and snow pants for kids that did not have any.

Thank you so much for your generosity and kindness! It was an honor to work together with you to share the light of Jesus with our neighbors this Christmas!

VINJE QUILTERS

Vinje Quilters will not meet during January or February! Hope to see you in March!

FEBRUARY 2ND AND 5TH AFTER WORSHIP

Join us for our annual meeting! All information will be presented on both dates. We will hear reviews of 2024 from leadership vote on new council members and a budget proposal for 2025. Hope to see you all at one of these two meeting times!

We’ve been doing all things Christmas at Loving Arms! Lots of singing (including our Christmas Program!), Christmas crafts and treats, lots of Christmas books and fun paper chains counting down the days ‘til Christmas!

60 volunteers from Vinje, Calvary, Bethel Lutheran and the Willmar Methodist Church came together on Tuesday, Dec 3 to assemble 100 Solar Lights to be shipped to Ukraine. All the lights were assembled and packed for shipping. Dave Nonnemacher with the New Horizons Foundation brought the lights and shared the story of the many people who have helped with this project and the impact they have on the people in Ukraine receiving them. He also shared that 100 lights was the largest number he has helped assemble and the 60 people helping was also a record. Thanks to the many people who contributed financially to this project and who donated their time and talents to get them ready for people in Ukraine. The Creation Care Committees at each of the churches plan to continue with this project in the future.

“We are on Earth to take care of life. We are on Earth to take care of each other.”

Xiye Bastida

Here’s what happened at the December 18th meeting:

Called the annual meeting of the congregation to begin on February 2 and conclude on February 5.
Discussed the formation of strategic planning teams.
Reviewed a draft budget from the Finance Committee and agreed to propose the budget to the congregation at the annual meeting. The proposed budget contains cuts to the requested amount for Faith Formation and an increase of income and expenses of 1.45%
Received a final report from the nominating committee.
Received a letter from our insurance company expressing concerns over the condition of the roof and unlocked doors.
Approved the 2025 budget for Loving Arms and Discover Hill after conversations about the financial concerns regarding these ministries.

EXPLORING VINJE'S HISTORY

In a sermon on November 17^th of this year about the unnamed poor widow who dropped all she had to live on, two little copper coins, worth about a penny, in the temple’s offering plate (Mark 12:41-44), pastor Dane referred to a beloved Vinje member, Marlene Heil, who died in July of 2018. Pastor Andrés asked his colleague to share here the paragraphs of his sermon where he talked about Marlene.

There is this person from Vinje who passed away several years ago now. Unlike the woman in the gospel of Mark, this woman had a name: her name is Marline Heil. Many of you may remember her. But for those who don’t, Marline was the bubbliest person in the world and a rockstar volunteer. Even though she was quite old and widowed, she would show up for things all the time and constantly with a smile on her face. She sat at the front desk every week, taking phone calls, greeting people as they walked in the door. She would help out with serving meals, and every week she would be there for our kids’ programming, making each kid she came in contact with feel special. Maybe the kids liked Marline so much because she was tiny, about their size. She would wear that little elf costume when it was Christmas time as she helped them with their crafts.

The thing to know about Marline, though, is that she was poor. She didn’t have much money to give, but she gave what she had to the church. And because she is now deceased, I think I can break some confidentiality and let you know Marline faithfully would turn in a pledge card every year that said she would give $1/week to our church. I worried for Marline, and how even though I knew she didn’t have the money to give, she would give that dollar every week as her gift to God even though she could have used it for something she needed. But it was her act of faith to give everything she had, not just that little bit of money, but her whole life because even though it wasn’t much, it was something. And she saw it as a way of saying thanks to God and to her church for all the blessings she had. She probably didn’t mean a whole lot to many people in the world, but as we gathered for her funeral and reflected on her life, to this pastor and to many of you, her actions and her life meant the world.

Make a one-time contribution or set up reoccurring giving here. Need help? Call the church office!

VINJE ON THE GO!

RADIO Listen on Sundays at 9:30 am on KWLM, 1340 AM.

INTERNET Catch worship or our podcasts anytime right here.

TV Watch local access channel, 180 Sundays at 2:30 pm and 8:30 pm and Tuesdays at 8 am and 5 pm.