Monthly Pulse Newsletter

Moderator Message

The Council started our monthly meeting by learning more about Radical Welcome. It is a term used in denominations that shows we embrace and are changed by people cast out within our society. It is a “welcome home” that gives a sense of belonging. We do a very good job of reaching out to our community, but what more can we learn from gathering with them and learning more about where they come from? Soon, we will be working together as a collective church to develop a plan that delves into this more deeply.

In other business, we approved the Pastoral Terms of Call, updates to the Administrative Manual, and recommendations made by the Nominating Team. All of this will be voted on by the congregation in our Annual Administrative Congregational Meeting which will be held after worship on Sunday, November 8. We hope to see you there!

Larry Ostermeier

Moderator of Council

The Annual Administrative Congregational meeting will be held after worship on Sunday, November 8. We will approve the Nominating Team’s candidates for offices of the church, changes to the Administrative Manual, and the Pastor’s Terms of Call. Please plan to attend.

Two items I wanted to mention. First; the mission team is putting an order with the Touch of Grace company for the Christmas season. Not only do they have amazing carved olive wood figures, wall hangings, and ornaments, but the catalog also has silver jewelry, spices, olive oil, pottery, and much more. All made in Bethlehem in the West Bank area. These folks could really use our support right now. The catalog is in the narthex on the mission table, and I’ll try to bring it to Java, Juice, and Joy for people to look at. You can also look online at https://touch-grace.com. Make sure to order with us for free shipping. Orders need to be in by November 29th, so we can have stuff by Christmas.

The second think is that I want everyone to save the date of December 12th from 2-5 p.m. We are going to have the first annual Pastor’s Christmas party in the community room at church. This is a tradition that my wife and I started in my first call. We had moved into the church’s manse at the start of December, and the church had put in new carpets, repainted the walls, and added electric fireplace inserts and a new refrigerator. We wanted the congregation to see what their money had gone towards, so we decided to host a party, that soon became an annual event there.

We did try to continue the tradition in Iowa, but it didn’t feel quite the same. I think we will have a better success here. Please come to share some time together and enjoy some good food provided by Gen and I, and the CLMT team.

November is a month where we think about being thankful and my wife and I are very thankful for all of you, and this wonderful community we live in. We wanted to show are appreciation for you all and this seemed like a great way for us to do so.

Blessings,

Pastor Steve

Monthly Social Concerns: Mr. Rogers

Each month the Social Concerns Ministry Team will be providing an article for the Monthly Pulse on a social issue. These articles will be sourced mainly from the websites of our two denominations. We hope you will find them interesting and thought provoking.

Fred Rogers was an ordained minister of word and sacrament for the PC(USA) and is a notable public figure whose work around peace and reconciliation is worth remembering. Rogers was also a pioneer in the world of Christian education and formation of young children. March 20 was his birthday, and so it is the day that the PC(USA) has chosen to highlight all we can learn from his work.

We live in a world filled with personal, community, and world conflict where sometimes it is difficult to cope or be hopeful, but we can continue to learn from the work of Fred Rogers and follow his example. Fred’s peacemaking sensibilities both on and off camera can inform our lives today. He practiced deep listening, deep thinking, and deep understanding. He modeled building neighborhoods of compassion and peace through the Neighborhood of Make Believe on his TV show, by testifying before Congress and through curriculum like Peacemaking in the Family: Four Intergenerational Events, originally written with the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program in the 1980s and available free for download.

Author Michael Long, in his book “Peaceful Neighbor: Rediscovering the Counter Cultural Mister Rogers,” says “peace is possible, according to Rogers, first because each of us is equipped with a powerful moral imagination — the ability to see goodness in moments of crisis and danger. As Mister Rogers puts this in his concluding monologue, ‘You see, people can imagine bad things, hurtful things, angry war-like things, but people can also imagine good things, helpful things, happy peaceful things.’ … Peace is possible because we are actors, not passive victims, who can always choose to create the peace we have envisioned.” So, let’s find ways to choose peace and build neighborhoods of compassion.

Miatta Wilson, Mission Associate, Office of Christian Formation, Interim Unified Agency pcusa.org/formation

Food Donation Collection

The Mission Team is collecting food items every 1st Sunday of each month for the food shelf. In November, we are suggesting a donation of condiments and spices: salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, nutmeg, BBQ sauce, pickles, olives, mayo, and salad dressings, though of course, any items are welcome.

Checks are always welcome too. Make the checks out to Associated Church, with a notation that says it is for Community Pathways.

Thank you for your willingness to help people in need!

Mission Team

All Saints Day

For centuries, the Christian church has honored specific saints—people whose lives showed the love of God and the life of Jesus in significant ways. Today, many mainline Christian churches also honor church members who have died since the last All Saints Day.

Every Sunday, we at Associated share one another’s joys and sorrows. If you have experienced a death of significance to you this past year, please consider adding that name to the clipboard in the narthex. The name will be read during the time of remembering.

Please join us to remember those who have passed away during the past year on November 1^st. We will be remembering:

Patrick Greenwood

Virginia Anderson

Carol Zetah

Arlene Gleason

Dorothy Bouwman

Meals on Wheels

The Associated Church is responsible for Meals on Wheels on Tuesdays during the month of November. This is an opportunity to volunteer on the community and serve our neighbors who are homebound. If you are interested in being a driver or being on-call as a backup driver, please contact Sharon Partridge (507-213-9093).

Kathy's Coats

Mission Team will be collecting winter wear of all sizes (coats, hats, mittens etc.) throughout October and the first two weeks in November. A basket labeled “Kathy’s Coats” can be found in the Narthex.

Red Cross Blood Drive

Red Cross Blood Drive will be at the Associated Church on Friday, November 13th from 10am to 4pm.

Ways to help:

Donate blood
Volunteer to register people donating blood
Volunteer to be at the Hospitality area where snacks and water are available, and we provide a warm and welcoming place. Thanking the donors for coming is very important.

Volunteers work two hour shifts. The sign up sheet for volunteering will be available starting October 25th.

To donate blood, call 1-800-733-2767, and ask to be scheduled at Associated Church in Owatonna on Friday, November 13th.

Thank you for all you do,

Mission Ministry Team