Please remember to check the server list on the bulletin board at church (or click here to see the latest monthly schedule online).

Also, if you are going to switch dates with someone, please inform either Bill Kane or Michael Tautges at the church office.

Thank you! 

October 15 - 5:00 pm

Community Table

October 18 & 19

Diocesan Convention 

November 9 - 8:00 am

Annual Veteran's Breakfast

Your Vestry is working hard for you!

Barbara Kane facilitated a daylong retreat for Vestry on September 21st. We spent a thoughtful day reviewing notes from previous retreats and then planning ahead to 2014 - and beyond.   By separating ourselves from our normal schedule, we were able to focus on the needs of our St. Matthias' community.

One of the important action items that came from the retreat is the need for more communication, especially during the transition period. My Senior Warden column in the Ambassador will be a regular monthly feature. In addition, our Communication Team will be taking on more tasks to ensure that we are providing you and our community with continual updates on activities at St. Matthias'.

Small Group Sunday on September 8th was a huge success!   It provided our teams with an opportunity to share their ministry activities with you. Many of you signed up to share your time and talent with these groups. St. Matthias' is alive and well!

Email: [email protected]

Trig's Receipts 

Submitted by Randy Bates

Why is it important to save Trig's receipts?  How does it benefit St. Matthias'?  It allows us to purchase needed items without using your pledge dollars.  Let me explain further.

Trig's offers non-profit organizations a way to make money by encouraging its' members to shop at their stores.  1% of the value of receipts (for food items only) is returned quarterly to the organization -- St. Matthias' in our case.

If you visit the Minocqua Trig's for example, you will see a clear plexiglass container at the exit.  The designation for St. Matthias' is "23B" (you don't need to remember this -- there is a listing on the side of the container). If you care to place your receipt in this box, simply write on your receipt "23B".  Or -- you can place your receipt in the clearly marked box attached to the bulletin board in the narthex -- no "23B" marking is required.  We can accept Trig's receipts from any of the Trig's stores including Eagle River and Rhinelander.  Let me assure you that there is no personal information on the receipts including your name or any debit/credit card information.

Earlier this year, the money received from Trig's enabled us to purchase the wide screen TV/video screen in the church hall.  This is being used for presentations including the Adult Forums, which are now underway.

St. Matthias' received a check for the second quarter of $142.16 (representing $14,216 worth of food receipts) -- a big number -- thank you!  The third quarter has just closed and we should be expecting another check from Trig's by the end of October.

We will be looking for your suggestions on how this money should be used; I will also keep you posted on a quarterly basis on the amount accumulated.

The David Larson Memorial Fund

Submitted by Laurie Glowac

"Life without cause means nothing at all."

- Victor Hugo

David Larson, MD, was born in McKeesport, PA, to a hardworking family of humble means. David often recalled that his father began working in a steel mill at age 14 to support his sisters and mother after his father had died. Education was valued and encouraged to the extent that both David and his older brother were expected to go to college. They both attended Wheaton College in Illinois. and they both became physicians. David went on to medical school in Buffalo, NY, where his family had moved, and also trained in NC and at Yale. He went on to devote his life and career to the practice of community mental health as a Board Certified Psychiatrist. He practiced in Vermont, Oklahoma, Texas and Wausau, always in public mental health clinics.

In addition to being a wonderfully warm, fun loving and vibrant human being, David was also an extremely dedicated psychiatrist who spent his career working in the public health sector and was passionate about his patients and their struggles with severe mental illness. Many of us knew of his concern for his patients who were unable to afford their medications. David was known to be quite creative in obtaining these needed medications for his uninsured patients.

David's life was cut tragically short in June, 2012, and to honor him, many undesignated memorials were received from his friends and colleagues. His wife, Karen, a psychiatric nurse who worked right along side David, donated these funds to the St. Francis Project of St. Matthias'. The St. Francis Project waited for direction from Karen as to how these funds should be spent.

We are very proud and pleased to tell you that, at Karen's direction, these funds will be used to help members of St. Matthias' pay for mental health medications that are not covered by insurance. A diagnosis of depression, bipolar illness, and schizophrenia are examples of the kinds of illnesses that require medications for stability and which will be eligible for consideration under this program.

The following process has been set up to help those who have a need:

1. Contact Karen Larson at 1-715-277-4526.
2. You and Karen will meet to confidentially discuss your situation.
3. Once a need is established, arrangements will be made with your pharmacy to receive direct payment from the fund for your medication.
4. A check will be made out to the pharmacy of your choice each month as long as you need your medication. There will not be any identifying information on the check in order to insure your confidentiality.

Touchstones:  Creating Your Own Well-Being  (Part II) 

Written by Diane Diederich

I'd like to continue our discussion from last months' column . Changes of weather, changes of the foliage, and a new Fall routine certainly starts me thinking of changing some the habits that crept into my Summer relaxation - especially, my eating habits. So, I'd like to share some suggestions for all of us to build our own well-being:

• Try to reduce our intake of refined sugar. The cool, refreshing drinks that mark the season are full of excess sugar and can cause a sugar high. When that burns off, you can experience a "crash" and feel worse than ever! Excess sugar can make the immune system sluggish.
  
  
• We all know that fiber in our diet in the form of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains are recommended daily. These foods are rich in minerals and vitamins. Go "organic" as many of you do!
  
  
• Eat several small meals a day as opposed to three meals a day. Snacking with nutritious mini-meals will help cut back your portions at mealtime.
   
• Follow the rhythms of your body. Women know this because of the cycles that are part of their lives. This is important for men and women alike - not as excuses for behavior but to treat ourselves and each other with compassion.
   
• Chronic health problems. If you are dealing with a chronic health problem, consider the possibility that the foods you consume might be part of the problem. Keep in touch with your Doctor to see if the meds you take are interacting negatively with your diet.
   
• Avoid being compulsive. Balance is the goal. Splurge once in a while; be disciplined at other times. Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're filled, rest when you feel tired, continue a project to completion when your energy level lets you. Avoid work-a-holism.
   
• Give thanks for the gifts you've been given. Give thanks for the blessings of the day even when you have to search hard to find them.
   
• Recognize the sacred nature of our planet and the creatures that inhabit it. Treat all with respect realizing the unique character of God's Creation. This helps us to see the intricate connections among us and take our proper place as one among many on this earth.
   
• Avoid rigidity. Rigidity or inflexibility in our behavior and beliefs may translate into an inflexible immune system incapable of adaptation to new realities or circumstances. Being "high-strung" may account for the hyper-tension that may cause body-systems break down.
   
• Treat yourself gently. If your mind right now is rejecting this notion, it is a sign of how badly gentleness is needed. Stress, self-induced and otherwise, is the largest contributor to disease of all kinds.