July Newsletter Article

Pastor's Ponderings

And just like that, it was July!!  As I write this article we are in the throes of “VBS” a/k/a Vacation Bible School.  It's been a great first two nights and the kids have really been good (for the most part) this year and that has made it all the more rewarding.  Thank you to Jodi and Janet along with their multitude of helpers, together you've all done such a great job in fulfilling this most important ministry.  There is nothing more important that we can do than plant the seed of 'Christ' in the mind of a young child.  Praise God that we can help influence our youth and encourage them towards a life of faith!

We also just finished 'Western Days' here in Lake City, and you may have noticed the very nice Float that we had this year.  Thank you so very much to Emily Winker for painting the boards for us (she REALLY did a great job didn't she!), thank you Bill Hungate for using your truck to pull the float, and a very big thank you to Clyde Westcott for the use of his trailer and for the building of the float.  It really turned out well and we'll be able to reuse the panels next year.  Thank you Laura Kuhlers, Jeff Frank, and Judy Hungate for throwing out candy and passing out Flyers about the Concert.

The Float that we had in the Western Days Parade wasn't just promoting the Church in general but was more specifically promoting the upcoming concert. Make sure to remember to tell everyone you know about the concert on July 21st.  We'll start out with the opening act “The Crossroads Church Singers” at 6 pm.  The Crossroads Church Singers is the group that Jordanne Blair-Fry is a part of, so make sure to let any of her friends and family know that she'll be performing.  Our 'Headliner' for the evening is Jacob Daniel, I need to point out the Jacob will be opening for Michael W. Smith at the Concert in Okoboji in August... obviously, Jacob is no slouch or he wouldn't have been selected to open for such a great performer as Michael W. Smith!!  Tell everyone to get here to Woodlawn where you can see Jacob perform for FREE before he becomes a big name on the Christian Charts!!  Don't you want to be able to say, “I saw him when he performed in Lake City”?  Tell everyone to be here, tell them twice, tell them a dozen times!!  Make sure to tell them that the concert is on the lawn and to bring a lawn chair, mention that we will have a fantastic Concession Stand with hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, candy, pop, and water available.

The first “Supper Than Service” was held on June 14th and it went very well, the meal was excellent!  Our next “Supper Than Service” will be on July 26th.  In case you're not aware of what we're talking about, once a month before the Thursday Night worship service we are having a sit-down meal together.  The meal is at 6 pm and then we gather in the Chapel at 7 pm for worship.

The Thursday night services have been a great deal of fun and I hope everyone else is enjoying them as well.  If you have any requests for music that you'd like to see (rather hear) played for these services let me know and I'll try and locate a video of them.  Please remember to get the word out about this service, as it is as of yet an underutilized resource.  There are so many people out there that we need to reach, please remember to reach out and invite them!

I'll be using four vacation days (one Sunday) during July.  Terry Watters has agreed to fill the pulpit for me while I'm gone.  I'll be taking off after Worship on Thursday the 12th of July and will be back in the office on Thursday the 19th so I won't miss any of the Thursday night services.  Gail and I will be going up to South Dakota for my 40th High School Reunion.  We'll be using up most of the rest of my vacation time in September when we go to the Wisconsin Cheese Days with my brother and his wife.  We're really looking forward to both outings... but, especially the Cheese Days, because well, it involves CHEESE! The Karlen family came over from Switzerland and our ancestors were among the very first to manufacture cheese in Wisconsin, so a love of cheese is kind of in our blood so to say.

Make sure you all mark your calendars for August 5th, that will be the date of our 2nd Annual “Meatloaf Dinner”.  And while you're writing on the calendar put a note on October 13th which will be the date for the next “Baked Steak Dinner”.  Both of these events were tremendous and you won't want to miss them this time around!  I don't know the pricing yet, but Kim, Roxy, and Gail will be letting us know more details soon I'm sure.

We're working on putting together some training for the Church Elders on ministering to individuals who are dealing with grief.  We don't have any times set yet, but if you're interested in joining in with this training let me know. Once the Elders have set up a time for the training we'll announce it in case others wish to attend... stay tuned, more information to come as they say!

With that, I guess I have used up my quota of space and I better wrap it up... as always don't forget...

To be a blessing to someone today!!!  God bless you all!  
Pastor Roy (2nd John 1:6)