Announcements for Easter Sunday Apr. 17, 2022
INSIDE: Christ is Risen! Hallelujah! Join us for Easter worship THIS Sunday!
Click the image above to download a PDF version of our Easter Handout.
Worship
Join us for Easter Sunday!
Good Friday, Apr. 15
10:00am Justice & Peace Stations of the Cross (starts near the Franciscan Spirituality Center)
12:15pm worship in-person & live stream (note change from 6:15pm for live stream).
6:15pm worship in-person.
Saturday, Apr. 16
9:45am Sugar Creek Easter Egg Hunt & Brunch (more details above)
5:30pm Faith Story Dinner Theater (Holy Week Edition), at 5:30pm. RSVP at 1stlu.org/sacredsat.
Easter Sunday, Apr. 17,
6:30am outdoors sunrise service
8:00am worship in-person & live stream.
9:45am worship in-person & live stream.
No Sunday School nor Confirmation on Easter Sunday.
ASSIST WITH HOLY WEEK: To prepare our hearts for Easter Sunday, we worship every day
during Holy Week. Individuals and families can assist with this holy time as readers, ushers, communion servers and more. Sign up at 1stlu.org/assistHW.
The office will be closed at noon on Friday, Apr. 15, and all day Monday, Apr. 18.
COVID-19 Update
Pastors and our COVID Advisory Panel gather to evaluate when and how the church can be open. These are our current recommendations:
Worship: online & in-person
Small groups: online & in-person; precautions determined by entire group
Precautions for In-Person Worship
Worship services are offered in-person, indoors at all services. As of Feb. 16, 2022, masks are welcome, optional, and encouraged for those not vaccinated. For a full description of current precautions, visit 1stlu.org/precaution.
4K Faith Building Block: The Keys
Sunday, Apr. 24: parents/guardians only
Sundays, May 1 & 8: parents/guardians with children
Sunday, May 15: Faith Building Block lifted up in worship
Throughout the year each age group will have a special “Faith Building Block” session in which parents or special adults are asked to attend class with their child on Sundays at 9:15am, sharing in conversation and growing together in faith. The session lasts for three weeks, and afterwards, the Faith Building Block will be lifted up in worship.
KNITTERS
Prayer shawl knitters meet every Tuesday at 3:30pm in the upper room. Open to all!
OWLs April Potluck
The OWLs (our Older Wiser Lutherans at First Lutheran, for anyone 55+) will have their next potluck on Wednesday, Apr. 20, at noon in the fellowship hall. For the program, Shelly Fortner will talk about the La Crosse Hunger Task Force to explain what they do and how they feed the hungry in La Crosse County. The Hunger Task Force is one of the recipients of this year’s contributions from increased giving. For information or to ask questions, contact Brian Narveson at owls@firstlu.org. A reminder to all members that First Lutheran is a latex- and nut-free campus. Please do not bring food containing nuts or nut butters/oils/extracts of any kind onto the church campus. This is for the safety of all of our members. Thanks!
Community Conversations
We invite you to Community Conversations: Electric Vehicles Will (Help) Save the World at noon on Wednesday, Apr. 20, with Jeff Sprinter, Cathy Van Maren, and Randy Pueschner. This discussion will be in-person at English Lutheran (1509 King St, La Crosse), and will NOT be live streamed. Sponsored by the Interfaith Leaders’ Coalition.
Graduation Recognition
First Lutheran will bless graduates in worship on Wednesday, Apr. 20, and Sunday, Apr. 24. Join us on those days for a special service to honor and bless this milestone. Graduates will receive more details about this service in the coming days.
New-Member Social
By choosing to become a member, individuals and families commit to being part of a shared mission. People who would like to become members of First Lutheran, or who have become members in the past two years during COVID precautions, are invited to a social on Thursday, Apr. 21, at 6pm, at David Reay’s, where you will get to know more about First and the staff in a relaxed atmosphere. To register your family or ask questions, call our church office at 608.783.2236 or email office@firstlu.org.
Donations For Ukraine
Lutheran World Relief received tremendous news this week: Nelsonville Lutheran Church in Wisconsin will double all gifts from congregations – up to $100,000 – for our neighbors suffering in the Ukraine crisis. Our teams are working with partners in and around Ukraine so your gifts will deliver urgent support and care, like: food, shelter and other critically needed items; Mission Quilts and Kits for families who fled their homes; and medicine and supplies for clinics. Gifts will be matched through Apr. 25. You can give at 1stlu.org/LWR or by mail to LWR, PO Box 17061, Baltimore, MD 21297-1061. Please write “Ukraine Match” in the memo line.
Lutheran Disaster Response is accompanying companion churches and ecumenical partners in Ukraine, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia to respond to the crisis in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Gifts to “Eastern Europe Crisis Response” will be used in full (100%) to assist those affected by the crisis in Ukraine and neighboring countries. Donate at 1stlu.org/LDR. And thanks to a generous donor, every gift to LDR’s Eastern Europe Crisis Response will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $50,000, to support people impacted by the war in Ukraine.
From Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service: The U.S. will now welcome up to 100,000 refugees from Ukraine. We need to act fast to prepare for these refugees, currently 90% of whom are women and children. There is an urgent need for resources, including emergency medical care, temporary housing, financial support for basic necessities, and much more. Donate at 1stlu.org/LIRS.
You can also designate gifts to Lutheran World Relief, Lutheran Disaster Response and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service at 1stlu.org/give.
Chicken Dinner!
Tickets continue to be for sale by youth through THIS SUNDAY Apr. 17, or in the office, M–F, 8am–4pm, through Apr. 27. Meals cost only $10 presale thru Apr. 27. Tickets will be $12 at the door while they last. And most importantly, funds raised support youth going on the mission trip and to Sugar Creek Bible Camp! Meals are provided by Premier Catering, and will be available for pick-up at First Lutheran on Thursday, Apr. 28, 11am–7pm. FOR YOUTH: tickets packets are due back to the church office WITH THE MONEY by Easter Sunday, April 17, by noon. Youth and families can sign up for a shift to help with takeouts at 1stlu.org/chixdin.
Sugar Creek Elementary Youth Retreat
Join us for this 1-night retreat of crazy fun and games! Make new friends and hang out with cool counselors who will help you explore faith through Bible story time, memorable songs, and awesome worships! For youth in 2nd-5th grade. Check-in at 1pm, Apr. 30, and pickup at 1pm, May 1. COST: $59 (includes housing, meals, program, etc.). Register with Sugar Creek at 608.734.3113 / camp@sgrcreek.org.
Preschool Springfest
Springfest, on Sun, May 1, at 3pm, is our preschool’s major fundraiser, and provides an opportunity for preschoolers to showcase their singing talents. After the concert, there is an ice cream social and silent auction. For all family members, grandparents, friends and neighbors! All bids will support the ministry of First Lutheran Preschool… so consider any bid over face value as a donation to the preschool’s ministry (and a good way to lock in that bid)!
Upcoming Sugar Creek Bus Trips
May 7-10: Holland Michigan Tulip Festival
Aug 26-Sept 1: Ark Encounter and Nashville
November 16: Fireside Dinner Theater, "White Christmas"
Sign up early! Spots fill quickly. Call for info: 608.734.3113.
Parents’ Night Out
CORRECTION: The next Parents’ Night Out will be Friday, May 27. FOR: Birth–12 are welcome (Birth–3 will be in the nursery, ages 4 and up in Fellowship Hall)
Registration from 4:45pm-5:30pm
Followed by dinner and activities till 8:30pm (parents can pick up early if needed)
COST: Monetary donations will assist the middle and high school students with 2022 Sugar Creek Bible Camp and potential mission trip. RSVP your child or sign up to volunteer at 1stlu.org/nightout.
Abide Young Adult Small Groups
Young Adult (age 18-35) virtual small groups are forming for the spring. This ministry is called “abide.” Click the Young Adults LinkTree button for a listing of all the “justice-centered spiritual community led by and for folks 18-35” that you can join. Abide serves as a ministry of ELCA Young Adult Ministries and cooperates with several ministries such as YAGM (Young Adults in Global Mission), LVC (Lutheran Volunteer Corp), Dream Chasers United, Campus Ministry and more. Please visit the ELCA website for Young Adult Ministries for more info and opportunities for involvement.
Sugar Creek Summer Reg Now Open!
Summer camp registration at Sugar Creek is open, and campers are signing up! Our new program, Art Camp, promises to help campers grow in their creative gifts and encourage them in sharing the joy of expression through guitar, dance, painting, photography, wood-crafts or writing. We can’t wait to celebrate each of their unique talents with them. We are also pleased to bring back our popular new programs from 2021: Elevated, Night Camp and Rangers. Spots for these programs are filling up quickly, so make sure you don’t miss out. Do you know about our early-registration giveaway! First Lutheran is happy to reimburse the $100 registration fee (contact the office)! Reg and more info online: sugarcreekbiblecamp.org.
Baptismal Preparation
The next baptism preparation session will be Saturday, June 4, at 10am in the narthex for anyone who is considering or has scheduled a baptism. To register or ask questions call the church office at 608.783.3326 by Sunday, May 29. Min. attendance required: 2 families.
Middle and High School Gathering Alternatives
Youthworks mission trip to Bayou Le Batre, Alabama, for youth entering grades 7–12 in fall of 2022. Trip dates: July 23–31. More info: 1stlu.org/mshsmissiontrip.
Boundless WYLDE @ Sugar Creek, for youth entering grades 9–12 in fall of 2022. Dates: July 24-29. More info: 1stlu.org/wylde.
Please register by…
Sending Pastor Stanton an email at jason@firstlu.org to alert him of your interest
Deliver a $150 check made out to First Lutheran. In the memo line add if you're registering for “YOUTHWORKS” or "WYLDE."
SCRIP CARDS
Your weekly groceries, gas and shopping money can help raise funds for youth ministry! Scrip cards are available from the church office. We have Kwik Trip, Woodman's, Target, Walmart and Festival cards. To find out what's currently available and when you can buy them, call the church office at 608.783.2236 or send email to office@firstlu.org.
Sunday School
Sunday, Apr. 17
9:15am No Sunday School
Sunday, Apr. 24
9:15am Sunday School
Questions regarding Sunday School? Visit 1stlu.org/sunschool.
Confirmation
Sunday, Apr. 17:
No Confirmation classes.
Wednesday, Apr. 20:
No Confirmation class nor small groups.
Questions regarding confirmation? Visit 1stlu.org/confirm.