INSIDE: Meet Your Faith Web (2nd Chance) • Parents’ Night Out • Fall Festival

Worship

Join us for worship!

Sunday, Oct. 22:

• 8am: live stream at 1stlu.org/live, and in-person. Nursery available.

• 10:30am: live stream at 1stlu.org/live, and in-person. Nursery available.

Wednesday, Oct. 25:

• 6:15pm: Live stream at 1stlu.org/live, and in-person. Nursery available.

Meet Your Faith Web!

Another opportunity to meet those in your Faith Web happens this Sunday, Oct. 22, between services, in the sanctuary:

• elementary kids meet their supporting households from 9–9:15am

• middle school/high school kids meet their supporting households 10:15–10:30am 

Courageous Men’s Group

The Courageous Men’s Group are men of all ages who meet weekly on Wednesdays at 6am in the Fireside Room for a time of fellowship and study. Contact Jim Knutson or the church office for more info: jim@firstlu.org.

Sing Saints!

Do you like music? Do you enjoy singing, even if it’s in the shower? Do you appreciate the power of music in worship? Then put all of these things together and join the First Lutheran Senior Choir! The next event the choir will rehearse for is All Saints Sunday. Practice begins Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 7pm in the Sanctuary. All are welcome… there is no audition and no formal training required, just a desire to enhance worship through the beauty of music! And the time commitment is just for the one performance (not the entire year). Full schedule and sign-up at 1stlu.org/choir. If needed, child care will be made available (just indicate this need on the sign-up form). For more info, contact Todd Saner at todd@firstlu.org.

Indian Boarding Schools: ELCA Truth-Seeking and Truth-Telling

Class: Indigenous Thought & Theology, Oct. 26 (10 a.m. to 12 p.m.); Nov. 30 (7-9pm). No pre-registration is required to participate in these classes. Just go to the Upcoming Events page, scroll to the class listing, and click "join the class" to attend. CLICK HERE to go to the Upcoming Events Page. For more info on the ELCA Truth-Seeking and Truth-Telling, CLICK HERE.

Parents’ Night Out

Bring your children for an evening of fun with the middle and high school youth groups’ fundraiser! WHERE: at First Lutheran, NEXT: Friday, Oct. 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 8pm (parents can pick up early if needed)

COST: Monetary donations will assist the middle and high school students with 2024 camp and trip expenses. RSVP your child or sign up to volunteer at 1stlu.org/nightout, by Wednesday, Oct. 25.

It's Butter Braid Season!

Selling Butter Braids is a popular way for young people to earn money toward their summer camp and trip expenses. The order forms for Butter Braids are available in the church office. The deadline for returning your order forms, with the money, is Sunday, Oct. 29. Butter Braids will be available at the church for pickup on the afternoon of Monday, Nov. 13. A portion of every sale is put in the seller's camp/trip account to defray costs.

Newsletter Assembly

It’s a relaxing way to volunteer! Monday, Oct. 30, at 10am, to assemble the November newsletter. See you there! 

Member Directories Now Available

We appreciate everyone’s patience! Print directories are now available for members! Members can pick one up for their household at the Welcome Center. REMINDER: members can make changes to their contact info on their own using our online directory: 1stlu.org/directory. Questions about the directory and the information within? Email Tamara (office@firstlu.org) or Andy (andy@firstlu.org).

Puppet Ministry

The ministry provided by our puppeteers has returned to our second service! But the ministry can’t happen without shepherds—adults willing to walk our youth (4-yr-olds through grade 3) down to the choir room and then watch over them during the presentation. Sign up at 1stlu.org/assistsun!

Welcome Seasonal Workers to Sugar Creek

The La Crosse Area Synod is putting together welcome bags, to provide basic necessities and let the seasonal workers know we are happy to host them! You can join in this cause by sponsoring a welcome bag ($20) by going to tinyurl.com/laxsynodgive (select "designate other ministry" and name the "migrant justice team" to donate). Visit lacrosseareasynod.org/migrant-justice-team to learn more

Urgent: Crisis in the Middle East

In response to the escalating violence in and around Gaza, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has extended a letter of support to Bishop Sani-Ibrahim Azar of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. In it she pledges to accompany and support the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and its ministries. Images in the news are heartbreaking, and we extend our prayers to all those who have lost loved ones and are living in fear and uncertainty.

The ELCA has long-standing relationships with many partners in the region, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and Augusta Victoria Hospital, which is operated by the Lutheran World Federation.

The most pressing needs that Lutheran Disaster Response and our partners can address are food, water and medical supplies. Support for hospitals will be another priority as the need for medical assistance continues to grow. Additionally, Lutheran Disaster Response is coordinating with the Arab and Middle Eastern Ministries desk to provide interfaith emotional and spiritual care support for communities in the United States.

Bishop Eaton's letter also calls us to action:

“I encourage the people of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to unite in prayer for the families of innocent civilians whose lives were lost, as well as pray for healing for all the injured, fearful and traumatized.”

Lutheran Disaster Response has a history of providing support for our partners and anticipates answering calls for assistance when the time comes. Gifts to “Middle East Crisis” will be used to address humanitarian needs in the region. Above all, we pray for peace.

Faith Webs for October (Supporting Youth)

As stated when Faith Webs kicked off in September, we’re asking households of our congregation to support youths going to Bible camp, on the mission trip and to the youth gathering in the following ways…

• with your time

• with your prayers

• with your talents

• with your activities

• with some food (they’re kids after all!) and…

• with money (every child gets the support of $300 per household)

To that end, we will give you ideas every month for what you can do to strengthen the bond of your Faith Web! Just a few ideas for October are…

• Pray for one another

• Sit together at worship

• Send a card or invitation

Find even more ideas and caring conversation questions on a handout available on the usher stand in the back of the sanctuary.

Are you a youth who has yet to place your name in the Book of Faith Webs? Or a household that would like to be a supporter in a Faith Web? It isn’t too late! To receive or give support, go to the scrip card table in the narthex. There, a parent volunteer has a binder… the Book of Faith Webs. And don't just sign up for the kid that you know! Pay attention to where you're being drawn to… because the Spirit can be a beautiful matchmaker, and the Spirit will create those relationships between you.

For the $300 donation, you can donate all at once (in church or online at 1stlu.org/give), or a little bit each week, and even through the scrip program as you purchase gas and grocery cards. (A small percentage of the price of the scrip cards you purchase goes to the youth, but it adds up!) If you donate by check, please note WHO it is for, and WHAT ministry the youth is involved in.

Thank you for entering into the shared goal of raising and supporting our kids! We are building community! 

Clothes Closet Needs

We have seen over 75 teens this past month and are low on specific items. Please consider donating the following teen style, gently used (or new) clothing:

• skirts: size x-small, 1x, 2x, 3x

• jeans: size 30

• dress pants: size 11/12, 13/14

• sweaters: +sizes, all genders

Sunshine Team

The Sunshine Team meets on the first Thursday of every month. Next meeting: Nov. 2, 9:30am. Various jobs: cleaning, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, washing windows and cleaning carpets. Help make First look nice! Refreshments are supplied to replenish your reserves! Dues are free! Questions? Contact Dan at dan@firstlu.org.

Connecting with the Gospel of Mark

Are you looking for a connection between scripture and everyday life? Or maybe a way to dig deeper into the gospel of Mark? If so, join Pastor Libby for one or both of these opportunities: On Nov. 13 and 20, from 6–7pm, an overview of the gospel Mark… and starting on Nov. 20 at 7pm, a year-long journey through the lectionary (our schedule of readings). Both will meet in the narthex. Cost of the yearlong class is $20 for the devotional study book we will use.

Cloud of Witnesses: All Saints Sunday

We honor our brothers and sisters in Christ who have gone before us on All Saints Day, Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 6:15pm, and on All Saints Sunday, Nov. 5, at 8am and 10:30am. All services will be in-person and live streamed at 1stlu.org/live.

All Saints Day has long been a day when the church gives thanks for all the saints, the beloved, who have died, especially in the past year. We ask for photographs of your beloved dead so that we can be surrounded by their witness at All Saints worship. These pictures can be sent electronically (to office@firstlu.org) or brought in. They will be printed as 4X6, so resolution should be such that they can be printed well from what you submitted. If your loved one was a member of our congregation and died this past year, you received a letter with a special request. We continue to use photos submitted in previous years, so if you provided a photo in the past, you don’t need to again. All Saints Day isn’t only about those who have died, but also about those who have been newly baptized. If your child was baptized this past year, you received an email asking for a photo of the child.

Friends of the Warming Center   

The Warming Center will open Nov. 1 for unhoused people, and the area ELCA churches have agreed to provide evening meals the 3rd and 4th Friday of each month, November–April. Prepare the meal in your kitchen and drop it off at the Warming Center ready to be served. Other people serve the meal; you just prepare it. You are welcome to use the Hunger Task Force for meal ingredients. More info and reg at 1stlu.org/warm.

Canned Soup Drive

The Salvation Army's Angel Giving Tree Food Baskets program aims to provide families with a basket of food during the Christmas season, and the organization has asked First Lutheran to help by collecting canned soup during October and November. Please bring only canned soups for this specific campaign. We have a collection box in the entryway for your donations. The Salvation Army anticipates a need for 500 food baskets this year.

Baptismal Preparation

The next baptism preparation session will be Saturday, Dec. 2, 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, Nov. 26. Min. attendance required: 2 families. 

Diaper Drive @ Trinity Lutheran

Trinity Lutheran Church in La Crosse (where First Lutheran operates the teen clothes closet) is having a diaper drive through the end of the year, to collect diapers and wipes for The Parenting Place in La Crosse, which distributes them free to families that need them. All sizes are needed, especially 5 & 6. If you would like to donate diapers, drop them off at Trinity, 1010 Sill St. Office hours there are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mon-Thurs.

Stephen Ministry

If you know of someone who needs a caregiver, please speak with Pastor Karyn, or call the church office: 608.783.2236.

Sunday School

Sunday, Oct. 22

• 9:00am Elementary kids participating in Faith Webs, meet your Faith Web in Sanctuary

• 9:15am Sunday School

Sunday, Oct. 29

• 9:15am Sunday School

More info and online registration: 1stlu.org/sunschool.

3-Year Old Faith Alive Building Block: Praying Together

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 (in Fellowship Hall), sharing in conversation and growing together in faith. Most sessions last for three weeks, and afterward, children will have a presence in worship in celebration of the Faith Building Block they learned about.

• Sundays, Oct. 22 & 29: parents/guardians with children

• Sunday, Nov. 5: Faith Building Block lifted up in worship

Confirmation

Sunday:

• 9:15am Gr 6 & 7 Confirmation Classes - Fireside Rm

• 10:15am Middle & high school youth participating in Faith Webs, meet your Faith Web in Sanctuary

Wednesday:

• 5:30pm Confirmation Dinner

• 6:00 pm Gr 10 Rehearsal Dinner (Gr 9 helps serve)

• 7:00pm Gr 8-10 Small Groups

More info and online registration: 1stlu.org/confirm.