Amy Grunewald Mattison,
Sunday School coordinator

Baptism

This January at LM we are blessed to witness 5 baptisms! When we baptize at LM, the Sunday School children are invited to gather close to the font. We have been practicing a song as a gift to those being baptized. The words are simple, “Little children, welcome, we the church of Jesus, we will help you growing, little children welcome!” The words echo what the congregation promises the baptized, to support and pray for them in their life in Christ. Our action of drawing close to the font reshapes the congregation, because after this moment, we will never be the same. We take a new shape to make room for one more (or three more!) in the body of Christ. And as we disperse together from the font and (later in the service) towards the Lord’s table, we perform the journey of the Christian life, the same for the newly baptized as for the one who has lived decades as baptized.

Our last hosting of The Road Home: Feb. 18–25

It is with bittersweet hearts that LM will host our last The Road Home guests in February. The program has shifted towards finding immediate housing for homeless families and putting all resources into that goal. While there may still be a need in the future for temporary shelters for families, The Road Home has discontinued its host-model for shelter needs. We will host one more “Picnic” dinner on Tuesday, Feb. 20. Please sign up to bring food, host, or anchor the kitchen. The guests especially enjoy having LM children to play with during the evening!

Christmas at LM

The Sunday School brought the Christmas story to life in a pageant performed on Sunday, Dec.17 for the congregation. Special guests from the middle school confirmation class added a fun and teaching element as they remembered the importance of the story of Jesus’ birth (and not so much the shopping!).

Children enjoyed decorating their new space on Christmas Eve morning. Bruce led them in Christmas carols as a light snow fell outside. They made ornaments for the tree (loaned to us from Lutheran Campus Ministry) and grew an amazing paper chain that stretched all around the gathering area.

Mission projects

This fall, the Sunday School’s noisy coin offering was sent to ELCA Lutheran Disaster Response to help people recover from devastating floods and hurricanes. During Advent and the season after Epiphany, coins are being collected to buy animals through the ELCA Good Gifts global barnyard program. Ideas are now being taken for a local mission for our coins during Lent and Easter—please see Amy (amygrunewaldmattison@gmail.com) if you have a local mission in mind.

Call for teachers!

New 0–2 Sunday School class, interim Sunday morning confirmation class and middle school youth group

Over the past year the Sunday School has gone through some wonderful changes—the renovation the function and beauty of our physical space to launching a new morning confirmation class for middle schoolers, AND we created a youth group to strengthen bonds and encourage Christian community.

We are looking for teachers to lead classes this fall, especially the 0–2 class and middle school confirmation. One of our confirmation teachers, Laura McGuire, will take a one-year leave to accompany her husband Andy to Rhode Island where he will further his naval studies.

To find out how you can get involved, see Amy or Pastor John Worzala Dumke.

Looking ahead

Nave tour
Sunday, Feb. 4 (Parents invited!)

Spring Fasching dinner
Sunday, Feb. 11

Family Group potluck gatherings
Sundays, March 4, April 8, and May 6
(Discussion at 4:15 pm, dinner at 5 pm)

Bread-making
Sunday, March 11

The Road Home appreciation dinner
Sunday, Mar. 18

Easter Sunday
Sunday, April 1 (No classes)

Creation scavenger hunt
Sunday, May 6

Flowers and cards for parents & grandparents
Sunday, May 13