CROP Walk

Please consider supporting the youth group as they sponsor our participation in CROP Walk this year! They have a table in the narthex, so please check it out. The walk begins this Sunday, October 21, at First United Church. Registration is at 1:30 pm and the walk begins at 2 pm. Please consider making a contribution to this wonderful fundraiser that supports local, national and global hunger and poverty alleviation. You can still contribute even the week or two after the walk occurs. Thank you to our youth group for sponsoring this event for St. Thomas!

St. Thomas Kiva Lenders

Wow! The St. Thomas Kiva Lenders have just hit the $5000 mark for the 160 loans that the team has made to men and women all around the globe! That is really exciting! Thank you for being a part of their stories, walking along side of them as they take the initiative to improve their lives. May this continue to be a blessing for many more. Thank you from the Mission Committee!

Visit From Our New Friends From Living Waters

The visit began with breaking bread together at the Bakken home with our new friends from Living Waters (Cherokee, North Carolina, ELCA).

Pastor Jack Russell delivered the sermon as we worshipped together.

Blessing for our new relationship, walking alongside each other in faith.

Sharing gifts with one another, including this gift to us from Living Waters of a "Dream Catcher." We look forward to growing in faith and friendship together!

Prayer for Restless Discomfort

“May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half truths and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.  May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.  May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.  May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God’s grace, to do what others claim cannot be done. Amen!”

    ~from ELCA blog on hungerrummblings

Evening on Islam hosted at St. Thomas on Monday, Sept. 10

Think you don't know enough about the practice of Islam?  Tired of hearing people equate Muslims with terrorism?  On Monday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. Chris Ogan will host an informational panel about the religion and its practice that also provides information resources for further study.  Zaineb Istrabadi, Instructor of Arabic in IU's Department of Near East Languages and Cultures; Rosemary Pennington, Project Coordinator for Muslim Voices, an Indiana University project dedicated to promoting understanding and dialogue between Muslims and non-Muslims; and Chris Ogan, a long-time student of Turkish Muslim culture, society, and media  will be the presentors. 

The evening will also include refreshments of tea and Turkish pastries and sweets.  Please join us.

St. Thomas Mission Fair on September 16

The Mission Committee would like to invite and encourage you to share your passion and knowledge about whatever service/mission projects you might be involved in either through St. Thomas or on your own.  The St. Thomas Mission Fair is on Sunday, September 16 between services and briefly after the late service and we would love to reserve some table space for you to display some literature, photos, objects and more from your organization or activity.   

This is an opportunity to raise awareness for mission related issues or projects here in our community, nationwide or around the globe that are near and dear to your heart.  Just let us know if you would like some table space so that we can reserve it and have a table sign ready for you with the name of the organization or project. 

This event is purely about raising awareness and enthusiasm, not about raising money, so it takes the pressure off and everyone can just share their passion for their activity and learn from each other!

If you have any questions or would like to reserve table space, please contact the Mission Committee (phone or email Shari) or the church office.

Cherokee Jewelry for Sale

On Sunday, August 26, after the early service and before and after the late service, Mission Committee members will be hosting a sale table of beaded Cherokee jewelry made by the women’s group at our mission partner congregation, Living Waters Lutheran Church in Cherokee, North Carolina.  The women use these jewelry sales as their fundraiser for their community service projects, so all funds raised will go directly back to Living Waters.  The jewelry is beautiful—please check out the table next Sunday.