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June 16 - 30, 2021

A BI-MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF EZEKIEL LUTHERAN CHURCH, RIVER FALLS, WI

20

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Vol. 2 Issue 12

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Relay for Life—Theme Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Relay for Life is June 18 starting at 2 p.m. through 2 p.m. June

19 at St. Croix Central High School, 1751 Broadway St.,

Hammond, WI. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to our fundraising

so far – we are about $500 away from our goal. We are collecting items for

two Silent Auction Baskets to be sold dur ing the event. Please donate

items for the Chocolate or Pet baskets and drop them off at the church office

by June 17.

Team Ezekiel – your help is needed! Our team captain, Gwen Conklin, will

be having partial elbow replacement surgery one week before the Relay for

Life event and some of our team members have a prior commitment the day

of the event so we need people to help our Team. At the event we need

people to Manage the Candy Bar Fundraiser and as Walkers. Sign-up for a

2 hour interval between church services or call Sandy T. at 715-821-8379.

To join Ezekiel’s Team or questions contact Gwen Conklin at

conkligj@gmail.com or 715-821-4660.

Upcoming Changes to E3

E3 is a a tax-exempt program which requires that it be primarily staffed by volunteers. We greatly appreciate the help that our office staff have provided during COVID,

but we do need to restore the use of volunteers.

E3 has brought in over $50,000 for “Extra Endeavors” at Ezekiel - but we do need more volunteers to keep the program going.

Please consider volunteering to help!! People are needed in a variety of roles that offer flexible scheduling and require VERY little time (an hour or two a month!).

Contact Valerie Wood at (sonnie8406@gmail.com; 651-210-8365) to volunteer or learn more about how you can help.

Until worship attendance returns to normal and we are again fully staffed with volunteers, our ordering process is changing - office staff will no longer fill orders on the spot ! INSTEAD:

Place your order during regular business hours in the E3 Box located in the church office. Order forms are available there, or they can also be printed from Ezekiel’s website.

Your check needs to accompany your order.

Orders will be filled once each week and cards generally will be available for pick up no later than the following Monday (unless cards are not in stock and require a special order).

We will let you know when the cards are ready for you to pick up. Include your email and phone number on your order form.

Stop by the office then to get your cards from Leslie or Steve. Consider placing your next order at the same time!

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation - and please, consider volunteering to help us!

A celebration and sending was held for Pastor Dave’s last Sunday here

on May 30th. Ezekiel wishes him well in the future.

Congratulations to the 4K Graduates!

4K for the 2020-21 school

year has come to a close. We

hosted 4K Graduation to give

the students a proper send off

to Kindergarten on June 4th.

Farewell, Pastor Dave

Change is hard for me and I’ll give you an example. For fifteen years, I have

driven various models of the exact same vehicle – a blue 2001 Jeep Cherokee

Classic. Each time one breaks down, I go looking for exactly the same thing.

Needless to say, all of the change this past year at Ezekiel has been hard on me,

and I know it’s been hard on you. Changes due to Covid, changes due to staff

departures, and changes due to pastoral departures. Each one of these alone

would be enough change for one congregation to shoulder.

Maybe all of this change is the reason I did something in church recently that

I’d never done before: I cried. It was an ordinary Friday afternoon, and I’d

stopped by Ezekiel to pick up a reading. On my way out, I was drawn into a

very quiet, empty and dark sanctuary. As I entered, without explanation, I

started to cry. Maybe these kinds of moments have happened to you, but this

was a first for me. Why did this happen? Were they “happy tears” as my mom

calls them – happy that I was finally standing in a place that had been closed to

me for so long due to Covid? Were they tears of sadness due to all of the

change? Perhaps a combination of both.

I’m reminded of a story in the book of John about change. At the pool of

Bethesda, Jesus encounters a cynical, sick beggar. Interestingly, though, Jesus

does not immediately heal the man. Instead, Jesus first asks him, “do you want

to get well?” (John 5:6) Biblical scholars agree that this is a very important

teaching of Jesus: Before Jesus performs the miracle of healing, He wants to

know – “do you really want this; do you really want to get better?”

For me, I don’t like the change, but I do want Ezekiel to be the best it can be.

That’s where you come in. Now is a perfect time for you to jump in yourself

and get involved in Ezekiel. There is a place for you, I promise. It could be

helping with a service, a volunteer project, or joining one of Ezekiel’s many

ministry committees. Not sure where to start? Call me. We’ll talk about

spreading the word of Jesus (and sorry, but my Jeep is not for sale).

Sunday School/Children/Families

MINISTRIES MARCI NORUM SANDY TAUFERNER

Relational

MINISTRY

mnorum@ezekiellutheran.org • 715-425-8294 ext 115 stauferner@ezekiellutheran.org • 715-821-8379

Take Time to Create Memories

Summertime has arrived! I’ve always looked forward to spending time together with my family during this season. Incorporating the Bible into some of our experiences will be on the top of my agenda this year. With a little planning I know I can make it work!

Three places that are easily accessible for all of us:

1. The Beach: A display of God’s handiwork.

Build a sandcastle near the water and another on a rock on higher land. Discuss the wise man and the foolish man. Sing “The Wise Man Built his House upon the Rock.”

Grab some sand in your hands and estimate how many granules you’re holding. Discuss Psalm 139:17-18, “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.”

Find a recipe for “Sand Dessert” and make it together when you get home.

2. The Farm: A showcase of God’s creativity.

Visit animals on a farm. Does scripture talk of any of these animals?

Go berry picking. Talk about God being the vine and His people being the branches. Eat some of the fruits of the labor.

3. The Backyard: A place of sanctuary.

Go cloud watching. Read Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” Using cotton balls, replicate the clouds on a piece of construction paper.

Plant vegetables or flowers, taking care of it daily. Discuss what the plants need in order to live. Read Mark 4:30-32, the Parable of the mustard seed.

Play games and have fun! Play flashlight tag and sing, “This Little Light of Mine.”

My prayer for all of us is that we may find God in the activities that we participate in this summer. May we step back and enjoy the “little things.” Now get out there and create some memories!!!

2021 Sunday School & Confirmation Registration

Please register your child(ren) if you haven’t already done so. You

may register online at www.ezekiellutheran.org under ministries or

in person. Forms are in Fellowship Hall and outside the main office.

MAX NEUHAUS

maxfieldeneuhaus@gmail.com • 715-410-7296

Dementia Friendly People and Church

We may all experience dementia with family members or with neighbors

and friends. Learning about dementia can help us to support people with

dementia and their caregivers.

What is Dementia?

Dementia is a medical diagnosis:

an umbrella term that describes a wide range of symptoms

associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills. These

declines

happen gradually and are significant enough to reduce a person’s

ability to perform everyday activities.

not the fault of those who get it but caused by physical changes in

the brain.

caused by many conditions and there are many types of dementia

which can develop at any age.

While reasoning is impaired, the ability to respond to beauty, music, art,

humor, and to make relationships can remain. People still have the ability to

receive our love, be comforted by touch, and connect in deeply meaningful

ways through spiritual practice whether it is religious symbols, hymns they

know, prayer, or short Bible verses.

God calls us to love our neighbors through all of life’s circumstances and

remain connected, supportive, and loving. Our faith and prayer will help us

do this for those with the diagnosis and their caregivers. By doing so we

will help reduce stigma, isolation, fear, and lost functions so those with a

diagnosis can remain living and engaged in their community. As disciples,

we can continue to walk alongside and honor the individual regardless of

their losses.

Pierce and St. Croix Counties have a Dementia Care Specialist in their

Aging and Disability Resource Center. Contact them for information,

assistance, and support for people with dementia and their caregivers.

Pierce County – Amy Luther at 715-273-6780 or

amy.luther@co.pierce.wi.us

St. Croix County – Kim Bauer at

715-381-4411 or

kimberly.bauer@sccwi.gov

From Your

COUNCIL PRESIDENT