THE BUILDER

In This Issue

Love Offering

Mardi Gras Recap

Nursery Care

Rock-N-Roll Service

Birthdays &

Anniversaries

Calendar

Life is crazy. Prayer is simple. Prayer seems like it should be so simple. Yet when it comes to actually praying, it often feels awkward and complicated.

I mean, what should you actually pray about? What do you say? Is there anything you should or shouldn’t say? Do you have to speak out loud? Where do you even start?

To make matters worse, we’ve heard about prayer for so long that we feel awkward asking about it. It’s like having to ask a person’s name after knowing them for years. We’re embarrassed to ask be-cause we really should know their name by now.

Then comes the reality and craziness of life. Between work, parenting, walking the dog, a full inbox, keeping up on social media—who has time to pray?

The truth is, prayer is simple.

It’s like talking; talking with a good friend. Here’s the best part: No matter where we are in life, God can’t wait to talk with us.

What does it look like to pray in the midst of your life?

What do you say when you don’t know how to pray?

Join us for a new Sermon Series, Talking With God, starting June 4th at 10:00 am. (Remember our special time for summer worship!)

ALBERT LEA CHURCH - A UNITED METHODIST COMMUNITY

702 Hwy 69 South | Albert Lea MN 56007 | (507) 373-8233 | www.AlbertLeaChurch.org

June/July 2017

Power of Prayer As we begin our new sermon series, Talking With God, we ask that

you rise up from your rut and reclaim your spiritual passion.

Please pray daily for... The Holy Spirit’s breakthrough to renew & revive United Methodist

Church of Albert Lea, unleashing new life!

Every individual attending United Methodist Church of Albert Lea

to be empowered with the contagious, miraculous message of

Jesus.

The Spirit to transform and use me boldly, without limits, to reach

& make new disciples of Jesus Christ & heal people everywhere.

702 Breakthrough Prayer Help uplift and renew the congregation of our Albert Lea United

Methodist Church by taking a moment each day at 7:02 am and

again at 7:02 pm to pray our Breakthrough Prayer.

“Holy one, as we pause for this moment of prayer, we give thanks

for your extravagant love. Break through and renew Albert Lea

United Methodist Church, we pray, unleashing your vision for our

mission to make disciples and transform the world. Empower our

church to heal a broken world, to love kindly and to walk humbly

with you, O God. We seek to awaken hope where there is despair

and offer resurrection in your name. Boldly use us without limits,

delays or excuses to welcome the stranger, defend the poor, offer

abundant life, and heal a broken world. Create in each of us a clean

heart, a forgiving spirit and the joyful desire to follow and grow in our

relationship with you. Breathe in us, breath of God.

(Pause to listen) Amen.”

Faith Tones Benefit Concert The Faith Tones put on an

amazing show to help raise

funds for the Reichl family in

early May. Over 200 people

attended the event that

featured music for all ages.

We are pleased that over

$5500 was raised to help

Christian and his family with

their medical expenses!

Our sincerest thanks go out

to everyone who helped with

the concert and the meal.

We especially thank Evan

Peterson, Nancy Lahs, and

Ryan Phillips for the special

parts they played in the

performance!

Special Thanks to the following businesses for

donating to our Event!

31 Gifts – Marti Schumacher

112 on Broadway

A-Best Sew & Vac

Addie’s Floral & Gifts

Advanced Auto

Albert Lea Seed House

Barn Co. Entertainment

Blake’s Body Shop

Bomgaars

Brave New Workshop

Brick Furniture

Broadway Bike

Buck Hill

Burger Depot

Casey’s

CEC Theatres

Celebrations

Chapel Comics

City & County Emp Credit Union

Costas Candy

D&V’s Kitchen

Daisy Blue

Elite Pet and Garden

Erberts & Gerberts

Etcetera

Expressions

Fisher Jewelry

Fleet & Farm

Frames R Us

Freeborn County Fair Board

Geneva Meats

Godfather’s

Grand Slam

Green Mill

Gypsy K

Hair Place

Hanson Tire

Hardware Hank

Innovance (parent company to

Lou-Rich & Almco)

Jim & Dude’s

KATE Radio

KOWZ FM

Leuthold’s

Maurices

Minnesota Orchestra

Morris Furniture

Motor Inn

Mrs. Gerry’s

Nelson’s MarketPlace

Nelson’s Shell

Norwex – Amanda Irvine

Papa Murphy’s

Park Lane Jewelry - Lisa

Rippentrop

Perkins

Pet Authority

Reinertson’s Embroidery

Scentsy, by April Jeppson

Sherwin Williams

Shoe Sensation

Sorensons

Stadheim Jewelry

Stages Theatre

Stampin’ Up – Jessica Taylor

Taco Johns

The O’Shaughnessy

Trader Jacks

Verizon Wireless World

Young Living Essential Oils –

Stacey Ginskey

Mardi Gras in May Recap On behalf of the youth and their families, we would like to

thank everyone who donated, helped with, and attended

our 5th Annual Mardi Gras in May Silent and Live Auction.

It was an incredibly fun evening and a HUGE SUCCESS!

We were able to surpass our goal of $12,001 and are very

grateful to all the help we received from the congregation.

We couldn’t have done it without you!

Youth Mission Trip The funds raised from the Mardi Gras in May go to help

fund our Youth Mission Trip each year. We are looking

forward to our mission trip to Chicago in June. We will

leave June 17th and return home June 24th. Please pray

for those of us making the trip: Emery Graham, Shelby

Hanson, Gianna Hensche, Josh Martin, Colby Peterson,

Evan Peterson, Wyatt Reed, and adult leaders Anita Culp,

Dan Hensche, and Lynn Peterson. We surpassed our goal! Pastor John got dunked!

Financial Snapshot

Period Ending April 30, 2017

GENERAL FUND - Cash Available ............................. $36,664

Total General Income for Month ................................. $54,140

General Income last year for the Month ..................... $27,735

2017 Total General Income Year to Date .................... $122,104

2016 Total General Income Year to Date ................... $102,548

2015 Total General Income Year to Date .................... $96,752

General Income Year to Date 3-Year Average ........... $107,35

M A R D I

G R A S

Summer

Service Time

Mark your calendars as

we kick off summer with

our new sermon series,

Talking With God, and

our new service time,

10:00 am!

Services will be held at

10:00 am each Sunday

beginning May 28th and

running through our Fall

Kick-off Celebration on

September 10th.

We will return to two

services each week on

September 17th. Nursery Care Staff Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) announces openings

available to staff our wonderful nursery program for our youngest

worshippers. During the school year, the job entails staffing the

nursery from 8:30 to 11:30-12:00. In the summer, the job reduces

to 9:45 – 11:00 am. Details will be worked out upon hire. Rate of

pay is $12/hour. No benefits. Must be 18 years old. A rotation

schedule is worked out among attendants so no attendant must

work every Sunday. Send letter of application to the attention of

Judy Knudtson, SPRC chair. Contact Michelle Hightower,

Children's Ministry Coordinator, with programming questions.

Just One Sunday

While SPRC continues to seek a permanent set of new nursery

attendants, SPRC is seeking volunteers to cover our summer

services. Beginning on June 4th and continuing through August

27th, we are asking members to volunteer for JUST ONE SUNDAY

to supervise the nursery for children who might be attending

services with their parents. These are children age 0 – 4; children

over age 4 go to Sunday School. The timeline would be 9:45 – 11

am. If no children are present by 10:30, volunteers are free to close

the nursery and join the service in progress. Please consider this

need for volunteers. Let Judy Knudtson know which Sunday you

will volunteer for. As of printing, the available dates are June 11 or

25; July 9, 16, 23, or 30; August 6, 13, or 27. Volunteers must be 18

years old or older.

Love Offering The Love Offering for Missions is gathered within Minnesota United Methodist churches and delivered to annual conference session. It benefits international, national, and Minnesota missions. The confer-ence Missions Promotion Team determines the annual recipients.

Donations to the 2016 Love Offering totaled more than $96,000. The Minnesota Council of Churches Refugee Services received 40 percent of that total, the United Methodist Committee on Relief received 10 percent to cover the cost of shipping more than 13,000 health kits that Minnesota churches assembled and prepared, International Child Care in the Dominican Republic received 40 percent, and Volunteers in Mission scholarships received 10 percent.

The 2017 Annual Conference theme is "Encounter the Spirit: Live Expectantly" and funds from this year's Love Offering will go to three projects:

United Methodist University of Sierra Leone - School of Applied Health Sciences

Sierra Leone has one of the lowest life expectancies in the world, and one in every five children die before their fifth birthday. The vast majority of the country’s citizens don’t have access to health services, and there is an acute shortage of trained health professionals. This portion of the Love Offering will be used to expand United Methodist University of Sierra Leone by creating a School of Applied Health Sciences in the city of Bo. Funds may be used for rehabilitating an existing classroom build-ing, hiring staff, preparing a curriculum, and purchasing materials. The school will be adjacent to United Methodist-affiliated Mercy Hospital,

where students will receive practical, hands-on training. Midwives, nurses, community health officers, and technicians who graduate from this new institution will significantly improve the accessibility and quality of health care throughout Sierra Leone.

Emma Norton Services (Recipient of 30% of Love Offering)

Emma Norton Services helps women, children, and families achieve victory over homelessness, mental illness, and chemical dependency. The Twin Cities-based nonprofit provides safe, affordable housing through Emma Norton Residence, which supports 50 women in transition at any given time, and Emma’s Place, which houses 13 families on a permanent basis. In addition to housing, Emma Norton Services provides case management, peer and individual support programs, youth programs, life skills and out-of-poverty training, mental health support, and advocacy for women with disabilities. Through Emma Norton Services, families receive resources and coaching to equip them on their path toward stability.

Volunteers in Mission Scholarships

Mission trips transform the lives of participants by giving them an oppor-tunity to grow in faith and gain a new perspective of the world. Through the United Methodist Church’s Volunteers in Mission program, teams spend up to two weeks working on mission projects domestically or abroad. Most teams from Minnesota are engaged in hands-on projects that build infrastructure to ensure that nutritional, medical, and education-al programs in developing countries become sustainable and locally run. Team members pay their own way, and the Love Offering helps offset the cost for first-time participants.

Recipient of 60% of Love Offering

Recipient of 10% of Love Offering

Eddie Cochran

Born in Minnesota in

1938, Eddie Cochran

wrote and played country

music as part of the

Cochran Brothers until

the hits of Elvis Presley

turned him toward rock

and roll. In 1958 two hit

songs, "Summertime

Blues" and "C'mon Every-

body," shot him to star-

dom. His fame and good

looks earned him roles in

the movies The Girl Can't

Help It (1956) Untamed

Youth (1957) and Go,

Johnny Go! (1959).

Cochran was killed in car

accident at age 21.

Rock-N-Roll Sunday Service Sixty-six years ago, a 14-year-old named Eddie Cochran was

confirmed in faith at First Methodist Church on West College Street

in Albert Lea. He later went on to write and perform songs such as

“Three Steps to Heaven” and “Summertime Blues.”

We, at United Methodist Church, now located at 702 Hwy 69 S, are

joining in on Albert Lea’s celebration of Eddie Cochran’s life and

music by hosting a Rock ’n’ Roll Service at 10:00 a.m. Sunday,

June 11th.

This special service was first offered in 2007, using many well-

known hits from the ’50s, with lyrics changed by permission to

make them appropriate for worship.

This fun service will be followed by a Sloppy Joe meal in the Social

Hall, hosted by our United Methodist Youth. A free-will offering will

be collected and used to help fund the youth mission trip to

Chicago on June 17th.

We invite you to dress in your favorite ‘50s attire, slick your hair

back and roll in with your coolest classic car!

Graduation Congratulations to our 2017 graduates! We look forward to seeing what your future brings. Your church family will continue to pray for you on your new adventures!

Kelsey Davis - Albert Lea High School

Kristopher Manges - Albert Lea High School

Madison Martin - NRHEG High School

Brett Peterson - Owatonna High School

Confirmation

Class 2017

Anita Culp (Leader)

Josh Martin

Garrett Davis

Shelby Hanson

Gianna Hensche

Lynn Peterson

(Leader)

Graduating

Class 2017

Kristopher Manges

Brett Peterson

Madison Martin

Kelsey Davis

(Absent from photo)

Stacy Bednar Jun 1

Addie Rust Jun 2

Sandy Stephens Jun 3

Barbara Decker Jun 5

Tom Ferleman Jun 6

Claire Frame Jun 6

Paige Shaw Jun 7

Carol Johnson Jun 8

Karen Hunt Jun 11

Harriet Kallemeyn Jun 11

Frances Johnson Jun 12

Joan Bothun Jun 13

Douglas Christopherson Jun 13

Dolores Dorman Jun 14

Norieta Rippentrop Jun 14

Arthur Christiansen Jun 15

Rich Hobson Jun 17

Stacy Vollmer Jun 17

Rita Blake Jun 18

Dennis Flom Jun 18

Larry Lahs Jun 18

Jenny Hrdalo Jun 19

Robert Nielsen Jun 19

Lynn Peterson Jun 19

Brad Sevaldson Jun 19

Kristine Brink Jun 21

Larry Hopkey Jun 21

Karen Arett Jun 22

Joey Roberts Jun 27

Steve Tuveson Jun 28

Karen Roberts Jun 29

Jim Verdoorn Jun 29

June Birthdays

Rich & Pam Hobson Jun 3

Terry & Pat Stumme Jun 5

Larry & Virgene Hopkey Jun 6

Paul & Rita Peterson Jun 6

Bryan & Shawna Soper Jun 7

Doug & Patty

Christopherson Jun 11

Dale & Adean Turner Jun 13

Darin & Candy Hable Jun 14

William & Rose Hood Jun 14

Don & Norieta Rippentrop Jun 14

Ken & Thelda Haack Jun 15

Tom & Judy Knudtson Jun 17

Craig & Peggy Adams Jun 20

Jim & Sharon Fulton Jun 20

Ralph & Alyce Randall Jun 23

Matt & Anne Greibrok Jun 28

Rick & Judy Mummert Jun 28

Todd & Lynn Peterson Jun 29

John & Jodi Bromeland Jun 30

June Anniversaries

Joanne Hanson Jul 2

Franklin Graham Jul 3

Marlene Wasmoen Jul 3

Kaylee Hable Jul 4

Shelby Battleson Jul 6

Judy Zoller Jul 6

Donna Nielsen Jul 10

Carol Lang Jul 11

Ruth Vermedahl Jul 12

Jean Mattingly Jul 13

Robert Springborg Jul 13

Cynthia Halverson Jul 14

Lorene Olson Jul 15

Perian Buringa Jul 16

Deanne Adams Jul 17

Cullen Willis Jul 17

Janet Karl Jul 19

Christopher Smith Jul 21

Bryce Adams Jul 22

Karin Mikulich Jul 22

Ray Hangge Jul 23

Randy Hunt Jul 23

Jennifer Westland Jul 23

Britney Hunt Jul 24

Harold Ballhagen Jul 26

Paul Peterson Jul 26

Jim Fulton Jul 27

Orville Ohm Jul 27

Evelyn Spielman Jul 27

Diane Westland Jul 27

Anne Greibrok Jul 28

Kristopher Schewe Jul 28

Elsie Amanson Jul 31

Bud Deal Jul 31

Pat Parsons Jul 31

Arthur Smith Jul 31

July Birthdays

Guy & Sue Haaland Jul 1

Randy & Janet Hunt Jul 8

Vern & Nola Teras Jul 14

Ray & Jeanne Hangge Jul 16

Tom & Marlene Wasmoen Jul 19

July Anniversaries

Church Family,

Thank you so much for the visits, cards, calls, thoughts and prayers while I was in the hospital

and at Thorne Crest! Each of you made a difference! We are so blessed to be part of this

caring church family! God Bless ~ Mary & Tom Ferleman

Ju

ne

20

17

Ju

ly 2

017

Vacation Bible

School

June 5th - 9th, 2017

Created by GOD, Built for a

Purpose. Come enjoy a world

where curious kids become

hands-on-inventors who dis-

cover they’re lovingly crafted by GOD. VBS is for K-6th grad-

ers and, like all our programs, is open to the community. VBS

will be held June 5th - 9th from 5:30 to 8:00pm. For more info

about the program or to sign up to volunteer, please go to

www.albertleachurch.org or contact Michelle at

(507) 373-8233 or (713) 416-0607.

United Methodist Church

702 Hwy 69 South

Albert Lea, MN 56007

(Address Service Requested)

Upcoming UMC

Blood Drive

Monday, July 17

1:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Location: UMC

702 Hwy 69 S, Albert Lea

For Appointments,

please call 1-800-

REDCROSS

Or schedule online at

www.RedCrossBlood.org

And enter sponsor code:

UMAL

We will also have a sign-

up sheet in the Lobby.

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

PERMIT NO. 236

ALBERT LEA MN 56007

ADDRESS LABEL