1. Art and Diseño

New Life. Real Faith. Real Family.
February, 2015
Worship Schedule
9:00 AM Sunday, Cornerstone Worship ~ 10:30 AM Sunday, Infinite Praise
February 1
February 15
~ Communion Served ~
Last Sunday after Epiphany
4 Sunday after Epiphany
th
Ephesians 2:19-22
“What Gives the Church
the Right to Tell Me the Rules!”
All too often God’s Church presents
itself as an organization that has
assumed rights to tell the world what
the rules are. At the same time we
all long for something to help us find
guidelines for our daily lives. As we
are invited to the altar and the
sacrament of Holy Communion this Sunday we will be
challenged to be a lighthouse for those who feel they are
in the dark.
February 8
John 9:24-34
“Who is the Real Blind Ones?”
As we wrap up a series on looking
deeper at what God’s Church can
offer to the world searching for
truth, we will follow up on the story
of how Jesus and his disciples
came across a man who was born
blind and after Jesus healed his eye
sight the religious leaders of the day wanted to have
Jesus discredited for the healing. Yet the remarkable faith
of the man born blind and now healed can teach us how
powerful God’s Church can be for a world searching for
real truth.
February 22
5th Sunday after Epiphany
1 Sunday in Lent
John 9:1-7
“Why Does God Allow Suffering?”
Mark 5:1-13
“Who are You?”
One of the most powerful and
popular questions the world asks
God and the Church today is simply
why would a just and all loving God
allow people to endure such
suffering? Today we will take a look
at a time when the disciples asked Jesus that very
question and the answer they received from the Son of
the living God. We will look at our Lord’s answer in some
detail and be challenged how we fit this into our own lives
and how we could possibly help others with this very
gripping question.
As we begin the journey of Lent we
will begin to ask the question, who
am I as one who is created in God’s
image? We will look at how even the
daemons asked this same question
to Jesus as He commended evil
spirits out of a man who had been
tormented for years. We are God’s prototype and God’s
example. How can we become more familiar with this
idea as we walk through the daily challenges of life?
Come and find out more.
st
people on Monday and Wednesday afternoons just
to name a few. While we are still in the last half of
winter volleyball we will be starting a summer
volleyball ministry beginning in mid-June through
mid-August at the Rochester Athletic Club on
Sunday early evenings.
Given all of the above and more to offer to those
who are looking for something hopeful, let’s look
forward to early spring. No matter what the weather
turns out to be like we can be Christ-like and offer
the newness that is eternal. Even spring will come
and go and winter will settle in again, yet if we are
serious about inviting people into God’s Kingdom
we can be shinning with an everlasting light!
Greetings
As I began to put this article together, I found
myself with hopeful thought, “”Could it be? Could
we actually get an early spring this year in
Minnesota?” January started out cold and normal
for Minnesota standards. As the second half of
January began to settle in, the temperatures slowly
began to steadily climb
out of the deep freeze. Not
only did the last week of
January’s temperatures
climb out of the deep
freeze but they started to
exceed the freezing mark of thirty two degrees. At
this point hopeful optimism began to fill my heart
and I actually thought could this be the sign of an
early spring? Yet the evening weather report
began to show several long range signs of chances
for more snow. I realized once again I am not in
Management just Sales when it comes to God’s
purpose and potential in my life.
“Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God
removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They
suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence,
not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally
present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is
recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing
between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of
his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah,
our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as
God enters our lives and we become like him.”
(2 Corinthians 3:16-18/the Message)
In Christ’s Service
Pastor Bob Kandels
While I do not know or control at all if we will have
an early spring, as much as I would like us to, I can
always be hopefully focused on God’s desire for
the joy of the Lord in my life and in others I may
effect in life. Let’s realize as we enter into the
Lenten season and the newness of spring how we
can be ministers with new hope at Homestead
Church. We have several small group ministry
areas to offer to the community
to get involved in. Ministries like
Wednesday night Fun with Faith
Adventures for adults, youth and
children. Ministries like Infinite
Praise and Cornerstone Worship, different worship
settings for people who would like different ways to
worship. Small group ministries for men on
Tuesday mornings and for young adults on
Saturday evenings and for middle school young
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On February 18th we will begin our Lenten journey.
All are invited to attend an Ash Wednesday
challenge and worship time offered at 12:00 Noon
and at 6:30 PM following the Wednesday night
meal. Both worship times will be centered on the
fact that we are created in the image and potential of
God and how the power and ministry of the cross
can help us focus on the gift of our Lord’s grace.
Please be invited to join us as we begin the journey
of Lent.
WHAT’s HAPPENING at
HOMESTEAD?
4) Outreach Events – one per month
a. The Neighborhood Focus Group is
planning a “Parents Night Off” for those
with children on February 28th. They plan
on having pizza at the church and
inflatables and games and crafts for the
children while their parents are out. They
will be looking for volunteers to help, please
be generous with your time.
b. We need to step up our outreach efforts in
order to meet the milestones set for us to
build a new church. We are recruiting for an
Outreach Coordinator to help Bob and the
Outreach Team with these efforts.
An Update from the
Development Ministry Team
Monthly benchmarks:
1) Average worship attendance of 125 by end
of November (both services).
We were
worshipping an average of 113 by the end of
December, so we are behind in our goals. The
next interim goal for average worship
attendance is 150 by the end of March. We
have a lot of work to do in order to meet this
milestone. Our goal is to be consistently
worshipping 250 before we break ground on a
new building.
We held the launch of our “Infinite Praise” new
worship service at 10:30 AM on Sunday, January
11th. We had a few visitors at the service and will
use this service as the one to which we invite new
people every week. If you were in attendance and
have any comments on how this service went or
how we can improve it, please bring those forward
to Georgia, Bob or myself.
2) # of Visitors – 10 new visitors per month
(who do you know that you can invite?). The
more visitors we have, the more we are likely
to increase our average worship attendance.
Maybe they are not ready to attend church
services, but would like to come to the senior
luncheon, game night, Wednesday night
studies or other events going on at
Homestead. Guests are always welcome here
at Homestead.
We are also reviewing how our new leadership
structure with the Development Ministry Team is
working. If any of you have any comments or input,
we would appreciate hearing from you.
In Christ,
Pat Heck, Development Ministry Team Chair
3) New Small Groups Formed – 2 per quarter.
Small groups provide opportunities for new
people (and old) to connect with others and
develop friendships around topics of interest
and passion. Small groups can form around
hobbies (quilting, remote control airplanes,
gardening, etc.), a particular mission focus
(homelessness, hunger, homebound), books
(non-church), spiritual study (Biblical studies,
Companions in Christ), and fellowship
(walking groups, dinner club, sports, etc.)
SUGGESTIONS / CONCERNS
Anyone who would like to send an email to the team of
any suggestions you may have or concerns.
We want to hear from you!
[email protected]
A Men’s Small Group is gathering the 2nd and
4th Tuesday, at 6:30 AM at Brothers Bar and
Grill. See Pastor Bob if you are interested in
joining these early risers!
A young adult monthly Saturday night small
group is now meeting. Our next meeting is on
Saturday, February 21st at 7:00 PM at the
church.
Anyone who would like to start a new small
group, please see me or Pastor Bob.
If you are moving or plan on moving
please contact the church office with
your address change
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Thank You
UMW NEWS
My Family and I would like to thank you for your
prayers, hugs, and cards of heartfelt sympathy over the
passing of my father Johannes Franz. On Christmas
Day at St. Mary's Hospital we were able to be with my
Dad and pray for him as he went home to be with God
and his Forever Friend Jesus. We are missing him. Your
love, caring, hugs, and prayers are especially helping us
through this difficult time of grieving.
Circle Meeting Dates:
Grace Circle meets February 3rd
at 7:00 PM at the church.
Grace Circle would like to invite everyone to
hear Dr. Vukov, a friend of Gayle Hubbard,
who will be speaking to us about his mission
work at our meeting on February 3rd. Please
let Deb Smid know if you will be in attendance
so there is enough seating and dessert for all.
Thank you.
Deb Smid and Family
Thursday
Morning
Bible Study
with
Pastor Bob
Koinonia Circle meets February 2nd
at 7:00 PM at the Church.
Koinonia Circle would like to thank everyone
for attending and supporting the pancake
breakfast for SeLuz in Guatemala. A special
thank you to Dawn Nelson for donating the
sausages and Shirley Stevenson for donating
the orange juice. Over $700.00 was raised and
will be used for Sunday School Classrooms.
Adults are invited to join us along with Pastor Bob
on Thursdays at 9:00 AM in February as we will
continue studying a series titled, “A Gospel in a
Life” by Timothy Keller. Join Author and Pastor
Timothy Keller in Gospel in Life—an eight-week
video based study of the gospel and how to live it
out in your everyday life. February 5, 12, 19, and
26. Mark your calendars and join us!
Naomi Circle will NOT meet in February 2015.
SERVING GROUP
The following is a list of the monthly serving group. All
church women/families are automatically put on a monthly
serving group if they are able to participate. Once
contacted, we encourage all family members to help, this
is not a women’s only serving group, it is a Homestead UMC
Serving Group. The women of the church are considered
the contact person.
Adult Game Night
February 21st
Mark your calendars for Game Night at
Homestead Church! Bring your favorite board
game, snacks to share and your own beverage
to Adult Game Night which will be held on
Saturday, February 21st at 5:00 PM.
FEBRUARY 2015
Coordinator
Co-Chairpersons
Elvie
Sharon
Thompson
Huyber
288-2289
282-6314
Cady Batzel
Cali Batzel
Diane Batzel
Erma Horsman
Linda Johnson
289-7007
289-7007
289-7007
288-4809
287-0545
Toni Johnson
Kay Kessler
Shirley Stevenson
Marlene Winkels
281-3623
287-8497
206-3530
990-6776
Come for fellowship and fun!! Need a ride, call
the church office. We will come and pick you
up. Any questions, please talk to LeAnn Miller.
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Our Presence – Our Gifts
JANUARY 2015
Saturday, February 28th
Parents are you looking for a night off?
We have something for you. The Neighborhood
Focus Group along with the youth are hosting a
parent’s night off event. The event will take place
on Saturday, February 28th from 5 to 9 PM at the
church. The children will come to the church for
pizza, beverage, ice cream, games, movie, crafts,
activities, and BOUNCE HOUSES. This is a
member/guest event. Registration is required!
Please contact Traci Zent or Pastor Bob Kandels
at the church office by Monday, February 23rd.
Nursery space is limited.
2014
2015
Receipts
Worship
Worship
to Budget
Attendance
Attendance
2015
4-Jan
82
99
$
3,744.50
11-Jan
115
142
$
8,728.60
18-Jan
114
133
$
1,238.00
25-Jan
89
122
$
3,547.83
Worship Avg.
100
124
$
17,258.93
Expected January Income
$
20,271.29
Year To Date Income
$
17,258.93
Total
Thanks to dedicated members and friends of
Homestead and the MN Conference, 2014 was a
solid year for Homestead Church. Pledges exactly
hit our budget, or least within rounding a couple of
hundred dollars. Regular and misc. income was
somewhat less than expected putting us at 93% of
budget, that’s good relative to past years. Our
expenses came in under budget. Considering we
budgeted for more revenue than expenses, we are
in a solid cash position for now. There are plans to
invest that in outreach this year.
We are looking for more volunteers, if you would
like to help with this please see Amanda Hubbard
or Deb Smid. There will be a free will donation
collected for the Youth Mission Trip Fund the day
of the event.
FEBRUARY’s
Senior Luncheon
Pledges can be made at any time, not just during
stewardship drives. Knowing our expected income
makes financial work throughout the year easier
while electronic giving evens the cash flow.
Calling all Seniors!!
Homestead’s Senior
Luncheon will be on
Thank you to all who made 2014 successful.
God Bless,
Scott Heck
Finance Team
Thursday,
February 12th
at 11:30 AM.
The cost for the meal is $5
and is prepared by Kris
Henning and her crew from
PossAbilities.
Have you changed your phone
number or email address? Please let
the church office know of your
changes. We wouldn’t want you to
miss the weekly updates!!
Reservations are called in to
Jan Hartwich (285-3102)
the Monday before the luncheon so that we know
how many meals to prepare.
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Homestead Church has
an adult volleyball team
which began playing at
Zumbro Lutheran
Church in November.
Team members include:
Scott Hargesheimer
(team captain), Laura
Mielke, Kevin Kruger,
Trey Holmes, Traci
Zent and Pastor Bob
Kandels. If you want to be a sub please call Scott or
Pastor Bob.
Come and cheer the team on!!
2015 Schedule:
February 3 8:00 PM vs. Zumbro
February 10 7:15 PM vs. Mt. Olive
February 17 6:30 PM vs. GLBC Blue
February 24 6:30 PM vs. Redeemer
March 3
6:30 PM vs. GLBC Red
March 10
6:30 PM vs. Zumbro
February
Worship Ministry Meeting
The Worship Ministry Team will meet
Monday, February 9th at 6:00 PM at Macs.
Jr. High Youth Group (Confirmation) for grades 6 –
8 will meet on Wednesday, January 28th at 4:15
PM – 5:15 PM – We will join in the Wednesday
Night Dinner. We will also meet on Monday,
February 23rd at 4:15 PM. A meal will be served
at this meeting.
Thank you
We also have our first service project scheduled for
Sunday, March 15th beginning at 3PM.
I would like to thank all who have sent
cards, prayers and good wishes to me
while I have been ill. I want you all to
know it has been much appreciated.
~ Vera Rueber
If you are a parent and want your son or daughter
to be a part of this ministry, please be encouraged
to contact Pastor Bob Kandels. (507-288-8911 or
[email protected]).
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YOUTH GROUP FOR
9 – 12 Grades
Dear Families,
In February, FWFA and Children’s Worship will be
finishing their series on Worship and beginning a
series on The Books of the Bible. For example, did
you know there are 66 books in the Bible. Also, we
will learn fun facts about the Old Testament and
New Testament books.
February is most often remembered as a month
when we celebrate our love for one another. It is
only appropriate then to stop and consider the love
that God shared with us. We are reminded of that in
1 John 4:19, where it says, "We love because [God]
first loved us." I have seen that love reflected many
ways this year, in the service projects we have done
and in the small things I've seen you do for each
other, and I couldn't be more proud to be involved
in your ministry.
Along with learning fun facts, we will have great
games, creative crafts and music to help us learn
more about the Books of the Bible. Come, enjoy a
meal and while the children are having fun, there are
small groups for adults and youth.
This month, we are continuing our series on The
Story by Randy Frazee, on Wednesday nights. We
have had some amazing discussion the last couple of
weeks, and I hope that you continue to join us for a
time of fellowship and growth. Friends are welcome
any time!
FWFA Schedule ~ 5:30 – 7:30 PM
February 4
“Worship”
February 11
“Mystery Night”
February 18
“The Books of the Bible”
February 25
“The Books of the Bible”
Children’s Worship ~ 9:15 – 10:00 AM
February 1
“Worship”
February 8
“Mystery Hour”
February 15
“The Books of the Bible”
February 22
”The Books of the Bible”
FWFA Team meeting will be Sunday, February 1,
2015 at 5:00 pm. Please note the time change and
mark your calendar. Thanks for all your support.
We are also going to be volunteering to help babysit
at a community event on Saturday, February
28th. There will be inflatables, a movie, pizza and
more, so come and help us reach out to our
community on this fun night. Also we will beginning
our fundraising for our mission trips soon so keep
your eyes peeled for more details.
God’s Blessing to you and your families,
FWFA Team
Feel free to contact Eric or Pastor Bob with any
questions.
CANCELLED
Ways to volunteer:
FWFA is in need of
people to cook, serve
and clean up on
Wednesdays. If you
would please consider joining this part of
Wednesdays, please contact Kelly Kandels at 218731-5881.
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BIRTHDAYS
February 2015
Alexander
Robert
Blanche
Kristi
Roger
William
Benjamin
Tanner
Victoria
Mark
Tony
Burdick
Cooper
Brink
Mielke
Bennett
Larson
Dahlen
Eversman
Johnson
Huyber
Olson
3-Feb
4-Feb
5-Feb
6-Feb
7-Feb
12-Feb
13-Feb
15-Feb
15-Feb
16-Feb
16-Feb
Connie
Mark
Harland
Larry
Marlene
Arlene
Colton
Lisa
Cali
Melinda
Kristi
Sheely
Kessler
Morehart
Rucker
Winkels
Young
Thomas
Wiley
Batzel
Szynalski
Ristau
16-Feb
21-Feb
21-Feb
21-Feb
21-Feb
21-Feb
22-Feb
22-Feb
24-Feb
24-Feb
26-Feb
If you have a Birthday in February and your name does not appear on this list,
please call the church office (288-8911)
so your birthday can be added to the church database.
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and much more. www.homesteadumc.org.
NOTE: The calendar changes on a daily basis and is updated
on the web page when changes occur.
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