Fair Into Fall

                        
I know – it’s usually “Fall Into” whatever, but around here the Fair comes before Fall. And the Fair is the last great ‘seize the moment’ of Summer at its best. The zenith of fun in the sun (despite some mud), projects presented with pride, and produce by the jar full! Those home canning achievements are a marvel of alignment, with intriguing combinations, and a glowing tribute to the joy of harvest. But along with the garden boxes, tallest sunflowers, and best squares of hay – what they all say is: Fall is coming.

Here at church we’ve also been talking about the harvest, and producing good fruit, and being part of the true vine instead of being bitter wild grapes. This Summer we’ve talked and thought about these metaphors of the Christian life because they often came up in our scripture readings during worship. We’re reminded over and over again that we will be known by our ‘produce’ – not our canned goods, but by the fruits of the Spirit that grow in our lives. The list in Galatians 5:22-23 includes: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. They may not fit in a glass jar, but they should be visible through us – in what we say, in what we do, in how we think, in who we are as children of God.

As we start our Fall schedule of worship and classes and activities – let’s “put up” some fruit in our lives where our family, friends, classmates, and co-workers can see God’s Spirit in us.

             Pastor Joyce

Activities

The African drums resound and one by one the children come dancing down the aisles in their brilliant Ugandan costumes, with radiant smiles on their faces! Throughout Watoto’s Concert of Hope from 7:00 to 8:30 PM on Tues., Sept. 25 at Elkhorn First UMC, 111 N. Broad St., you will experience the energy and sense the joy and hope that these orphans have found. These children are among the two million children in Uganda who have been left parentless as a result of war and disease. Watoto means ‘the children’ – and the Watoto Child Care Ministries reaches out to the children in need in Uganda. Since 1994, Watoto Children’s Choir from Kampala, Uganda, accompanied by a small team of adults, has regularly toured the United States, Canada and Great Britain. Performances are a soulful blend of native African rhythms, contemporary gospel music and ethnic dance.

Our Circuit #39 churches are sponsoring this concert, and admission is free. A love offering can be made to support the work of the Watoto Child Care Ministries. You can find more infomation at: www.watoto.com

Bethel Fair and HDL Sale

This year $3,385.00 was raised at the Bethel Fair! Thanks to everyone’s hard work, prayers for beautiful weather, and the generous response of the community, our Bethel Fair was a successful fundraiser for the church.

We will be at the HDL sale on Sat., Sept. 22 starting at 8:00 AM to sell baked goods, beautiful mums, and some choice rummage that didn’t find a new home with anyone at the Bethel Fair. HDL is at W4191 State Road 11 (by the I-43 exit). There is a sign-up sheet at church for you to volunteer your time to help set-up or work at the sale. Baked goods can be brought to the church on Fri., Sept. 21 from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM; or taken directly to the sale on Sat. morning at 8:00 AM.                               

Support the CROP Walk!

The Elkhorn Area CROP Walk is Sun., Oct. 21 and your help is needed! While the walk begins at 1:00 PM on Oct. 21, the walkers get started way before then by asking sponsors to support their walk. The money raised helps fight hunger locally (25%) and globally (75%). Our 2006 CROP Walk provided $421.25 to the Elkhorn Food Pantry, and raised a total of $1,685.00. Our 11 walkers (6 adults, 5 kids) on Team Bethel raised $910.00 of that total, and Bethel volunteers registered walkers, and provided help and snacks for one of the rest stops on the route.

Are you signed up to walk? Great! In addition to asking people ‘face to face’ to help you fight hunger – register on-line and invite friends and family around the world-wide web to make an on-line donation. Go to www.cropwalk.org and click on the ‘stop-sign’ CROP button; click the state of Wisconsin; click on the Elkhorn walk from the list; and follow the instructions for registering.

Not able to walk this year? How about helping to register walkers at the Lion’s Fieldhouse in Williams Bay from 12:15 to 1:45 PM? Or could you sit in the park by the lake to cheer and applaud the walkers who go past you from 1:30 to 3:30 PM? Or could you help staff the walkers’ rest stop at Aurora University from 1:45 to 3:45 PM?

Do you have other commitments on Oct. 21? Help provide cookies, fruit, water or juice to stock a rest stop! Bring your contributions to church by Fri., Oct. 19. You can also promote the walk by putting up a poster, buying a CROP Walk T-shirt or cap to wear ($10 each, available at the church office), or by giving financial support to a walker!

For more information or other ideas on how to support the CROP Walk, talk to Pastor Joyce.

Grocery Receipt Programs

Here's the story line: you bring your grocery receipts form the Elkhorn Sentry (with a green 'Funds for Friends' sticker on each receipt) and Frank's County Market and leave them in the basket at church. Darlene Milne takes the receipts and adds them up each quarter of the year and submits the receipts to their respective stores. The stores give our church 1 cent for every dollar in the total paid on the receipts we submit. This adds up! The funds collected are given to either our church youth group or the building fund. Please bring in ALL of your July, Aug., Sept. receipts by Oct. 1. (If you still have receipts from the second quarter of April, May, and June -- toss them.)

UPC and Lids Make a Difference

We help support Northcott Neighborhood House by collecting items from Campbell's food products in the 'Labels for Education' program. The new requirements call for clipping the UPC (bar code for the product) and program logo (kid holding a pencil) area of the product labels for most items. The only exceptions are products where you save the lid:

    Campbell's Ready to Serve Soups (plastic)

    Prego pasta sauces 14-28 oz.; 46 oz. and larger

    V-8 Vegetable Juice 12, 21, 46, or 64 oz.

    V-8 Splash Juice drinks 16 or 64 oz.

    V-8 Splash Smoothies 46 oz.

    V-8 V-Fusion 100% Juice 12 or 46 oz.

Still confused? We've got all the information you need on one sheet of paper at church.

Remember: get the code and the kid -- or save the lid!

If we’ve missed your special day, please call the church office (742-3507) so we can update our records.

September Birthdays:

1 – Sue Rich; 4 – Jayanne Aron, Laura Dober, Bryce Newman; 5 – Lexy Gray; 8 – Melodie West; 10 – Liesl Maritz; 12 – Lisa Gottschalk; 15 – Barbara Essig; 19 – Donna Beckman; 22 – Dorothy Dow; 23 – Betty Piatkowski; 28 – Charles Rieken; 30 – Benjamin Hall, Darlene Milne.

September Wedding Anniversaries:

2 – Chris & Joe Ghilani, Marilyn & Bill Yurs; 12 – Susan & Jay Maritz; 15 – Kathie & Jeff Hanssen; 17 – Lisa & Lee Gottschalk; 18 – Carol & Clarence Hanson, Shantacy & Robert Johnston; 20 – Wendy & Don Hall; 21 – Betty & Richard Piatkowski.; 25 – Tracy & Kevin Walter.