INSIDE: Worship outdoors for 10am service this Sunday

Worship

Join us for worship!

Sunday, June 26:

• 8am: live stream at 1stlu.org/live, and in-person. Nursery available.

• 9am: Summer Fun! For kids: Snacks and supervised play outdoors (gather at the Welcome Center). For adults: fellowship hour and Parent Share in the Upper Room.

• 10am: outdoors. No live stream. The current forecast for Sunday is partly cloudy and 68º. Looks like a beautiful morning for worship!

Current precautions

Pastors and our COVID Advisory Panel get together as needed to evaluate when and how precautions should change. These are our current recommendations:

On Thursday at 1:30pm, the CDC’s COVID-19 Community Level for La Crosse county was medium. HOWEVER, please check 1stlu.org/precaution for the current, up-to-date level.

• If HIGH: we ask everyone to mask for large gatherings (such as worship)

• If MEDIUM or LOW: masks are optional and welcome

• You can also check the following sites for the current COVID-19 Community Level:

  • CDC COVID-19 Community Level (takes a bit to load)

  • Wisconsin DHS

  • La Crosse County Health Dept. Facebook Page (they do a fairly decent job of posting a photo when levels change… an orange/red mask indicates a move to HIGH, and a green mask indicates a move to MEDIUM)

• Small groups: online & in-person; precautions determined by the entire group

For a full description of current precautions, visit 1stlu.org/precaution.

Outdoor Worship This Summer

First will continue to do outdoor worship services once a month during the summer…

• June 26, 10am

• July 24, 10am

• August 28, 10am

• September 25, 10:30am

Bring your own lawn chairs, and perhaps a hat to shade your eyes. If the weather's bad that day, we'll move inside.

Courageous Men’s Group

The Courageous Men’s Group are men of all ages who meet weekly on Wednesdays at 6am in the Fireside Room for a time of fellowship and study. Contact Jim Knutson or the church office for more info: jim@firstlu.org.

Lutheran World Relief Matching Gift

Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of some of LWR’s most dedicated donors, additional matching gift funds have been secured! That means any gift you make will be matched — dollar for dollar — until the additional $85,000 match is met to reach more suffering children and families! But hurry, the matching gift ends June 30! Donate today at LWR.org.

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service    

Thrivent Creating Warm Welcomes: For the month of June, LIRS is excited to partner with Thrivent who will be donating up to $10,000 to LIRS Welcome Centers through their social impact campaign. Learn more and get involved here.

First Teen Clothes Closet Needs

• Athletic shorts Large, XL, XXL Men and Women

• Athletic pants (sweatpants or joggers) Large and XL, XXL men and womens

• Teen style NEW flip flop and sandals.

• Girls summer tops in Large and X large

REMINDER: all donated clothes should be freshly laundered and free of stains and tears (unless made that way).

Mission Trip Meetings

Those going on the mission trip to Bayou Le Batre, AL, will meet at the following times in July to prepare for the upcoming trip:

• July 3, 11am

• July 10, 11am

Sunshine Team

The Sunshine Team meets on the first Thursday of every month. Next meeting: July 7, 9:30am. Various jobs: cleaning, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, washing windows and cleaning carpets. Help make First look nice! Refreshments are supplied to replenish your reserves! Dues are free!

Volunteer for Special Olympics

The Special Olympics Wisconsin is in need of volunteers for their annual Softball and Bocce tournament in Onalaska on Saturday, July 9! Sign up at 1stlu.org/specialo.

Sugar Creek Family Camp

Sugar Creek is offering three sections of Family Camp this summer: July 5-8, August 7-10 and August 11-14. Housing options include: Koinonia Lodge, Modern Log Cabins, Retreat Center, Manna Center, Wagons, Seeker or Frontier Town Villages. Or you can bring your own camper or tent. Take part in campfire worship, horse riding, bible study, creek stomping and so much more. More info and reg at sgrcreek.org.

Volunteer Appreciation Picnic

Sunday, July 17, from 11:45am-1:15pm at the first shelter in Rowe Park, for all volunteers who make Faith Alive! happen at First Lutheran. Bring your lawn chairs and come to play! Mark the date so that we may celebrate those among us who give their time and energy to Christ’s mission! RSVP by July 10 at 1stlu.org/vapicnic.

The Privilege Institute Freedom to Learn Summer

Coming July 21–23, noon–3pm sessions with caucus sessions from 6–7:30pm. Mark your calendar and watch for full agenda soon! Registration will be required for these virtual sessions. Fee: $40. Freedom to Learn Summer sessions will provide “an education experience with the goal of ensuring that students, parents, teachers, and others in these states are equipped for the most global workforce of any preceding generation by having an understanding of the role of race in our lives, our histories, and our future and by supporting the development of cultural and racial competencies.”

Lead Sunday School & VBS

There are opportunities to serve as a Sunday School teacher and a leader in VBS. A Sunday School teacher is a commitment of 1 or 2 weekends a month in which you connect with our congregation's children! It is super easy with the curriculum! VBS is another way to connect, this is so fun and is high energy! If you like to play games or would like to help organize or help in any way, please consider! Contact Pastor Stanton: jason@firstlu.org.

Vacation Bible School

Plan ahead to be here for Vacation Bible School this summer, Sunday, July 31—Thursday, Aug. 4. Invite your neighbors! For 4K through Grade 5 in the fall (3 year olds are welcome to attend in the nursery). Register online at 1stlu.org/VBS.

Volunteers Needed for Meal Delivery

The Aging & Disability Resource Center is looking for volunteers to help deliver noon meals to their elderly participants in Holmen, Onalaska, Brice Prairie and La Crosse locations. Shifts are usually only 1 hour and start between 10:30am-11am. By becoming a volunteer, you deliver more than just a hot meal. You help the elderly stay healthy, safe and independent in their own homes. We also have openings at the meal sites to help package the meals. For more info call the ADRC at 608-785-5700.

Golf Fundraisers

• Luther Park Bible Camp Golf Outing: Thursday, Aug. 11 with 9am start. Sioux Creek Golf Course, Chetek WI. $50 for 9 holes, includes cart. Scramble format ~ Raffles, Prizes & Games. See more. Sign up here.   

• Bethel Home & Services 24th Annual Golf Outing: Monday, Aug. 15. $85 includes 18 holes of golf, cart, dinner and prizes. For more info or to register contact Thalia at 608.637.6323 or tlaforce@bethelhome.org.

• Sugar Creek Golf Tournament: Monday, Aug. 22 at Viroqua Hills Golf Course. Reg and check-in at 11am. Shotgun at 12:30pm. 18 holes: $75/person, 4-person best ball, 2 flights with prizes! More info: 1stlu.org/scbcgolf.

Upcoming Sugar Creek Bus Trips

• Aug 26-Sept 1: Ark Encounter and Nashville: There are many stops along the way. The Ark Encounter in Williamstown, KY, will awe you with a full-size ark. Tour the Lexington, KY, area with its many horse farms. Opryland Hotel will be your home base in Nashville. You will see the Country Music Hall of Fame, Legends, Lunch & Lyrics, a guided tour that will take you down Music Row, the Capitol and Parthenon. A backstage tour of the Grand Ole Opry and the General Jackson Showboat Luncheon Cruise will cap off your stay. On the bus ride home, you will stop in Springfield, IL, to visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum as well as Lincoln's Home. Register soon!

• November 16: Fireside Dinner Theater, "White Christmas"

Sign up early! Spots fill quickly. Call for info: 608.734.3113.

LuMin (Lutheran Campus Ministry) Gearing up for Fall 2022

Pastor Ben Morris at LuMin would love to connect with any students attending UW-La Crosse, Viterbo, or Western Technical College this fall! We're beginning to collect phone numbers and emails for our synod students to invite them to participate in campus ministry this fall. If you have student info to pass along, please email Jen at admin@luminlax.org and include the students name, cell phone number, email address, and where they will be attending school.

Stephen Ministry

If you know of someone who needs a caregiver, please speak with Pastor Karyn, or call the church office: 608.783.2236.