INSIDE: Entering College Milestone • Vacation Bible School

Worship

Join us for worship!

Sunday, Aug. 13:

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

• 10am: live stream at 1stlu.org/live, and in-person. Nursery available.

Social Media Smarts: Guiding Kids in Our New Media Culture

Are you concerned about how today's social media landscape is affecting your child's well-being? Then now is the time to secure your spot for the insightful live online workshop, "Parenting in a New Media Culture," hosted by renowned thought leader Dr. Angela Gorrell happening on Aug. 12 at 10am. Don't miss this opportunity to equip yourself with the essential tools and insights needed to guide your children through the complexities of the digital landscape. Sponsored by Faith+Lead from Luther Seminary. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

Special Olympics Volunteers

Special Olympics Wisconsin is hosting its annual District Softball + Bocce Tournament coming up in Onalaska and needs volunteers for this event! Special Olympics Wisconsin is a competitive sports organization, and athletes learn rules and train hard to compete to the best of their ability. It’s extremely important to have passionate volunteers to manage the games to ensure safe and equitable competition. When: Saturday, Aug. 12, 9am-3pm (different time slots available). Signup: https://cerv.is/0392gChjGm7

Vacation Bible School: Operation Restoration

Plan ahead to be here for Vacation Bible School this summer, Sunday, Aug. 13, through Wednesday, Aug. 16. Invite your neighbors! For 4K through grade 5 in the fall (3-year-olds are welcome to attend in the nursery). Register at 1stlu.org/VBS.

Sunday, Aug. 13–Tuesday, Aug. 15

• 5pm dinner in Fellowship Hall

• 6–8pm VBS program

Wednesday, Aug. 16 only…

• 5pm all-church picnic at Van Riper Park

• ~6pm swimming at Onalaska Aquatic Center!

Also: 1) Help in the kitchen! Many hands will make light work. Claim ONE night between Sunday, Aug. 13, through Tuesday, Aug. 15, to prep, serve and clean up the meal that VBS families will enjoy together. Food will already be purchased. Menus are decided. We just need a couple hours of your time. 2) Bake/make bars/cookies, too! That's how dessert gets done. Email jason@firstlu.org if you can take a kitchen shift or bake.

All-Church Picnic And Waterslide!

DATE CHANGE! All are welcome to the closing celebration of VBS, starting at 5pm on Wednesday, Aug. 16, at Van Riper Park. We’ll eat together outdoors (First will provide the main course; bring desserts/treats to share) and then close with water fun at the Onalaska Aquatic Center!

Grief Support Group

Carrying on after the death of a loved one can be difficult and lonely. Join with others who listen and care for each other. Every third Wednesday: 10am in the Upper Room. NEXT: Aug. 16. Led by Carla Stanton.

Nosh with Neighbors: Pertzsch and Preschool

As a goodwill gesture towards the community of our church, First Lutheran will provide and serve lunch for the staff at Irving Pertzsch Elementary School and First Lutheran Preschool on Wednesday, Aug. 16, at 11:30am (served here, at First). We need volunteers—of ALL ages—to help set up and serve. Sign up to help serve at 1stlu.org/next.

Blessing Backpacks & Devices/Students & Staff

Whether you are a student in kindergarten, high school, college, or an adult teaching or helping at any of those levels, attending in-person or online, God is with you every day, in every place. And First wants to kick off this school year with a blessing to remind you of just that. So we invite students and staff, K–college, to have your backpacks, briefcases, messenger bags, purses, laptops, tablets, etc. with them for worship on Sunday, Aug. 20, so that we may bless the start of your new school year!

Sugar Creek Golf Fundraiser

Join Pastor Stanton’s or Pastor Karyn’s team on Monday, Aug. 21, at Viroqua Hills Golf Course, to raise money for Sugar Creek. Reg and check-in at 11am. Shotgun at 12:30pm. 18 holes: $85/person, 4-person best ball! More info: 1stlu.org/next.

Outdoor Worship and Potluck

First will have one more outdoor worship service and potluck this summer, weather permitting…

• August 27, 10am

Bring your own lawn chairs, perhaps a hat to shade your eyes, and a side dish to share at the potluck. (Though everyone is welcome at the potluck even if you don’t bring anything!) If the weather's bad that day, we'll move inside. PLEASE NOTE: There will be no live stream of the 10am outdoor service.

Sunday School Teacher & Volunteer Orientation

Sunday, August 27, 11:15am. For all Sunday School teachers and volunteers: come and learn what this Sunday School year has in store. And thanks again for you sharing your gift of time and talents with this ministry! In Fellowship Hall; dinner and child care provided (if needed; please let Pastor Stanton know). Questions? Email jason@firstlu.org.

OWLs Fly to Lanesboro for Theater

The OWLs (our Older Wiser Lutherans at First, for anyone 55+) will do their traditional outing to the Commonweal Theatre in Lanesboro, MN. They’ll see the classic play and book “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” written by Robert Louis Stevenson. DATE: Thursday, Aug. 31, for a preview performance (lower price). COST: $26.75. Dinner at a local restaurant before the show (cost on your own). Meet at church at 3:45pm for a beautiful drive along the Root River to Lanesboro. RSVP to volunteer coordinator Brian Narveson at 630.816.5917 or owls@firstlu.org before Tuesday Aug. 29.

Blood Drive

Tuesday, Sept. 5, 12:30-5:30pm. Every day ordinary people are saved by some pretty extraordinary people. People who give blood. Your donation could be the most valuable gift you have ever given. Just ask anyone who’s ever received it. Walk-ins welcome; appointments encouraged, schedule yours at 1stlu.org/blooddrive. Please bring a mask and photo ID.

Changes in Worship Times

With summer drawing to a close, worship times will change once and will be as follows…

• Wednesday, Sept. 6

  • 6:15pm, Wednesday evening worship resumes

• Sunday, Sept. 10

  • Sunday worship changes back to 8am & 10:30am

Confirmation Guides

You don’t need to know the Bible backwards & forwards, & you don’t need a seminary degree. Just a heart for the youth of our church & an hour each week to spend with our confirmation youth. Parents, grandparents, godparents or any  faith-mature adult is welcome to facilitate conversation and build relationships between our confirmands on Wednesday nights.  Contact Pastor Stanton to nominate someone:  jason@firstlu.org/608.783.2236.

Sugar Creek 5K

Registration for the 10th annual Sugar Creek Bible Camp 5K Trail Fun Run/Walk is now open! Being held Saturday, Sept. 9, at 9am, at Sugar Creek Bible Camp, the course makes its way through each of the villages and prominent places on camp. Stick around after the run for the annual camp auction, the presentation of medals, and drawings for door prizes. Register at 1stlu.org/scbc5k.

Sugar Creek Fall Festival

Saturday, Sept. 9. Beginning at 9am: 5K Trail Run and Fun Walk (more info above). At 10am: craft fair, country store, silent auction, and BBQ pork lunch.

First Fest Concert

Join us on Saturday, Sept. 9, for a concert at the church by singer-songwriter Rachel Kurtz as part of our First Fest celebration. The concert is free, but $30 and $50 advance tickets will be available to attend a pre-concert dinner with Rachel and enjoy priority seating at the concert.

15th Annual First Fest!

On Sunday, Sept. 10, we celebrate our annual First Fest. We invite you to join us for worship at 8am or 10:30am, and after the second service relax, catch up with friends, introduce yourself to visitors or members you’ve yet to meet, listen to great music, have lunch and have some fun! FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, so INVITE YOUR FRIENDS!

RING!

Are you open to trying something new? Join the fun—ring bells! We welcome widely varied musical backgrounds. No experience necessary! We’ll begin with the basics and learn to work together. Musical ability is a skill that can be taught. Do you want to be involved? The bells rehearse Tuesdays at 5pm in the choir room, starting Sept. 12.  For more info, contact Jim Knutson at jim@firstlu.org. Ring dem bells!

FLY Booster Club!

"FLY" is the name our kids have chosen for their "First Lutheran Youth" group. "Boosters" is the name a few of us adults have chosen to describe how we plan to move forward with Faith Formation at First. Much like a sports, show choir or band booster club meets to dream about how to support our kids in their activities (and then shows up to actually support the activities), we want parents to do the same as we shape the faith formation of our kids. There will be monthly FLY Booster meetings where adults at First come together to plan youth opportunities, from Sugar Creek middle school retreats, to Advent Around the Table, to whatever new ideas come to mind. If every parent takes one or two pieces of the whole, our kids will have more opportunities to grow in their faith! Meeting the second Wednesday of the month; NEXT MEETING: Sept. 13, 5:30–7pm at First. Food and child care provided.

RECLAIM: A Gathering for People of African Descent

RECLAIM is a gathering for people of African descent, brought to you by African Descent Ministries. Participants will build a tool kit for ministry as we move through a pandemic, climate change and an era of preserving healers' spiritual and emotional wellness. The church needs healthy and whole preachers, teachers, professionals and young adults, all well-equipped with culturally relevant approaches to the word. Grounded in Scripture, RECLAIM will help participants feel embodied, emboldened and liberated in their identities.

• WHEN: Sept. 14-17, 2023

• WHERE: Minneapolis, MN

• FOR: People of African descent of all ages and gender identities

• DEADLINES: Standard registration and young adult registration end June 30. Late registration ends August 15.

>> REGISTER NOW <<

Participants will engage in workshops, shared meals, praise and worship that will enable us to build community, learn new skills, share resources and rejuvenate weary souls. A Men in Mission cohort will meet alongside the RECLAIM gathering. Facilitated by the Rev. Jonathan Hemphill of the ELCA Southeastern Synod, this is an opportunity for collegiality, community and connection for Black men. Candidates for ministry, first-call pastors, and lay, African-descent men in ministry are invited into this intentional space. For more info visit ELCA.org/ReclaimGathering.

Baptismal Preparation

The next baptism preparation session will be Saturday, Oct. 7, at 10am in the narthex for anyone who is considering or has scheduled a baptism. To register or ask questions call the church office at 608.783.3326 by Sunday, Oct. 1. Min. attendance required: 2 families. 

Make Worship Happen!

Worship assistants make worship happen! Usher, read, bake bread, serve communion, lead projection and more. To assist with Sunday worship sign up at 1stlu.org/assistSUN.

Want to Volunteer? Need help?

Causeway Caregivers serves elderly and disabled adults in La Crosse County by providing volunteer services, without charge, to those in need. Tasks include raking leaves, grocery shopping, doing errands and helping after a snowfall. Would you like to be a Causeway Caregivers volunteer? Do you need a volunteer? Contact Causeway Caregivers at 608-775-9999.

Confirmation Orientation & ELCA Youth Gathering Info Meeting

Sun., Aug. 20, 9:15am, in Fellowship Hall

• ELCA Youth Gathering Info Mtg for grades 8–12 and those going into freshman year of college

• Confirmation Orientation for grades 6–10

Questions about confirmation for 2023-24? Checkout our confirmation page at 1stlu.org/confirmation and/or contact Pastor Stanton at jason@firstlu.org.