INSIDE: Confirmation Sunday • All Saints Worship • Butter Braid Orders Due this Sunday

Worship

Join us for worship!

Sunday, Oct. 29:

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

• 10:30am: live stream at 1stlu.org/live, and in-person. Nursery available.

• 1pm: live stream at 1stlu.org/live, and in-person

All Saints Day, Wednesday, Nov. 1:

• 6:15pm: Live stream at 1stlu.org/live, and in-person. Nursery available.

Parents’ Night Out

Bring your children for an evening of fun with the middle and high school youth groups’ fundraiser! WHERE: at First Lutheran, NEXT: THIS Friday, Oct. 27, FOR: Birth–12 are welcome (Birth–3 will be in the nursery, ages 4 and up in Fellowship Hall)

• Registration from 4:45pm-5:30pm

• Followed by dinner and activities till 8pm (parents can pick up early if needed)

COST: Monetary donations will assist the middle and high school students with 2024 camp and trip expenses. RSVP your child or sign up to volunteer at 1stlu.org/nightout, by Wednesday, Oct. 25.

Fall Festival

Join us THIS Saturday, Oct. 28, from 2-4pm for an afternoon of fall activities, including: trunk-or-treating, games, crafts, snacks, photo booth, face painting, and more! This event is free and open to the public, and will be held rain or shine. And help us HOST this event for our neighborhood by signing up to host the photo booth, snack table, games or a trunk at 1stlu.org/next.

Affirmation of Baptism / Confirmation Sunday

We give thanks for the gift of baptism and for these people, one with us in the body of Christ, who will publicly affirm their baptism this Sunday, Oct. 29.

• Adam Amundson

• Jack Barth

• Jackson Bosch

• Norah Carlson

• Preston Elston

• Addyson Ferguson

• Kai Gallant

• Mia Gallant

• Zander Garbrecht

• Easton Glebke

• Saydee Hink

• Zachary Imgrund

• Carter Johnson

• Ryan Johnson

• Sophia Knight

• Sydney Kranig

• Ryan Mackeben

• Bella Malecek

• Marshall Mason

• Elizabeth Matz

• Makena McGarry

• Tristan Molling

• Bennett Rieber

• Danielle Schmit

• Andrew Stanton

• Bella Waters

• Perry West

Butter Braid Order Due THIS Sunday

The deadline for returning your order forms, with the money, is THIS Sunday, Oct. 29. Butter Braids will be available at the church for pickup on the afternoon of Monday, Nov. 13. A portion of every sale is put in the seller's camp/trip account to defray costs.

Newsletter Assembly

It’s a relaxing way to volunteer! Monday, Oct. 30, at 10am, to assemble the November newsletter. See you there! 

Member Directories Now Available

We appreciate everyone’s patience! Print directories are now available for members! Members can pick one up for their household at the Welcome Center. REMINDER: members can make changes to their contact info on their own using our online directory: 1stlu.org/directory. Questions about the directory and the information within? Email Tamara (office@firstlu.org) or Andy (andy@firstlu.org).

Puppet Ministry

The ministry provided by our puppeteers has returned to our second service! But the ministry can’t happen without shepherds—adults willing to walk our youth (4-yr-olds through grade 3) down to the choir room and then watch over them during the presentation. Sign up at 1stlu.org/assistsun!

Welcome Seasonal Workers to Sugar Creek

The La Crosse Area Synod is putting together welcome bags, to provide basic necessities and let the seasonal workers know we are happy to host them! You can join in this cause by sponsoring a welcome bag ($20) by going to tinyurl.com/laxsynodgive (select "designate other ministry" and name the "migrant justice team" to donate). Visit lacrosseareasynod.org/migrant-justice-team to learn more

Urgent: Crisis in the Middle East

In response to the escalating violence in and around Gaza, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has extended a letter of support to Bishop Sani-Ibrahim Azar of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. In it she pledges to accompany and support the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and its ministries. Images in the news are heartbreaking, and we extend our prayers to all those who have lost loved ones and are living in fear and uncertainty.

The ELCA has long-standing relationships with many partners in the region, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and Augusta Victoria Hospital, which is operated by the Lutheran World Federation.

The most pressing needs that Lutheran Disaster Response and our partners can address are food, water and medical supplies. Support for hospitals will be another priority as the need for medical assistance continues to grow. Additionally, Lutheran Disaster Response is coordinating with the Arab and Middle Eastern Ministries desk to provide interfaith emotional and spiritual care support for communities in the United States.

Bishop Eaton's letter also calls us to action:

“I encourage the people of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to unite in prayer for the families of innocent civilians whose lives were lost, as well as pray for healing for all the injured, fearful and traumatized.”

Lutheran Disaster Response has a history of providing support for our partners and anticipates answering calls for assistance when the time comes. Gifts to “Middle East Crisis” will be used to address humanitarian needs in the region. Above all, we pray for peace.

Faith Webs for October (Supporting Youth)

As stated when Faith Webs kicked off in September, we’re asking households of our congregation to support youths going to Bible camp, on the mission trip and to the youth gathering in the following ways…

• with your time

• with your prayers

• with your talents

• with your activities

• with some food (they’re kids after all!) and…

• with money (every child gets the support of $300 per household)

To that end, we will give you ideas every month for what you can do to strengthen the bond of your Faith Web! Just a few ideas for October are…

• Pray for one another

• Sit together at worship

• Send a card or invitation

Find even more ideas and caring conversation questions on a handout available on the usher stand in the back of the sanctuary.

Are you a youth who has yet to place your name in the Book of Faith Webs? Or a household that would like to be a supporter in a Faith Web? It isn’t too late! To receive or give support, go to the scrip card table in the narthex. There, a parent volunteer has a binder… the Book of Faith Webs. And don't just sign up for the kid that you know! Pay attention to where you're being drawn to… because the Spirit can be a beautiful matchmaker, and the Spirit will create those relationships between you.

For the $300 donation, you can donate all at once (in church or online at 1stlu.org/give), or a little bit each week, and even through the scrip program as you purchase gas and grocery cards. (A small percentage of the price of the scrip cards you purchase goes to the youth, but it adds up!) If you donate by check, please note WHO it is for, and WHAT ministry the youth is involved in.

Thank you for entering into the shared goal of raising and supporting our kids! We are building community! 

Cloud of Witnesses: All Saints Sunday

We honor our brothers and sisters in Christ who have gone before us on All Saints Day, Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 6:15pm, and on All Saints Sunday, Nov. 5, at 8am and 10:30am. All services will be in-person and live streamed at 1stlu.org/live.

All Saints Day has long been a day when the church gives thanks for all the saints, the beloved, who have died, especially in the past year. We ask for photographs of your beloved dead so that we can be surrounded by their witness at All Saints worship. These pictures can be sent electronically (to office@firstlu.org) or brought in. They will be printed as 4X6, so resolution should be such that they can be printed well from what you submitted. If your loved one was a member of our congregation and died this past year, you received a letter with a special request. We continue to use photos submitted in previous years, so if you provided a photo in the past, you don’t need to again. All Saints Day isn’t only about those who have died, but also about those who have been newly baptized. If your child was baptized this past year, you received an email asking for a photo of the child.

Sing Saints!

The next event the choir will rehearse for is All Saints Sunday. Practice continues Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 7pm in the Sanctuary. All are welcome… there is no audition and no formal training required, just a desire to enhance worship through the beauty of music! And the time commitment is just for the one performance (not the entire year). Full schedule and sign-up at 1stlu.org/choir. If needed, child care will be made available (just indicate this need on the sign-up form). For more info, contact Todd Saner at todd@firstlu.org.

Sunshine Team

The Sunshine Team meets on the first Thursday of every month. Next meeting: Nov. 2, 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! Questions? Contact Dan at dan@firstlu.org.

Fall back! (Daylight Saving Ends)

Daylight saving time ends at 2am, next Sunday, Nov. 5. Don’t forget to change your clocks Saturday night! (Otherwise, you’ll just be early for church!)

Connecting with the Gospel of Mark

Are you looking for a connection between scripture and everyday life? Or maybe a way to dig deeper into the gospel of Mark? If so, join Pastor Libby for one or both of these opportunities: On Nov. 13 and 20, from 6–7pm, an overview of the gospel Mark… and starting on Nov. 20 at 7pm, a year-long journey through the lectionary (our schedule of readings). Both will meet in the narthex. Cost of the yearlong class is $20 for the devotional study book we will use.

Friends of the Warming Center   

The Warming Center will open Nov. 1 for unhoused people, and the area ELCA churches have agreed to provide evening meals the 3rd and 4th Friday of each month, November–April. Prepare the meal in your kitchen and drop it off at the Warming Center ready to be served. Other people serve the meal; you just prepare it. You are welcome to use the Hunger Task Force for meal ingredients. More info and reg at 1stlu.org/warm.

Ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve Worship

In place of our usual Wednesday night worship, everyone is invited to a special (and slightly later) ecumenical worship service at Onalaska United Methodist on Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, Nov. 23, at 6:30pm, with our brother and sisters in Christ from Onalaska UMC, located nearby at 212 4th Ave N, Onalaska, WI 54650. Worship will be live streamed, but won’t be viewable on our website nor on our social media. View the live stream at youtube.onalaskaumc.org.

Onalaska Community Thanksgiving Dinner

Organizers of the annual Onalaska Community Thanksgiving Dinner at the National Guard Armory expect to prepare and serve more than 1,600 meals on Nov. 23. The event brings together people in need, people unable to spend the holiday with family and friends, and people who are alone for the holiday. Dining is in-person, by carry-out or delivery. In-person dining and carry-outs are from 11am–2pm. Deliveries can be scheduled for 11am, noon or 1pm. To register for a delivery, or to arrange for more than four carry-outs, call 608-871-3183 from Nov. 1–20. Organizers also are looking for volunteers and monetary donations. Learn more at OCTD.org.

Winter Items for Teen Clothes Closet

First Teen Clothes Closet is asking for winter hats, gloves and mittens for middle school and high schoolers. New and like new (no homemade please, the kids won't take them). The items can be placed under the tree in the narthex until November 26. No scarves, as we already have a lot of them. We won't be collecting socks this year… The synod assembly collected socks for the area non-profits this summer and we are all very well stocked on socks! Thank you for your continued support of the clothes closet. We have served over 450 teens so far this year! 

Canned Soup Drive

The Salvation Army's Angel Giving Tree Food Baskets program aims to provide families with a basket of food during the Christmas season, and the organization has asked First Lutheran to help by collecting canned soup through November. Please bring only canned soups for this specific campaign. We have a collection box in the entryway for your donations. The Salvation Army anticipates a need for 500 food baskets this year.

Snow Birds

Are you heading out? Please let us know if you'll be spending the winter somewhere else. If we know your seasonal address, we can keep in touch by sending you the monthly newsletter. Call or email the office with your winter address: 608.783.2236, office@firstlu.org.

Baptismal Preparation

The next baptism preparation session will be Saturday, Dec. 2, 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, Nov. 26. Min. attendance required: 2 families. 

Diaper Drive @ Trinity Lutheran

Trinity Lutheran Church in La Crosse (where First Lutheran operates the teen clothes closet) is having a diaper drive through the end of the year, to collect diapers and wipes for The Parenting Place in La Crosse, which distributes them free to families that need them. All sizes are needed, especially 5 & 6. If you would like to donate diapers, drop them off at Trinity, 1010 Sill St. Office hours there are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mon-Thurs.

410 Prayers

Join Kathryn for a time of prayer, every Monday–Friday, at 4:10pm, on our Facebook page.

Happy Birthday!! 

If you have received a birthday postcard from First in the last several months and still have it, bring it into church Mon–Fri, 8am–4pm and pick up a small gift.

Help Those in Need

If you are looking for ways to help locally, go to the Ugetconnected site to find a variety of needs, from writing letters or drawing pictures to seniors, to delivering pre-packaged meals or sewing. It's hard to keep track of all the various organizations, so this is a great spot to find out how you can help. Go to 1stlu.org/needs.

Sunday School

Sunday, Oct. 29

• 9:15am Sunday School

Sunday, Nov. 5

• 9:15am Sunday School

More info and online registration: 1stlu.org/sunschool.

3-Year Old Faith Alive Building Block: Praying Together

Throughout the year each age group will have a special “Faith Building Block” session in which parents or special adults are asked to attend class with their child on Sundays at 9:15am (in Fellowship Hall), sharing in conversation and growing together in faith. Most sessions last for three weeks, and afterward, children will have a presence in worship in celebration of the Faith Building Block they learned about.

• Sundays, Oct. 29: parents/guardians with children

• Sunday, Nov. 5: Faith Building Block lifted up in worship

Confirmation

Sunday:

• 9:15am Gr 6 & 7 Confirmation Classes - Fireside Rm

• 1:00pm Affirmation of Baptism / Confirmation Worship

Wednesday:

• 5:30pm Confirmation Dinner

• 7:00pm Gr 8-10 Small Groups

More info and online registration: 1stlu.org/confirm.