Finding Your Place

Are you an independent worker? Do you like to do things on your own schedule, or do you like to have a date on your calendar to do it? Do you like being on a team, or are you an independent worker? Whatever your approach happens to be, you can support the behind-the-scenes work of Christ Lutheran Church in just the way that suits you. Here are some of the ways that you can accomplish this ministry.

 

Church Bookstore: Christian greeting cards are available in the Bible Study Room for one dollar.  A NWP book fair is held every other year in the spring, where wonderful Christian books and literature are available for purchase.

 

Send Greetings: Do you like to get cards? Our homebound members are very grateful to receive cards on Easter, Thanksgiving, or just to say “We are thinking of you.” Besides sending to them, cards are mailed to those who have an illness or lost a loved one, as prayed for on Sunday. What a wonderful and easy way to show Christian love to fellow members.

 

Recycling: We reuse Meditation booklets and Christmas cards for the prison ministry. As members bring them in, the Meditations need staples and addresses removed. Cards with a Christ-centered message are then creatively stamped and are ready to go for those who are incarcerated. Ladies of the church do this step twice a year, so this part is not your responsibility, but you are welcome to come and help stamp cards!

 

Cradle Roll: Families with children from 6 months to 4 years are given age-appropriate packets called Strong Roots for Tender Shoots that contain tips, prayers, learning ideas, and other fun activities to help parents bring up their children in God’s Word. This is a great way to get to know the parents of small children of our church.

 

Lenten Meditation: There are programs already written by The Women’s Ministry of the WELS that use readings and songs of Jesus’ Passion. A date during Lent is chosen, and the women and girls of the congregation are invited to come to enjoy fellowship, while meditating on what Jesus went through for us. Women of the congregation provide refreshments and decorate the tables. This event occurs once a year.

 

Altar Team Members: Once a month, a member is responsible for setting up and the taking down of communion, filling candles, and changing paraments as needed. Flowers, linens, and banners need to be checked also. Other team members are available to help new members until they feel comfortable.

 

Bags for Little Hands: Those cute little bags on the rack are for little ones up to 4 years of age to use during worship services. They need to be maintained and sanitized after use. Replacement of contents and worn bags is also part of this task.

 

LWMS Reporter: If you are mission-minded, this one’s for you. This position is a link between the larger Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society and our congregation. This means you would share news with the congregation about missions and missionaries from LWMS in the form of their posters, announcements, and newsletters. You would arrange for offerings taken twice a year.

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Cards for College Students: Once a year, usually in February, cards of encouragement are sent to the handful of college students and military personnel of our church. Offerings are taken for 2-3 Sundays, and the money is used to buy gift cards to be enclosed with the cards. The Special Ministries team keeps an updated list of the names and addresses, which are double checked by Pastor.

 

Funeral Team: Two women are available for the pastor to call after a member’s death. One of them calls the family to find out if they would like a meal following the funeral, and an estimate of how many might attend. Members of the team then call members of the congregation for donations of salads and desserts and for volunteers to help serve at the meal. (Meat and rolls are usually paid for by the family, and picked up and prepared by the team members.) Sometimes, just help setting up tables or kitchen clean-up is helpful.

 

Seminary Food Pantry: This is an easy one. Each year in March, a period of time is announced with a list of things seminary students and their families could use. The collection area is in the narthex. Once the items are collected, they need to be checked for expiration dates and boxed to be delivered by a volunteer who is going in that direction.

 

Vilas Food Pantry: Another easy one. When the Seminary Pantry items are not being collected, the food pantry bin is available the rest of the year. Once a month, it needs to be checked and items delivered to the Vilas Food Pantry.

 

Change for Life—New Beginnings collection: This is a once a year collection, held in May each year and sent to support young mothers and their babies.

 

Other Volunteer Opportunities include: Assisting  with flowers, helping in the church kitchen, decorating for Christmas and Easter, helping out with Lenten suppers and Easter For Kids, tidying the Mother’s Room and maintaining the small church flower gardens. Between the services is a Fellowship Coffee hour. Ladies take turns making coffee and serving donuts between services. More hands make light work!

 

For more information or to volunteer, contact

Kathy Groff at 269-930-1925  kathy.j.groff@gmail.com