Christus Victor Lutheran Church

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and
you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me
in. Matthew 25: 35.

What are you “giving up” for Lent?

We will once again participate in the Minnesota FoodShare campaign, a statewide food drive. Ash Wednesday, February 22, is the start of the Lenten season this year and the entire month of March is during the Lenten season. Please remember the hungry as part of your Lenten prayer and sacrifice.

Your help is needed now more than ever due to increased needs. Monetary and food donations will be given to the Rosemount Resource Center for distribution in our local community. Envelopes for monetary donations are at the welcome desk and food donation drop off points are in the entries.

While all donations are greatly appreciated, monetary donations are
matched by corporate sponsors and allow the purchase of food and goods from food banks, where the money goes farther.

Watch for a display in the hallway to track our progress!

The following items are suggested donations for the food shelves:
Cash donations
Gift cards to purchase fresh nutritious food
Cereal (hot and cold)
Powdered milk
Pancake mix and syrup
Peanut butter and jelly
Tuna and Tuna Helper
Canned meat
Pasta and sauce
Rice and beans
Whole grain snack crackers
Granola/cereal bars
Canned fruit
Coffee/Tea
Dried rice (16 oz. packages)
Dried beans (16 oz. packages)
Cooking oil
Laundry detergent
Dish soap
Paper products (toilet paper, paper towels)
Personal care products (tooth paste, bar soap, shampoo)
Disposable diapers (all sizes)

Dear friends in Christ,

There are two great opportunities coming up that I’d welcome sharing with you, (you meaning anyone of almost any age!)

“And a Child Shall Lead”
On Sunday, February 19, I will travel to downtown Minneapolis to see the 2 p.m. show of Youth Performance Company in this; A heroic & true story of children coming of age in Terezin, the “Jewish City” established by the Nazis as a way station before the death camps. In the face of unspeakable horror, eight children use their determination to build lives filled with hope and beauty-playing,
studying, making art and writing an underground newspaper-while at risk of being killed. Their actual poems & stories are woven into a fast-paced drama about children caught in the insanity of war. Must
be in 4th grade or older. Tickets are $12 for adults; $10 for kids ages 18 & under or anyone 62 & over.

“The Wizard of Oz”
On Sunday, February 12, I welcome you to join me in Lakeville for Giant Step’s 2 p.m. performance of this classic. At least four of our children youth are in the blue cast of this show. Ticket prices TBA.

Anyone of any age who wants to join me for either of these, please call, text or email Pr. Mary Kaye at
pastor.marykaye@christusvictor.org with details on which show you are interested in, whether you need a ticket, (if so, please drop off cash or check for ticket price made out to CVLC), and whether you need a ride. If you’re under 18 & not coming with a parent or guardian, you’ll need a permission slip on file.

Join us for a weekend of building friendships with other brothers in Christ, growing in our faith, playing broomball (or cheering the team on!), worship, good food, and great conversations! Watch for the sign-up sheet and registration forms at the information desk.

WHERE: At WAPO
WHEN: Feb. 17-19!
COST: $110 (+$25 if you play broomball!)

We are exploring some exciting changes for VBS this year! We’ll share details soon, but in the meantime, mark your calendars for July 22-26, 2012! The VBS worship and family picnic will be held on July 29th.

We hope the kids will join us, the grown-ups will help us and everyone prays for us. Invite your friends and family too!!! Contact Stacey Klein (612-384-4110) if you have any questions or just can’t wait to volunteer. Registration will start in May.

Adult Forum: Three Colors of Your Spirituality – What is Your Spiritual Type?

This adult forum will help you discover your spiritual style, which is how you naturally connect with God, and ways to grow closer to God.

Starting on Sunday, January 15 at 9:45am in the Fellowship Hall. Cost: $12.00. Sign-up at the information desk!

All 5th graders and any older youth who have not received 1st Communion preparation, are invited, with their parents, to attend a series of Sunday morning learning experiences to better understand
and prepare to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

Holy Communion Preparation begins on Sunday, March 4, at 9:45am. We will meet each Sunday morning: March 4, 11, 18, 25, and April 1. 1st
Communion will be received during the Maundy Thursday worship, April 5 at 7 pm.

Information will be coming out to the 5th grade families. If you have an older child who would like to participate in Holy Communion Preparation, please contact Pastor Kent at (952) 454-6927 or
pastor.kent@christusvictor.org.

“WORKING TOGETHER WITH GOD TO GROW GOD’S CHURCH”

You may have had the opportunity to attend one of the congregation meetings held before the holidays. They were well attended and we received a lot of input about what member’s visions are for the future.

Members came together and had some lively conversations about what they see and hear for the future of Christus Victor. The purpose of the meetings was to start the conversations to identify and clarify where we need to focus on improving the health and quality of our ministries.

Now the next step – what do we do with the information? The council is purposing we use a process called Natural Church Development.

What is Natural Church Development? It is a process the members of a church follow to identify the characteristics of their church in order to know where and what to focus on for growth and improvements.

How is it done? A cross span of members, approximately 30, are selected to take a survey. The survey results will give us a picture of how we are doing as a church. The results are categorized within 8 main characteristics of a church. One or two areas are identified that the church can focus on to improve in order to grow that ministry characteristic, and thus impacting
and growing all other areas at the same time.

How does this get started? With Christus Victor members taking the lead. A team of at least five members is needed to
get this started. The Team members include:
• Team leader: Senior leader who makes sure that progress is being made and the team is functioning in a healthy
manner. This cannot be the pastor.
• Strategic thinker: Someone who understands system thinking sees the big picture and asks the right questions
throughout the process.
• Researcher: Someone who loves working with data by collecting, processing and analyzing relevant information
to guide the group.
• Intercessor: Someone who can mobilize a prayer team and fosters a spirit of humble dependence throughout
the church.
• Communicator: Someone who can maintain healthy communication within the team, the larger leadership
community and throughout the church.

A Church Health Team is being formed to lead this process forward. We need more people to answer the call and take the lead, become team members and make this happen. This process is not led by the pastors, but by the members.

If you have any questions about NCD, if you would like to be one of the Team members or know someone who would be a good fit for one of the positions, please contact anyone of the Church Health Task Force members: Barb Damlo, Malisa Kreutzmann, Ed Odden, Pastor Kent Claussen Gubrud