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)

Hi! I am Pastor Mary Kaye Ashley. I live in Burnsville with my three adult sons and husband, Jim, and am happy to be serving as your interim associate pastor at Christus Victor!

I’ve worked as director of youth ministries at Faith, down Cedar in Rosemount, as associate pastor at Cross of Glory in Mounds View and at Como Park in Saint Paul, in addition to a lot of other kinds of work with parents, children and youth. I treasure the staffs I’ve had the privilege of working with, and am delighted to be working with Pr. Kent and the rest of your staff.

I will be doing preaching, leading worship & visitation, along with heavy involvement in children, youth & family ministries. I love to be around growing people, and am delighted to work with you as you grow as followers of Jesus Christ.

Please feel free to call, text, email or Facebook me. I respond to everything I can most every day, and if you don’t reach me directly, please leave a message, so I can get back when I’m not driving, in the middle of a visit, etc. I want to get to know you all as quickly, and as well as I am able, in order to shape my communications and actions to share grace and testify to God’s love in our midst.

Fall is here and Thanksgiving is not far behind.   The Social Ministries Committee will once again be organizing our annual Thanksgiving basket ministry.

We began raising funds with our successful concession stand at the garage sale.  Once again we have a partnership with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans with a Care Abounds in Communities grant.    This year we will be picking apples at the Wardell’s orchard for our baskets.  The Wardell family has graciously donated the apples.  Our goal is 250 baskets for families in our Dakota County area.

How can you help?  You can sponsor a families’ dinner through our Adopt-A-Family campaign.   Each basket feeds a family of six and costs about $25.  A $25 donation provides for one family, $50 provides for two!  Your donation of any amount will help provide not only a wonderful holiday meal, but also send a heartfelt message to the recipients that they are loved and valued by God and their community.  Another way you can help is to volunteer on the morning of Saturday, November 19^th.  We will meet at church at 9:00 to fold boxes, unload the truck, bag apples, and fill the boxes.  If you have never participated in this event please join us!  This is a great family activity and service project for our Confirmation groups.  It is an amazing sight!

The sign-up sheet, Adopt-A-Family donation envelopes and additional information will be at the information desk near the end of October.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact a member of the Social Ministries Committee.  Many thanks in advance for helping us make this event not only a success for Christus Victor but more importantly for helping us make a positive impact on our sisters and brothers in our community.

Needed are 40 volunteers (ages 5-100) who would like to have fun while packaging meals for our brothers and sisters around the world. Donations to help fund the means are also needed. If you would like to donate, make your check to Christus Victor and put FMSC in the memo. For those who would like to carpool, we will leave from church at 8:30am. More info & a sign-up sheet are at the info desk. Any questions, please contact Nancy Colin 952-452-0700.

During the month of September, the Social Ministries Committee will be collecting care package items that will be sent to military personnel who are currently serving our country overseas.

Monetary donations are also needed to pay for the mailing fees. Personal letters are very welcomed – never underestimate the value of a handwritten note. And, of course, prayers are always needed.

Last year, one of the soldiers wrote in her thank you note: “I wanted to say thank you to all the members of your congregation… for the box of goodies, the pictures and, of course, the prayers. It’s a good feeling to know that people are thinking about us. It’s people like yourselves that help keep us strong and stay positive. This package not only brought a smile to my face, but also others in my unit.”

This project is not just about collecting and sending ‘things’ to our troops, it’s about raising morale and letting the soldiers know we care about them.

Here’s how YOU can be a vital part of this service project:
 WRITE a personal note/letter/card (this is the number one request!)
 PRAY for their safety and speedy return home
 kids can DRAW OR COLOR PICTURES OR MAKE A SMALL GIFT
 DONATE money for shipping expenses (flat rate fee = approx $13/box)
 CONTRIBUTE one or more suggested items listed below:
* Peanut butter
* Kids drawings
* Hand-held games
* Energy bars
* Tuna pouches
* Hard candy/mints
* Chewing gum
* Canned fruit (single serving cans only)
* Dice
* Microwave popcorn
* Batteries (assorted sizes)
* Disposable razors
* Beef jerky
* White ankle socks
* DVD’s (movies, TV series)
* Playing cards Magazines (current)
* Energy drinks
* Foot powder
* Earbuds (for stereo/I-pod)
* Baby wipes (small packages)
* Flip-flops (for shower)
* Crossword/Sudoko/Word find puzzles
* Powdered drinks (eg. Crystal Light)
* Playing Cards

**Please – no home-made treats or anything that will melt

LOOK FOR THE FOOT LOCKER IN THE NARTHAX AREA DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER

Please direct questions and comments to Michele Iaria (952-891-1303 or miaria@charter.net) OR anyone on the Social Ministries Committee: Cindy Baubie, Nancy Colin, Barb Damlo (council rep), Alice McCammon, Brenda Kroeten, Lorna Peterson, Tina Reu, Audrey Smith, Peggy Sunwall, Alana Thureen
THANK YOU!

LET’S REACH OUT AND SHOW OUR SUPPORT

TO THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE SERVING OUR COUNTRY!

 During the month of September, the Social Ministries Committee will be collecting care package items that will be sent to military personnel who are currently serving our country overseas. Monetary donations are also needed to pay for the mailing fees. Personal letters are very welcomed – never underestimate the value of a handwritten note. And, of course, prayers are always needed.

Last year, one of the soldiers wrote in her thank you note: “I wanted to say thank you to all the members of your congregation… for the box of goodies, the pictures and, of course, the prayers. It’s a good feeling to know that people are thinking about us. It’s people like yourselves that help keep us strong and stay positive. This package not only brought a smile to my face, but also others in my unit.”

This project is not just about collecting and sending ‘things’ to our troops, it’s about raising morale and letting the soldiers know we care about them.   Here’s how YOU can be a vital part of this service project:

WRITE a personal note/letter/card (this is the number one request!)

PRAY for their safety and speedy return home

kids can DRAW OR COLOR PICTURES OR MAKE A SMALL GIFT

DONATE money for shipping expenses (flat rate fee  = approx $13/box)

CONTRIBUTE one or more suggested items listed below:

Peanut butter, Kids drawings, Hand held games, Energy bars, Tuna pouches, Hard candy/mints, Chewing gum, Canned fruit (single serving cans only), Dice, Microwave popcorn, Batteries (assorted sizes), Disposable razors, Beef jerky, White ankle socks, DVD’s (movies, TV series), Playing cards, Magazines (current), Energy drinks, Foot powder, Earbuds (for stereo/I-pod), Baby wipes (small packages), Flip-flops (for shower), Crossword/Sudoko/Word find puzzles, Powdered drinks (eg. Crystal Light), Playing Cards

 Please – no home-made treats or anything that will melt

LOOK FOR THE FOOT LOCKER IN THE NARTHAX AREA DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER

 THANK YOU!

360 Communities has worked to produce a series of videos about the value of getting connected with your community through volunteering. Christus Victor Senior Pastor Kent Claussen-Gubrud was interviewed for part of the series.

The interview was is broken into two videos.