FLC Weekend Announcements

Worship Times:

Saturday: 5pm

Sunday: 8:15am & 10:15am

Wednesday: 6:15pm

All Worship Services are Live Streamed on Facebook Live.

https://www.facebook.com/

FLCBlair/

Office Hours

Monday-Thursday: 8:30am-4:30pm

Fridays: 8:30am-3:00pm

Phone Number

402-426-4073

Pastor Glen's focus for his message for

this upcoming weekend:

How do you see the people around you? Are they opportunities to make new friends or problems or overcome? As followers of Jesus, they are obligations, and we owe them our fullest effort to reconcile when we are broken, to work together to grow in the Word that builds community, and to be gathered in the Holy Spirit despite the worldly pressures that threaten to tear us apart. Our worship of independence is the great lie we tell ourselves. We belong to a God who desires connections, with us and us with each other.

Upcoming Forums for Updates to the Church Constitution

On September 16th, 17th, and 20th, we will hold open forums to review the updates to the constitution. These forums will be directly following worship, with 2 on the 17th, one after 8:15am worship and

also after 10:15am worship.

Any recommendations by members of the congregation to add or eliminate the updates will be given to the church council for action at their October meeting. Voting on the updates to the Constitution will happen on October 14th, 15th and 18th. Because of this unique meeting format, there will be no further opportunity for motions or amendments at that time – this will be a simple YES or NO vote. Members who disapprove of the updates may, of course, vote against the updated constitution and it will be reconsidered at a later date.

You can see and review the proposed changes to the Constitution, MSP, and other updates regarding the call process. You can click the link below to

 get all the information.

Printed copies of the Constitution are available on request.

https://firstlutheranblair.org/call-process/

Please add your prayer to our "Prayer Tree"!!

Stop in the Narthex and write your prayer on a leaf. As a community at FLC, we will "leaf" all our prayers to God.

W.O.W. Meal is back on Wednesdays!

Rushed on Wednesdays? 

Let us do the cooking!

Join us for the W.O.W. Meal

in the Fellowship Hall from 5:30 pm – 6:15 pm

prior to Worship Lab.

** Free-will offering **

  Come at 5:30 to fuel your body and then

stay for Worship Lab at 6:15

to feed your soul.

Ruth Circle

ATTENTION: all members of Ruth Circle and other interested women!  We will be meeting on Tuesday, September 12 at 2:00 P.M. in the Johansen Manor Social Room for our regular Bible study. Dorothy Olson will be bringing refreshments. You are also invited to come to FLC on Thursday morning, September 14 at 9:00 A.M. to work on packing school kits for Lutheran World Relief.  We look forward to seeing you at both events.  

Tri-Faith initiative-United We Walk Event

The Tri-faith Initiative-United We Walk Event will be this Sunday, September 10th. There will be Food Trucks, 1-Mile Journey Around the Commons, Musical, Poetry, & Dance Performances, and an Open House of the three Faith Buildings on the Commons. For more information please click the link below.

https://www.trifaith.org/uww-2023/

Choir News

Could the Spirit be calling you to add your voice to the choir?

If so, we can promise with great certainty:

You will feel welcome, comfortable, and involved 

The choir will begin rehearsals on Tuesday, September 5th at 6:30 pm in the choir room (take the elevator to the second floor and turn left).

Regular attendance is encouraged but don't be discouraged if you can't make it each week.

You are welcome to join as often as you can.

For more information and questions, contact Vince at VKrysl@firstlutheranblair.org

Come, join us in making a joyful noise!

FLC Youth Flamingos are back!!

Sept 10th - Oct 10th

$25 = flock a friend's yard for 3-4 days

$25 = insurance to protect your yard from any flamingo flocking

All funds raised support our trip to New Orleans for the ELCA Youth Gathering in July 2024.

Contact Erika to spread some flamingo joy around Blair!!

NEEDED!! MID WEEK MEAL DELIVERY DRIVERS!!

Could you give one hour per month and deliver our Mid Week Meal to our neighbors in Blair?

We have added another route to our list, and we need more help in order to spread the work among more people.

Contact Erika if you could deliver one hour/month on a Wednesday around 5:15 or 5:30pm.

Monday Morning Bible Study

How Lutherans Interpret the Bible

Our Monday Bible study begins again anew with a new DVD study, and an invitation to women to join us in our Bible study!

We will be starting a new study of How Lutherans Interpret the Bible, presented by Dr. Mark Allan Powell, a Lutheran pastor and Bible professor at Trinity Lutheran Seminary (ELCA). Dr. Powell presents his insights on the Bible through seven sessions on DVD. His delivery is clear, concise, and enthusiastic. 

Our Bible study will begin Monday after Labor Day, September 11 at 9:00 am in the library.  Please consider joining us even if you may not be able to attend every week.  And for planning purposes, if you are interested in attending, please contact Glen Andersen or Dawn Andersen.

Plan to attend?  Questions?  Call or text  

Glen Andersen 402-237-9775 

Dawn Andersen 402-426-4073

Pastor Glen Thomas 402-740-6395

Social Concerns Committee:

Thank you to all who are bringing garden produce, flowers, or baked goods to our SUMMER GARDEN MARKET.  Products may be brought to the church and placed on the Garden Cart any time the church is open--preferably prior to 3:00 P.M. on Fridays and between 4:00 P.M. and 7:00 P.M. on Saturdays. This provides us "non-gardeners" a great opportunity to buy some home grown produce! All proceeds will go to ELCA WORLD HUNGER.  Let us pay generously for what we buy so that others may be fed! 

GOD'S WORK/OUR HANDS is a program that has been taking place throughout the entire ELCA for the last nine years during the month of September.  This year we at FLC are encouraged to do "random acts of kindness" for others throughout the month. Following your "act of kindness" we invite you to take a heart shaped stickie note from the rolling chalk board located in the narthex and describe the kindness you have done and stick it on the rolling chalk board. You may add your name if you wish, but names are optional. Also at the rolling chalk board you will find "kindness stickers" and we invite you to wear one to show your support for this program. We encourage everyone to do and post at least one random act of kindness during the month of September, and hope that many of us will do these acts often. If you wish, you may submit a photo of the act and either place it on the rolling chalkboard or post it on the FLC Facebook page. You will receive a suggestion sheet of possible random acts of kindness at the worship services on Wednesday night September 6, Saturday evening September 9, and Sunday September 10.  

Our 2023 BLAIIR CROP HUNGER WALK sponsored by Church World Service will take place on Sunday, October 8, gathering at FLC around 12:30 P.M. and leaving the church at 1:00 P.M.  We will be joined by our friends from First United Methodist Church.  There will be both a 5k and a 3k route, and we will return to FLC where we will have treats. We encourage on-line solicitations as well as having a station at FLC in prior weeks where congregation members can make contributions while attending worship. Remember that 25% of the funds raised will be returned to our own WASHINGTON COUNTY FOOD PANTRY. Please plan to participate--either by walking individually or in teams or family groups, or by supporting walkers financially. More information regarding how you can sign up to walk and/or to solicit funds on-line will be coming soon. 

Here are a few quotes from a letter FLC recently received from Daniel Rift, Director of ELCA WORLD HUNGER and LUTHERAN DISASTER RESPONSE FUND. "Congregations such as yours play a critical role in making it possible to support neighbors around the globe who experience the effects of hunger and poverty and support them for the long haul. . . With economic uncertainty impacting so many, we are also experiencing a reduction in the donations we count on to make the critical work of ELCA WORLD HUNGER happen. If you are in a position to do so we are asking you to give as generously as you can today. A gift of any size makes a difference for families facing hunger and poverty. Even during times of crisis we have an opportunity to reflect Christ's light to the world in hope and love." Gifts to either ELCA WORLD HUNGER or LUTHERAN DISASTER RESPONSE FUND can be mailed to 8765 Higgins Road - Chicago IL 60631-4101. 

Women's Bible Study

The Friday Morning Women’s Bible Study will begin Season 2 of the series “The Chosen”. This study will combine the movie with eight sessions in a study guide. This Bible study meets on Friday mornings from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. in the Ark, which is in the lower level of First Lutheran. If interested in coming to this Bible study, contact Susie Pinquoch at (402) 426-8182 or spinquoch@gpcom.net.

Lutheran Disaster Relief Donations for Hawaii

If you would like to make a donation to help victims of the wildfires in Hawaii, one of the best options is Lutheran Disaster Relief. Every dollar goes directly to aid victims, and LDS is already there and will be there long after other relief agencies leave. Go to elca.org and click on the banner to Give Now to Wildfire Relief. You an also put a check in the offering at church and we can forward

it through the synod.

In the next several months it is our goal to educate the congregation on the

activities of the Committees at First Lutheran. We will plan to highlight the

activities of one of these committees each month. In doing this we will plan two separate activities for each committee. These include:

1. A presentation by the committee chair person or representative of the

committee to the Church Council regarding the committee’s activities. This

would include the goals of the committee, who makes up the committee,

what some of the activities of committee are, and how the Church Council

could assist the committee in their work.

2. Following the presentation to the Council, a short summary of the

committee’s activities will be included in the weekly E-Blasts sent to the

congregation.

The goal of this summary again will be to highlight the activities of the committee and hopefully increase the interest in the committees by the congregation and possibly help In the recruitment of the members to the committees.

This month's report is from the Worship & Music Committee. Please click button below to view Worship & Music

Committee Report.

WE NEED COOKIES/BARS

FOR OCTOBER!

We are needing cookies for October!

Please help if you can!

The Mid Week Meal needs your help.

We serve 240 people EACH WEEK.  That's 20 dozen cookies/bars EACH WEEK.

Please sign up to provide a treat for these folks!! We are especially in need in October!

Signup here or call Erika

(402-533-0918):  https://signup.com/go/hfewWuF

Communion Update:

Thank you for helping with this accommodation for Pastor Glen: because it is difficult for Pastor to bring communion to members in the pews, if you find it physically difficult to come forward during communion, we invite you to pick up the communion elements as you come into the Sanctuary and receive them during the communion liturgy when the Pastor indicates.

Pastor Glen's contact information

Pastor Glen's email is pastorglen@firstlutheranblair.org and his cell phone number is (402) 740-6395

if you need to contact him. 

Quick Update-Building Locked on the Weekend

Please see when the building will be open

Fridays - 8:30am-3:00pm

Saturdays - 4:00pm-7:00pm

Sundays - 8:00am-12:00 Noon

If you need to make arrangements to meet or come into the church please contact the church office at (402) 426-4073.  Thank you!

Wednesday, September

13th, 2023

We will be serving Chicken Stuffing Casserole, fruit, and dessert.

WE REMEMBER IN OUR PRAYERS

Please keep these people in your thoughts and prayers