GREETINGS TO YOU THIS NEW YEAR! 2019 is upon us, and it brings new

possibil it ies and renewed commitment to

ongoing parts of our congregation. The

first and most formal matter for you to

know is about membership status. Our

consti tution, which was developed and

adopted by Immanuel and Bethlehem

members, descr ibes a voting member as a

confirmed person who has communed at

least once in the current or previous year,

and who has made a financial contribution

of record in the current or previous year.

(C8.02.c) I wil l be reviewing the records

this month with church leadership and we

wil l remove the names of people who did

not commune or contribute in 2018 and

2017. This is good news because we wil l

now have an accurate membership roster.

However, i t does mean that some people

may not be al lowed to vote at the Annual

Meeting, and many names wil l be removed

from the mai l ing l ist. If you are no longer

a member of United Lutheran but wish to

continue receiving this monthly newsletter,

you must contact the office by phone or

email to make us aware of your intentions.

I wil l sti l l offer pastoral care for removed

members, as I do for other people in the

Proctor community.

As your pastor, there are many things that

I can do to serve you and this community.

Lutherans do pract ice Individual

Confession and Forgiveness. You can

schedule a t ime to meet with me, or stop by

the building when I am around. I can do

Blessings on your home, new car, new

drivers, new jobs, etc. I visi t the hospita l

when you have a baby, or have a procedure

or surgery. Please note: hospitals do not

automatical ly call me. You have to let me

know where you are and if you want a visi t .

The same goes for Homebound/Shut In

Visi ts. I wil l happi ly visi t you and bring

communion, but you must request a visit .

This is best for your schedule and mine. I

enjoy meeting with members for a coffee

break or lunch. I am able to lead prayers

for community groups and events. I am

always wil l ing to write letters of

recommendation for colleges or new jobs.

As I state in the worship bul letin each

week, I am here to share your joy s and

concerns. I am often at the United building

We welcome EVERYONE! January 2019

UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH OF PROCTOR

FROM YOUR PASTOR

on Mondays and Tuesdays in the morning

and afternoons, on Wednesday afternoons

and evenings, and again on Thursday

mornings and afternoons. Synod meetings

general ly happen on a Tuesday or a

Thursday, so I might be off si te some of

those days. Friday is my day off. The best

way to get in contact with me is by call ing

or text ing me, or sending me an emai l .

Don’t ever think that I am too busy or that

your call would bother me – I am here for

you!

God’s blessings be upon you this year and

always.

Peace+ Pastor Kowitz

Worship Leaders for January Volunteer Church Cleaners

JANUARY 6th:

8:15 Usher: Gordy Westendorf

10:00 a.m.:

Assisting Minister: Bea Kitto

Reader: Claudia Gannucci

Ushers: The Carlsons

Greeter: Alice Rohweder

Acolyte: Carter Kowitz

Counters: Claudia Gannucci & Dan

Saarela

Council Person of the Week:

Sonja Carlson

JANUARY 13th:

8:15 Usher: Joe & Barb Omundson

10:00 a.m.:

Assisting Minister: Dan Saarela

Reader: Claudia Gannucci

Usher: Steve Grabko

Greeter: Claudia Gannucci

Acolyte: Avie Murray

Counters: Carolyn Johnson & Janice

Bakke

Council Person of the Week:

Steve Grabko

Dec. 31 – Jan. 5 Reg & Linda Southerton Jan. 7 – 12 Brian & Cindy Timm; Bonnie Timm; Michael & Diane Timm Jan. 14 – 19 Deb & Gary Vanneste Jan. 21 – 26 Gordy Westendorf Jan. 28 – Feb. 2 Scott & Jessica Witty

JANUARY 20th:

8:15 Usher: Gordy Westendorf

10:00 a.m.:

Assisting Minister: Jordan Schwarz

Reader: Karen Nolin

Ushers: Janis Anderson & Susan

Johnson

Greeters: Susan & Jordan Schwarz

Acolyte: Allana Carlson

Counters: Mandi Murray & Victor

Murray

Council Person of the Week:

Jordan Schwarz

JANUARY 27th:

8:15 Usher: Carolyn Johnson

10:00 a.m.:

Assisting Minister: Amelie

Livingston

Reader: Bea Kitto

Ushers: Joanne Schwerm & Joanie

Thompson

Greeters: Jim & Betty Merling

Acolyte: Dan Saarela

Counters: Marge Lind & Janet

Lockwood

Council Person of the Week:

Carolyn Johnson

PLEASE CONSIDER signing up for the same week each month. This is so helpful to Dan Saarela

when he needs to fill the list. YOU ARE APPRECIATED!

ANNUAL MEETING

FEBRUARY 10th

AFTER WORSHIP

Friendly Tip:

After you have chosen United

Lutheran Church of Proctor , shop as

you usually do. When you are ready to

pay, go to your shopping cart, check

the web address at the top and replace

the “www” with “smile” if need be.

Your web address should start with

https://smile.amazon.com

HOMEBOUND VISITS

Are you no longer able to attend church?

Would you like a visitor from your church

family? Please contact the church office at

624-4255 on weekday mornings. Someone

from the Fellowship Committee would be

happy to visit you periodically.

Even though you are not able to come to

church, we want you to know that we care

about you.

THANKS GO TO:

Serenity Accounting & Bookkeeping Services

Thank you for your bookkeeping

and payroll services!

http://www.serenityduluth.com

(218) 464-1510

LET'S KEEP EVERYONE WARM THIS WINTER

During January we wil l be

collect ing warm clothing for

Duluth Harbor Mission.

Veronica, Harbor Mission

Director, says they rea lly

need hats, gloves and boots.

Watch the sales for good deals. Also any

clean, gently used jackets would be welcome.

All donations can be dropped

in the baskets in the entryway

of the church. By sharing with

those in need we are loving

our neighbors as Jesus taught.

This project is sponsored by

the Evangel ism Committee at

United Lutheran.

CALLED HOME

A memorial service was held for

SUSAN JOAN LEONARD on

December 8th at United Lutheran Church.

Born on March 28, 1952, Susan passed away

on December 2nd at Essentia.

A funeral service was held for EDWIN

MARLIN BRAINERD on December 17th

at United.

Edwin was born on July 18, 1938 and

passed away on December 11th.

ADULT SOCIAL GATHERING

Let's gather for dinner and fe l lowship

Sunday, January 27. Meet at 5:30 at OMC

Smokehouse (Oink, Moo, Cluck) in

Lincoln Park. The restaurant is at 1909 W

Superior St. Everyone wil l order and pay

for their own dinner. There wi l l be free

childcare offered at the church. You can

drop your kids off at the church at 5:00.

Our incredible middle/high school youth

wil l watch the kids and serve a pizza

dinner. Watch for a chi ldcare sign up

sheet in January so we know we wil l have

enough babysitters. See you then!

Contact Rachel Johnson with quest ions

390-5586 or RachelCJohnson@msn.com

POWER IN PRAYER

UNITED LUTHERAN’S

BOOK CLUB

JOIN US ON

SAT., JANUARY 19TH

9:30 a.m.

at the Field Station Café

in Proctor to discuss:

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

(Normally held Second Saturday of the

month, however, re -scheduled for this date

due to conflicts. )

The charming tale of Santiago, a shepherd

boy, who dreams of seeing the world, is

compel l ing in its own right, but gains

resonance through the many lessons Santiago

learns during his adventures. He journeys

from Spain to Morocco in search of worldly

success, and eventually to Egypt, where a

fateful encounter with an alchemist brings

him at last to self -understanding and spiritual

enlightenment.

The story has the comic charm, dramatic

tension and psychological intensity of a fairy

tale, but it ' s full of specific wisdom as well ,

about becoming self -empowered, overcoming

depression, and believing in dreams. The

cumulative effect is l ike hearing a wonderful

bedtime story from an inspirational

psychiatrist .

Please join us!

All prayer requests can be called to

Jan Bakke 628-1211 or submitted

htttp://www.proctorlutheran.org/prayer

All requests are important and

we welcome any of your

concerns.

MISSION INTERPRETER MESSAGE

Grace to you and peace from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Chri st .

Before you start to read my article this

month, please open your Bible to the last

book in the Old Testament, Malachi 3:8-

10 and in the New Testament 2nd Cor.

9:6-7 . Also please reread Pastor

Kowitz’s letter we received a while back

tit led “Joyful and Abundant.” This letter

we received was with the information

about what we have given for last 12

months. If you don’t have your copy,

there are extras at Church.

Thank you for supporting the Work of

God in your tithes and offerings. United

Lutheran Church of Proctor continues to

grow because of everyone’s giving and

serving. People around the world are

blessed by receiving c lean drinking water

and hospitals receive solar panels to keep

the l ights on, and so many areas too

numerous to mention.

What comes to your mind when I

mention “t ithe?” Tithe means 1/10 or

10%.

We can’t out give GOD! I can’t

emphasize this too much. You can’t g ive

what you don’t have, I understand that.

We can give 10% of what GOD has

blessed us with. Trust “GOD” and have

faith that “HE” wil l make up the

difference and bless you more than you

can imagine.

Pastor Kowitz challenged the Church

Council to increase our giving by 2%. I

took up the challenge. I looked up in my

last 12 months of giving that I received

in the letter and increased i t by 2%. My

statement, “You can’t out give GOD”,

is so true in my case. I decided to start

giving online. My check is direct

deposited in my checking account. So

before I can spend a penny of that money

it goes direct ly to the Church. GOD ge ts

HIS money before I use anything. I have

found that when I gave my pledge for

next year, GOD has more than blessed

me. In my case, I have found out, I can’t

out give GOD. I don’t give to see if

GOD will bless me, I do i t to obey

GOD’S l iving law of giving. But GOD

does bless more than we imagine. Reread

Mal. 3:8-10 & 2nd Cor. 9:6-7 , & Pastor

Kowitz’s letter I mentioned earl ier.

Please pray before you reread them.

One way I would l ike to mention that

GOD has truly blessed me. I have put on

over 80,000 miles on my car. I have not

put on any new t ires on my car yet. I

know of some people that bought new

cars and by about 27,000 -35,000 miles

had to buy tires. I can think of many

other ways GOD has blessed me.

How has GOD blessed you? GOD has

blessed you and me in more ways than we

can ever imagine. Please pray about this

subject and ask for guidance. May The

Holy Spirit lead you to have a deeper

understanding on the subject of tithing

and giving. May the ETERNAL GOD of

the Universe, that owns everything, bless

you now in this l ife and forever.

God’s Peace and Blessings to you all ,

Dan Saarela

In closing I wish to share one of the

Prayers of the Christmas Day Service.

Prayer for the Gifts

Blessed be your name, O God;

you are the source of every

blessing. From your hand we

receive the good gifts of life,

health, and salvation. As we give

and receive presents this time of

year, bless us with hearts thankful

for the gift of your Son and lead us

to share our abundance with those

in need. We ask this through Christ

our Savior.

--Amen

JANUARY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

WARMEST BIRTHDAY WISHES TO YOU!

1 Jan Bakke

2 Brooke Strom

3 Kasey & Cody Olson

5 Mary Lou Sharp, Abby Lonne

7 Matt Rohweder

8 David Brenna

10 Marjorie Streed, Karole Anderson,

Reese Rohweder

12 Steve Grabko

13 Zach Kitto, Jim Kmecik

14 Bonnie Maeckelbergh,

Mildred O’Connor

18 Arlo Sletten, Linda Anderson

20 Jan Lockwood

23 Karson Strom

24 Michael Rohweder, Lisa Lockwood

25 Barb Omundson

26 Dale Miller, Joanne Schwerm

31 Joey Erickson

A NEW YEAR’S PRAYER

Lord, You make all things new; You bring hope alive in our hearts

And cause our Spirits to be born again.

Thank you for this new year; For all the potential it holds.

Come and kindle in us a mighty flame

So that in our time, many will see the wonders of God

And live forever to praise Your glorious name.

Amen

INPUT = OUTPUT

My grandpa used to say “put garbage in,

you’l l get garbage out”. Try putting

“garbage” into your body, your mind, or

your spirit . The results are the same —

i t pollutes, corrupts, and ruins.

Jesus said “the eye is the lamp of the

body”, helping us understand how this

all works. Do you agree with the

equation “input into your l ife = output

of your l i fe”?

What are you inputting on a weekly basis

to put good stuff into your heart and

mind and soul? What is the one thing

you need to stop inputting?

“Your eye is l ike a lamp that provides

l ight for your body. When your eye is

healthy, your whole body is fi l led with

l ight. But when your eye is unhealthy,

your whole body is fi l led with

darkness…”

Matthew 6:22-23a (NLT)

WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY!

On December 16, 2018, the following

individuals were “officially”

welcomed and joined God’s

family at United Lutheran:

Paul Hauschild

Janice Voyles

Jared Warneke

Brenna & Nick Walters,

Autumn, Peyton & Nikki

WORSHIP SCHEDULE

Chapel Service – 8:15 a.m.

Christian Education – 9 a.m. (1st, 3rd and possible 5th Sundays of the month)

Worship – 10 a.m.

Fellowship – following worship

VLM ANNUAL MEETING

Voyageurs Lutheran Ministry’s annual

meeting is taking place on February 2nd at

Zion Lutheran Church, 2901 South Highway

169, Grand Rapids, MN. Coffee and Cookies

wil l be available starting at 10:30 am with

the meeting start ing at 11:00 am. A friendly

reminder that each member congregation

has a pastoral vote along with one adult lay

delegate and one youth lay delegate. Al l

member congregations with confirmed

members in excess of 500 can have one

addit ional delegate

for every 500

members. Visi tors

are welcome and

encouraged to

attend. Contact the

VLM office to

RSVP!

www.VLMcamps.org | vlm@vlmcamps.org 800-331-5148 | 218-666-5465

Camp Hiawatha, 36944 Camp Hiawatha Road, Deer River, MN

Camp Vermilion, 2555 Vermilion Camp Road, Cook, MN

WE NEED YOUR HELP

YOU ARE NEEDED to help

serve coffee after worship. Sign up

with a friend. All you have to do is

bring a treat to share. Coffee and

Kool-Aid are provided in the

kitchen. Check the clipboard on

the table in the narthex and pick

your Sunday(s).

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WELCOME TO OUR

VISITORS

You will be welcomed at each of the following:

Chapel Service at 8:15 a.m. (Word of God and Holy Communion, with an abridged liturgy)

Christian Education at 9 a.m. (1st, 3rd, and

possible 5th Sundays of the month)

Worship Service at 10 a.m. (Full liturgy plus other celebrations like baptisms, new members, choir)

Fellowship to follow worship service

Within this newsletter are the various events hosted

by our church in the coming weeks. You are invited

to all and we look forward to seeing you.

UNITED LUTHERAN

CHURCH OF PROCTOR

www.proctorlutheran.org

office phone: 218-624-4255

Pr. Kowitz’ cell: 218-240-1660

office@proctorlutheran.org

pastor@proctorlutheran.org

council@proctorlutheran.org

Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/proctorlutheran

We welcome EVERYONE!

United Lutheran Church of Proctor 701 Third Avenue Proctor, MN 55810 Northeastern Minnesota Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church in America God’s work: Our hands. ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

NON-PROFIT ORG.

US POSTAGE

PAID

DULUTH, MN

PERMIT NO. 122