Coloring Pages
Mom Color Page 1 Mom Color Page 2 Believe Color Page
May 2020
I would normally be inviting everyone to join our end-of-year activities on the last day of Sunday school on May 10th. We would be preparing a song for all of the kids to sing. I would tally up attendance awards, collect teacher surveys, and prepare a recap our year. But this year is different. The Covid-19 pandemic has us all tucked into the safety our homes and unable to join together in the success of another Sunday school year. I could dwell on all of the things that we didn’t get to finish, but I’m not going to do that. I’m a positive person and I try to find the good in even the bad times. Bad days make you appreciate the good days even more. I challenge all of you to find the good; be the better person; continue to build each other up, even when from a distance. Stay positive. Pray.
I’ve had another wonderful and rewarding year as the Family Education Director. I thank everyone who helped and I thank God for giving me this opportunity. I look forward to next year!
Thank you to those that donated food. We were able to stack it high! I had to “crop” in some kiddos to the Mountain of Food picture. Please continue to give to the food shelf. Donations are needed year-round. They take monetary donations, donations of food and personal care items. Let’s be sure that food is available to any household experiencing a food crisis, especially during this time of a pandemic.
It was great to see some of you on Easter during the cold communion drive-through. Thank you to Holli, Michele, Shari, and Bruce for joining me in preparing and passing out goodies to the kids that came through with their parents and for helping to try and block the wind.
May is Sunday School Teacher appreciation month. Thank you to these teachers and helpers: Nick & Brittany Agrimson, Megan & Michele Ekern, Brenda & Riley Tesch, Emily Brennan, Karissa Eide, Maddy Anderson, Tracy Knutson, Emma Schuster, Nicole Messenger, Stephanie Evenson, Anne Boehmke, Brendon Honken, Melissa Feine, Lisa Chellew, Sharon Horton, Beth Tudahl, Audra Skalet, Karen Zibrowski, Steve Burdey, and Pastor Steve Chellew.
Thank you to the substitute teachers and any others that helped out during the year. Flowers will be planted out front of the church in honor and appreciation of the Sunday school teachers and the wonderful job they do to grow the faith of the students. Your dedication is truly a blessing!
A BIG thank you to Kristin Burdey for the wonderful job directing our youth to sing and all that goes along with that!
Thank you to Lori Clobes for taking care of purchasing the snacks and supplies for Sunday morning family education classes.
It takes many dedicated people to make the family education department successful. We appreciate all the volunteers and feel blessed to have an opportunity to work with you all! Thank you to those serving on the Family Education committee.
I will soon be recruiting teachers for next year. It would be wonderful if you contacted me first to let me know that you’d like to volunteer to teach full or part time or be a substitute or helper! I pray that God leads you to do so.
I hope to be able to have VBS this summer, so watch the newsletters for information.
LESSON: JESUS LIVES!
He’s alive! So now what?? Once the eggs have been found, chocolate consumed, and bonnets put away, it may seem that Easter loses its thrill. But the empty tomb is only the beginning of the story, and there are important lessons to be gained from events immediately after the resurrection as well as further down the road. Let’s focus on Christ’s appearances after the resurrection and how disciples perceived Him. Emphasis is on trusting, as well as how we are encouraged to spread the good news with others.
We can be certain that Jesus is alive and worthy of our trust; because He takes away sin, we are to spread the news of His work with other people.
Read John 20:19-31
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
Jesus and Thomas
24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The Purpose of This Book
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Jesus comes back to make His presence and life absolutely and undeniably evident. He confronts the skeptical twin face to face and allows his doubts to be laid to rest. The most striking detail in this encounter, though, at least for our sake as modern believers, is in verse 29. Jesus says “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Who might that be? Us! We have not physically seen Jesus, but we know in whom we believe, and are blessed for it.
ACTIVITY
Get out the dominoes. Line them up in a long row. What might happen if one were to fall over? Now go ahead and start the chain reaction and watch the dominoes topple in a row. When we accept Christ and share His love, that can start a reaction with others catching on and spreading the good news! If feeling extra adventurous, use a more exciting and reactive element to illustrate this: make a baking soda/vinegar spout, or pour a tube of Mentos into a Diet Coke bottle. Explain how we can get so excited about Jesus that we can’t help bubbling over to share!
Enjoy the spring weather!
Christine Anderson
Family Education Director
[email protected]
507-858-5968
You can now give to Rushford Lutheran Church by downloading the free app Give+. Simply download the app, create an account and make your tax free donation. It is that EASY!!
