Family of God Lutheran Church     ELCA

Monthly Church Newsletter:  Thank you to all who replied to our newsletter survey. With those results, we have decided that we will no longer be mailing the newsletter to all members. There will be a basket of printed newsletters on the “Welcome” table at the church. The newsletter will be available at the FOG website. If you would like to have a copy of the newsletter mailed to you, please contact Amy at the church office and she will arrange for it to be mailed. Thank you!!

Important Message from Pastor Paul:  Please be aware:   A number of people of the congregation have been receiving scam emails that supposedly are from me. Please do not respond to them. The e mail address they are coming from is not mine. Furthermore, they don’t sound like me. I don’t ask people for gift cards or ask for discreet things in emails. In some of these messages my name is spelled wrong! If it doesn’t sound like me, it isn’t. Please call the church if you have any questions. Pastor Paul Burow.

Office Help Needed:  Sadly Amy Masterman will be moving to Wisconsin this spring.  Family of God Lutheran Church is looking for a part time Administrative Assistant/Receptionist to join our team. If you are interested please submit your cover letter and resume to Sandy Lenthe at slenthe@yahoo.com.  Click here for job description.

New Member Classes will be held April 28 and May 5 following worship services.  If you are interested in becoming a new member at Family of God, please join us!

Women's Brunch: Save the Date!  Family of God women are invited to the Women's Brunch on Saturday, April 27 at 10 am.  Members working on the planning are Carolyn Jahns, Connie Young, Myra Madsen, and Jeanne Ferguson.  One focus of the spring brunch will be to gather ideas for future Saturday or evening get-togethers.  Please watch for attendance and food sign ups.  Also, please see one of us if you would like to help.  Thank you!

Lost and Found:  The lost and found has gotten pretty fun.  Time for some spring cleaning.  Please take a look to see if anything belongs to you.

Who's Ready for Some Baseball?!  There will be a sign-up list is up for this year’s Twins game, soon after Easter. We have a block of seats in our favorite outfield section for the Tuesday, May 14th game against the Yankees.  The Twins Game this year will be on Tuesday, May 14 at 6:40 pm vs. the dreaded Yankees.  Tickets are $56 including $10 for food and beverage.  This year there will be some interesting and tasty food items to try.  If you look at the Thursday Star Tribune, the Taste Section, the new food items are listed.  How can one go wrong eating and enjoying a smashed baked potato, a s'more cookie, deep fried Oreos, banh mi brat, bussin birria tacos, and to top it all off,  a s'mores boozy ice cream.  Sign up for your tickets by April 28!

Nursery Staff:  Please welcome Madison Benton to Family of God staff, she will be working in the nursery once a month. Madison grew up and was confirmed at Family of God. 

Mission Support:  Part of our commitment to worldwide ministry is our mission support to Rev. Sack out of Japan. He teaches at a Lutheran seminary in Tokyo. Please consider contributing to this mission in 2024. The cost is $35 per week. There are many open slots. Please sign up on the kiosk. Thank you!!

“The Chosen”:  On Mondays at noon a group of members will be watching “The Chosen” series. Everyone is welcome to join.

Worship assistants are needed. There are signup sheets in the narthex. Please consider signing up. A lot of hands make for little work. Thank you!!

Sunday School Teachers:  We are always looking for additional teachers, if anyone is interested in volunteering,  please see the sign up sheet on kiosk or talk to Pastor Erin.

Pastoral Call or Visit:  Have you or a loved one been  hospitalized for an illness? Are you or a loved one feeling under the weather? Would you like a visit or a call from the pastor? We may not be your Facebook friend so please call 763-424-8625 or email admin@fogchurch.org letting us know here at the church office. Also let us know if we should add your name to the prayer chain or the prayer corner in Sunday’s bulletin. 

Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices:  Family of God has been selected to participate in the Synod’s learning community – Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices. This is a two-year project that brings congregations together each month to experiment with practices – things we do consistently and with intention – that will deepen our life of prayer and our relationships in this neighborhood. The Minneapolis Area Synod has found that vital congregations are those that make space for lifelong faith formation and have an authentic relationship with the neighborhood. Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices is a learning community committed to the belief that faith formation and community engagement are two sides of the same coin. God is already at work in the neighborhood, and our task is to discover God’s presence in the face of our neighbor and to tell the story. That is what we will learn to practice over the next two years. Family of God has a team of five -Dean Jahns, Laura Olson, Andrew Peterson, Ginny Trogen, and Pastor Paul Burow -who will walk this learning journey, and each month invite the rest of our congregation to experiment with the practices they learn. Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices launched with a two-day retreat on October 6th and 7th. Keep our team members in prayer and be ready to discover what God is up to in this community where God has called us to be church.