YELLOWSTONE – ARGYLE/APPLE GROVE
   PARISH NEWSLETTER
Office Phone: 608-543-3088
Web Site: www.YellowstoneArgyleAppleGrove.com

Our Ministry Focus: "Sharing God's grace from a hopeful place​

 

Pastor's Letter

    August will be a different kind of month at the church. I will be taking a hybrid Sabbatical. A Sabbatical is a time when the pastor gets away for an extended time of renewal both spiritually and emotionally. As pastors on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, this Sabbatical time is important. 
   The synod encourages a Sabbatical every 7-10 years. This will be my first Sabbatical in my career. 
   Sabbaticals are not “vacation;” it is a spiritual retreat where, away from the daily work of a pastor, I can focus in on areas in my life that need renewal. I will also be doing some planning for the church’s future. 
   Sabbaticals are harder for rural pastors to have because there isn’t a second pastor there at the church to “fill-in” while the other pastor is gone. Therefore, my Sabbatical will be a hybrid-Sabbatical. I will be leaving on Sunday following worship – to either our lake house for privacy or to a monastery – and returning on Friday mornings. I will then do any necessary visits and get things set up for worship on Sunday. (I will also return in the case of a member’s funeral.) After the service, I will leave again. I will be doing this from August 3rd through the 28th. 
   I ask for your prayers during this time. Pray for my renewal and for God’s Spirit to draw me deeper into my faith and deeper into my call as a pastor. 
                                                                 ~ Thank you, Dan

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Scripture readers for August: Pastor Dan will have the Scripture readings for Sunday, available on Sunday morning, so anyone who would care to read can catch him before worship and get the readings. 

Final Outdoor Worship service for the year will take place at Yellowstone on Sunday, August 9th. The worship service will be at 9:00 a.m. with the coffee hour BEFORE worship from 8:15-9:00 a.m. There will be a special celebration that morning at the coffee hour, please come out and be a part of it.

 

“Small Things – Great Power” will be the theme of Pastor Dan’s two sermons on July 26 and August 2.

Sermon series in August:

 

We will take a four week look at the book of Jonah. The series is titled: “Jonah: The World’s Worst Evangelist.” That will start on August 9th. 

 

Yellowstone Yard Signs: Will you put one in your lawn? As an outreach project, we have designed a yard sign. It has a wonderful picture of the church along with our church mission statement: “Finding grace in a hopeful place.” It also has the address of the church and the church website. We will place an order for these signs at the end of August, but we will only order signs for those who sign up for one (you can have more than one if you desire). A copy of the sign along with the sign up can be found in the narthex. Thank you in advance! 

 

The Yellowstone WELCA will meet on Tuesday, August 4 at 9 a.m. for fellowship and planning future events. Everyone invited.

 

Plans for this years' Lutheran World Relief project are underway.  We will be sending health and school kits this year. A list of donated items we would appreciate will be up on the bulletin board. A collection box will be provided.  
   Any financial donations are greatly appreciated. We will also be sending quilts with the kits in early September. Thank you for providing these items for others in less fortunate circumstances. Maryellyne 608-558-1491.

 

Quilters will meet at Yellowstone on August 25th at 9:00 a.m. All are welcome. No experience necessary. 

KIND HEARTS will meet August 5th and August 19th at 1:00 pm at Argyle Lutheran Church in the basement. We will be sending cards and continue to plan for our future programs. Please join this group whose mission is: To Share Kindness with our Thoughts, Words and Deeds.  

 

Stewardship: We thank everyone for your generous support of the ministries of our congregations. If you are unable make it to church to give your offering, you may mail it to the following address: Yellowstone/Argyle-Apple Grove, Box 217, Argyle, WI  53504.

 

June Treasurers’ and Pastor’s reports:                 
                Yellowstone                                Argyle-Apple Grove 
  Beginning balance: $14,158.63     Beginning Balance:   $10,213.87
                 Income:       $ 5,405.96                    Income:        $ 7,626.00
                Expenses:    $ 5,711.94                    Expenses:     $ 8,593.13
        Ending Balance: $13,852.65            Ending Balance:  $ 9,246.74

 

Wedding
        Lucas Flanagan/Brooklyn Strang – July 11 at Barneveld Lutheran 

 

Our summer got a bit disjointed with pastor’s vacation, rebuild, etc. so we weren’t able to have our planned four indoor joint worship services this year. But we will have one on Sunday, August 30th at Yellowstone. Please join together as a parish and let us worship the Lord as one! 

 

Argyle-Apple Grove Council Hi-Lites
*$10,000 of our reserve account was moved into a CD.
*The cement at the site of Apple Grove has been laid and the framing is going up. The hope is to be done by the end of October, but that’s a lose finish date. 
*The wall where the old shelves were have been painted and the defibrillator put up. 
*The new windows around the front door have been installed. Tim Rucker did the staining.
*New front doors have been put in at Argyle. 
*We are planning a 150th Anniversary worship service in October for Argyle Lutheran.
*There is a cracked window in the cry room that has to be replaced. 

 

Yellowstone Council Hi-Lites
*The final version of the new road signs has been accepted. They will be ordered and then put up.
*The new ramp to help people get up to the altar will be assembled and then used as needed.
*“Power Geeks” have received most of what is needed to upgrade our sound system. As soon as everything is in, they will do the work which will include a new mixer, amplifier, speakers for the fellowship room and basement.
*A new portable sound system for outdoor services has been purchased. 
*The new lock on the front door has been put in. 
*We will try to digitize the cemetery information and put it on our church website.
*The leak on the roof above the new fellowship room has been temporarily fixed. The council is getting bids on fixing the leak by the steeple, the main roof (the shingles are more than 25 years old), and the fellowship room roof.
*It was decided to move our outdoor Memorial Day service to Sunday morning as it conflicts with graduations in the area. 
*The design of the lawn signs advertizing Yellowstone are being finalized. There will be a sign-up for those who would like put them in their front yard.        

 

Both councils
*The “Befriending” course has been completed.
*There will be a book study on C.S. Lewis’ book “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” in July
*We have a QR code to put on posters that we would like to put up around town inviting people to worship with us. 
*We are looking at ways to encourage people in the community to come out and see the rebuild of Apple Grove and invite them to be a part of the new church.
*Pastor Dan will be on a hybrid Sabbatical during the weekdays in August.
*The youth will be on a two-day retreat in July.

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