From the Pastor’s Desk

Dear Christian friends,

Here’s a picture of my newly painted office with the new Scripture bird banners up on the walls. I’m grateful to Mike Merkle and Larry Schwartz who did the paint job back in July while I was on vacation!

I like my office as it offers a conducive environment for working, studying and counseling. I invite you to poke your head in the door and see the bird banners for yourself, whether I’m here or not. My door is always open!

Worship Update

The Bay Area Reformation Service will be hosted by Mt. Olive Lutheran Church on Wednesday, October 28th @ 6:30pm (602 Sidney St.). This special service marks the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's Deutsche Messe (German Mass). In this service, people heard the gospel in their own language instead of the usual Latin. They became participants in worship using simple chants, rhymed phrases, and hymns. They also truly celebrated Holy Communion as a sacrament of God's forgiveness. After this special service, please join us for refreshments and fellowship.

Greeters for this month:

Altar Committee for this month:
Kim Kilborn

Congregational Acts

Entered Eternal Life, 9/5/26
Dennis Klopf

Transfer Out, 9/8/26
Isaac Schaewe
to Shepherd of the Lakes Lutheran Church, Linden, MI

Choir News

Sing with The Sanctuary Choir! We will have two choirs available to sign up for. The first one is the main choir that will sing for special services. The second one will be used to introduce or reinforce unfamiliar hymns. Much like last year, we are not asking for a year-long commitment. We invite singers (high school age and up) to volunteer for each service they are available to sing in. A schedule of services and an interest form to fill out are available in the narthex. There will be an informative Welcome Meeting for all interested singers on Sunday, October 11th, at 8:45 am, with a short rehearsal to follow. Feel free to contact the director, Amanda Perkins, at 989-323-1056 or by email: Manders2104@gmail.com. Come and make a joyful noise with us!

Event Committee

Join us for our Fall Bazaar in our Fellowship Hall on Saturday, October 3rd, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm! Several vendors will be there selling crochet, wood, ceramic, and resin items, baked goods, doll clothes, plants, candy, and clothing. Lunch will be available for purchase. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Duford or Jaymi Lefevre between 9:00 am – 7:00 pm.Other Announcements.

Other Announcements

The next Call Meeting for a pastor will be Sunday, October 18th, at 6:00 pm.

Trunk-or-Treat: We will be holding our annual Trunk-or-Treat on Saturday, October 31st, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm. This is a fun fellowship event for the members of our congregation who park their cars in our lot and for the children who trick-or-treat. This also gives us the chance to reach out to the people of our community to know who we are and where we are. Along with handing out candy to their children, we pass out fliers about our church, school, and preschool.

School News

School Events Coming up in October:

• No school Thursday & Friday, October 15th & 16th (Fall Break - Teacher In-Service)

• Grow With Me: a new session begins Monday, October 19th, 5:30 pm–6:30 pm.

• Special Person's Day is Friday, October 23rd. This is also a 1/2 day of school with a noon dismissal.

• School Picture Day, Monday, October 26th.

• Report cards issued Friday, October 30th

Chapel offerings: Students are encouraged to bring offerings to chapel on Monday mornings, which will be used to support different projects through the school year. For the 1stsemester our offerings will go to support veterans and current members of the armed forces. More information to come! 1stQuarter to date: $18.00

A new Grow with Me class, taught by our preschool director, Mrs. Laurie Peil, will be held October 19th, 26th, November 9th & 16th. These classes are for 2 and 3-year-olds and an accompanying adult (Dad, Mom, Grandparent, etc.) This session will be held in the gym on Monday evenings from 5:30 pm-6:30 pm; use the Alp St. doors. Adults and kids: be sure to bring dry gym shoes with you! The cost is $25 for 4 weeks; application forms are available in the church and school offices.

After School Care: In need of someone to watch your children after school? You are in luck! After School Care is available for all students in PreK4 through 6th grade on every full school day from 3:00 pm-6:00 pm. Please contact Amanda Perkins if you are interested in signing your child up. Call or text her at 989-323-1056..

Classroom Spotlight

We would like to share with you what is ‘happening’ in our school, so each month we will feature one of our classrooms and teacher. This month’s classroom spotlight is on our Kindergarten class and their teacher, Mrs. Rachel Bender.

This year in kindergarten, we have 6 students: 3 girls and 3 boys. There is a lot to look forward to in kindergarten! The students are always excited to learn how to read, but of course we do so much more than that. This year we will get to be scientists, explorers, mathematicians, and artists too. I can tell already that the year will be filled with lots of learning, laughs, and fun. Academics and field trips are always lots of fun, but every year I am grateful as a teacher that I get to share God’s Word with each little soul. This year our school theme is ‘Shine Jesus Shine’. What an awesome focus! I can’t wait to watch these little lights shine for Jesus this year.

Church Council Notes, 9/8/26
The meeting was called to order by President Larry Schwartz at 6:30 pm
Pastor Bare led us in devotion and prayer.
The minutes from the August 2026 council meeting were read and accepted

Elders Report – read by Luke Stehle

• Changes in membership
- Isaac Schaewe transferred to Shepherd of the Lakes in Linden, MI
• There are no 7th and 8th graders in school, and therefore no Catechism class. There may be public school Catechism, Pastor Bare and Pastor Steinke will be looking into this.
• BIC classes will begin 9/14
• Pastor Bare is going to be putting together an encouragement committee.
• We have guest preachers scheduled for various weekends over the next few months
• The tech issues have temporarily been worked out, and we do have a live stream schedule. It was noted that the technology we have is dated and is in need of being updated.
• Report was approved as read.

Pastors Report – read by Pastor Bare

•A copy of the report is attached to these minutes
• Pastors Report was approved as read

Trustees Report – read by Kevin Merkle

• We discussed the gym usage fees; we are looking to increase these fees.
• A pump in the boiler room needs to be changed prior to us turning the heat on this fall.
• All exterior doors have been re-keyed.
• We discussed interior blind and exterior window covering for the school in the event of an armed intruder.
• We discussed the parsonages and are recommending that we put both up for sale.
• It is likely we will need to have a tree taken down outside of church since it is cracked.
• Report was approved as read

Board of Education Report

• School board has not met as of this meeting, so no report was given

Treasurer’s Report – read by Larry Schwartz

• A Copy is attached to these minutes.
• Report was accepted as read

Old Business

• There was no old business

New Business

• A motion was made to put both parsonages up for sale. We would then put the money from the sale in a special fund and if a called worker needs a down payment we could give them an interest free loan on the money up to a certain amount. It was moved and supported, Motion Carried.
• We are working to get numbers on the outside of every classroom door if emergency personnel needed to come into the school.
• We will be looking to get tinting done on the exterior doors in school so that people cannot see in, but those inside can still see out.
• We are looking at a Background System to check the background of people coming into the school.
• We are looking at doing a special voter meeting to discuss these items on September 20th
• If there are any men that would be a good fit for church council roles, please let us know.

Meeting was adjourned at 7:50 with the Lord’s Prayer

MLS News

MLS Salute to Service Football Game: Michigan Lutheran Seminary invites alumni, veterans, and friends to join us for the 2026 Salute to Service Football Game on Friday, October 16th, at 7:00 pm, as the Cardinals take on Laingsburg. This special evening is an opportunity to honor and thank the men and women who have faithfully served our country. As a small token of our appreciation, all veterans will receive free admission and a complimentary combo meal before kickoff. Help us spread the word and join us for an evening of fellowship, gratitude, and Cardinal football as we recognize the service and sacrifice of our nation’s heroes. Thank you for your service, and Go Cardinals!

Help Spread the Word: Athletic Trainer Opening. We are seeking a dedicated Athletic Trainer to support our student athletes at Michigan Lutheran Seminary! Employed through MyMichigan Health, this role provides essential first aid, injury prevention, and sports medicine coverage for MLS athletic events. Know someone who would be a great fit? Please share the job link with them: https://careers.mymichigan.org/jobs/48831

Set Builders Needed: The MLS drama program is looking for a couple adults who could help with building sets on the stage. They would work with the directors to plan a feasible design and then build it and bring it to life to help the students tell the story. They could also help interested students learn some basics about construction along the way as time permits. For more information, contact Prof. Josh Wendt (jjw@mlsem.org).

2027 Men Alive Rally

The 2027 theme is: "The Man Beneath the Noise: Finding Our Identity in What God Says" and is based on Galatians 2:20 which states "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." Together, we will explore what it means to find our identity not in the expectations of the world, but in the truth of God's Word and the life we have in Christ.

Rally Details:
• Saturday, February 13th, 2027 from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm (Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are included with breakfast starting at 7:15 am)
• DoubleTree by Hilton Bay City, Michigan
Website: https://menalive-balm.org/
Registration link: https://menalive-balm.org/event-tickets