Newsletter — September 20, 2022

Join us Sunday mornings for worship at 10:00 am, with the option of in-person or on-line worship. masks optional for all activities in the church building, including worship. All are welcome!

You may also join us online:

Find worship live on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/spiritoflifeav
Join us live on Zoom by clicking https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83600960782
You can stream the service later either on Facebook or on YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC-G31isag0NKhIT0cat91qA

COFFEE and CONVERSATION Join Pastor Rob and others on Mondays, 9:20-11:00am. CC is available in person at the church and via zoom. Come as you are. This is a gathering online and in person. It is open for you to pop in and out any time so feel free to drop in and say hello. *Note, same time and same login, recurring meeting each week. Join Zoom Meeting at https://zoom.us/j/286584190
One tap mobile +13126266799,,286584190# +19292056099,,286584190#

GriefShare Program Meets Thursdays, 6:30 pm at Spirit of Life Church, Apple Valley. This program features biblical, Christ-centered teaching that focuses on grief topics associated with the death of a loved one. The seminar features nationally respected grief experts and real-life stories of people, followed by a small group discussion about what was viewed. Past participants have related how helpful the information and follow-up discussions were to them. Many grieving people find they are only beginning the work of healing when friends or family have returned to their daily life routines. Too often people, including Christians, tend to bury their grief instead of allowing it to do the God-given work for which it is intended. Don’t allow fear of what others may think to keep you from what could help you. Confidentiality is very much a part of this program. Please contact Bob Shepard or Jacqui Hicks for more information or to sign up.

Back to Church Fall Schedule:
Children’s Sunday School will start Sept. 18 and go through Dec. 18th from 9:30-10:15, upstairs in the SS room. Curriculum is Spill the Beans, theme is Colors of the Covenant. There will be one class with a teacher and a helper. We will have a laptop in class so that kids can Zoom in for SS if they can’t attend in person.

Confirmation Class will be for 7th and 8th graders, on the 2nd Sunday of the month after church beginning October 9th. It will be held every 2 years. Talk with Pastor Rob to get your 7th & 8th graders enrolled.

Adult Class Sept-Oct 2022
Topic: God in America (2010 PBS Frontline Series) An engaging and informative review of religion in American history, highlighting many issues that are very relevant to today.
Leader: Steve Braden
Timeline: Sundays following worship September 18 – October 30. The class will meet following worship and will be available online via Zoom, by clicking the link at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84136883066; or you are welcome to gather in the conference room.

Format: Video-based. There are six approximately hour-long sessions, available for free on YouTube. However, to permit watching and discussing during the class, we will divide these in half. This will limit us to the first half of the series in these six sessions.

Study Guide: A study guide from PBS with much helpful information will be distributed and is available online. Schedule:

God in America Class
The New Adam 2: Doctrine vs Experience 25-Sep
No Class – CROP Walk 2-Oct
A New Eden 1: Religious Freedom & Constitution 9-Oct
A New Eden 2: Catholicism in America 16-Oct
A Nation Reborn 1: Slavery & Bible 23-Oct
A Nation Reborn 2: Civil War & Lincoln 30-Oct

M&M will begin Wednesday, October 5th, and go for 7 weeks. Curriculum will be Holy Moly. Time together will begin at 4:30 and include snacks, group guitar lessons for older kids /playing for younger kids, singing, Holy Moly video and lesson, and conclude with dinner for kids, youth and adults 6:00- 6:30 dinner. Monetary donations for dinner appreciated. M&M – Please sign up on the sheet in the back of the sanctuary to provide a snack and/or dessert for M&M. If you have questions, please see Loretta Hunt.

South of the River CROP Hunger Walk, October 2! St. James Lutheran Church in Burnsville. This is a BIG deal this year, because it is the 10th Annual Walk, and Spirit of Life has been a strong supporter for all of those years: We’ve hosted 3 times, we always field a good-sized team and do some awesome fundraising, and we are actively engaged in the planning of this event every year. How can YOU get involved?

Consider joining the team! By joining the team, you are agreeing to either fund-raise, walk, or both. Here is the link that will take you to the Spirit of Life team page: https://events.crophungerwalk.org/2022/team/spirit-of-life-presbyterian-church By clicking on this link, you can join the team, or donate to the team. To donate, you can also make out a check to Spirit of Life, with “CROP Walk” in the memo line. More details can be found at the CROP Walk display at the back of the sanctuary. If you bought a t-shirt, plan to wear your shirt every Sunday in September to promote the walk.

Participate in the food drive, by picking up a plastic bag at the back of the sanctuary at the CROP Walk display, and return it filled with non-perishable food items by October 2.
Support the multi-church bake sale on the day of the Walk, at St. James Lutheran Church, from 1:00 to 1:45 pm. BAKERS! You can support this part of the walk by providing some of your favorite baked goods to sell! Please sign up to let Denise know what you might provide. EATERS! You can support this part of the walk by coming to check out the bake sale on October 2 and purchasing what looks good to you; cash only, or checks made out to CWS/CROP; items will be priced in increments of $5. There are 4 churches and one neighborhood group selling their baked goods, all in support of the CROP Walk. You don’t have to walk to support the South of the River CROP Walk — you can browse the bake sale or provide baked goods to sell. Sign-up sheet for bakers at the CROP Walk display.

Second Harvest Heartland will receive 25% of our total fundraising effort. If you have any questions, talk to Denise Lewis.

How are CROP Walk funds used? For an example, here is a recent update from CWS: A CWS staff worker, Rebekah Belase, is in Moldova right now – seeing CWS programs to support Ukrainian refugees. She is observing at a food distribution center in Balti, Moldova which YOU made possible with your Walk funds last year. Rebekah reports that the teams on the ground are really worried about the coming winter and how the extreme costs for fuel will hinder families’ ability to buy food. Refugee families often flee with little notice and even fewer supplies, so getting groceries in their new home can be a challenge. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees are now living in neighboring Moldova, and many are staying with Moldovan families. This can also strain household grocery budgets among host families. That’s why CWS is making sure newly arrived refugees and local communities have access to food. Because of you, CWS partnered with a local food bank and donated a forklift to facilitate the work being done by volunteers, shipping food out to local organizations across the city that were suddenly serving refugee clients. Through the ongoing food distribution program, thousands have been able to fill their pantries with the food they need and have one less thing to worry about.

Keep up the great work with your Walk fundraising – your efforts will save lives in the months to come!

What about the frozen, bake-at-home Swedish apple pies that have been a feature of our CROP Walk? Well, the church that has made them in the past is NOT doing it this year. There will be a limited number of them available at the CROP Walk bake sale on October 2. However, the Spirit of Life apple harvest is robust this year, and Denise is willing to make a limited number of these pies for Spirit of Life members from our apples. All proceeds will go to the CROP Walk; they are $10/pie. They will be made with the regular recipe, which includes flour and nuts. Contact Denise directly if you want a pie.

It’s time to think about Christmas! Greens, Poinsettias, and plant cards will be sold to raise funds for our community garden. The ONLINE ONLY sale begins September 25 and ends October 20. Becky will be available after services 10/9 and 10/16 to help with how to order. To access the site and place an order for your fundraiser group:

1. Go to www.gertensfundraising.com

2. Enter the Store ID code provided into the text field and click ‘Enter ID to Continue’.

Store ID code for Spirit of Life Presbyterian Church: 149 (remember to note on your order if it is for the sanctuary or home). Please contact Becky via email if you have any questions.

Trunk or Treat!
When: Date- 10/30/2022
Time- Immediately after worship (approximately 11am)
Where: Spirit of Life Presbyterian Church, 14401 Pilot Knob Road, Apple Valley
Who: Anyone of any age!
How (what do you need): If you want treats come with a Halloween bucket and a costume, if you want to distribute candy come with your car, some candy and some decorations.
-Prizes will be awarded to best trunks and to best trick-or-treat kids costumes!

From Community Service: Garden Update: by the end of this week, we will have surpassed 1,000 pounds of fresh produce delivered to RFRC!

Our Little Free Pantry continues to be of great service to our hungry neighbors. We would appreciate donations to keep our cupboard full. Preferred items at this time include jars of spaghetti sauce, any pasta, bags of plain white rice, any canned vegetables or fruits, peanut butter, jelly, canned tuna, Spam, dry milk. These items and any other non-perishables can be placed in the driveway pantry or left in the cabinet inside the front door to the church. Members of the Community Service committee will refill items when needed and thank you very much for your support and donations. We can make a difference in preventing hunger in our neighborhood!

The Justice Works borrowing bookshelf is up and running, so check it out.

If you have a prayer request you wish to share with our Spirit Care Prayer Team, please email our deacon, Chris Sachs. Word it as you wish it to be submitted, and we will post it for our prayer team.

2022 Per Capita is $36.50