418 West Main Street
Sidney, MT 59270 Phone: (406) 433-3350
Fax: (406) 433-3352
Email: [email protected] Facebook: Pella Lutheran Church Web page: www.pellachurch.net
Radio Broadcast: 95.1 FM 9 am
Web page: www.pellachurch.net
PELLA LUTHERAN
CHURCH
PASTOR: Audrey Rydbom
[email protected] DIRECTOR OF YOUTH AND
FAMILY MINISTRY: Janelle Leader Lamb
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Chole Butler [email protected]
PARISH ASSISTANT: Becky Reidle
[email protected] CUSTODIAN:
Donnie Miller MISSION PARTNER
Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church at Rocky Boy
COMPANION SYNOD Cape Orange Diocese Evangelical Lutheran Church
of South Africa
COMPANION CONGREGATOIN Upington Parish
Northern Cape, South Africa
THE PELLA
“AMBASSADOR” IS
PUBLISHED MONTHLY
BY PELLA LUTHERAN
CHURCH
Office Hours
Monday - Friday
8:30 am - 4:30 pm
(Closed from Noon to
1:00 pm for lunch)
Pella Lutheran Church
418 West Main Street
Sidney, Montana 59270
Wanted: Rhubarb! If you have rhubarb you are willing to donate to the
Pella Pantry, we would be very grateful. August and the Richland County Fair will be here in no time
and we will be baking lots of pies to sell at our booth.
Meals on Wheels — HELP! HELP! We need your assistance during the
3rd (17-21) week in June. Please contact the church office or the sign-up
sheets are on the information desk in the gathering commons.
Thank you for serving in this way.
June 2 - Sunday
9:00 am Worship
10:00 am Fellowship FH/K
June 4 - Tuesday 8:00 am Quilting CR D&E
5:30 pm VBS Planning Mtg
June 6 - Thursday
7:00 pm Table Talk Meadowlark
June 7 - Friday
4:30 pm Wedding Rehearsal
June 8 - Saturday
4:30 pm Torgerson Wedding
June 9 - Sunday - Pentecost
9:00 am Worship
10:00 am Fellowship FH/K
June 10-16
Set up/Prep for VBS Week
June 10 - Monday
8:00 am—12:00 pm Adult
Mental Health Training FH
June 11 - Tuesday
6:30 am Endowment Mtg FH/K
8:00 am—12:00 pm Adult
Mental Health Training FH
7:00 pm Council Mtg CR C
June 13 - Thursday
7:00 pm Table Talk Meadowlark
June 14 - Friday
5:00 pm Wedding Rehearsal
June 15 - Saturday
5:00 pm Dynneson Wedding
June 16 - Sunday - Holy Trinity
9:00 am Worship
10:00 am Fellowship FH
June 17-21
Vacation Bible School 1:00 - 5:00 pm All rooms
June 20 - Thursday
Newsletter Articles Due
7:00 pm No Table Talk
June 19 - 28
Pastor gone out of town
June 23 - Sunday
9:00 am Worship
10:00 am Fellowship FH/K
Evening Sing-a-long
June 25 - Tuesday
8:00 am Quilting CR D&E
5:30 pm Christian Ed Mtg W
June 27 - Thursday
7:00 pm Table Talk - Meadowlark
June 30 - Sunday
10:30 am Worship in the Park
Potluck to follow
* LOOKING AHEAD *
JULY - AUGUST Office closed, July 4th
July 7 & 8 Staff Retreat
Pella Pie baking,
July 29-August 2
Pella Pantry shifts, County Fair
July 31-August 3
Memorials Set Free to Serve
In honor of Greta Thunberg
From Terry Anvik
In memory of Elsie Redlin
From Beth Redlin & Dan Mocko
Radio Fund
In memory of Audrey Sampson
From Iona Hansen
In memory of Marjory Hanson
From Iona Hansen
Quilts and Fabric Kits
We would like to thank
everyone who has
donated material and
sheets for the quilt
ministry.
This past year we made 207 quilts
for Lutheran World Relief and also
donated to Pella High School
Seniors, LYO auction, Camp
UMM, Rocky Boy, LaDuke Benefit
and the High School Band
fundraiser.
The Faith Circle group organized
and gathered the materials for 33
fabric kits that were also sent to
Lutheran World Relief this spring.
During the summer months the
quilters meet occasionally and you
can find those times posted on the
church calendar.
This fall our schedule will resume
at 8:00 a.m., Tuesdays. We
welcome anyone who would be
interested in working with us to
please come and join in the fun!
Room Codes: FH = Fellowship Hall, K = Kitchen, CR-D&E = Double Classroom, CR-C = Corner Classroom, CR-B = Kindergarten,
CR-A = Preschool room, L = Library, N = Nursery, CR-Comm = Classroom Commons, M = Music, GC = Gathering Commons,
NX = Narthex, S = Sanctuary, W = Work room in Office. Basement areas: YR = Youth room, LL-CR = Lower Level Classroom
June 2019
Food Bank Needs
Canned fruit - all kinds (15 oz.)
Canned peas
Dry milk/nuclear milk (boxed)
Cooking oil (Olive or Vegetable)
Grocery bags
For more information contact
Candy Markwald.
Ambassador
6/2 7th Sunday of Easter
Acts 16:16-34
Psalm 97
Revelation 22:12-21
St. John 17:20-26
6/9 Day of Pentecost
Acts 2:1-21
Psalm 104:24-35
Romans 8:14-17
St. John 14:8-17, 25-27
6/16 The Holy Trinity
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Psalm 8
Romans 5:1-5
St. John 16:12-15
6/23 2nd Sunday of Pentecost
Isaiah 65:1-9
Psalm 22:19-28
Galatians 3:23-29
St. Luke 8:26-39
6/30 3rd Sunday of Pentecost
1Kings 19:15-16, 19-21
Psalm 16
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
St. Luke 9:51-62
Scripture for June
Page 10
Council Meeting Summary - May 4, 2019 Financial report - General fund for April $117,963.30, Income was $49,965.04 & Expenses were $29,175.05.
Set Free to Serve balance is $288,710.87.
Christian Education - WBS will be ending May 15.
Noodles & Doodles raised about $2,785. Social media
is being discussed at LYO, and Table Talk studies will
resume on May 9 at the Meadowlark.
Property & Grounds - LED light for Fellowship Hall
found. Outside yard maintenance contract discussed.
The crosses have been installed outside. Boy Scout
building bids are being collected, and the local troop is
willing to contribute funds.
Outreach - Planning service in Park on June 30 at
10:30 am and also a second one in August. Name
tags are being worked on for members.
Council summary continued …
Worship - A new chalice, communion
tray and carafe are being researched. A sing-along is planned for June 23 in
the evening. Blue Sunday, April 28,
was a very moving service.
Endowment - Rob McGarvey spoke to
and encouraged the committee to keep
doing what they have been doing. Next
meeting June 11.
OLD BUSINESS 2019 Goals - The Red Cross Shelter
agreement has been approved.
Groundskeeper contract needs to be
finalized by June.
NEW BUSINESS Building Use Agreement - Adding a
checklist and possibly adding a clean-
up deposit. Add statement “leave the
building, as you found it or better”
and “set-up and take down is the
responsibility of the requesting
party.”
Benevolence - April $4,496.85 and
March $2,475.51 was approved.
Next Meeting - June 11, 2019.
Complete council meeting minutes
are kept on file in the church office.
If you would like a copy, please
contact us.
Page 9
June 2019
ENJOY THE CONVENIENCE OF AUTOMATED GIVING
We now offer several options for automatic giving as a convenience for
members and friends of Pella!
The “Simply Giving” option automatically transfers funds from your
checking or savings account to the church’s bank account once
authorization forms are completed. Pella has participated in Vanco’s
“Simply Giving” program for nearly 20 years.
We are pleased to announce that Electronic Giving is now available! Online giving allows you to go
to www.pellachurch.net at any time to set up an automatic donation plan, change your donation
plan, make a one-time donation or view your online donation history. If you have a smart-phone or
tablet, E-giving is accomplished by downloading the “Give Plus +” app by Vanco on your
device and following the prompts for one-time or recurring donations.
Electronic giving offers convenience for individual congregation members and provides
much-needed donation consistency for our congregation.
As you contemplate future contributions, consider automated giving. Authorization forms and addi-
tional information are available at the church office.
PELLA PANTRY It’s that time of year again to be preparing the Pella Pantry for the fair and
looking for volunteers. We ask that you check your calendars to see where
you can help during the course of the fair. Yvonne Gebhardt and Kelly
Johnson start the organizing and recruiting long before fair week.
This will be Yvonne’s last year of overseeing everything. She has been doing this for 30 years and is
ready to step down. If you are interested in taking on this position, please let her know.
Kelly has been instrumental in recruiting for shifts, cooking, overseeing closing and clean up on the
late night shifts. She also will be stepping down. Kelly spends several hours in July calling to get
the shifts covered.
We are asking for your help to take a shift or two during the fair. Friday and Saturday are the harder
ones to fill, so we are especially asking for your help with those days. In addition, volunteers are
needed to help with cleaning the booth the Sunday before and Sunday after fair.
Linda Anderson is in charge of pie baking which begins Tuesday, the day before fair starts, through
Friday of fair week. We need volunteers to help with the pie making and baking, too. Also needed
are people to bring pies from the church to Pantry daily.
The booth is open Wednesday at noon to Saturday night at 11 pm. Please consider volunteering — it
is a fun time and great fellowship! Thank you.
Youth & Family News ( … continued)
WEDNESDAY BIBLE SCHOOL & CONFIRMATION — FINAL NIGHT FESTIVITIES
COMMUNITY MEAL VOLUNTEERS
Thank you to all those who volunteered for our Wednesday Community
Meals in 2018/2019.
Ambassador Page 8
5TH GRADE: MELISSA BUCKLEY
Curtis Anderson
Duane & Linda Anderson
Dawn & George Biebl
April Boehler
Kim Hill
Bev Jones
Bill Linder
Russ Markwald
Greg & Linette Miller
Leo & Shirley Miller
Deb Milne
Trish Neiss
Marilyn & Mark Olson
Chandler Padgett
Ruth Reidle
Eileen Rein
Judy Sondeno
Carol Thorgramson
Linda Wick
YEAR 1 CONFIRMATION (6TH GRADE)
YEAR 2 CONFIRMATION (7TH GRADE)
Thank You 2018/2019
Confirmation Leaders: April Boehler, Kaci Dean, Jen Doty,
Kristin Larson, Eric Rydbom,
Luke Savage, Tonya Schoepp
Page 7
June 2019
Youth & Family News ( … continued)
WEDNESDAY BIBLE SCHOOL — FINAL NIGHT FESTIVITIES
4TH GRADE: SUSAN IVERSEN
3RD GRADE: JOANNA HORSBURGH
2ND GRADE: JEN CARLSEN
Ambassador Page 6
Youth & Family News ( … continued)
WEDNESDAY BIBLE SCHOOL — FINAL NIGHT FESTIVITIES
PRESCHOOL: JANE OLSON,
DIANE SAVAGE & MIKAEL
SAVAGE
KINDERGARTEN: CRYSTAL
STRAIT & MERCEDES LAMB
1ST GRADE: NICOLE GOULART WICK
Page 5
June 2019
Youth & Family News ( … continued)
CONFIRMATION 2019 On Sunday, May 5, 2019, ten 8th grade
students affirmed their faith during worship.
Students shared their favorite Bible verses
and their faith statements among family and
friends.
Pictured here are the newest members of
Pella Lutheran Church:
Top:
Bradyn Page and Pastor Audrey
Middle :
Ben Carlsen, Tyler Olson, Max
Nicholson, Hannah Anderson and
Avery Iversen
Bottom:
Hattie Brothen, Whitney Van Hook,
Emma Doty, Mika Villegas and
Jen Doty (Leader)
Three other students: Colten Dahl, Mikael Savage and Payten Syth will affirm their faith during
worship on Sunday, July 28, 2019.
Seniors recognized on Sunday, May 12, 2019. Top: Shanyn Reidle, Lauren Beenken, Sean Montgomery, Trev Stewart.
Bottom: Katrina Meldahl, Carlee Strasheim, Katie Berglund, Brooke Franklin, Jace Winter.
June Acolytes
2 Braylon DiFonzo &
Parker Syth
9 Sienna Boehler &
Parker Brothen
16 Jori Horsburgh &
Nathan Carlsen
23 Drew Ellingson
30 Corben Holler &
Mercedes Lamb
Youth & Family News By Janelle Leader Lamb
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
June is here, and that means it’s time for Vacation Bible School.
Pella’s 2019 VBS will be held from 1-5 p.m. June 17-21 (M-F).
Students
If your student(s) aren’t registered, no worries. There is still time to
register either online or by picking up a form at the church. VBS is
for students entering preschool through 5th grade in Fall 2019.
Volunteers A lot of great people have stepped up to volunteer. We ask that you
please pray for them all. Our main station leaders this year are:
Bible Story — Claire Frank
Crafts — Joanna Horsburgh & Linda Wick
Science — Susan Iversen
Recreation — Erika Snow
Snacks — Bev Jones
Preschool — Megan Coryell & Aleah Rosaaen
We always can use more hands … We are looking for people to help with preparations/
behind-the-scenes work, as well as volunteers who will be in the action the week of VBS.
Please let Janelle know how you would like to assist.
Supplies We currently are collecting the following items:
There is a “Donation Station” in the Gathering Commons. You can place donations there, as well as
watch for updates of what we need.
Meetings/Decorating/Training
We will have one more planning meeting on Tuesday, June, 4, at 5:30 p.m.
We will be decorating daily the week before VBS. Contact the office about when and where help is
needed. We will be training youth volunteers the week before VBS also. Details will be provided to
those who volunteer.
Ambassador Page 4
2-liter bottles
(empty, clean, any color, no wrappers or lids)
Masking tape (1”)
Blue painter’s tape (1”)
AA batteries
Pillow cases (new, white, standard size)
Hole punches
White vinegar
Marshmallows (mini, regular, jumbo)
Mini water bottles
June 2019 Page 3
FLAGS Many have noticed the flags have been moved. No longer are they displayed at the
front of the sanctuary; now the flags lead us out into the community God calls us.
The change came about Maundy Thursday when the staff was preparing for the
stripping of the altar. It became known to the staff that the flags were full of dust. Due to this the
flags were taken outside to blow in the wind. In the discussion of where to put them for Maundy
Thursday it was learned that flags have not always been part of the chancel area of the sanctuary. The
Christian flag was adopted by the National Council of Churches in 1942. The United States flag
appeared in American German Lutheran churches during World War II as a sign of loyalty to the
United States and to avoid persecution for being German. Until this time the purpose of the chancel
was to be the primary sources of faith – Word, Baptism, and Eucharist.
As people of the twenty-first century we need to keep our focus on the primary sources of faith and
then remember the action our faith calls us to. It is for these reasons the flags have been moved by
the doors. When we have been fed by the Word, reminded of the forgiveness given to us in baptism,
and fed by the meal, we are called to go out into the community God has placed us and live out our
faith actively. The flags serve as one final reminder of where and how God calls us to go forth. We
are to go forth as people of the Way to love and serve the Lord in the United States. Notice the flags
and think about how and where God is calling you.
DISABILITIES MINISTRIES OF THE ELCA MENTAL HEALTH GRANT In December of 2018, Pella Lutheran and the Mental Health Local Advisory Council
(LAC) of Richland County teamed up to apply for a $10,000 grant through the
Disabilities Ministry of the ELCA. More than 50 congregations applied for this grant,
and only 25 grants were awarded. In May it was learned that Pella and LAC were
awarded the grant.
The premise of the grant is to team with other faith-based organizations in the community to start
peer-to-peer groups. One of the action plans of the Mental Health First Aid curriculum is to
“encourage self-help and other support strategies” which include peer-to-peer groups, however
Richland County has very few to refer individuals in need.
In the near future we will be inviting leaders of faith-based organizations to gather at Pella and
decide what peer-to-peer groups are most needed in our area. These leaders will also be asked to
identify which peer-to-peer group will be hosted by their organization. It will be up to each
organization to identify lay people to facilitate the peer-to-peer group. These lay people will be
trained in Adult Mental Health First Aid and how to facilitate a peer-to-peer group. Once facilitators
are trained the groups can begin. All costs associated with training, facilitating, and resources will be
covered by the grant.
Please pray for this implementation of this grant. It is hoped that by offering peer-to-peer support,
individuals who suffer from mental health illness will get the support they need and avoid crisis. If,
in your prayer, you are nudged with a vision for a peer-to-peer group that would benefit our
community please, contact Pastor Audrey.
Page 2 Ambassador
FROM THE DOG HOUSE
Hello Everyone,
Duke here this month of June.
WOW, time just flew by! We’ve been here in Sidney a whole year now! We sure like it here, me and
Ruby, and Gunner, and Verdell, and Clementine, and Rella. There are so many nice people from the
church across the street. We have had a lot of them come visit us, especially young people. They are
always so nice to us. They pet us and throw the ball for us and pay attention to us. Then Pastor
Audrey and Eric have friends over for fun parties, and those people pet us and play with us too. You
see, we don’t ask for much. We’re the happiest when people love us and pay attention to us.
Sometimes, it’s a long time between people coming over and sometimes Pastor Audrey and Eric are
gone a lot during the day. We spend a lot of time all alone, and it makes us sad. I suppose people are
the same way. They are happiest and feel loved when other people just pay attention to them and say
hello. It doesn’t take much effort and it makes other people and us, so happy
for such a simple thing.
We love all people and always greet them with smiles and hugs! Pastor
Audrey keeps telling us about this guy Jesus who did the same thing all the
time, greeted everyone no matter who they were and made them feel special.
We figure if he can do it and make people happy, maybe we can too. So
please stop by and see us sometime. We love it! And greet other people to
make them feel special! We always get a smile when WE do it.
‘Til next month,
DUKE!
NAME TAGS AT PELLA
Soon when you arrive at church on Sunday morning there will be a name
tag for you. This is one way we can all get to know each other’s names
and also greet new people and guests to our church on Sunday mornings.
June 2019 With Christ; We Welcome, Nurture, Equip and Serve.
Pella Lutheran Church
Ambassador
I recently read that “many young Christians who are adamant about their
faith reject the label ‘evangelical’ or ‘Christian’ altogether today.” One of
the reasons stated for this rejection is that they do not want their faith
identified with this “weird” Christian nationalism that’s swept the nation.
They would rather have people find out about their beliefs through their
actions and kind words; not by a label that has taken on many definitions depending on who is
speaking.
While not exactly my own thoughts, I do bristle when I hear someone identify me as a “Christian.”
I bristle because I am not sure of this other person’s definition of Christian. Does being a “Christian”
mean that I automatically believe that those who do not believe the same doctrine of theology as
I do are condemned to an eternal pit of fire? Does being a “Christian,” in the eyes of the other,
automatically label me as a homophobe or a preacher of hell and damnation? If so, I do not want this
label. Due to these concerns, you might even notice I refrain from using the term Christian when
I preach or am in casual conversation with others.
It is not that I am ashamed to be a follower of Jesus; I am ashamed of how the term has been
co-opted by the media and others wanting to hide behind a shield rather than stand up for who Jesus
calls us to be. It also helps that the term “Christian” was not how the earliest followers of Jesus
“named” themselves. In fact the earliest use of Christian was more than likely a term coined by
people not of the faith who used the term in a derogatory way to identify followers of Jesus.
Biblically the earliest followers of Jesus simply identified themselves as “the Way.” (Acts
9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22.) Torah classically was understood by the Hebrew people as laying out
“the way” in which Israel might experience human flourishing. In the gospel of John, Jesus says
“I am the way and the truth and the life.” As a follower of Jesus I, too, believe Jesus came to teach
us how to live in such a way that all people might have the experience of a flourishing life. I believe
the Kingdom of God is all humanity experiencing a flourishing life. When we practice the Way we
get a glimpse of what a flourishing life is.
I pray my words and actions identify me as a follower of Jesus, of the Way, and that I don’t need an
identifier that has been co-opted. I pray the same for Pella. I would rather we be known as people of
the Way than any other title. As people of the Way we will not be pigeon-holed; we will be able to
soar in the ministry the Holy Spirit guides us to.
In Christ,
Pastor Audrey