Service Times

Service Times:

September through December

Faith Lutheran Madelia: 9:00 a.m.

Lake Hanska : 10:30 am

JAM starts September 16th at 3:15-5:00 pm

Confirmation starts September 30 at 6:00-7:30 pm

Madelia Food Shelf Open House September 23,  3:30-5:30
    NO referral needed! 
Madelia Food Shelf is open on the 4th Thursday of each month.

Council Faith Lultheran August Council Meeting

 Faith Lutheran Church Council Minutes – Aug. 13, 2026

President - Lori Pietsch S.A.M. - Ralph Flitter
Secretary - Stacy Reed Treasurers - Kathy Guyer, Jane Piepgras
Deacons - Sherri Gustafson, Cindy Lehman, Mary Feder
Trustees - Ben Odegard BOE - Julia Young, Patty Young

Secretary’s Report:

Ralph noted a correction to July’s minutes should state cost for Church Musician’s
Retreat is $300 plus mileage.
Treasurer’s Report:
July expenses were $ 9,637.61 and receipts $ 8,818.00.

Trustees Report:

We have 2 interviews for the custodial job. We should have a custodian in place in the
next week or so. Vacuum cleaner was looked at, new bags were ordered and filter was
cleaned. Hot water tank in kitchen has been acting up, we are not sure if the wall switch
is accidentally being turned off. A large notice has been taped to the wall in the
meantime. Lori has instructed to get the security camera project started, Ben will contact
Christensen Communications. We will continue to work on the Bell tower issue and
lighting inside of the church.

Deacons:

9/27 - Bible Sunday for 3-year-olds, 3rd graders and 80-year-olds.
9/30 - Confirmation starts. 10/11 - New Member Sunday; 10/30 - Trunk or Treat;
11/4 - Pack OCC boxes; 12/12 - Shopping with Mrs. Claus.

Board of Ed:

Will hold a meeting/game night to initiate interest in the 2027 Youth Gathering.

Ralph’s Report:

Celebrated 50th anniversary of the service in the park for Lake Hanska on July 5th, held
Peace of the Prairie service at Faith on July 12th, participated in VBS July 27-30, met at
Living Meadows for Pray without Ceasing 4 times in July. Ralph had several meetings
and home visits throughout July. August will consist of meetings, 2 weddings, 1 baptism
and Hanska’s 125th anniversary service.

Motion to accept reports was made by Kathy/seconded by Patty.

Old Business:

Bylaws and Constitution need updating; we are targeting to have this completed by end
of year 2026. We need 2-3 people to help with the updates, please see Ralph.

New Business:

FREE sleeper couch in the Sunday school room! See Lori or Ralph.
VBS was very successful; 185 people with 360 attending the program on final night.

Motion to adjourn was made by Ralph and seconded by Mary.

Respectfully submitted, Stacy Reed-Secretary

September Message from Ralph

 And just like that summer is over and fall begins later this month. Where does the time go? There are two standard definitions of Fall – one is the meteorological fall which begins on the 1st of September and covers September, October, and November. The other is the one we most associate with -the astronomical fall which in 2026 begins at 7:04 PM on the 22nd of September. Whichever definition you relate to fall usually means the ramping up of activities in the church. J.A.M begins on September 16th, and confirmation starts up on the 30th. Both are exciting times to teach and share the message of God’s love to our youth. Also, this year we are planning on bringing back some traditions that fell by the wayside during the pandemic. Some will be for both congregations; some will be at only one. Things like new member Sunday – we have many people who have been faithfully worshipping with us, but we have never recognized them as members. We also want to bring our reputation of being the church that gives out bibles with a Sunday where 3-year-old, 3rd graders, and over 80 youth receive a bible. The traditional Harvest Festival at Lake Hanska may look different this year as the musical group from years past is not available anymore. We also will feature one Sunday a month through the fall to revisit the themes and animals featured in our outstanding vacation bible school. As you can see there is a lot to feature this fall, but one thing that doesn’t change with the season is our coming together as a faith community to worship and commune each Sunday. As a reminder we change service times in September through the end of the year. Faith will worship at 9:00 and Lake Hanska gets to sleep in and worship at 10:30. Personally, I will be at another S.A.M. retreat the 13th -15th and at the SW MN Synod Fall Theological Conference the 27th -29th. Just as J.A.M. and confirmation are opportunities for learning with our young people – these two events are energizing and very helpful in my learning curve. I continue to be thankful for the chance to serve these two congregations this fall and beyond. Just one of you in Christ - Ralph DATE 1ST READING PSALM 2ND READING GOSPEL Sunday, September 6 15th Sunday after Pentecost Ezekial 33:7-11 119:33-40 Romans 13:8-14 Matthew 18:15-20 Sunday, September 13 16th Sunday after Pentecost Genesis 50:15-21 103:1-13 Romans 14:1-12 Matthew 18:21-35 Sunday, September 20 17th Sunday after Pentecost Jonah 3:10—4:11 145:1-8 Philippians 1:21-30 Matthew 20:1-6 Sunday, September 27 18th Sunday after Pentecost Ezekial 18:1-4, 25-32 25:1-9 Philippians 2:1-13 Matthew 21:23-32 News for Faith Lutheran Ch

JAM Jesus and Me

 JAM (Jesus and Me)

Community Church School
Starts 9-16-2026 after school

    Students meet in the Elementary cafeteria and walk to Faith Lutheran with two volunteers from September through December.  In 2027,  starting in January, we meet in the cafeteria and walk across the street to the Presbyterian Church.

    Students should preregister.  We serve the kids a snack when they arrive.  JAM ends at 5:00 pm