Honoring God’s Helpers

January 2024:  Anneliese Eddy and Wayne “Rolo” Bue

Congratulations to Anneliese Eddy, a wonderful recipient of January God’s Helper award.  Anneliese is a member of ELC and is the co-founder of the Black River Area Foster Closet.  The Black River Area Foster Closet is a local resource for families who are providing care to foster children. The mission is to offer a free resource to support caregivers of children in foster care by providing clothing and other necessities.

“The idea of starting a foster closet in Black River Falls originated after realizing there were no resources locally to assist foster families in fulfilling basic needs”, shared Anneliese.  “Other surrounding communities with larger populations had shown success with integrating free resources to foster families.  Modeled after these positive experiences, the Black River Area Foster Closet was created to support local foster families.”

In the summer of 2021, ELC offered space in the lower level of the Sunday school building to create a home for the Black River Area Foster Closet.  After receiving a startup grant from the Black River Area Foundation, the space was transformed into an organized system of shelves and bins that would later be filled with donations.  During the first few months, essential items including clothes, diapers/wipes, safety gear, and baby supplies started to fill the shelves.  As time progressed, partnerships were made with various local businesses, organizations, churches, and community groups.  These partnerships further supported the mission and provided for enhanced growth and opportunity.  In October 2021 the Black River Area Foster Closet officially opened and started serving licensed foster care providers, respite providers, and kinship families in Black River Falls and surrounding areas.

Since opening in October 2021, the closet has expanded in numerous ways. The physical space has grown to add additional rooms including a sorting room, a room for fall/winter clothing, a room for summer/spring clothing, and a room for baby equipment.  In addition, a teen shopping room was created to enhance the shopping experience for the older children and teenagers.  Aside from expanding the physical space, additional programs were created to assist foster families in other ways.  The programs include free haircut vouchers, financial assistance with sporting and recreational fees, and a partnership with the “Mighty Table.”  The “Mighty Table” is also a community outreach program supported by ELC to cook and deliver weekly meals to foster families.

To help, additional volunteers are needed when preparing the Foster Closet for special shopping events and re-stocking once the events have ended.   For closet news and to learn more about the foster closet, follow their Facebook page @Black River Area Foster Closet or visit their website www.Blackriverareafostercloset.squarespace.com.

Although extremely busy with a young family, Annaliese is also a member of the ELC Worship Band.  “The band brings me great joy as I love listening to and singing worship music.  I am interested in teaching Sunday school in the future, and maybe even joining the new worship choir”, said Annaliese.  “Volunteering with ELC in various roles has been a welcoming experience.  I hope to continue being involved for many years to come.”  

We are so grateful for the many ways that Annaliese gives back to our church and community.  Thanks be to God for these gifts.

Congratulations to Wayne Bue, otherwise known as “Rolo”.  Rolo is  the other January God’s Helper recipient.  Pastor Jenny nominated Rolo as he is the faithful assistant to his wife, Beth, and is always willing to help out in any way possible. According to Rolo, “It is always fun to get to help out with projects that involve the kids at church. I try to be as positive as possible and work through any issue that may arise”.

Currently, Rolo is helping with our confirmation students and is working with the youth to decorate one of the elderly living spaces. “This is a good way to give back for everything we are fortunate to have received”, shared Rolo. 

He also recently attended the Men’s Bible study and says “while it is still new to some,  I think this is a great opportunity for any person in our church to get involved and do something even if it is small in nature.”

Volunteering is a way of life for Beth and Rolo and say they enjoy giving back as it is a small thank you for those who also have helped them along the way.  We are so blessed that God brought Beth and Rolo into our lives!   Thanks be to God!! 

December 2023:  Robin Kohls and Bill Perry

Congratulations to Robin Kohls, a well-deserving recipient of December God’s Helper award.  Robin is an active member of ELC and has joined forces with others to make “Mighty Table” a success.  According to Robin, “Once a week (Tues. pm) we gather in the church kitchen to prepare a meal for the households of those serving as Foster Parents. There is such a dire shortage of those willing to serve as Foster Families, so this is our way of thanking the families that do this.  We are trying to lighten their responsibilities by eliminating meal prep one night a week. We are currently feeding between 95 to 125 people each week and recently have been able to make an additional 5 meals to distribute to the homeless.”

Mighty Table is always looking for volunteers to help deliver meals, prepare meals, and make cookies. Volunteers do not have to participate on a weekly basis but can help monthly, quarterly or whenever it works for the volunteer. Financial donations are also always appreciated to help curb costs and allow the program to continue.

This endeavor is not Robin’s only duty though.  She enjoys helping with the Sewing Circle (even if she is not able to attend on Thursdays, she will bring home a few quilt tops that need to be ironed), Witness Team (volunteers put together letters and treat bags to be delivered to the shut in’s quarterly), and is a summer “weeder’ on Dave Fossum’s crew.  She also enjoys being Lay Leader at the Hatfield, participating in highway clean-up, and helping host coffee hour after service on Sundays.  “Volunteering is a way to minister to others through the sharing of my time, talents and treasures and is a great way to get to know others in the church better!”

We are so grateful for the many ways that Robin gives back to our church and community.  Thanks be to God for our faithful servant, Robin.

Can you hear the wonderful music of our very own “River’s Grace” band?   Well, the lead guitarist, Bill Perry is the other December God’s Helper award recipient.  We are honoring Bill for his enthusiastic and talented playing abilities.  Bill has a long history of playing percussion and guitar for over 60 years.  He started playing locally five years ago at the Methodist church and now plays for “Breaking Chains” (another musical group we have heard) as well as our band, River’s Grace. He plans to continue his participation by helping our new choir when guitar music is needed for accompaniment.  

When he is playing for “River’s Grace”, members of the band have been known to assist with greeting and ushering for the church, so you may have seen his smiling face up close.  Bill stated “The past 7 years, I have struggled to accept my wife’s health diagnosis.  Being involved and playing religious music has allowed me a greater acceptance, by internalizing what the words say and mean in our songs.  I have experienced close friendship with all members of this group and our Pastor Jenny!”  We are grateful that Bill joined our ELC community.

November 2023:  Peter Bushman and Jean Helland

Congratulations to Peter Bushman, one of our two November God’s Helpers.  Peter has been actively involved in many aspects of our church community, including Church Council President, member of our Tech team, and participating in several church activities such as Sleep in Heavenly Peace and nursing home ministry.

Nominated by Lizzie Lunde, our church office manager, Peter has been extremely helpful with the numerous technological needs of day-to-day church work.  Peter has set up software programs, assisted with the organization of our many computer workstations, and supported and guided the updating of our new church website.

Over the past few years, Peter has been a regular fixture in the balcony assisting with the recording of our weekly services.  According to him, “Since Covid, we had to safely reach people without sitting in church.  With the creative help of the Pastor and Lizzie, plus the dedication of Paul Rykken, John Louis, and Barb Olson-Louis, we continue to have a great online ministry.” 

Sleep in Heavenly Peace is also a cause that Peter loves.  He just can’t stand the thought of a local child sleeping on the floor.  He has been an advocate for the cause, donated funds, raised additional money, and built beds.

Peter is a forward thinker and is continually looking for innovative ways to meet the needs of our congregation and community.  He enjoys volunteering with ELC because he believes “ELC is my family. They give me joy!!”  We thank God for Peter’s many talents.

Our other November God’s Helper Award is presented to Jean Helland.   Jean is recognized for her oversight and dedication to two areas of our church:  the “Book Nook” (the glass cabinet located in the Gathering Room of our church) and our church library.

The Book Nook provides a very economical way of sending family and friends a card to keep in touch. One of the most important aspects of our Book Nook is that every single card has a Bible Verse printed inside with different verses for each occasion. Here is a wonderful way to share God’s Message of love, to teach others about Him, and support our women (WELC).  

According to Jean, “I am not sure where the name originated (as we don’t sell books) but as long as I have been a member of ELC that has been its name and everyone knows it as such! I truly enjoy being the caretaker of the Book Nook and have done so for over 30 years.”

With so many choices today in reading material, it is the hard work of Jean to provide such a wide selection of Christian books to choose from in our cozy church library (another branch of WELC)  Every book, whether it be for children or adults, has a Christian message in its story. “I truly enjoy taking care of our church library, something I have done for over 8 years. It is one more way I can help spread God’s word, by offering biblical material for all ages to get to know HIM better”, Jean said.  The library has an easy check out system and allows readers to keep the books as long as they need.  Check out our numerous new titles today!

Jean is also active in other offerings at our church including The Gather Magazine Circle, Tuesday Bible Study, Church Book Club, Adult Bible Study and assisting with funeral set-up and other Lutheran World Relief events.  Jean is supported by her husband Clint of 53 years and her children: Stephanie, Sharalyn, Jocelyn, Daniel and Andrew  She is also blessed with 13 grandchildren, ages 1yr-21yrs.

Jean ended by saying, “I love being a volunteer at ELC and am very humbled to be chosen for Volunteer of the month. Not only do my activities spread God’s word but the friendships developed along the way make for lifelong friends. We have such a caring, loving, prayerful community of God’s people working together at ELC and I love being a part of it!”  Thanks so much for all you do, Jean!!

Another most deserving God’s Helper award goes to Mr. Paul Rykken, our October God’s Helper.  Paul has been instrumental in organizing and facilitating our adult education opportunities. He has been participating in and leading adult studies and Bible studies of various kinds at ELC since 1990. Since his transition away from full-time teaching in 2020, he has led five studies on various topics, including First Nations history and the difficult relationship between tribal nations and the Christian church, the role of Christians in our political environment, the role of Martin Luther in our church’s history, and various Bible studies.

Paul has just started the next book study related to discipleship and the various spiritual practices that undergird our faith journeys. Through this work, Paul is hoping to engage several of our elder members in articulating their faith experiences, and develop a faith-based mentoring program within our membership.

In addition, Paul sends out a weekly “Faithful Conversations Lectionary Blog” promoting learning and discussion surrounding the scripture readings of the week.  His hard work and gift of writing provides a better understanding of God’s message.  Paul states, “Because of my age and experience as a life-long Lutheran, I am committed to passing the faith on to the next generation and am well-positioned to do that work. I believe we are at an inflection point in our society in 2023 in terms of spirituality, and we need all hands on deck!”

Paul has been extremely active in our church and continues to be involved with ELC’s evolution to more tech-applications.  He is a member of our Tech team and can be found in the ‘loft’ many Sundays.  In addition, he still teaches part time through UW-Green Bay’s Dual Access Enrollment Academy in the area of First Nations History, and also coaches for the Black River School District. 

Paul is blessed with a loving family including his wife Mary Beth (married 43 years), his three adult children: Kate (age 42), Jake (age 39), and Meg (age 32), and their eight grandchildren ranging in age from 1 year old to 13 years old.  God is good!      We thank God for Paul’s many talents.   

Congratulations to Betty Steele, our other fantastic October God’s Helper!  Betty was nominated as she has led the sewing circle for many years and is extremely active in our quilt projects.  According to Betty, Sewing Circle has been active at ELC since the 1940’s when rugs were made for the beds at Wittenberg Indian School. Changes over the years still has this group making and donating to others, only now it is all about making quilts. When she first joined, 25 to 30 quilts were produced. That number has risen greatly. In 2022, 500 quilts were made! That year 100 quilts were sent to Kentucky to help flood victims. 

Sewing Circle has added many local organizations to the donation list, such as: Sleep In Heavenly Peace Beds, Hospice Care, Foster Closet and a quilt is given to each senior graduate to know we are always thinking of them. Of course, Lutheran World Relief and Project Christmas have been our first outreach groups. We also interact with Meadowbrook Assisted Living and Time For Us where they tie quilts for us.

Betty states, “Our sewing projects are funded partially through the budget of W/ELC, but to create the number of quilts we make, more is needed. We ask for material and yarn donations and financial help to buy batting. And as always, we need people. God has been faithful to us in filling that need, always as someone moves away or can’t help for other reasons, a new person joins. If you are feeling the urge to join, perhaps God is nudging you. Come and visit and get to know us. You don’t have to sew to make quilts; there are many different jobs. We meet Thursdays 9:30 in the Fellowship Hall.” 

“A donation to us of a material cutting machine, Accuquilt, was made and has speeded up our abilities to cut squares. We now have volumes of squares of all colors. I would like to see three or four people come together to design squares into quilt tops. We use squares of many sizes, it is just a matter of laying the colors out in a pleasing design”, added Betty.  

Through the years Betty has taught Sunday School, sang in choir, helped with youth groups, and been on the board of the Women’s organization (W/ELC).. A current activity close to her heart is shopping for baby clothes for the Baby Care Kits.

Betty is so deserving and her ending quote warmed my heart.  “This may sound self-fulfilling, but I am very glad to have connected with quilting. As I aged past 80, I felt my abilities change. I no longer wanted to be an officer or to be up front helping on Sundays. I fill my days overseeing Sewing Circle. (Although I maintain all the members are leaders in their own right. They just let me play at being the boss.) I come into church as I want and work, or I can sew at home in the evenings. I wish everyone could come by and witness the peace and harmony, and hear the laughter of friends coming together. We quilt for ourselves while we make warm quilts for others.”

God’s Helpers – September 2023

Congratulations to Beth Bue, our September God’s Helper!  Beth is a tireless volunteer for our church community and we appreciate her caring and energetic work with our youth.  Specifically, we thank her for her work this summer with vacation bible school.

In speaking to Beth, she states: “2023 will be my 2nd year teaching SS at ELC. it is growing by leaps and bounds! It also was my 2nd year coordinating the Community Wide VBS.  There were 50 kiddos registered with an average of 40 to 45 each night. We had loads of fun!”

Other upcoming events for Beth are the first day of Sunday School – September 17th and Trunk or Treat – October 31st.  Beth thanks the congregation for their continued support and says, “monetary donations are always welcome.”

When demonstrating God’s love, Beth replied: “I enjoy volunteering at ELC because it makes my soul and heart happy and full. The hugs and high fives I receive from the kiddos makes my day. Volunteering strengthens my relationship with God as well. Volunteering allows me to get to know people I may not have met yet. All in all, volunteering makes me feel like I’m part of the community.” Beth is supported by her family:  Wayne, her husband (also known as Rolo), and two sons, Roger and Tyler.    Thanks for all you do, Beth!  Congratulations!

Our other September God’s Helper recipient is the ever-talented John Louis! John has been solely responsible for the Hatfield worship equipment needs for the past 8 years, and we felt it was about time to recognize his efforts.  Each week, he loads the car with everything required for the outdoor service including piano, sound system, music stands, microphones, speakers, bulletins, communication supplies, coffee supplies, and of course, the organist.  He sets it all up, takes a short dog walking break, and then tears it all down. Think eat, sleep, repeat for 15 weeks in a row.  

When not spending the summer Sundays in Hatfield, John also volunteers as part of the tech team helping to run the sound system, the camera shots, the worship power point/slides, and the live stream of our Sunday services.  Our tech team is always looking for additional interested members to help with this vital ministry and John is willing to be a patient and kind mentor for this work.  

But that’s not all.  John is also on the Building and Grounds Team and helps with numerous projects to make our space efficient and welcoming.  John enjoys doing these behind the scenes efforts and prefers to stay out of the spotlight…but we felt he was so deserving of this award.  John is a huge fan of our Hatfield worship and says “enjoying the beautiful lake setting, sharing in fellowship in a relaxed natural environment, and being able to bring the dogs out each week, add to the fulfillment I receive serving God.”   Thanks John!   We so appreciate your efforts.