On behalf of all the men, women and children of Shalom I offer you greetings!
Shalom has close to 700 baptized members and growing.

In 2009, Shalom Lutheran achieved some important milestones by adding on a beautiful new Sunday school and office addition and a successful pre-school with classes on M/W/F for 4 & 5year olds and T/Th for 3 & 4 year olds. Because of its success more classes are being added. Please call the church for more information – ask for Diane Myer.

Some people may ask: “What is a Lutheran?” We are Christians who trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior. Lutheran teachings are founded on the church’s understanding of the Bible and the Confessions of the Church. Basically, Lutheranism teaches that a person is saved only by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

How do we worship? The Bible is the basis for our worship. We are a liturgical church, which means we retain forms of the Mass, but renewed emphasis is placed on the preaching of God’s Word. We celebrate two sacraments. The first is Baptism, which is the death to sin found in us and a rebirth into a holy life in Jesus Christ. We become a child of God. The second sacrament is The Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion which we encounter God in Jesus Christ directly in the bread and wine and God’s Word. Christ comes among us to forgive our sins and to help us strengthen our faith.

Simply, being a Lutheran means being a vital member in the body of Christ. As Jesus said, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” – John 8:31-32.

We do have an un-staffed Nursery where your child can fuss or play and you are still able to view and listen to the service.

I hope you come and visit us. We love new faces!

Sincerely yours,

Dear Members of Shalom Lutheran,

This is a very busy season and there are a number of church related matters that I would like to address, which relate to all ages of our congregation:

ANNUAL MEETING: The Shalom Annual Meeting has been postponed until February 19, 2012 at 9:40 am in the sanctuary. The reason for this major delay is the loss of almost three months of financial data on the computer QuickBooks programs. Our financial people have to re-enter this lost data so we can give you a full and complete financial picture of Shalom Lutheran Church.

THERE WILL BE NO SUNDAY SCHOOL ON JANUARY 22nd the date of the original annual meeting date. Because of curriculum, teacher and student schedules the Board of Education wishes to keep Sunday school cancelled for Jan. 22nd. Also, there will be no Sunday School on February 19th – the new annual meeting date.

PR. JOYSLIN: Pastor Chip will be out of the office from January 31 - February 22, 2012.

CONFIRMATION CLASSES: During pastor's absence the 7th grade class will be lead by Mrs. Angela Zirpel, and the 8th grade class lead by Mrs. Michelle Ahnberg. We owe these ladies our thanks, especially mine.

SHALOM’S LENTEN SEASON BEGINS ON ASH WEDNESDAY, February 22, 2012 with mid-week worship beginning at 7:00 pm, through Holy Week.

MID-WEEK LENTEN SUPPERS. During our Lenten season, Shalom’s Luther League will be serving a light supper at 6:00 pm, before our 7:00 worship. Our service will not be long, but focusing on our spiritual preparation for Holy Week and Easter. I hope you will take advantage of this wonderful hospitality and join us – young and old.

DURING OUR LENTEN SEASON THE 7TH AND 8TH GRADE CONFIRMANDS will NOT have their regular class time, but are REQUIRED to attend Lenten worship – hopefully with their families. There will be sermon sheets (notes) that will required to be completed after each worship service and a paper will be due after Easter. Pastor Chip will hand out the specifics to the students at a later date.

PRESCHOOL NEWS
We are pleased to announce that Diane Myers has accepted the position of Preschool Teacher and Director. Diane has degrees in Early Childhood Education as well as in Christian Education. Diane has worked in all aspects of a preschool serving as an aide, a lead teacher, and director. In addition to her preschool background, Diane has also taught kindergarten and second grade classes for Christian Schools. Diane’s husband Bob, is an associate pastor for worship ministries for a church in Sioux Falls.

Parents and students are invited to an open house Tuesday evening at 7:00pm for the Tuesday/Thursday class and Wednesday for the MWF class. (Yes, snacks will be provided both nights!)

Classes will resume for the T/Th class on Thursday, January 19th and the M/W/F class on Friday, January 20th.

Shalom Lutheran Preschool is accepting registrations for the 2012-2013 school year. We will be offering a T/Th class for children who are 3 or 4 and will have another year of preschool before going to Kindergarten. The other class is on M/W/F for 4 & 5 year olds who will be entering kindergarten the next fall. Classes are from 9:00-11:30 am. We will once again offer extended care before preschool from 7:30-9:00 to help alleviate some transportation issues. Registration forms are in the back of our brochures and are available in the gathering area, the preschool area or the church office. If you have any questions please contact the office at shalomedu@iw.net or 767-5382.

KIDS AGAINST HUNGER
The Shalom Women’s Group is scheduled to pack meals for Kids Against Hunger on Tuesday, January 24 at 6:30 pm. It will take about one and a half hours. We need a minimum of 10 people to staff a packing line. We will meet at the church at 6 pm or you can go directly to their location. They are in the Avera Living Well Center at 33rd and Minnesota. Enter the glass double door to the right of the Coke machine. We need to know ahead of time how many people will be participating in this mission opportunity. Please call Elaine Totman on 743-5350 as soon as you can.