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Denmark Congregational United Church of Christ February

Choir practice will be held at 7:00 pm. on the 1st, the 8th, the 15th, the 22nd and the 29th. Pastor Chad will be gone the evening of February 2nd.
Plymouth Circle is not meeting in February. There is a meeting of Sawyer Circle at 1:30 on the 7th. Communion will be given at the service on the 5th. After the service on February 5th Jolly 20 Circle is hosting a soup lunch featuring home-made chicken noodle and chili soups, loose meat sandwiches, pie and a beverage. Proceeds will benefit Jolly 20 projects.

Everyone is welcome to come and bowl on February 12th at 2:00 pm at Arrowhead Bowling Alley in Keokuk. February 14th at 7:00 there will be a Trustees meeting. On February 19th there is a meeting of the Standing Committee after the service, not on the 21st (the calendar is wrong) Wacky Wednesday begins again on February 15th at 5:30 pm. It will be held again on the 22nd and the 29th. February 17th is Trivia Night. Registration begins at 6:30 pm. Playing begins at 7:00 pm. February 18th from 9-5 there is a Scrapbooking and Crafting session in Fellowship Hall... February 20th is Presidents Day. February 22nd is Ash Wednesday. Ashes will be given at 6:00 pm. February 26th is the first Sunday in Lent. SHPF is having their BBQ on the 26th after church. Talk to Kjersten Bobb about purchasing a ticket

2012

Meetings: Note the change

for Christian Ed February 12th after church there will be a Christian Ed meeting. On February 12th there is a Womens Fellowship meeting after the service.

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At supper one night, seven-year-old Brad asked why his dad thanked God before eating food that had come from the grocery store. The father picked up a roll and asked, Where did this come from? From the store, Brad said. Where did they get it? I dunno. From the Bakery? Where did they get it? They made it. From what? asked the father. From flour. Where did that come from? From Wheat. Where did the wheat come from? The Farmers. And where did the farmer get it? He grew it, said Brad. From what? Seed. And who made the seed? God, I guess, said Brad. And that, said the father, is why we thank 1 Him. All my life, Ive prayed before meals. Elizabeth and I still recite the same prayer taught to me as I was growing up and that my family still uses before each meal. Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest. Let this food, to us, be blessed. May our souls, by Thee, be fed; ever on Thy living bread. Amen

February 2012 Ive been to homes that neglect this custom. For some, it is forgetfulness; for others, it is thinking that they are, themselves, the provider; others just dont know what to say. To them, I recommend the prayer, Thank you, God, for giving us food. Its simple, direct, and it recognizes that for what we have received, we owe thanks. Theres another story about giving thanks that I would like to share. When King Alfonso XII of Spain learned that the attendants of his court were neglecting to pray before eating, he determined to teach them a lesson. A huge banquet was prepared, and all the kings guests plowed in, none of them pausing to give thanks to God. But by pre-arrangement, a filthy beggar wandered into the banquet hall, seated himself at the head table, and chowed down. The guests waited for the guards to seize the man, but, to their amazement, he continued gobbling up the food without hindrance. Then the beggar wiped his mouth, rose and stalked out without a word. Someone near the king said, What a despicable fellow! He didnt even say thank you. Rising, King Alfonso said to them all: Do you realize that youve been bolder and more ungrateful than that beggar? Every day you sit down at a table abundantly supplied by your Heavenly Father, yet you neither ask His blessing nor express your gratitude!2 What is at the heart of the pre-meal blessing is gratitude; gratitude for the gift of food; gratitude for the blessings of life; gratitude to God for what are ultimately gifts of life. Such is the reason to say a prayer before a meal, just in case you ever wondered why we do it. Peace,

Morgan, Robert J. Preachers Sourcebook of Creative Sermon Illustrations. Thomas Nelson Inc. Nashville, TN. 2007 pg. 616

Ibid. pg. 617

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February 2012

Feb 5 Feb 6 Feb 6 Feb 8 Feb 10 Feb 12 Feb 15 Feb 15 Feb 16 Feb 16 Feb 18 Feb 19 Feb 19 Feb 19 Feb22 Feb 22 Feb 24 Feb 29

Nicole Woodroffe Janet Morton Robert Chesnut Wanda Siegrist Mariellis Hasenclever Mike Hasenclever Pat Boyd Jeff Mabeus Kay Gingrich Sarah Weisinger Jennifer Mabeus-Geers Scott Weisinger Gary Horstman Deb Ireland Mary Weisinger Vickie Lightfoot Marvin Gingrich Maurice Helt

February 5thIsa 40:21-31; Ps 147:1-11,20c; 1 Cor 9:16-23; Mark 1:29-39 February 12th2 Kings 5:1-14; Psalm 30; 1 Cor 9:24-27; Mark 1:40-45 February 19th2 Kings 2:1-12; Psalm 50:1-6; 2 Cor 4:3-6; Mark 9:2-9 February 26thGen 9:8-17; Psalm 25:1-10; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:9-15
The family of Jim Burk wishes to thank everyone, including all of their neighbors and visitors for the prayers, cards, comfort, care and memorials given to us. We especially want to thank Pastor Chad for being here and for his comfort during this time. Thank you again, Cindy Burk, Sue & Jim Bowman, Roger & Nancy Burk, Diane & Robert Vanderhoeven and Heather Volkmer We got a thank you note from Clayton Whitmarsh for the cookies and a thank you to the ladies for thinking of him. REMINDER: Please remember to bring in pop-can tabs, donate old eyeglasses and hearing aids, and Jell-O or other food pantry items. There are containers on the south window sill in Fellowship Hall. A small group of us have started reading The Chronological Bible. If you are interested meet us after church on February 5th in the library. 3

February 14 Randy & Jan Woodroffe February 18 Maurice & Kay Helt February 19 Dwight & Peggy Blint February 21 Marvin & Sue Watson February 24 Jack & Rhonda Boeddeker

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February 2012

Ross. David Houston is willing to remove the Trustees Meeting Minutes December 13, 2011 The Trustees met on December 13, 2011 at 7:00 pm. Those in attendance were Joel Bobb, Scott Weisinger, Ben Heckart, David Houston, David Fincher, Laurel Klopfenstein, Sylvia Harvey and Chad Savage. Minutes of the previous meeting were approved on a motion by Dave Houston, seconded by Ben. The Financial Secretary Sylvia Harvey reported that the AT&T service has been cancelled and the virus protection is now covered under our new bundle with Windstream. The financial reports were approved on a motion by Ben, seconded by David Fincher. Reports: Chad reported on the average attendance for the past two years. Attendance for 2010 was 4200 and for 2011 is 4600 with two Sundays left. There will be a new members class starting in January. Old Business: Boeding Tax and Accounting Service will be doing our payroll taxes. We are in compliance with all IRS regulations. Ben presented a letter from Ann Menke regarding a credit on health premiums we pay on employees in the form of a payroll tax reduction. Two bids for snow removal were presented: one from Brandon Barnes and one from Todd
Prayer changes things: Please call Sue Watson at 528-4494 or the church office at 528-4465 with any prayer concerns. We are praying for:

snow. On a motion by Scott and seconded by David Fincher we will have Todd Ross on call if David is unable to remove the snow. New Business: Ben talked about the church sponsoring a program that would involve the community. Further discussion will take place next month. Ben will serve on the Nominating Committee. The last order of business was the Budget for 2012. The proposed budget will be presented to the congregation on December 18, 2011. The next meeting will be January 10, 2012 at 7:00 pm. The meeting was adjourned. Joel led us in the Lords Prayer. Respectfully Submitted, Laurel Klopfenstein.

Patty Dochterman Tony Haeffner Sandra Parrish Chris Jackson Clayton Whitmarsh Eva Beach Mike Horn The Family of Jim Burk Mike & Carol Smith The Family of Bob Mapes Merle Hasenclever Harlan & Judy Sugars The Family of Mildred Miller
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