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2010 |
What Did You Say?
One can remember those
words being spoken by a parent or a teacher when someone said something in a
disrespectful way or with words that were not allowed to be spoken! One would wonder how
often the Lord says those same words as He listens to the thoughts of people
today! Could it be that under one’s breath the words could be said that man
knows better than the Lord, so why should a person follow and obey the Lord? One can remember well
the confirmation verse found in Proverbs 3 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own
understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight
your paths”. Could it be that a
person could object to the Lord asking His child to trust and obey? Could it be
too much to allow the Lord to direct a decision rather than thinking that
one’s own wisdom is greater than the Lord’s? The interesting thing
is Jesus doesn’t compel a person to trust and obey. The Savior continues to
encourage. The Lord has given to each person the scary ability to say “no” to
the Lord and do life the way he pleases. Yet the Savior
continues to plead and to encourage. By the working of the Holy Spirit many a
believer submits to the Lord out of faith rather than being obstinate and
disrespectful. How is your struggle
going with the Lord? Are you listening to Him? Do you have your own plan or
is your plan faith directed through Christ Jesus? It is a constant
battle to either see life one’s own way or the way of the Lord! The Lord has
a better plan! One can see it come to completion on Easter morning! Can one
find a better plan than the Lord’s? Trust and obey – may
it always find each of us at the foot of the cross and asking the Lord to
direct us in His way. In Christ’s Service, Pastor Stenzel |
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COMMUNITY
PARTNER PROGRAM – Albertson’s Grocery
We have received information that Albertson’s Grocery Stores are no
longer promoting the “Community Partner Program” where not-for-profit groups
can receive dollars for dollars spent at the store. Albertson’s is ending this
program as of January 31, 2010.
NOMINATIONS
FOR PRESIDENT – V. PRESIDENT OF SYNOD
Our Lutheran Church –
Missouri Synod will be having a convention this summer/2010. At this convention
elections will take place. We have included the names of the incumbents who are
up for re-election:
Dr.
Rev. Kieschnick – President
Dr.
Rev. Diekelman – 1st V.P.
Dr.
Rev. C. Mueller, Jr. – 2nd V.P.
Rev.
Buegler – 4th V.P.
Dr.
Rev. P. Maier – 5th V.P.
We do this so
that if someone would like to submit a name for election of one of these
offices, one can do so by submitting it to our congregational chairman – Robert
Haensel. One will also add that our own District President – Rev. Terry Forke –
is being submitted as a candidate for a V.P. of the Synod.
These names
need to be in prior to our next congregational meeting. The LCMS ballot form
needs to be submitted by no later than March 10, 2010.
JOINT WORSHIP
SERVICE – ASH WEDNESDAY – AT PEACE, GREAT FALLS
Once again we come to the beginning of
the Lenten church season as we follow the Savior to the cross and to Easter
victory!
In 2009 Trinity and Peace had a joint
Ash Wednesday service at Trinity. This year in 2010 it will be at Peace on
Wednesday, February 17, at 7 pm. There will be a potluck meal prior to that
service at 6 pm.
Come and join our sister congregation
on Ash Wednesday at Peace here in Great Falls!
WEDNESDAY
LENTEN SERVICES AND THEMES
Lent – 2010 begins on Ash
Wednesday, February 17th. Listed below are the themes for our
Wednesday services at 7 pm at Trinity.
February
17 - 7
pm – Worship at Peace
February
24 - 7
pm – “The Touch of Death”
March
3 - 7 pm – “The Touch of Love”
March
10 - 7 pm – “Touched by Weakness”
March
17 - 7 pm – “The Touch of Satan”
March
24 - 7 pm – “The Touch that Heals”
April
1 - 7 pm – “The Touch that Hurts”
April
2 - 7 pm – “The Touch of Reassurance”
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VAN AVAILABLE – SUNDAY MORNINGS As the weather turns
more favorable, the church van is available for individuals who are shut-in
to attend services at Trinity. Please contact Kathie Sybrant at 231-1291. Pick up is on
the 1st and 3rd Sunday’s of each month when there is
the celebration of Holy Communion. |
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Wee
Disciples Lutheran School & Child Care Center
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We will concentrate on love this month. We love because he first loved us.
If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar.
For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God,
whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God
must also love his brother. 1 John
4:19-21. We see love, given by God and shared with us as we see: * Pastors to lead worship with the children of all ages * Trinity members to share Bible stories and other treats with us * People maintaining accounting to pay staff and other expenses * Volunteers working in so many areas for the Dinner Theater to
provide funds for needed items * People cleaning fingerprints without frustration * Members sharing treats with children * People making crafts for children to create with * Snow removal completed during the day while we learn * Box Tops and Campbells labels arrive sorted and ready because
someone took time to prepare them for submission * Friends coming to eat lunch with us – and share songs, prayers
and reading And this is only a tiny part of the ways we are shown love. We want to encourage children to remember others in times of
need and help with prayers and volunteer activities. A donation was made to provide $1 per book
($1.50 with Thrivent matching) for the next 200 books read by students at Wee
Disciples. The money will be given to the people involved with the tragedy in
Haiti. We will send the money to LCMS
World Relief/Human Care, an agency that is working in this area. It will be a great opportunity to learn
about this agency and the work it does on a continuing basis. We begin registration for the coming year now. Please let us know if you or someone you
know is interested in attending Wee Disciples either for the summer programs
or fall classes. For more information, to give suggestions or volunteer, please
call us at 771-7882 or Debbie at 799-5881 or email childcare@trinity-mt.org. God’s Blessings, Wee Disciples Staff ~ Debbie Lee, Director; Karin Cartner &
Stacey Dobbyn, Childcare Administrators Tel: 406-771-7882 childcare@trinity-mt.org |
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The LWML Board Meeting is
scheduled for Tuesday, February 9th at 1:00 pm. The LWML Group Gathering will
be Saturday, February 13th at 9:30 am. All ladies of Trinity
are invited. |
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In January, Trinity LWML chooses
mission projects for the year. We
support between one and three projects, and last year we gave the budgeted
amount to one project recipient. This
year we chose to contemplate the listed choices and vote at our February
meeting. We have budgeted $600.00 to
be divided between the three receiving the highest number of votes. We are listing the projects in the
Lamplighter for those who were not at the meeting and to inform the
congregation of our endeavors. Project Suggestions for
2010 Mission Projects should have an
urgent need without the possibility of receiving ample funding from other
sources. They should be involved in
proclaiming the Gospel message. There are many noble and needy
projects that could be supported year after year as they will always have a
need for more funding and supplies to enable them in their ministry. All those listed meet the criteria and some
more so than others because they only have the LCMS to support their
endeavors. ·
New District
Mission start in the Plains/Thompson Falls area. This meets a goal of the Ablaze Movement,
starting new congregations in the USA prior to 2017. ·
One or all of the
three missions in Montana who have little potential to become self-supporting
congregations and will always need mission funds: Cheyenne Reservation Crow Reservation Montana Developmental Center –
Boulder ·
Park Timber’s
education fund. A vicar in a “poor”
community who plans to reach his people, the Cheyenne, with the Gospel
message. ·
Prison Ministry
in Montana. A two year old concept of taking
Bible Study to the Prison in Shelby and the Women’s Prison in Billings. ·
Thailand Day
Care: A mission field that Montana
supported this past summer by sending two teams of workers to help in areas
where the LCMS is in ministry. ·
Life Way
Pregnancy Center: The ministry in our
neighborhood that helps girls experiencing a crisis pregnancy. The workers are able to share the gospel. ·
Tom and Debi
Going, missionaries in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Nephew to Jim and Barb, Tom is working as a teacher in the Christian
School in a country that is 85% Muslim.
Debi has started a Bible Study for the mothers of the students. ·
Support for Rev.
Fluegge, his wife and children, who have been missionaries in Africa since
1998. She is the daughter of Rev. Al
Ebel who has served in Havre, Montana. ·
Support for a
first year start up grant for the new Lutheran Caring Pregnancy Center in
Asia or support for the Lutheran Pregnancy Centers in St. Petersburg, Russia,
or Novosibirsk, Siberia. LCMS has
supported these centers in Russia and Siberia for the past four years. ·
Support for Wee
Disciples. Bodily support of members
of the congregation at all of their special functions is needed even more
than monetary support but as with all projects is always needed. |
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Youth Group
2010 National
LCMS Youth Gathering We
are excited about attending the National Youth Gathering and continue with
our preparations. Youth registered to go to the Gathering include: Aly Hutchinson Wes
Bauer Bonnie
Bauer Haley Hanson Kaci
Felstet Paul Nordwall Cailyn Schroeder Sammy
Phillips Mikaela Shaw Brittnie Johnson Matthew
Clark (now in Mt. Home, ID) Please keep all of us in your prayers as we prepare, both
spiritually and financially, for this great event. |
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Youth/Parents
Gathering Meeting We will have a meeting
for all youth that are attending the NYG as well as their parents. The meeting will be
held on Sunday, February 7th immediately following Church. This
is a required meeting as we continue to put our plans together for going to
New Orleans. (We realize this is
Super Bowl Sunday, but the game isn’t until 4 pm.) Joel and Tina have a
meeting scheduled in Helena (at First Lutheran) on Feb. 27th, to
meet with other groups from around Montana that are attending the NYG. We
will be making plans for a District Event and Booth at the Gathering, as well
as sharing ideas for traveling together. Flamingo
Fundraiser Our flock of flamingos
are in flight. Have you seen them
around town? Keep you eyes open, they will be flying through Valentines Day. Trip to Italy
Dinner Mark you calendars
now! We are planning to hold our
annual “Trip to Italy” Dinner on Sunday, March 7th. Watch for further details as the time draws
closer. We will plan to start serving dinner at 5 pm. Youth Yard Sale The youth are planning
to have a BIG Yard Sale this spring to help raise funds through the local
community for the Gathering. If you have something you or your family and
friends would like to donate, please start saving items now. We have had some
donations offered already and are looking for a good location to store the
Yard Sale items until the weather allows for us to have the sale. Do you, or someone you know, have a large
garage or storage building that we can use for the next couple of months to
store items? Please let us know. As always, if you have
any questions or concerns, please feel free to call one of the Youth Board
members, Joel and Tina Kempff or Connie Felstet. |
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FRIDAY LADIES BIBLE CLASS
Come and join the FRIDAY LADIES BIBLE
CLASS as they begin the study of 1, 2 and 3 John. They will meet for Bible
Study on February 5th, 12th & 19th from 1
– 3 pm at the home of Ann Nimmick, 3606 7th Ave. S.
During February the group will go to two
assisted living residences. On February 9th at 11:00 am, they will
go to Bee Hive Home #2 at 2824 15th Ave S for hymn singing and a
devotion. On February 26th, the group will meet at 11:45 am at Maple
Garden Restaurant, 5401 9th Ave S, for a no-host lunch before going
to Highgate House for an hour of hymn singing and a devotion.
A NOTE FROM THE TREASURER
Comparison
of Income This Year to the amount Needed For the Period January 1 through December 31,
2009
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DATE |
NEEDED |
RECEIVED |
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January-November
2009 |
$193,296 |
$161,897 |
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December 2
& 6 |
$4,027 |
$4,259 |
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December 9
&13 |
$4,027 |
$3,513 |
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December 16
& 20 |
$4,027 |
$5,187 |
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December 24,
25 & 27 |
$4,027 |
$3,905 |
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December 31
NYE |
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$6,550 |
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2009 TOTAL |
$209,404 |
$185,311 |
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Comparison
of Income This Year to the amount Needed For the Period January 1 through January 17,
2010
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DATE |
NEEDED |
RECEIVED |
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January 3 |
$3,149 |
$4,056 |
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January 10 |
$3,149 |
$3,439 |
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January 17 |
$3,149 |
$2,993 |
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TOTAL |
$9,447 |
$10,488 |
If you have any questions,
please call me at 761-7073.
Gary Shelden, Treasurer
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WOMEN OF FAITH Are coming to Billings, Montana, at the Metra Park on April
9-10, 2010. Friday from 10:00 am – 3:30 pm and 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm Saturday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm “Imagine” what it would be like if the God who created us was willing
and able to provide exactly what we need.
Why would He do that? Because
He loves us. He loves YOU. Imagine that. Imagine having two days focused on God and
His love for you. Join us for two days
filled with laughter, music, and stories that make you chuckle even as you
wipe away a knowing tear. Don’t Miss
it! We will be hosting a
few preview events over the next couple months to cast a vision of what women
can expect at a Women of Faith event. There will be a Preview Video, real Life
Stories and people who have attended previous Women of Faith events for you
to speak to and learn more about Women of Faith. Please contact Pat
Strand, 799-4172, to let her know when would be the best time for you to
attend a preview event. |
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An LCMS World Relief and Human Care
emergency Mercy Medical Team (MMT) landed in the Dominican Republic Jan. 19,
and half of the 13-member team worked through the night to care for patients
at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Jimani, a city near the Haiti border where
Haitian refugees have fled since last week's devastating earthquake. "People were laying everywhere,
many with massive fractures," said LCMS Life and Health Ministries
Director Maggie Karner, who received word from MMT leader Jacob Fiene.
"Conditions were chaotic; patients were critical, and it was difficult,
but our team was very much needed and provided invaluable assistance." On Jan. 20, MMT members continued to
work at the hospital, the base for LCMS relief efforts set up by the
Dominican Republic Mission and Medical Team led by Rev. Ted Krey of Lutheran
Church--Canada, who serves with LCMS World Mission in the Dominican Republic.
Since the Jan. 12 disaster, the Dominican Republic Mission and Medical Team
has worked to coordinate relief efforts and secure emergency supplies to
assist Haitian refugees fleeing to the neighboring country. LCMS teams are based at the Good
Samaritan Hospital, a facility with a 30-patient capacity that, on Jan. 18,
overflowed with more than 140 patients. In addition to the Good Samaritan
Hospital, LCMS medical team members plan to treat patients at the Seguro
Social triage center and Elisa Pina hospital, also in the Dominican Republic
near the Haitian border. This is the first MMT to serve in the
Dominican Republic, although plans were in the works before the earthquake to
send an MMT to Haiti in March. LCMS teams are working with Lutheran
partners in the Dominican Republic to get urgently needed food, water, and
other emergency relief supplies to suffering Haitians. On Jan. 19, a shipment
of 2,000 pounds of rice and beans secured by the LCMS Dominican Mission and
Medical Team was en route to the Good Samaritan base camp. Arrangements are
in the works to purchase and transport additional supplies of rice, beans,
and water. Rev. Glenn Merritt, director of disaster
response with LCMS World Relief and Human Care, is working with Lutheran
partners in the United States who are collecting relief shipments and making
plans for transport by air and by sea as airports and ocean ports re-open.
Orphan Grain Train, Lutheran Church Charities, and MISSION: Haiti are filling
shipping containers with food, clothing, and other supplies that Merritt says
he expects will be ready to transport within the next few days. Last week's magnitude-7.0 quake killed
an estimated 200,000 people, left 250,000 injured, and made 1.5 million
homeless, according to published reports. The LCMS response to the Haiti
earthquake is a collaborative effort by LCMS World Relief and Human Care and
LCMS World Mission to reach out on behalf of the LCMS and assist the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti, an LCMS partner church body, with help
for hurting congregations and communities. Funds are needed to buy and ship
emergency supplies and to carry out what will be a long-term Lutheran
response in the weeks and months to come. To make an online gift to help with
earthquake relief in Haiti, go to http://givenowlcms.org *Kim Plummer Krull
is a freelance writer and a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Des Peres,
Mo. If you have questions or comments about
this LCMSNews release, contact Joe Isenhower Jr. at joe.isenhower@lcms.org
or (314) 996-1231, or Paula Schlueter Ross at paula.ross@lcms.org
or (314) 996-1230. |
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This may be the 64,000
dollar question; I guess it all depends on how you look at it – Christian, or
all the others. We all look to the news of the day with a weary eye and then
we store it in a slot in our mind to think about at prayer time or dismiss it
when a bigger problem floods in to our mind. Then we shake our heads and
think, “Why us, Lord?” Well, why not us? Just
because we are Christians and go to church, we should be safe, but we still
worry. Now I admit we live a very guarded life style and we don’t like people
blowing our things up and killing our people, so why is it we have become
ground zero? Let me offer a little food for thought. This country is not, nor does it resemble,
what our founding fathers intended for this country to become. Their hopes
and dreams were for a country in which God was the very substance and hub of
this nation. In a little over 200 years the task of doing away with
everything that even has a remote attachment to God now has been put into |
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Anniversaries
– February, 2010
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Feb |
1 |
Gary ♥ Sandra Cotton |
Feb |
15 |
William ♥ Caryl Davis, Jr. |
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11 |
Murlyn ♥ Shawna Burkstrand, Jr. |
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23 |
Robert ♥ Joyce Mitchell |
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Feb |
1 |
Casey Collier |
Feb |
14 |
Sandra Cotton |
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2 |
Lyland Cotton, Jr. |
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15 |
Violet Nell |
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Monica Frohberg |
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18 |
Michael McPherson |
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Mattie Norris |
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19 |
Travis Copp |
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Terry Pearsall |
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20 |
Jon Schroeder |
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Lois Phillips |
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Lauretta Stanfield |
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3 |
Peyton Vining |
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23 |
Allison Doyle |
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4 |
Wayne Chapman |
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Rayn Ginnaty |
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Gerhard Neumann |
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24 |
Austin Webb |
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6 |
Alicia Mauseth |
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25 |
Jerry Grosenick |
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8 |
Brayden Ginnaty |
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26 |
Aaren Remus |
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9 |
Ronald Lee |
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Melissa Soldano |
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10 |
Kendal Blades |
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Eugene Wade |
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Jill O’Moore |
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Barbara Wick |
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11 |
Laura Lee |
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27 |
Matthew Filer |
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Barbara Stenzel |
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Dakota Sharrah |
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12 |
Jasen Remus |
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Judy Tankink |
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13 |
Jacob Mansch |
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Garland Winter |
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Myrtle Storhaug |
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28 |
Jaxson Haden |
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14 |
Caleb Bicsak |
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Chad Mans |
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Baptismal Birthdays –
February, 2010 |
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Feb |
1 |
Justin Lee |
Feb |
14 |
Lydia Laubach |
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3 |
Ron Keely |
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17 |
Vann Pospisil |
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Donna Polanchek |
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22 |
Kathie Gessaman |
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4 |
Margaret Dusek |
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Amanda Haden |
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Mick Jones |
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23 |
Jonathan Kempff |
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Kenneth Pahrman |
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25 |
Dennis Chapman |
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7 |
Kenzie Legg |
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Maryanne Chapman |
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8 |
Martin Bauer |
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Timothy Chapman |
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James Schuman, Jr. |
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26 |
Anita Chapman |
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9 |
Jocelyn Hill |
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Samuel Chapman |
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14 |
Alysha Hutchinson |
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27 |
Marshall Wilbur |
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