Grapevine Twist Square Dance Club

The Grapevine Twist Square Dance Club had a dance Dec. 13 at the Senior Center at Skyline Plaza. Mary Mehus was the caller and called to over four squares. Christmas treats were served after the dance. Servers for the evening were club officers Ron and Betty Stoick, Connie and Floran Peters and Bruce and Donna Stolaas. The next dance was Saturday. The caller was Ernie Auringer and chili was served after the dance.

 

Trinity Lutheran Church Women

Trinity Lutheran Church Women met at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 3 in Trinity Hall for the Christmas gathering.

Co-President Bev Jackson Cotter gave the welcome to the guests. She said, “The real reason for Christmas is to take time to enjoy the ‘Biblical Miracle of the Birth of Jesus.’” The business meeting was conducted during the luncheon so that the group would be on time for the chorale.

Erna Berthelsen gave the devotions. She mentioned “A Coffee Break with God,” one of Margaret Jacobson’s favorites. She talked about the writer, Joseph M. Scriven, who wrote the hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” It is among the 10 most known hymns which depicts a poem he wrote to comfort his mother. He said, “He wrote it with the help of God.” The guests then sang the first verse of it. They sang the Doxology, table prayer and then started the lunch.

A lunch was served by the Elizabeth Circle. There were two offerings taken, one for the Oak Mission in Oklahoma to help the orphan Indian children and the other for Trinity Lutheran Church Women to defray expenses.

Nanciana Jensen, treasurer, placed the 2015 projected budget sheets on the table. She went over the budget and explained it. Marlene Wright made a motion to accept the 2015 budget and Eleanor Schou seconded it.

The women gave a big thank you and a gift to Virginia Plantage who is retiring this year. The secretary-mission action position will be taken over by Jo Meyer in 2015.

Cotter introduced Deaconess Sister Shana Williams, family faith formation coordinator, to say a few words about herself. She has a husband and a daughter and lives in Albert Lea. She is the coordinator of three churches in Albert Lea, Trinity, Salem and Ascension Lutheran. She hails from Fargo, North Dakota. She explained the program to the guests.

There were 80 poinsettias to be delivered to shut-ins and seniors 80 years young Dec. 4 and 5.

The Trinity workshop was Jan. 6. The group’s board members gathered at 9 a.m. All circle members who attended met at 1:30 p.m. to work on the 2015 circle letters.

The meeting was closed with the Lord’s Prayer and the group left to listen to the Albert Lea chorale perform their 2014 Christmas concert under the direction of Diane Heaney.

 

Cub Scout Pack 105

Every year the scouting program requires packs and troops to do service projects to help out their community. Each family of Cub Scout Pack 105 makes 6 dozen of their favorite Christmas treats. It can be all one kind or can be mixed up with a couple of different kinds.  Then they bring the treats to the cubmaster’s house. It’s a lot of fun sorting out the treats and putting them on three different sizes of trays. The trays were graciously donated by Hy-Vee and Marketplace Foods. After being packaged up the Cub Scouts sold them after the three masses at St. Theodore’s Church and after the mass at St. James Church Dec. 6 and 7. They charged $5 for large trays, $3 for medium trays and $2 for small trays.

Each year the pack picks a different charity to give their donation to. All the proceeds this year went to the Humane Society of Freeborn County. They raised $300.50 with their tasty service project. The leftover treats that were not sold then went to their Christmas party in December.

The next service project the pack will participate in will be Scouting for Food in March.