Announcements

“Lord, I will give thanks to you with all my heart.
    I will tell about all the wonderful things you have done.”
Psalm 9:1 (NIRV)

What have I been challenged with this week? To be thankful in all things – even when my day doesn’t go as I expect or hope.  To count my blessings – not just the big things – but the hundreds of little things that are good in my day.  (Often which I just take for granted.)  To not just think about these blessings as a passing thought, but to write them down – every little one – and to speak them out loud as a praise of thanksgiving to God. It is such a simple thing to do, but what a difference it has made for me in not ‘getting stuck’ in the negative things of life this week.   It’s helped me to realign my focus on God, and to remember that He is the Creator and Giver of all good gifts.

“Every good gift, every perfect gift, comes from above. These gifts come down from the Father, the creator of the heavenly lights, in whose character there is no change at all.” (James 1:17 CEB)

It’s been a chilly week but the church is warm and the coffee is on.  Come join us on Sunday for our 9:45am Sunday School and 11:00am Worship Service.

See you then!
Delora

February is here…another month has quickly passed by.  The new month brings us back to the Lord’s Table, with the reminder that God accepts us right where we are.  He longs to have relationship with us and calls us back to the Table to remind us of the extravagant love that He has for each of us.  Come.  You’re invited.  How great is that?! 🙂

See you on Sunday at 9:45am for Sunday School and 11:00am for Worship Service.  

Take care!
Delora

P.S.  Have you checked out Malmo’s new ‘Coffee Bar’?  Located on the south side of the Fellowship Room.  Help yourself to coffee or tea.  

Everyone is invited and welcome to attend our Annual meeting, tomorrow (Saturday) at 1:00pm in the Church Fellowship Room.  We’ll be hearing stories of what God has been doing here at Malmo over this past year and looking toward the future and ‘what’s next’.  Please join us as your presence and voice is important to us.

Sunday morning at 9:45am, we have Sunday School classes for ALL ages.  The coffee & tea will be on and you are welcome to join us! 

At 11:00am we’ll be gathering for our morning Worship Service.  During the service we’ll be praying for our Church Leaders – the newly elected ones and the ones that are continuing their terms.  Praying for our Leaders is such a simple but yet important thing that we can ALL do.  The effectiveness of the work here at Malmo is contingent on our prayers.  We’ve heard our pastors say that and we’ve seen it with our own eyes.  James 5:16 says “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”  We believe this to be true with the depth of our hearts.   Join us as we pray on Sunday for our Leaders – and continue to pray and believe in faith for God to continue to work among us throughout 2019.

And then on Sunday evening, join us at 7:00pm as we view “The Long Road Home” – a film about a European family finding their way to Canada & Alberta as refugees during the war years. After the film we’ll be having conversation about our own histories and how we can care for the world today.

A full weekend indeed…but it’s gonna be good!  🙂

See you this weekend!
Delora

“Those who are wise will take all this to heart:
They will see in our history the faithful love of the LORD.”
Psalm 107:43

It’s been quite a journey for me these past few weeks as I dug into Malmo’s history.  To see pictures of the people who began this church and to read their stories and commitments of faith, through the good and the hard years has been amazing.  Their stories have ‘gotten under my skin’ and have made me ponder my own commitment of faith to this church and community.  Commitment to God is one thing – but commitment to a group of people and to ‘journeying together’ is a whole different story.   As an ‘import’ to this community, I sometimes wondered if I really belonged or if there was truly a place for me in such a deep-rooted community – of which some days I still don’t full understand the way of life around here.  But as I read the stories and looked through old minute books, I have felt a deep connection to the people and to this place – more than I have ever felt before.  I’m realizing that those people were really not much different from me.  They were looking for a place where they could worship God and where they could call home.  And as varied as they were, it’s their commitment to God that held them and carried them through the difficult years. Their ability to work together and move forward in unity can be seen as they made difficult decisions about an unknown future.  They loved God, chose Malmo, committed to working together and the result is that they found a home here.  And so have I.  And it’s God that gets the glory as He continues to work in His people – then and now – and for everything that has been done here over the past 120 years, and everything that is still to come in the next 120 years.

This Sunday is our ‘Covenant Congo Kids’ Giving Sunday.  We have 4 beautiful Congo children that we sponsor – and this is our once-a-year opportunity to gather the monies needed to support these children for another year.  Andy & Jenell will be sharing about this program and all the good that is happening through it, throughout the conference.  If you’d like to help us financially support our 4 kids, please make your donations payable to ‘Malmo’.  

See you this Sunday – for Sunday School at 9:45am and our Worship Service at 11:00am.

Take care & stay warm!
Delora

Thank you to all who wrote their story for the 2018 Annual Report Book!  I truly enjoyed reading them all and to see how God is working so uniquely within each person.  Thank you for trusting us with your story.  I’m excited to include them all and to share the ‘Stories of Malmo’ with you soon!  (The Annual Report Books will be printed and ready for pick up, next Sunday, January 20th).

Tomorrow (Saturday) – for all junior and senior highs!  Join us for Skating and Games at the New Sweden Mission Church Recreation Center, from 7:00 to 10:00pm. Bring your skates and board games and come on out for a fun evening!

Sunday School is back this Sunday at 9:45am!  We’re looking forward to beginning this next season of classes.  Coffee will be available before classes at our ‘Coffee Bar’ located on the South wall of the Fellowship Room.  Please help yourself to coffee, tea, hot chocolate or apple cider.

Then after Sunday School we’ll be gathering in the sanctuary for our 11:00am Worship Service, followed by our coffee and fellowship time downstairs.

A great day, don’t you think?  Hope you can join us!  🙂

Enjoy your weekend!
Delora

Merry Christmas Folks!

Christmas weekend is upon us.  We’re excited to be able to celebrate this season with you!

TODAY from 2:00 – 9:00 pm, Pastor Randall and Lauralea are having their annual Christmas Open House at their home.  Stop by for some Christmas goodies and fellowship.  Everyone is invited!

We’re having a Christmas party during Sunday School!  Elementary kids can meet together in the Sanctuary at 9:45am for a Christmas Open Session, with class parties to follow.

Our Worship service begins at 11:00am, with the ‘Children’s Nativity Processional’. If your child would like to take part in the processional, please have them meet in the foyer before the service begins.  We’ll continue the service with the lighting of the ‘Candle of Love’ on this 4th Sunday of Advent.  Christmas Carols, scripture, prayer, offering (we’re still collecting non-perishable food items) and a sermon reading by Nadene will fill out a beautiful morning.

And then on Monday (Christmas Eve) we’ll be gathering together at 7:00pm for our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service.  A beautiful service to bring your family to, as we hear the story of Jesus’ birth and worship Him together.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!
Delora

“…We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”  2 Chronicles 20:12b

This verse is in the middle of the story of when the Moabites, Ammonites & Meunites declared war on King Jehoshaphat and Judah. The bible tells us that Jehoshaphat was “terrified by this news and begged the LORD for guidance.  He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting.  So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the LORD’s help.”  As a united people, they came together before the LORD, asking – desperately pleading – for God to help them and show them what to do.  And God answered them and gave them a HUGE victory that clearly showed that it was HIM who was working among them.  (Read 2 Chronicles 20 if you want all the details.  It’s a really great story!)

Now I don’t have enemies plotting against me or anything, but I too am faced with decisions, choices and unknowns that I have no idea what to do about.  Is asking God for help and wisdom the first thing that I think about doing?  I wish I could say yes.  But the truth is, that’s not always the case.  Yet it should be – and I desire it to be.  Jesus encourages us in Luke 11:9 to “…keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find…”  God loves us so much.  He’s with us every moment, waiting for us to turn our eyes to Him, open our mouths and ASK…ask for help, for wisdom, for calm…for whatever it is we need today.  He was faithful to King Jehoshaphat hundreds of years ago and He continues to be faithful to us today.

Tomorrow (Saturday) at 6:30pm, there is a Hayride & Cookies Youth Social at Matt & Jeramie-Lee’s farm for all junior and senior highs.  Bring a friend and dress for the weather!

This Sunday is the 3rd Sunday of Advent. The children will begin the service again with the ‘Children’s Nativity Processional’.  If your child would like to take part in the processional, please have them meet in the foyer before the service begins.  (Don’t you just love seeing them come down the aisle with the nativity figurines and ringing the bells?!  I sure do! 🙂

We’ll also be continuing to collect non-perishable food for those in our community that are struggling to have enough to eat. (We’ll be bringing those food gifts forward during the offering time.)

Looking forward to a great weekend.  Enjoy yours and we’ll see you on Sunday!
Delora