As we continue to navigate through Mental Health Awareness Month, I would like to share part of my personal journey battling Clinical Depression and Anxiety for the last 23 years. Now, I’m not saying I’ve been constantly depressed and anxious for the last two decades. Rather, depression and anxiety are like any other problems in life. They ebb and flow just like the ocean’s tides. Fortunately, [...]
Children and youth are as likely to experience stress as adults, but are just on the start of their lifelong journey to learning skills to verbalize it and develop coping techniques. This past year has been especially stressful due to the fears and uncertainty with the pandemic, political unrest, frequent changes in the way we are allowed to live our lives due to the pandemic guidelines. Kids need routine [...]
Demo has started for our Youth room remodel!! We want to thank Brandt Dinger, Scott Dallmann, Gary Prinsen, Kirsten Kelly, Kim Wortz, Tara Olson, Bill Fink, Charlie Jose, Jonathan Ness, Sarah Ness, Paulette Podratz, Jake Olson, Randy Hildebrandt, and Gretchen Ness for all their hard work. Walls were knocked down, carpet pulled up, doors removed, and lots of sweat given by all. The space is going [...]
Starting in 1992, April has been designated "Stress Awareness Month". This year we certainly need to take a deep breath and recognize the stress we are under every day and take steps to talk about it and learn ways to cope. We are in an epidemic of stress. This article will speak to general stress in everyone, and in two weeks we'll address stress in children and teens. When you are placed in a [...]
The next few Caring Corner articles will bring information about some of the most common mental illnesses. Sometimes we are too close to the situation to recognize when we or someone we love is losing their mental balance. It is often easier to ignore or deny a concern than to talk about it honestly or seek care. But God promises to walk with us THROUGH the dark times so we need not fear taking the [...]
The vaccines are here, and hopefully, we are at the beginning of the end of this pandemic. As a result, the Church Council has adopted a plan for returning to in-person gatherings. Worship We will continue offering YouTube/Online services through the summer or until it is safe for everyone to gather in-person for worship. At the same time, we will begin to hold outdoor [...]
January is Mental WELLNESS Month! Usually our longest and coldest month of the year, it is also a time most of us make resolutions and set new goals. However, many of us find ourselves in a mental slump. This year with social distancing, working, learning and eating at home most of the time, we can find ourselves down in the dumps and stressed. Here are some tips [...]
January’s Fifth Sunday Offering’s focus is on raising funds to help Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) to continue to provide nutritional meals to the world’s most vulnerable starving children in these challenging times. For a time in 2020 FMSC had to stop their packing events (including one that was to have been in Delano last June), but they continued to pursue other ways to still provide [...]
On November 29 th , our Fifth Sunday Offering will benefit St. Stephen’s in Minneapolis. St. Stephen’s mission is to support individuals and families experiencing homelessness in achieving permanent, affordable housing. They do this through street outreach, shelter, and housing programs. Like many charities, St. Stephen’s has seen an increase in need due to the COVID-19 [...]
Staying Vibrant! This is our calling as a church. This is our vision as we envision ministry together on into a new year. This is God's gift to us as a faith community and as individuals--that we receive and share vibrancy as people of Christ. We are filled with faith, hope, and love as together we are a beacon [...]
Thank you for your ongoing partnership in the ministry we share here at Light of Christ! It would be an understatement to say that it's challenging to have a sense of connection through these past many months. And, as we look on into 2021, we anticipate that we will continue to be challenged. But one important point of connection is in our giving. That one decision, that one choice of what to do with [...]
Everyone knows what it feels like to be anxious. This past year and the election week demonstrated that! Below are exerts and information are from "Grace for the Afflicted- A Clinical and Biblical Perspective on Mental Illness" by Matthew S. Standford. This book is in our church library along with many others on a small cart designated as Mental Health resources, available for check-out. [...]
