September 2025
NEW BISHOP ELECTED
When Yehiel Curry considers his vision for the future of the church, he sees an important distinction.“Part of the work is naming it,” he said, “but that next phase is embodying it.
“When we’re talking about casting a vision, I think people want to be part of a vision because they want to share in the process. But they typically will also share in the burdens as well. So part of my vision is [about] those things we’ve lifted up as a church that we said we need to do, we’re going to do, and find a way to bring more people to the table so that we might embody that work instead of it just being a written document.”
Curry, who was elected July 30 to serve a six-year term as ELCA presiding bishop, knows something about embodying a vision and discerning a call.
Before he became a pastor, then a bishop, then the chair of the Conference of Bishops, and now presiding bishop-elect, he was a social worker, then a teacher, then in sales. “I went from being a social worker to a teacher in the same community where I was helping those families, and in both cases, what I learned is passion is very important. And if you can align a person’s passion with a need, then it doesn’t feel like work sometimes.
“It wasn’t until I was in the church that I said, ‘I could do this for the rest of my life.’”
“It wasn’t until I was in the church that I said, ‘I could do this for the rest of my life.’”
Curry wrestled with the passion he feels for his current ministry as he discerned his new call in the days leading up to the 2025 Churchwide Assembly. “I take my role [as bishop of] the Metropolitan Chicago Synod very seriously,” he said. “And I started the process of thinking about what the next six months would look like, even the next year. And some people discern differently. I didn’t have some voice saying to me, ‘Here’s what you ought to do.’ But last Friday, what started to happen was the calls of family, friends and mentors—the nudging, the text messages, the emails—served as a form of discernment for me.”
“I only arrived at this place Friday or Saturday where I felt like maybe this is something I should do,” he said of being considered for presiding bishop.
Now that Curry has been elected the fifth presiding bishop of the ELCA—and the first of African descent—how does he feel? “That reality hasn’t really set in,” he said. “Even at this moment, I’m feeling a certain kind of way in understanding the weight and the impact. 2
“I’m hopeful that, if presence matters, me being here does something for allowing others to consider, ‘Someone who looks like me, or is from my community, or speaks with an accent, or their mother tongue isn’t English [could take on a similar role].’ Hopefully that’s what that means.”
A return on investment
An immediate answer comes to mind for Curry when asked about what he believes should be among the ELCA’s top priorities. “I think there’s this unique opportunity around lay equipping and lay education,” he said. “The ethos and the structures of many of our congregations are changing. In some cases, they’ve gone from full-time pastors to part-time pastors; we have leaders who are serving two- and three-point congregations.
“Our lay leaders are being asked to do more. And in many cases, they’re saying, ‘Yes, I want the education—as long as you’re not trying to steer me and tell me I need to be a pastor or a deacon. Tell me how to be a better leader in my community, in my context.’”
Curry’s passion for, and awareness of, equipping lay leaders stems from his own ministry beginnings.
He was a Chicago Public Schools teacher when he first visited Shekinah Chapel, then a synod-authorized worshiping community. “I didn’t even realize it was Lutheran,” he said. “I was invited by a friend.” What drew him to Shekinah was Safe in My Brother’s Arms (SIMBA), a mentoring program there sponsored by the ELCA. “I had these unique students,” he said. “And I was interested in services for them. … There was a worship service I stayed for. And I loved it.”
Curry went home and told his wife, LaShonda, about the great experience he had had there, and they returned together the following weekend. “We came back and joined,” he said. “And we didn’t understand the organizations of the Lutheran church. We just saw a home, we saw a community.”
Eventually, the community, and the synod staff, asked Curry to consider being a lay mission developer. He was unsure. “I knew I had this thing in my heart, but I didn’t have the right vocabulary for it,” he said. “I didn’t know that I was actively discerning and that I was being called into this ministry.”
“I didn’t know that I was actively discerning and being called into this ministry.”
After becoming mission developer, Curry enrolled in the Theological Education for Emerging Ministries program at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and received his ordination certification in 2009. In 2012, when Shekinah became an official ELCA congregation, it called Curry to be its pastor. He served in that role until he was elected bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod in 2019.
“This was a process I was honored to be involved in, because I didn’t think many people knew who I was,” he said. “I was working in poverty ministry in the outskirts of Chicago. So it was an honor to have my name lifted up and to ultimately be elected bishop.” In 2024, he was elected chair of the ELCA Conference of Bishops.
Curry recalled his ministry trajectory, and the initial hesitation he felt in accepting that first role, when he addressed the 2025 Churchwide Assembly following his election.
“I’m what a return on your investment looks like,” he told the assembly. “Perhaps I’m out there in one of you. I never saw myself as good enough, so for two years, I said no. I finally said yes. When I said yes, your support, this church’s support, of that ministry meant everything. So if you want to know what your benevolence dollars look like, it looks like me. And I want to say thank you. Thank you for your investment.”
Curry will be installed Oct. 4 at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.
SEPTEMBER VOLUNTEERS
SUPPLY ACOLYTES
Sept 7 – LSI representative
Sept 14 – Pastor Steve Smith Sept 14 – Madi Muhlenbruch
Sept 21 – Casey Simmons
Sept 28- Steve Schwendemann
USHERS ALTAR GUILD
Loren and; Angie Lienemann Jeanette Wenzel and; family
DEACON BREAD BAKER
Kim Brinkman Jeanette Wenzel
Just a reminder that we switch worship times on Sept 7 th !
COMMUNION September 14 at 10:00 am service
FLCW QUILTERS Sept 2 at 1:00 p.m.
FIRST COUNCIL MEETING Wednesday, September 3 rd at 6:00 p.m.
FREE COMMUNITY MEAL Wednesday, September 17 th
Menu:: Spaghetti/lettuce salad, Garlic toast/bars
Serving will be from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Bring a friend or two!
KICKOFF DAY
Sunday, September 7th
First day of Sunday school and confirmation will be on the 7 th at 9:00 a.m.
Coffee hour will also resume at 9
During the 10:00 a.m. worship service this Sunday We will have
BLESSING OF THE BACKPACKS
PRESENTATION OF BIBLES FOR 3 RD & 5 TH GRADERS
FLCW QUILT BLESSING
A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM LSI
FOLLOWING WORSHIP, WE WILL GATHER DOWNSTAIRS FOR POTLUCK
TO CELEBRATE THE START OF THE NEW SUNDAY SCHOOL YEAR
and
TO PAY TRIBUTE TO ALL THE FLCW QUILTERS WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR TIME AND TALENTS.
ALL ARE WELCOME!
Tableware and drinks will be furnished.
FLCW REPORT FOR 2025
We are sending 175 quilts this year.
September 7 th will be the blessing of the quilts
September 13 th the Agena’s will take the quilts for Ft. Dodge
September 2 nd will be the last FLCW quilting day
Here is a record of the items sent to LWR from 2010 – 2025
Quilts – 1,877
Baby kits – 783
Health kits – 166
School kits – 172
Fabric kits – 2
Please take a minute to soak in those numbers!
September 2 nd will be the last time the ladies gather to put quilts together. What an
accomplishment this has been. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your hard work
and dedication!
VESPERS AT VERNON
Mark your calendar to join us for the 15 th Annual Vernon Church Service on Saturday, September 13 th at 5:30 p.m. A flyer with all the details can be found in this newsletter.
MANY THANKS
We would like to THANK all of you for doing your part this year by working in the Dows Corn Days food stand. Everyone worked really well together and made the task an easy one. This is a nice service that the area churches do for our community during the Dows Corn Days celebration. It takes a lot of people and time to make it a big success. We had a great year and THANKS AGAIN!! (First received a check in the amount of $486.71)
PRAYER REQUESTS for the family of Grace Haugen, whose funeral was held at First on July 31 st , the family of Geraldine, “Gerry” Hanson, who gathered at First on August 8 th for a remembrance luncheon, Linda Dow, Linda Muhlenbruch, all our homebound and nursing home members.
FIRST LUTHERAN COUNCIL MEETING
August 13, 2025
President, Larry Klatt, opened the meeting with 11 members present. A motion to approve of the agenda as presented was made by Mary Anderson and seconded by Mary Haugen. Motion carried.
Devotions: Larry Klatt read a devotion on social justice.
President’s Report: Larry reported that helping with VBS was a great time and he had a fun week.
Secretary’s Report: Jeanne read the minutes of the July 2, 2025 meeting. A motion by Mary Haugen to approve of the minutes as read was seconded by Jean Swanson. Motion carried.
Treasurer’s Report: Shelly checked with Muhlenbruch Insurance to see if there was anything we could do to lower the church’s insurance premium, and there wasn’t anything that could be changed. It will be $2500 more this year. It has been paid. The LP is paid up, also. Shelly received an audit report notice and will complete that soon. A motion by Jean Swanson was made to accept the Treasurer’s Report and Tammy Klatt seconded it. Motion carried.
Deacon’s Report: Deacons reported that members continue to be visited and receive communion monthly.
Trustees Report: It was reported that there is a leak in one of the sinks in the women’s restroom. It will be checked out and fixed. The bell tower door is getting hard to open and needs looking at.
Stewardship Report: Tammy & Larry said that 11 bibles were given out during VBS to children who did not have one in their homes. The children who came to VBS were told about our Sunday School program and invited them to come in September.
Old Business: Maddie Muhlenbruch will acolyte on Communion Sundays. Adult readers will do the other Sundays.
New Business: SEPTEMBER 7, 2025 – POTLUCK!! POTLUCK!! POTLUCK! MARK YOUR CALENDARS!! Sunday School Kickoff - 9:00 a.m. Worship at 10:00 Coffee at 9:00 a.m. –Everyone invited to join us before church. BLESSING OF THE BACKPACKS, QUILTS TO BE BLESSED AND QUILTERS TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR YEARS OF THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS. 3RD GRADERS WILL RECEIVE THEIR BIBLE – Alex Verba and Charlie Hefti
2 Food Stand Money – First Lutheran received $486.71 for our share. Discussion was held on the tables used at the food stand – they are very, very heavy and are falling apart. Seven new ones are needed. Larry Klatt made a motion to purchase 3 new plastic tables with the food stand money that will be used at the church food stand. Jean Swanson seconded that motion. Motion carried.
Riverside E-Mail: Shelly reported that the church received an e-mail from Sophia, one of the counselors who came in July to help with a service here at First. She was requesting an opportunity to work at our church and have a host family until September 1st. She might have found something closer to Story City that would work out for her.
Motion to Adjourn: A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Kathy Thelke and seconded by Tammy Klatt. Motion carried. We all closed with the Lord’s Prayer. Our next meeting will be on September 3, 2025
Submitted by, Jeanne Russell Council Secretary
CAN YOU HELP??
The Board of Education is looking for 1 Sunday school teacher. If you are interested in helping out, either full time or part-time, please contact one of the board members. Mary Haugen, Jen Verba or Jeanette Wenzel. Thank you!
THANK YOU
I wish to thank Jenny V, Jean R, Nancy G, Mary A, Jean S, Vicky F and Kim for serving the meals at VBS. Every day these special people had the kitchen cleaned and in order for the next day. Also, to Jaxon, he was my drinks man, and to David who did whatever was asked of him. Also, to the wonderful ladies of the churches for the delicious cookies and to those who brought cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, pineapple, watermelon, honeydew and little oranges.
We thank Summit Farms for 30lbs of hamburger, Wal-Mart for a $50 gift card, Hy-Vee for $55 in fresh fruit and veggies, Fareway for a $20 gift card, Pat for a $20donation and Thrivent for a $250 gift card. Thank you to the Dows Ministerial Assoc for their contribution.
It has been an honor and a joy to serve the children good and nutritious food.
-Monica
Thank you to everyone who helped in any way with VBS this year. We had between 45-62 kids this year along with 20+ volunteers that made the week go smoothly. This is a great thing that we do for our community, and we couldn’t do it without all of you. Thanks again for your support through food, talent or donations. Every little bit helps. See you next year!