News

Local church volunteers time to the elderly in Bottineau

By Matthew Semisch

09/16/2014

Bottineau’s First Lutheran Church this past Sunday, Sept. 7 took part in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) nationwide “God’s Work, Our Hands” program, which brought love to the elderly community in town through a variety of projects the church members performed.

“The ELCA set Sept. 7 as this year’s dedicated day of service of God’s Work, Our Hands,” said Janell Shannon. “Sunday is an opportunity to celebrate who we are as the ELCA as one church, freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbors.”

Close to 10,000 ELCA churches throughout the nation participated in the event. The church parish in Bottineau decided to be part of the program because of their belief in the Word of God.

“It represents what we understand to be at the heart of what the church is about. The church reaches out in love to the world,” Shannon said. “We work every day to love our neighbors and make our community a better place.”

The project goal for the First Lutheran Church was to assist the residents at St. Andrew’s Health Center and Oak Manor.

“Our day started with our Sunday worship service at the church,” Shannon said.

“After worship our four year olds through six graders sang songs and did two craft projects with some of the residents at St. Andrew’s and Oak Manor Apartments.

“Craft projects were to fill a prescription bottle with daily doses of God’s word and to follow the dosage instructions daily, and to decorate a cross that residents and children could keep as a reminder that God loves us,” she continued.

“The adults in our congregation helped with daily needs for the residents such as cleaning windows, vacuuming under furniture, cleaning bathrooms, light fixtures and ceiling fans, cleaning cupboards, etc. Our parish nurse, Lois Fett, also checked blood pressures for the resident at St. Andrew’s and Oak Manor.

“Then at noon everyone including apartment residents met back at First Lutheran to share a meal prepared and served by our Fire Up youth group, which consist of young adults from seventh grade through college,” Shannon added.

The age groups that took part in God’s Work, Our Hands included children as young as four to an individual who was 98.

Shannon said that the event was a true spiritual experience for the church members.

“God’s Work - Our Hands Sunday reminds us that we are a church together for the sake of the world. Our lives have been changed by our relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and it’s that encounter with Jesus that frees us to make a difference,” she said.

“Sept. 7 was a blessing to those we served and to those who served as we witnessed the love of God reaching out and touching each one of us.”

With the success of this year’s event, the First Lutheran Church is already planning for next year’s program.