Stories of how your generous donations (time, talent and gifts) to Nativity make a difference in the lives of many people. Feel free to share your own story or the story of someone you know by contacting Vicki Elliott, Business Administrator.
Jan. 22, 2012
Anna Burckhardt has been a youth assistant with Sunday Faith Formation at 9am since she was in fifth grade. She is now in tenth grade and was confirmed this past October. She likes the kids and says, “It keeps my faith up, to keep volunteering, and it’s fun.” Anna also said her commitment to the Faith Formation students “makes sure I come every Sunday instead of sleeping in.”
Anna makes a difference in kids lives, sharing her faith with them, being an active youth in our faith
community, thanks Anna!!!
Your giving is instrumental in making these relationships happen and spreading the word of God to these youth and children. How? You help provide the donations that support faith formation for children and confirmation for youth. Faith formation, confirmation and other groups help our kids understand their gifts and what they can share with the world and each other. We are blessed to worship in this building, in this community every day. We are preparing our kids for the future and the affect they will have on others as they grow and go out into the world. Thank you!
Dec. 25, 2011
Everyone has been blessed by God with spiritual gifts and when you live according to your spiritual giftedness you are no longer working in your own strength but the strength of the Holy Spirit. So an ordinary person can accomplish extra ordinary things. God expects us to use our gifts in service to others, when we do our energy and faith is contagious.
Your giving fosters a community of faith at Nativity that empowers others to serve. The staff hired, the programs offered, the opportunities of service provided, make it possible to release 2400 people into the community and the world, making the community and the world we live in a little better place each day. THANK YOU for your giving. Each dollar given makes the world a little better every day.
Dec. 18, 2011
Nativity Supports our local Northeast Food Shelf. During 2011, Nativity donations provided 60,000 pounds of food for our neighbors in need.
Your giving in 2011 has provided: 36,000 meals, 4,000 people served, $14,850 dollars graciously given to purchase food and 2,210 pounds of food directly donated to the NE Food shelf. All this adds up to 60,000 pounds of food—WOW!
During 2010, the Salvation Army NE Food Shelf served meals to 112,233 people! Nativity, you are a big part of providing food to those who are in need, thank you.
Dec. 11, 2011
Nativity Church is grateful to announce we are able to pay $108,708 of the principal on our church mortgage this year! That brings our mortgage balance to $995,000 at the end of December 2011! Nativity’s mortgage is through Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. An agreement in our mortgage allows us to make a principal payment once a year and the loan will be re-amortized, lowering our payment. It’s really been quite a gift, allowing us to pay down our mortgage and lower the payments as we go and putting that money right back into ministry.
Thank you to each and every one of you who donated to the building fund or Forward In Faith. You have given a generous gift. Your donations allow us to lower our mortgage and use the interest we would have paid towards ministry right here.
Dec. 4, 2011
There are so many children in church! What a joy it is to see them enjoying “Time With Children” at the beginning of the church service,going downstairs for Faith Formation and mingling with everyone afterward. My son calls Faith Formation, HIS church service!
- Making Baptism Fonts
4 yr. olds making nativity sets
Your donations provide a faith-filled beginning for all these children. Faith Formation classes, the adults that surround them, the pastors that give them a high-5, the books and Bible they use, the materials used to do hands-on projects and YOU, all these things give them the knowledge of Christ and the Bible so they can go out into the world and share the good news. Thank you!
Here’s how Nativity’s Faith Formation classes stack up:
Faith Formation For Children (Ages 3 to 4th Grade):
Saturday 5:30pm 23 students
Sunday 9:00am 60 students
Sunday 10:30am 112 students
Club 56 (Grades 5-6):
Sunday 11:45am 40 students
Nov. 20, 2011
Confirmation students who completed their Affirmation of Baptism Oct. 30—Your donations support the cost of the confirmation program here at Nativity Church, allowing our 10th graders to learn about Christ and continue on their spiritual journey with valuable tools received right here. by Vicki Elliott, Business Administrator
Twenty-three 10th graders declared themselves as Disciples, followers of Jesus! 
They each wrote a faith statement, stating what they believed!
They each wrote a mission statement, stating how they will serve God and others!
Twenty-three 10th Graders invested themselves in service to others making the world a better place!
From everyone of the 10th graders and from everyone of their families and from everyone who will ever be blessed by the care and compassion of one of these 10th graders, Thank You!
Nov. 13, 2011
This is a post on “Reverb online” an online publication by YouthWorks, the organization we work with for our youth mission trips. I received this article via Facebook from Pastor Justin Dittrich, Nativity’s youth pastor. Vicki Elliott, Business Administrator
The Change In My Life
by Makayla Anderson
My YouthWorks trip was exhausting, emotional and life-changing.
It took my church’s 30 participants two days to drive to Steubenville, Ohio. The days were perfectly scheduled. Club and devotions were my favorite parts of the day. There was enough community work to keep us busy, enough time focused on God to grow closer to him, and enough free time so you wouldn’t burn out.
My pastor, Justin Dittrich, was one of my church’s chaperones, so he led Church Group Time. One day he was talking about how faith and belief are two different things. Kind of like how at the start of each season, I believe the Vikings are going to make if to the Super Bowl…I usually don’t have much faith in it though. Well anyway, that very moment I realized I have faith in God and Jesus Christ, I just never really believed in it. Now I know for sure He is there. I could feel His presence in the room then.
Now that I’m back in Minnesota, it’s different not hearing jabs at my accent every time I say a word that involves a vowel, followed by my not-so-creative comebacks to the northeastern state’s speech. The biggest change is the fact that I have to find my own ways to devote to God now. It’s not scheduled or presented on little slideshows anymore. Whether it’s searching for a favorite Bible verse or donating Bibles to homeless shelters, God’s telling me it’s my turn to make a change in this community.
Nov. 2, 2011
This is an email I received this week. It was so touching and made me realize how blessed we are to have each other. To share our journey together. To be blessed to be able to enjoy what we have and share ourselves, our time and our treasure. Vicki Elliott, Business Administrator
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to volunteer at the front desk, it was an eye opening experience full of personal growth (which I have to say is pretty hard) and thought altering.
The phone never rang, can you believe that. I had someone check it just to make sure it was on and then I thought, those girls in the office think I can’t handle it, they must be taking all the calls and having all the fun. Becky had a few small things for me to do, address envelopes and stamping, a little proof reading, and then I was done.
Even though this was great, something was even better. The three hours I spent at the front desk watching and greeting people coming in and out to classes, meetings, and group time was overwhelming. Watching the seniors come in, many have partners with memory loss and other hardships, was amazing and thinking for people this may be a highlight of their day. A place to listen, pray, grieve, talk, cry, and learn. A place they can call their own. Watching them take care of one another was an over powering experience.
I thought this volunteer stuff, easy pesy lemon squeezy, but I did not know I would still be thinking about it days later. What really stuck with me after I left church was how many things actually are going on, whether all the people of the congregation know it or not. It is a happening place, which made me realize the deep need for volunteers. I was one of those people, no time to volunteer, church on Sundays and Wednesdays, that is all I have time for. But after traveling and seeing other parts of the United States and Mexico and of course all this messy personal growth stuff I have done, I had a little turn about face and could not believe how I felt about it. The feeling that church is more than a place to worship on Sundays or a place to drop the kids off on Wednesdays, but a place for learning, loving, hoping, and granting peace to all people. A place that does not discriminate based on sex, color, finance, or creed, a place that is open all day long just for us, all people.
Sincerely, Anne Krohn.”
Oct. 30, 2011
I am touched this week by a story told to me by a 10th grade confirmation mentor. She came to my office to tell me what a wonderful, touching experience she has had being a mentor to a 10th grader. She shared some of the experiences and conversations they’ve been able to have as a result of Life Prints, truly an honor for her. A relationship that would never have happened if God’s hand wasn’t at work. Vicki Elliott, Business Administrator
This is what she had to say about her experience. “’I can’t do that! How can I help a 10th grader in her faith journey when I’m not sure where I’m at in mine?’ That was my immediate thought when asked to be a mentor for a 10th grader in the Life Prints program which is the final step in their Affirmation of Baptism. I love working with youth so that wasn’t the problem; I was afraid I might not have anything to offer to a mentee. I decided to jump in head first and let the Lord lead the way. To my surprise, an experience where I was to do the mentoring turned into a wonderful relationship and learning experience for both of us. It was energizing for me to watch her embrace her God-given “gifts and talents” she discovered through Life Prints. It was a faith fulfilling experience for me and I did as much growing as I believe she did.”
The 10th grader made it all the way through confirmation to that day when you confirm your faith. The adult and 10th grader were matched up by our ministry team here. Your giving supports ministries like Life Prints, Confirmation, volunteering and relationships. Thank you to everyone who gives their time to make ministry and mission happen at Nativity.