Give now to help children facing hunger this weekend.

Imagine not having anything to eat this weekend. That’s Friday night to Monday morning.

It’s a long time, isn’t it? It’s an even longer time for a child to go hungry. Sadly, that’s the reality for thousands of kids in northwest and west central Minnesota relying on school-provided breakfast and lunches during the week.

Sky-high food and living costs have made well-stocked kitchens a thing of the past for many of our neighbors. Parents skip meals and make tough choices to survive, but it’s not always enough to keep their children from going hungry over the weekend.

Every $5 you give can provide families with a backpack filled with nutritious food that will last an entire weekend.

Help Provide Backpacks Filled with Food

Right now, there are thousands of children in our community facing hunger, and not enough backpacks to go around. Your support is needed to fill as many backpacks as possible — and keep kids from going hungry over the weekend.

Please make a generous gift today… because hunger doesn’t take a break on the weekend.

Trike Wars

Scheels Parking Lot • September 8, 2022 • 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Join United Way of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks & Area in a trike race against poverty. We invite you to form teams of four to compete in this relay event. It will be a fantastic day of competition, costumes, and food. ​Last year was a photo finish, and this year we will have more teams than ever fighting for the coveted title of Trike Wars champions. Prizes will be given to the fastest and best dressed teams. ​​Come ready to compete and win against poverty!​​

Walk to Remember, Walk to Support

The Walk to Remember, Walk to Support is an event held every year to raise awareness and educate our community about suicide. This event is a great opportunity to support survivors, celebrate the lives of those lost to suicide and to promote mental wellness as a community.

Join us for this family-friendly event on Sunday, September 25, 2022, 12-2 p.m. at Sertoma Park in Grand Forks For more information, please contact Melanie Neumann at 701-780-1828 or email tears@altru.org.

Join the Movement Toward Racial Justice

How to Grow a Movement: Invest to End Racism
September 15, 2022 | Online | 7pm EDT

Join the United Church of Christ as we kick off the historic Join the Movement Capital Campaign with co-chairs Otis Moss III, Naomi Washington-Leapheart, and Starsky Wilson sharing their visions of a church and a world moving toward fuller embodiments of racial justice. On the 59th anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama that galvanized movements to end segregation and establish civil rights, we come together to remember and discover how our sharing of resources can fuel and grow our racial justice work today and for generations to come.

The Synod staff is coming to you!

Northwestern Minnesota Synod, ELCA, Bishop Bill, Pastor Genelle and Rev. Rebel Hurd will be heading to Trinity Lutheran Church in Crookston (205 S.Broadway) for the Synod Road Trip on Tuesday, August 16.

Please join us for a light meal and conversation starting at 5:30 p.m. Spend time together and give thanks for the ministry and mission field in our neck of the woods; build new relationships and strengthen existing ones; and talk about our generous God and our shared mission and ministry.

It would be a great job to be with you as we take steps toward being “A people so emboldened by the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we are freed to become communities wholly devoted to loving Jesus and loving our neighbors.” (Our synod’s vision and purpose).

Blessings for your journey as we journey with you!

Justice Conversations

We join in conversation about faith and justice in our world on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.   Sojourners magazine gives us a starting point for conversation.  Currently we are reading the main (long) articles from the June issue.  Articles are also available online.

Beginning in July we’ll be reading and discussing Necessary Risks: Challenges Privileged People Need to Face by Teri McDowell Ott.  Each chapter talks about a way to be personally involved in the work of justice. 

Order a book and plan to join us. See our calendar for the schedule.

Baby Shower for LaGrave Resident

We celebrated with a resident of LaGrave on First who’s expecting a baby boy later in June. Augustana Lutheran Church hosted a baby shower June 8 and members of both Augustana and Family of God brought gifts.

We originally thought we’d buy a stroller, but so did several other people!  We were able to return our stroller and buy lots of basic items (nursing pads, milk freezer bags, crib sheets, a boppy pillow, pacifiers) as well as books, toys and adorable little outfits and totes for storage.

It was fun to be a part of planning for this special time in a resident’s life and to help LaGrave on First transition from adults-only to family housing. Many thanks to all those who gave additional gifts to welcome this new child of God!

Youth Pride Celebration

United Lutheran Church is excited to host another Youth Pride Celebration on Tuesday, June 21, 6:30 - 8 p.m., as we celebrate with and give thanks for our LGBTQIA+ siblings! This event is created for high school youth and allies. We'll have pizza, treats, a guest speaker, tie dye, Beloved Art and Practice Project with Michelle Walka, yard games, and more! Meet us outside on United's courtyard, 324 Chestnut St, Grand Forks, ND.

The Youth Pride Celebration is a collaborative effort of Event by United Lutheran Church, Calvary Lutheran Church and Sharon Lutheran Church.

Hope your high schoolers can join the fun!

Love Feast

The Love Feast meal is a free meal for about 200+ people offered at Zion United Methodist Church in Grand Forks on the last Tuesday of each month. All are welcome and the meal is offered between 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Family of God will be serving the Love Feast for Grand Cities neighbors on June 28. we The drive-through meal will consist of sloppy joes, coleslaw, chips, cuties and cookies.  We’ll need a few people to cook and prep in the afternoon and LOTS to serve, including assembling the meals and delivering to cars in the parking lot.  Please sign the clipboard to let us know how you can help.  The Noisy Offering will help us purchase groceries for this meal.


Looney Lutherans to share their wisdom

The Looney Lutherans are a trio of wacky gals who use music, comedy and some help from the Valley Senior Living resident performers and the audience to share the age-old wisdom for living a long and lively life, the Lutheran way. Material is comedic and family friendly and you don’t have to be Lutheran to love it!

This ticketed event benefitting the Music Therapy program at Valley Senior Living is scheduled for Tuesday, June 28 at the HOPE Connections Center. This luncheon event will also include a hot dish buffet style meal with all the fixings that only the Church Basement Ladies can serve up!

Valley Senior Living offers music therapy to our residents and all care communities as a life enrichment. Music therapy enhances memory recall, offers positive changes in emotional well-being, provides stimulation and increases social interaction between residents, families and care partners. Music can awaken the mind and uplift the heart. This music therapy fundraising event will support our continued service of providing music therapy to residents.

For ticket visit give.classy.org/LooneyLutherans2022

Vehicle repairs help steer man in right direction

Tears of joy overwhelmed a LaGrave resident receiving a life changing donation. Family of God was called upon to assist him with vehicle repairs. After all, we are the little church that does big things – and we did! This hard-working man fought his way out of homelessness only to be knocked down with costly repairs. The gifts you have given to our Community Support fund has allowed him to continue his road to recovery.

LaGrave on First is a creative, effective, and cost saving solution to meet the needs of individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. They provide individuals safe, decent, affordable housing and to offer supportive services such as case management, medical services, substance abuse treatment, mental health counseling, and employment services all under one roof.  To find out more about this program and ways you can get involved visit thegfha.org/housing-first

Community Support Funds help LaGrave resident

Family of God supports the LaGrave Center with weekly meals. Recently had a chance to help a resident in a special way. This person had worked hard to get clean and sober, found a job, reinstated his driver’s license and purchased a vehicle only to have it quit in two days with transmission trouble. He had saved $2000 for the cost of repairs and licensing, but was short $800. Because of our Community Support Fund, we were able to meet this need within a few hours and show him that hard work really does pay off!

Your gifts to the Community Support Fund throughout the year are ready to respond quickly to needs when we’re called on. These donations are used solely to meet emergency needs as they come up. Thank you!

Flower Communion Sunday

We’re planning a joint service with the Unitarians for May 22 with their tradition of Flower Communion. This service represents what each person brings to our community and celebrates diversity. It’s also a chance for us to plant our favorite flowers in the new church landscaping (weather permitting) and to take home flowers to enjoy. Be thinking about what bedding plants or fresh flowers you would like to bring to that service.

RCS Dinner Theater "A Place to Hide"

The annual Riverside Middle School Dinner Theater is just around the corner, April 29 and 30. This year's production, A Place to Hide, will depict the incredible journey and faith walk of Dutch watchmaker and Holocaust survivor, Corrie Ten Boom.  Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the RCS office or at www.rcsrams.org

Thank you for your continuous prayers and support of Riverside Christian School. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school at 218-773-1770.