Fill the Totes

Bring items during October for our annual Fill the Totes projects. Donations will be collected for EGF elementary and preschool children to be sure everyone has warm gloves & hats during recess and when clothing gets wet with snow it can be changed for something dry. Requested items are: waterproof gloves, hats, children’s underwear & socks, black sweat pants.

Mental Health Support

Wellness in the Woods is dedicated to improving access to mental health through peer-to-peer support and substance use care for all residents of Minnesota.  An informational meeting will be Wednesday, October 26, 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the East Grand Forks Public Library.  Come to learn more.

Wellness in the Woods “warm line” 844-739-6369
Zoom link available 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.   592-347-390

Connected Community

Family of God is helping to create a new group for people interested in creating a more just and connected community.  Called “Connections”, this group will gather for the first time on Saturday, October 22 from 10:00-11:30 at the East Grand Forks Public Library.  There will be refreshments, conversation, a chance to share dreams, and a time to take action.  People of all ages are welcome.

Mission of Hope Banquet and Auction

80th Anniversary Banquet & Auction

Thursday, November 17, 2022
Alerus Center | 7 PM

ONLINE AUCTION NOBEMBER 15-17

Northlands Rescue Mission is the largest shelter in North Dakota and the surrounding Minnesota areas. They help individuals and families experiencing homelessness to rebuild their lives. That may include helping find employment, transportation, housing, food assistance and community resources.

Their Backpack Program provides meals for elementary school children who may not have enough to eat at home. Children receive a bag of food items to take home over the weekend. This ensures they get the nutrition they need to grow healthy and strong and helps take financial pressure off low-income famliles.

The largest fundraiser for the Mission is each fall and is critical to ensuring they can serve community members in need. Join them to celebrate 80 years of support for men, women, and families experiencing homelessness and hunger. Bid on 100+ packages in our online auction. Enjoy a delicious dinner at the Alerus Center as you hear about new ways we are serving community members in need. This year's guest speaker is former BMX pro Tony Hoffman, who went from prison to coaching an Olympic athlete.

Honey Sunday

Honey Sunday supports the residential treatment and educational programs at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. On October 9, Family of God will observe Honey Sunday for 2022. You’ll receive an order form and have the chance to make a donation to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch (suggested donation $10 per bottle of honey). Your honey will come in the mail within a few weeks. Purchase a bottle of honey to change the life of a child.

Honey has been called “nature’s perfect food,” because it never goes bad. It may crystallize. But put a jar of crystallized honey into a pan of warm water . . . and slowly it’s transformed, returning to golden, smooth perfection. Boys and girls at the Ranch are a lot like that honey—hardened by their tough experiences. For some of our kids, the Ranch is the first place they’ve had their own bed, celebrated their birthday, or had anyone really listen to their deepest pains and fears.

Wednesday Kids show PRIDE

Last week the Wednesday Kids decorated cookies for our PRIDE booth and made posters about reasons they are proud. The posters are displayed in the church. We are PROUD of them!

Our Wednesday Kids program for children in grades K-8 meets monthly on the second Wednesday of the month. Our next meeting is on October 12. All children are welcome!

Grand Cities Pride Week 2022

The Grand Cities will celebrate PRIDE the last weekend in September. Family of God will have a booth at the PRIDE in the Park on Saturday. We are sponsoring (and cooking/serving) the BBQ Saturday from 5-7 at Archives Coffee House (on UND campus) and hosting a special PRIDE worship service on Sunday featuring Family of God folk sharing brief reflections on what PRIDE means to them.

Here’s a list of events for your planning:

  • Thursday, Sept. 22, 7 p.m.  - Trivia at Half Brothers Brewing Company

  • Friday, Sept. 23, 7 p.m. - Music Night at DogMahal DogHaus

  • Saturday, Sept. 24, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. - PRIDE in the Park (Kittson Avenue)

  • Saturday, Sept. 24, 5-7 p.m.  - BBQ at Archives Coffee House

  • Saturday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m. - PRIDE Panel about supporting trans family & friends

  • Sunday, Sept. 25, 10 a.m.  - Worship at Family of God

  • Sunday, Sept. 25, 11:30 a.m.  - PRIDE Brunch at Archives Coffee House

Austen Hartke will lead the Saturday night panel discussion.  He is the founder of Transmission Ministry Collective, an online community dedicated to the spiritual care, faith formation, and leadership potential of transgender and gender-expansive Christians.   A graduate of Luther Seminary, Austen won the 2014 John Milton Prize in Old Testament Writing.  As a transgender person of faith, his greatest passion is helping other tarns and gender-expansive people see themselves in Scripture.

Thrivefest North Christian Music Festival

Since 2018, Thrivefest North has provided a gathering of hope and inspiration to the Fargo-Moorhead area. Thrivefest North is a Christian music festival in Fargo, North Dakota providing a full day of family-friendly entertainment. This year's event will be held on Saturday, August 27th, 2022 at the North Dakota Horse Park. Proceeds from the festival support the Rising Hope Foundation. Rising Hope Foundation's mission is to provide shelter and healing while igniting hope and restoration to those freed from the abuses of human trafficking.

Harvest Hope Farm Fundraiser

Join Harvest Hope Farm’s annual fundraiser to support research in finding a cure for Huntington’s disease and bring hope and joy to children diagnosed with Juvenile Huntington's Disease throughout the nation and children in the Red River Valley who are experiencing a medical crisis.

Enjoy an old-fashioned farm meal, learn about our expansive growth, check out the silent auction, Dumbledore Drop, and new this year - a Barn Dance!

Fall Fundraiser | Saturday, September 17 | 5-8 p.m.
Harvest Hope Farm | 9696 10th St SW, Moorhead, MN


Home Run!

Join us for the 4th annual Northlands Rescue Mission Home Run! on Saturday, September 17th! Walk, run, or ride to help homeless men, women, and families secure permanent housing and a new lease on life.

The Home Run! has three events to choose from: a 5K Fun Run/Walk, a 25-Mile Bike Race, or a 100-km/50-km Gravel Bike Ride. Register online, then join us at the Mission for your event on September 17th. After your event, join us for lunch, live music, and an awards ceremony in front of the Mission!

Sponsorships welcome! If you would like to purchase a sponsorship package, please contact Matt Collings at matthew@jointhemission.org,or call (701) 772-6600 ext. 212. Thank you for supporting our homeless clients and community members in need!

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!