Announcements for Sunday, Jul 12
INSIDE: Teen Shoe Drive • Synod Text Study • Grief Support
Teen Shoe Drive
Teens want to feel good about how they look, and a big part of that is the shoes they wear to school. You can support the First Teen Clothes Closet's back-to-school shoe giveaway by purchasing a new pair of athletic-style shoes. A Shoe Giving Tree is in the narthex during most of July. More details below…
Join us for Worship!
Sunday Worship, July 12:
8am: live stream at 1stlu.org/live, and in-person. Nursery available.
10am: live stream at 1stlu.org/live, and in-person. Nursery available.
New Synod-Wide Zoom Text Study
Whether you are a lay preacher, a pastor looking for a summer backup, or just a curious learner, you are invited to our new, casual Zoom Text Study! Facilitated by Pastor Carrie Anderson, this drop-in space is designed to fit busy schedules—especially for lay leaders who work during the week. Come when you can, leave when you must, and bring your questions!
When: Sunday evenings
Summer Dates: July 12 & 26, August 9 & 23
Bible Matters
Are you looking for the connection between scripture and everyday life? Or maybe a way to dig deeper into the gospels? If so, join Pastor Karyn for a year-long journey through the lectionary (our schedule of readings) Monday evenings, 7–8pm, meeting in the narthex. Questions? Contact karyn@firstlu.org.
Grief Support Group
Carrying on after the death of a loved one can be difficult and lonely. Join with others who listen and care for each other. Every third Thursday: 10am in the Upper Room. NEXT: Jul. 16. Led by Carla Stanton.
Summer Music Outings & Picnics
This summer, join others from First Lutheran at area music events. We will meet for a potluck picnic before the event, and then enjoy some good local music. Most of the events will feature musicians from First Lutheran or friends of First Lutheran. Looking forward to seeing you there!
July 19: La Crosse Jazz Orchestra at Jazz in the Park (7pm at Riverside Park, feat. Cori and Sara on vocals). First Lutheran potluck picnic at 6:30pm.
August 13: Fayme Rochelle and the Waxwings at Moon Tunes (5:30 at Riverside Park, feat. Todd Saner on vocals). First Lutheran potluck picnic at 5pm.
August 18: Fly Casual at Great River Sound (6:30 at Dash Park) First Lutheran potluck picnic at church at 5:30pm.
August 20: Saner and Gibbs at Moon Tunes (5:30 at Riverside Park) First Lutheran potluck picnic at 5pm.
Middle School Pool Party
On Saturday, July 25, from 11:30am–4pm, the middle school youth will eat lunch at church and then hop on the church bus to travel to the Ona pool! Invite a friend - all are welcome! Questions? Connect with middle school event coordinator, Madi: madalyn@firstlu.org / 612-327-2230.
Outdoor Worship and Potluck
First will worship outdoors on Fifth Ave for the second service once a month during the summer, on the following Sundays, weather permitting…
July 26, 10am
August 16, 10am
Bring your own lawn chairs, perhaps a hat to shade your eyes, and a side dish to share at the potluck (though everyone is welcome at the potluck even if you don’t bring anything!). If the weather's bad that day, we'll move inside. NOTE: There is no live stream of the 10am outdoor service.
First Teen Clothes Closet Back-to-school Shoe Giveaway
Teens want to feel good about how they look, and a big part of that is the shoes they wear to school. You can support the First Teen Clothes Closet's back-to-school shoe giveaway by purchasing a new pair of athletic-style shoes. A Shoe Giving Tree is in the narthex during most of July. Take a tag from the tree and buy the pair of shoes described on it. The tag will list the desired brand & size. There will also be tags with a dollar amount for a cash donation if you would rather support the closet that way, and we'll buy the shoes. Last year we handed out over 110+ pairs of shoes (325 total when combined with the Children's Closet) during the 3-hour shoe giveaway. Your support is GREATLY appreciated! The shoe giveaway is part of Trinity Lutheran Church's Neighborhood Block Party. We participate because FTCC (First Teen Clothes Closet) is located at Trinity. This is a great way to meet, get to know and serve our neighbors. If you are interested in helping on the day of the event (August 10), sign up at 1stlu.org/next. Please join us!
Thrivent Choice
If you are a Thrivent member, you can make a profound impact by directing your Choice Dollars to the First Teen Clothes Closet (listed in the catalog under our exact name).
Our Mission: We provide area teens in need with free, quality, teen-style clothes, shoes, winter coats, and toiletries. We aim to give middle, high school, and college-aged youth a shopping experience where they feel nurtured, valued, and empowered to choose their own outfits.
Our Belief: Every teenager deserves to wear clothes that make them feel good about themselves.
Our Values: Our work is rooted in the Gospel, which commands us to clothe the naked, love our neighbor, and work for justice.
Your donation will be used directly to keep our doors open and operations running smoothly.
— The First Teen Clothes Closet Steering Committee
Baptismal Preparation
The next baptism preparation session will be Saturday, Aug. 1, at 10am in the narthex for anyone who is considering or has scheduled a baptism. To register or ask questions call the church office at 608.783.3326 by Sunday, July 26. Min. attendance required: 2 families.
Lead Sunday School & VBS
There are opportunities to serve as a Sunday School teacher and a leader in VBS. A Sunday School teacher is a commitment of 1 or 2 weekends a month in which you connect with our congregation's children. It is super easy with the curriculum. VBS is another way to connect, this is so fun and is high energy. If you like to play games or would like to help organize or help in any way, please consider! Contact Pastor Stanton: jason@firstlu.org.
Vacation Bible School: Sugar Creek Style!
Plan to be here for Vacation Bible School this summer, Monday, Aug. 3, through Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. Invite your neighbors! For 4K through Grade 5 in the fall (3-year-olds are welcome to attend in the nursery). Learn more at 1stlu.org/next.
Mini Donut 5K in Honor of Branden Brownrigg
Every year the 5k portion of the local Mini Donut races honors a local person who was lost to suicide, and the money raised is used to educate the community in the hope of awareness and prevention. The Brownrigg family would love to have members of our church support them at this event on Sept 12, honoring their son Branden Brownrigg. Registration for the event is still open and typically sells out by August. More info and reg can be found at 1stlu.org/minidonut.
18th Annual First Fest!
On Sunday, Sept. 13, we invite you to join us for worship at 8am or 10:30am, and after the second service relax, catch up with friends, introduce yourself to visitors or members you’ve yet to meet, listen to great music, have lunch and have some fun! FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, so INVITE YOUR FRIENDS!
New-Member Social
By choosing to become a member, individuals and families commit to being part of a shared mission. People who would like to become members of First Lutheran are invited to a social at Coulee Golf Bowl on Thursday, Oct. 8, 6pm, where you will get to know more about First and the staff in a relaxed atmosphere. To register your family or ask questions, call our church office at 608.783.2236 or email office@firstlu.org.
Monday Night Community Meals
For many years, Trinity Lutheran Church on the north side of La Crosse has hosted a meal on Monday nights. First Lutheran helps with this important community ministry, by preparing a meal, serving the food, and cleaning up. We need people to plan and prepare the meal to feed 150-200 people, and folks to serve the meal (5-6pm) and help with cleanup. Meal prep can be done at your convenience. Many times people prepare the main course a week ahead, freeze it, and reheat it. Food for the meal can be gotten at no charge from the Hunger Task Force in La Crosse. New for 2026: Cookie bakers! Help bake a batch of 4 dozen cookies! NEXT: Oct. 19. Sign up at 1stlu.org/next.
Behind the Scenes Changes
As Pastor Stanton mentioned in his message in church on Sunday, May 31, we currently ask members to use several different platforms in order to participate in the ministries at First Lutheran. In an effort to make signing up and registering for events and opportunities easier for everyone, and to bring giving history, signups and more all under one roof, we will be making some big changes to how we manage our membership data and our giving platform this summer. A few of the areas this will affect will be:
Membership: we’ll be migrating our membership roles from our current platform to our new platform sometime in June.
Website: as of right now we have no plans to change our website provider, but the look will change a bit as we integrate it with our new platform.
Church app: the new platform offers a church app, which we will be working on throughout the summer and hope to launch at First Fest this fall.
Giving: the platform we use for giving will be changing, and we’ll be asking members to switch their giving to this new platform later in 2026.
Signing up/registering: we will be ending our use of Signup Genius and will be transferring our sign ups to our new platform later in 2026.
We intend to make our migration over the summer, and to start a staggered rollout of features starting in the fall.
⚠️ June 9 Update: Current Online Directory
With the above changes in mind please note: As of June 9, we have migrated our data into the new platform, and therefore any changes made in our current (old) online directory will not be reflected in our new system, and will need to be re-entered. Our apologies for this inconvenience while we make this transition.
⚠️ June 11 Update: Joining of Accounts
The following was emailed to all members willing to receive emails: As we make the migration in giving, one thing you can expect in short order is an email from our new platform (Church Center) stating that your accounts have been joined. The email will have the subject line "Your Donor Accounts Have Been Joined" and will be sent from no-reply@churchcenter.com. Please know this is not spam; this is us, at First, making necessary changes to your account on our new platform as we make the migration, and much like your bank, our new platform wants to make certain you are aware of the changes being made. No action is needed on your part, unless you don't want to have your household giving joined together; if that is the case, please let Jess know at office@firstlu.org. Please note, you will not see any giving activity prior to June 30, 2026 if you check your balance using the link provided in the email. Giving will be tracked in Church Center starting July 1st.
Make Worship Happen!
Worship assistants make worship happen! Usher, read, bake bread, serve communion, lead projection and more. To assist with Sunday worship sign up at 1stlu.org/assistSUN.
Want to Volunteer? Need help?
Causeway Caregivers serves elderly and disabled adults in La Crosse County by providing volunteer services, without charge, to those in need. Tasks include raking leaves, grocery shopping, doing errands, and helping after a snowfall. Would you like to be a Causeway Caregivers volunteer? Do you need a volunteer? Contact Causeway Caregivers at 608-775-9999.
📚 Check Out the Church Bookstore!
We have a rotating selection of books to inspire and deepen your faith! Each season we feature fresh titles covering a variety of topics, from spiritual growth and parenting, to Christian living, building blocks and current hot topics. Stop by regularly to explore new reads and find the perfect book to enrich your faith journey. Have a suggestion for a book to include? Email Carolyn at carolyn.wodele@gmail.com.
Sunday School
Sunday School resumes on Sept. 13. Have a blessed summer!
More info and registration: 1stlu.org/sunschool
Confirmation
Grade 8–10 confirmation orientation will be Sunday, Aug. 16.
More info and registration: 1stlu.org/confirm.
