Living Waters: October 2025

Communications Coordinator
Oct 2, 2025
15 min read

United in Spirit and inspired by God’s grace,

We welcome all, love all, and seek justice for all Creation.

Oct. 1 Bell Choir 6pm, Choir 7pm

Oct. 5 World Communion Sunday 9:15am

Oct. 7 Bible Study 10:00am

Oct. 8 Pilgrim Guild Noon, Bell Choir 6pm, Choir 7pm

Oct. 12 Blessing of the Animals Sunday 9:15am

Oct. 13 Finance 6:00pm

Oct. 14 Bible Study 10:00am, Blood Drive 1:00 - 6:45pm, Property 6:00pm

Oct. 15 Bell Choir 6pm, Choir 7pm

Oct. 18 All Bodies All Minds 10:00am

Oct. 19 Stewardship Kickoff Sunday 9:15am

Oct. 21 Bible Study 10am, Out to Lunch Bunch Noon, Coordinating Council 5:45pm

Oct. 22 Bell Choir 6pm, Choir 7pm

Oct. 26 Inquirer’s Gathering 10:45am

Oct. 28 Bible Study 10am

Oct. 29 Bell Choir 6pm, Choir 7pm

Worship Page

October 5 World Communion Sunday

Scriptures: Lamentations 1: 1-6, 3: 19-26 (How empty is the city that once was full of people…but the continuous love of God never ends) & 2 Timothy 1: 1-14 (I know the one in whom I put my trust)

Preacher: Rev. Garth Schumacher

Sermon Title: “Creative Anger for God’s Will”,

The Hebrew scriptures raise up the voices of a people who have been harmed and are none too happy about it. In fact, they are ANGRY! God can handle it. How do we focus our own anger into creating God’s will in our world?

October 12 - Blessing of the Animals and Common Hope Sunday

Scripture: Luke 17: 11-19 (Jesus heals ten men with leprosy but only one thanks God)

Preacher: Rev. Kathy Itzin

Sermon Title: “Our Wonderful, Interdependent Community!”

It is so easy to get caught up in what happens each day that it can be hard to maintain a core of awareness of the bigger picture. How do we keep that awareness?

October 19 - Kickoff to Stewardship Sunday

Scripture: Luke 18: 1-8 (Won’t God grant justice to those who earnestly pray)?

Preacher: Rev. Kathy Itzin

Sermon Title: “She was persistent!"

‘Pray always and do not lose heart.’ Does God really hear our prayers? Does it make a difference? How?

October 26

Scripture: Luke 18: 9-17 (Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax collector & Jesus blesses the children).

Preacher: Rev. Kathy Itzin

Sermon Title: “Who Do You Think You Are?”

How does our thinking about our greatness actually influence our greatness? Do we need to “think big” to “be big?”

November 2 Communion Sunday

Scriptures: Luke 19: 1-10 (Jesus and Zaccheus, the tax collector)

Preacher: Rev. Kathy Itzin

Sermon Title: “Who’s The One Who’s Small?”

For years, Sunday School classes have talked about Zaccheus as the ‘wee little man.’ But, who is small minded in this story? Jesus may be the only one who has a large vision.

Pastor’s Letter

Hello, RPUCC members and friends. During her medical leave, Kathy asked me to write the October Pastor’s Column for the newsletter with a focus on giving. I decided to look for inspiration to my parents, both of whom were UCC pastors.

My mother and father often spoke from the pulpit about generosity but, more importantly, they demonstrated generosity of spirit, time, and resources. They cooked for every church event, invited church members (and strangers) to stay with us during times of personal difficulty (and ice storms), they always gave financially even when we had to eat macaroni until the next paycheck, and were lovely stewards of what God gave them. My father sometimes became frustrated but he always stood back up, refocused and recentered, and sought spiritual guidance and care. My mother never made it seem like she was “giving too much,” she never begrudged the giving. If she was frustrated, we rarely saw it - she took a breath and moved forward, growing as she went.

My parents found joy in the giving. They felt called. They asked themselves what they could do, what they could give, and they held tight to each other and to God to refuel in the difficult periods. I think they understood that the giving, the reaching, the expanding, is what connected them most closely to the divine; that when they pulled in and contracted and centered on only their needs, they felt more alone as they pulled further from the holy, universal body.

I try to live up to their example but often fail. I worry about money. I worry about the state of the world. I feel small and insignificant and question whether what I do will ever be enough. Then I try to recenter and focus on what gives me strength; what heals me. It turns out that the things that heal me - faith, human connection, nature, spirit, music, dance, and love - are not the things I worry about. For me, the people at RPUCC, and the UCC more broadly, are part of this healing connection. So I give what I can. I try to remind myself that there is deep joy in giving and that giving in love and grace is quite likely the only thing that can save us.

I encourage you to think about what drives you to give and remember always that you are a divine and healing part of the body.

In Love,

Lori Myren-Manbeck

Introducing our new Children & Youth Director!

Hello everyone! I’m Mikayla Giehler, the new Director of Children and Youth at RPUCC! I grew up outside of Chicago, and now live in Uptown Minneapolis with my two roommates and my roommate's cat, Gayle. I have a BA in Geology and Environmental Studies, and would love to see any cool rocks you've found! I enjoy crocheting, swing dancing and spending time at the lake! I’ve attended UCC churches my whole life and I’m so thrilled to be joining your community! Thank you for the warm welcome I’ve received so far!

In my role, I’ll focus on faith formation and community building for the youth in our community. I’ll be responsible for coordinating and occasionally leading our Bible Adventures programming each Sunday. I’ll also support our current youth group leaders in organizing activities and service opportunities for our 6th-12th grade youth. I have so many fond memories from my church youth programs growing up and I’m excited to help RPUCC youth have the same!

OCTOBER MEDITATIVE DRUMMING - THURSDAYS, 7 -8 PM

No experience is necessary to join in this Thursday evening opportunity. We will gather on October 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 in the Youth Room for meditative drumming. We'll begin and end with a Buffalo Drum meditation. We'll use egg shakers to warm-up and synchronize our right and left brains. Finally, through group rhythm, we'll experience entertainment, a meditative brain wave pattern! Wow, again, no experience is necessary! Come and join up for the month of October.

All Bodies All Minds

Hi, Congregation, this is your Justice Minister Laura Cannata. I am here to talk about All Bodies All Minds (ABAM). For those of you who are new or those who might need a reminder ABAM is our disability and mental health ministry. We meet on the third Saturday of the month at 10 am on Zoom. We are responsible for 2 Sundays a year: Access Sunday, and Mental Health Sunday. We also host book studies, educational panels, got the interpreter and other things. This is a wonderful and fulfilling ministry to be a part of. If you are interested in joining or just have questions, please contact me at laura@rpucc.org.

Have a Blessed Day.

THANK YOU GREETERS!

We are a welcoming and hospitable congregation! However, no visitor realizes this until after worship when the smiles and handshakes happen. Therefore the role of the GREETER prior to worship is exceedingly important. Thank you to the following people who have greeted before worship in the past three months! Carol Anderson, Jim & Nancy Greenwood, Dan & Karrie Haugen, NormaRae Hunt, Lola May Moser, Millia Saade, and Garth Schumacher. Our apology if we missed your name on this list! Please join this list for a now and then opportunity to serve!! - Your Membership Growth Committee

Interested in exploring church membership?

Would you like to learn more about RPUCC and what becoming a member involves? Please join us following coffee hour at 10:45 Sunday, October 26th, for the next Inquirer’s Gathering!

Rental Report

Prep Club moved in on September 1st, and is settling in nicely.

The walk-in cooler is completely installed and up and running. If you haven’t had a chance to meet Cat McGready and her wonderful staff, stop by the kitchen and say hello. They are a cheerful group and many times they have an extra treat to share. They are very grateful for the generous welcome they have received from RPUCC folks.

Unity has settled back into their new building and are doing great. We wish them the best and miss them, but we now have Genesis Church, who moved into our building in July. We already love them just as much! They did some painting and re-organizing of the Bible Adventures room, and it looks marvelous! It is a new, great space for the youth of both churches. Thank you, Genesis Church!

Heartfelt Thanks from Dawn

Dear RPUCC members, I am still a bit stunned by my “surprise retirement ritual” on Sunday, September 7th. Nathan’s and Kathy’s kind words, the Jan Richardson blessing and an incredibly generous financial gift all helped me emotionally “launch”into what’s next for me other than mentoring the Visual Arts team and chairing the Worship Committee for a while.

Ken’s and my 25 day trip from Alaska to Tokyo will give me time to meditate on that. (We are enjoying it immensely and will be back in church mid-October.) Thank you for supporting me in my ministry of meaning; for helping me install things, for participating during Lent, for giving me feedback on what it meant to you, or for helping to create it. It was ALL about our community. With gratitude, hope and love. - Dawn

Blessing of the Animals

October 12th we will celebrate the Blessing of the Animals!

Bring your cat, dog, bird, hamster, or any other beloved

pet for a special blessing.

This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our furry and feathery friends and connect with other members of the community. We look forward to seeing all the amazing animals!

COMMON HOPE SUNDAY ON OCTOBER 12th

During our worship service on Sunday, October 12th,

we will be celebrating our rich

and long-term partnership with Common Hope. Common Hope promotes hope and opportunity in Guatemala, partnering with children and families to improve their lives through education, health care, and housing. Our congregation has partnered with Common Hope for 32 years, yes since 1993. Over these years, we have sponsored a total of five students. Last November, I helped Maria Fernanda Pio Yucute celebrate her graduation from high school, which marked the end of our years sponsoring her.

Then, I had the pleasure of meeting Nathan Emilliano Gellida Olayo, our new student.

In addition to our church’s sponsorship history, many of our members personally support Common Hope. 13 of our members presently sponsor nine students, and 12 of our members make recurring annual financial contributions.

Mariadela Belle Alvarez (Belle) of Common Hope will attend our worship service on October 12^th. I encourage everyone to help celebrate this partnership by:

Arranging with Belle to begin sponsoring a student or to join their Pathway program
Making a financial contribution to Common Hope through Common Hope’s website at https://www.commonhope.org/

- Jim Benshoof

Hospitality

Summer is over, welcome to fall! We had a “great” Fall Get Together. Awesome food. The Spaghetti Dinner brought in over $800 with the addition of brownie sales on Sunday.

Turkey Bingo is our next fundraiser on Saturday, November 22nd . Watch for our flyers. Can you post a flyer at work or somewhere in your neighborhood? Rumors have it that Movie Night is coming back in November. A few items have been “borrowed" from church and not returned. One of our new chafing dishes is gone and a new stock pot. We love to help out our members with those occasional needs, but we need a better system of checking things out so we can keep track of our cherished equipment. Sadly, our kitchen is now under lock and key so our new Prep Club caterers don’t have to worry about expensive equipment walking off. - Kathy Jo Gausman

Lucy Laney Thank You

A big thank you to all of you who so generously supported our drive to fill Lucey Laney School’s fall needs and wishes. You are amazing!! - Nancy Larson

Out to Lunch Bunch

will meet on Tuesday, October 21 at noon at VFW #494, 5222 Bass Lake Road, Crystal.

Neighbors in Need (Special Mission Offering)is one of the UCC’s 5 for 5 special

offerings. Gifts to NIN support the UCC’s ministry of justice and compassion throughout the United States. One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM). The other two-thirds of the offering support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, direct service projects, and grants. Neighbors in Need grants are annually awarded to UCC churches and organizations doing justice work in their communities. The Neighbor in Need offering will be collected on Sunday, October 5. There will be special envelopes for your gift. Make checks out to “RPUCC” and memo “NIN” or donate online at https://www.osvhub.com/robbinsdale-ucc/giving/funds and look for the “Give Now” button under “Neighbors in Need”. Thank you for your support!

Our Food Shelf Partners at PRISM and NorthPoint need our help. PRISM had a power outage that caused them to discard everything in their refrigerator. Both have suffered federal and state support due to budget cuts. During October, we encourage you to donate money. Donations can be made by making a check out to RPUCC and memo “Food Shelves”. You can also donate online at https://www.osvhub.com/robbinsdale-ucc/giving/funds and look for the “Give Now” button under “PRISM/NorthPoint”.

Pilgrim Guild - Wednesday, October 8 at noon in Heritage Hall. Join us for an introduction to genealogy, presented by Barb Minor who has been researching her ancestors for 25 years. It’s never too late to find your roots. Barb will share her tips to get you started in genealogy.

Treasurer’s Report

Greetings from your new Treasurer! I am getting a lot of support and love from Karen Montanez, Char Merz, and the entire Finance Team as I step into this role.

My report here will be brief.

Our overall financial situation is quite good.

The finance team will start working on an operating budget for 2026. It will be brought to the congregation for approval at our congregational meeting in late January.

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

-Ken Beck, Treasurer SheriKenBeck@yahoo.com

OUTREACH, SERVICE, AND JUSTICE COMMITTEE

Update and Opportunities to Serve

One of the new committees established through our RPUCC Growth and Vitality Plan is the Outreach, Service, and Justice Committee. This committee is to support all existing and future community-oriented ministries conducted by members of our congregation. Current leaders of this committee are Karrie Haugen, Ken Beck, and Jim Benshoof.

This communication is intended to provide the following information regarding each existing community-oriented ministry: name, purpose, and contact person. If you are interested in one or more of these ministries, you are encouraged to connect with the contact person.

NAME OF COMMUNITY-ORIENTED MINISTRY	PURPOSE OF MINISTRY	RPUCC CONTACT PERSON
Minneapolis Crisis Nursery	Serve meals two to four times per year at the Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery	Ken Beck sherikenbeck@yahoo.com (612) 599-0491
Pine Ridge (Re-Member)	Volunteer service for a week at the Pine Ridge Reservation	Ken Beck sherikenbeck@yahoo.com (612) 599-0491
NorthPoint	Lead food drives and deliver food to NorthPoint Food Shelf
Red Cross Blood Drive	Arrange for and conduct blood drives at church several times per year	Dianne Star diannestar54@gmail.com (612) 868-7118
Conversations with Friends	Support persons who are in ICE detention, many of whom face deportation	Marsha Benshoof mlbenshoof@msn.com (612) 799-1430
Solidarity Circle	Support immigrants in our community	Karrie Haugen karriehaugen.kh@gmail.com (763) 438-8518
PRISM	Collect food and raise donations for PRISM
St. Anne’s Place - shelter for women and families	Raise funds, support Thanksgiving dinner, and provide Mothers Day gifts	Nancy Larson (763) 226-1014
Lucy Laney Back to School Collection	Support students at Lucy Laney School with clothing and hygiene items	Nancy Larson (763) 226-1014
Common Hope	Continue our congregation’s partnership with Common Hope through sponsoring a student in Guatemala and encourage RPUCC members to personally support Common Hope	Jim Benshoof jabenshoof@msn.com (612) 799-5918
Meals on Wheels	Deliver meals during noon period to homebound persons once a month	Jim Benshoof jabenshoof@msn.com (612) 799-5918
Mobility Worldwide	Build and distribute three wheeled hand propelled carts for persons who cannot walk	Ken Mallak kmallak68@gmail.com (612) 810-1843

Red Cross Blood Drive!

RPUCC will host a Blood Drive on Tuesday, October 14.

Appointments are available 1:00 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.

Please be a part of this lifesaving cause.

All donors will receive a $10 Amazon gift e-card via email.

Sign up on your Blood Donor app or scan the QR code or at https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=RdaleUnited

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (call or text)

Mental Health Connect offers navigators who can help remove barriers and complexity so that you can gain access to providers or resources for your unique situation. Navigation and follow-up services are free, individualized, and confidential. Call or text 612-642-1220, email navigator@mhconnect.org, or fill out the navigator request form on their website at mhconnect.org. RPUCC is part of the Mental Health Connect Collaborative.

Share the Care Offering

The Share the Care Offering for October is Thanksgiving Dinner for St. Anne’s Place (https://www.peopleservingpeople.org/st-annes-place/). St. Anne’s Place is an emergency shelter that provides private bedrooms and shared bathrooms for up to 16 families per night. Our congregation has provided the funds to purchase Thanksgiving Dinner for the families for many years. To donate, drop coins into the offering plate at church; place coins, bills, or checks into the designated container at worship; or mail a check to the church. Make checks to RPUCC and put “St Anne” or “Oct)” in the memo field.

To donate online, go to https://www.osvhub.com/robbinsdale-ucc/giving/funds,

click “Give Now” under the “Other” choice and follow the directions.

Stewardship “Dreaming God’s Dream”

This year's Stewardship Theme focuses on

making the dream no longer a dream.

“The challenge of course is for us all to do what’s ours to do to make sure that the ‘Dream’ doesn’t just remain a dream. It needs to become reality, and the way that happens is in and through the lives of those who have been touched and energized and committed to the Spirit who gave birth to the Dream in the first place.”

Council Summary

September committee reports highlight several key activities. The Worship Committee has a full team of ushers and has cleaned the sacristy. The Property Committee has completed projects like removing a sick tree and installing new solar lights for the church sign and parking lot. The Finance Committee will begin working on the 2026 budget. The Communications Team, working with Tyler, is revamping the electronic Living Waters, creating branding guidelines, a brand voice, and a style guide, and working on the church website. The Membership Growth team has revised welcome cards, and other committees, including Connection and Care, Growth and Vitality, and Mission and Outreach, are all recruiting new volunteers and launching new initiatives to support the church's ministry.

Jim Benshoof gave us a presentation regarding a proposal to change part of our parking lot, approximately 7% or 9700 square feet, from an impervious surface to a permeable surface. This would allow the City of Robbinsdale to reduce our storm water runoff fees, currently at about $8K annually, by approximately half. If we decide to do this, Jim recommended we use Metro Blooms Design and Build, to come up with a concept design and plan. Metro Blooms will give us 3 different design options, with cost estimates for each plan, and pros and cons, with the possibility of receiving grants for the proposal from the Bassett Creek Watershed district, and/or Hennepin County.

After much discussion, it was moved and seconded that we approve of the Metro Blooms proposal. A vote was taken and there were no objections, all were in favor. Nathan and Ray signed the proposal. After Metro Blooms completes their work and presents us with the options, we will decide whether to proceed and apply for grants.

Financial report

Total income is very close to budget through August. Some expenses in building and grounds are over budget, but other areas are under budget. Overall, we are currently running a surplus of $47K. Endowment funds are doing very well, currently at $1.5 million in total, up $148K from last year. The capital campaign mortgage is down to $96K. The walk-in cooler is up and running. It was completed a couple of days before Prep Club started moving food in. The health department is requiring a special type of cover molding at the base that is being installed. Jim Davis is completing some electrical work that needs to be done in the kitchen and storeroom.

We talked about having “Mission Moments” monthly, to tell the congregation about some of the other outreach ministries and local agencies which RPUCC supports. A concern was expressed about the length of our service; this will not be done on Communion Sundays. It was suggested that the word “Mission” should be changed to “Ministry” or “Outreach”.

We talked about locking the kitchen when it is not in use. This has become necessary for several reasons. We need to protect our kitchen renter Prep Club’s assets; it is a liability issue. Now that we are a licensed commercial kitchen, we also must follow health department rules, so we need to better control access to the kitchen. The hospitality committee leaders will have keys to the kitchen.

The key for the kitchen will also be on the Trustees key ring in the office if someone other than Hospitality should need to get into the kitchen for some reason. Renters who have rented the kitchen, or members who have reserved the kitchen and fellowship hall for an event, will continue to have access. This year's theme for the stewardship drive is “Dream God’s Dream”. Some signage and other materials have been ordered, and speakers are being lined up. Ray will be picking up a Wi Fi extender to see if we can get better Wi FI in the kitchen area.

Reports prepared by Karen Montanez, subbing for Teresa George