Fellow Olivetians,
Another busy school year has begun at Olivet. Our first day of Sunday School and Confirmation was held on September 21st. All children are welcome at Olivet Sunday School.
On the first Sunday of the month, join us for Adult Bible Study right after morning worship. There will be no Confirmation on these Sunday’s in hopes that the students will join us for the bible study. This adult bible study will be led by members of the Congregation. All are welcome to attend.
Thank you to our Sunday School and Confirmation volunteers for stepping up again this year to help make our education a great success. Thanks to Shannon Bolgrien, Samantha Marquardt and Gloria Henrichs for helping with Sunday School. Thank you to Mina Kenevan and Beth Hellpap for teaching our Confirmation class. Your generosity does not go unnoticed.
At our last Council meeting, held on September 8, 2025, we decided on a date for our No-Fuss Fall Festival this year. Our theme will be “Sharing is Caring.” We will be doing something special for each Sunday in October for this Festival, with the final celebration Sunday being on October 26th at our morning worship. Beth Hellpap, our Music Director, will help to make October 26th worship special with extra music as well.
A letter was mailed out recently to explain our no-fuss festival in more detail. Also included in the letter were quilt-raffle tickets. The quilt is on display in the narthex. If you have not received the letter with your quilt raffle tickets or if you need more quilt raffle tickets, you can contact the church office at 920-623-5140
Another item that we voted on at the council meeting was to repair our organ that currently has some features that are not working. We had a quote for this, which was $2,900. After some explanation from Beth, regarding the repairs, it was voted unanimously to move forward with the repair. Nancy Liverseed, our Treasurer stated there was still $1,985.40 in a Music Reserve Account in our general budget. So, the motion was as follows, to repair the organ using the “Music Reserve Acct” funds of $1,985.40, $600.00 from the left-over funds after selling some items Olivet no longer needed on marketplace, and the remainder of $314.60 will possibly come from the Memorial Committee General Fund, after approval at their next meeting. Motion carried with no discussion.
We are always looking for more ideas for fundraisers. If you have anything to suggest, we are always open to new ideas. You can email us at olivetucc.columbus@gmail.com or give the church office a call at 920-623-5140.
- A message from the Olivet Moderator
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Be the change, donate now
Aubrey Nerswick is participating in a fundraiser, and she is wondering if we can help. WHAT: We are looking for new or gently used luggage. That means suitcases, backpacks, or duffle bags. Or, new or gently used mittens or gloves, new underwear, socks, coats, shoes, and bedding. If you feel you cannot donate but would like to help, you can reach out with a monetary donation as well. All donations go to the nonprofit “Touched by Foster Care Service” to be used by children in foster care. The church will have a donation spot for these items. Please reach out to Aubrey Nerswick, Sadie Nerswick or Nancy Liverseed with any questions. We thank you for your support in this very important project for Aubrey.
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Joint Community Meal
Olivet hosts a community meal on the second Thursday of the month, (October 9th) and the Methodist Church hosts on the fourth Thursday, (October 23rd). These are meals for the whole community, and not only those who might need a meal, but just to come out and meet people, visit with friends, or just not cook for a night. You can join in this endeavor by volunteering at the meal (great bunch to work with) or by just coming to the meal. Hope to see you there!
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Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring - all of which have the potential to turn a life around- Leo Buscaglia -
IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS!
OCTOBER 5
OCTOBER 26
OCTOBER 31
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Pastoral Search
The Search Committee continues to search for a settled part-time Pastor for Olivet. They continue to work diligently. We will keep you updated with their progress. Thank you, Search Committee for your hard work!!
Just a reminder that Pastor Sandy has offered to stay on as pulpit supply to do our Sunday morning service, but she will no longer fill the role of interim part-time Pastor. This means she will not be available during the week and will not be attending committee meetings, teaching confirmation or visiting our members that can no longer make it to church. Pastor Sandy is still very dedicated to our congregation; we are so grateful to have her. If something comes up and you need Pastoral care, please call the church office.
Without an interim Pastor we will all need to step up to fill in the gaps. If you are interested in visiting our members who cannot make it to church, please call the church office at 920-623-5140 or contact any Council member. You may also email the church office at olivetucc.columbus@gmail.com.
God Bless,
Darlene Crombie, Moderator
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Ushering and Fellowship sign-up
We are trying a digital sign up for fellowship and ushering. We are hopeful that it will give more people opportunities to sign up.
This will be a trial through October. Let us know if you like this idea. If you do, we will continue through the end of the year, if not we will go back to the clipboards in the Narthex.
The links are below, or you can go to our website at olivetucc.org and click on the links there. Let us know if you have any questions. You can also find the links on our website at olivetucc.org.
Fellowship link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0D48AAAC2AA4FD0-57788260-olivet
Usher Link
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0D48AAAC2AA4FD0-57788674-olivet
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Building and Grounds
The B&G committee has been very busy keeping up on our needed updates and repairs at the church. In September they had the sidewalk repair done out in front of church. We contracted with Concrete Lifting Technologies to do some mud-jacking on the sidewalk out in front of the church. This was a great success, with no more tripping hazard. The total amount for this project was $1,117.62.
Buildings and Grounds were also instrumental in selling some items that were no longer needed at Olivet. Thanks also to Beth Hellpap and James Smith, as they advertised our items on the Facebook marketplace and on our Olivet Website. Some of the items that were sold were chairs, room dividers, old doors and some windows too. The total made from the sale of these items so far is $1265.00.
A portion of this money was used to help pay for our new chairs at Olivet along with other maintenance projects.
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Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary to all who are celebrating this month!
Church Council Ongoing Activities
Endowment Committee Update
At the last Endowment Committee meeting on August 4, 2025, the committee voted unanimously to donate $1,500 each quarter to the local Columbus Fall River Food Pantry.
The Endowment committee consists of: Bruce Kraus, Chair, Bob Black, Nancy Liverseed, Don Hayes, Brian Cutsforth and Darlene Crombie as the Church Moderator.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers for Olivet. If you have any questions or concerns during this transitional time, please don’t hesitate to contact the church office or any council member.
God Bless,
Olivet Church Council
Our finance department now has a new email: finance@olivetucc.gmail.com. Please feel free to email us for finance inquiries.
Columbus/Fall River Food Pantry - New Scheduling Information
Effective January 1, 2025, the Columbus Fall River Food Pantry will have a new phone number for scheduling an appointment. The new number is 608-893-3079. Please leave a message if there is no answer. The messages will be checked daily by the church that is hosting for that month. The food pantry is open on Thursdays from 4:00 pm to 6:45 pm. It is in the back of the Columbus Community Center, 125 N. Dickason Blvd., Columbus.
Thank you to the following churches for serving: Connection Church-Pastor Jamie Turner, St. Jerom Jim Leeser, Faith Lutheran Church-Pastor Andrew Perger, Olivet Congregational UCC-Pastor Sandy Schieble (Interim Pastor), Zion Lutheran Church-Pastor Tim Schwartz, First Presbyterian Church, Columbus United Methodist Church-Rev. Sang Wook Park, Columbus Community Church of the Nazarene-Pastor Chris Baker, and Wisconsin Academy-Pastor Jonathon Fetrick.
News from Our Quilters
Like clockwork each second & fourth Wednesday mornings our ladies can be found laying out color schemes for quilts, tying them, sorting fabric and cutting squares (the sewing takes place in their homes). It is a beehive of activity in the fellowship hall. We would love to have you come - No experience necessary!
We are also in need of blankets and batting for the inside of our quilts and flat sheets for the back.
Receiving the Newsletter – Get It Your Way
The majority of newsletters, however, will be sent electronically to members and friends for whom we have correct email addresses. And the third means of distribution is to pick up a copy from the info table in the narthex.
Please contact the church office should you wish to change the manner in which you receive this valuable monthly document, or to update any of your contact information. If you have not received the newsletter at all, let the office know that too. We want you to be informed so you can participate in the goings-on at Olivet.
New Email Address for Olivet
Please note that Olivet has a new email address: olivetucc.columbus@gmail.com
Our email account was hacked, and the only option was to open a new account for us. Please update your contact information for Olivet UCC.
As a reminder
We had some trouble with our church being unlocked with the lights on after worship. It is mostly a case of our not knowing if someone else is in the building and not wanting to disrupt them. With a multi-story building that can easily happen. However, we all need to be vigilant about locking up. Lights left burning cost us $$.
We are always striving to keep our records current at Olivet. If you have a new address, phone number or email please let us know by giving us a call at 920-623-5140 or email us at:
olivetucc.columbus@gmail.com. Thank you for your help with this!
Messages on the Outdoor Sign
Are you watching the messages on the outdoor sign? They change about weekly. If you walk near the sign, you will see a number of “ministry rocks.” They are for the taking, if you wish. You might have fun placing them around town to be found by others as sort of a fun surprise.
Olivet now features E-Giving; an online service to allow you to make your donations in a secure way that also helps you track your donations over the year. Please see our E-Giving page on this website.
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