Electives at SOS on Wednesdays are scheduled for about an hour unless otherwise noted.
PRESSING APPLE CIDER - September 22 for Rally Day
Our annual tradition of pressing apple cider is part of the fall kick-off for HOPE’s education ministry. The
cider is sold for a free-will offering and the proceeds are donated to a mission of the confirmation
students’ choice. Have fun! Get messy! And get your hands a little sticky! Led by Karen and Jeff
Rodewald.
BEE KEEPING – September 29 2:30 at the Rodewald’s farm (Jeff’s father)
Join Jeff Rodewald and his father in learning how some of God’s smallest creatures are vital to our
ecology. Learn about bees, bee keeping, wax, and honey. We will be outdoors, so please dress
appropriately. We can coordinate rides if needed, place to meet – TBD. Led by Jeff Rodewald.
TEACHING FAITH ADVENTURES – October 9 5:30 at SOS
Just like Jesus shared the gospel with his disciples, so can you! Come learn about Faith Adventures and
what the teachers do to lead the lessons each week. You will learn how to help lead a lesson of Holy
Moly. You may then volunteer at least twice during the year to help teach our Faith Adventure
students. (Volunteering to teach is a great way to add to your service hours.) Led by Paula Klacan.
WALK TO EMPOWER – October 12 9:00-12:00 at Freedom Park in Prescott
Join others from our western Wisconsin communities in walking for Turning Point. We will walk to raise
awareness against domestic violence. Participation in the corresponding fundraiser is not required.
Please bring money for food and the raffle if you’d like. Led by Sammy Brill.
FELTED WOOL – October 20 1:00 at the Rodewald’s home
Alpaca are native of South America and known for their extremely soft, warm wool. Students will
learn the process of "wet felting" to create unique, one of a kind Christmas ornaments to support the
silent action during HOPE’s Jazz and More event. Materials will be provided. Led by Karen and Elizabeth
Rodewald.
STAR GAZING – October 23 6:30-8:00 at HOPE’s Land
God made a promise to Abraham that one day he would have as many decedents as stars in the sky.
Join Milo Oppegard out on HOPE’s land and learn a little more about God’s great creation of the
universe. He will set up his telescope and share with us his passion for astronomy. Led by Milo
Oppegard. (Please note the later time than usual.)
EXPLORE THE KINNI – October 30 5:30-7:00 at the Rudesill’s home
In Genesis God created the earth and on earth water. Come explore our local Kinnickinnic River and the
important habitats that surround it. Please dress appropriately for the weather. Dinner will be served
at the Rudesill’s home after the walk. Led by Doug and Sue Rudesill.
MATTHEW PROJECT – November 2 at Gethsemane Lutheran, Baldwin, WI
A 1-day local “mission trip” filled with in-house and off-site service projects that will make a difference
in your community! (Followed by food, fun, worship, and live music!!) **There are two sessions –
morning and afternoon. Pastor Sandy will meet with the students who sign-up to determine which
session(s) HOPE attends and to coordinate rides. Led by Pastor Sandy Johnson.
JOURNALING – November 13 5:30 at SOS
Do you like to write or draw? Would you like a place to store memories and pictures? Before there was
Facebook and Instagram, there was journaling and scrapbooking. Come make a personalized journal to
store your memories and thoughts in. Led by Liza Ziebarth.
**$5 contribution for materials
FILM AND FAITH TALK – November 23 2:00 at the Falls Theatre (or Hudson, if not showing in RF)
Jesus used parables to help us understand his messages. Fictional stories can still help us to understand
and tell the story of our personal faith. We will attend a showing of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
(hopefully showing in River Falls) and afterwards we will walk to HOPE’s office around the corner to talk
about the movie. The movie is rated PG-13. If you do not wish to see the movie, but have read the
books, please feel free to join us for the discussion afterwards. Led by Elissa Zoerb.
**Please bring money for admission, and snacks if you’d like.
CREATING CHRISTMAS CARDS – December 11 5:30-6:30 at SOS
Get into the Christmas spirit with stamps, glue, and glitter! God used many symbols throughout the
Bible to remind us of important promises. Come and learn how to make professional-looking Christmas
cards to give to your family and friends to remind them of God’s promises at Christmas. Led by Carol
Knudson.
**$5 contribution for materials
DECORATING CHRISTMAS COOKIES – December 22 1:00 at Karen Brohaugh’s home
Get into the Christmas spirit by putting your artist flare on Christmas cookies! Have fun creating
Christmas treats and help spread the joy of Christmas. The cookies will be delivered to residents at a
local nursing home. Led by Karen Brohaugh.
CHALLENGE THE WALL, WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM YOUR FRIENDS (INCLUDING GOD) – January 15
7:00-8:30 at UWRF Knowles Center
Climbing the rock wall at Knowles can be challenging; living a Christian life can be challenging, too.
Whether it's climbing a 40-foot wall or making difficult choices, we all need help and support. Come test
yourself by climbing the wall but also learn how to support your friends and help each other with all
sorts of challenges we face in life. Please wear comfortable clothing for physical activity that will allow
you to stretch and move freely, I.e., sweatpants, shorts, t-shirts. Led by Faye Perkins. (Please note the
later time than usual.)
**$5 contribution for admission
AGAPE CONCERT – January 22 at Faith Lutheran in Forest Lake, MN
We will join with our brothers and sisters at Faith Lutheran Church for dinner and a concert given by
Christian rapper Agape. We will leave from SOS at 4:30 and hopefully return by about 9:00. There will
be a free-will offering for dinner and the concert. We will be looking for volunteers to drive. Led by
Julie Schmidt.
TIE DYING – January 29 5:30 at SOS
God sent the rainbow as a promise to us. Let’s have a little fun with that rainbow. Bring a t-shirt or
clothing item to tie dye. We can look into the price of HOPE t-shirts similar to the softball t-shirts if
people are interested. Led by Pastor Sandy Johnson.
MAP MAKING – February 12 5:30 (location TBD)
When hiking through the woods, we readily trust the compass in our hands. No matter which way we
turn, we can be confident that the compass will never get disoriented and lose its sense of direction. It is
a faithful and potentially life-saving partner in our adventure. It is the same with God in our day to day
lives. Come learn some basic surveying and map making skills. We will learn how to use a compass and
do some of our map making. Led by Jed Reiten.
BUILDING BIRDHOUSES – February 26 5:30 at SOS
Build a birdhouse to take home. Fill it with seeds and put it in your yard or outside your bedroom
window. The birds will love it no matter the season! Led by Jed Reiten.
**$5 contribution for materials
FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN – April 5, meet at the Newman Center at 8:00 and return around 1:00
As it says in Matthew, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.” We will travel to the Feed
My Starving Children meal packing center in Eagan, MN. We will spend a couple hours packaging meals
that are distributed to children in developing countries. Our shift is 9:00am-11:00am. Please bring
some money for lunch. We will have some time for fellowship and reflection during lunch. Led by Elissa
Zoerb.
**Space is available for 16 students and three addition adults at this time. We can reserve more
volunteer spots if you would like to bring a friend or family member. We will coordinate rides from
River Falls.
GARDENING – April 23 5:30 at Ann Anderson’s home
Every spring Ann plants many varieties of tomato seeds and offers the young plants to HOPE members
to plant in their garden for a free will donation. Ann will teach us how to transplant the small plants into
bigger pots ready for the garden. Students will take a few home, take care for them for a couple weeks,
and bring them back to church to offer to HOPE’s members for a free will donation. Ann invited the
confirmation students to decide where to donate the money raised from the plant sales. Led by Ann
Anderson.
GLASS MOSAIC MAKING – April 30 5:30 at SOS
Enjoy fun and fellowship learning a new form of art. Learn how to make beautiful glass mosaics! We
will learn how to make glass mosaics on pots or tiles. This may require an additional meeting to finish
the projects if needed. Led by Paula Klacan.
**$5 contribution for materials
CELEBRATING WORSHIP THROUGH MUSIC – to be scheduled with Carrie individually or as a group
Love to sing? Come learn why we Lutherans sing so much! You will learn a little about being the
assisting minister and/or preparing a piece of special music. You will then have an opportunity to
participate in a worship service. You may do this individually or as a group. Led by Carrie Hendrickson.
**will require participation in a TBD Sunday service
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD – TBD (possibly a Sunday after church in
November) at Roger Tweiten’s home
From the Psalms to Special Music each week, music is an important part of our faith tradition. Come see
and play with Roger’s extensive collection of musical instruments from around the world. He will share
the stories of their origins and show you how to play some of them. Led by Roger Tweiten.
GEOCACHING – TBD (possibly a Sunday after church in November) at HOPE’s Land
Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunt where you use a gps unit or a smart phone to navigate to a
certain location and find a hidden container. When you find a geocache, you sign the log book and then
trade swag if you want. Geocaches are hidden all over the world and there several here in River Falls,
including one on Hope's Property! The geocache hidden on Hope's Property is a puzzle, so be sure to
bring your bible and a writing utensil. Led by Alyssa Boock.
BEE’S WAX PROJECTS – TBD (possibly a Saturday in February) at the Rodewald’s home
Bee Wax can be used for a variety of skin care products. Students will make hand balm using a
combination of bee wax, almond oil and choose from several aromatic oils for fragrance. Materials will
be provided. Led by Karen Rodewald.
PAUL’S JOURNEY IN ACTS – TBD (possibly a Wednesday in February)
In 2006 Milo and Betty Lou went on a pilgrimage to Turkey. They followed the pathway that the Apostle
Paul took in his mission trips to Asia Minor as recorded in Acts. They will share with us their stories and
pictures from the trip. Led by Betty Lou and Milo Oppegard.
2015 YOUTH GATHERING IN DETRIOT – TBD (it will be a Sunday after church sometime in the spring)
Every three years the ELCA hosts a national gathering for high school youth from across the country. We
will hear stories from past attendees and see some pictures. We will also discuss a plan for fundraising
over the next two years. This will be an informational meeting only, and will not require any
commitment. Please note the gathering is for high school students as of the 2014-2015 school year,
current sixth graders will not be old enough for this time around, but are welcome to join the discussion.
Led by Elissa Zoerb.