Pancake breakfast to raise funds for church remodeling

By Susan Johnson
Copy Editor

United Lutheran Church will hold a pancake breakfast fund-raiser from 8 to 10 a.m., Saturday, July 28, at Applebee’s on East Riverside Boulevard. The menu includes flapjacks and bacon plus beverages. You can get up to two plates if desired. Tickets are $5 per person.

Mandy Gould, church secretary, explained the reason for the fund-raiser. “In 2007, Faith Lutheran and Messiah Lutheran consolidated to become United Lutheran Church (ELCA),” she said. They are now in the process of remodeling.

“We tried to sell both churches,” said Gould, “and we sold Messiah to another church and ended up deciding to stay in the Rockton Avenue location, which was formerly the Faith building. United is now at 3630 N. Rockton Ave. After the consolidation, we started thinking about updating the building or remodeling, and we recently began that process in May. We are redoing the whole building, getting a new sanctuary, offices and fellowship hall to allow for more seating and a more open, modern setting. With that, we are going to be getting new Sunday school classrooms.

“The funds we raise will be used to furnish the Sunday school classrooms — furniture, bookshelves, tables, white boards. We have three classrooms. They will have brand- new materials.”

The congregation is presently worshiping in another location. “The church is meeting in Rockford Memorial Hospital at 9 a.m. Sunday mornings in the auditorium,” added Gould.

“Someone is usually there by 8:30, and afterwards, they go down to the cafeteria for fellowship time. People could get tickets then, or they can buy them at the door. We will take walk-ins.”

Come on out to Applebee’s and help the remodeling effort. “We are ready to move forward and take a big step,” said Gould. “This is our new beginning. It’s an exciting time for us.”

From the July 25-31, 2012, issue