An Old-Fashioned House Hop

Gnosko has had a couple of group fellowship events recently.  First up was a Progressive Dinner in Mid-December.   It was an opportunity to host an old fashioned house hop.  We even dressed up a bit to add an element of something unique.   Each home had a small group responsible for setting up food and décor. We met prior to our first round to prepare together.   The full group showed up at each location to partake in that particular course.  We had three courses—appetizers, main dish, and dessert!  

What a great time was had by all in interaction, preparation, and more. These events are fun to change things up. To mix and mingle with the rest of the group. Along with the ones we had pairings with for the food prep portion.  The evening was capped off with a nice round of Baloney.   We truly learn more about one another when we get a peek into gaming strategies. Who’s competitive and who’s not, and best of all who is not a good liar!  Some do not have the fine art of a poker face. We had some great koinonia. 

Beginning a New Year

At the end of January, we enjoyed another time of Gnosko games and goodies with game day and treats.  There were endless options for games laid out on the tables. The same could be said for the food selections.   We ended up with three good games groups.   We are grateful to be able to come together and have this time in fellowship, food, and fun. As well as opportunities to pray for and encourage one another.  

Small-Group Gatherings

We have had opportunities and time throughout the month to get together on our own. With a couple or two in our group and just have dinner together. Or getting together in town for an activity.  This spurs a natural opportunity to include and encourage one another in our day to day dealings. As well as continue to reach out to the greater community.  We also seek to remember to include our neighbors whether it’s in a bigger group event. Or just in a small setting on our own.

This brings to mind a great Bible verse: Philippians 2: 1-2 “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”

Please pray for us as we are seeking where God wants to lead our group this year.

Over the Summer

August found Gnosko cooking up chicken for lunch at the campout following Sunday’s service.  There was no shortage of watermelon and the chicken was something to look forward too.  Grilling is the Summer thing to do!  Our group enjoyed the various tasks to make this food event happen from prepping the food in the Summer kitchen to the manning the meat grilling station, to serving and cleanup.  

Fellowship

In Mid-September Gnosko full group attended the Glenn Kaiser concert held at the bandshell on the waterfront in Hudson!   It was a nice warm, sunny day.  So, Summer came back to us again and we enjoyed the sights and sounds of the day including the music and sharing of Glenn’s testimony and ministry in action along with some great tunes.   Three hot air balloons floated by just through the trees.  They even dipped down into the water and left a trail of water raining down as they ascended back up.  Future fun perhaps to one day take our own ride/turn up in one of those.  What a neat perspective. There were opportunities to get to know the community at large in the audience and the vendors who were present.  Some of us took advantage of pairing up with another couple either before or after and grab lunch or dinner together.  

Heading into Fall

At the beginning of October, we found ourselves flipping flapjacks for the Prayer Breakfast.  It was a lot of fun to be able to serve breakfast for all who attended.

As a Gnosko group, we took a Fall color tour down to Alma WI to meet at Buena Vista Park on Sunday, October 13th. We had a great time although it was very windy and chilly, at least we did not have the 4” of snow that we had when we went last year.

Out of Town adventure!

Our Gnosko leaders are planning an escape room adventure in Rice Lake on Friday, October 18^th which is described as a peaceful Ocean Charter Tour until a storm picks up and destroys the ship, leaving you and the other six people aboard stranded on an uncharted desert island… WITH AN ACTIVE VOLCANO???? This should be a good test for us as leaders to see how well we can work together.

What’s ahead

Also coming up this fall we would like to do some local home repair projects in our community. So please be in prayer for us on this and let us know if you know of someone in need. This could be sheetrock, window or door repair, as well as winter-proofing.

Reaching out in Red Wing MN

In May and June, we headed to Red Wing to assist Patti from the Connected Connection. The Gnosko member’s split into two groups. One staying behind to assist in organizing and the other group trekked to the property where we moved some of Patti’s items back to the shop location.

We moved a twenty-foot bar with ornated detailing from the 1880s. Moving that large item proved challenging. The group was able to get it from inside the building and onto a trailer bound for Red Wing. Back at the shop, a transformation of the outdoor space was completed with teamwork. Lunch was provided by Patti.

The next time we went we assisted Patti with shipments going to Honduras via cargo plane. We cleaned and organized donated items. We are blessed to help Patti, who at 78 years young is moving mountains assisting others. Pattie is a great example of serving others and does not let her age stop her.

Heyde Center for the Arts

In April, Gnosko found a bit of sunshine, warmth, and fellowship. We attended the 55th Annual Spring Art Show at the Heyde Center for the Arts in Chippewa Falls, WI. Local artists from the Chippewa Valley were invited to submit their art for the free show. This is a great community event to enjoy different mediums of art and creations. What a uniquely individual spark God puts within each of us…He created us to create, and this is just one form of that. Here’s a good article that speaks to it. https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/make-god-look-great-create. Wrapping up our fellowship destination was by unanimous decision to Olson’s Ice Cream!

Healthier Living Update

With the help of the Holy Spirit, lots of support and encouragement, our Gnosko group is feeling much lighter these days. To the tune of 137 pounds (that’s 548 sticks of butter) and 68.25 inches lost! Please continue to pray and support our healthy habits.

Gnosko are a group of married couples that are dedicated to God. Living our lives through helping each other and those in our community and beyond.

Calling donations for Kentucky

At the end of December, several Gnosko members fueled up at a local Denny’s before heading to Red Wing. We met with Patti who gave us an opportunity to pick up some items to send to Kentucky.  

Patti with the Connecting Connection regularly donates to Honduras via a cargo plane.  Some sizes of clothing (large on up) are too big to send down there.   That’s why we where able to get some clothing from that ministry there to send to Kentucky.  

So we rolled out the barrels and filled up the trailer.  These barrels were really sturdy and great to move around. We are planning to work with Patti in Red Wing this spring. To help repair items before they ship out to Honduras.

Before our day trip ended we were able to stop at a local place you can’t leave town without stopping at…Hanisch bakery….not to be confused with Harnisch!  From there we delivered the items back to be stored away until Street Level is preparing to leave for KY in March.

Currently, we’re collecting men’s work clothes and boots, housewares, furniture and more.  The next time we will do so is Sunday, February 24, and possibly beyond till shortly before the team leaves. Please contact Bryan Harnisch to make the specific arrangements to drop those items off with Gnosko. Please be in prayer for the upcoming SL missions trip, which is just around the corner, to prepare the hearts of those going and for the opportunities there while in KY.

Mark Driscoll Video

The Gnosko members group got together after church a couple weeks ago to watch Mark Driscoll’s Spirit-Filled Jesus Conference: Live by His Power video.  To sum up this amazing conference Mark taught us that Jesus didn’t do it on his own, He relied on the Holy Spirit. We shouldn’t rely on ourselves and should rely on the Holy Spirit just as Jesus did. Growing through every experience we have whether it’s good or bad, and we need to forgive as Jesus forgives us. We can fight the demonic with these five God-given weapons The Holy Spirit, Your Identity, Godly Perspective, Scripture, Faith to Trust.

A Trip to IKEA

January although cold brought plenty of fun.  On January 19th, the Gnosko Members accepted an invitation from the OneLife Ministry on a City Road Trip.  The intent of the event was to create opportunities for cross-fellowship and unity among the members of the church and among the members of Gnosko and OneLife.  The event included teams comprised of members from each group who spent the day together in fellowship and included an IKEA scavenger hunt, a group meal, lots of fun and laugh, and lots more.

Healthier Living

Some of us in Gnosko saw the need to make some life changes. These changes would be beneficial not only to us and our health but especially for keeping kingdom work in our plan. Towards the end of January Gnosko began The Biggest Loser.  We are having monthly weigh-ins to help keep us on track. Checking in with each other and holding each other accountable in this journey together.   We need each others prayers and support in the hopes of  better health and kingdom work for our future.   So feel free, all of you, to join us in encouragement, accountability, and prayer!  

Recently

The Gnosko Families headed out this past Sunday to enjoy the fall colors and ended up driving around in a Winter Wonderland and enjoyed ice cream at the Nelson Creamery in Alma, WI

Over the Summer

This Summer we’ve had our fair share of outdoor and indoor fellowship and fun bowling first on Father’s Day and then in July at Jeremiah’s Bullfrog Fish Farm. 

It was a gorgeous day full of steamy hot weather that Summer dished out and to complement it the most mosquitoes in one place I think many of us have ever encountered. They offered free music and as always the staff would cook you up your fish catch or just cook a plate up for you either way fishing or no fishing. We got to mingle with the Kindred folks there as well! We enjoyed the food, fishing, fellowship, and music so it was a great opportunity to be out in the community.

A return trip to Riverside Park in Eau Claire was another memorable time of fellowship in July where we enjoyed swimming and soaking in a wonderful Summer day here in WI. We teamed up with One Life and Kindred in August for a work day at the campground. We got to clean up the campground of leaves, sticks and cut wood for the campground.

Full group studies have continued throughout the Summer. It’s a great time connecting on the small group level which is really important as the church grows and in fellowship together. We recently got to do one outside with the full group at the Bowlin’s during Biking for Tacos event to cheer on the riders.

As Summer was coming to an end we got to work on the rocket stove at the campground. The goal is to have some heat out there when we all are utilizing the pavilion area when it’s cool outside. A barrel, straw, sandstone and clay were involved in the creation of a rocket stove.

What’s Coming

Fall has come to Wisconsin and Winter’s around the corner, we look forward to God’s plans for Gnosko in the coming seasons and covet your prayers for this ministry and all that are a part of it.

What’s been

The last couple months has found Gnosko as a whole group continuing to go over notes in small groups and usually out and about in the community whether it’s enjoying the outdoors at the park, or ice cream at Culver’s.   This is always a neat time to be one on one with different people each time and gaining new perspective as to what we gleaned from the service and how we are applying it to our lives.

This past week the whole group met out at the campground for some time out fellowshipping with another church, the E-Free church from Boyceville.   It was great to meet new people and connect around the campfire.

While the missions team was in the Philippines Gnosko got to be a part of the carpet ripping out day with other fellowship groups within our church.   In a matter of just over two hours the sanctuary was completely stripped bare of the carpet.

Another recent venture was helping out Street Level with the annual thrift sale.   We paired up with a couple others each day of the event in morning and afternoon shifts to help out at the sale.   We also took part in the setting up process beforehand and taking down after.   A great part of the whole thing was getting to spend time and come alongside and help with another ministry’s projects.   Many hands make light work and it was fun to see the very quick transformation from church house living areas into indoor thrift sale!   It’s also a unique opportunity to be able to interact with the community.

The Gnosko Members enjoyed a van trip to the Cities in March to be part of a monthly fix it clinic going on in the Cities, this time we were in Osseo, they are held at different locations each month. It was to not only participate but glean information on how this runs and what it looks like in a big city and perhaps give us future direction for planning and doing similar again in our own small community here in Menomonie.

 

Coming Soon

Our Gnosko Leadership has been getting together a couple of times a month to share a meal and to discuss and grow in our relationship with each other and with God.

As Summer approaches we look forward to being out and about in the community as much as possible.   Our Member’s group is looking forward to a Father’s Day fellowship with our kids at a local park.