March 2019 Newsletter

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Eleanore Haynes
5 years ago
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ELCA membership decreases by 70,000 people a year, or roughly the loss of a synod per year. Clergy retirements outnumber new candidates for ministry.

These are anxious questions that come from anxious people across this church.

1 March 2019 Newsletter INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Message 1 Office Info. 2 Church Pages 3-5 Community 6 Calendar 7 WHAT IS GOD UP TO? What is to be done? Our congregations are growing older and smaller. At least 40 percent of our congregations have an average weekly worship attendance of 50 or less. ELCA membership decreases by 70,000 people a year, or roughly the loss of a synod per year. Clergy retirements outnumber new candidates for ministry. Financial pressures and building maintenance create stress. There is a death of people in their 20s and 30s in our pews. How do we change this? How do we reverse the trends? These are anxious questions that come from anxious people across this church. We aren t the only ones asking them just about every mainline denomination, including the non-latino population of the Roman Catholic Church, is in the same boat. Even some megachurches are showing signs of plateau or decline. And this is not exclusive to the Christian community. I once attended a national conference of Muslims where one workshop was titled Un-Mosqued to Mosqued: How to Get the Young Muslim Back to the Masjid. Some now see the decline of the church in general, and the ELCA in particular, as inevitable. The response can be to turn our churches into bunkers with our congregations sheltering within the walls or to try every new program that breathlessly promises to attract people to our congregations. Neither is an effective or faithful long-term strategy. I think we are asking the wrong questions. The questions we are asking have to do about us: What can we do? They express loss and grief and fear loss and grief for what we were and fear about what we will become. Not only do these questions not lead to productive answers, they also don t point to hope. It s as if the church s one foundation rests on us and our efforts. I think we need to ask: What is God up to? It s clear to me that we are living in a time of transition, especially for the Western church. I don t know how long this transition will last nor do I have a clear vision of what the church is becoming. The good news is that you and I don t have to have a clear vision because God does. Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? (Isaiah 43:18-19). These words of hope were spoken to the Jews who were stuck in exile. They had lost their land, their temple and their king the pillars of their identity. Likewise, the church has lost social status and relevance in 21st-century American culture. For Israel and the church this would be a hopeless situation, except that God is faithful. When the Lord admonished, Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old, this wasn t a command to forget God s past saving work, but to believe that God was still acting. This is true for us today. When we stop asking what we can do to fix the church and start asking what God is up to, we open ourselves up to the life-giving promise of God s future. Then we are also open to more questions: How is the Spirit reshaping the church? How will Christ use us as Christ s living body in the world? If we want to attract people to our congregations to rebuild a memory, God will not bless our efforts. But if we grabbed by the Spirit in baptism, changed by the word, intimately and lovingly connected to Jesus and each other in communion, and set free by grace to serve the neighbor invite all people into true life, then we shall become part of the answer. This takes attention and devotion. Worship, prayer, Scripture study, generosity and service not in order to save the church, but in response to the new life God has given us in Christ. And one more thing: in God s inscrutable wisdom, God has chosen human hands and voices to tell and welcome. Let s adopt the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod s mission to get more people to know more about Jesus. A monthly message from the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Her address: bishop@elca.org.

OFFICE & CONTACT INFORMATION Contact Information Pastor Steve Quist 507-337-0068 Sproq2@yahoo.com Healing Waters Parish Staff Angie Thostenson 507-766-0909 office@healingwatersparish.

2 OFFICE & CONTACT INFORMATION Contact Information Pastor Steve Quist Healing Waters Parish Staff Angie Thostenson Thank you for helping with the February newsletter assembly: Angie Thostenson Sunday, March 3 Ash Wednesday, March 6 Worship Schedule Augustana Office Mindi Rokusek jmrokusek@yahoo.com Bergen Office Cindy Skulstad Cskulstad5@gmail.com St. Lucas Office Ronda Gregg Herigon rbherigon@starpoint.net Please notify us when: There is a birth or adoption of a child There is a death in your family There is a hospitalization in your family Someone becomes home bound Someone becomes unemployed You move or get a new phone number A child moves out of the house or attends college or whenever there is a cause for sorrow or a cause for joy Healing Waters Parish, the body of Christ, wants to bring you Christ s love in all the seasons of your life. Sunday, March 10 Wednesday, March 13 Sunday, March 17 Wednesday, March 20 Sunday, March 24 Wednesday, March 27 Sunday, March 31 Community Prayer List Elvera Cole, Janet Tantow, Gary Johnson, Jill Boehne, Jerome Timm, Cindy Buyert, Tony Rodriguez, Adela Espinosa + Please let our church secretary or the pastors know of any change that should be made to the prayer list. Page 2 March 2019 Weather Related Cancellations of Worship Services, Sunday School, or Confirmation: Website Facebook Healing Waters Parish Radio - KMHL 1400 AM (Marshall) or KDMA 1460 AM (Montevideo)

Augustana Lutheran Church 921 11 th Avenue Clarkfield, MN 56223 Augustana Prayer List Pat Willander AUGUSTANA LUTHERAN CHURCH NEWS WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sunday, March 3rd Ash Wednesday, March 6 th Sunday,

3 Augustana Lutheran Church th Avenue Clarkfield, MN Augustana Prayer List Pat Willander AUGUSTANA LUTHERAN CHURCH NEWS WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sunday, March 3rd Ash Wednesday, March 6 th Sunday, March 10th Wednesday, March 13 th Sunday, March 17th Wednesday, March 20 th Sunday, March 24th Wednesday, March 27 th Sunday, March 31st March work group leaders: Stan &Karen Kaatz Council: Nancy will contact council members to set date of next council meeting. Rachel Circle will be at Karen Kaatz s home on March 20 th at 7:30 PM. If you have information you would like to have in the newsletter, please contact Nancy Chasteen at / or nchasteen68@hotmail.com 2019 HWP Valhalla Schedule: Please pick a month you would be willing to bring some goody like cake, cookies or whatever you choose to serve after church services when Healing Waters Parish is scheduled. The following dates are open: June 26, August 14, October 2, and November 20. We have no dates in December. Call Nancy Chasteen at or if you would be willing to help out. Services usually start at 2:00 pm so please drop it off at Valhalla any time prior to 1:30. LENTEN SERVICES: Augustana will be having Lenten services at 5:30 pm with supper to follow except no supper March 6 th, Ash Wednesday. Supper dates: March 13, 20, 27 April 3 rd and 10 th. If you wish to serve on one of these dates, please let Nancy know at or Page 3 March 2019

BERGEN LUTHERAN CHURCH NEWS Bergen Lutheran Church 4603 310 th Ave.

4 BERGEN LUTHERAN CHURCH NEWS Bergen Lutheran Church th Ave. Granite Falls, MN Opening Church & Work Group Leaders for March: Curt & Cindy Skulstad and Dave & Kim Kvam Bergen Bible School News: Bergen Women s Meeting for March will be on Wednesday, March 13 at 1:30 pm at church. Adopt a Soldier Project: Eight Bergen Bible school children enjoyed writing letters to soldiers stationed in Afghanistan. They then packed these letters into boxes along with 2 tables full of care package items!! With the help of 5 other congregation members, we stuffed 8 large boxes full of items. Everyone had a good time. Thank you to all who donated items and/or time to this project! MARK YOUR CALENDARS: VBS AT BERGEN WILL BE JULY 30 th -31 st. Ministerial Acts: Funerals: Dorothy Louise (Swang) McCoy passed away on February 12 th at the Clarkfield Care Center, Clarkfield, MN. Her funeral will be held on Saturday, March 2 nd at Bergen Lutheran Church. Burial will be in Bergen Lutheran Cemetery. WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sunday, March 3rd Ash Wednesday, March 6 th Sunday, March 10th Wednesday, March 13 th Sunday, March 17th Wednesday, March 20 th Sunday, March 24th Wednesday, March 27 th Sunday, March 31st Lenten Suppers: Please join us for Lenten Suppers at 6:00 pm each Wednesday during Lent starting March 13 th. See upcoming events for serving schedule. Upcoming Events: March 2nd: 11am Dorothy McCoy Funeral (Kvam/Skulstad Group 1) March 3rd: 10:30am Worship with Communion, Potluck Dinner Following (Kvam/Skulstad Group1) March 6th: 7pm Ash Wednesday Worship with Communion Pr Bob Vedell March 10th: 10:00am Coffee Fellowship 10:30 Worship with March 13th: 6pm Lenten Supper Klosterboer Group 3 Serving 7pm Lenten Service with March 17th: 10:00am Coffee Fellowship 10:30 Worship with March 20th: 6pm Lenten Supper Virkus/Gabrielson Group 2 Serving 7pm Lenten Service with March 24th: 10am Coffee Fellowship 10:30 Worship with / Bible School March 27th: 6pm Lenten Supper Kvam/Skulstad Group 1 Serving 7pm Lenten Service with March 31st: 10am Coffee Fellowship 10:30 Worship with Page 4 March 2019 We now have a Facebook page Bergen Lutheran Church Please come check us out!!! If anyone has gently used sheets they don t need, please drop them off at Bergen to use for quilting. Thank you! Bergen Prayer List: Family of Dorothy McCoy, Dustin Virkus, Joan Rosetter, Carol Crosby, Bonnie Westfield

St. Lucas Lutheran Church 4232 170 th Avenue Cottonwood, MN 56229 Page 5 March 2019 St.

5 St. Lucas Lutheran Church th Avenue Cottonwood, MN Page 5 March 2019 St. Lucas Prayer List none March Birthdays: 02-Jeremy Brusven 04-Rachel Brusven 05-Jason Danielson 07-Adam Gray 08-Amy Manning 09-Dorothy Brusven 09-Lyle Danielson 09-Aden Gray 10-Byron Kompelien 11-Nola Thompson 13-Duane Danielson 15-Roberta Brusven 21-Edward Brusven 21-Ranae Dorn 22-Phinley Bennett Thares 27-Savannah Rausch 29-Andrew Lenz 30-Brian Pehrson St. Lucas will be meeting every Wednesday night from 6:30-7:30 pm for Children s Sunday School. ALL ARE WELCOME! ST. LUCAS LUTHERAN CHURCH NEWS Sunday, March 3rd Ash Wednesday, March 6 th Sunday, March 10th Wednesday, March 13 th Sunday, March 17th Wednesday, March 20 th Sunday, March 24th Wednesday, March 27 th Sunday, March 31st St. Lucas Lutheran Cemetery Association- Rules and Regulations Effective January 1, 2016 ~Memorial Day flowers and decorations are permitted one week before and one week after Memorial Day. ~Flowers and decorations at other times must not interfere with the maintenance and care of the cemetery. Removal of these will be at the discretion of the cemetery board. ~No planting of trees or plants is permitted. ~Cremated remains may not be scattered anywhere in the cemetery. The remains must be in a container and buried within a burial space approved by the cemetery board. ~The St. Lucas Cemetery assumes no responsibility for vandalism or defacing of interment lots. ~The cemetery board reserves the right to change these rules and regulations as they deem necessary for the operation of the cemetery. WORSHIP SCHEDULE Appointed Church Officials for 2019: President: Ross Thompson Secretary: Shannon Lenz Treasurer: Teresa Hoff Trustee: Mitch Brusven was put on for a 3 yr term he joins Denton Olson, Mike Rausch,Chery Stensrud, Rob Hoff Deacons: Janeen Kompelien, Roberta Brusven, Linda Broughton, Andrew Lenz Cemetery: Joyce Gregg, Richard Jolstad, Byron Kompelien, Dean Olson Board of Ed: Kristin Gray was put on for a 3 yr term and she joins Amy Manning Head Usher: Dennis Broughton Auditors: Johnnie Danielson, Marge Haaland, Roberta Brusven Delegates to Synod: Lyle and Johnnie Danielson will start their 1st year Memorial: Ronda Herigon, Darris/Carol Kompelien, Rod/Lonna Stensrud Music/Worship: Voted to decease and give duties to deacons Healing Waters Parish board: Kris Brusven We thank Mitch Brusven, Kristin Gray, Lyle and Johnnie Danielson, and Kris Brusven for taking on new duties for the church.

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January 2018 Newsletter

January 2018 Newsletter www.healingwatersparish.org INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Office Info. 2 Church Pages 3-6 Community 7-8 Calendar 9 In the Middle of Things In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus