Musical Moments. The Congregational Church of Excelsior/The Mirror

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1 November 2018 The Mirror 0+ The Congregational Church of Excelsior (952) From the Pastor Let me start with a few key Biblical quotes and see if you can guess what I am going to talk to you about this month: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22) Now to God, who by the power at work within us, is able to accomplish abundantly far more than we can ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:30) Give up? (After all, they re so general they could be about just about anything, which is the beauty of Holy Scripture!). But if you guessed stewardship, then (as Ed McMahon liked to say to Johnny), then you would be right pledge-breath! So, beginning with these profound spiritual insights from St. Paul, I want to take one more crack at the subject of stewardship, which we at CCoE have been focusing on with laser-like intensity throughout the month of October as we have conducted our What Shall I Bring? campaign. But, in my and Paul s defense, as we rapidly approach Thanksgiving, it s even more imperative that we do so, since stewardship and thanksgiving are acts which go hand-in-glove. You cannot have one without the other. In ancient times, the word stewardship referred to household management, so naturally it involved the task of controlling one s finances, including the supervision of servants and workers. The Old Testament indicates that Joseph had a steward, as did Abraham, and on a larger scale, so did the kings of Israel. In the New Testament, the understanding of household expanded to include the church and the world itself, noticing the new spiritual recognition that the earth is the Lord s in the fullness thereof. So, by the advent of Jesus, the overall sense of stewardship was that it involved literally everything from physical well-being to spiritual soundness. That is to say, stewardship was limitless and thus necessitated caring for all that God has provided us and since 1 INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Pastor 1 Board of Christian Education 3 Board of Deacons 5 Board of Missions 4 Musical Moments 2 everything is from God, then, well you know. The umbrella broadened to even incorporate the abstract Word of God the good news of a Sovereign and his inclusive love, which broke into the world in Jesus Christ. So stewardship meant caring for the very gift of life itself, beginning with one s own life including one s abilities, talents, emotions, and time, then branching out to others as well as to the protection of the earth and all that is within it. Understanding its reach, what s even more important is to understand its meaning. Stewardship presumes that abundance is already ours. So it s not about overcoming scarcity, or guarding against it, or getting something we don t have, or being prudent with what we do have. It s not even about giving to people in need. It s about the awareness of all that we already have, and helping ourselves and others understand that we can all share in this abundance right now if we are committed to making it happen. It s about believing Jesus when he says this is about his purpose: so we may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). He came to show that all this is already ours by the grace of God for all of us, including the rest of humanity, not just for the insiders of the faith. In other words, abundant life means realizing and sharing, the sheer joy of being alive free from the grip of scarcity and fear. And when all people live this way, then we have together, entered the kingdom of God in the here and now. So the real work of stewardship is becoming generous in the spirit of Jesus. But before we can practice generosity, we have to first discern our abundance. In fact, generosity doesn t even make sense if we don t see, and (Continued on page 2)

2 Pastor, from page 1 value, what we already have. No clever appeal, no tear jerking stories about the difference giving makes, no eloquent sermons about counting our blessings, no persuasive campaign themes and slogans none of this, can accomplish much to convince people, from the outside in, of something they should believe. It s nothing more than a poor, inauthentic substitute for feeling the reality inside out, of abundance and generosity themselves. To do otherwise runs the risk of leaving people feeling resentful, as if they have somehow been taken, even for a good cause which they should believe in (but of their own volition!). No gift is better than a contaminated gift given from guilt or a sense of obligation. So as always, we need to ask some essential questions of ourselves to screw our heads on right, as we each think about and decide how we will share in CCoE s life and ministry going forward, not just in the short run of 2019 but beyond. Basic questions such as: What does CCoE mean to you (and to your family)? What kind of ministry and mission is God calling you and CCoE together, to do now and in the future? Does your giving of the combination of your time, efforts, talents, and financial resources truly reflect what you feel God has done for you in your life? Abundance will remain a Sunday word with little currency in the practical details of daily life so long as it s not rooted and grounded in one s own heart. As we see from his own example, Jesus wanted our every feeling and action to flow from the heart. You clearly see this in how he never treated his followers as spigots to be manipulated to his own ends to be turned on and off as required by the circumstances of the moment so neither should we who profess to be his modern disciples. We, individually and as his church, can never permit ourselves to become what we are not meant to be, by resorting to the typical methods of Madison Avenue marketing to get what we need in the short-run. A way of giving that does not spring from true generosity is a constricted way of giving and living. Only by remaining under the influence of Christ, do we become more completely who and what, God wants us to be, striving to live our lives and the life of the church, true to Christ s spirit. Blessings, Rev. Tom Musical Moments Thanksgiving is the holiday we all look forward to in November, but this year you may also want to remember the special 100th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. I'll go to a concert at 11 a.m. on Sunday 11/11in Appleton, Wisconsin where my former student, Bill Carrothers, and some of his students at Lawrence University will present music he wrote several years ago for a concert in Normandy, France. You have the opportunity to go to Northrop Auditorium at the U of M in Minneapolis on 11/11 at 4 pm to hear classical works related to wartime and Armistice by the Oratorio Society of Minnesota and the U of M School of Music. (It is a ticketed event so contact Northrop if interested.) The Minnesota Opera is presenting "Silent Night" on Nov that honors the centennial of WW I's conclusion and tells of a moment of peace in the midst of war". We need songs and prayers to help us give thanks, and to "heal our sin-sick souls" as we remember the past. God, give us thankful hearts to sing your praise and a peace beyond understanding. Blessings, Lydia 2

3 Board of Christian Education Greetings from the Christian Education Board! We would like to thank Tom Vollmer of the Board of Finance and Stewardship for sharing a special message with the kids on Sunday, Oct. 14, and during Kick It on Oct. 21. Tom heard a similar message when he was young and it is still reflected in the way he lives his life today and his dedication to stewardship. Tom gave each of the children two shiny gold dollar coins. Both coins were given as gifts. They weren't earned. They weren't asked for. They were just gifts. Then Tom asked the children to share one of the coins. He asked them to put one of their coins in the offering plate, to share with the church, to give back. Tithing is like that. God gives us many gifts and he asks that we give some back to Him. Each of the children put a gold coin into the offering plate, sharing some of what God has given to them. Perhaps in our own stewardship we can follow the example of our church children. Upcoming events include the Harvest Dinner on Nov. 10 where our young people will be helping to serve. On Sunday, Nov. 18, we will have the last Kick It event of We are also preparing for and looking forward to our Christmas service featuring the choir and youth on Sunday, Dec. 16. Blessings, Chair Janet Holler, Carley Kregness and Karla Wennerstrom 3

4 Board of Missions We've sent $430 to the Minnesota Conference of the UCC from our Neighbors-in-Need campaign. Thanks much to all of you who participated in this mission, which supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. For your planning, the next UCC-wide campaign will be the Christmas Fund, collected in December; more about that next month. The theme for ICA giving in October is boxed/canned entrees. So pork and beans, chili, hash, macaroni and cheese, etc. are the name of the game! Let's help our local families in need with their fall meals. Speaking of ICA, The Great Taste is only days away (October 4). If you'd like to attend, whether for the entire evening that includes a marvelous dinner at a local restaurant or just the appetizer reception at the Minnetonka Community Center, go to for tickets pronto! Our ICA themes and donations continue to thrive. In October, we collected canned and boxed entrée foods (as well as other food and household items, as always). To date in 2018, we've delivered well over 500 pounds of food and other items to ICA thank you! Our November theme will be "Turkey Accompaniments," so bring that canned cranberry and gravy, boxed mashed potatoes, ingredients for green bean casserole, canned pumpkin, and whatever else strikes your fancy. and organizations doing justice work in their communities. Thank you! We are checking into a winter blood drive, perhaps with a new collaborator, so stay tuned and we'll let you know as Speaking of turkey, we'll again collect funds for ICA's annual "Turkey Giveaway," an event scheduled for November 15 this year where families in need can get a free turkey and a bag of Thanksgiving fixings (all from Cub, a great ICA supporter). Help support this effort by donating $10 per turkey dinner and we'll get the funds to ICA. Just write "Turkeys" in the memo line of your check and place in the collection plate (or bring/mail in) during November. We are in the midst of planning a Christmas mission s project to do in conjunction with the youth, so stayed tuned for that. We'll also be working on ICA's Thanksgiving turkey giveaway, so listen for announcements on that as it nears as well. Another wonderful ICA event occurs in November each year: ICA Day at Maynard's, everyone's go-to local restaurant. This year the day is Monday, November 26. The restaurant gives all proceeds for the entire day to ICA this means not only profits but ALL proceeds. It's a huge and generous donation from the popular restaurant, so thank them when you stop in, and consider reserving a time on this year's big day. Reservations are a must because everyone flocks there. Join in! We'd normally serve dinner at Tree House again in November, but our evening, Tuesday the 13 th, coincides with a special Thanksgiving meal there, so rather than make a whole meal we've been asked to provide pies. If you'd like to participate, let Val Stuessi know. We're working with the Christian Ed Board on developing a mission project for the youth during the Christmas season. More on that later. November 27 will be our next meal service at Simpson Shelter. Gary Larson and/or Ross Rogney will be making announcements about this as it nears. Consider donating and/or serving! With the serious hurricanes again this fall, the Missions Board decided to send $200 to the Red Cross to support relief efforts for the recent Hurricane Michael in Florida. Thanks for your support. Marty Swain (chair), Sharon Graef, Mark Krueger, Ross Rogney 4

5 Board of Deacons The Deacons are busy every Sunday helping make the Service possible but would like to include anyone who s able to participate! Sign up to usher (this mostly means handing out bulletins and passing the Collection Plates). Host Coffee Hour (make coffee, arrange treats on platters, set out napkins and disposable coffee cups). Provide fowers for the Altar in honor or memory of whoever/whatever you choose. Bring what you like cuttings from your yard, a bouquet from Cub, a plant. Be brave step up to the microphone and be a Lay Reader, even if you re still in grade, middle or high school! SIGN UP ON THE BULLETIN BOARD IN THE MAIN HALLWAY November 10 is a highlight of our year the annual Harvest Dinner! Come for a delicious home cooked meal, bring friends, shop at the Silent Auction, be amused and entertained. Sign up today! It s almost time to order Christmas Poinsettias for the Sanctuary! Watch for information and get your order in. They will adorn the Altar area before Christmas and can be taken home after the Christmas Eve service. Thank You from the Board of Deacons: Sally Deke, Nancy Benson, Julie Boden, Betty Kuechle, Jo Marquardt, Val Stuessi, and Judy Wise West Suburban Grief Coalition Our church supports the West Suburban Grief Coalition. Many have found their programs to be helpful in dealing with the grieving process. The meetings are held from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. on Thursdays. Refreshments and registration start at 4:00 p.m. The location rotates among area churches. The Fall meetings will be held at Messiah United Methodist Church, County. Road 6, Plymouth, MN ( ). Our coordinator for this group is Kathy Sherwood. November 1 st November 8 th November 15 th November 22 nd November 28 th Grief & Resiliency (sibling loss) presented by Rev. Catherine Duncan Remembering Your Loved One presented by Sandra Weinzierl Journey following Husband s Death presented by Margarita Alvarez Thanksgiving No Meeting Grief & The Holidays presented by Levang & Associates 5

6 Congregational Church of Excelsior Annual Harvest Dinner & Silent auction Saturday, November 10, 2018 Begins at 5:00pm Join us for a night of Fellowship, Food, and Shopping Appetizers, Silent Auction, and Store begins at 5:00 pm A delicious Dinner will follow Adults $12 Children $6 Reservations begin October 28 after the church service in the Social Hall Bring a friend, tell a neighbor, fill a whole table, don t miss this event!..important IMPORTANT.. IMPORTANT.. IMPORTANT.. Please consider donating items to the auction and store this year. Many more items are needed. Gift certificates, Small gift baskets, handmade crafts, Treasures, Vacation Destinations, and Donations of time and talents, are just some ideas. We will have a store this year, too. Please have your donations to the church by November 5 t with the attached information: Name: Phone # Item(s) Value$ Minimum bid (suggested) Indicate if an item is to be returned if the minimum bid is not received: Yes No 6

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8 The Congregational Church Church of Excelsior/The of Excelsior Mirror 471 Third Street Excelsior, MN We re on the web: 8