April 2016 Newsletter

Transcription

1 April 2016 Newsletter Worship Times: Aurora: 9am Worship 10:15 am Sunday School Trinity: 9:15 am Sunday School 10:45 am Worship (note this time change) Special Services: Food Shelf Sunday- Sunday, April 3 rd April Showers bring May Flowers, and also Spring Cleaning! Please donate CLEANING PRODUCTS and/or PAPER PRODUCTS to make spring cleaning easier for those in need. As always, any donated item is welcome, this is just a suggestion. You may also donate cash. Thank you for your generosity during March, Minnesota Food Share Month. 5 th Grade First Communion Sunday, April 17 th Communion Sundays: Sunday April 3 rd & 17 th Coffee, Treats and Fellowship There will be coffee & treats every Sunday in April at both Trinity and Aurora. Please partake in this time of conversation and fellowship!. Gathering/Meetings: Worship Committee: Stay tuned to bulletins for next meeting. WELCA WELCA will meet on Wednesday, April 6 th at 6:30 p.m. at Aurora. Mission Committee Meeting Mission Statement Committee will meet Monday, April 18, 3:00pm at Owatonna Hy-Vee dining area. Read chapter 4 of the book- If You Want To Walk On Water You've Got To Get Out Of The Boat. Everyone is welcome to help us put our mission statement into action. This year we are focusing on feeding the spirit with prayer. Thank you to Alycin Prestegard for surprising us at the last meeting with a gift of a prayer box. You all may be able to make your own prayer box! Stay tuned in for more info. Council Meetings Trinity: Sunday, April 17 th after worship Aurora: Wednesday, April 20 th at 6:30 p.m. Newsletter Information Deadline Please have all information for the May newsletter and calendar to Lisa no later than April 22 nd. Send your info to: auroratrinityoffice@gmail.com

2 Youth & Family Corner First Communion First Communion classes will begin shortly for those in 5 th and 6 th grade who have not yet received communion. The classes will be Saturday April 9 th and 16 th 9:30 a.m. to noon. The service for first communion will be Sunday the 17 th of April. Expect an or letter to come your way with more details. Confirmation Dates: Wednesday, April 6 th, 13 th, & 27 th In our Community: Blooming Prairie Education Foundation Auction is Saturday, April 2. Silent Auction 3:00--5:00pm at B.P. Pizza Cellar. Live Auction 6:00pm at B.P. Cue Company. All auction proceeds go to the BP Education Foundation fund to better educate the youth in the B.P. community. Another means of feeding the mind with the love of Jesus! Benefit Pool Tournament for Mary Starman Zak April 16, 9am at Reggies and Wags, Owatonna. 8-Ball Singles Pool Tourney, also Silent Auction and Meat Raffles. Mary is battling metastatic cervical cancer. Trinity members will know Mary as the daughter of Mr and Mrs Glen Starman growing up in this area. Her brother, Bob Starman, lives in our neighborhood. Call Jenn at for more info. Please pray for Mary and her family during this difficult time of serious illness. Website Volunteer We would like to update the website and make it more user friendly for those who navigate it as well as those who edit it. If you know of someone or you yourself are tech gifted please consider helping us with this project. You can contact Pastor Stephanie for more information. Pastor Gone Pastor Stephanie will be on vacation April 28 th. Emergency contact information will be printed in upcoming bulletins. GOOD NEWS IN THE PARISH Abbey Elizabeth Nelson was named to the dean's list at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for the Fall 2015 semester. Abbey is the daughter of Jan and Craig Nelson. Job well done, Abbey! Brenna Nelson graduated in December 2015 from University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee--Conservation and Environmental Science. Brenna is also the daughter of Jan and Craig Nelson. Congrats, Brenna, and God Bless your future endeavors! This year we have one scholarship recipient and her name is Alexis Kubista. She attends Winona State University and is planning on majoring in Early Childhood Education and possibly minor in Child Advocacy, Special Ed. or Math. Please keep her in your prayers as she continues to grow in faith and in her education. Two sweet blessings received the Sacrament of Holy Baptism at Aurora in March: Isabelle Rose Rosecke, daughter of Jeremy & Melissa Rosecke Eliza Michelle Williams, daughter of Ryan & Michelle Williams Have great news to share? Let us know! Thinking Ahead: Synod Assembly The SE MN Synod Assembly will take place on May 6-7, at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester. This year's theme is "We are Church Together for the Sake of the World." Both Trinity and Aurora need delegates to attend. Tell Pastor Stephanie if you wish to be a delegate. A reminder: While shopping, check for clearance sales on winter gloves, mittens, hats, etc. for donation to Trinity's 2016 Christmas Mitten Tree. Crocheted, sewn, knitted items are also happily accepted. Thank you! Trinity Parking Reminder: Please leave the space left of front door open for Pastor's parking as well as several spaces close to front door for handicap parking. Thank you.

3 From the Pastor: Spring and Easter Breaking In It was the first day of spring today. As I write the sun is shining and I can hear the birds chirping outside. This sunny spring weather gives me the energy and inspiration to de-clutter and organize everything around me. I want to sort, file, label and toss so that the new start outside matches the inside. For me it serves as a means of refocusing and feels more like the start of the new year than that of January first. However, as I bask in the spring and enjoy the fresh air, I have heard that there may be a storm on the horizon with 6-12 inches of snow possible. If church seasons had weather forecasts I would describe Lent as foggy, gray and always cloud covered with a chance of thunderstorms. Throughout lent we wade into the valley and lean into the darkness of our hearts and souls. We confront the ways in which we are a broken people in need of healing. In contrast, Easter feels like a crisp spring morning with a light breeze. The sun begins at the start of the day and lasts until a gorgeous sunset at night. Easter like spring is the start of new life as grass begins to green and tulips may start to bloom. There is also revitalization, a surge of energy as animals and humans alike come out of hibernation to go outside their warm homes. While we may want to stay in the exciting start of spring, the truth is the weather changes and a snow storm could be on the horizon. We have a saying in Nebraska and I think I have heard it here as well, if you don t like the weather wait just a few minutes. Like the weather and like life, we don t always have sunny days. The fog and storms don t remain in winter or lent alone. We can live through the whole of holy week in one day; we just have to wait a few minutes. We can go from joyous celebration of Palm Sunday and Easter and before we know it we are in the valley of lent or Good Friday. Where the darkness and suffering seems to come pouring down threatening to drown us. Yet even in the midst of the storms, there is the hope and promise that they will end. That above the clouds the sun still shines and will break upon once again.

4 Aurora Lutheran Church Council Meeting Minutes March 17, 2016 The regular monthly meeting of the Aurora Church Council was held on March 17, 2016 at 6:30pm. Those present were: Pastor Stephanie, Angie Jensen, Holli Loken, Paul Korbel, Sara Pichner, April Prestegard, Mark Prestegard, Ryan Larson, Dwight Jensen, Michelle Williams, and Jodi Keck. Pastor Stephanie led us in Prayer Secretary s report read & approved Treasurer s Financial reports reviewed & approved subject to Audit February income=$10, expense=$6, Net income = $4, (includes $3,500 farmland rent total unrestricted/general use net income = $732.42) Pastor s Report Preparing for Holy Week, and Easter Attended MN River annual gathering, Renew Leadership Conference, and First Call Theological Baby Mama s Night out was a success Transfers-out were: Mead Family (2) and Mueller Family (6) Mission Committee: ideas include prayer box, Easter cards, April coffee hour, and the website. Looking at having a friendship or invitation service in September. On the Horizon: Beta Project Faith 5, First Communion, Confirmation kids trip to Skyzone Pastor Stephanie s Days off during the week are Friday and Saturday Pastor Stephanie will be on vacation: March 28, April 28, and June Unfinished Business Emergency/Safety Sheets have been posted great job by Jeanne and Alicyn! Still working on getting a Defibrillator Renew Leadership Conference: Rich Paulsen, Jeanne Pichner, Angie Jensen, & Pastor Stephanie attended Angie and Pastor Stephanie shared some of the highlights with Council We should consider conducting an annual review for Pastor Culligan Refund: Angie contacted Culligan regarding refund for months charged but service wasn t performed Culligan representative needed to check with management and will get back to us Church Keys: 3 additional keys have been made; each include Do not Duplicate on them Lisa Korbel will add these to the master key list Child Protection Policy Council reviewed the revised Child Protection Policy Motion given and approved to accept the Policy; Policy to be included with the April newsletter so members can read Discussed recovering kitchen floor WELCA will be meeting in April to discuss New Business Church Webpage: Looking for someone interested in keeping our webpage updated Contact Pastor Stephanie or Lisa Korbel if interested Church Records Audit Sara and Stan met to audit 2015 church records Following up on a couple of questions and will have results next month in April Joint Council Meeting is March 30 6:30pm at Aurora Next Aurora Council Meeting is Wednesday April 20 at 6:30pm Meeting Adjourned Respectfully Submitted, Sara Pichner - Secretary

5 2/21/16 Trinity Lutheran church monthly meeting Attendance Rich & Lorna Paulson, Carolyn Haubenschild, Darrell Jacobson, Judy Thimsen and Pastor Stephanie. Judy opened the meeting with devotion. The Secretaries report from the previous month was unavailable at this time and was skipped. Lorna gave the treasures report. Checking - $ Savings Collections for Jan - $ Expenses for Jan - $ Carolyn made a motion to accept the treasures report and Darrell 2 nd it. Old Business was discussed with window, front of the church siding and pump house cement replacement. Discussion was tabled until spring. Lenten soup supper at Trinity was also discussed. Pastor Stephanie gave her report. Pastor is very busy with Lent and Easter preparation, visiting area nursing homes and assisted livings, visiting with confirmation kids and parents and working with the mission committee. Pastor also writes articles for the pastor s corner in the Owatonna paper. Pastor is also very busy with reports for the ELCA. New Business March is a big food shelf month and we are looking for more donations in March. Motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Rich and 2 nd by Carolyn. Next meeting was scheduled for March 20 th at 11:30 am.

6 Trinity Lutheran Church 3/20/16 monthly meeting Attendance Rich & Lorna Paulson, Carolyn Haubenschild, Darrell Jacobsen, Judy Thimson, Roger Manges and Pastor Stephanie Meeting was called to order by Judy Thimsen. Judy opened with a devotion. Minutes from the 2/21/16 monthly meeting was given by Rich Paulson. A motion to accept the minutes was given by Carolyn and seconded by Lorna. The treasures report was given by Lorna Checking - $ Savings - $ Collections for Feb - $ Expenses for Feb - $ A motion to accept the treasures report was made by Rich and seconded by Carolyn. Pastor Stephanie gave her report. Pastor has been doing lots of area visits with shut-ins, hospital, nursing home and assisted living residents. Pastor has been attending varies conferences around the area. Pastor has also been busy with getting ready for Easter and meetings with confirmation students and parents. Mission committee and faith 5 meetings are going strong. Pastor would like us to let her know when people are sick or in the hospital so she can line up visits. Pastor said that she would be taking the following days off. 3/28, 4/28 and 6/15-19 Old Business- Church sign lights aren t working and will be looked at. Pastor s parking spot in front of the church will need to be repainted. New business We will be burning our pray requests at the 3/27 Easter Service. Our next meeting will be on 4/17 after service. A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Rich and seconded by Carolyn. Respectfully submitted by Richard Paulson.

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