Mt. Hope Lutheran Church. Spirit of Hope

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1 Mt. Hope Lutheran Church and Child Development Center Spirit of Hope Our Vision is to reach our friends and neighbors with the truth, love, and hope of Jesus Christ while growing as His disciples" West Old Shakopee Road * Bloomington, MN * * For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 Independence Day Celebrated Sunday, July 6 Dear friends and members of Mt Hope, I suspect that most of us, if not all of us, were born as American citizens. As American citizens we are therefore protected by the Constitution of the United States which came out of the Declaration of Independence. We were in other words born free, but that freedom came at a great price. The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776 and so here at church we will celebrate our freedoms in worship on Sunday July 6. The birth of our nation wasn t easy, but came after much hardship and bloodshed. 238 years ago our Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 men who put everything on the line for freedom. Of those 56 signers, five were captured by the British and tortured before they died; 12 had their homes ransacked and burned; 2 lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army; nine out of the 56 fought and died in the war and the list goes on. In the publication, The Snelling Spirit, Rev. Kenneth Beale from whom I gathered much of this information also shares an interesting revelation about the different slogans from the various wars that we as a nation have been involved. After the events on 9/11/01 the slogan was United We Stand and God Bless America. In WWII the slogan was Remember Pearl Harbor. WWI Together We Win. In the war between the Republic of Texas and Mexico the slogan was Remember the Alamo. And the slogan from the American Revolution was, No King but Jesus. As I said in my Memorial Day weekend message, I m sick and tired of people clamoring for the separation of church and state. This is especially true since it is obvious that the United States of America was founded on Christian principles, by God-fearing Christian people. continued on page two

2 continued from page 1 I hope that all of you will be able to worship with us on Sunday July 6 for our special patriotic service, because not only was our national freedom expensive but our spiritual freedom wasn t cheap either. Jesus suffered and died on the cross to break the bonds of sin so we could live free from the power of sin, death and the devil. On Easter morning Jesus rose victorious from death and the grave to give us eternal life. This is what St Paul is talking about in our Scripture verse above. Jesus came down to earth leaving His throne above to gain for us freedom from the burden of God s law. Jesus kept all of God s law perfectly for us and through faith in Him we have been truly set free. God love you, Pastor Dan The Story is Coming Beginning this fall, we as a congregation will begin a new adventure into The Story ; God s story As we journey through The Story we will learn that heaven and earth are woven more closely together than we ever dreamed. All through the story of the Bible we see two parallel and beautiful dramas unfold. There is the Upper Story. God is real, He is present, and He is working on our behalf. Heaven is breaking into the world more than we recognize, and the story of God s seeking love, perpetual grace, and longing for relationship with ordinary people like you and me is breathtaking. There is also the Lower Story. We live on earth. We make mistakes, run from God, and resist His overtures of love. Sometimes we get so mired in the Lower Story that we fail to recognize God s presence breaking into our world. We forget that the God of heaven longs to have a growing relationship, a friendship with us. In the beginning of The Story, God walked with His first children in a beautiful garden.in harmonious relationship. At the end of The Story, He will walk with us again, on streets of gold. Keep watching for future updates as we prepare to journey through The Story Pastor Dan Page 2

3 Child Development Center News It s summertime, and we are enjoying a new group of children and a new daily schedule. We welcome Alicia back for the summer months. This is her second summer working at the Center. In the fall she will be a full-time fourth grade teacher in Burnsville. We are also thrilled to have Heather rejoin the staff this summer. Several of our staff members are celebrating milestones. Alicia just received her Master s Degree in Education from the U of M. Jessica just graduated with her Associate s Degree in Child Development and both Claire and Julia graduated from High School. The children are enjoying the new play space. Watching the construction vehicles work has been fascinating. The drivers of both the gasoline tanker truck and water truck stopped to explain their jobs to the children. It makes sense that a bulldozer cannot pull up at the gas station to fill up We continue to take fall registrations and plan for the school year. One of the changes for the upcoming year is that we will no longer be taking off-site field trips. Instead, an onsite visit with Tori s Precious Pets and the Wonder Weavers have already been scheduled. In July the Children s Museum will be out to present on the topic of healthy bodies. Thank you again for all your support. The families, children and staff are very excited about the upcoming changes to the facility. Blessings, Kimberly Woebke ext 27 kwoebke@mt-hope.org Page 3

4 Book Club Everyone is invited to visit the FIRST FRIDAY BOOK CLUB. But because of the 4th of July, we will meet at Renata's on the second Friday at 1:30 p.m.for dessert and discussion. We all take turns suggesting favorite books to share and discuss. This month, Hope chose the 1948 classic, I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith. I just finished it and found it fascinating and unusual. Renata Melby July Music News A few housekeeping items: 1) Just a reminder that I am working from home during the construction and renovations. 2) My phone number has changed. You may reach me at (call or text is fine). 3) The Mt Hope Choir will resume rehearsals on Tuesday, July 8 at 6 p.m. If there are any conflicts with this time, please contact Christina at: or music@mt.hope.com Christina Brantner, MA, MT-BC Neurologic Music Therapist Therapy Thru Music, owner Music Director, Mt Hope Lutheran 8715 Emerson Ave. S. Bloomington, MN Anders Bielec was baptized on June 15. His parents are Heather and Brent. NEW ADDRESS Kelly Kunkel Jay St NW Coon Rapids, MN Page 4

5 Many Thanks Dianne and I would like to sincerely thank the many members of Mt Hope for all of our birthday wishes. We each received many cards, greetings, gifts and tokens of appreciation, some even anonymous. We both have been deeply touched by your love and generosity towards us, and we give God thanks for you. Dianne and I truly love serving our Lord here at Mt Hope and every member is dear and precious to us. Thank you again so much for your love and care for us. Mt Hope is a wonderful gathering of God s people, and we feel so privileged just to be a part of this church. Like you, we look forward to all that God has in store for us for a bright future. God said, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands. Isaiah 49:16 Pastor Dan Congratulations to these young women who graduated from high school. several weeks ago. L-R - Ive Benson, Claire Woebke Kirsten Melbostad Page 5

6 News We exist to bring youth into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, while encouraging them to share with one another, explore their ministry gifts, and praise God with their lives. July 13th Messy Night 5-7p.m. 27 th SWAG 5-7p.m. Messy Night is July 13 from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. We will be having dinner, playing messy games, and having a short devotional. Please wear clothes that can get very messy This event is open to 6 th -12 th grade students Friends are always welcome to attend. Please sign up in the youth room SWAG will be every other Sunday Night from 5-7p.m. We will be serving dinner, playing games and having Bible study. This is open to 6 th -12 th grade students. Friends are always welcome to attend. Easy Ways to Support One Way Youth 1. Pray for the youth and the program. 2. For all those people who like to shop on Simply shop at Select Mount Hope Lutheran Church as your charity. 3. Turn in your old ink cartridges. We send them to a company that recycles them and pays our group for the ones we send in. There is a bin on top of the coat rack or just give them to Melanie. 4. If your family drinks Coke, turn in your My Coke Rewards points. They can be found on 12 packs, 24 packs and bottles of Coke products. There is a bin on top of the coat rack or give them to Melanie. 5. Use Goodsearch.com to search the Internet, and they donate a penny per search to our cause. Use Goodshop.com when you shop online, and they donate a percentage of every purchase and offer over 100,000 coupons to help you save money too. Please sign up today to help me support One Way Youth Ministry. Go to to get started. Page 6

7 JAM (Jesus and Me) Update JAM (Jesus and Me) is a program for 3 rd - 5 th grade students. The next JAM event is July 20. We will be going to Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America. Cost is $13. Please meet at church at 11 a.m., and we will return to church at 4 p.m. If you have any questions. please contact Melanie Appelquist at youth@mt-hope.org. Vacation Bible School VBS Update Due to the construction, we are moving Vacation Bible School to August 4-7 at 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. You can register online at: Watch the bulletin and newsletter for more updates. Melanie is looking for lots of help If Page 7

8 JULY BIRTHDAYS JULY BAPTISMS JULY WEDDING Patrick Higgins July 4 Jessica Packard July 4 Cory Brantner July 8 Lorraine Blaisdell July 10 Victoria Frein July 13 Elaine Mansk July 15 Jerry Buelow July 16 Carl Fox July 16 Ruth Hubner July 16 Anna McGraw July 17 Remember that you can receive your newsletter by . Let the office know if you are interested in doing this, and you will be added to the list. A REMINDER - - Copies of the minutes and treasurer s report of the Governing Board meetings and Voters meetings are available for review in the church office office. Tricia Woodhall July 2 Bob Tolzin July 11 Kristen Melbosta July 14 Heather Bielec July 15 Sabrina, Madyson, July 15 Samarah Ford July 15 Jessica Packard July 15 Pastor Dan Ritter July 17 Claire Woebke July 21 Ruth Hubner July 25 Jerry Buelow July 28 REGULAR GIVING June 1 $5,932 June 8 $5,240 June 15 $4,201 June 22 $4,636 John & Karen Mack July 6 Jerry & Kayla Kuhlman July 10 David & Jenn Schleifer July 14 WORSHIP SERVICES June 1 Attendance 8: :45 76 Communion 115 June 8 8: :45 68 Communion 121 June 15 8: : Communion 113 June 22 8: :45 64 Communion 104 Page 8

9 1 July Josh 6:6 27 Acts 10: July Josh 7:1 26 Acts 10: July Josh 8:1 28 Acts 11: July Josh 10:1 25 Acts 11:19 30 Josh 10:28 22:34 5 July Josh 23:1 16 Acts 12: July Josh 24:1 31 Acts 13:1 12 Judg 1: July Judg 2:6 23 Acts 13: July Judg 3:7 31 Acts 13: July Judg 4:1 24 Acts 14:1 18 Judg 5: July Judg 6:1 24 Acts 14:19 15:5 11 July Judg 6:25 40 Acts 15: July Judg 7:1 23 Gal 1:1 24 Judg 7:24 12:15 13 July Judg 13:1 25 Gal 2:1 21 Ruth 1:1 4:22 14 July Judg 14:1 20 Gal 3: July Judg 15:1 16:3 Gal 3:23 4:11 16 July Judg 16:4 30 Gal 4:12 31 Judg 17:1 21:25 17 July 1 Sam 1:1 20 Gal 5: July 1 Sam 1:21 2:17 Gal 6: July 1 Sam 2:18 36 Acts 15: July 1 Sam 3:1 21 Acts 16: July 1 Sam 4:1 22 Acts 16:23 40 Acts 17: July 1 Sam 5:1 6:3, Acts 18:1 11, July 1 Sam 6:19 7:17 Acts 19:1 22 Acts 19:23 21:14 24 July 1 Sam 8:1 22 Acts 21: July 1 Sam 9:1 27 Acts 21:37 22:16 26 July 1 Sam 10:1 27 Acts 22: July 1 Sam 12:1 25 Acts 22:30 23:11 28 July 1 Sam 13:1 18 Acts 23: July 1 Sam 14:47 15:9 Acts 24: July 1 Sam 15:10 35 Acts 24:24 25:12 31 July 1 Sam 16:1 23 Acts 25:13 27 Page 9

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12 Spirit of Hope A monthly publication of Mt. Hope Lutheran Church Phone: church@mthope.org Website: July 2014 Sunday Worship Schedule 8:15 a.m. Traditional Worship Service 9:15 a.m. Bible Study and Sunday School 10 a.m Contemporary Worship Service Staff at Mt. Hope Dan Ritter Pastor Melanie Appelquist Director of Youth Ministries Kim Woebke Director, Child Development Center Heather Bielec Lead Teacher, Child Development Center Christina Brantner Music Director Steve Sundseth Custodian Jennifer Adamek Church Secretary Mt. Hope Lutheran Church 3601 West Old Shakopee Road Bloomington, MN Address Service Requested

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