Pastor s Article. July S p r i n g G a r d e n L u t h e r a n C h u r c h

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1 July 2017 S p r i n g G a r d e n L u t h e r a n C h u r c h Pastor s Article ORDINATION I was ordained about 20 years ago and it still remains one of the most important days of my life. It was the day I promised to follow God s leading into the office of Word and Sacrament. I promised to serve the church by preaching, teaching, studying, sharing God s word and the sacraments, showing God s love, and relying on God s strength. It takes many years of study and a discernment of God s call to ministry to be ordained. Ordination takes place when one has received a call to serve a congregation. The ministry of Word and Sacrament is an important calling. To serve as pastor is a blessing to both the pastor and the congregation. Ordination sets a person apart for this special calling. In the coming years it is expected that there will be a shortage of pastors in the ELCA. Congregations across the country will find themselves without pastors or having to find alternative ways to meet their ministry needs. At the Synod Assembly in May, we were encouraged to pay attention to the gifts of our young people and encourage them to consider whether they might be called into ministry. Here at Spring Garden we have had two young people enter into the ministry of Word and Sacrament. Cassie (Sauter) Anderson grew up at Spring Garden and was ordained in She now serves as Associate Pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Perham, MN. On July 14, Dean Safe, who also grew up at Spring Garden, will be ordained into the ministry of Word and Sacrament. We will be hosting his ordination service at Spring Garden. Everyone is welcome to attend. Dean has been serving Henrytown Lutheran Church and Union Prairie Lutheran Church for the past number of months. He recently graduated from seminary and is now being called to these congregations as their full time pastor. His ordination service will be a celebration of his call to ministry and will be a time for Spring Garden to celebrate the start we give our young people as they begin their journey in faith. The fact that we have had two people enter the Ministry of Word and Sacrament from our midst is a wonderful testament to the faith that is shared here at Spring Garden. We also can point to others (Zach Malecha, Nate Safe and others) who have entered into other forms of ministry. Each person at Spring Garden plays a role in showing our young people what it means to be people of faith. Sunday School Teachers, Youth Leaders, Confirmation Guides, Youth Trip Leaders, Cross- Training Leaders, and every member of Spring Garden impact our young people. We are all examples of what it means to be people of faith and the body of Christ. Continue to be good examples! Come and celebrate with Dean on July 14! Encourage those who may have a gift for ministry and continue to be faithful people who are loved by God and who show that love to the world! See you in worship! Pastor Cindy Baby Quilt Ministry Thursday, July pm at the church Please join us-- all are welcome! The next Book Chatter meeting will be Thursday, July 20th, at 7:00 pm, at the home of Carol Olson. We are reading Waking Up White by Debby Irving.

2 July 2017 Page 2 Ahh summer! We re well into it now. Vacation Bible school was at Urland Lutheran Church this time and it was, as always, so much fun! It was a Barnyard Round-up! We learned about Jesus feeding 5,000, the parable of the sower, and so much more. We all ate supper together, and played games together, crafted, and even planted some pumpkin seeds. Thank you to everyone who was involved in helping us out! I m excited to announce that Becky Haugen will be the new Christian Education Board Chairperson. We are excited! We would really love to have some more board members. Please consider sharing your time and talents with our board. Let Becky know if you are interested. Thank you to everyone that made my three years as Christian Ed chair fun and memorable! Have a great summer!! --Kim Sjoquist

3 Page 3 The following Church Council Members were installed during the June 18th worship service: Jenny Jandro--President John Olson--Vice-President Sandy Hanson--Secretary Lisa Miller--Worship & Music Bill Erickson--Evangelism Becky Haugen--Christian Education Megan Nerison--Youth Ministry Maja-Lina Lundell--Congregational Life Glen Lundell--Church Property Mark Sjoquist--Stewardship Katie Sjoblom--Missions Thank you for volunteering your time and talents! July 30th August 27th July: --Service Trip to Boston July 15-24th August: --TBA, possible fun day (waterpark, valley fair, etc) September: --Reminder: registration for the ELCA Youth Gathering (Houston, TX)!!! Start discussing with Mom &/or Dad! Thank you to everyone for all the support throughout the year for our Youth! Being able to give our youth the opportunities through our 3 year cycle of summer trips are an invaluable experience. Service trip to Boston, MA: The Pastors, Chuill, and I will be taking 13 of our youth leaving very (very) early on the 15th to travel and arrive in Boston/Lynn, MA on Sunday evening. We will partake in a week long mission trip, serving and working along side the community. Taking an extra day on the way back we will make a stop Friday night in Quakertown, PA spending the night with host familes from Pastor Nick s Mom s congregation. We will enjoy a fun day on Friday, a Beach day (Jersey Shore) on Saturday before heading back and arriving home late Monday evening. We will also be joining 5 from Urland for this adventure. The following are participating in this year s trip: Abby Collins, Annika Olson, Sammy Anderson, Madalynn Lundell, Paige & Lindsey Miest, Noah & Conor Salmonson, Luke & Ashlyn Sjoquist, Maggie Erickson, Jenna Lundell, and Cameron Benson ELCA Youth Gathering: Please discussing next years summer trip with your parent(s)/ Youth. The Gathering will take place in Houston, TX. We are planning on busing down with the Cannon Falls Area Churches. Registration and deposit will be due mid-september, so please be thinking about it. We will be discussing a little on our way back from the trip and may incorporate an information day with a fun day next month. WEBSITES: Facebook: Spring Garden LYO & Spring Garden Cross Training pages Youthworks: ELCA Gathering: MEGAN NERISON / MNERISON13@GMAIL.COM

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5 July 2017 Page 5 Greetings, Spring Garden! I'm delighted to share that an ordination date has been set for July 14th, at 7:00 pm, at Spring Garden Church. I'm currently serving Union Prairie and Henrytown Lutheran Churches, rural Lanesboro and Canton. This calling to serve in ministry took root in this very congregation, not only through Pastors Nick and Cindy but also through so many people here who formed me and raised me into the person and leader I am today - by having conversations and being in relationship that modeled Christ in our midst. I give thanks to God for each and every one of you! This is an open invitation to the congregation to attend the ordination service, as we give thanks together for the ministry of the whole Church - I'd love to see you there." --Dean Safe Congratulations to Kelsey Glaess & Andrew Miron who were united in marriage on May 27, 2017 Pastor Hasselquist will be collecting the following items this fall: - Coats (sizes pre-k to 6th grade) - Bikes (they have people to fix them) - Hats and mittens - Socks Please keep your eyes open for these items at sales over the summer! Corner Remember this-- You can t serve God and Money, but you can serve God with money. Financial Facts May 31, 2017 Checkbook Balance: $ ****The checkbook balance is slipping, please stay current with your giving through the summer months. Thanks. Outstanding Loans, Memorial Committee: $5, ****If you forgot to drop your offering in the plate on Sunday, just simply go to our website click on the online giving tab and make your contribution that way. You will need to register and create a password, but once you have done that you can direct how much and how often you would like to give. ****Just a reminder you can text your contributions to the church now.

6 Spring Garden Lutheran Church The Messenger - July 2016 Church Council Members and Board Members President Jenny Jandro Vice-President John Olson Secretary Sandy Hanson Treasurer Rob Lorentz Financial Secretary Pam Davis Worship & Music Lisa Miller Evangelism Bill Erickson Christian Education Becky Haugen Youth Ministry Megan Nerison Congregational Life Maja-Lina Lundell Church Property Glen Lundell Stewardship Mark Sjoquist Missions Board Katie Sjoblom Music Director Joshua & Allison Wyatt Parish Nurse Yvonne Salmonson Custodian Sue Safe "Building a Rural Family in Christ" Administrative Asst. Rachel Benson Pastors Nick & Cindy Fisher-Broin P. Nick s Cell: P. Cindy s Cell: S p r i n g G a r d e n L u t h e r a n C h u r c h P.O. Box 237 Cannon Falls, MN Phone: springgardenchurch@frontiernet.net Website: US POSTAGE PAID Permit #69 Nonprofit Standard Mail Cannon Falls, MN Address Service Requested