He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.

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1 Visit our Website Upcoming at LOL Watch Past Sermons Kids Teens Adults Nowthen Blvd NW, Ramsey, MN David Lechelt, Senior Pastor Amy Chalupnik, Associate Pastor E-Life Weekly Newsletter March 20, 2018 Quick Links A Word from our Senior Pastor Update from Pastor Amy LifeKIDS Update Notes from Bruce Phelps Upcoming Events Weekly Bible Verse: He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." -Matthew 22:37

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3 A Word from our Senior Pastor Spring is coming! I know it's hard to believe it's the first day of spring when you look out your window. But the promise is before us and especially the promise of God's deep and abiding gift of spring for all the seasons of life. Holy Week begins this Sunday with palm procession and the passion story of our Lord Jesus Christ. Out of betrayal and great suffering, God's love is poured out. God intends to keep working the soil of our heart. Will you come and follow our Lord into this week? Do you desire to have God work the soil of your heart? Do you long for new life to rise within you, our community, and the world? Let's join the Jesus procession that begins this Sunday. It is the springtime gift of new life that we long for most. My Sabbatical is coming! What's a sabbatical? It's a scheduled time away for church leaders to learn from others, enjoy some rest and recreation, and come back renewed and energized. Lord of Life provides a three month sabbatical for our leaders every five years. I am scheduled to be gone May 6-August 20, including two weeks of vacation and three months of study devoted to innovative, collaborative, and creative leadership for Lord of Life and the larger church. I will be visiting congregations in Colorado Springs, Spokane, and San Francisco. I will also participate in a conference with keynote speaker Reggie McNeal speaking to pastors as leaders of "Church-As-Movement." And finally, when I'm at home, I look forward to worshipping at as many congregations as I can and taking lots of notes. How often do I get the chance to do that? I look forward to the learning and bringing back

4 the learning to you. Please know too that the sabbatical does not come at an extra cost to Lord of Life. Pastor Amy will be stretching this summer to make up the difference, and I will do the same for her three years from now. We are blessed to grow with Pr. Amy's creative and artistic leadership. I'm excited for her and for you that she gets to "spread her wings" this summer with you and bring a plan for summer Sundays with a group of very provocative topics and speakers. Thank you for your prayers and support for your leadership. Sabbaticals are full of the promise of growth and renewal for the entire congregation. Pastor Amy's surgery! Because of the unfortunate fall Pastor Amy took out of the sound booth on February 18, it was determined that she needed surgery for a fractured shoulder socket. The surgery is tomorrow. Please pray that all goes well and that limited reconstruction is needed. She anticipates full recovery and returning to her duties during Holy Week. She also welcomes rides to and from Lord of Life as she will not be allowed to drive for up to six weeks. If you would like to assist with rides for Pastor Amy, please click here to her. Her Wright County Trailblazer Transit can get her as far as the Target in Otsego, not a bad distance at all to do a little shopping and make all the difference for her. Thank you for your prayers and support of Pastor Amy. God's blessings for the road ahead, Pastor David Pastor David's 2018 Sabbatical Plan & Budget Sabbatical Time e Frame: May 6-August 20 but also here August 18 for a wedding. The time frame includes three months of sabbatical rest and continuing education refreshment as well as two weeks of vacation. Sabbatical Purpose Statem ent: To learn what others have learned about innovative, collaborative, and creative leadership and bring it back to Lord of Life and the Minneapolis Area Synod. Learning sites will include the following: ELCA National Conference for Senior Pastors of Larger Churches, May 7-10, South Carolina with Keynote Speaker Dr. Reggie McNeal. He "enjoys helping people, leaders, and Christian organizations determine and experience epic wins with Kingdom impact." For the past 10 years he has served as the Missional Leadership Specialist for Leadership Network of Dallas, Texas. He is also a prolific author. In his latest book "Kingdom Come: Why We Must Quit Our Obsession over Fixing the Church and What We Should Do Instead," he challenges the church to shift its narrative from a church-centric to a kingdom-centric storyline. His keynote is entitled "Pastor as Leader of Church-As-Movement." Three "Canoeing the Mountain" Sites dedicated to "Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory" to be scheduled mid-may to mid-august. They are Trinity Presbyterian in San Carlos, CA (San Francisco area), Whitworth Community Presbyterian in Spokane, WA, and

5 First Presbyterian in Colorado Springs, CO. I will also be visiting/worshipping with LOL neighboring congregations. And taking many notes! The Sabbatical BUDGET includes already budgeted event and travel costs. Professional expenses will not exceed what I would typically use for regular summertime mileage expense. My personal financial contribution will match or most likely exceed this amount. SPECIAL THANKS for a member who donated 60,000 American Airline miles for my sabbatical. ABUNDANT THANKS to Pastor Amy for doing the extra to make it possible for me to be gone this summer without the cost of hiring someone to fill in for me (I will be returning the favor in three years for her!). And THANK YOU to you all for your prayers, support, and advocacy for continued education and Sabbath rest for our pastors. Wo uld yo u b e willing to g re e t familie s d uring p icture s e s s io ns? Ab le to he lp? Call Marcy Stulc at or click here to her. Spring Fling Fas hion Show Models Needed! The Fashion Show Luncheon is coming soon and we are looking for models! Several of you have done this before and a lot have not, but there is no experience necessary, so please come and help us model all the wonderful spring and summer outfits! There will be a table this Sunday to sign up in the Atrium. You can also Julie Gray to

6 get on the list. Update from Pastor Amy

7 Nurs ery Coordinat or Pos it ion Open Our amazing Lori-Sue Tucker, nursery coordinator, is moving on to further care for her family. Thank you, Lori-Sue, for the love and energy you gave to creating a loving and secure nursery environment! This change leaves our nursery coordinator position open. Are you interested in coordinating our nursery? The ideal nursery coordinator would be trained and able to

8 create a safe, secure and nurturing environment for children, ages 0-3, while making each child feel unconditional love and inclusion. This is such an important position: showing love to children while allowing parents support, safety and security so they can worship and grow themselves. Questions? Interested? Please contact Michelle at MichelleA@lol.org or at x128. Power of a Whisper - Bible Study In the book, The Power of a Whisper, Bill Hybels reveals the attitudes and actions that help you hear clearly from heaven to navigate your most significant challenges on earth. Join us on Mondays from April 2-23 at 7:00 pm in the LOL library for discussion. Please stop by the table in the Atrium between services to sign-up. Questions? Click here to Jan Sower. Did you miss Camp Sunday on March 4? Camp Sunday was a fun and unique service to get the Lord of Life community excited for upcoming summer activities, specifically Green Lake Bible Camp! If you missed this service, don't worry, you can watch Travis Aufderheide, Executive Director of Green Lake Lutheran Ministries, message by clicking here!

9 Notes from the Music Man Upcom ing Events: Wednesdays at 7:45 pm: The Lenten Choir rehearses in preparation for the Good Friday Cantata. We still have many vacant chairs, so please come and join us as we once again walk with Christ to the cross. Friday, March 30 at 7:00 pm: The choir will present, Were You There, a musical description of the last week narrated by James, the Lesser, one of the disciples from whom we don't hear much in the scriptures. Sunday, April 1: EASTER SUNDAY! The Up North Brass Quintet will again be providing special music and leading us in our 8:00 and 9:15 am worship services. Come and celebrate the Resurrection with us that morning! Surprise of the Week: The Benson Family Singers will be returning to Lord of Life in another major musical event. Stay tuned for more information... Think Spring! Think green! Think robins! Think of melting snow! And then thank God for all the wonderful blessings of creation. Have a great week! Musically yours, Bruce Phelps

10 Minnesota March for Our Lives Saturday, March 24 Join students and allies in the March For Our Lives to fight for an America that is free from gun violence. Students will gather at Harriet Island starting at 9:00 am. At 10:00 am, the March to the Capitol will begin, then the program at the Capitol should begin about 11:00 am. Families are welcome to march. Because Harriet Island will be crowded, we encourage groups of adults to go straight to the Capitol or join along the March route north of the river to welcome students as they arrive. A student-led gathering will also start at Christ Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill (105 University Avenue West, St. Paul) after the m arch. Students who participate annually

11 in the Do Justice retreat are inviting their peers to participate in a student-led, post-march gathering in the basement of Christ Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill, near the State Capitol. It is anticipated that the speeches at the Capitol will conclude around 1:00 pm. Parents, youth, and pastors are invited to join the Do Justice students after the march, but it is a student-led event. If adults want to engage in discussion, it is suggested they join other marchers in the upper levels of the congregation. Pre-registration for this event is not required.

12 LifeKIDS Update

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14 Registration is now underway for our June 2018 Mega Sports &

15 Creative Arts VBS! Register today to get the early bird discount!

16 Guardian Angels Elim Hos pice Volunt eers Needed Guardian Angels Elim Hospice is looking for volunteers to bring the power of presence and community to

17 hospice patients in your area. If you have some time and are able to pray with, read to, or sit with a hospice patient, please call Rachel at or click here to her. We also are looking for volunteers who are veterans, musical, or have a well-trained small dog for pet therapy. Feel free to or call for more information. Upcoming Events Stepping Stone has partnered with Illusion Theater to create a meaningful dinner theater experience using the stories of their OWN residents. They are highlighting what it means to be homeless in Anoka and how Stepping Stone is able to help them move out of homelessness and into self-sufficiency. Cost is $50.00 per person for a table of 8. Click here for m ore inform ation and registration m aterials.

18 Am erican Red Cros s CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

19 Blood Driv e at Lord of Lif e Mo nd ay, Ap ril 2 fro m 1 :3 0-6 :3 0 p m Able to volunteer at the drive or want to give blood? Sign up at the Info Desk!

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21 2018 Minneapolis Area Synod Assembly Ple as e jo in us May 4-5, rig ht he re at Lo rd o f Life! Two millennia after the original Pentecost, we assemble. And, like the first disciples, we trust God to pour out the Spirit. Will the old among us dream dreams; will the young see visions? Certainly, as with the community in Acts, the church today needs the Spirit's inspiration. So, we assemble - for Bible study and witness, storytelling and singing, budgets and elections - and we pray together for the Spirit's guidance and power.

22 And we firmly believe the Spirit who gathers us will also stir us up and send us forth with new boldness to participate in God's work of mercy, community, and justice in the world. With keynote speaker Archbishop Musa Panti Filibus (Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria), ELCA Churchwide Representative Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, worship music led by Jonathan Rundman and band, and poetry performances by Joe Davis, this is an event you won't want to miss! Pricing: $125 per registrant by March 31, 2018 $140 per registrant after March 31, 2018 $100 visitor $75 youth and retired rostered ministers Click here for more information & to register! Join Lord of Life at Family Camp this summer! J une at Mount Carm el

23 Lord of Life families can experience Bible Camp together! Mount Carmel is an all-ages camp and retreat center with a variety of recreational and educational opportunities. Located on the shores of Lake Carlos in Alexandria, singles, couples, and families (with big or little kids!) have the opportunity to play and worship together! This long weekend camp features a special outdoor concert with Peder Eide, along with three days of age-level programming, and the great food and fellowship Mount Carmel is known for. Registration Inform ation: A $200 non-refundable but transferable deposit is required to hold your cabin of choice, if available, for the 2018 Family Camping season. New families are eligible for a 25% discount on fees. Scholarships may also be available depending on need and availability. Click here for more information and to register! Brochures and paper registration form s are available at the Info Desk. Check out Mount Carmel Ministries Facebook page for camp pictures!

24 CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS!!! STAY CONNECTED: