River Channels. Newsletter of the Southeast Minnesota Synodical Women s Organization August 15, 2018 Issue 117 THANK YOU GOOD EARTH!

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1 River Channels Newsletter of the Southeast Minnesota Synodical Women s Organization August 15, 2018 Issue 117 Inside this Issue President.. 3 Lutheran World Relief Update...3 Stewardship.4 Justice...4 Minnesota River Spring Event..5 Discipleship...5 Note from the Secretary..6 Purpose Statement.7 Vice-President..7 Recipe Corner.8 Communications.8 Facebook Update.9 River Channels Newsletter Subscription Form.9 2nd Quarterly Financial Report 10 Treasury Note...11 DATES TO REMEMBER No Date: Blue Earth Spring Conference Event will meet at Trinity Lutheran in Blue Earth April 18, 2019: Zumbro River Spring Conference Event will meet at First Lutheran in Blooming Prairie April 27, 2019: Cannon River Spring Event will meet at First English Church in Faribault. April 27, 2019: Minnesota River Conference will meet at Grace or St. John s Lutheran in Waseca No Date: Root River Conference no location at this time September 21, 2019: SWO Convention at Trinity Lutheran Church in Owatonna July 16 19, 2020: 11th Triennial Gathering, Phoenix, Arizona THANK YOU GOOD EARTH! Our SE MN Synod WELCA thanks all of your staff for welcoming our board when we were there for our board meeting in June. You re so gracious to us and of course there are no better meals than we were served. Women s Day on Saturday, June 30th was a special day with Rev. Dr. Lyanga and Pastor Emily and such great workshops. Again, THANKS from our SE MN WOMEN OF THE ELCA A reminder to each of the Conferences and the Church Units to consider making sure you include the Churchwide Women of the ELCA in your giving. Our Treasurer, Diane Linbo is here to help you if you have questions on sending your offerings.

2 SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA WOMEN OF THE ELCA PRESIDENT Kay Hodge 207 8th Ave. NW Kasson, MN DISCIPLESHIP Carmen Fingerson 408 7th St. SE Chatfield, MN Home Cell Women of the ELCA 8765 Higgins Rd. Chicago, IL BLUE EARTH RIVER Linda Sandborg BLUE EARTH RIVER Gail Ottesen PO Box 42 Delevan, MN VICE PRESIDENT Judi Mickelson 1138 East Ave. Red Wing, MN JUSTICE Karen Jorgensen 8421 NE 71st ST. West Concord, MN RACIAL ADVOCATE Kolloh Nimley 317 County Rd 3 NW Byron, MN knimley92@gmail.com CANNON RIVER Judi Mickelson CANNON RIVER Carmen Nesseth 105 Bergen Circle Kenyon, MN benesseth@icloud.com CONFERENCE LIAISONS CONFERENCE CONVENERS River Channels is a publication of the Southeastern Minnesota Synodical Women s Organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. River Channels is distributed free to the congregational unit presidents, the conference committee members, the synodical and church-wide leadership of Women of the ELCA, and the Southeastern Minnesota Synod staff. Individual subscriptions are $5.00 for four issues a year. Send articles, photos and other materials to Editor, River Channels, at the address in the listing on this page. The pages in this newsletter may be photocopied for educational and promotional use by Women of the ELCA members in the congregational units of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod. 2 SECRETARY Linda Sandborg th Ave NE Waseca, MN sandborg.linda1@gmail.com STEWARDSHIP Rose Korman 1602 Knoll Ct. Dundus, MN mrkormann01@yahoo.com RIVER CHANNELS EDITOR MINNESOTA RIVER Karen Jorgensen MINNESOTA RIVER Raleen Tolzman Evergreen Ln Cleveland, MN crtolz345@gmail.com Minnie Dunbar Ave. Emmons, MN minniedunbar@gmail.com ROOT RIVER Carmen Fingerson ROOT RIVER Rae Evenson PO Box 98 Houston, MN h c raeronevenson@gmail.com TREASURER Diane Linbo th Ave. NW Kasson, MN Home Cell semntreas@gmail.com linboins@gmail.com COMMUNICATIONS Sharon Northouse nd St. NW Rochester, MN borniniowa@gmail.com Southeastern Minnesota Synod: ZUMBRO RIVER Sharon Northhouse ZUMBRO RIVER June Torrison PO Box 559 LeRoy, MN torrison@mchsi.com

3 Notes from Your President By Kay Hodge GOD IS GOOD! ALL THE TIME!...ALL THE TIME! GOD IS GOOD! Women s Day at Good Earth Village wow when I saw the women there I thought THANKS BE TO GOD for the voices of women caring and sharing for each other and for other sisters at home and around the world it was so inspiring and a true blessing. Thank you Good Earth Village for providing this day for us. September brings us to the special Sunday for God s Work Our Hands I have heard so much about all the special projects you do for people outside your churches on that day. Thank you! I have a couple of ideas that were shared at our Presidents meeting in Chicago I challenge some of you to also try these special projects like some Pennsylvania women are doing with a project called the Lily Project. The Lilly bags contain sports bras, underpants, socks and prayer squares with a message of hope and strength. They also donate athletic pants and T-shirts as needed. These kits are for women who have gone through medical exams after sexual assault. You may already be doing this if so good job! Thank you again! Are their women in your church who might like an organized study or just a get together to share about their lives if so just have that get together for each other. Women you are amazing! Your care, compassion and heart for ministry makes you all heart sisters in one family, God s family Lutheran World Relief Update God s Work, Our Hands...A reminder that there is still a need for Personal Care Kits and an increased need for School Kits. The instructions for these kits are on the Lutheran World Relief website, or lwr.org/buyinbulk if you are interested in buying supplies in bulk. The items for these kits has not changed. Did you know if your church has a membership to Costco, Sam s Club or BJ s you can get bulk prices if you ask them. Thank you, ladies, for all the work you do. 3

4 Stewardship By Rose Kormanm Women supporting the work of women in the church Thankofferings Thankofferings are a long-standing custom among Lutheran women. We give in thanksgiving for blessings received. And we are so grateful. That is why we give. The Thankofferings help support the ongoing ministries of the churchwide women s organization, including justice and advocacy work, communications ministries, the work of the elected churchwide board and so much more. The idea of collection donations in small offering boxes goes back to the very early 1800s, when women formed mite or cent societies to raise money. It is amazing how many circles were instrumental in getting churches built in our synod. Many women set aside small amounts at home throughout the year and then bring together their gifts with those of other women at the end of the year. Others organize a Thankoffering service with the whole congregation to celebrate the ministries of women in a bold, exciting way. Just as we are grateful more than once a year, we can make Thankofferings any time our spirit moves us. Thankofferings can be made by a group or individually, either by cash, check or credit card. For more information on how to give, you can either contact your WELCA president or the WELCA website. Gratitude is good for us, spiritually, mentally, and even physically. Making a Thankoffering is gratitude in action. Resource: WELCA website Justice By Karen Jorgenson It s hard to believe but summer is starting to wind down and school will be resuming soon with all the activities that fall brings. After a spring that saw excellent gatherings in each of our conferences it has been nice to take a little break, slow down and enjoy the summer. The June Women s Day at Good Earth Village provided a well-received break with an interesting program and time to socialize with one another. But now as fall approaches it s time to get back into the routine and plan another year of programs for the Women of the ELCA. From the national organization down to the individual circles one of the areas that WELCA stresses is justice. Justice is faith in action and it addresses inequities in political, economic and social systems. It s serving God in ways that bring healing and wholeness to the church, the society and the world. The ELCA as a whole is also concerned with justice issues and periodically issues social statements addressing a concern of the church. The ELCA is currently working on a Social Statement on Women and Justice. A draft pf the statement has been prepared and is now open for comment and discussion. The final version of the statement will be voted on at the 2019 Churchwide Assembly next summer. Your WELCA group may find this statement to be something to review and discuss this fall. Comments are being accepted until Sept. 30 but even after that date it s an issue worth talking about. A copy of the draft can be downloaded from the elca.org website at now charge. Printed copies can also be ordered. More information on obtaining copies is available at elca.org. 4

5 MINNESOTA RIVER CONFERENCE SPRING EVENT Hello everyone, time seems to be going just too fast. The Spring Conference for the Minnesota River Conference will be on April 27, Our Conference will be held in Waseca, it will be hosted by Grace Lutheran and St. John s Lutheran. As the board had not met yet for the summer, the final plans and theme have not been decided. There will be more information in the next River Channels. So, mark April 27, 2019 on your calendar, we will have a fun and informational Spring Conference for you to enjoy. Raleen Tolzmann Convener Discipleship By Carmen Fingerson Book Review The Book of Joy I think God led me to read this book in the past year. It has helped me find joy despite aging, losses, lessened physical ability, political discord etc. etc. It tells of a gathering of two or our world's most revered spiritual leaders - the Dalai Lama & Archbishop Desmond Tutu They speak extensively about finding lasting happiness in a changing world. Both men have suffered greatly. The Dalai Lama left his country of Tibet in 1959 when China invaded Tibet. He has lived a refugee in India since then. Desmond Tutu helped Nelson Mandela rid South Africa of apartheid. Both men have received the Nobel Peace Prize. Two quotes: "The ultimate source of happiness is within us" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. " We grow in kindness when our kindness is tested" by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. At the back of the book is a section titled Joy Practices which has a multitude of ideas for us to develop a more joyful attitude. 5

6 Note from the Secretary By Linda Sandborg Greetings to all the Women of SE MN Synod, Hope you are all having a wonderful summer!! So what is your Synod Board up to? May 29, Kay Hodge, Judi Mickelson, Diane Linbo, and Linda Sandborg met with Becky Krenke at Trinity Lutheran Church in Owatonna, MN. This will be the site of the September 21, 2019 Southeastern Minnesota Synodical Women s Organization Convention and we were given a tour of the church and facilities. We saw the areas that we will be able to use for the convention to help us in making plans for the convention. June 29, Kay Hodge, Judi Mickelson, Diane Linbo, Carmen Fingerson, Karen Jorgensen, Sharon Northouse, and Linda Sandborg met at Good Earth Village, Spring Valley, MN. President Kay made sure that all Board members had the most recent resources including Constitution, Policy Statement, SE MN Welca Unit Lists, and job descriptions. We opened with the Purpose of the Women of the ELCA statement and devotions were given by Judi M. Secretary reports were reviewed and approved. Questions from the secretary were discussed. Treasurer, Diane L., presented the Audit statement and Adjusted Year End ( to ) reports and the 1 st Quarter Financial and Money Market reports ( to ). These were discussed and approved. Discussion was held on River Channels - Renewals and new subscriptions are to be sent to Diane Linbo and all renewals will be due in January of each year going forward. Mission Funding - It was decided to put a hold on future Mission Funding for now and continue to sell Aban and Lucinda merchandize until gone. We will look at this in the future again. Spring Conference Events - Different Board members attended each of the Spring Conference events and we discussed how these went, attendance, and other comments received. We discussed our next Board meetings which will be planning meetings for the September 21, 2019 SE MN Synodical Women s Organization Convention. November 2018 at Assisi Heights, Rochester, MN. Conference Conveners will be invited to attend. April 18, 2019 at St. John Lutheran in Kasson, MN with Nominating Committee members. The rest of our time was spent discussing items for the 2019 Synodical Convention including Voting Member packets, Ballots, Displays, Order of Convention, Theme, Speakers, Scholarships, and more. We appreciate your input, questions or any ideas you may have. Please feel free to contact any of the Board members with these. Linda Sandborg, Secretary SE MN Synodical Women s Organization 6

7 Vice-President By Judi Mickelson 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. Years ago I received some great advice from a friend. I had two daughters getting married within a few months and she advised me, Whatever you do, live in the moment. Enjoy everything about the day. I truly took that to heart and tried to be myself. I fixed my own hair, because I felt comfortable in it and wore a comfortable dress and shoes. I could have tried to be someone else that day wearing what was more fashionable, but feeling possibly awkward, but I chose not to and her advice proved perfect. So many times we are not satisfied with how we look, with the body God gave us. We could be thinner at the waist or thighs, or a bit curvier all over. We could have different hair or higher cheek bones. And not having what we think is acceptable in this world, we sometimes choose to sit it out. We choose not to put on that swimming suit and swim with our children or grandchildren. We choose not wear a sleeveless shirt or dress because of our flabby arms and end up hot and sweaty. Or we don t have the right clothes and choose to stay home. Whatever the reason, please don t sit this one out. Everyone has something they don t like about themselves. After being told I had fat legs by a family member, my Father once told me, Your body is your temple. Be happy you have two legs to get around. I always remembered that and tried not to be too hard on myself. I have sturdy legs, Scandinavian legs someone once said. And with that, I try to live a Godly life. I am not perfect, but neither is anyone else. I try to honor my body; the body God gave me. And on most days I do feel filled with the Holy Spirit, overflowing with joy and love. So go out and put on that swimming suit. Dress for the weather. Make memories with your children and grandchildren. Share God s love, filled with the Holy Spirit. Live in the moment!!! Purpose Statement As a community of women Created in the image of God, Called to discipleship in Jesus Christ, And empowered by the Holy Spirit, We commit ourselves to Grow in faith, Affirm our gifts, Support one another in our callings, Engage in ministry and action, And promote healing and wholeness in the church, The society and the world. 7

8 Recipe Corner BAKED PESTO CHICKEN 1 lb. boneless chicken tenders Submitted by Kay Hodge (I take a breast and cut it in pieces) 3 ½ oz. basil pesto 3 Roma tomatoes, sliced 8 oz. fresh mozzarella, slice it Salt & pepper to taste ¼ c. shredded parmesan cheese Italian seasoning Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken tenders in dish and spoon basil pesto on each tender, spreading evenly to coat. Place tomato slices on top, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place slices of mozzarella on top of tomatoes. Sprinkle with small amount of Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese. Bake for 40 minutes. They get done in this amount of time and they are ready to place on a serving platter to serve. Communications By Sharon Northouse What s in a name? I hear a lot of discussion about WELCA and Circles. Some are saying these are old terms and may be scaring away some of the younger members of our congregations. I think they just don t know us yet. The paragraph below is from the Synod s website, and gives us just a glimpse into the past of these groups. Sometimes, change is good. Sometimes, maybe it s better to keep building on a good foundation. Today, women s lives have changed. Women enjoy access to a wide variety of careers and have greater freedom and ability to contribute to the ministries they value. Women also now have the opportunity to respond to the call to ordained ministry as well as the call to teach Sunday school. Still, embracing the world as God s gift and God s people as sisters and brothers, being committed to growth in faith and action, standing for justice with the poor and oppressed these remain. Women of the ELCA builds on the strong history of women s missionary movements, Bible study, and service in which our foremothers engaged. Some of us recall stories from our grandmothers of how they saved egg money (from the sale of eggs) so they would have money to donate for support of missionaries in other countries. You may have heard how our foremothers trudged through snow for hours to get to Bible study at another woman s house, hung their stockings on the line to dry while they studied, and then trudged home again the same day. Or you may have heard about schools and orphanages built in various parts of the world with women s Thank offerings. Of course, that s only part of the history. You can find out more at You can find a lot more than history there too! Lots of ever-changing resources, publications, devotions (including links to Daily Grace) and a blog that can be used individually or in a group for study and reflection. They even have an online store for some awesome gift ideas! There is something for everyone, no matter what their age! Don t get hung up on the name. Does it really matter what we call it as long as we continue our mission: Mobilizing women to act boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ. 8

9 Facebook Update By Sharon Northouse Update on the SEMN WELCA Facebook page: The contact us portion of the Facebook page is preset and I cannot seem to change its contents. So instead of you contacting me to get added, I will be sending invitations to the Conference leaders. They can then share the closed groups with their board members and anyone can be added simply by being invited by a member. I am hoping this will become a great tool for collaboration and for sharing information. I am also hoping this will generate interest and entice younger members to join us seasoned members in all the exciting things we do! If you would like to be sure you get invited to one of the closed Conference level groups, please let me know either by or by the Contact Us link, including the conference you would like to be added to, and I will be sure to get you added! River Channels Newsletter Subscription Form River Channels is published by the Southeastern Minnesota Synodical Women of the ELCA. One copy is sent to each unit president. If your unit has co-presidents, only one will receive a copy. Conference officers also receive a copy. Individuals may subscribe for $5.00 per year. Please us this form to order, and type or print clearly. Beginning in January 2018 all subscription are due except the free ones and those who did 2 years subscriptions. Name Address City State Zip New Subscription Renewal Enclose check for $5.00 per subscription ($10 for two years). Make payable to: SE MN Synodical WELCA (In memo of check, put in Newsletter Subscription.) Mail to: Diane Linbo 306 Willow St. SW Sargeant, MN

10 2nd Quarters Treasurer s Report 10

11 Treasury Notes: by Diane Linbo, SWO Treasurer I hope all of you are enjoying your summer! It is going by fast, and fall will soon be here with the vibrant colors!! Not too much to share with you for this issue of River Channels, but I do have a recipe for frozen corn that you may want to try or may have all ready tried it: Frozen Corn 20 Cups Corn 1 lb. butter 1 pint half& half ½ cups sugar 2 tbsp. salt Place in a roaster in the oven for 1 hour at 300 degree s. I do stir occasionally to make sure the butter and sugar gets mixed in with the corn. Cool and freeze. Makes 13 pint bags. My summer has consisted of packing and unpacking. My husband and I moved to Kasson, MN. in mid July. My computer was down for awhile until we got internet hooked up so I need to apologize if I was late in getting thank you letters to those of you that had sent your offerings. Have a great rest of you summer!! My new address and telephone number: Diane Linbo th Avenue NW Kasson, MN Telephone: Cell Phone same: s same: linboins@gmail.com semntreas@gmail.com 11

12 Southeastern Minnesota Women of the ELCA th Ave Emmons, MN U.S. Postage Permit No. 26 Standard Mail CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED Websites of interest to Women of the ELCA Augsburg Fortress Publishers Church Women United ELCA Churchwide Offices Good Earth Village Lutheran World Relief ww.lwr.org 12