Pastor Bruce Drackley Hope Lutheran Church 113 South Jefferson Street, PO Box 87, Minneota, MN St. Paul s Lutheran Church

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1 Mission Statement God calls us to Mission and Ministry in our rural community and to the world. Gathered in Faith and nurtured by Word and Sacraments, we commit ourselves to share a hope for the future, to use our resources and talents guided by the Holy Spirit, and to work together to expand our ministry to serve others in the name of Jesus Christ. HOPE LUTHERAN & ST. PAUL S LUTHERAN CHURCH NEWSLETTER July, 2018 Sunday Worship: Hope 9:00 AM St. Paul s 10:30 AM With Communion on the first and third Sundays GLOW: God s Love On Wednesdays 5:30 PM Supper 6:00 PM GLOW 6:00 PM Confirmation Classes Coffee & Fellowship: Hope 10:00 AM Television Worship Broadcast: Channel 3 Sunday at 6:30 pm Tuesday at 2:00 pm Thursday at 4:00 pm Inside this issue: My View of the Pews 1 Bible Studies & Duties 2 June Council Minutes 3 Mission Trip Pastor s Article Con t Summer Bible Study Summertime Fun July Calendar July Workgroup Pastor Bruce Drackley Hope Lutheran Church 113 South Jefferson Street, PO Box 87, Minneota, MN St. Paul s Lutheran Church Office: Kitchen: Fax: Pastor s Cell: Pastor s Home: My Few of the Pews I m going to assume most of you have read or heard about the controversial obituary published in the Redwood Falls paper a few weeks ago now, but if you haven t, I ve included a copy of it in my article. I also am going to use someone else s commentary about it for my article as I feel it explains the motives and reactions to both sides of the controversy very well, so here it is: A punishing paid obituary exposing a woman s affair in small-town Minnesota in the 1960s forced a review of what s fair to say about the departed. Kathleen Dehmlow died last Thursday in Springfield, Minn., at the age of 80. On Monday, the Redwood Falls Gazette published a death notice online and in print that spelled out some salacious details of her life. The obituary starts out conventionally enough, noting her birth in 1938, marriage in 1957 to Dennis Dehmlow in Wabasso and the arrival of children Gina and Jay. What is said next attracted the attention of USA Today, London tabloids and other widely read news outlets: Kathleen became pregnant by Dennis brother Lyle, and Kathleen and Lyle pulled up roots and relocated to Northern California. She abandoned her children, Gina and Jay, who were then raised by her parents, the obituary continued. Kathleen Dehmlow died and will now face judgement, the notice said. She will not by missed by Gina and Jay, and they understand that this world is a better place without her. As the obituary spread across the internet and drew upset responses, the twice-weekly Gazette removed the online version from the website. Lisa Drafall, general manager of the Gazette, said that the family paid for the obituary. Drafall declined to say more, other than it was taken down on Tuesday. This uproar has prompted legacy.com, a global obituary website based in Evanston, Ill., to review its standards and not just lean on the newspapers that feed it. Because the content standards of our newspaper partners are extremely high, we haven t needed to implement independent standards in this area, CEO and founder Stopher Bartel said in a statement Tuesday. That said, we take very seriously the trust placed in us by our partners and the families we together serve, and we will review and re-evaluate our procedures as necessary. Mark Anfinson, attorney for the Minnesota Newspaper Association, said, This kind of trashing of a decedent doesn t happen very often, but there is nothing illegal about what was published. (continued on page 4) 412 E. Lyon Street, Minneota, MN Church Secretary s hopelutheran87@gmail.com Secretary s Cell Phone: Missionary s elisajo@msn.com Parish Secretary: Financial Secretary: GLOW Directors: Chris Pesch Trish Bordewyk Bree Anderson & Erin Roberts Missionary: Custodians: Organist: Jubilation: Dr. Elisabeth Johnson Lynn & Barb Okrina Valerie Buysse, Wendy Sarazyn Gayle VanVooren

2 PAGE 2 Bible Studies for Men and Women Men s Bible Study Ladies Bible Study Saturday, July 14 July 18,, Fireside Room 8:00 am at Rusty s Café in Taunton 2018 Church Attendance June 3 June 10 June 17 June Est. Total 320 Average attendance in June based on 4 services: 80 Workgroup Chairpersons Linette Nelson Barb Okrina Altar Guild (June 26 July 24) Sandy Tolk Date July 1 July 8 July 15 July 22 July 29 Randy Prellwitz Sound Operators Video Operators Acolytes Jack Jerzak Scott Josephson Greg Gottskalkson Todd Sonnenburg Ralph Hagen Ron Thostenson Keven Larson Dave Dovre Matt Myhre Cole Myhre & Jackson Esping Tyler Gronke & Trey Gronke Tyler Gronke & Trey Gronke Ava Larson & Chloe Davis Ava Larson & Chloe Davis July Money Counters Betty Prellwitz & Shane Bordewyk

3 PAGE 3 Church Council Notes - June 4, 2018 Fund Balances: General Fund: $ 11, Cornerstone Fund: $ 14, Building Fund: $ 12, Petty Cash Fund: $ Building Fund Savings: $ GLOW: $ 3, Board of Trustees Report Bills for the month of June reviewed. Bills totaled $8, Insurance Policy: No new information Phones/Internet/Upgrade Website/Live Stream Video: Waiting on John Witte w/rural Solutions for install. Scott Josephson will sign papers with Midco to do their install. Bell Tower: Rob Prellwitz meeting with Buysse Roo ing this week. Farm Land: A land appraisal will be done. Endowment Committee in contact with Ken Weise, Rep. Cemetery: * Land to Develop: Tabled. * Lawn Mower: Sold old mower and bought new from Kibble Equipment. Scholarship Applications: Group met and passed on to Scholarship Committee Kitchen Ovens: Roberta Josephson and Lori Skaar are still looking into options Refrigerator: Endowment Committee approved $2,500 for new large frig for GLOW Elevator: Shane to notify Lynn to contact service company to ix elevator. Board of Deacons Report Members In/Out: No new info Walk Around Offering: June - Safe Harbor/Sex Traf icking Awareness; July - Undecided Extra Walk Around Suggestion: Puerto Rican Farmers - disaster relief. Endowment to match. All State Choir: Need homes for members. Choir singing here in June. Ushering Duties: Review and inform volunteers Board of Education Report GLOW: No new info Con irmation: Con irmation date is October 28, Reformation Sunday. Teen Power: Graduate Breakfast went well. May need a bigger dining area next time. Youth of Hope: 2019 Mission Trip - 62 kids and 11 adults going to Niagara Falls to do service projects such as painting, yard work, youth help (Kids Club), repairs, etc. Fundraisers: Fundraisers in progress is the Schwans Cares Fundraiser Campaign ID # and Work at Lockwood's Car Wash. Also working on a t-shirt fundraiser. VBS: Family Fun Nights July 15 - Pool Party 6-8 p.m. and August 15 Movie night at Hope Lutheran 6-8 p.m. Next year would like to have the Shetek Ministries Youth Leaders come in and do a VBS program. Other Business Shared Ministry: Executive Group meeting next week. Call Committee: Began meeting, Barry Gronke is Chairman. Members are Scott Knutson, Pam Gregor, Dave Gislason, Scott Josephson, Beth Buysse and Nona Gottskalkson Sub Organists: Not getting paid in a timely manner. Need to pay them right away. Next Executive Meeting: Sunday, June 24, 2018 at 10 a.m. Next Council Meeting: Monday, July 2, 2018; 7pm Trustees, 7:30pm Deacons/Education, 8pm All Respectfully Submitted, Chris Hansen, Council Secretary

4 PAGE 4 Mission Trip 2019 The group is gearing up for Summer activities which include: Schwan s Cares Fundraiser If you order from Schwan s, please use our campaign ID, which is # We receive a percentage of sales when our campaign ID is used June 1st July 16th. T-Shirt Sales We will keep you posted as this becomes available. Thank you for the amazing support that we receive from Hope Lutheran. This is an incredible experience for the kids and we are blessed by your support. Please continue to pray for the group as they begin planning and organizing. Terri Myhre, YOH Director My View of the Pews (Continued) Why Grumpy Pastor Likes Bluntly Honest Obituaries I figure you ve heard by now about the obituary which reads that the world is a better place without Kathleen Dehmlow. Now I took a bit of interest in this obituary for two reasons. First, the happenings of this family aren t that far away from me. I know lots of Wabasso folk and a couple of Springfield people. 2nd, it s quite the example of the human condition at its most honest and raw form. I had a couple of different members of the congregation I serve ask me what I thought about it. I think it s sad. It s sad that it appears the deceased made some serious mistakes in her life, and that she never bridged those mistakes with those impacted by her actions. It s sad that her children were abandoned by her. It s sad that they still hold on to the pain she caused them, and cannot let go. It s sad that there s probably more to the story it s complicated, and there isn t any moving past this liminal point for anyone involved. The story ends with bitterness and sorrow. It s sad that you and I read this obituary and even laughed at it. Admit it. You chuckled just a little bit, didn t you? I did. The Greek word in the New Testament for forgiveness is aphemi (pronounced ah-fay-me). It literally means send away or let go. It doesn t mean the this-for-that I apologize and you forgive me when I say I m sorry that we tend to think forgiveness means. No, it means to let go. It s so that something no longer has power over you. That it no longer defines you. It s so that sin, yours or other peoples is no longer a noose around your neck. It s not about getting that other jerk to say I m sorry. It s about you being able to move on, not weighed down by sin yours or someone else s. So why would I like this bluntly honest obituary? The obituary that bares all the private drama in a classless way to all the world over the magical interwebs? I like it for a few reasons. I like it because there is hope in letting go. Maybe after publishing it, Gina and Jay can have some closure, and let go of the pain their biological mother caused them. Because it s visible they re holding that pain close to their hearts. I like it because there is hope in the judgement that Gina and Jay reference about their mother. Kathleen s judgement might actually go pretty well. Does she deserve eternal life? Oh hell no. But neither do you or me. At her judgement, she might grasp everything that she has done that has separated herself from other people and from God, and she might just see everything that has been done for her on the cross. She might be put in a state of amazing awe...not punishment. I like the obituary for, well, here s the real kicker...the real shocker...are you really that different? Are you really that different from Kathleen? Her sin is open for everyone to see. Yours isn t. And lest you think you re a lot better than her for never acting on your lusts, well...ummm...jesus says you aren t. Are you any different from her kids, Gina and Jay? Is there that co-worker who you think just doesn t belong in this world? Do you really dislike that other (continued on

5 PAGE 5 (continued) political persuasion that you think holds no value? That family member who really gets to you? Chances are pretty good you have someone who you wish wasn t around, who you think the world would be better off without. The only difference between you and Gina and Jay is you haven t published your thoughts for everyone to see. We all have junk in our hearts that we hold on to and weighs us down. So, I like the bluntly honest obituary that goes against most better judgements. Why? Because it just might bring the truth out within us, by making us look in a mirror at ourselves. With that truth, we just might be able to let go of those things. After all, what has God done for us? How much have the things we ve done weigh God down? If God can let those things go, perhaps we can do the same with ourselves and with others. See you in church, we don t close for the Summer. Pastor Bruce Combined Bible Studies The ladies Bible study groups will meet together over the summer with Pastor Bruce Drackley leading us. The third Wednesdays have been chosen: July 18th and August 15th at 10:00 am in the Fireside Room at Hope. Coffee will be served and all are invited and encouraged to attend. Summertime Fun! (Replaces Vacation Bible School this year.) Pool Night Sunday, July pm, Minneota Pool Hot Dogs, Utensils, Condiments will be available. Please bring a dish to share. Game Night Wednesday, August pm, Hope Lutheran Church Please bring a dish to share main course TBD. *Please bring your family s favorite game...we will us the inside as well as the outside of the church. If you have questions, please contact a member of the Education Committee Moriah Reiss, Wade Myhre, Jen Mahan-Deitte, Amanda Warnke, or Nancy Weise

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8 Hope Lutheran Church 113 S. Jefferson Street PO Box 87 Minneota, MN Phone: Fax: PRSRT STD NONPROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PD. MINNEOTA, MN PERMIT NO. 22