FROM PASTOR DAN... Bethesda members PLEASE check your mail boxes following each worship service. 2 & 3 5 & 6. Pastor Dan 1

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1 ACT PARISH MURDOCK-DEGRAFF CLUSTER NEWSLETTER BETHESDA AND BUFFALO LAKE OF GRACE CHURCHES MAY 2017 PASTOR DAN CROONQUIST, PASTOR MICHELLE KLEENE PASTOR DAN: (CELL); OFFICE: ; HOME: PASTOR MICHELLE: (CELL); OFFICE: ; HOME: ACT WEBSITE: ACT ALSO HAS FACEBOOK PAGE FROM PASTOR DAN... Dear Friends, The following poem, Easter Reflections, was written by Helen Steiner Rice: Easter Reflections With OUR EYES we see the beauty of Easter As the earth awakens once more With OUR EARS we hear the birds sing sweetly To tell us spring again is here With OUR HANDS we pick the golden daffodils And the fragrant hyacinths Pastor Dan 1 But only with OUR HEARTS can we feel the MIRACLE of GOD S LOVE Which redeems all men And only with OUR SOUL can we make our pilgrimage to God And inherit His Easter Gift of ETERNAL LIFE Bethesda announcements;; library news 2 & 3 Despite facing many hardships, setbacks, and heartache, Helen Steiner Rice remained a person of eternal optimism. Her personal commandments emphasized her outlook on life: Bethesda church Missions of the month; and May Preaching schedule 4 1. Thou shalt be happy. 2. Thou shalt use thy talents to make others glad. 3. Thou shalt rise above defeat and trouble. 4. Thou shalt look upon each day as a new day. 5. Thou shalt always do thy best and leave the rest to God. 6. Thou shalt not waste thy time and energy in useless worry. 7. Thou shalt look only on the bright side of life. 8. Thou shalt not be afraid of tomorrow. 9. Thou shalt have a kind word and a kind deed for everyone. 10. Thou shalt say each morning I am a child of God nothing can hurt me. ACT Parish announcements and Activities 5 & 6 May we continue to be sustained by the beauty of Easter and the splendor of the Resurrection miracle that is all around us. Easter blessings, Pastor Dan Bethesda members PLEASE check your mail boxes following each worship service.

2 Bethesda Announcements PAGE 2 The Bethesda coffee dollars received each Sunday at the coffee hour will be designated to one specific area each month. Watch for the monthly list in the newsletter and on the bulletin. May coffee dollars will be given to the ACT Bible Camp/VBS. June & July coffee dollars will be given to the chair fund. Ushers for May Stephanie & Jason Medalen Bobbie & Chad Jones Cheryl Froehlich Usher/Alter Guild Guide and Duties are included in your Bethesda directory. Please be sure to look at these carefully. We have become a very busy church and there are duties that need to be done each week. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact a board member or building committee member. Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments, not the composer. ~Geoffrey B. Charlesworth Beside the celebration of Easter Sunday, Bethesda had the following April celebrations: Sarah Circle Bible study will be at the home of Alice Randt on May 25th at 2pm. BETHESDA ESTHER QUILTING CIRCLE Esther Circle will be quilting on May 4th at 9:30. Following quilting, we will be create May baskets for the residents at Gabriel House in Murdock. Offering will be taken. Potluck lunch will follow. First Communion for Luke Jeseritz, John Lange and Elijah Thielke. Baptism of Emerson Rose Walsh. Bethesda Women of the ELCA Wednesday, May 17th at 6:30 finalize salad supper Prepare meals for shut-ins Serving: Candice Olson and Dar Shores The ACT website is maintained by Nancy Stredde of St. John s. If you have church announcements/pictures for the website, please contact Nancy at: firststep@charter.net You can find the ACT website at:

3 Bethesda Members Mark your calendars! Sunday, May 7th We will hold our Blessing of the Seeds and Tractors worship service on May 6th. If you wish to do so, plan to bring some seeds or a tractor or some garden equipment, etc. for the worship service. There will be no communion at this worship. This is a special informal worship service we used a few years ago and are bringing it back this year. PAGE 3 Our Sunday school will provide special music. Following worship, we will enjoy a picnic lunch and fellowship. Plan to bring a salad to share. Hope to see you there. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline NAMI FaithNet Woodland Center Crisis Line: From the library... Where you come from isn't who you are... Ten-year-old Pearl Spence is a daydreamer, playing make-believe to escape life in Oklahoma's Dust Bowl in The Spences have their share of misfortune, but as the sheriff's family, they've got more than most in this dry, desolate place. They're who the town turns to when there's a crisis or a need and during these desperate times, there are plenty of both, even if half the town stands empty as people have packed up and moved on. Pearl is proud of her loving, strong family, though she often wearies of tracking down her mentally impaired older sister or wrestling with her grandmother's unshakable belief in a God who Pearl just isn't sure she likes. Then a mysterious man bent on revenge tramps into her town of Red River. Eddie is dangerous and he seems fixated on Pearl. When he reveals why he's really there and shares a shocking secret involving the whole town, dust won't be the only thing darkening Pearl's world. de- While the tone is suspenseful and often poignant, the subtle humor of Pearl's voice keeps A Cup of Dust from becoming heavy-handed. Finkbeiner deftly paints a story of a family unit coming together spite fractures of distress threatening to pull them apart. (Section 1, Fi)

4 PAGE 4 Bethesda Mission of the Month for May and June Each month a list of giving opportunities in the parish will be included in the newsletter. Monetary donations are always welcome as well. Personal care items for the Swift County food shelf: cleansing pads, cotton swabs, cotton pads, deodorant, lotion, nail files, razors, shaving cream, moisturizer, toilet paper, toothpaste, diapers Items for Safe Avenues: new pillowcases and full or twin sheets, used silverware, kitchen utensils, matching hand and bath towels and wash cloths, neutral color curtains and curtain roads Romans 12:8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. May 2017 Preaching Schedule Pastor Dan Croonquist Pastor Michelle Kleene Narrative Lectionary Readings May 7 St. Johns 8am Buffalo Lake 8:15am Acts 2:42-47 Monson Lake 9:30am Bethesda 9:30am John 10:1-10 Mamrelund 11am Hope 10:45am May 14 Buffalo Lake 8:15am St. Johns 8am Acts 7: Bethesda 9:30am West Lake 9:30am John 14:1-14 Mamrelund 11am Hope 10:45am May 21 St. John s -8am Buffalo Lake 8:15am Acts 17:22-31 Hope 9:30am Bethesda 9:30am John 14:15-21 (Community Service) Mamrelund 11am May 28 Buffalo Lake 8:15am St. Johns 8am Acts 1:6-14 Bethesda 9:30am West Lake 9:30am John 17:1-11 Mamrelund 11am Hope 10:45am

5 ACT PARISH ACTIVITIES PAGE 5 ** Caffeine & Conversation ** CAFFEINE & CONVERSATION will be held on Tuesdays at 9:30 at the Bethesda and at 1:00 at Hope. If you have not been able to join us yet, PLEASE consider coming- we have great conversation about Scripture and life, yummy goodies and wonderful fellowship (and coffee!) ** MEN S BREAKFAST ** Men s breakfast will be starting again on Saturday morning, May 6th at 7am at Sherrie s Café in Kerkhoven. Hope to see you then KMS Area MOPS MOPS will meet May 18th with supper at 5, meeting from 5:30-7 at Bethesda. This is the last regular MOPS meeting for this spring. Childcare will be provided, plus evening snack for children. Please consider giving a couple of hours of your time each month to help out with childcare. This is an ACT sponsored mission. If you would like to volunteer for childcare, it would be much appreciated. Please contact Carla or Pastors Dan or Michelle. Attention ACT Parish 7 th 11 th graders! Are you interested in going to the National Youth Gathering in Houston Texas, June 27- July 1, 2018? We will be having an informational meeting for parents and students on Sunday, May 7 at 6:30 p.m. at Bethesda Lutheran Church to decide if we will be attending this event. Student and Parent must attend if you are interested or might be interested in going. We will discuss costs, expenses, travel options, and setting up a parent team to lead fundraising events. If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Michelle. ACT Parish Council meeting Wednesday, May 10th 7pm at Monson Lake

6 PAGE 6 30th Synodical Convention of the Southwestern Minnesota Women of the ELCA Saturday, May 6, 2017 Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Redwood Falls Guest Speaker: Lenae Bulthuis, writer of The Back Porch Featuring: Incarceration and New Life - White Privilege - Body Breakdowns Build Spiritual Strength: Living with Lyme - Lakota Heritage, Spirituality, and ART - Worship-Great Music and More! Cost is $50/person. Synodical Convention of Southwestern Minnesota Saturday, June 10th Registration is now open for the 2017 Synod Assembly from Friday, June 9 th at 8:00am to Saturday, June 10 th at 4:30pm. Churches our size are eligible for 2 voting members. If only 1 person registers, voting member can be either male or female; if 2 voting members register, one must be a male and one a female. Early registration now available through May 19 th at a cost of $180/person (facilities/meals). After the 19 th, the cost is $230 (facilities/meals) Please let one of the pastors know if you can attend the convention on behalf of Buffalo Lake or Bethesda. LIVING LUTHERAN The April Living Lutheran magazine has an article entitled Church in rural America by Megan Bransrud. Copies will be made available at the church. It really is a good read for those working or worshiping in Rural Ministry. A study guide will also be available. Memorial Day May 29th Don t forget to thank a veteran and remember those men and women who are no longer with us. Keep the date Sunday, September 10th God s work. Our hands Sunday