CONNECTION Let Us Pray

Transcription

1 July 2016 CONNECTION Let Us Pray None of us wants to go through the motions like robots as we pray. Variations in our prayer life help us to concentrate on what we are saying. Hopefully, it is helpful that the pastors take turns leading the prayers, each with a slightly different style. Structure and repetition are also helpful when we pray. There are good reasons to pray the Lord s Prayer over and over again. In a similar way, we maintain a congregational prayer list. This is an important part of our life together. From time to time we hear comments from visitors who are very positively impressed that we pray for so many people by name in our services. Some of the people whose names are included in the prayer receive a DVD of the service each week, and are greatly encouraged to hear their own names in the prayers of the congregation. From time to time we hear comments from our members about how long the list of names has become. We pray both for members of our church, and for relatives and friends of our members. Many of our members do not know very many of the people we are praying for. Even if you don t know them, after a while their names become familiar because you have heard them so many times. But this can make the prayer seem long, and it may be difficult to keep your mind from wandering. Several years ago, we began dividing the prayer for ourselves and others into two parts, but now both prayers have grown longer. The pastors recently decided to make a distinction between those people whose situation is urgent, and those people who will remain on our prayer list for an extended time. The people with urgent needs will be mentioned by name each week. Those who are on our prayer list for the long haul will be mentioned by name on a rotating basis, four or five each week. The complete prayer list will continue to be available on the table by the door going into the sanctuary from the narthex. If you have any questions or comments about this new procedure, please contact me. Pastor Michael J. Albrecht Church Staff Pastor Michael J. Albrecht malbrecht@saintjameslutheran.com Pastor Dale Critchley Cell: dcritchley@saintjameslutheran.com Pastor Ralph M. Rokke rrokke@saintjameslutheran.com Pastor Richard H. Stadler Cell: rstadler@saintjameslutheran.com Terese Thune Youth Director tthune@saintjameslutheran.com Shirley Hess Parish Nurse pnstjlc@saintjameslutheran.com Heather Wald Office Administrator hwald@saintjameslutheran.com General Address stjlc@saintjameslutheran.com Worship Services Sunday 9 AM Monday 6:30 PM Lord s Supper: 1st and 3rd Sunday and following Monday Bible Studies Tuesday 10:00 AM Saturday 8:00 AM divided as follows: Women: 2nd / 4th Saturday Men: 1st / 3rd / 5th Saturday 460 Annapolis Street West / West Saint Paul, MN 55118

2 Sanctuary Construction Project Gets Underway On Sunday June 26, after the 9:00am service, worshipers were asked to bring the pew cushions forward to the first three pews on either side of the aisle and stack them on the pew seats. Hymnals from the back of the church were stacked in those same pews, and then covered in plastic sheeting to protect them from construction dust. The first Monday night service in the Fellowship Room took place the next evening, on June 27. From Sunday July 3 through Monday July 25, Sunday and Monday services will be held in the Fellowship Room. This cozy arrangement will remind us how Saint James was originally a basement church, and we remain a community of faith that sprang from those roots. Past generations of Saint James members donated time, money, and talents to build a house of God which blesses us now, and so the work we are doing now will bless generations to come. In preparation for construction, the altar, communion rail and chancel floor will be protected with plywood. A timeline of what will be happening when is available at the Welcome Center in the narthex. Construction is scheduled to begin on Monday July 11, and it is hoped that it will be complete in two weeks. Scaffolding will be set up on both sides of the altar, extending to the ceiling. The tile setters and the banner rigging crew will work in tandem so both can make use of the same scaffolding. Now that work has begun, it will be best for members to keep their presence in the sanctuary to a minimum. There will be loose floor coverings, pieces of stone lying on the floor, and workers equipment in the sanctuary. We want to avoid accidents. We look forward to the completed project: a beautifully renewed sanctuary in which to worship, and a tangible sign of Saint James ongoing commitment to extend Gospel ministry into the future. "I was considering suicide, then I thought about TreeHouse, and I decided not to." Continuing my training to direct our new TreeHouse chapter, I attended some local group meetings to see firsthand what they look like. At the first support group that I attended, I heard a teen say those words, and that was just an example of the power I saw in their lives because they were part of TreeHouse. They were happy to be there, and the new people were welcomed by the rest with open arms. They even welcomed me, inherently trusting me, because they knew that TreeHouse is a safe place. We are now ready to begin training volunteers, so if you'd like to learn more or try the training and haven t talked to me about it yet, let me know. As director, I will receive additional training online and with Nick, our coach/liaison, during regular meetings. God has given us an amazing opportunity to show his love to those who desperately need it, as we all do, so I continue to request your prayers for the TreeHouse leadership, both here at Saint James and at the other already operating TreeHouse locations, for the teens who will benefit from it, for the legacy they in turn will leave because of the hope and transformation they've experienced, and for future TreeHouse partner locations that our Lord already has planned. 2

3 June Funerals June 3 David Michael Miller Saint James to visit Martin Luther Exhibit Saint James is offering two bus trips to the Minneapolis Institute of Art for guided tours of the Martin Luther exhibit. One trip will be on Thursday evening, November 3, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. The other will be on Sunday afternoon, November 13, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. The cost will be $20 per ticket, plus bus fare yet to be determined. A sign-up sheet for those who want to attend will be posted in the church narthex. Also, you can call Heather at the church office to put your name on the list. Welcome! Join us for this fascinating event! Exhibition Overview (from the Minneapolis Institute of Art website): Five hundred years ago, one man took a stand that shook Europe and changed the world. Now you can see the story of Martin Luther and the Reformation brought to life through astonishing artworks and historical objects, traveling outside Germany for the first time ever. Luther used art and the newly invented printing press to challenge Europe s leaders and spread a revolution of religious, cultural, and societal change. This exhibition includes paintings, sculpture, gold, textiles, and works on paper as well as Luther s personal possessions and recent archaeological finds that shed new light on an explosive era and the man who ignited it. Condolences to his parents, Jim & Laurie Miller, his brothers, Joseph and Carl, and his grandparents, Faye Miller, and Jack & Carol Sander, and his uncle and aunt, David & Cathryn Miller. June 5 David Paul Erickson Condolences to his wife, Julie, his sons, Matt and Nate, his mother, Janet Hoaglan, his uncle, Chuck Niemeyer, and to his sister Julie Meeder, her husband Kevin and their children, Ben, Claire and Natalie. 3

4 Missionary Thomas Aadland Returns to Africa On Wednesday May 18, Tom Aadland boarded a plane at MSP airport to fly to Amsterdam. The route he has taken numerous times over the past eight years includes an 8 -hour flight from Amsterdam to Nairobi, followed by a 30-minute plane ride to Kisumu, then a 35-minute car ride to Matongo. This trip is different. In previous years, he flew home to the US in May at the conclusion of the academic year. This year he has missed the second semester of the school year in Kenya, because he has been here in the United States to raise additional support for his work. Fundraising has gone well, and now Professor Aadland reports that he will spend the next three months in Tanzania, studying the Swahili language. This is something he has been wanting to do for years. Although he speaks English when he is teaching at the seminary, it will definitely be helpful to be able to speak to his students in their own first language. In a recent , Professor Aadland reports, On Swahili, I've got 5 tenses, the first of six noun classes, telling time, numbers, days of the week, about 500+ words under my belt. Have downloaded two Swahili dictionaries and iflash to MacBook and iphone, and have successfully avoided the street vendors in town in Kiswahili. This is just a great place to learn. He will also spend a couple weeks in November in Tanzania again, teaching courses on the Holy Trinity and Holy Baptism for the Southeast Lake Victoria Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. Our Missionary Friends: Pastor Alex Krongolm and his wife Nadia Plans are being made for Pastor Alex Krongolm and his wife Nadia to visit the US in January Many things have changed since their last visit in Pastor Alex estimates that his time is now divided up as follows: 10% on ELCIR activities like trips to St. Petersburg for Bishop s Council meetings and teaching at the seminary in Koltischei (near St. Petersburg) 30% as Dean of the Karelian Deanery for monthly meetings, counseling issues, encouragement of pastors and lay leaders and 60% for his congregation in Petrozavodsk. The choir from the Church of the Holy Spirit in Petrozavodsk is exploring the possibility of a concert tour to the United States in the Fall of You are invited to visit the newly redesigned Vision Petrozavodsk web site. You may notice new links to information, and more importantly, a change from the focus being on Pastor Alex and Nadia to the focus being on the ministry of the Petrozavodsk congregation. This is their preference, and the site has been revised with their input and approval. The Bishop s Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia (ELCIR). Pastor Alex Krongolm is standing in the back row at the far right. 4

5 Our Missionary Friends Are Working Together We keep on praying for Alex and Nadia Krongolm and for Alan Ludwig, who live and work on opposite ends of Russia. Alex and Nadia are located on the western edge of Russia, near the border with Finland. Alan Ludwig teaches at the Lutheran seminary in Siberia, way over on the eastern side of Russia. In his most recent newsletter, Alan Ludwig reports some good news: A new thing has begun! Two Lutheran churches in the Russian Federation are starting to work together. These two churches have quietly coexisted since the 1990s in fellowship with one another, working independently. Now, however, active cooperation between the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria and the Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church is beginning. The Ingrian Church has a long history on Russian soil. The Siberian Church is a post-soviet phenomenon. Ingria has a Finnish background, Siberia, a Russian one. Despite the differences of origin, age, and ethnicity, these two churches have common connections through the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Estonia. Most important, they share the Lutheran confession of faith. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria traces its history to the early 1600s, when Finnish immigrants settled in Russia. Before the Russian Revolution of 1917 it was large indeed. Suppressed in the 1930s, this church regained limited operation in the 1970s and has blossomed since the end of the Soviet era. Today it is still the larger of the two churches. Its center is St. Petersburg and vicinity, but it has other congregations in the European part of Russia, and has even reached Siberia. The Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church, with which I work, came into being in the early 1990s. First it was part of the Estonian Lutheran Church. Then in 2003 it became independent. Since 2007 the SELC has had its own bishop. For various and complicated reasons, the two Russian churches have not until now sought active cooperation. I have been privileged to step into this new effort on the ground floor. This spring I was the major presenter at a joint seminar held for the clergy of the two churches. Shortly after this, on behalf of the Siberian seminary, I taught a course at the Theological Institute of the Ingrian Church. June Weddings June 11 Kelsey Noack & Cody Fox June 25 KaraLyn Hess & Jerry Livingston This conference culminated with the divine service of Holy Communion, at which Bishop Lytkin presided and Bishop Kugappi preached. The divine service was an excellent way to rejoice in what binds us together and to strengthen those ties through mutual confession of the faith in Word and Sacrament. 5

6 RightNow Media Subscription Saint James has a new subscription to RightNow Media, a video resource for parents, kids, teens, young adults, newly married, elderly and more. The videos include Bible studies, Christian TV shows for young kids through adults and other videos about topics like marriage, leadership, health, parenting, college and young adult, addiction, recovery, loss and mourning, and so many more. Each member and even your friends are able to access this free subscription via the Internet on your smartphone, tablet or ipad, computer, Smart TV, Apple TV, Roku and other similar devices. All you need to do is to sign-up with your at the welcome center. You will receive an from Pastor Albrecht and RightNow media with instructions to set up your account and start accessing some wonderful Christian media and videos today. This is similar to a Netflix account, but it is free through our church and includes only Christian content. Contact Terese or one of the pastors with questions. Saint James Member Jimmy Kinzer Featured on KARE 11 News Steve Lufkin has spent his entire 27-year career teaching at Henry Sibley High School. He would like to continue, but Lufkin has ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was diagnosed in Freshman Jimmy Kinzer heard Mr. Lufkin's wheelchair was broken. So he made a part to fix it. I just thought it would be cool to do. I knew how to do this, wanted to use it in a real life situation. I went on the inventor program and I designed this whole thing for it and 3D printed it. I measured pretty much everything you could about this part so I could make it, said Kinzer. Three weeks later, the part was ready. As he prepares to say goodbye to Sibley, the generosity of everyone at the school will be a lasting lesson for Lufkin. I think the big part is they are so willing to help. This school has really come around me and my family, and that will be hard, said Lufkin. You can see the full video on Kare11.com Search the word Kinzer 6

7 Summer Music in July, "hymn-sings" and much more... July finds the Saint James family worshipping where the congregation began, in the Fellowship Room. Many musicians will share their gifts in our Sunday morning worship in July and we will continue to sing our favorite hymns before worship. It's a good thing there are five Sundays, as much music is planned. Here is what we can look forward to: Sunday, July 3, Tami and Caitlin Bandelin, our talented mother and daughter duo, will offer their special violin, vocal and piano stylings. Will they share Caitlin's wonderful arrangements of familiar hymn melodies or embellish some of our favorite new worship songs? Either way, what a wonderful blessing to have them with us. Sunday, July 10, the SonRise Ensemble will bring the familiar songs and sounds of Monday evening worship to Sunday morning. They've been working for weeks to select and prepare music to inspire and undergird the theme Pastor Rokke has chosen for our worship. A very special treat, don't miss it. Sunday, July 17 brings together our Summer Choir and sacred melodies arranged for four hands. Judy Dehrer will join me at the piano. We can hardly wait for you to hear what we have in store. AND...Summer Choir will sing. ALL SINGERS are invited to be part of Summer Choir. We will rehearse in the Fireside Room at 8:15. Sunday, July 24, the youngest member of the Saint James Choir, Alison Belter, will sing. She sang her first solo in worship this spring. She's confident and filled with the Spirit. Her special intelligence and vocal gift will fill you with hope and love. Sunday, July 31 we welcome our member Celeste Grimm as she shares music for violin. Warm sounds, expressive technique. She's looking forward to playing, and we can look forward to listening. Will we worship in the Sanctuary? Come, we'll find out together. If you'll be on vacation in July, no worries, we will be treated to several Sundays of special music in August, including one of my favorites, the VBS children sharing traditional and new songs just for kids - all of us kids, whether young on the outside, inside or both! Blessings, Tom Rowland Saturday Morning Women s Bible Study Reading Romans The women will not meet during July while Pastor Albrecht is 0ut of town. Reading Romans will resume in August. Saturday Morning Men s Bible Study The Epistle of James We will meet in the Fireside Room at 8:00 a.m. on July 2. Donuts and bagels are usually provided. Bring your own coffee, if you like. Martin Luther objected to James chapter two because it seemed to contradict Romans chapter three. But James wrote first. James did not disagree with a letter that Paul had not written yet. What was James worried about? What was Paul concerned about when he wrote Romans? Why do they both quote the same passage from Genesis? Do faith and works go together? What is the difference between faith and works? All men are cordially invited to join the discussion. 7

8 Contributions Increase through May Contributions increased in May and for the first five months of 2016 compared to For the first five months of 2016 contributions to Operating Expense have increased over 15%. Much of the increase can be attributed to some special contributions and the fact that there has been one more Sunday in this period this year. Expenses are about 3% less than last year leaving us with a surplus of $33,612 compared to a deficit of $25,175 at the end of May last year. Contributions to pay the mortgage we incurred in the purchase of the house on Cherokee Ave. have also been good. The mortgage is now down to approximately $105,000. Open House Invitation In honor of June & Roger Holm s 60th wedding anniversary Sunday, July 24 1:00-4:00 p.m. Eagan Community Center North Oaks Room 1501 Central Parkway Eagan, MN Light appetizers and refreshments will be served No gifts please They have treasured the friends they have met at Saint James Vacation Bible School Training VBS needs YOU! August 1-5th 8am-noon! Three simple steps: 1. Fill out a volunteer form at the Welcome Center 2. Drop it off in the main office, slip it under the office door and/or give it to Pastor Dale or Terese to get involved. 3. Attend a VBS Volunteer training session either 7:30pm Mon, July 25th or Noon Tues, July 26th in the fireside room. Education Committee Thanks Ron Ecker A Big Thank You goes to Ron Ecker, chair of the Saint James Education Committee. He is stepping down from his position after more than 13 years of dedicated leadership on that committee. The members of the Education Committee are very grateful for Ron s generous, calm direction over the years, and are happy that Ron has decided to stay on and continue to oversee certain aspects of the committee s duties. Our new co-chairs, Mark and Sharon Reichenbach, took over the reins on June 7, and also thank Ron for his organization and commitment. Saint James Lutheran Connection Submissions for August issue are due July 12. 8

9 Wait! What About the Library? Last fall I asked Pastor Albrecht if anyone had stepped forward to be the new church librarian, and offered my services. My qualifications: lifelong book lover and 10 years working as a clerk with St. Paul Public Libraries. Examining the library, I noticed we had a dilemma the library was full, no room for new books or materials! Since November I have been entering our library holdings onto the Website LibraryThing.com. In order to do this, I have examined 98% of our materials. When I finished doing this the total number of items was 2204! During this process I removed damaged materials, set some aside for repairs, removed duplicate copies, and withdrew outdated materials from the collection. Many notes were taken especially concerning whether materials were checked out and how frequently, and if a more recent edition was available for damaged (well-used) copies. I am shifting books back and forth, opening room at the end of shelves. Going forward, materials will mostly be grouped under subjects. For instance, book and DVD/recorded materials will share the same shelf and area. This is still a work in progress. There will be a new call number system. We currently have a browsing library. However, if you look on Librarything.com/catalog/saintjamesluther and see a book or video you are interested in, contact me (ajudyrahn@gmail.com), I can most likely give you a general area to look in or I can retrieve it and leave it in the office for you. ~ Judy Rahn Did you know? Our Library has 1937 items! If we stacked our books on top of each other they would reach almost 555 feet as tall as the Washington Monument! New Materials Added Books No More Perfect Moms by Jill Savage Night Light: Devotional for Couples by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger DVD Ring the Bell Come What May Unconditional: Inspired by a True Story Audio Book A Wrinkle in Time (5 CDs) by Madeline L engle 9

10 Youth Mission Trip The verse for this year's youth Mission Trip to Chicago As we serve, play and worship in Chicago in July we will be looking for the harder to see kingdom of God in each other and in the people we meet and serve. We will discuss how, when our hope is focused on the eternal things not of this world, we do not lose heart when the temporary things of this world try to steal our hope away. The true secret of happiness can only be found in a love that transcends the limitations of this world, in the God who loved us so much that He gave us His Son to free us from sin, and gave us His Spirit so that we may have power to understand this great love for ourselves and then to show God s love to others. We have a group of 24 youth and adults traveling by train to Chicago. While there, we will be staying downtown in the youth hostel and will only be utilizing public transportation to get around the city. We will be serving meals alongside the Night Ministry bus, an organization that travels to several parks each night to bring free medical care to the city s homeless population. We will also be repacking food for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Please include all of us in your prayers, and look for pictures and a report in the August Newsletter. Final Pose from Exploring Hope - Theater Week High School youth spent a HOT DAY on the lake, kayaking with Terese and Pastor Dale 10

11 July 2016 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 8:00am Men s Bible Study :00am Divine Service with Holy Communion in Fellowship Room No SonRise Service 10:00am Lilydale 10:00am Packing Party for the Mission Trip :00 am Worship Service in Fellowship Room 4:30pm Executive Committee Meeting 6:30pm Evening SonRise Contemporary Worship in Fellowship Room 7:3pm Evangelism Committee Meeting 2:00pm Wilder 514 6:00pm Youth Committee Meeting 9:00am Wilder 512 Chicago Mission Trip :00am Divine Service with Holy Communion in Fellowship Room 6:30pm Evening SonRise Contemporary Worship in Fellowship Room 7:00pm High school Bible Class Bonfire 7:00pm Family Game Night :00am Worship Service 6:30pm Evening SonRise Contemporary Service 12:00pm VBS Volunteer Meeting 7:30pm VBS Volunteer Meeting 31 9:00am Worship Service 11