The Fargo Moravian Church was originally started in 1938 by several Moravian families residing in Fargo who met informally. Occasionally, neighboring Moravian ministers conducted services for this group. On November 11, 1938, eight women organized the Mission Group (now called The Parent Group of the church). In 1942, this group was asked by the Western District Board to sponsor a survey in Fargo as to the possibilities of organizing a Moravian congregation. On July 5, 1942, the first service was held at the YWCA rooming house with 15 in attendance. That except is from a history of the Fargo Moravian Church written for the 25th anniversary of the congregation. Although the charter was not officially signed until June 12, 1943, the church was already up and running and doing ministry in Fargo. The church enjoyed much success for over 50 years at 11th Street South and 12th Avenue South. In 2001, the Fargo Moravian Church became Shepherd of the Prairie at our new home in South Fargo. The ministry that we have done over the past few years here is only a continuation of the ministry that was begun over 70 years ago. Funny thing about ministry, one never knows where it will take you. Who could ve imagined even 30 years ago that the church would be located where it is now or have a new name? Who could ve imagined the ups and downs that we have seen as a congregation? Who could ve imagined the people that have graced our sanctuaries and pulpits? Who could ve imagined the hard work sacrifice that we have done in Fargo, North Dakota and beyond? Only one person could have God! You see, I firmly believe that our ministry is only just beginning to evolve. If it were not so, would we be celebrating 70 years of ministry? Probably not. Now, I don t know exactly how our church will continue to grow and do God s work, but I DO know that it will. God was with those church pioneers over 70 years ago and is still with us today and will be with us for the next 70 plus years. As we gather on Sunday, June 9, to commemorate our 70th anniversary, I just want to take a moment and thank all those who have made this day possible: those who started the fellowship that became the church; those who served the congregation both in pastoral and in lay leadership, past, present and future; and last but not least, I give thanks to the Triune God, who has given us his work to do. Now, who wants to serve on the 75th anniversary committee Blessings,
70th Anniversary Celebration On Sunday, June 9, we will celebrate our 70th anniversary with a special lovefeast and worship service. The Rev. Jim Hicks, Western District President and former Fargo Moravian pastor will deliver the message. Everyone will receive a commemorative mug at the lovefeast. After worship, we will gather for a lunch that will begin around 12:45. Following lunch, we will have a short program honoring all those who have contributed to 70 years of ministry. Please make plans to join us on this very special day as we celebrate 70 years of ministry and look forward to 70more!!! Prayers for the Community Adeline Sanford, Amy Hewitt, Amy Hamilton, Artie Miller, Chip Bohner, Connie Asquith, Dorothy Romanchuk, Faith Hudson, Grace Hansen, Hope Hudson, Janson Steffan, Jeanne Quenette, Randy Baumgarten, Rev. George & Dorothy Scilley, Rev. Joe & Ann LaFortune, Charlotte Carlson, Joyce Ankeney, Judy Belter, Luella Laske, Marlow Kineg, Margaret Renner, Carolyn Becknell, Rev. Sam Propsom, Ronald Favorite Jr, Sarah Fries, Jamie Sears, Tip Vining, and Gavin Maus. We pray for all graduates. Prayers for the World For unity in the Moravian Church in Honduras; for the wisdom in leadership of all nations; for those who suffer unjustly; for those seeking freedom of mind, body, or soul; for those affected by the continued unrest in the Middle East; all our service men and women, the Moravian Board of World Mission; people suffering from natural disasters, Lord, hear our prayers. Amen.
JUNE WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sunday, June 2nd Second Sunday after Pentecost Prayer Day for Outdoor Ministries 1 Kings 8:22-23, 41-43; Psalm 96:1-9 Galatians 1:1-12; Luke 7:1-10 Sunday, June 9th Third Sunday after Pentecost 1 Kings 17:17-24; Psalm 30 Galatians 1:11-24; Luke 7:11-17 Sunday, June 16th Fourth Sunday after Pentecost Father s Day 2 Samuel 11:26-12:10, 13-15; Psalm 32 Galatians 2:15-21; Luke 7:36-8:3 Sunday, June 23 Fifth Sunday after Pentecost Isaiah 65:1-9; Psalm 22:19-28 Galatians 3:23-29: Luke 8:26-39 Sunday, June 30 Sixth Sunday after Pentecost 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21; Psalm 16 Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-62 Forget Google, Bing, and Yahoo GoodSearch.com is the way to go! By using GoodSearch, you benefit Shepherd of the Prairie through varies forms of percentage donations from their website. The more you search with their engine, the more you buy through their store, the more money is donated to the church! By simply using this search engine, we ve raised over $56 for the church!
What s happening this month and beyond! 2013 CONGREGATIONAL WATCHWORD Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. Psalm 25:18 Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers during the time of my surgery. I know that is the reason why I am doing so well. - Charlotte Carlson The 2013 Daily Texts (print versions) are here! The 2013 Daily Texts are available on Kindle and ipad (through Amazon and itunes, respectively) for $8.40. Check out www.moravian.org. Pastor Eric will be out of the office June 6-7. We will be celebrating our 70th anniversary on Sunday, June 9th. Jesus of Nazareth Bible study will continue through June 18th. The North Dakota Moravian Golf Tournament July 9th Tee Time 3:00 PM / Potluck Dinner 6:00 PM Alaska Work Teams the perfect place to be in the summer! Bethel, Alaska July 13-20 / July 20-27 Workers Needed for: Semi-skilled construction, siding Seminary building, boardwalk construction, cleaning, replacing chairs and tables in seminary. For information contact: Helen Gulledge (helengulledge1090@gmail.com or 907-252-1174), David Hauser (westbenddave@triad.rr.com) or Mark Ebert (mebert@mcsp.org) If you need to hold an event at the church, please check the master calendar in the office for availability. North Dakota Moravian Men s Breakfast Saturday, June 29th 8:00 AM Iron Skillet I-94 and 45th St.
Make a Difference in YOUR Church and in YOUR world! Opportunities to serve in May Greeters Welcoming, outgoing persons to assist and meet the needs of our guests on Sunday morning and other special occasions. Live out your mission to serve God by serving others. No need to sign up! Just come early and welcome with a smile. Joyful Noise Offering We take this offering on the first Sunday of every month helps to extend a scholarship program to those interested in attending Shepherd s Christian Preschool. The Food Collection basket Please bring food items to feed the homeless. The Lord says, What you do for the least of these my brothers and sisters, you do unto me. We collect them on the last Sunday of the month and deliver it to the Fargo Emergency Food Pantry. Prayer Shawl Ministry/Outreach Want to do something for a friend with cancer, a neighbor whose son/daughter is serving overseas in the military, a new mother? Discover the blessing that comes from blessing others. Once a month, we will share in the joy of giving as we knit and/or crochet for the loved ones on our prayer list. No experience required! Having trouble getting to church on Sundays? If there is a Sunday where you need assistance making it to worship and are in need a ride, please call the church office, and we may be able to connect you with someone in your area. Pastor Eric s Office Hours Monday-Thursday 9AM 12PM Please call the church office before coming to the church to make sure someone is at the office. As always, there are other events such as hospital & home visits, meetings, out-of-state retreats, illness and other engagements that can come up. It s best to call the office first and, if necessary, make an appointment.
CAMP MINDYY Camp Mindyy 2013 is a whole new adventure this year! Your directors are Pastor Amy Gohdes- Luhman and Pastor Jenny Moran. Pastor Brian Dixon has accepted the role as RYC Pastoral Advisor and will be attending Chetek Camp this year, with some of the little ones he first met at Mindyy! We wish him the very best. Pastor Jenny and Pastor Amy hope to make the new Camp Mindyy as wonderful an experience as it has always been for all involved. Not all things will change, as Malinda Lindstrom will still be Camp MOM! And returning Minddy alum, Pastor Mary Bielke, will be our Program Leader. There will be many other new and returning faces and we hope your child will be one of them. We are experimenting this year, by making camp one day shorter for our youngest campers. This way young campers across the district have a choice of camp experiences numbering 2-5 nights. Our new setting Luther Crest Camp is a beautiful campground located on a lake. For more information and registration materials, please email Stephanie Lehman at christcommunitymoravian@gmail.com or call at 763-420-7187. We hope to see you there!
ND MORAVIAN MISSION SOCIETY NEWS The ND Moravian Mission Society would like to thank everyone that came to hear about Emma Jahnke's plans for the summer and help support her with prayers and money. Emma flew out of the US on May 20th to join a group going to Costa Rica for 10 days and help with a Bible School. On May 30th she flew to Ahuas, Honduras to stay with Benno & Teresa Marx and work in the hospital with them until the first part of August. Please continue to keep her in your prayers for these months. The Mission Society will be raising money to cover her travel expenses and also some wages that she would have earned at her summer job. If you would like to support this project please make checks payable to the North Dakota Mission Society and send them to, Kim Hoglund, 15583 45th St SE, Mapleton ND 58059-9601. FYI - The NDMMS picnic that was scheduled for June 25th has been canceled. We are anticipating an event when Emma returns from her trip and she can tell us about her time in Costa Rica and Honduras and show us some pictures. Date, time and location to be determined at a later date. Plans are in the making to go to Oklahoma some time after the 5th of June. If anyone is interested, please contact Gary Hoglund at 701-238-3377.
The church garden is in need of volunteers. Please see Pastor Eric or Lowell Hewitt if you would like to help out with this important ministry. Remember, our harvest goes to Churches United for the Homeless in Moorhead.