Gathered to Grow, Sent to Serve Herald Volume 34 Issue 8 August 2013 A publication of Hosanna Lutheran Church Rochester, Minnesota Hosanna Lutheran Church is teaming up with to open Hosanna s Pantry a new satellite food shelf (beginning August 24) We ll be open the 4th Saturday of each month from 9:30 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Sign up at the Welcome Center or call the office at 507-285-0092 to learn how you can help. Hosanna s Global Mission taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth! Read Kristen Wall s final blog on page 7 of the newsletter about her year as a missionary to Hungary through the Young Adults in Global Missions program. Kristen will be present at worship on August 18 to tell us more. Also on page 7 you ll learn about Ann Klavano, Beth Wiegand s sister, and her call to be a missionary in Papua New Guinea. We ll be following her throughout this next year. INSIDE THIS ISSUE Discipleship Ministries Fellowship Ministries Music Ministries Outreach Ministries Worship Ministries Council Page President s Message Pastor Meiers Page 2 3 4 5-7 8 9 10 11
Page 2 Herald Volume 34 Issue 8 Discipleship Ministries gathered to grow REGISTER FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL! Sunday School is just around to corner! We will again be offering the SPARK curriculum for the 3 year olds through 6th graders this year. It is an exciting curriculum that connects readings from worship with Sunday school. The first day of Sunday School is September 8. During the Sunday School hour, 9:15 10:15 a.m., students will spend 40 45 minutes in the classroom learning about that day's lesson and the remaining 15 20 minutes will be spent in music. Registration forms are available either in the narthex or in the office. All students, ages 3 through grade 12, will need to be registered. Please fill out your family's registration form today! We are also in need of teachers and music leaders. If interested, please sign up in the narthex or contact Amy Johnson or Jolene Olson at (johnson_amym@hotmail.com) or (jolene.olson7@gmail.com). BOOK STUDY ON MARTIN LUTHER At Elna Knutson s Home August 21 Hosanna members, relatives and friends ladies and gentlemen you are invited to Elna Knutson s home, 1462 13th Ave NW, on Wednesday, August 21st at 12:15 pm for treats and a study (at 1:00 p.m.) on Martin Luther. Pastor Meiers has put together a series of articles that are available in the church office for the cost of copying, $4.00. Please place cash or a check in the envelope provided and take the materials home to read and study. Make checks payable to Hosanna Lutheran Church and enter 'Martin Luther book' on the memo line. Please RSVP at 289-8618 or elnaknutson@gmail.com. I look forward to seeing you all! ~Elna BOOK DISCUSSION IN SEPTEMBER The book discussion group will begin again on Saturday, September 21 at 9:00 a.m. The book to be discussed in September is Take this Bread by Sara Miles. The Hosanna Channel One Team is also reading the book as we get ready to open Hosanna s Pantry, our Channel One satellite food shelf. Copies of the book are available in the office for free. Below is a synopsis of the book. Early one morning, for no earthly reason, Sara Miles, raised an atheist, wandered into a church, received communion, and found herself transformed embracing a faith she d once scorned. A lesbian, left-wing journalist who d covered revolutions around the world, Miles didn t discover a religion that was about angels or good behavior or piety; her faith centered on real hunger, real food, and real bodies. Before long, she turned the bread she ate at communion into tons of groceries, piled on the church s altar to be given away. Within a few years, she and the people she served had started nearly a dozen food pantries in the poorest parts of their city. Take This Bread is rich with real-life Dickensian characters church ladies, millionaires, schizophrenics, bishops, and thieves all blown into Miles s life by the relentless force of her newfound calling. Here, in this achingly beautiful, passionate book, is the living communion of Christ. SUNDAY SCHOOL VOLUNTEER ORIENTATIONS August 25 and 26 Two volunteer orientations are being offered and all volunteers are expected to attend one of the sessions. They are Sunday, August 25 at 11:00 a.m. and Monday, August 26 at 7:00 p.m. Please contact Jolene Olson or Amy Johnson to let them know which orientation you plan to attend.
Herald Volume 34 Issue 8 gathered to grow sent to serve Page 3 Fellowship Ministries MEMORIAL GARDEN NEWS THANKS TO MAIDL FAMILY FOR THE FLOWERS Summer is speeding along. Take a moment to stop by the Memorial Garden to see what is blooming this month and how beautiful the garden is. The Memorial Garden Team meets weekly to ensure this area is maintained and well cared for. Fertilizing, deadheading and trimming are some of the tasks that are accomplished on a weekly basis. For many years, Dan and Laurie Maidl have been providing Hosanna with flowers for the 4 large pots that sit outside the two main entrances to the church. We thank them for their generosity which helps to beautify our building. You will notice two new urns in the garden in front of the cross. The larger size stands up well against the memorial wall. Another change you may not notice is to the watering system. In order to work more efficiently and for the health of the plants, we changed the method by which the garden receives water. A drip line replaced the sprinkler spray in the plant area. This system also provides automatic daily water to the new urns. I would like to thank the team members for all the hard work and dedication they give to this important ministry. The 2013 Team members are: Carolyn Dahl, Julie Edvenson, Pam Fullem, Sally Nelson, Connie Ness, Nan Peters, Kathy Plantz, Ginny Solberg, Judy Ruegg, Donna Rasmussen, Mary Jane Rasmussen, Sandy Scheuneman and Rick and Becky Grant. If you are interested in learning more or would like to be part of this ministry team, contact a member of the team or Becky Grant at 507-261-9540 or email rdgrant@charter.net. PATRIOTIC QUILT DISPLAY AND RECOGNITION OF OUR MILITARY Thank you to Sharon Dunford for sharing her beautiful patriotic quilt with the congregation during the month of July. We also recognized our members and their family members who are currently serving in the military or who were veterans of military service with their names posted next to the quilt on the bulletin board in the narthex. GOOD EARTH VILLAGE QUILT AUCTION August 17 This year s Quilt Auction will be held at Our Savior s Lutheran Church in Spring Valley, 805 S. Broadway Ave. Hosanna s quilters have entered quilts in the auction. The previews for the Auction are Saturday, August 17 from 10:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. The Auction takes place at 2:30 p.m. Food will be available for purchase. For more information you may go to www.goodearthvillage.org.
Page 4 Music Ministries Herald Volume 34 Issue 8 gathered to grow PART TIME ORGANIST HIRED We are pleased to report that Cynthia McLaren has been hired to fill the part-time organist position beginning in August. She will also serve as the Senior Choir accompanist. She will share the organist responsibilities with Christina Wood when Christina returns from maternity leave. (Congratulations to Christina and Greg on the birth of their son, Mark Lyle, on July 17.) Cynthia has a wealth of experience in church music ministry. Previously Cynthia had been called as an Associate in Ministry at Good Shepherd Lutheran and served that congregation for 27 years as the organist, director of handbell choirs, accompanist for Senior Choir, and director for the brass ensemble. She was also responsible for worship planning. In addition to music responsibilities, Cynthia was the Director of Christian Education for 24 years which involved organizing Sunday School, VBS, and Christmas programs. Cynthia received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from Luther College. She also studied the organ at the University of Iowa in Iowa City and with Rev. Bob Scoggin in Rochester. Take the time to welcome Cynthia to Hosanna! MUSIC OPPORTUNITIES Praise the Lord with Voices and Instruments! Hosanna s program year is just around the corner which means the music groups will begin rehearsing again in September. Hosanna s music ministry teams always welcome new and returning members so consider participating in one or more of the music groups. *New members of the Praise! handbells group are needed or it won t be able to continue! Try a new music experience this year! Wednesday Evening Practices *Praise! 5:00 pm Handbells for Grades 4 8 Director: Carol Strand (507-398-3166) King s Ringers 5:45 pm Handbells for Grades 9 Adults Director: Carol Strand (507-398-3166) Exodus 7:00 pm Pop/jazz band for Grade 7 Adults with 2 years of experience playing an instrument. Director: Scott Strand (507-358-4297) Senior Choir 7:00 pm 4-part mixed choir for Grades 9 Adults Director: Nancy Wales (507-285-0092) Monday and Thursday Evenings (The week preceding the Sunday leading worship) Grace Worship Team 6:30 pm Vocal and Instrumental Worship Leaders Grades 9 Adults Leaders: Scott and Carol Strand (507-358-4297) (507-398-3166) OPPORTUNITY FOR GUITARISTS On August 25 guitarists will accompany the congregational singing at the 10:00 outdoor service. Contact Nancy Wales if you are interested in playing guitar that Sunday. FREE VOICE LESSON There is still time to sign-up for a single 30-minute voice lesson. This opportunity is available to any member of Hosanna, ages 5 and up. Contact Nancy Wales at music@hosannalutheran.org or 285-0092. MUSIC LEADERS TEAM for Preschool to Elementary Students There is an opportunity to teach church songs to Sunday School students for 15-20 minutes during the Sunday education period. The students are split into two age groups: preschool-kindergarten and elementary students. If you have an interest in helping young people grow in their faith and understand the importance of Christian music, come join this music leaders team which already has three members. Substitutes are also needed. Contact Nancy Wales at 285-0092.
Herald Volume 34 Issue 8 Page 5 Outreach Ministries sent to serve FROM OUTREACH ADVOCATE BARB ANDERSON Summertime has been a busy time for outreach and service at Hosanna. The outreach teams are busy with ongoing activities, like quilting and prayer shawls and seasonal activities, like the community garden, Adopt-A-Highway, and the summer Youth Sent to Serve activities. We re also trying to be good corporate sponsors of Samaritan Bethany and Good Earth Village, as well as hosting the Migrant Head Start program again this summer. We want to be more intentional in our service to those organizations. In July, we donated personal care items and kitchen supplies to the Head Start families and you ll notice in the following articles how you can provide additional service to those families. We re looking forward to hosting a dinner for them on August 15 before their first parent meeting. With the opening of Hosanna s Pantry, our new Channel One satellite food shelf on August 24, we ll be able to extend the love of God to many more families. Help is needed with set-up each month on Friday mornings and food distribution and clean-up on Saturdays. Please contact me if you d like to help with this wonderful new outreach ministry for Hosanna. Blessings to all and may you enjoy the last month of summer before our busy fall season begins. Barb Anderson outreach@hosannalutheran.org BE A HEAD START VOLUNTEER There s still time to volunteer to work with the preschool age children who are at Hosanna this summer and fall with the Head Start program. Volunteers are needed to read to the children and to play games with them. The required training session is now on a 20 minute power point that can be viewed at Hosanna between 8:00 a.m 3:30 p.m. Call the office at Hosanna, 285-0092, to arrange a time to view the power point. SHARE A MEAL WITH HEAD START FAMILIES August 15 On Thursday, August 15 from 6:30 8:30 p.m. the Head Start families will come to Hosanna for a meal and a family meeting. Hosanna will be hosting the meal from 6:30 7:00 in the gathering area. Members are asked to help prepare the meal and visit with families during the meal. A sign-up sheet is at the Welcome Center. Contact Hosanna s staff at 285-0092 with questions. SAMARITAN BETHANY WORSHIP ESCORTS Needed in August Sunday morning worship escorts from Hosanna are needed at the Samaritan Bethany chapel on 24 Eighth St. NW for the month of August. If you are interested in serving as a worship escort, please sign-up at the Welcome Center. Three to four volunteers are needed for each of the worship services at 8:20 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Duties include: wheeling residents to and from the chapel, passing out song sheets, and possibly assisting with communion. Both the staff members and residents greatly appreciate our help! If you have any questions, please contact Keith Johnson at 252-8287 or kgjjej@charter.net. SAMARITAN BETHANY S ANNUAL GOLF CLASSIC Golfing for a cause! August 5 It s not too late to register to play in Samaritan Bethany s 7th annual golf classic on Monday, August 5. The fee is $180 per golfer and that includes 18 holes of golf at the beautiful Somerby golf Club. Registration is at 12:00 p.m. with a shot gun start at 1:00 p.m., and a steak dinner and silent auction after the day of golf. Not a golfer? Join us for dinner and the silent auction for $50. Proceeds will benefit the residents at Samaritan Bethany. For more information, please contact Sue Knutson at 289-5042, ext. 4103.
Page 6 Outreach Ministries Herald Volume 34 Issue 8...sent to serve ADOPT A HIGHWAY August 10, 2013 Need some exercise? Here s a solution. Hosanna s next cleanup day for our stretch of Hwy 52 S near Apache Mall is Saturday, August 10th at 9:00 a.m. Meet at the south parking lot of Macy s. We ll finish around 10:30 a.m. and then we ll go to Baker s Square for breakfast. There is a signup sheet at the Welcome Center or you may contact Paul Anderson at barbpaul@charter.net or 282-7213. HOSANNA QUILTERS August 22 Hosanna s quilters meet from 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. on the 4th Thursday of the month. During the summer months, with the Head Start children in the building, quilters are meeting in the gathering area. All women are welcome to join at any time. You don t have to be an experienced quilter. People are needed to cut squares and to tie quilts. P l e a s e c o n t a c t D a r l e n e B r a n d t a t dwbrandt@gmail.com or Sharon Dunford at shed14@charter.net with questions. COMMUNITY GARDEN NEEDS HARVESTING Hosanna s community garden is producing lots of vegetables! We ve gotten just the right amount of rain and sun in June and July to produce a bumper crop of beans, peppers, tomatoes, onions, squash and potatoes. Join in the fun of harvesting the produce during the months of August and September. It s delivered to Channel One weekly and given to our Head Start families several times during the summer. Sign up at the Welcome Center to work for a week or contact Barb Anderson, 285-0092, with questions about how to get involved. YOUTH SENT TO SERVE SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES VOLUNTEER AT QUARRY HILL August 12 Youth ages 15 and older are invited to volunteer at Quarry Hill Nature Center on Monday, August 12 from 3:15 4:45 p.m. Work may include one or more of the following: park clean-up, mulching, trail maintenance, and special projects. In case of rain, we ll work indoors. Rides are available from Hosanna. Please bring a bottle of water, work gloves (if you have them), and closed-toed shoes. Please sign up on the Youth bulletin board or contact Kristina Johnson at 507-252-8287 or youthsenttoserve@gmail.com. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Youth Volunteer Opportunity August 22 and August 24 If you are a youth age 16 and older, please consider helping to build a house with Habitat for Humanity! No experience is necessary and tools are provided. There are two opportunities to volunteer: August 22 from 9:00 a.m. 12:30 p.m. and August 24 from 12:00 4:00 p.m. Please bring a bottle of water and wear closed-toed shoes. Please sign up on the Youth bulletin board. If you have any questions, please contact Kristina Johnson at 507-252-8287 or youthsentoserve@gmail.com. MAYO BLOOD DRIVE October 3, 2013 This is a heads up that the Mayo Mobile Blood Bank will be at Hosanna on Thursday, October 3 from 12:00 3:30 p.m. Due to new Mayo Clinic regulations, there must be 12 weeks in between whole blood donations. Please consider giving blood. It is a simple way to give for the good of our community. Please contact Karla Weis at weis.karla@mayo.edu if you have questions.
Herald Volume 34 Issue 8 Page 7 Global Missions News...sent to serve KRISTEN WALL S FINAL BLOG FROM HUNGARY (Kristen will be returning home on August 3rd from her year in Hungary as a missionary through Young Adults in Global Missions.) The Lord will watch over your coming and going Psalm 121:8 Saying good-bye is hard; and perhaps harder to prepare for than to actually carry out. Filling suitcases, emptying rooms, final occasions, returning keys, and writing thank you notes for which there just aren t enough words. How to say thanks for a year of helping hands and heartfelt hospitality? How to explain the excitement of returning to loves ones while at the same time struggling to part with those who much more recently became deeply beloved? How to faithfully tell the stories and convey the breadth of all that has transpired? What to say, how to speak, what message to convey, these are the questions that punctuate this leg of the journey. But maybe, in reality, these questions are not so new at all. Language barriers alone have taught us so much in this year about how much meaning can be conveyed in the absence of precisely the right words. Accompanying one another can be about speaking words of gratitude, faith, and hope, but it can also be as unembellished as walking together, catching a meaning-filled glimpse in the other s eye, sharing a meal or even more simply a smile. And then as our two paths diverge all too soon, how can we remember to also rejoice? In addition to the happy reunions and new adventures that lie ahead, we must remember how deeply we have been blessed by this year s encounters. My supervising pastor articulated this idea saying that we can think of these beautiful encounters with our neighbors, no matter how brief or unrepeatable they may be, as small miracles. After thinking about these words for a bit I am convinced that she is right. These relationships are miracles in the sense that they are perceptible expressions of God doing some incredible work in our midst. We don t quite understand them; we certainly can t find the words to explain them, but we find hope in the knowledge that it is God at work among us. So whether we will meet in a few weeks time or are uncertain as to whether we will ever meet again, we rejoice that Jesus also walks the road alongside us as we arise to meet the new day and open our hearts to our neighbor. ~ Kristen GREETINGS FROM ANN KLAVANO (Ann is Beth Wiegand s sister) Thank you for your interest in my missionary work in Papua New Guinea (PNG). I am here on a 4 year call from the Global Missions department of the ELCA. I am assigned to Senior Flierl Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea in the Finchhaven region of PNG. My main role is teaching English, but I do teach a few other courses such as Church History and I oversee the library. Senior Flierl is one of the two PNG seminaries in which classes are taught in Tok Pisin. The third seminary is taught in English. The students are enrolled for 5 years. They have 3 years of preparation, a year of vicarage or internship and then a final year on campus. We have approximately 90 students enrolled currently. The men (only men ordained in PNG) are between the ages of 19 and 30 when they start. PNG is a very rural country and our students reflect this. Most of them are from small villages. When they finish they will likely go back to the same village to be a pastor. Most are sponsored by the local congregation The tuition is low by American standards but a burden to places that are mainly subsistence farmers. The students grow their own food (each have their own garden area) and give 4 hours per week of service to the school (cutting grass etc). This is a conservative area of the country and the roles of women are often limited in the public arena. I see one of my roles as being a model of a professional woman. They do call me "Pastor" and I preach and lead an advisory group like the male faculty do. We have chapel every weekday as well as Wednesday night prayer services and Sunday worship. The singing in worship is wonderful. Some of my best experiences here have been visiting villages. The people have been very gracious to me. This has included being shown dances and singing and sharing in the local foods. I have also met many wonderful people who love to sit down and "story" with me. ~ Ann We ll be hearing more from Ann about how we can support her ministry in PNG in the upcoming months.
Page 8 Worship Ministries AUGUST WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sundays at 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. Paul s Journeys: taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth! August 4 Channel One Presentation Liturgy: Service of Holy Communion Theme: Paul s Third Missionary Journey Selected Text: 1 Corinthians 1:1-3, 18-25 August 11 Liturgy: ELW Service of the Word Theme: Bringing Light into Dark Places Selected Text: 2 Corinthians 1:1-2; 4:1-6 August 18 Kristen Wall YAGM Presentation Liturgy: Grace Service of Word and Song/Communion Theme: Young Adults in Global Mission Selected Text: Romans 1:1-7, 16-17 August 25 10:00 a.m. Outdoor Worship Liturgy: ELW Service of the Word Theme: Getting right with God Selected Text: Romans 3:19-28 This Is My Song (sung on Sunday, July 7 when Dave Walle preached) This is my song, O God of all the nations, a song of peace for lands afar and mine. This is my home, the country where my heart is; here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine; but other hearts in other lands are beating with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine. Herald Volume 34 Issue 8 gathered to grow My country's skies are bluer than the ocean, and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine. But other lands have sunlight too, and clover, and skies are ev'rywhere as blue as mine. This is my prayer, O God of all earth's kingdoms, your kingdom come; on earth your will be done. O God, be lifted up till all shall serve you, and hearts united learn to live as one. So hear my prayer, O God of all the nations; myself I give you; let your will be done. Text: Lloyd Stone, 1912-1993, sts. 1-2; Georgia Harkness, 1891-1974, st. 3 Text sts. 1-2 1934, 1962 Lorenz Publishing Company. Text st. 3 1964 Lorenz Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Used by permission. CCLI License # 2443834 TREASURER & FINANCIAL SECRETARY REPORT Budget/Contributions Comparison General 2013 Jun YTD Budget 33,283 199,698 Contributions 28,872 200,625 Difference (4,411) 927 2012 27,484 197,157 Difference 12/13 1,388 3,468 Capital Appeal 265 3,936 Receipts/Expenditures Comparison General YTD Capital Appeal Receipts 200,625 142,733 Expenditures 178,773 142,468 Difference 21,852 265 Account Balances - June 2013 Account Name Balance General 16,096 General Reserve 25,010 Special Gifts 17,450 Endowment 41,860 Mortgage 486,487 Respectfully submitted, Paul Anderson Financial Secretary
Herald Volume 34 Issue 8 Page 9 gathered to grow sent to serve Council Page COUNCIL SUMMARY July 9, 2013 The 406th Council was called to order by President Noel Sederstrom at 7:00 pm on July 9, 2013. In attendance were: Noel Sederstrom, Keith Johnson, Lisa Nordman, Alice Kub, Paul Anderson, Karla Weis, Rachel Gray, Barb Anderson, Chris Johnson, Dave Wall and Pastor Meiers. Also present were Nancy Wales and Karen Gieseke. The Council Minutes from June were approved. The Pastor s Report from June was approved. The Financial Reports from June were approved. Paul Anderson gave an update from Business and Finance. Things are looking good and we will start to receive the Head Start income which is paid to Hosanna at the end of each month. Pastor Meiers gave information regarding the Migrant Head Start Program. They have currently moved into the third room in the education wing as more families have arrived. There is a checklist for the custodial care needed for that space. There was a great turnout for volunteers trained to help this program and the congregation is invited to bring in items needed by the migrant families. Charter Communication approached Hosanna and asked about possibly using some of our parking if needed when they have additional staff in for training this summer. Now it looks like not much space is needed but that brought up the discussion of how we want to handle this in the future. The properties team will look at an agreement for rental so a policy is in place when this situation comes up again. Karen Gieseke, who is the Southeastern Minnesota Synod Children, Youth and Family Ministry Coordinator, came to support and help our congregation think about leadership as we talk about future staffing. She works in partnership to support congregations and help as needed. We need to be intentional about what life in the church looks like today and what we are called to do. Research shows those that influence the faith in children most are their parents. The intergenerational activities are very important. We need to be respectful of the past experiences but also realize that we will keep evolving. Karen talked about staffing with someone who can equip the congregation to go out and minister which fits our mission statement of gathered to grow sent to serve ; someone who has the gift or talent of being able to develop others. Collaboration with other congregations can be a great idea. Some congregations are looking at hiring Faith Formation Directors which focus on families (she gave us a draft of this job description). She left us with the question: What are Hosanna s bright spots and what are other areas we need to work on? Barb Anderson gave an update on the Channel One satellite food shelf and expansion on the community garden. There are Thrivent applications being worked on to help with these two ministries. The food shelf will be getting a freezer and two sets of rolling shelves. There is also a grant being written from Channel One for money toward this. The first food distribution will be August 24th and going forward will be the fourth Saturday of every month. The team is working on the physical things to get in place and also training the computer users. There are many volunteer opportunities. They are estimating that maybe 10-15 families will use our site to begin with. There will be a direct mail going out to the neighborhood to let them know that we are a Channel One Food Shelf. There is an opportunity to expand our garden area. Channel One will till and take care of the watering of garden plots. They will invite their clients to have their own garden. This will be in addition to our community garden and the preparation of the plots would happen this year so that planting could start the summer of 2014. (continued on page 11)
Page 10 President s Message Herald Volume 34 Issue 8 Close your eyes for a moment and imagine if your whole life was something to be navigated in the dark. This is Dave Walle s world. Dave has been blind since birth. He grew up on a farm near Forest City, Iowa, a little place called Thompson. Dave says he never had to suffer the loss of his eyesight, a psychological blow so devastating for many people. Over the years he has developed a powerful sense of touch and an ability to use his hearing and a keen intellect to keep up. I d venture to say he remembers important personal details better than most of us at Hosanna. Braille has helped him learn and grow, but it s just a tool and a language to help him keep track of ideas. We re used to greeting Dave as he makes his way with his black lab Chloe, but on July 7th, he was loaded down with his gear too. He was preaching that Sunday in Pastor Bill s absence so he had his PacMate, a small computer loaded with Braille software, along with his flute. God is going to take us places we didn t think we could go to, said Dave that morning. He was preaching about Freedom. It was the July 4th holiday weekend, and we were saluting the men and women who had given so much to preserve our way of life in America. Dave was exploring the challenges of Freedom in a patriotic time, honoring not only those who have gone before us, but those among us now who stand up for the values of freedom, who lift their voices and make a stand. Saints aren t only the ones we remember who have gone on before, they are living people doing God s work. We need to be equipped to do the work, to become a blessing to others, to live out our faith. Dave says he became interested in the seminary as a young boy, but at a Bible camp in northern Minnesota, another youth discouraged him about the idea they re not really accepting people like us, he said. And Dave has found that to be true along his life s path. He emerged from seminary as a chaplain, and after waiting for a long time for a call, it was a Catholic priest named Father Dick who gave him a break and his first job as a chaplain at St. Joseph s Hospital in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. It was a pretty special Christmas gift. Dave and Chloe The reaction was difficult at first, said Dave. but they grew to accept me. A lot of staff were gone over the Christmas holiday, Father Dick gave me an opportunity to try it out. This is the case with people with disabilities. You have to prove yourself. Dave met his wife Ellen when he was part of a panel on techniques of blind classroom teachers at a National Federation of the Blind seminar in South St. Paul. She was a sophomore in college at the time and is also visually impaired. She was interested in how to approach the music part of education, and we talked afterwards, and we became friends. They have lived many years in Texas, along with Ohio, Iowa and Minnesota. Now as Dave contemplates whether to work or volunteer, there s a whole new challenge he faces a progressive loss of his hearing. I m experiencing a little bit of fear, he concedes, having to plug into more use of Braille the challenge of being in crowds. He ll go to Sands Point, New York, to the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults for evaluation and training this fall. But before he goes to Long Island, the Walk for Opportunity is in Rochester on Saturday, September 7. Dave is the First Vice President of the local chapter of the National Federation of the Blind and he ll be taking pledges to raise money for the cause. As we find ourselves facing fear and going to places never imagined we can take comfort knowing that we re not alone. Peace, Noel Sederstrom See page 8 for one of our national songs sung on Sunday, July 7th, when Dave preached.
Herald Volume 34 Issue 8 Page 11 Pastor Meiers Page Dear members and friends of Hosanna, Your congregational leadership has designated the calendar year 2013 as a year of discernment in terms of the future configuration of Hosanna s staffing. Since Lisa Kipp completed her internship with our church at the end of April, Carol Strand has been assisting with various aspects of Hosanna s ministry. Carol is a student at Luther Seminary in St. Paul and her involvement here is an important aspect of her contextual education required by the seminary. I am thankful to Carol for her willingness to help with our ministry as needed and for the rich experience she brings to parish ministry. While Carol is able to serve in this way, our leadership is considering Hosanna s priorities for mission an ministry and what additional professional staffing is needed to accomplish those important priorities. A number of individuals from the synod and other congregations have and will be sharing their insights with the church council to help inform our conversation and discernment. Until this process is completed, Hosanna s staffing will continue as it is currently configured. As a member of Hosanna, your input is welcomed as this process moves forward. Please share any insights or concerns with me or any member of the church council. God has certainly blessed our church with people and other resources to accomplish our global mission to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth! We continue to prayer for God s guidance through the Holy Spirit as we look to the future and how to be most faithful in our ministry together. See you in church. Yours in Christ, Pastor Bill Meiers PASTORAL ACTS Baptism Liv Ivy Halvorsen July 21, 2013 COUNCIL SUMMARY (cont.) Pastor Meiers gave an update on National Night Out which is held in August. Hosanna has participated in this for four years, but it won t happen this year as no one has stepped forward to lead the planning. Pastor Meiers gave an update on the Child Safety Training this summer. There will be background checks and a training session for anyone working with children. Work is being done to find a trainer by the end of the month. This is a volunteer position that needs to be filled to train and keep records. Noel Sederstrom led a discussion on staffing options. We need to plan and figure out what is the ministry we want to accomplish. Just looking at some numbers: Minimum associate pastor salary $43,000 plus social security and medical, (a new graduate out of seminary), a full time intern $17,200 plus housing, lay associates in ministry $35,700 (plus social security and medical). We could also look at part time positions. We need to figure out what our focus is for the future while embracing our history. We made a list of our bright spots: intergenerational, focus on outreach and service, worship variety, technology, the building is a multipurpose, accessible facility, and we focus on families. We were asked to think about our areas to work on. Karla Weis made a motion to adjourn meeting. Rachel Gray seconded it and it passed. The meeting closed with the Lord s Prayer. The meeting adjourned at 9:47 pm. Respectfully submitted, Lisa Nordman, Council Secretary
Hosanna Lutheran Church 2815 57th St. NW Rochester, MN 55901 (507) 285-0092 www.hosannalutheran.org Gathered to Grow, Sent to Serve ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED NON-PROFIT ORG. U. S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 603 ROCHESTER MN God s work. Our hands. SUNDAY WORSHIP TIMES 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. COFFEE FELLOWSHIP 9:30 a.m. Hosanna Herald Writers: Hosanna Staff & members Editor: Barb Anderson Want to receive Hosanna s E-News updates? Send your e-mail address to: secretary@hosannalutheran.org Check out Hosanna s Facebook fan page! OFFICE HOURS 9:00 am 4:00 pm Monday Friday STAFF Pastor Bill Meiers Nancy Wales Barb Anderson Charlie Bohlke COUNCIL OFFICERS Noel Sederstrom, President Keith Johnson, Pres. Elect Lisa Nordman, Secretary COUNCIL ADVISORS Alice Kub, Treasurer Paul Anderson, Financial Sec. COUNCIL ADVOCATES Karla Weis, Discipleship Rachel Gray, Fellowship Barb Anderson, Outreach Chris Johnson, Support Dave Wall, Worship seniorpastor@hosannalutheran.org music@hosannalutheran.org secretary@hosannalutheran.org custodian@hosannalutheran.org president@hosannalutheran.org president-elect@hosannalutheran.org councilsecretary@hosannalutheran.org treasurer@hosannalutheran.org financialsecretary@hosannalutheran.org discipleship@hosannalutheran.org fellowship@hosannalutheran.org outreach@hosannalutheran.org support@hosannalutheran.org worship@hosannalutheran.org