Centering NEWS OF CENTRAL LUTHERAN MINNEAPOLIS Worship Where we welcome, suppor t and lead so that all people of God may be inspired, refreshed and sent out together in mission. WINTER 2018
worship Come Now, O Prince of Peace The 2018 church year ended Thanksgiving weekend when we celebrated the Reign of Christ (or Christ the King). It s a relatively new festival created as human kingdoms fell following the two great wars of the 20th Century. European Christians clung to the truth that only the reign of Christ endures. Only Jesus is worthy to be ruler of our lives. PASTOR D. FOY CHRISTOPHERSON Holiday Worship SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22 5:00 p.m. - Saturday Evening Worship SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23 9:00 a.m. - Advent/Christmas Festival 10:00 a.m. - Holy Communion CHRISTMAS EVE MONDAY, DECEMBER 24 3:00 p.m. - Twilight Service of Blessing 10:30 p.m. - Candlelight Holy Communion CHRISTMAS DAY TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25 10:00 a.m. - Contemplative Christmas Day Holy Communion DECEMBER 29/30 Saturday 5:00 p.m. Holy Communion Sunday 10:00 a.m. Holy Communion Advent begins December 1/2 with the theme Come Now, O Prince of Peace. We pray for Christ our prince of peace to come reign over our world and fulfill all his promises; to come into our lives as we prepare room in them for his arrival; and by the end of the season we remember his coming as a human infant in Bethlehem. Augsburg University s Advent Vespers pre-empts our Saturday service on December 1. The second weekend of Advent (December 8/9) holds the Sunday school Christmas Program on Sunday during 10:30 worship. The third weekend (December 15/16) offers a large Vivaldi choral work by the Central Choir on Sunday at 10:30. The fourth weekend of Advent (December 22/23) is just before Christmas, so we ll have the Christmas décor all in place. We ll have Saturday worship as usual. But Sunday, December 23 will follow a special schedule. At 9:00 a.m. the entire congregation is invited to gather in the great room for an Advent/Christmas festival including carol singing and activities for all ages. Then we ll all gather for worship at 10:00 a.m. that day. The 12 days of Christmas begin December 24/25. We ll hold our Christmas Eve Twilight Service of Blessing one hour earlier this year at 3:00 p.m. to allow for more time for Christmas dinner and activities at home. Christmas Eve Candlelight Holy Communion is at 10:30 p.m. Christmas Day worship is at 10:00 a.m. The First Sunday in Christmas is December 30. We ll have one service at 10:00 a.m. Epiphany and the visit of the Magi falls on a Sunday this year, January 6, 2019 with our regular worship schedule. Our anniversary year observances continue the next weekend, January 12/13 with guest preacher, the Rev. Kristine Stedje. Then we settle in for a long Epiphany season since Easter comes very late in 2019. Lent doesn t begin until March 6. 2
music It s not too hard to understand why music has played such an important part in religious communities. In addition to the dimension of beauty music adds to a gathering, or a worship service, music does something perhaps even more important: music creates community. As I write this, I m just back from a week of participating in a pilgrimage called Together in Hope in which over 150 Lutherans and Roman Catholics largely from, but not limited to, the Twin Cities metropolitan area accompanied an ecumenical choir that sang for services and concerts in some of Rome s most important churches. Twin Cities residents Gary Aamodt and Celia Ellingson were in Lund, Sweden for an ecumenical service on October 31, 2016 when Pope Francis and Bishop Munib Yunan (Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and head of the Lutheran World Federation) officially began the year long commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation. It was an astonishing event televised all over the world. Shortly thereafter, in January 2017, Bishop Yunan was here at Central with Bernard Hebda, Roman Catholic Archbishop of the Diocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul when they reiterated the call to continue working boldly and creatively together. Gary and Celia took this challenge to heart and organized funds to commission young Norwegian composer Kim André Arnesen to compose the Holy Spirit Mass which received one of its premier performances featuring the National Lutheran Choir here at Central on Reformation weekend 2017. But this wasn t enough for the couple who decided it was important to continue the ecumenical foundations by building a road that would lead from Minneapolis to Rome. Working with Teri Larson (director of choirs at the Basilica of St. Mary) and Mark Stover (previous conductor of the Viking Chorus and Chapel Choirs at St. Olaf) they put together an auditioned choir that not only sang the Mass in concert at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, but also premiered yet another work, So That the World May Believe by Arnesen. Both pieces were accompanied by the Trondheim Soloists (string orchestra). The choir also performed pieces by Palestrina, Stephen Paulus, Paul Manz and Charles Villiers Stanford in a private musical offering in the Sistine Chapel, at the outdoor Papal audience in St. Peter s Square and at an afternoon mass in St. Peter s Basilica on All Saints Day. Although many of us were looking forward with great anticipation to the trip, the concerts, the music and the services, many of us participants, including me, were unprepared for the gravity of what simply being there would come to mean. After marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation at celebrations right here at home at Central, we now found ourselves on the other side of the world marking the 501st in the Vatican with the Bishop of Rome, our own Bishop Ann Svennungsen, Archbishop Hebda and Bishop Peter Bartimawus from Nigeria representing the Lutheran World Federation. Brother Martin would have been truly surprised of this display of unity. He may not have been surprised that it took place through music something he held in high esteem and deemed so very important to the nurturing of faith, the spirit and the soul. In the end, theological differences may separate us, but music has the power to unite. Deo gratias! Thanks be to God! DEACON CANTOR MARK SEDIO Central Choir to Offer Vivaldi s Magnificat On Sunday, December 16 (The third Sunday of Advent) the Central Choir, along with soloists Froya Olson, Robin Helgen and Brianna Eklund, will be presenting Antonio Vivaldi s setting of the Magnificat as part of the 10:30 a.m. worship service. Members of the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra will provide instrumental accompaniment. Vivaldi s setting of Mary s song from the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke is a choral gem. Originally composed between 1713 and 1717, Vivaldi later created a second version by modifying some of the parts. The modified version (from 1739) includes virtuosic soprano and alto solos that were written specifically for some of his more brilliant students at the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice. Come, mark this Advent season in a special way. 3
community PASTOR MELISSA POHLMAN Restoration Center The Restoration Center is a center for people in downtown Minneapolis experiencing homelessness and poverty. Services include: emergency rental assistance, employment services, clothing, meals, worship, Bible study, support groups, and more! The Augsburg Central Health Commons, which provides basic medical services, is a collaboration with Augsburg University. Free Store Hours Monday: 9:30 to 11:00 a.m.; 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. Tuesday: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Wednesday: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Thursday: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Donate Donations of clothing (especially men s), towels, sheets, small household items, jackets, hats, luggage, backpacks, new socks and underwear, as well as other items are needed. We always need paper bags with handles! Donations accepted at the church Monday-Thursday from 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. and weekends before and after worship. Financial contributions are also appreciated. I honestly think I am blessed with one of the most fun and diverse mission clusters at Central. Inside the bucket we call Community I get to support the folks who do ministry through the Free Store and the Community Meal, I get to help folks with Street Voices of Change and Heading Home Central with organizing and advocacy. I even get to talk plants with the Garden Ministry Team so that our outside can be a blessing to the community all around us. This fall we added a new team to our bucket of folks who work to bring about community in this place. The Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Team has been commissioned by the Congregation Council to begin again the conversations around how we can be truly welcoming to the LGBTQIA+* community in all that we do and in all of who we are. This may be a bit confusing to some of you who have come to Central in the last 20 years. As I began at Central five years ago I experienced a warm welcome from LGBTQIA+ folks in our pews and on our staff. On the back of every worship folder we publish our welcome statement that includes a wide and broad welcome to all people. It feels very much like Central has done the work and is a welcoming place. Why do we need a RIC Team? Those of you who have been a part of Central for more than 20 years may also be a bit confused as you remember the RIC vote at that time. It was a time of deep division that resulted in people leaving the congregation. It also resulted in the current welcome statement that we use to this day. The decision that day was not to become a congregation listed on the Reconciling in Christ listing of open and welcoming churches. I have heard the stories of deep pain that remain when we reflect on that time in the life of Central. Why do we need to revisit this? We are a people of discernment. We are the people created to be co-creators of a more peaceful, loving and just world with our God. It is time for us to freshen up our welcome statement and be led in a practice of discernment to consider adding our name to the other congregations who are doing this welcoming work in the world through our Lutheran witness. The question is not if we are to be welcoming, the question is how will we welcome people? Watch the Spirit for an invitation for you into an Ignatian spiritual discipline in January as we discern together what God is up to, how God has created us, and how we respond to God s gracious invitation into community. Save the dates January 6, 13, and 27 from 1:00-2:30 p.m. to engage in this process. It is a blessing to be one of your pastors at this moment in the life of this congregation, and know I am always open and welcome your conversations about how we are creating community at Central. *LGBTQIA+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexuality, and all other sexualities, sexes and gender identities not included in these few letters. 4
formation As we continue to live into the excitement of our 100th year, a new building and a new strategic plan, formation opportunities for everyone at Central are abundant! The season ahead brings new learning and fellowship opportunities for our youngest members to our most experienced adults. It is a weekly privilege to walk alongside you in our faith journeys. As God continues to recreate and reform us, we engage in an amazing process of learning and growing together. Whether meeting with the young adults, counseling our marriage couples or working with our caregivers, God s presence is at the center of everything we do always leading and guiding us toward new life. Some of the highlights of the fall included moving the Sunday school children up to their new classrooms, a confirmation retreat to Camp Wapo, an inter-generational field trip to the Bell Museum and stuffing boxes to send care packages to our college students. As we look toward Advent and Christmas, there is more excitement to come. December and January are filled with great possibilities for learning and fellowship. Here is a little of what s ahead: December 9 December 9 January 12 January 13 January 25-27 The Children s Christmas Program Second Sunday for Youth Potluck Cradle Roll Family Gathering Summer Trip Planning Day Family Camp at Wapo Also this season, we will resume our Caregivers Support Group and initiate a new ministry called the Caring Crew. The Caregivers Support Group will meet on the second Thursday of the month beginning in December. We meet from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. and the gathering is designed for people caring for a loved one with chronic illnesses. We gather to share our joys and challenges all while giving and receiving support from others with similar life circumstances. The Caring Crew is a wonderful group of folks who have committed to making visits or phone calls, sending cards or delivering plants. As many are no longer able to get to church, we want to make sure they remain connected to life here at Central. The Caring Crew will be getting started right after Thanksgiving. If you know of someone who needs an occasional visit or phone call from someone here at Central, contact the church office and ask them to let me know. I ll arrange for a visitor or a friend to reach out to them. There are great ways to connect and engage at Central this season. We are so grateful for your presence and your participation in the ministry we share in Minneapolis. God has blessed us with new life let s get connected to see how God might use us together. PASTOR STEPHANIE FRIESEN Sunday Morning Adult Forums The forums meet at 9:30 a.m. between services down in the lower narthex. The plan is for the lower narthex to become the adult learning space for Sunday mornings. Here are the plans for December and January. Plan to come down to the lower narthex via the stairs, or the new elevator and hallways in the lower level. December 2 9:30 a.m. Faith Stories, led by Pastor C 9 9:30 a.m. Faith Stories, led by Deacon Mark 16 9:30 a.m. Faith Stories, Lutheran Health Care Bangladesh Trip Report 23 10:00 a.m. Worship only, Advent Learning Event for all ages at 9:00 a.m. 30 10:00 a.m. Worship only, no adult forum January 2019 6 9:30 a.m. Faith Stories, We all Have a Story, led by Pastor Peter 13 9:30 a.m. Faith Stories, led by Pastor Stephanie 20 9:30 a.m. How Much is Enough Forum, led by Deacon Terri Endres, Portico 27 9:30 a.m. Faith Stories, led by Pastor Peter 5
generosity Spiritual Life Groups the First Strategic Plan Invitation The invitation to a deeper spiritual life is at the center of the first initiative that flows out of the strategic plan process. At the annual meeting last June, the congregation adopted a strategic plan framework. Since June the Strategic Planning Team has been at work and has several goals to deepen our faith and expand mission as a congregation. Over the next three years the Strategic Planning Team will recommend initiatives for the Congregation Council to adopt, grounded in the four core values that are currently shaping God s call here at Central: connecting, equipping, organizing and inviting. PASTOR PETER NYCKLEMOE Winter Wednesday Evening Bible Study: The Gospel of Luke Begins Wednesday, January 9, 6:00 p.m. You are invited to join Pastor Peter for the winter Bible study that begins on Wednesday evening, January 9. The study is open to all, and no previous Bible study experience is needed. Pastor Peter provides materials for the entire study, so if you need to miss a session or two it is easy to keep up as you move through the book. The study time concludes at 7:00 p.m. in time for choir members to get to choir by 7:15 p.m. The study is six weeks long, concluding on February 13. The Gospel of Luke is the gospel that guides our worship life for this year. This study of Luke will be unique. It will look at the overview of the gospel at the first session, but the remaining five sessions will look at the unique features in Luke s Gospel: the Christmas story and how that sets the stage, the parables of Jesus, Jesus as healer, Jesus call to justice and Luke s emphasis on meals as a sign of God s presence. The first adopted invitation is for you to prayerfully consider committing to participation in a Spiritual Life Group for 2019. These small groups will begin meeting in the new year, will covenant to connect at least 10 times during the year and will explore faith and life through resources prepared by the pastors and supported by the Central website. The sign-up for these Spiritual Life Groups will begin in December and continue into early January. You will have the opportunity to sign up for a group that is geographic (with other Central people in your area), or by time of the day (evening, weekend or daytime options). The groups will be comprised of 8-10 people. There will be a launch for the groups and support given along the way. The Spiritual Life Groups will be a great way to connect with fellow members of Central, enter an intentional year of growing deeper in faith and for our entire congregation to celebrate a deeper spiritual life together. Watch for the invitation for the sign-up process in the Spirit, beginning in December. I am so excited about this possibility and I hope you will prayerfully consider the invitation to join a Spiritual Life Group for 2019. Abundant Generosity Fall Intention Thank you Thank you for your response in November for our annual faith promise intention appeal. God is abundantly generous in our lives. We are blessed to respond with abundantly generous financial intentions. We make all these intentions as an act of faith, a response as the followers of Jesus Christ. If you have not yet returned your financial intention, you can still do that, they are welcome at any time. If you have misplaced your intention packet, please call the church office and we can mail you a new one or even send it out via email. You can also return your financial intention via email. You can email your plan to our director of finance, Obie Holmen at rholmen@centralmpls.org. 6 Plan to attend this winter study. The Bible study material will be available the weekend of January 5/6 and at the first class session. They will also be available online on the church website.
generosity Year-Round Stewardship Emphasis Continues: How Much is Enough? The next conversation on abundant generosity, grounded in the How Much is Enough? resource will be on Sunday, January 20, at 9:30 a.m. in the lower narthex. Deacon Terri Endres from the ELCA Portico Benefit Services will be here to lead the discussion on how stewardship leaders hold a holistic perspective (chapter 3 in the resource). Plan to attend this next forum opportunity, sponsored by the Faith and Finance Ministry Team, as we continue to ground ourselves in God s invitation to abundantly generous lives. Global Mission - Bangladesh Trip Report Sunday, December 16, 9:30 a.m. On November 5, eight women from Central left with Lynn Peterson to learn and discover what s new at Lutheran Health Care Bangladesh (LHCB). They have been meeting monthly since early spring and were excited to see where God is calling each of us as they journey to LHCB a global ministry started right here at Central. The travelers were: Lynn Peterson, Sarah and Maddie Grahn, Carol Rieger, Pastor Stephanie Friesen, Bonnie Weisenburger, Tyra Thomas, Pastor Melissa Pohlman and Sara Gunsch. The Bangladesh Mission Team will share their highlights of the trip at the adult forum on Sunday, December 16, at 9:30 a.m. in the lower narthex. Plan to attend and learn about Lutheran Health Care Bangladesh, how we are walking together and how each of our fellow members were changed in their travels. 100th Anniversary Timeline Here are the upcoming key dates of celebrating our 100th Anniversary for you to note: JANUARY 2019 12/13/14: Guest Preacher: Rev. Kristine Stedje and Potluck FEBRUARY 2019 10: Annual Meeting 17: Historical Hymn Sing MARCH 2019 3: Family Fun Event - 2DefyGravity APRIL 2019 6/7/8: Guest Preacher: Rev. David Wangaard and Potluck 13/14: Palm Sunday 20/21: Easter Sunday 27/28: Confirmation MAY 2019 4/5/6: Anniversary Weekend; Celebratory Worship and Anniversary Banquets on Saturday and Sunday; National Lutheran Choir Concert Sunday afternoon 12: Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra Anniversary Concert 30: Ascension Day: Beating the Bounds virtual event Save the Date: Annual Meeting Sunday, February 10, 11:45 a.m. Save Sunday, February 10, for the Annual Meeting. We meet to celebrate mission, hear about how God is at work in and through the people of Central Lutheran Church, adopt the 2019 budget and elect congregational leadership. A light lunch will be served immediately after the 10:30 am worship service. 7
CENTRAL LUTHERAN 333 South 12th Street Minneapolis, MN 55404 Presorted First-Class Mail U.S. Postage PAID Twin Cities, MN Permit No. 32349 Center Our Lives in Faith This publication follows the way God calls us to center our lives in faith. We center in worship, lifelong faith formation, community and generosity. Each of these mission areas invites us to ways we personally center as well as how we center as a congregation. By centering, by deep listening to God, by lives shaped by daily prayer and in the ancient ways congregations grow in love and care for all, we will explore the promise of God for all. Generosity Worship Exploring the promise of God for all Cover Photo Confirmation 2018: The pastoral staff laying hands on new confirmand Elliot Hagen. Community Lifelong Faith Formation Exploring the promise of God for all CENTRAL LUTHERAN 333 South 12th Street Minneapolis, MN 55404 612-870-4416 centralmpls.org CENTERING A quarterly publication of Central Lutheran. Questions or comments may be directed to the editor, Sara Masters at smasters@centralmpls.org Member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America www.elca.org and the Downtown Congregations to End Homelessness www.dceh.org