The BEACON JUNE 2017 The monthly newsletter of Light of Christ Lutheran Church, Delano, MN The Marks of Discipleship Pray daily Worship weekly Read the Bible Serve at or beyond Light of Christ Relate to others for spiritual growth Give of my time, talents and resources We Become What We Receive We have now started celebrating Holy Communion at both services every week. During the summer that means that we will celebrate Communion each Sunday morning and each Wednesday evening through Labor Day. Then we will celebrate Communion each Sunday at both services. Over the past several months I ve tried to lay out the reasons for making this change in our worship life: that historically, Lutherans didn t celebrate Communion weekly because the Romans Catholics did, which is hardly a compelling reason in the twenty first century; that Holy Communion is one of the means of grace which Christ uses to put his own divine, resurrected life into us ( Live in us, that we may live in you! ); and that Holy Communion is a uniquely Christian meal since we are the only faith that believes that we receive nothing less than the body and blood of our Lord in this meal. I d like to add one more reason that we become what we receive: Christ s own body, blessed and broken. That line comes from a hymn text written by Susan Briehl, a Lutheran pastor who lives and works in Spokane. The third verse of this hymn goes like this: Send us out with faith and courage to the hungry, lost, bereaved. In our living and our dying, we become what we receive: Christ s own body, blessed and broken, cup o erflowing, life outpoured, given as a living token of your world redeemed, restored. We become what we receive. Holy Communion has the power to transform me. It makes me more like Christ: it frees me of my sins, more ready to serve the hungry, the poor, the lost, and the lonely. It fills me with the power of the Holy Spirit so that I can give my life for Christ and for others, both in my living and my dying. Holy Communion enables me to love more like Jesus loves. We become what we receive. Holy Communion also has the power to transform us. We receive the body of Christ so that we can be fashioned into the Body of Christ. We are knit together as one Body, not only as a family of faith here at Light of Christ. We are also bound to all our brothers and sisters on every continent down through the centuries. We are in communion with God but also with all the saints in glory. We are bound together in that new community of love that the Holy Spirit began forming on the first Pentecost and will finish on the Last Day. We become what we receive and far more than we ever imagined we could be. We are becoming what we receive Christ s own body, blest and broken, cup o erflowing, life outpoured, given as a living token of your world redeemed, restored. Rejoicing in becoming what we receive, Pastor K
David & Mary Allen McKenna, Hunter 4125 Woodhill Dr. Loretto, MN 55357 763-479-1169 April Fritz Brantley, Chloe 8675 County Road 11 Maple Plain, MN 55359 612-501-8581 Marc & Elizabeth Kohlhof 6496 Fogelman Rd. Independence, MN 55359 612-770-2275 Kara Larson Kali 909 Cole Ave. Montrose, MN 55363 612-325-3040 David & Jessica Motzko MacKenzie, Madison, Mya 451 County Road 30 SE Delano, MN 55328 320-295-2022 Vince & Betty Pavik 6325 N. Shore Dr. Rockford, MN 55373 763-477-9615 We rejoice as we welcome into our church family through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism: Bryce Allan Uecker Born: April 1, 2017 Baptized: May 14, 2017 Parents: Sponsors: We welcome the newest members of Light of Christ, who joined on May 7, 2017: Mike & Kelli Uecker Jeremy Knick, Katie Knick Tyler Knick, Brooke Kubasch Sundays 9:00 am Wednesdays 7:00 pm Holy Communion will be served at each service. April Financials Faith Sharing for the month: $ 47,601 Expenses for the month: $ 36,311 The Mission Committee is excited to announce the upcoming visit of our ELCA missionary in Chile and EPES founder, Karen Anderson, to Light of Christ! Karen will be talking about her work in the health ministry in Chile and sharing her thoughts during the Wednesday evening service on June 21st at 7pm. Please plan on attending this special service and opportunity to meet Karen in person. We invite all members to sign up for the Getting to Know You gatherings, as either a host or a guest, to get better acquainted with Pastor Bruce & Cynthia. Green sign up forms are located in the Narthex. You can also access the SignUpGenius link at the LOC Facebook page or church website. WORSHIP ASSISTANTS JUNE 2017 Worship assistants are now scheduled via SignUpGenius.com. If you have not received an invite via email to sign up, please contact the church office. If you are unable to serve on your assigned day, please arrange for a substitute or notify the church office. Thank you! Telephone: 763-972-2400 Email: lochrist@frontiernet.net Sunday, June 4, 2017 9:00 a.m. John Schroedl Lector: Tim Johnson Greeters: Len & Dee Beilke Kevin & Vicki Noetzelman Altar Guild: Mary Ann McKay, Bea Zerull Marcus Hanson Communion Asst.: Stan & Edie Droneck Wednesday, June 7, 2017 7:00 p.m. Brenna Demeules Lector: Judy Crosby Cheri Ashfeld Altar Guild: Ginny Iverson Sunday, June 11, 2017 9:00 a.m. Lector: Cynthia Kuenzel Greeters: Jennifer & Olivia Condon Duncan Bistodeau John Zerull Altar Guild: Brad Spencer Communion Asst.: Cynthia Kuenzel, Sue Stahlke Wednesday, June 14, 2017 7:00 p.m. Lector: Amber Becker Dennis & Ginny Iverson Altar Guild: Mary Ann McKay Sunday, June 18, 2017 9:00 a.m. Lector: Amy Bigot Greeters: Kevin & Vicki Noetzelman Lili Schroedl Len Beilke, Altar Guild: Brenda Schroedl, Kim Wortz David & Linda Rosaaen Brian & John Schroedl Communion Asst.: Wendy Caslavka, Sue Stahlke Wednesday, June 21, 2017 7:00 p.m. Lector: Bonnie Snaza Altar Guild: Ginny Iverson
Sunday, June 25, 2017 9:00 a.m. Dave Wuerger Lector: Bonnie Lotzer Greeters: Amber Dawn Andrews Altar Guild: Becky Coyle, Jan Styve Communion Asst.: Vicki Noetzelman June Birthdays 1 Janet Heinzen, Alex Moe, Nathan Moe 2 Megan Arneson, Richard Farniok, Sean Ihde, Mike Klaphake, Lexi Love, Ben Nelson, Jeanne Schansberg 3 Adam Brown, Melissa Larson, Parker Thompson 4 Wyatt Raskin 5 Isabel Johnson, Dale Kimball, Joe Schleper, Tanner Sievers, Zachary Sleypen 6 Andrew Andreasen, Louisa Jaunich, Dana Lemmerman, Kjersten Moen 7 Terry Techam 8 Adam Johnson, Jodi Lind, Bridget Mielke, Katie Vatnsdal 9 Ann Bassett, Dakota Kuchenmeister 10 Jake Fitch, Devyn Kimball, Matt Lemke, Sean Lohmann, Clayton Schmitt, Sue Untiedt 11 Cecilia Jaunich, Collin Schmidt 12 Norah Berscheid, Kim Knisley, Brandi Sleypen, Jordan Wiest 13 Brady Green, Julia Schansberg, Sidney Schmit 14 Cole Schansberg, Jordan Weeks Wednesday, June 28, 2017 7:00 p.m. Lector: Cynthia Kuenzel Altar Guild: Jennifer Slipka 15 Ian Caple, Alice Hanson, Devon Way 16 Roland Carlson, Gabriel Custer, Jen Donahue, Ryan Thomas, Jack Voss 17 Jon Arneson, Jacob Heinzen, Shelby Kettenacker, Gage Olson 18 Mariah Fryer, Nash Thompson, Todd Williams, Nolan Wortz 19 Rylan Bistodeau, Jordan Schramel 20 Amber Becker, Devin Crawford, Rick Kinches, Terri Reuter, William Sorensen 21 Ben Altenhofen, Lauren Cardinal, Chloe Kuechle, Dan Lind 22 Shirley Banick 23 Cody Christenson, Steve Crosby, Abigail Gierke 24 Stacie Nelson, Brad Spencer 25 Luke Checkal 26 Brynn Caslavka, Shane Caslavka, Carol Galarneault, Abigail Halluska 27 Ross Hemmer 28 Murray Way 29 Brian Harstad, Maxine Johnson, Lucas Olson, Sadie Russenberger, Becky Schluter LOVE INC OPPORTUNITIES The Dental Van will be at the Delano Methodist Church on Friday, July 7. Dental assistants and hygienists are needed. Relational Ministry is looking for advisers, instructors/small group facilitators, and child care workers for September. Love INC Delano store is looking for more volunteers for Friday/Sat mornings to sort and steam. This is a great way to give back to the community. Small groups and Youth groups are welcome. Please contact Lisa Green at 763-972-6547 opt. 3 or lisa@loveincheartland.org if interested in helping in any of these ways. 2017 Envelope Order: 422 Claimed, not used 170 Unclaimed at church 30 30 Confirmands, seldom used 192 Used regularly Picnic in the Park! You are invited on Tuesday, June 6 th to the Delano Central Park gazebo for an LOC potluck dinner and evening of fun! Grilling starts at 6:00 pm. Hotdogs, hamburgers, lemonade & water provided. Family name A-I bring salad or veggies, J-R bring chips or fruit, S-Z bring dessert. Join us for a night of fun, food & fellowship! Picnic will move to LOC fellowship hall in the event of rain. RSVP to Heidi Goldbeck: text 612-418-0111 or heidigold100@gmail.com. $1,055 total envelope cost $ 575 Used spent regularly on unused envelopes $ free Simply Giving accounts Taken, used not by 60 used families Not claimed 2018 OFFERING ENVELOPES We seek to maximize every dollar you give to the church. By reviewing the chart below, you can see that many offering envelopes ordered for members each year are not utilized. The envelope order is an office expense that could be applied to another program area...with your help. If you d prefer not to receive personalized $575 could be used for: Confirmation, One month of heat seldom used VBS annual budget Adult Ed. annual budget envelopes, please contact the church office. Your assigned contributor # will not change. All we need is your name or # to apply your contribution to your giving history. And each giving unit that chooses the Simply Giving or online giving option saves (potentially) $5 in envelope and mailing costs. It also aids in budgeting and seasonal balancing. Please contact the church office with any questions. 763-972-2400 or lochrist@frontiernet.net Thank you.
Light of Christ Music Ministry Sue Quist, Director of Music 10 Little Known Facts About Pianos: 1: There are 7500 working parts in the body of each piano. 2: The piano is generally considered to be a member of the percussion family because it only produces sound when a hammer hits a string. 3: The name piano is actually a nickname for the full Italian name of the instrument, which is pianoforte. 4: The piano is actually a relatively new instrument. The first piano constructed was made in 1698 by Bartolomeo Cristofori in Italy. That might sound old, but other instruments such as the flute have been around for thousands of years the piano is only 319 years old. 5: There are 230 strings required for a piano to make its full range of sound. 6: The piano is known as the King of the Instruments because its range goes from the lowest note that you can play on a double-bassoon to the highest note that you can play on a piccolo. 7: There are 18 million non-professional piano players in the United States alone, and over 10 million pianos. 8: A concert grand piano is 9 and weighs over 1400 pounds. 9: Even though piano keys are referred to as the ivories, they have not been made out of ivory since the 1940s to protect endangered resources. 10: The best piano brand in the world is considered to be the Steinway piano. What Were the Top 5 Contemporary Christian Songs in April 2017? 1. What a Beautiful Name - Hillsong Worship 2. Even If - MercyMe 3. Blessings - Lacrae 4. Love Broke Through -Toby Mac 5. Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) - Hillsong United **It s not too early to start thinking about singing in choir next fall.we would love to have new members join us! Test Your Hymn Knowledge and be a WINNER! I will bless the Lord at all times, praise with heart and voice; in my God I glory forever, listen and rejoice! Be the 1st to tell Sue the name of this hymn and you are the winner. sueloc@frontier.com A THANK YOU from Doris Swenson LOC friends, thank you for your kind words of sympathy, beautiful cards, and many prayers for us as we grieve the loss of my twin brother. Dennis was a gentle soul who loved his family. He especially enjoyed hearing about his nieces and nephews activities. He will be missed. Your caring has meant a lot to us. Blessings, Doris & Duane Swenson. DO YOU KNOW?? June Stewardship Quiz True or False - ELCA missionaries don't have to raise their own funds to serve. True (In other denominations, missionaries must raise a certain percentage of their salary each year.) What is Evangelism's 2017 budget? A. $2510 B. $762 C. $1170 D. $1740 Answer C How much did Property budget for lawn care this year? A. $2045 B. $3025 C. $1095 D. $3079 Answer A June Anniversaries 1 Corey & Brenda Black; Tony & Jen Donahue 2 Kurt & Jill Radermacher 3 Jeremy & Karmen Christenson 5 Charles & Lona Jose 6 Steven & Heather Dickey; Steve & Patti Williams 7 Steve & Cynthia Moe; Matt & Julie Strobl 8 Cory & Erica Cederberg 9 Tyler & Becca Finkelson 10 Jeff & Brenna Demeules; Dan & Tracy Torgerson 11 Kirk & Britta Reierson 12 Aaron & Kylee Amdor; Mike & Wendy Franklin 14 Darrell & Gwen Egly 16 Jonathan & Fran Ceder; Landon & Maria Menz 17 Bill & Sue Fink; Sam & Reeva Lodermeier; Mitch & Rebecca Rue; Mark & Lori Vatnsdal; Lindsay & Theresa Wallace 18 Bill & Mary Buenger; Jeff & DeAnn Fink; Terry & Linda Splettstoeszer 19 Doug & Jeannie Ludwig; Jerry & Sue Untiedt 20 Tom & Carol Galarneault; Eric & Bridget Hanson; Gary & Sally Prinsen 21 Jay & Rayme Bernick 22 Chris & Kristine Lotzer; Mike & Jodie Schluter 23 Greg & Mary Johnson; John & Bea Zerull 25 Greg & Sarah Bersie; Steve & Laurie Brown; Jarrett & Laura Lundquist; Cory & Sonja Wahl 26 Patrick & Gina Nee; Terry & Marie Techam; Charlene & Mike Warne 27 Todd & Gala Andreasen; Jim & Sue Schultz; Brad & Lisa Spencer 28 Wade & Kathy Baluski; Harlan & Laurie Grimm
MONTHLY SERVICE TEAM Members of Light of Christ are dedicated to serving the Lord by sharing, caring and loving, and do so through the work of Monthly Service Teams, serving at funerals and other functions. June Service Team families: John & Jessica Allaire David & Carol Anderson Mark & Paula Anderson Shirley Banick Bill & Mary Buenger Jeff & Holly Caple Don & Cheryl Collins Terry & Dawn Cook Ray & Nancy Cordes Beth Coulombe Pat Czock Steve & Heather Dickey Joanne Flaten Carol Galarneault Randy & Lisa Hemmer Scott & Wendy Kohls Joel & Jan Lemke Dan & Jodi Lind Connie Olson Kurt & Jill Radermacher Derek & Sandy Schansberg Brad & Lisa Spencer Terry & Linda Splettstoeszer Jerry & Sue Untiedt LOC Library "Footnotes" Summer will soon be here and with it, some time for pleasure reading. Our LOC Church Library is filled with lots of interesting, informative, and FUN reading. Check the Children's and Teen's sections as well as the Adult Historical Christian Fiction--and our small, but growing, DVD sections. Remember to use the new Library Guide (the big notebook) to help you locate specific book titles or subject sections. In the next few months, our committee is going to be reviewing of few of our books to help you know what we have and to inspire more usage. Book: "THE BOOK OF JOY" by the Dalai Lama and Desmond TuTu--(reviewed by Midge Amend). This book makes for interesting reading! -- full of so many ideas and experiences shared by these two amazing men. However, it is not the kind of book to read in one setting -- too much to assimilate -- and is best read a chapter or two at a time so that you have time to mull things over in your head. It is a really unique relationship/friendship that the Dalai Lama and Desmond TuTu share and it made me realize how rare it must be for these two men who have been and are so often in the limelight, to have a true and cherished personal friendship. That is obvious throughout the whole book -- their friendship is genuine as is their real joy in each other's company. The book is divided into 3 main sections: The Nature of True Joy, The Obstacles to Joy; The Eight Pillars of Joy. In the final section, the Eight Pillars give us 8 attributes to live by, to help US to find their kind of JOY in our everyday lives. These attributes are: Perspective, Humility, Humor (an important one), Acceptance, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Compassion, and Generosity. At the end of the book there are suggestions from the two friends on how to "grow" or develop these attributes in yourself --opening yourself to the kind of JOY they live by. It's the kind of book that makes you want to talk about it with a fellow reader, as well as take a hard look at where you are in relationship to their "eight pillars of joy." Read "The Book of Joy"! CHILDREN & FAMILY NEWS VBS: Maker Fun Factory Please continue signing up for VBS this summer, which will take place July 30-August 2 from 5:30-7:30pm. If you register by June 4th, you will be able to pick up your kid s T-shirt early so they can wear it before the fun even starts! Volunteers are especially needed! Youth grade 6 and up, as well as adults, are necessary to make this VBS a success! Please consider signing up to be a Crew Leader, Games assistant, or a Decoration helper. To register your child or to volunteer, click the VBS Registration button under the Children & Youth tab on the church website, lightofchristlutheran.com. Sign Up for Summer Stretch! Summer Stretch is a service and recreational program for kids who have completed grades 4-8 that takes place on various Wednesdays throughout the summer. We will do service work in the morning and then attend a recreational event in the afternoon, on six various Wednesdays this summer. Light of Christ is partnering with Zion Lutheran Church in Buffalo for Summer Stretch! Dates are Wednesdays, June 21 & 28, July 19 & 26, August 2 & 9, with an end of Summer Celebration at the Twins Game on Thursday, August 17. Sign up for one, a few, or all! Cost varies depending on fun activity. Sign up by going to Light of Christ s website, and click the Summer Stretch link under the Children & Youth tab! Parents and other caring adults are invited to help out. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Rachel. YOUTH NEWS Youth Bonfire Nights For youth completed grades 7-12. Come hang out at the Light of Christ bonfire pit for some fellowship, food, gaga ball, volleyball, and other fun games! Bring friends! Wednesday, June 28, 6pm-9pm Wednesday, July 26, 6pm-9pm Wednesday, August 16, 6pm-9pm High School Mission Trip to Colorado On June 17th, 32 high schoolers and adults will be heading off on a Mission Trip to Fort Morgan, Colorado, where they will be serving others, growing in their faith, and making relationships that will impact them for years to come. Please pray for them during this special week.