Cross of Glory & West Freeborn Lutheran Churches February, 2017

Cross of Glory & West Freeborn Lutheran Churches February, 2017 Sunday Morning Worship times: Cross of Glory: West Freeborn: 10:30 a.m. Thank you for letting me be your pastor your interim pastor. Usually an interim lasts from a year to a year and a half. We have been together, Cross of Glory, West Freeborn and I, for over two and a half years. And I have enjoyed every minute of it. How do I love you? Let me count the ways: 1. I love the rootedness of your churches. People are attached to the land. And they, as their lands, stay put. Their roots are much deeper than their corn and beans. This is illustrated by the cemeteries at both churches. I have never been at a church that had its own place of rest for the dearly departed. How like home it is when the pastor can conduct a funeral service and then lead the procession right out the door. At one funeral they hooked up a wagon to a tractor, waved the undertaker s limousine off, and took Dad, along with a bushel of soil from the farm, to his resting place. 2. I love the spirit of volunteerism. The attendance at the council meetings is higher than average. When I first came the parsonage needed some tending to. I was farmed out to stay with members for a month of Sundays while the parsonage was given a rather complete make-over. Volunteers were all over the place. When my time of staying with members was over, I walked into a marvelously re-done house. 3. I love the beauty of both churches, each beautiful in its own way. One can almost feel the spirits of those generations of Christians who built and decorated--and rebuilt and redecorated--the present sanctuaries. Once it was after a disastrous, lightning-ignited fire burned the church to the ground, melting the bell. 4. I love you all in the Lord. Your faith, your faithfulness in attendance (always excepting spring planting and fall harvesting times), your faithful serving at funerals, your welcoming of newly-weds and your financial support of the ministry evokes my love all the more. 5. I am off to my seventh interim. Hurry and come and see me on a Sunday morning as you head north to your cabin. (Directions to my new church supplied upon request.) I won t be there 2 ½ years. 1

Please join us on Sunday, February 19 th for a Joint Service at West Freeborn This will be Pastor Hillmer s last Sunday Worship with us. We have special music planned & Spuds & Sundae s to follow worship. A very heartfelt Thank You to Pastor Mark Hillmer for blessing us with his Interim pastor leadership for the last 2 ½ years. We wish him the best in your his interim position. We will miss you! (see attached flyer) *************************************************************************************** The Joint Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 at Cross of Glory Cross of Glory & West Freeborn Churches - Joint Council Meeting January 3, 2017 Cross of Glory s president, Jerry Morstad, called the meeting to order. Present were: Jerry Morstad, Pat Ehrich, Paul Lynne, Cathy Crowe, Rachel Knudson, Mike Erich, Becky Ausen, Dave Ausen, Bob Indrelie, Mike Brekke, Emily Light, Ronnie Bartness, Tim Bartness, Steve Ausen, Orlen Modene, and Pastor Mark Hillmer. Devotions were given by Pastor Mark and he led the council in prayer. Pastor Mark stated that in the last month, we have had one Sunday cancelled due to inclement weather. He has held two funerals: Lyle Bird and Yvonne Christensen. He states that Christmas Eve was nice and that the group of young people/couples will begin gathering on Sunday evenings monthly. The secretary s report from the last Joint Council meeting was read by Becky Ausen. There were no additions or corrections. Minutes were approved as read. Open Issues: 1. The single sign-up sheet was used last Sunday for communion and it seemed to go well. 2. Becky received notification that the profile our churches wrote for the call process needs updating but the website is under construction so that work cannot currently be done. The call committee anticipates receiving a name or two this month from the Synod. 3. Lenten season will begin on Ash Wednesday on March 1 st. Cross of Glory will host services and light supper that night. Pastor Mark has not talked with the other pastors yet to see if there will be a Round Robin for preaching. Orlen Modene made a motion to adjourn this half of the meeting to allow the councils to reconvene for our respective council meetings. Paul Lynne seconded. Rachel Knudson - Secretary, Cross of Glory Cross of Glory Trustees and Deacons Meeting - January 3 rd, 2017 Jerry Morstad called the second half of the meeting to order. Matt Hoelscher, Aaron Gilliland, Martin Johnson, Carol Riskedahl, and Kristi Thofson were absent. Rachel Knudson read the secretary s report. The minutes were approved as read. Cathy Crowe read the treasurer s report. We paid Ulland s the money we had designated and will continue 2

working on the rest, with the Cemetery Board and congregational members contributing. With Christmas, we collected $270 in special offering. Paul Lynne made a motion to accept the treasurer s report and pay the bills as money allows. Ron Bartness seconded. Old Business: Aaron Gilliland is doing the snow removal again this year. Cathy Crowe recommends he turn in his hours at least once a month. New Business: 1. Jill Demmer stated that she has received some promotional literature from an ecumenical publishing company. They have Lenten devotionals that could be handed out to the congregation, if we were interested in doing so. We can talk about it more at the next meeting. 2. West Freeborn is holding their Annual Meeting on the 15 th. We will not need to change our worship schedule as they have the later service and can hold their potluck immediately following. 3. Jerry mentioned that he was in Ascension Lutheran in Albert Lea and that they have removed a pew to accommodate wheelchairs during services. He suggested that we consider removing one of the back pews so that wheelchairs do not have to sit in the aisles. Cathy Crowe made a motion to adjourn the meeting and Tim Bartness seconded. Closed with the Lord s Prayer. Rachel Knudson, Secretary Cross of Glory Annual Meeting -December 11 th, 2016 President Jerry Morstad welcomed all attending the annual meeting and called the meeting to order. As there were no changes, the agenda for the meeting was adopted as written. Pastor Mark led with devotions and an opening prayer. Rachel Knudson read the minutes from the annual meeting on Dec. 13 th, 2015. There were no additions or corrections. Minutes were approved as read. Jerry Morstad stated that the president s report is in the annual reports and can be read at your leisure. Cathy Crowe went over the treasurer s report. She stated that they are presented differently from what we are accustomed to seeing because we are now using the services of ARO, Allyson Olson s accounting business, and the reports are formatted by her computer programs. Cathy reports that things are going well working with Allyson. She cuts the checks twice a month and emails the reports. It was mentioned that her prices are reasonable and that it is money well spent, especially since she is a professional and she has the accountability for making sure the appropriate tax laws are followed. Cathy stated that if everyone contributes the same or increases their contributions, we should be fine financially again this year. Paul Lynne made a motion to approve the treasurer s report. Ron Bartness seconded. At this time, since we were talking about money and the budget, we decided to vote on approval of the 2017 church budget. Ann Lynne made a motion to accept the budget. Martin Johnson seconded. Motion passed. Pastor Mark read his pastor s report. He stated that this is the longest interim position of his career. There was an opportunity for groups to report on their activities. Kathy Spooner mentioned that the report of the WELCA is listed in the booklet. Martin Johnson spoke for the Call Committee. There have been interviews with five 3

candidates but we are still searching for the right one. He reminded us that we have pulpit exchange with other Protestant churches so if the pastor were the right match for our congregations, we could call someone outside of the ELCA. There could be the possibility of looking abroad as well, as many of the pastoral candidates in Scandinavia do not have churches to serve in their home countries. Martin mentioned that there are many other churches in our Synod who are in similar circumstances. Carol Light stated that rural schools are experiencing the same frustrating challenge, as they have difficulties filling positions for rural school teachers. It was mentioned that Pastor Andree had approached our congregation about joining with Trinity Lutheran Church in New Richland. This is an example of thinking outside the box that we may need if we continue to struggle to fill the position. Old Business: Last year, the annual minutes were published in the monthly mailer so that members could read what occurred at the meeting without having to wait until the following annual meeting. Rachel Knudson verified that the congregation wishes the same to happen again this year. The attendees of the meeting agreed. New Business: 1. Ulland s bill for paving the road behind the church has come in at twice the amount we were expecting. The higher cost came from needing to change the method of repaving. It has been fixed well so the road will last. However, our bill is $41,000 instead of $20,000. Ann Lynne suggested we go through the list of people buried there and send a letter to their families, as many people who do not live locally would not know that this deficit exists. It was also mentioned that the Hartland Evangelical Church has had this issue in their bulletin, but unfortunately it specifies the funds to go to the Cemetery Fund. If people have been making contributions, it is not getting to Cross of Glory and our road upkeep fund. If necessary, we can write a message to the council of their church. Randy Light will address this more in the Cemetery Board meeting. After this bill is paid in full, it was suggested that we may consider having the road deeded to the city so this doesn t become an issue in the future again. Martin Johnson suggested that we could reach out to corporations for some contributions, which would allow them some tax benefit. The WELCA has given money from the Soup & Pie Supper. Another idea is that we could throw a fundraiser for the Hartland Cemetery Road at the Community Center. At Memorial Day Services, we could also ask for donations since all the attendees have loved ones buried there and use the road to access the graves. When people make donations or memorials, please designate it as road paving. 2. Donn Riskedahl suggested that the offering amounts listed in the bulletins are not helpful and that we should try dropping it. By putting in numbers only when we need giving increased may help as people are probably not paying attention to the amounts. We could see if giving drops off and add it in when necessary. 3. The slate of officers and other positions was presented. President: Jerry Morstad Secretary: Rachel Knudson Vice President: Ron Bartness Treasurer: Cathy Crowe Financial Secretaries: Kathy Spooner, Jane Crowe Trustees: Matt Hoelscher, Tim Bartness, Aaron Gilliland, Mike Brekke, Paul Lynne Deacons: Kristi Thofson, Emily Light, Martin Johnson, Carol Riskedahl Nominating Committee: Alex Bell, Linda Brekke, Chris Lynne 4

St. John s Lutheran Home Delegate: Kathy Vokoun SE MN Synod Assembly Voting Members: Jerry Morstad Head Ushers: Earl Lynne Auditing Committee: Gail Batt Ann Lynne made a motion to accept the unanimous ballot. Earl Lynne seconded. Motion carried. 4. Jerry Morstad offered thanks to the leaders completing terms and stated that the Sunday School is doing great. Donn Riskedahl made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Paul Lynne seconded the motion. Motion carried. The annual meeting closed with the Lord s Prayer. Secretary, Rachel Knudson West Freeborn Lutheran Church Council Meeting January 3, 2017 The West Freeborn Church Council met on January 03, 2017, following the joint council meeting at Cross of Glory. Present were Orlen Modene, Pat Ehrich, Mike Ehrich, Bob Indrelie, Dave Ausen, Steve Ausen, Pastor Hillmer and Becky Ausen. Orlen called the meeting to order. Pastor Hillmer gave an update on the Habana s. Becky read the secretaries report. Bob made a motion to approve the report as read. Mike seconded it. Motion carried. Pat read the treasurer s report. Steve made a motion to approve the report. Dave seconded it. Motion carried. Old Business: *We discussed the annual meeting and had a discussion on what to do with the offices. At this point we have President and Vice-President open. *We decided to change Good Earth Village to Prairie River Camp for our donation. New Business: *It was discussed to do the Benevolence the same as last year. Steve made this into a motion. Mike seconded it. Motion carried. *There will be a service group to do Spuds and Sundaes. Bob made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Dave seconded it. Motion carried. Closed with the Lord s Prayer. Respectfully submitted. Becky Ausen, Secretary ************************************************************************************************** SUNDAY SCHOOL AT WEST FREEBORN - Sunday School will be held on the 3 rd Sunday of each month. If you have questions, please contact Sonja Honstad 863-2154 or Becky Ausen 863-2165. *************************************************************************************************** CHURCH WOMEN Rachel Circle will meet at the church on Saturday, Feb. 18 th @ 10:00 a.m. - Kathy Spooner, hostess. Eunice Circle will meet on Wed. Feb. 15th 1:30 p.m. at the church. 5

Ushers for February: Cross of Glory not available at print time - Communion Server: Acolytes: Ned Bell Ushers for February: West Freeborn: not available at print time - Communion helper: Mark Broskoff A note from Cindi: Please send me the usher lists as soon as possible. Thanks! ************************************************************************************************************************ West Freeborn Quilters The West Freeborn Quilters will not meet during the winter months. Cross of Glory Cemetery Road Fund Dear Friends of Cross of Glory: The road behind the church that leads to the shared Hartland Cemetery was paved this fall. We had been told it would cost $20,000, but because it was in such bad shape, it cost $41,000. Please consider making a donation to Cross of Glory Improvement Fund, especially if you have family in the cemetery. ****************************************************************** Statistics for Cross of Glory Lutheran Church SUNDAY ATTENDANCE GENERAL FUND IMPROVEMENTS MISSIONS 1-1-17 10 $ 880.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 1-8-17 25 1,215.25 175.00 0.00 1-15-17 34 1,342.00 25.00 0.00 1-22-17 38 888.00 285.00 0.00 1-29-17 28 740.00 4,235.00 25.00 TOTALS $ 5,065.25 $ 4,720.00 $ 25.00 Cemetery - $ 170.00 Air Conditioning - $ 0.00 West Freeborn s Stats were unavailable, they will be included in the March newsletter. Cross of Glory email address: cgwf@smig.net Cross of Glory Website: www.crossofglory.weebly.com West Freeborn Website: www.westfreebornlutheranchurch.weebly.com Jerry Morstad, Cross of Glory President 507-373-0085 Church Office 507-845-2818 Fax # - 507-845-2732 Pastor s cell phone: 651-925-6509, Parsonage Phone 845-2825 Dave Ausen, West Freeborn President 863-2165 Stacie Madson, West Freeborn Custodian 845-2501 Alvin & Cindy Morstad, C.G. Custodians 845-2813 6

February 2017 Cross of Glory & West Freeborn Lutheran Churches, Hartland, MN Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Cross of Glory Ushers: not available at print time Communion Servers: Acolytes: West Freeborn Ushers: not available at print time Communion helper: Mark Broskoff 1 2 3 4 5 Worship at CG SS 10:00 10:45 - CG 10:30 a.m. Worship at WF 6 7 Joint Council 7:00 p.m. @ WF 8 9 10 11 12 Worship at CG SS 10:00 10:45 - CG 10:30 a.m. Worship at WF 13 14 15 Eunice Circle 1:30 @ WF 16 17 18 Rachel Circle @ CG 10:00 a.m. 19 SS 10:00 10:45 - CG Joint Service @ WF 10:30 a.m. Pastor Hillmer s last Sunday Spuds & Sundaes @ WF 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Worship at CG SS 10:00 10:45 10:30 a.m. Worship at WF 27 28