Cross of Glory & West Freeborn Lutheran Churches June 2018

Cross of Glory & West Freeborn Lutheran Churches June 2018 Sunday Morning Worship times: Notice time change!! Cross of Glory: West Freeborn: 10:30 a.m. Confession If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) Confession is another of those church words that gets used when a person is in a religious setting and talking about God, but you don t hear it used very often outside of that setting. We might think about a courtroom situation in which a person is asked to confess to a crime, or when they may actually confess on their own, but even then we only think of that confession as a matter of admitting the truth and facing the consequences. Admitting the truth and facing the consequences is what it means when the church talks about confession, but in our church setting this will take on a very different meaning. Confessing to a crime in a courtroom is not going to get a person off the hook. When you confess to that crime you are admitting your guilt and your willingness to accept the punishment that comes with that guilt. The same thing happens when we confess our sins in church or before God, but with a twist. Confession means that we recognize that we have done something wrong, and that we deserve to be punished, but while you will not encounter much forgiveness being offered in the courtroom, that is exactly what is offered to us by God. Jesus died on the cross bearing the world s sins. God raised Jesus to life again as a promise that the world s sins have been forgiven. When we do something wrong we are still guilty, and we still deserve to be punished. The fact that Jesus has taken that punishment on our behalf in no way makes our sinful behavior acceptable. The only thing God has done in Jesus is to make that sinful behavior forgivable. Yours in Christ, Pastor Schwartz 1

Joint Council Meeting Tuesday, June 5, 7:00 p.m. at West Freeborn West Freeborn Lutheran Church Council Meeting May 01, 2018 The West Freeborn Church Council met on May 1, 2018, following the joint council meeting at Cross of Glory. Members present were: Mike Ehrich, Pat Ehrich, Dave Ausen, Glenn Ausen, Steve Ausen, Pastor Steve, and Becky Ausen. President, Dave Ausen, called the meeting to order. Becky read the secretaries report. Approved as read. Pat read the treasurer s report. Steve made a motion to approve the report. Mike seconded it. Motion carried. Old Business: Windows: They are in. Matt will install when he is available. Air Conditioner for Social Hall: Has been ordered. They will let Mike know when they want to install it. Summer Tractor Ride: Will be on July 21 st. The riders stopping at West Freeborn for lunch. The lunch will be provided by another organization. We need to have the church open so the men and/or women can come in and sit and eat their lunch. Becky will talk with Jane about this Spring Clean Up: We did it last Saturday. There is still more that can be done outside, but we need a load of dirt. Some of the front of the church outside needs attention. Dave will check with Dale Christopherson about this. Lenten Offering: Glenn made a motion and Mike seconded it to give Salvation Army and the Food Shelf $250.00 each from the Lenten offering. Another $250.00 each will be given to two local families. Motion passed. Spuds and Sundaes: Pat made a motion and Steve seconded it to have our Spuds and Sundaes fundraiser on September 9. Motion passed. New Business: Mowing: The Ehrich family will do again this summer for the same price. July 15: Mark this on your calendar. The Ausen kids are throwing their mom, LaVaun a birthday party!!! There will sloppy Joe s and Steve s Dome Ice Cream. P.S. LaVaun is turning a young 90 years old! Glenn made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Pat seconded it. Motion carried. Closed with the Lord s Prayer. Respectfully Submitted - Becky Ausen, Secretary Cross of Glory Trustees and Deacons Meeting, April 8 th, 2018 Jerry Morstad called the meeting to order. The meeting on Tuesday night was cancelled due to inclement weather so we are meeting on a Sunday morning before worship services. Ron Bartness, Jerry Morstad, Cathy Crowe, Kristi Thofson, Zach Jacobson, Tim Bartness, Carol Riskedahl, and Rachel Knudson were present. Rachel Knudson read the secretary s report. The minutes were approved as read. Cathy Crowe read the treasurer s report. Ron mentioned that Angela Bell contacted him regarding using Luther League funds for the youth waterpark trip. There are also funds available for campers to go to Good Earth Village. Ron Bartness made a motion to accept the treasurer s report and pay the bills as money allows. Carol Riskedahl seconded. Old Business: 1. The K class fire extinguisher has arrived for the kitchen. 2. The clock in the social hall has been replaced. 3

3. Zach is offering to help with replacing the exit signs to be compliant with the insurance company s requirements. 4. Jerry stated that he may not be able to attend the SE MN Synod convention this year since spring is late in coming and he will probably be in the fields the first weekend in May. We will pay for his spot and someone can fill in for him if he s unable to attend. New Business: 1. Carol raised an issue with helping with communion when it is intinction-style. For some helpers who need to use the handrail in going down the stairs, it is impossible to do so while holding the wine and juice glasses. We decided that on those days, one set of glasses can be put on the piano and be ready to go when the communion helper gets down the stairs. 2. We will need to schedule an outside cleanup day at some point before everyone is planting in the fields. However, since there is still snow on the ground and it doesn t look like it will melt anytime soon, we cannot plan it at this point. 3. The May joint council meeting will be held at Cross of Glory so that will give people the opportunity to look over the personage property for outside work that needs to be done this summer. Cathy Crowe made a motion to adjourn the meeting and Tim Bartness seconded. Closed with the Lord s Prayer. Rachel Knudson, Secretary Joint Council Meeting Cross of Glory & West Freeborn, May 1 st, 2018 Cross of Glory s president, Jerry Morstad, called the meeting to order. Present were: Jerry Morstad, Pat Ehrich, Becky Ausen, Cathy Crowe, Rachel Knudson, Mike Erich, Glenn Ausen, Martin Johnson, Steve Ausen, Paul Lynne, Dave Ausen, Carol Riskedahl, Zach Jacobson, and Pastor Steve. Pastor Steve led us in prayer. He also gave his pastor s report and reported on his register with funerals, hospital visits, new members, baptisms, and communion. He led worship at the New Richland nursing homes on April 12. The last Joint Council meeting was cancelled due to weather so there were no minutes to read. Open Issues: 1. Duane is going to remind the mason about fixing the east steps of the parsonage. 2. The first Sunday in June we will be switching worship times for the year. As of June 3 rd, Cross of Glory will worship at 9am and West Freeborn will worship at 10:30 am. 3. The Hartland area Memorial Day service will be held at 9 am at Cross of Glory. Paul Lynne made a motion to adjourn this half of the meeting to allow the councils to reconvene for our respective council meetings. Dave Ausen seconded. Rachel Knudson, Secretary, Cross of Glory 4

Cross of Glory Trustees and Deacons Meeting, May 1 st, 2018 Jerry Morstad called the meeting to order. Jerry Morstad, Cathy Crowe, Zach Jacobson, Carol Riskedahl, Martin Johnson, Paul Lynne, and Rachel Knudson were present. Rachel Knudson read the secretary s report. The minutes were approved as read. Cathy Crowe read the treasurer s report. Paul Lynne made a motion to accept the treasurer s report and pay the bills as money allows. Martin Johnson seconded. Old and New Business: 1. Jerry shared with us a letter from the SEMN Synod recognizing our annual contributions. 2. After discussion, it was decided to keep getting two large print Christ in Our Home daily devotionals. They are in the Narthex and anyone who needs the larger print should feel free to take one. 3. Zach reported that the youth swim park trip went well and there was a large turnout. He also stated that Wednesday night youth classes and meals went well and that we will be doing the same next year. 4. Hoelschers will be mowing the lawn again this year. 5. Due to changes of banking regulations, Linda Pederson is no longer allowed to endorse checks given as memorials so she mentioned to Cathy that her position is somewhat obsolete. When the checks are designated to us, the financial secretaries will be able to take care of it. Cathy Crowe made a motion to close the Memorial Checking Account. Carol Riskedahl seconded. Cathy mentioned she would send Linda a thank you note for all her years of service in this position. 6. It was discussed that we should move forward on changing pews to have wheelchair seating at worship and funeral services. 7. Shinefest has asked to have the church open when they are passing through Hartland on their tractor ride on the 3 rd Saturday in July. We will host morning coffee and lemonade for them. 8. As we are going to be having the early worship services this summer, there will be a sign-up sheet in the Narthex for hosting fellowship time after church. Paul Lynne made a motion to adjourn the meeting and Zach Jacobson seconded. Closed with the Lord s Prayer. Rachel Knudson, Secretary ****************************************************************************************************************************** West Freeborn Quilters The West Freeborn Quilters will meet on the 2nd and 4 th Wednesday of each month. **Sunday Coffee at West Freeborn will be ready by 9:30 a.m. starting June 3rd to coordinate with the 10:30 church schedule. Proceeds will go to Altar Guild in June, July and August. Ushers for June: CG there will not be an usher list; Communion helper: Kyle Wakefield Ushers for June: WF *Roger Bakken, Mark Evenson, Orlen Modene, Doug Jacobs, Sue Bakken Communion Helper: Pat & Mike Ehrich 5

Rachel Circle Schedule 2018 June Karen Ausen; July Ann Lynne; August Ascension Lutheran; September- Jackie Schuneman; October Pat Benson; November Ardelle Knutson Sat. morning; December Pot Luck at church Sat. morning ****************************************************** Thank You to Millie Olson for crocheting baby caps and to Kathy Spooner for making the flannel diapers and altering onesies into t-shirts for the Baby Care Kits sent to Lutheran World Relief Lutheran World Relief News 41 quilts were sent to LWR from West Freeborn 20 Baby Care Kits and 25 Health Care Kits were sent to LWR from Cross of Glory ***************************************************************** Wednesday Night Church School & Vacation Bible School News From Lacey Koopal: Lisa, Angela, Logan, and I met last eve with Pastor. We talked about what we thought went good this year and what we could improve for Church school. We plan to keep it Wednesday eves and have meals. We really liked the bonding and fellowship that sitting around the tables with the kids provided. We hope to get more help with meals and Lisa will do an online meal sign up to organize it better. We are also hoping to separate some of the classes into smaller sizes, thus, we need a few more teachers. Either part time, full time, or sub... Let us know if you are interested in teaching at all. No experience required. we have pretty easy lessons that walk the teacher through what to do which is always a fun craft. We also discussed Vacation Bible School. Tentatively we planned it for Sunday July 22nd and will run until Wed. It will be evenings to incorporate a meal again. If you're interested in helping with that, let us know! Will probably have different stations of things to do... still a work in progress. Feel free to ask questions or give input. Statistics for West Freeborn Lutheran Church: not available at print time. May attendance @ WF 5-6-18 23 5-13-18 45 5-20-18 22 5-27-18 27 6

Statistics for Cross of Glory Lutheran Church SUNDAY ATTENDANCE GENERAL FUND IMPROVEMENTS MISSIONS CEMETARY 4-29-18 42 $ 939.00 $ 50.00 $0.00 $ 0.00 5-6-18 39 1,510.00 0.00 0.00 20.00 5-13-18 34 955.00 0.00 20.00 30.00 5-20-18 39 1,285.00 550.00 50.00 950.00 5-27-18 29 670.00 0.00 0.00 35.00 TOTALS $ 5,359.00 $ 600.00 $ 70.00 $ 1,035.00 ************************************************************************************** Community Events: Friday, June 15 th Salad Luncheon at First Lutheran Church in Albert Lea. 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. (see flyer on bulletin board for more info). *Tuesday, June 12 th 77 th Annual Strawberry Social at Red Oak Grove Lutheran Church, rural Austin. (see flyer on bulletin board for more info). ************************************************************************************************** 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 Dave Ausen, West Freeborn President 863-2165 Church Office 507-845-2818 Fax # - 507-845-2732 Stacie Madson, West Freeborn Custodian 845-2501 Pastor s cell phone: 507-250-6694 Parsonage Phone 845-2825 Alvin & Cindy Morstad, C.G. Custodians- 845-2813 7

Do-It-Yourself Bible Study For our Bible study this month let s look at a passage from Luke 14. If you find this intriguing I hope that you will join others to go deeper. Jesus was a big advocate of proper behavior, and for Jesus this means how we behave in relationship to others. We may think of not pushing ahead of someone in a line, but Jesus goes much further. Read Luke 14:1-6. The Sabbath being God s chosen day of rest, the people Jesus encountered made a point of not doing any work on that day. They took this to extremes, and Jesus is often critical of this. What do you think the silence of the lawyers and Pharisees in this passage indicates? Having put helping others above resting on the Sabbath Jesus now tackles the subject of humility. This too becomes a matter of relationships, because for Jesus it means that we not think overly highly of ourselves, to the point where we willingly view others as of greater importance. Read Luke 14:7-11. In Jesus illustration, being humbled or being exalted are not our doing. It comes from the way someone else views us. No one wants to be disgraced, but how is being humble a way for a person to be loving? In Jesus day honor was of great importance, and doing good deeds for others earned you points with God. The easiest way to earn points was to be hospitable toward those who could return the favor. In that way both parties will look honorable, and earn favor with God. Read Luke 14:12-14. For Jesus, an act of generosity is not very generous if you expect to be paid back. How is Jesus recommendation to a dinner host more in line with the God that we worship?

June 2018 Cross of Glory & West Freeborn Lutheran Churches, Hartland, MN Worship times: Cross of Glory West Freeborn 10:30 a.m. Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday West Freeborn Ushers: *Roger Bakken, Orlen Modene, Mark 1 2 Evenson, Doug Jacobs, Sue Bakken Communion helper: Pat & Mike Erich Cross of Glory: Communion Server: Kyle Wakefield There is a sign-up sheet in the Narthex for Summer Coffee 3 Note time change! Service times switch CG WF 10:30 a.m. 4 Staff meeting 5 Joint Council meeting @ WF 7:00 p.m. 6 7 8 9 10 Worship at CG 10:30 a.m. Worship at WF 11 Staff meeting 12 13 Quilting @ WF 14 15 16 17 Worship at CG 10:30 a.m. Worship at WF Father s Day 18 Staff meeting 19 Rachel Circle 7:00 p.m. @ Karen Ausen s home 20 Eunice Circle 1:30 p.m. @ WF 21 22 23 24 Worship at CG 10:30 a.m. Worship at WF 25 Staff meeting 26 27 Quilting @ WF 28 29 30