Youth News
Food
Shelf at Riverside—all people are encouraged to bring staple
items to the shelf. March is considered Food Share Month in
Minnesota.
______________________________________
Lake of the Woods Bible Camp
Summer
2008 theme! Jesus told many parables throughout His
ministry and this summer we are going to dive deeper into a
few of them. By studying these parables we are going to
look at the justice of God and be challenged in our faith
and our actions in the world we live in today.
2008 Schedule for Lake of
the Woods Bible Camp
June 22-27
Elementary Classic (4-5)
July 6-11
Middle School Classic (6-7)
July 13-18
Elementary Classic (4-5)
July 20-22
Elementary Mini (2-3)
July 23 Half
Pint Day (K-2)
July 24 Half
Pint Day (K-2)
July 27-Aug. 1 Junior
High Classic (8-9)
Sept. 21
Elementary Gathering for Conferences 1 & 2
Sept. 26-28 Men’s
Fishing Weekend
Early Bird registration—when you
register for youth programs prior to March 17th,
weeklong and half week campers will receive a gift of
canteen money.
Registration forms available at each
church—deposits are non-refundable. Register for the grade
that the camper will be starting for the 2008-2009 school
year.
Financial aid available from each church council or women‘s
group:
Bethesda – will pay one-half of total cost per camper
Pine Grove – will pay one-half of total cost per camper
Riverside – deposit paid by camper, balance paid in full
Here is a fantastic deal! Sign
one child up for a program at Lake of the Woods Bible Camp
at full registration fees, and get a second child (who has
never been to camp) for only a $150.00 registration fee.
Follow instructions in camp brochure.
______________________________________
News:
LUTHERAN SOCIAL
SERVICE – LSS
Lutheran Social Service in partnership with the community of
Roseau provides senior meals to people 60 and older living
in and around the Roseau area. These meals are served daily
at the Four Seasons Senior Center.
The meals are served at
11:45 AM. The senior diners coming to the center can enjoy
time together while enjoying a nutritious meal. Milk and
dessert are included with every meal. Meals on Wheels are
also available for seniors that find it hard to get out of
their home and come to the senior center. If you are
interested in joining the group for a meal or having a meal
delivered, please contact the dining manager, Tammy at
463-1331 for more information.
LSS asks a confidential
suggested donation of $3.50 per meal, but no one is refused
a meal based on their donation. Lutheran Social Service is
funded in part with federal funds under contract with the
Minnesota Board on Aging and the Land of the Dancing Sky
Area Agency on Aging as a part of the Older American Act.
If you, or someone you know
may be interested in learning more about the LSS Senior
Nutrition Program or if you would be interested in learning
how you can volunteer to help the program continue, please
contact Tammy at the number above, or call the Moorhead
office at 1-800-488-4146.
______________________________________
Pine Grove Centennial – June 21-22, 2008
Centennial Committee will meet Sunday, August 12, 2007 at
4:00 pm at Pine Grove.
Who: Pine Grove Congregation
What: Picture of congregation for centennial
booklet
When: Rally Sunday in September (date in Sept.
newsletter)
Where: Outside of church, weather permitting
______________________________________
Pray
for our parish military
Parents
Terry Englund
Venessa Englund
Daniel Skime
Tim and Ulrike Skime
Georgia Jesme Mitchell
Curtis and Mary Ann Jesme
Luke Lisell
Dwight and Becky Lisell
Travis
Anderson Dan and Shireen Anderson
. If you know of additional
names, please call the church office at 425-7782.
Our Parish Military Addresses
PV2 Daniel Skime
CPT Luke Lisell
C Troop 3-4 Cav
1121 Old FM 440, Apt. 5-104
FOB
Sykes Killeen TX
76549
APO AE 09351
CW2 Travis
Anderson
MSGT Georgia (Jesme)
Mitchell 3rd AVN BDE 31D
MNFI C2/C1OC/C2X/DOCEX
2/3 B CO. CAB
Camp
Slayer Unit
43403
APO AE
09342-1400 APO AE 09322-3403
Remember with thanksgiving the people who serve in the
military. We remember him whose love includes people of all
nations—our Lord Jesus who gave his life for all of us.
______________________________________
Subscribe to E-notes
Grace Matters, the ELCA’s
radio ministry, has a brand new way to keep you up-to-date!
It’s the Grace Matters E-note delivered weekly to
your electronic inbox. The E-note is short and sweet with a
preview of the next week’s guest and important links. The
E-note also shares what people are saying about Grace
Matters:
“We enjoy Grace Matters as
we drive to church on Sunday morning. We like the guests
and the thought-provoking messages. Thank you!”
“I call your program my ‘iPod
friend.’ I plan on Grace Matters once a week as I
take my morning walks. As far as I am concerned, Grace
Matters is the most meaningful, religious radio on
today’s airwaves. The format is fast, refreshing, deals
with current situations and certainly insists that grace
matters. Keep up what you are doing. Your work is
excellent!”
“Thank you for your program on
immigration. I appreciated your message following the
interview about how Christ and the early church welcomed
those ‘outside’ the culture and border. Thank you, for
tackling what should not be such a hot topic.
See for yourself! Subscribe to
E-note at
gracematters@elca.org or on the Web at
www.gracematters.org
Reprinted from
Seeds for the Parish
____________________________________________
A Message from our Parish
Nurses
Dear Family and Friends,
Greetings in the name of our
Redeemer and great Physician! May is a month full of
activities and celebrations. There are Confirmations, First
Communion and graduations, Mother’s Day and National Nurses
week. During this very busy month, I would like to share
some thought with you on the Healing Ministry of the
Church.
What Does the Word
“Healing” Really Mean?
Healing refers to much more
than the treating of disease and disability. Actually the
root of the word “heal” means wholeness. As
Christians, we believe that wholeness has our relationship
with God as the center and it involves harmony or balance
among all dimensions of our life. Healing actions are
characterized by (1) reflecting Jesus’ ministry (2)
promoting wholeness and peace (3) relating between the
person helping and the person hurting (4) sharing of self,
and (5) attending to specific human needs.
What is the Healing
Ministry of the Church?
In the old Testament we read
about God’s healing actions, “But He was pierced for our
transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the
punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His
wounds we are healed” (Is. 53:5). During His life, Jesus
devoted much of His time to healing physical, emotional and
spiritual brokenness. In addition, His charge to the New
Testament Church included Preaching, Teaching and Healing
(Mt.10:7,8; Mt.28:19,20; Mark 16:18).
The ministry of health and
healing is central to the life of the church. Many
traditional church activities are rooted in a ministry of
healing. God has given us Baptism and Communion, His Word
and Liturgy, and Christian Fellowship as gifts of healing!
In addition, all Christians are called to live lives of
peace, mercy and healing (James 1:27).
How Can We Lead Healing
lives?
In order to live healing
lives, we must first be grounded in a living relationship
with Jesus Christ and be responsive to our own spiritual
needs. Second, we can grow in sensitivity to the
struggles and sufferings of others. God enables us to
live a life of kindness, compassion, gentleness and patience
(|Col.3:12). Third, we can make ourselves present to
people who are suffering. Fourth, we can try to help
others find meaning and peace in their suffering.
As your Parish Nurse, I very
much would like to share a ministry of health and healing
with you. If there is anything I can do to assist you,
please call me. I pray that we may all be comforted with
these words of promise, “…I will bring health and healing to
it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant
peace and security” (Jer.33:6).
(Material adopted from
Health Ministries I.C.A.R.E. Inc., 1998)
Parish Nurses: Becky Lisell,
424-7116
Donna Johnson, 425-7330
Elaine Billberg, 425-7296
Blood Pressure Screening
is Sunday, May 18th following worship
_____________________________________________
Area Blood Drives
Thursday, May 8, 7:30 AM –
1:30 PM – Grygla Community Center
Call for appointment:
Ralph Rundell, 294-6177
Sheldon Peterson,
294-6176
Tuesday, June 10, 1:00-6:00
PM – at Riverside Church,
sponsored by Wannaska Lions
Call for appointment:
Dean Brateng, 425-7529
Donna Wensloff,
425-7582
__________________________________________
Caring For A Loved One With Alzheimer’s Disease
Roseau Awareness and Support Group can help. Meetings are
on the second Wednesday of each month at the Roseau Masonic
Lodge across from the clinic. Learn tips and caring
techniques and the comfort of knowing that you are not alone
in this journey of Alzheimer’s Disease.
For
more information contact: Jill Wulff, 425-7401
Paula
Peterson, 463-2833
__________________________________________
What’s New on the World Wide Web
ELCA
Videos available on Google Video and You Tube
With
more than 100 million videos available and some 72 million
visitors viewing the site each month, You Tube is the
hottest site on the Web since the founding of Google
in 1998.
You Tube, which came on the Web scene in February 2005,
is a consumer media company that provides original videos
for public viewing via the Web. Along with Google
Video, these popular Web venues represent an affordable
option for spreading the church’s message.
ELCA
videos are now available at both Google Video and
You Tube. The ELCA has posted 87 videos in past 6
months, says Tim Frakes, associate director for public
media, ELCA Communications Services. Since then, the posted
videos have been viewed over 120,000 times and downloaded
4,145 times.
To
view ELCA videos such as The ELCA in Chile, the 2006
Synod Assembly video ELCA Identity, and the Story
of the ELCA, simply go to video.google.com and
type “ELCA” into the search box. Search results will yield
videos from the churchwide offices as well as individual
congregations.
“With new video distribution systems like Google Video
and You Tube, congregations can distribute their
videos and target their audiences in a cost-effective way,
in a way that they have never been able to do before,
“Frakes said. “You can take your production, whether it’s a
sophisticated marketing video or just a portion of the
Sunday sermon, upload it and target it to a specific
audience that has access to the Web,” he said.
While Google Video restricts the posting of
pornographic and graphically violent videos, congregations
should be aware that they are posting to an uncensored
public marketplace, Frakes said. “It’s important to
understand that this isn’t sanitized, and if you’re going to
put your message out there it’s going to be out there in the
open marketplace, so you can’t be shocked by that. In fact,
you need to celebrate it,” he added. “That's what Jesus
did, he went to where people needed to hear the gospel, and
this is a way we can do that more effectively than we have
in a long time. We can go right to where people are.”
Although he is NOT offering technical support Tim Frakes is
available to supply more information at 773-380-2962 or
Tim.Frakes@elca.org
Reprinted from Seeds of the Parish
______________________________
“Ever wondered about the
ELCA?
Who’s in it?
How did it come to be?
What do the initials stand
for?
Wonder
no longer. Here are some fun facts found on the website of
the ELCA (which stands for Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America).”
Factoids about the ELCA
-
The oldest active ELCA pastor is 84 years old.
-
The pastor who has been in the same call the longest has
served the same congregation for 52 years. The
pastor is 80 years old.
-
The ordained woman who has been in the same call the
longest has served in that call for 31 years.
-
86.1%
of ordained women with calls are serving in
congregations. 83.1% of ordained men with calls
are serving in congregations.
-
The active pastor ordained the longest has been ordained
57 years.
-
The oldest ELCA congregation was founded in 1649.
-
The largest congregation has 13,894 baptized
members.
-
The fastest growing congregation grew by 697
baptized members last year.
ELCA Quick Facts
àThe
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America resulted from a union
of three North American Lutheran church bodies: The American
Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran
Churches and the Lutheran Church in America.
àThe
three churches agreed to unite in 1982. They formed a
70-member Commission for a New Lutheran Church, which
planned the merger. The plan was approved by church
conventions in 1986, and the ELCA constituting convention
was held April 30-May 3, 1987, with the church actually
beginning operations on January 1, 1988.
àThe
ELCA meets in assembly every two years; at its 2001
Churchwide Assembly it elected its third bishop, The Rev.
Mark S. Hanson, who will be eligible for re-election at the
2007 Churchwide Assembly, to be held August 6-12 in Chicago.
MEMBERS:
-
Baptized Members: 4,850,776
-
Communing and Contributing Members: 2,256,700
-
Congregations: 10,549
-
Synods: 65 in nine geographic regions
______________________________________
Lutheran
Social Service
Lutheran Social Services sent a letter
recently thanking our congregations for their financial
support. LSS uses contributions from congregations and
synods to give hope to thousands of people each year.
Anyone who’d like to know more about LSS can visit
www.lssmn.org. Currently, LSS is working on an
effort to ensure that every child and youth in Minnesota has
a safe, supportive place to live by 2015. If you would like
to participate in this effort, contact Kirsten
Anderson-Stembridge at 651-969-2354 or
kanderso@lssmn.org.
_____________________________________________
GRACE MATTERS
The radio ministry of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
can be heard on Warroad station KKWQ
92.5 at 10:00 a.m. Sundays or find it on the web page
www.gracematters.org
______________________________________
Membership Transfers
– Welcome!
The
Parish welcomes these persons into the membership of the
Wannaska Lutheran Parish and into our fellowship in the
Gospel.
______________________________________
WEDDINGS
______________________________________
BAPTISMS
______________________________________
FUNERALS
Riverside
ANNA PALM
Birth: July 3, 1915
Death: April 16, 2008
Service: April 19,
2008 at Riverside
Interment: Palmville
______________________________________
Transfer Out
______________________
Ongoing Fundraiser: Empty
computer inkjet cartridges can be dropped off at Riverside.
Youth Group is reimbursed at least $2.00 per cartridge from
Empties4Cash.
______________________________________
Peter’s Travels on DVD
The
ELCA recently produced a DVD movie on the life and travels
of the Apostle Peter, and sent a copy to every
congregation. It’s presented by Rick Steeves, who is a
travel guide on television, and who happens to be Lutheran.
The DVD can be found in each congregation’s library. Go
ahead and borrow it!
______________________________________
Men’s Gathering in Omaha
This
summer, the men’s ministry of the ELCA will host a
nationwide men’s gathering in Omaha, August 1-3, open to any
men of the ELCA. Speakers will include former Nebraska
football coach Tom Osborne. Dakota Road and Peter Mayer
(lead guitarist for Jimmy Buffett) will lead the music.
Early registration is just $100 for one man and $75 for
three or more men. Any men interested in attending or
learning more may visit
http://www.elca.org/lmm or talk with Pastor
Koch.
Lutheran Men Gathering in August
Men
from throughout North America will attend the Coming of Age
Lutheran Men’s Gathering in Omaha, Nebraska, August 6-8,
2008 not just to celebrate, but to secure the future of this
ministry.
The
Gathering’s “Coming of Age” theme has a two-fold meaning.
One implies LMM’s emphasis on youth and the opportunities
afforded for all to build inter-generational relationships.
The other embodies the ministry’s maturity and
self-reliance.
Conceived to bring men of all ages into a deeper
relationship with God, the event will not only feature
prominent speakers and musicians but will also offer the
attendees opportunities to serve and play. For more
information and to register for the event, visit
http://www.elca.org/lmm
or call 800-638-3522, ext. 2595.
Reprinted from Seeds for the Parish
______________________________________________
Northwestern
Minnesota Synod – CONNECTIONS
Healthy congregations accept differences
By
Bishop Lawrence Wohlrabe (This is the first in a
year-long series on
the marks of a healthy congregation.)
Perhaps you’ve seen these
Signs of a Healthy Church in a newsletter:
·
People are
constantly expressing disagreement, and they do it right out
in the open.
·
New groups
keep cropping up and bumping into each other over schedules
and competing overvolunteers.
·
The kids are
noisy and all over the place, including during worship.
·
The hymnals
are wearing out, the coffee hour is crowded and noisy, and
the electric bill is over budget.
Is that how you’d describe a
healthy church? Most of us want our congregation to
be safe, secure, serene. A good annual meeting is short and
sweet-without any tensions or disagreements. “No problems
here,” we say. “We never have any differences of opinion.”
But does that really
describe congregational health? No! A church without
differences of opinion has probably lost its passion for the
gospel. A congregation that never has squabbles may well be
a community whose zeal for Christ’s mission has been slowly
extinguished. Peter Steinke, a pastor and counselor who has
studied how congregations are like family systems, declares
that the first mark of a healthy congregation is not the
absence of differences, but rather the ability to accept
differences. In a healthy church people constantly
express disagreement, and they do it right out in the
open-without allowing their differences to separate them
from one another.
The Book of Acts and
Paul’s epistles (especially the letters to the Corinthians)
hint that right from the start Christians have had
differences with one another-differences expressed rather
openly. How should we care for our widows? How can we best
welcome and receive the gifts of Gentiles, slaves, women,
and other marginalized folks? What’s the proper way to
worship and celebrate the Lord’s Supper?
Sometimes our differences
concern central matters of faith. Mostly, our differences
have to do with lesser things-and we can too easily get
drawn into destructive, distracting conflict.
Pete Steinke urges us to
reflect on the source of our differences with one
another. He believes that many of our differences arise
because of the tension between our need for separateness
and our need for closeness. We’re always trying to
balance these needs in our life in the church. We need to
identify ourselves, to be clear on what makes us unique
wondrous creatures of God (separateness). But we also need
to be in relationship with one another as God’s children
(closeness).
When a healthy
congregation accepts differences,
·
Church members
don’t paper over or smooth off differences.
·
Disciples
recognize how the natural tension between our needs for
separateness and for closeness bring differences to the
surface.
·
In times of
disagreement, persons speak for themselves-openly, directly
and respectfully. They define themselves while remaining
connected to all their brothers and sisters in
Christ.
·
Church members
understand anxiety. They find ways to respond thoughtfully
rather than simply reacting automatically when anxiety rears
its head.
The first mark of a healthy
church is that people are constantly expressing
disagreement, and they do it right out in the open.
But what else would you expect from a community whose life
is centered in the reconciling Cross and future-opening
Resurrection of Jesus the Christ?
Some questions for reflection and discussion:
·
How does your
congregation deal with differences?
·
Think of
someone you know who is good at dealing patiently and
creatively with anxiety. What does this person do to help
keep anxiety in check?
·
What could you
do to help your congregation grow in its ability to accept
differences.
_____________________________________________
Make Better Connections
Leadership training event for congregational council members
in the NW MN Synod is on Saturday, March 8, 1:00-5:00 PM
at Trinity Lutheran, 325 Horace Ave. N., Thief River Falls.
Workshop leaders are Bishop Larry Wohlrabe and Pastor Keith
Zeh. The cost is $5.00 per person. If you plan to attend,
notify your council president, as reservations must be made
with the synod office.
_____________________________________________
Bible Study Helps Youth Connect Life and Faith
Have
you ever wondered how to help young people better understand
their daily life and world events in the context of faith
and scripture? Faith Lens, a free online weekly
Bible study for youth can do just that
http://www.elca.org/faithlens
Faith Lens is posted every week on the ELCA Youth
Ministry Web site and connects a current news story in the
world with the lectionary texts for the upcoming Sunday.
The format includes a summary of a current news story,
discussion questions, a reflection on the Gospel text,
suggested activities, prayer and links to related resources.
ELCA
Youth Ministry’s Faith Lens is designed for senior
high age youth but is adaptable for young adults and adult
groups. You can even write your own Faith Lens when
big news is breaking close to home. “Create Your Own Faith
Lens” (http://
www.elca.org/faithlens/createyourown.html )
provides you with some “how to” tips and links to different
news sources.
You’ll find a new Faith Lens posted online each week
throughout the year. It’s usually accessibly by Tuesday and
is written by a different writer each week. A print-ready
(PDF) version is also available and you can send the current
Faith Lens study to other leaders and congregations
by using the links at the top of the page.
_____________________________________________
Minnesota Food Share—March Campaign
The Minnesota FoodShare March
Campaign is on. The local food shelf needs your help once
again this year to raise food and cash so it can continue to
make sure that no family in the community goes hungry. In
2007, we reached our goal of 9 million pounds and dollars
with the help of thousands of congregations all around the
state.
Donations of staple items can be
brought to each church. These items will be delivered to
the local food shelf the end of March.
______________________________________________
Care for Families of Deployed Military
We express our deep concern, love, and
care for our troops in many different ways. We
send them care packages, letters, Bibles, pictures,
and e-mails. We tell them that they are missed and that we
pray for them.
But what about the families and friends
who wait at home?
Throughout the ELCA there are mothers
and fathers, sisters and brothers, spouses, children,
extended families, and close friends of the troops.
For some there is greater
responsibility and more work, which adds to the feelings of
anxiousness. All the child rearing, bill paying, housework,
and problem solving, now fall on their shoulders. Finances
are tight, on top of the stabbing worry, the throbbing
headaches, the addiction to the television, and the weight
loss (or gain) that results from a spouse, child or
grandchild having gone to war. All this while the children
of soldiers act out in school, suffer from anxiety attacks,
and cry themselves to sleep.
How can we as individuals and as
congregations help the families and friends of our deployed
military? The following are a few suggestions for
consideration.
§
Invite family to dinner
§
Send a letter
§
Prayer
§
Send calling cards to troops
§
List military in newsletter (please call names
to secretary)
Resources available to help the
families of deployed troops:
At www.elca.org/peaceandwar/families
there are “tried and true” suggestions for congregations and
individuals.
At www.developmentlink.osd.mil/deploy/famil/family_support.shtml
The military has listed all the ways
you can help regardless of branch of service.
Federal chaplains can help, too at
www.elca.org/federalchaplains and read the
journal entries from chaplains who serve beside our troops.
Reprinted from Seeds for the Parish
______________________________________________
The Minnesota Department of Human
Services, Telephone Equipment Distribution (TED)
Program, provides specialized telephone equipment free of
charge, for eligible Minnesotans who are hard of hearing,
have difficulty with their speech and/or have a physical
disability. Equipment available: Phones that amplify and
clarify voices, devices that help you know when the
telephone rings, speaker phones, special equipment for
people who are deaf/blind
For questions, call 1-800-657-3663 or
web site:
www.tedprogram.org
_____________________________________________________________
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