Lutheran Church of the Cross - News and Notes
January 29 - February 5, 2017
Eleanor Foy, Mark Boesen, Patti Bailey, Ruby Barnack,
Blake Anderson, Roger Yundak, Betty Hornung, Don &
Rosemary Kraus, Jean Halland, Chuck Haugen, Kathy
Potter, Jim Sherwood, Jim Fogarty, Kathy Burton,
Sierra Olson (great niece of Dave & Karla Hoelmer),
Greg Arends (Boyd Maine's brother in law), Bruce
Carlson (Nancy Wangstad's brother), Alice Butler (Terri
Carter's sister in law), Bill Beck (Bob Beck's brother), Wally Evanson (father of Jason Evanson),
Russell Romeyn (friend of Tim Meierding), Lily Carey (friend of Pr. Kari), Stephanie Yundak
Castellanos (daughter of Karen and Roger Yundak), Kathy Trees (mother of Bryan Trees), Peggy
Stevens (cousin of Dave Stevens), Mark Kolstad (son of Judy & Gordy Kolstad), Patty Nelson
(mom & grandma of Tami, Tae & Nick Evanson), Paul (Debbie Rottschafer's brother-in-law)
Brandon Cram (grandson of Mary and David Cram), Ross Handahl (Don & Cheryl Karlgaard's
brother-in-law), Heidi Skaret (daughter of Ev and Shari Holland), Carl Anderson (son of Wes
and Lorrie Anderson), Damon Miller, Sterling Spicer, Shelly Bartella & Chris Holm, (friends of
Pete Mogensen), Philip and Rebecca Beardy (friends of Al and Linda Larson); deployed Chaplain
Twig Sargent (son-in-law of Bonnie & Dave Stevens), all of our servicemen and women, and
those struggling with addiction.
Please call Kari in the church office to make updates to the prayer list.
Are you interested in helping plan LCC activities to
celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation?
Pastor Kari is looking for some interested folks to join
her in exploring and discussing some exciting
possibilities. Please contact her if you are interested!
WELCOME TO LCC!
If you are interested in joining LCC, fill out the white attendance
card that you receive with your bulletin this morning, check
"membership" and place it in the offering plate or contact
Pastor George or Pastor Kari. We look forward to hearing from
you and discussing membership. Members: if you know of
someone who is interested in joining LCC, take a moment to
visit and share contact information with Pastor George and/or
Pastor Kari!
THIS WEEK AT LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE CROSS
January 29 - February 5, 2017
Today, 1-29:
B-days: Benjamin Anderholm, Stacey Gorr, Hannah Oelke, Everett Robb
8:05
Prayer Group in Library
8:15
Jazz Worship
9:15
Coffee Fellowship
9:30
Forum - Paul #1
9:30
Sunday School
10:30
Jazz Worship
MON, 1-30:
B-days: none
1:00 Prayer Shawl Group
TUES, 1-31:
B-days: Ann Lanz, Rebecca melby, Jim Raymo, Janet Skogen
8:45 NEWSLETTER CREW
10:00 Computer Lab
1:30 Staff Meeting and Prayer
WED, 2-1:
B-days: Jorgen Erickson, Kurtis Moody, Isabelle Smith
8:00 Text Study
10:00 Gather Study
5:00 Bells of Praise
5:45 Supper
6:30 Worship
7:00 Confirmation, Lost & Found, Sr. Choir
THURS, 2-2:
B-days: William Ingram, Deb Roberts
8:30 Thursday Morning/Centering Prayer
9:30 Toning and exercise class
7:00 A.A. & ALANON
FRI, 2-3:
B-days: Randy Perkins, Mia Wolter
SAT, 2-4:
B-days: Sam Andrist, Emma Bestul, Chrisa Kraus, Madelyn Smith
SUN, 2-5:
B-days: Benjamin Anderholm, Stacey Gorr, Hannah Oelke, Evertt Robb
8:05
8:15
9:15
9:30
10:30
Prayer Group in Library
Worship w/Communion; CFM Director Installation
Coffee Fellowship
Sunday School
Worship w/Communion; CFM Director Installation
It's coming, hopefully by this fall - an update to our pictorial
church directory!!! It has been five years since we've
published one, and there have been many changes in those
five years. This directory will be a more "no frills" directory,
centering on pictures and contact information of members,
and will be updated as new members join us. Watch for
photo session appointments on May 9 - 12 from 2pm to 9pm
and May 13 between 10am and 5pm. We will also be
offering sessions on September 1 and 2. More information will
be forthcoming.
ARE YOU 55+?
This course will save you 10% on your auto insurance for 3 years.
There are no written or behind the wheel tests!
8 hour class for first time students; 4 hour refresher for repeat
students. To register for these or other classes in your area call the toll
free number below or go to www.mnsafetycenter.org
Classes at Lutheran Church of the Cross:
February 16 (4 hour refresher class, 12pm - 4pm
TOLL FREE: 1-888-234-1294
NEWSLETTER CREW WILL MEET AT 8:45AM ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 31 TO PUT TOGETHER THE
FEBRUARY CROSS CURRENTS - all are welcome - treats provided!
Join us this 2017 Lenten season for evening worship,
"The Fifth Gospel - Your Faith Story."
Ash Wednesday is on March 1 this year, with the Youth Baked
Potato Supper starting at 5:45, followed by worship at 7:00.
Our Wednesday night schedule will be adjusted during Lent:
Soup Suppers will be from 5:45 - 6:45, followed by Lenten Worship at 7:00. Please look at your calendar and sign up to help
at one of the suppers - sheets will be posted soon.
Palm Sunday Worship is on April 9, at 8:15 and 10:30.
HOLY WEEK WORSHIP - April 10 - 15
This year we will be having Holy Week Worship Services on Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm; Maundy Thursday and Good Friday Worship Services will
be at 7:00pm, and we will have a Holy Saturday Worship Service at 8:30am. Easter Sunday
Worship services will be at 7:00, 8:15 and 10:30am. Easter Breakfast will be served in CC
from 8:00 - 10:15am.
Lutheran Church
of the Cross
Daily Bible Reading
from Lectionary A
Monday, January 30
Ruth 1:1-18
Philemon 1-25
Psalm 37:1-17
Tuesday, January 31
Ruth 2:1-16
James 5:1-6
Psalm 37:1-17
Weds., February 1
Ruth 3:1-13; 4:13-22
Luke 6:17-26
Psalm 37:1-17
Thursday, February 2
Deuteronomy 4:1-14
1 John 5:1-5
Psalm 112:1-10
Friday, February 3
Isaiah 29:1-12
James 3:13-18
Psalm 112:1-10
Saturday, February 4
Isaiah 29:13-16
Mark 7:1-8
Psalm 112:1-10
TODAY, February 5, February 12
"Meeting the St. Paul You Never Thought You'd Meet"
A series of three forums - Rev. Dr. George Martin
The questions that Pr. George will be posing are:
1. What if the story of St. Paul hasn’t been told
correctly?
2. What if we’ve been given the wrong picture of this “least of
the apostles”? (1 Cor. 15:9)
These questions have shaped Pr. George's seven-plus years
reading the work of serious Pauline scholars. He is working on a
book that relies solely on Paul’s letters, because in those letters
there is an amazing amount of autobiographical material.
This series of forums will discuss the inconsistencies between what
Paul tell us and what is found in the book of the Acts of the
Apostles, which is usually assumed to be reliable. In the brief time
we have you will learn about Paul’s name, his strong mutual
ministry with women, what kind of trade he had, and the reasons
the Roman government wanted him arrested.
On Sunday, February 26 we
will be remembering the
baptisms that we celebrated in 2016 at LCC. This is
also Transfiguration Sunday, when we celebrate the
revelation of Christ's glory. All families of those
baptized in 2016 will receive a special invitation letter;
names of those baptized will be read during the prayers at worship services and a candle will
be lit in remembrance of the loving and life-giving promise of grace and salvation from God
that was ignited during the sacrament of baptism.
Children and Family Ministry News:
Join us on February 5 - we are hosting a
HALF RALLY DAY celebration,
"Continuing to Grow in the Lord!"
During worship services, we will install
our new Director, Kari Erickson.
At 9:30 we will meet in the Treehouse for
opening, then move to Celebration
Center for a family activity and treats.
Please join Pastor Kari and Kari Erickson for
a First Communion Retreat on Saturday, April 1.
We will gather at 11am, enjoy lunch together, and then start our workshop,
where we will be learning, discussing, bread baking, banner creating and more!
We will wrap up no later than 3pm.
Open to all kids grades 2 through 5, even if you've already taken
communion (all kids must be accompanied by a parent or two).
Just fill in the RSVP postcard you received and pop it in the mail as soon as you can, or contact
Pr. Kari or Kari (we know, confusing - blame our mothers!!).
Pr Kari: [email protected] ; 961-2013 Kari Erickson: [email protected] ; 963-2564
Zach's Blurb
Luther Crest Bible Camp
Camp Brochures are here! Pick one up and an informational letter from me too outside his office door. Early Bird deadline is February 14th.
Free Skiing
On Sunday 2/12 ANYONE can receive a free lift ticket at Ski Gull if they bring any church
bulletin! I will be there. (A blue marshmallow jacket with black, gray and neon board).
Let me know if you are hitting up the slopes.
Fresh Rolls!
Rolls will be served on February 5th. Thank you for your generous donations!
Dodgeball
On February 24th, we have been invited to participate in a dodgeball tournament at
Heritage Church. Let's kick some behind. More details to come. We can put together
multiple teams.
CREATION CARE GREEN TIP
The USDA Economic Research Service calculated that in 2010, almost one-third
of the 430 billion pounds of food available for consumption at the retail and
consumer levels in the United States was lost. It didn’t go missing—food loss is
defined as the amount of food “available for consumption” (that is, food
produced for people to eat excluding exports and non-edible parts such as
bones or pits) that is not consumed. This amounted to 133 billion pounds of
food—valued at $162 billion dollars—that were grown, harvested, and brought
to places like grocery stores, restaurants, concession stands, schools, and
homes, only to be lost to such factors as mold, pests, and waste.
When food loss occurs, it isn’t just a loaf of moldy bread going in the trash, or the leftovers from dinner being
scraped into the garbage—this loss has a ripple effect on the environment. Behind that food is all of the time,
labor, water, gasoline, and fertilizer used to produce the food and bring it to consumers, so when this food is
not consumed, the nutrients, water, fuel, and time and energy used to create the food are also wasted.
Globally, food loss is contributing to the estimated loss of more than
260 trillion gallons of water per year, or enough to fill Lake Erie
about eight times. More locally, EPA estimates that in the United
States, more food reaches landfills and incinerators than any other
single material in our everyday trash. Once in a landfill, the nutrients
from this this organic material are trapped, and unable to return to
the soil. As the food rots, it emits methane gas, a greenhouse gas
with an impact on climate change more than 25 times greater than
that of carbon dioxide.
From: "$162 Billion Dollars of Food Loss a Year, says USDA,"
http://greenlivingideas.com/2017/01/16/162-billion-dollars-of-food-loss-a-year-says-usda/
We are a church that believes God is calling us into the world —
together.
Join Al and Linda Larson at Luther Crest for a special event. Your
invite and registration form to the annual three state event is
attached. It’s from lunch on Friday, February 3rd
through lunch on Saturday, February 4th, 2017
at Luther Crest Camp at Alexandria, MN. The focus of this event is climate
change. Our keynoter is Ryan Cumming, the ELCA Director of Hunger
Education. We’ll have great sing-alongs, synod reports, and news from
Lutheran Advocacy, Lutheran World Relief, Bread for the World and the
ELCA Hunger Program.
You will find out what WE can all do on the global level and right in this
congregation! Registration forms available in the narthex.
Come for the inspiration and information!
LCC's
Lenten
Guide
An invitation from Pastor George:
I learned from a spiritual director that there exists not four gospels, but at least five. We know the
gospels written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, but this wise priest asked, "What about your
gospel story?" He said, "It's the one with your name attached to it!"
At first, I said to myself, "The Gospel of George??" (I added the question mark…) Then I was
reminded that in all of the four gospels, the disciples are the ones who stumble, who question,
and even (like Peter) run away. A gospel story isn't about one spiritual success after another. It's a
story of a journey of faith, and often involves twists and turns, getting lost and then being found,
having to learn new things, and having to un-learn some things that were never even true in the
first place.
Would you be willing to tell part of your faith story? Perhaps tell of an event that happened to
you….or tell about a book you read, or a sermon you heard that impacted you. Maybe you
stumbled into a church when you were hurting or hungering for something, and there you found
hope or a new friend that made all the difference. Have you gone on a retreat or attended a Bible
camp that inspired you?
Pastor Kari and I are looking for a number of people in our church to write a story of discovery; or
maybe a narrative of a time of wandering away from the church and then returning. Whatever it
is, it should be understood in the context of the God who will never let us go, and who always
follows us, even in the darkest of times - with grace, mercy and forgiveness. You are invited in
about 150 words or less to share a story (or even a poem) of your faith walk.
Please submit these writings to us through the church office ([email protected]) by February 15,
2017. The stories will be published in a small booklet that will become our Lenten guide for daily
personal prayer and reflection.
------------------------------------------
please detach and place in offering plate
YES! I'll compose an entry for LCC's Lenten Guide 2017
NAME: _______________________________________________________________________
Email: ________________________________________________________________________
Pastor George will be hosting
A Lenten Bible Study in March
featuring the book of Galatians.
These study groups will meet on Tuesdays at 7pm
and on Wednesdays at 1pm,
March 7 through March 29.
Starting right after the first Sunday of Lent, Pr. George will be
offering a five week series taking a serious look at Paul’s letter
to the Galatians. This letter has some amazing autobiographical comments by Paul about his calling to be the apostle to the gentiles. He didn’t write this letter sitting
calmly in his study thinking about a careful structured argument; instead he was upset with some people
causing trouble within the churches in Galatia. Our reading of Galatians will challenge some of the typical readings which suggest that Paul was hostile to Judaism. What we’ll discover is Paul’s revolutionary
understanding of the inclusion of gentiles into the story of Christ.
There is no charge for this study but we do ask that you pre-register by sending an email to
[email protected] or calling 218-963-2564.
Norwegian Reciprocal Troop Exchange (NOREX)
This is an opportunity for LCC families to partner with Camp Ripley and Norwegian Youth Soldiers who will be visiting our area on Feb. 17 - 19. This Buddy Weekend was established so
that Norwegian soldiers could experience American culture and food with a Minnesotan host
family. By sponsoring one or more Norwegian Youth Soldiers you are participating in a unique
and rewarding program of international exchange that provides lasting friendships and
experiences. Although not required, homes with high school and/or college age children are
encouraged to be hosts for the 18 - 20 yr. old Norwegian soldiers. Accepted host families will
receive a selection letter with more detailed information.
The Norwegian Home Guard Soldiers are staying at Camp
Ripley, Minnesota National Guard’s premier training center.
They will be conducting winter training operations with the
Minnesota National Guard and will be participating in
multiple training exercises. If you are interested in hosting
a Norwegian soldier, please contact Brad or Jen Henry they have participated in this program and highly endorse
this experience! Contact them for more information at
[email protected]
Attention men of LCC: the 2017 NEMN Men's Retreat
will be held on February 17-18 at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Baxter.
Registration is requested by February 14 and is
$30 for first time attendees and $40 for repeat
attendees. Brochures are available in the narthex,
or see Pastor George for more information.