THE
PARISH NEWS
January, 2003 Volume 8, No. 1
FROM THE PASTOR
OF KINGS AND WISE MEN
Matthew begins his gospel story telling, not only of the birth
of King Jesus, but also telling stories of other kings, and some of those
“kings” were wise men, coming from the east.
Matthew tells of the King of kings, of God’s only Son, born of Mary, in that little town of
Bethlehem, the home of Israel’s great King David. Like David, this newborn King would be called the Anointed One of
God, Messiah, the Christ.
Matthew goes on to tell of an evil, paranoid, and crafty king, Herod the Great. When Herod
hears that there is a potential threat to his throne and kingdom from an infant
child, born in Bethlehem, he tries to recruit some visiting wise men to report
to him what they find. When that
failed, he gave the command to have all the children of Bethlehem, aged two and
under put to death. Thus, history
records the Bethlehem Massacre.
Scholars tell us that, given the size of Bethlehem at that time, there
wouldn’t have been more than fifteen children killed. Similar numbers of people, of children, are killed in both Jewish
and Palestinian towns today. But to the
families affected by such, it might as well have been a thousand. It was and is a horrible tragedy.
But Matthew tells this rather interesting story about three “kings” or wise men (magi) who come from gentile lands to
the east to seek out this new child-king of the Jews and to bring him homage
and tribute. They would come, not as
kings themselves, but as ambassadors of kings, kings who were, perhaps, worried
that if a new and glorious king should arise in Israel, one like that famous
King David, then it would be “wise” to come quickly, bring tribute, and sue for
peace. So it is that these Magi come,
bearing gifts.
These three are wise men also because, as advisors to their
king or kings, they are also astrologers, men who study the stars and from them
seek to know the course of future events.
And they have seen this new and brilliant star in the evening sky, a
star that seemed to be pointing to some place and event to the west of
them. They must go and see and
discover. Actually, Matthew doesn’t
tell us that there are three wise men.
We just assume that this is the number, because they brought to Jesus
three special gifts – gold, frankincense and myrrh. Some early Christian traditions had the number of wise men put at
twelve, symbolic of the twelve tribes of Israel. But the strongest tradition has been for the number of three.
Legend over time has also given these three wise men names - Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar – and with that has also come descriptions of
each. Melchior was an old man,
gray-haired, with a long beard. It was
he who brought the gift of gold to Jesus.
Caspar was young and beardless, with ruddy good looks, and it was he who
brought the gift of frankincense.
Balthasar was swarthy, with a newly-grown beard, and it was he who
brought the gift of myrrh.
The gifts given are said to have matched the expected roles
which this new King Jesus would have in his kingdom. GOLD is the gift
for a king. An ancient rule was that no one
dare approach a king without a gift, and gold was the king of metals and thus
most appropriate for a king. But Jesus,
we will discover, is not a king like other human kings. King Jesus would reign, not by force, but by
love; and He was to rule over the hearts of people, not from a throne, but from
a Cross. This King Jesus invites us to
come to Him as friend, but before we shake hands with Him as friend, we must
still remember that He is King of kings, and so must kneel before Him,
surrendering our hearts. Indeed, our
hearts is the only gift He wishes from us.
FRANKINCENSE is
the gift given to a priest, for it is in the Temple where this very fragrant incense
was used. The function of a priest is
to open the way for a person to come to God.
The Latin word for priest is “pontifex,” which means
“bridge-builder”. Jesus comes as One
who would break down the barriers between God and ourselves and take those
barriers and build from them a bridge, but it will be a bridge built in the
shape of a Cross, whereby He opened up the way for us to God.
MYRRH is the
gift given to a person who is to die. It was one of the ingredients
used in the ancient process of embalming dead bodies before burial. So it is, Jesus came into this world to
die. The artist Holman Hunt once painted
a picture showing Jesus as a young man in His carpentry shop in Nazareth. It is towards the close of the day. As the young man reaches up to stretch His
weary limbs, the sun shines through the window, casting a shadow on the wall,
revealing a man hanging from a cross.
To the side is mother Mary, with fear and dismay in her eyes as she
gazes upon the shadow of what is coming.
Gold for a King, frankincense for a Priest, and myrrh for One
who was to die. These are the gifts
that these “kings” from the east brought to Jesus. Even as they gazed upon this infant king, they foretold that He
was to be the true King, the perfect High Priest, and in the end, the supreme
Savior of all nations.
PASTOR JOHN
OPPORTUNITIES FOR HOLY COMMUNION
During these coming weeks,
members of the Parish will have the following opportunities to participate in
Holy Communion on the following dates:
January
5 – Second Sunday after Christmas
January
12 – Baptism of our Lord
Come, be blessed and nourished
at the Lord’s Table.
TRONDHJEM NEWS
TRONDHJEM
JANUARY ASSIGNMENTS
Altar Guild
Betty
Krause
Coffee Servers
January
5 – Dean & Charlotte Lukes
January 19 – Annual Meeting-Officers
Serve Pot
Luck Lunch
JANUARY CONFIRMATION ACOLYTE/USHER
ASSIGNMENTS
January 5 Daniel Jax and Cameron Kolbe
January 12 Zack Kestner and Matt Reese
January 19 Jessica Naatz and Megan Thompson
January 26 Brad Thompson and Scott Kraushaar
TRONDHJEM BIRTHDAYS
January 3 Jim Benesh, Sr.
January 9 Peggy Thompson
Kyle
Thompson
January 12 Barbara Prantner
January 13 Garrett Lukes
January 24 Emil Prantner
January 25 Jill Krause
TRONDHJEM MEMORIALS
Building Fund
In memory of Carl Dubey by Marie Belshan
In memory of Beverly Stanton by Mary Cox
In memory of Barbara Swanson by M/M Emil Prantner
In memory of Ethyl Moen by Maxine Amacher, Irene
Shatek,
Ardella Haldorson, M/M Steve Kraushaar
And
M/M Emil Prantner
In memory of Henry Oldert by Mary Cox
In memory of Lawrence Cox, Libbie Lukes, Dale and
Anna
Stanton by Mary Cox, Lee Cox and family, Gail Quam
and family
General Fund
In memory of Ethyl Moen
by M/M Jim Benesh, Sr.
In memory of Ethyl Moen by Mable Handeland
Missions
In memory of Ethyl Moen
by WELCA
Organ Fund
In memory of Ethyl Moen by M/M Dale Lukes
TRONDHJEM WELCA NEWS
The ladies have finished quilting
for this year. We exceeded the number
of quilts made over the last few years.
Several of these quilts will be given to “Victim Crisis and Nursery
Crisis” centers in Mower and Freeborn counties, “Community Action” and “Christ
Through Hands Ministry” (school for the deaf and blind). The remainder will be given to “Lutheran
World Relief”.
We have also been collecting food for the Salvation Army. We would like to thank everyone who has
donated food and quilt supplies.
A reminder that we still need donations for sewing kits,
layette items, and bars of soap. These
items will be shipped in the spring to Lutheran World Relief.
Our Family Christmas Dinner and Sunday School Program were well
attended. We all enjoyed great food and
fellowship, followed by the Children’s Sunday School Program. The Sunday School children did a great job
and everyone enjoyed their unique program.
A big “thank you” to all of our Sunday School children and the helpers
who put it all together.
We wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS and A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Submitted by Elaine Lukes, WELCA
Treasurer
RECEPTION OF NEW MEMBERS
Sandra Chapek, Cortney
Thostenson and Reed Thostenson, along with John Chapek, were received into the
fellowship of Trondhjem Lutheran on Sunday, December 15, 2002.
BAPTISM
John Edward Lukes, son of Kiven
and Cheryl Lukes, was welcomed in Christ’s Holy Church and into the fellowship
of Trondhjem Lutheran Church through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism on Sunday,
December 22, 2002.
FUNERAL
The funeral for Ethyl Moen was
held on Wednesday, December 11, 2002.
ANNUAL REPORT DEADLINE
The deadline for reports and information for
the Annual Report is January 12, 2003.
HAYWARD NEWS
JANUARY ASSIGNMENTS
Altar Guild
Noona Barnick and Gwen Hanson
Coffee Servers
January 5 Polly
Noland/Camilla Frydenlund
January 12 Dick
& Gwen Hanson/Jill Erickson
January 19 Bev
& Gene Jenson/Sally Anderson
January 26 Ginny
& Bob Hill/Stephanie & Lou Larson
Communion & Offering
Paulette
Paulson and Dean Anderson
January Confirmation Acolyte/Usher
Schedule
January 5 Miranda Garduno and Michelle Learn
January 12 Chelsea Hill and Lacy Wright
January 19 Ben Berhow and Eric Elleby
January 26 Mike Larson and Justin Erickson
HAYWARD BIRTHDAYS
January 2 Janet Iverson
January 3 Milton Kennedy
January 4 Benjamin Storlie
January 6 Keith Iverson
David
Malm
January 9 Louis Tufte
January 15 Christina Learn
January 16 Sara Westland
January 17 Mary Stanley
January 18 Dean Anderson
Troy
Habana
January 19 Bryanna Hanson
January 20 Dan Johnson
Andrew
Ladlie
Tyler
Westland
January 21 Carole Eggum
January 22 Katherine Barnick
January 23 Beverly Lunde
Joshua
VandeKamp
January 27 Amanda Westland
ALTAR GUILD
NEWS
ALTAR FLOWERS
Fresh flowers for the altar are a beautiful addition to our
worship service. If you wish to furnish
flowers, all you need to do is call the Altar Guild president, Diane Ladlie,
256-7514. The Guild will purchase and
display the flowers for you, and if you wish, will put an acknowledgement in
the Sunday bulletin. Cost of the
flowers is usually about $15. Your
generosity and support are greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Hayward Altar Guild
HAYWARD MEMORIALS
Elevator Fund
In
memory of Esther Woullard by Sally Anderson, and Camilla Frydenlund
Cemetery Fund
In
memory of Ada Westland by Doris Westland & family
Stained Glass Fund
In
memory of Ada Westland by Paul & Min Westland
General Fund
In
memory of Ethyl Moen by Lloyd & Betty Ball
A LOOK AT BUDGET AND RECEIPTS - 2002
Hayward Lutheran
Monthly Monthly Budget Total
Budget Receipts Total Receipts
January $7,779
$9,721 $ 7,779 $ 9,721
February $7,779 $7,676 $15,558
$17,397
March $7,779 $4,619
$23,337 $22,016
April $7,779
$7,381 $31,116 $29,397
May $7,779 $6,582 $38,895 $35,979
June $7,779
$6,668 $46,674 $42,647
July $7,779 $3,971
$54,453 $46,618
August $7,779
$7,260 $62,232 $53,878
September $7,779 $6,357
$70,011 $60,235
October $7,779 $7367
$77,790 $67,603
November $7,779 $5,627
$85,569 $73,230
Bryanna Rae Hanson, child of E.
Graden and Kathy Marie Hanson, was
welcomed into Christ’s Church and the
fellowship of Hayward Lutheran Church through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism on
Saturday, December 28, 2002.
JOINT COUNCIL MINUTES
December 18, 2002 – 8:00 P.M.
Members present: Pastor Malm, Steve Tufte, Vickie Storlie,
Obert Haldorson, Shirley Kraushaar, Randy Eggum, Dean Anderson, Jean Skaar,
Paulette Paulson, Steve Kraushaar and Doug Thompson, Sue Skaar, Sheldon Lukes,
Kevin Lukes and Dean Lukes.
The meeting was called to order by Obert Haldorson.
Devotions were given by Pastor Malm.
The agenda was presented and discussed. A motion was made by Dean Lukes to accept
the agenda. Steve Tufte seconded the
motion. Carried.
The Minutes from the June 2002 Joint Council Meeting were
presented by Vickie Storlie. A motion
was made by Kiven Lukes, seconded by Jean Skaar, to approve the Minutes as
printed. Carried.
I.
CALENDAR
ITEMS:
A.
Trondhjem
Annual Meeting – January 19, 2003,
Worship at 8:45 a.m., with the meeting at 10:00 a.m. with a meal
afterwards.
B.
Hayward Annual Meeting – January 26, 2003, Worship
at 10:45 a.m. with the meeting after worship and a pot luck meal to follow.
C.
Ash
Wednesday, March 5, 2003, with communion at Hayward. Lenten services at Hayward with the meal starting at 6:00 p.m.
and worship at 7:00 p.m. Maundy
Thursday service at Hayward with communion, April 17th at 7:00
p.m. There will be no Good Friday
service. Easter Services: Sunrise service with communion at Hayward at
6:00 a.m. Easter breakfast to follow. Trondhjem service at 8:45 a.m. with
communion. We will be checking with the
congregation about whether or not to have the 10:45 a.m. service at Hayward.
D.
Confirmation
Sunday will be April 27, 2003 during the regular worship service.
E.
Summer
schedule: A motion was made by Vickie
Storlie to set the summer schedule for worship at 8:30 a.m. at Trondhjem and
10:00 a.m. at Hayward, starting May 25 through August 31. The motion was seconded by Dean
Anderson. Carried.
II.
PROPOSED
COMMUNION SCHEDULE:
Pastor
Malm distributed a copy of the proposed communion schedule. Communion would be served twice a
month. A motion was made by Steve
Kraushaar to accept the proposed communion schedule. The motion was seconded by Shirley Kraushaar. Carried.
III.
PARSONAGE:
A.
Driveway: It was decided to hold off on doing anything
with the driveway for the time being.
B.
Furnace/Air
Conditioner: The furnace is original to
the house and unknown for sure how old the air conditioner is, 25+ or so. A motion was made by Kiven Lukes that the
two parishes replace the furnace and air conditioner. Motion seconded by Dean Anderson. Motion carried. The
parsonage committee will be contacted to get the quoted
IV.
PASTOR
HAGEN’S PENSION:
More information needs
to be obtained before a decision can be made and this item was tabled.
V.
PARISH
BUDGET:
A motion was made by
Randy Eggum to recommend the proposed joint parish budget at the annual
meetings of the respective churches.
Motion seconded by Dean Lukes.
Carried.
A
motion was made by Kiven Lukes to adjourn the meeting. Motion seconded by Paulette Paulson. The meeting was adjourned at 9:40 p.m.
Respectfully
submitted,
Vickie
Storlie
HAYWARD COUNCIL MINUTES
December 18, 2002 – 9:45 p.m.
Present were: Steve Tufte, Vickie Storlie, Paulette Paulson,
Dean Anderson, Randy Eggum, Jean Skaar, Sue Skaar, Pastor Malm.
Steve Tufte called the meeting to order. The agenda was discussed and approved
Secretary’s
Report:
Motion was made by Paulette
Paulson and seconded by Dean Anderson to accept the Secretary’s Report as
printed. Motion carried
Treasurer’s
Report:
Treasurer’s report was presented
by Sue Skaar. Motion made by Paulette
Paulson and seconded by Vickie Storlie to accept the Treasurer’s Report. Motion carried.
The Organ CD matures on January
11, 2003. It was decided to renew the
CD with the $10,000 and to take the interest from it and put in the Music Fund.
The Thank Offering was donated
to World Hunger.
Items To
Be Considered:
1.
Organ Proposal:
Steve spoke with Walter Hanson
about the donation he had made to the Organ Fund and his preference was that it
be used towards a new organ. The
Council has some estimates from Dewey Krueger Music regarding fixing the
organ/amps/speakers and also the cost of a new one. Paulette will contact Schmitt Music in Rochester to see if they
can put together estimates for fixing and also the cost of a new organ.
2.
Handicapped Lift
Project:
The contract has been signed and
sent to Larson’s with the addition of 3 outside outlets. There is approximately $35,000 cash for the
project at this time. Information on
what the amount of the pledges are for each year need to be obtained. The concerns from the Hayward City Council
deal with tearing up the new street.
3.
2003 Budget:
The 2003 Budget was
discussed. A copy of the proposed
budget will be included in the Newsletter that is mailed the end of December.
4.
Telephone
System:
Jim Mielke will be down within
the next couple of weeks and will be installing the system.
5.
Nominating
Committee:
The Nominating Committee
reported on who they had so far. They
are still looking for a couple of people to fill some openings.
6.
Chancel
Redecoration Project:
At the meeting on Thursday,
November 21, 2002, it was mentioned to try painting over the cloth with a cream
colored paint and to not back-light the cross, to try and get more light to the
area. The 2003 Council will assign a
group to make some recommendations on the project.
7.
Mission
Statement:
A copy of the proposed Mission
Statement will be sent out in the Newsletter, mailed the end of December.
8.
Hayward Starting
Times:
The congregation will be asked
to vote, during the Annual Meeting, on the starting time for church, either
10:30 a.m. or 10:45 a.m.
9.
Members in Good
Standing:
For the Annual Meeting, we need
to verify members who are not in good standing.
A motion was made by Dean
Anderson to adjourn the meeting. Motion
seconded by Jean Skaar. The meeting
adjourned at 10:45 p.m.
Next meeting January 12, 2003s after church.
Respectfully submitted,
Vickie Storlie
PARISH NEWS DEADLINE
The deadline for turning in
articles and calendar information for the Parish News is the 20th of each month. Thank you for your cooperation.
LIBRARY NEWS
Remember to visit the Library.
There will be some new books!
When borrowing books from the Library, please remember to sign
them out and leave the card in the box provided. Thank you!
Camilla and Edith
ANNUAL REPORT DEADLINE
The deadline for reports and information for
the Annual Report is January 12, 2003.
ADDRESS CHANGE? If you or someone you know has
had a change of address or phone number within this past year, please inform
the Church Office as soon as possible.
Thank you for your help!
PROPOSED MISSION STATEMENT FOR HAYWARD LUTHERAN
Mission Statement
We the people of Hayward Lutheran Church confess the Triune
God, and strive to follow the words and deeds of Jesus Christ.
Vision Statement
As a community of faith in Jesus Christ, we will demonstrate
care and compassion for one another and also to a world in much need. God’s Word and the Holy Sacraments are
central to our life of faith. As we
grow and are nourished by these, we will bring the good news of God’s
forgiveness, life and salvation to those around us.
A View on Aging
(by Comedian George Carlin)
Do you realize that the only
time in our lives when we LIKE to get old is when we are kids?
If you’re
less than ten years old, you are so excited about aging that you think of it in
fractions. “How OLD are you?” “I’m four and a half!”
You are
never thirty-six and a half. You’re four and a half, going on five! That’s the
key.
You get
into your teens and how they can’t hold you back. You jump to the next number,
or even a few ahead. “How old are YOU?” “I’m gonna be 16!” You COULD be 13, but
hey, you’re GONNA be 16!
And then
the greatest day of your life comes – you become 21. Even the words sound like
a ritual – YOU BECOME 21~ YESSSS!
But then,
you TURN 30. Oooooooh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk. He
TURNED, and we had to throw him out. There’s no FUN now, you’re just a sour
dumpling. What’s wrong? What changed? You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, and then
you’re PUSHING 40.
WHOA! Put
on the brakes, it’s all slipping away. And before you know it, you REACH 50…and
your dreams are gone.
BUT
WAIT!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn’t think you would! So, you BECOME 21, TURN
30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 AND MAKE IT TO 60.
Now
you’ve built up so much SPEED, that you HIT 70! And after that, it’s kind of a
day-by-day thing—you HIT Wednesday!
You get
into your 80’s, and every day is a complete cycle, you HIT lunch; your TURN
4:30, you REACH bedtime.
And it
doesn’t END there. Into the 90’s you start going backwards, saying “I was JUST
92.” Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little
kid again—“I’m a hundred and a half!”
How to stay young?
1.
Throw
out those nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the
doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.
2.
Keep
only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3.
Keep
learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let
the brain go on idle. An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. And the devil’s
name is “Alzheimer’s.”
4.
Enjoy
the simple things.
5.
Laugh
often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6.
The
tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our
entire life is our own self. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7.
Surround
yourself with what you love, whether it is family, pets, keepsakes, music,
plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8.
Cherish
your health. If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it
is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9.
Don’t
take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign
country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
10.
Tell
the people you love that you LOVE them. Do it every chance you get.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths that we
take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
