The
dictionary defines the consumer as, specifically, “one who uses goods or
services for his own needs rather than to produce other goods.” I am wondering if we have taken our
modern-day consumer mindset much too much into the church. These days we have gotten to be pretty
sophisticated shoppers. If we are really
looking for a deal on some important item, perhaps a “big-ticket” item like a
car or an appliance, or even a house, we will shop around. We will go to several stores or dealerships
and compare prices and services and what the best financing is. With other items, such as food and clothing,
we may compare prices through the advertising flyers that come to our door in
order to find the best deal.
We are now even using that form of
comparison shopping for making decisions about what community or neighborhood
we may wish to live in, what schools to have our children attend,
what hospitals or medical clinics to use, etc.
And thus, that same kind of intense consumer scrutiny carries over into
our search for what church, what congregation we may wish to attend and of
which to become members.
But all of this is predicated on that
particular consumer mindset – “one who uses goods or services for his/her OWN
needs.” That mindset then sets the
stage for how we would look at a particular
worship experience. We come into “the
Lord’s House,” not with “an attitude of gratitude,” but with that consumer
attitude that says, “OK, so how are you going to serve ME and provide for ME
today?” “What am I going to get out of
this – what’s in this for me?” With that
particular attitude, we easily begin making judgments about a particular
worship service – about the type of liturgy, the kinds of hymns used, the kinds
of instrumental music and vocal music, the type and length of the sermon, the
way the people or pastor may “act” towards us, “serve” us. Then we even get ourselves into that mindset
of “demanding” that this time of worship somehow “entertain” us.
And do we see what has begun to happen in
all of this? We have completely turned
around what the focus and the nature of our worship are meant to be. For then the focus of our worship is no
longer on that way and means by which I
am gathering with other faithful people in community to serve God and “give
worth (worth-ship” to God, but only on what all
this is “worth” to ME. Worship is meant to be our work of bringing
to God our prayer, praise and thanksgiving.
With that in mind, we should NOT be asking, “What did ‘I’ get out of
it?” but rather, “What did GOD get our of ME in this
time of worship?” or
“What am I really GIVING to God today in prayer, praise and thanksgiving?”
We
have a number of pastors and congregations these days who
are out promoting what we have come to call “entertainment evangelism”. They would probably dismiss this argument
that others and I have about the nature of worship. They would say that all that matters is that
we use any means available to us to get people into church so that they can
hear the good news about God’s love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Ah, yes, but are we not paying a terrible
price for such a strategy?
There might be a parallel in the biblical
experiences of
Next time you come to worship (hopefully
soon), think about why you are coming and about who and what is the central focus
of your worship. And isn’t it true that
the more you truly invest of yourself in giving God “worth” in prayer, praise
and thanksgiving, the more it will truly benefit you?
PASTOR
JOHN
“LUTHER”
– A NEW MOTION PICTURE ABOUT MARTIN LUTHER AND THE BEGINNINGS OF THE
REFORMATION
By the time you read this, a new motion
picture about Martin Luther will have begun showing in about 300 movie theaters
in 45 cities across the
From his dramatic encounter with God as a
young student in the midst of a fierce lightning storm to his days in
Wittenberg, nailing statements of protests and debate to the huge door of the
church, to his “Here I stand” speech before the Diet of Worms, the familiar events
of Luther’s life come alive.
Martin Luther holds a very critical place
in the course of human history. Even the
Biography Channel named Luther third among the most important people of the
last millennium. His story has remained
popular, even today, because he was clearly a man of uncommon conviction and
courage. He was a man,
who refused to compromise or to lie; one who stood up for his beliefs at great
personal risk. Jonathan Firth, an
English actor who plays the role of one of
Luther’s opponents, said, “If you don’t know anything about
Luther, the astonishing thing is that this man stood up against possibly the
most powerful institution ever, defeated it, and lived to tell the tale. That’s the most astonishing human story: He won.”
Currently this film is on the screen at
movie theaters in the
OPPORTUNITIES
FOR HOLY COMMUNION
October 5 – Pentecost XVII
October 24 – Reformation Sunday
WOULD YOUR COLLEGE STUDENT LIKE TO RECEIVE THE
NEWSLETTER?
If you would like your college student to
receive the monthly newsletter from Trondhjem and Hayward Lutheran, you may
send us their address by e-mail (hlc@smig.net), put it in the Pastor/Secretary mailbox
in the narthex or call the church office (373-8479).
THRIVENT FRATERNAL – YOUR VERY IMPORTANT VOTE
On Sunday,
November 2nd,
during the coffee hour at both Trondhjem and
If you or a family member has a Thrivent
financial product, either insurance or investment,
then you are considered a voting member in our church and county chapter, and
your vote is very essential. Sunday, November 2nd, will be a day to vote for the
county chapter leadership and also to vote for those you wish to see in place
on the Thrivent company Board of Directors.
If you have received the recent Thrivent Magazine for September, there
is a pullout section that lists the candidates for the national Board and
something about each of them. We will
have copies of these available at both churches ahead of time so that you can
make an informed decision for when you come to vote. If you are wondering if you are an eligible
voter, we can also help you with that.
Don’t forget – Sunday, November 2nd, during the morning coffee hour.
TRONDHJEM NEWS
TRONDHJEM
OCTOBER ASSIGNMENTS
Altar Guild
Shirley
Kraushaar
Coffee Servers
October
5 – Mike & Cindy Severtson
October
19 – Roger & Elna Severtson
Communion Assistant
Shirley
Kraushaar
OCTOBER ACOLYTE/USHER
ASSIGNMENTS
October 5 Zach Kestner & Matt Reese
October 12 Jessica Naatz & Megan Thompson
October 19 Brad Thompson & Scott Kraushaar
October 26 Daniel Jax & Cameron Kolbe
TRONDHJEM BIRTHDAYS
October 7 Betty Krause
Don
Chapek
October 9 Mark Brekke
October 28 Steve Kraushaar
Cameron
Kolbe
October 31 Eileen Reese
TRONDHJEM ANNIVERSARIES
October 10 Bev & Emil Prantner
October 21 Cindy & Mike Severtson
October 24 Eileen & Steve Reese
TRONDHJEM MEMORIALS
Sunday School Fund
In memory
of Raymond Lukes by Sheldon & Ruth Lukes
KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN HOSPITALIZED
Ed Prantner in
ATTENTION TRONDHJEM LADIES!!
The WELCA will begin quilting on Thursday,
October
2nd at
All Officers will meet at church Tuesday, October 7th at
YOUTH RECEIVE BIBLES
On Sunday, September 7 Ethan
Severtson and Reed Thostenson each received a Bible from
THANK YOU To
Linda Kraushaar for her faithfulness as a
Sunday School teacher at Trondhjem. We appreciate your dedication!
We
the people of
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.
OCTOBER
ASSIGNMENTS
Altar Guild
Camilla
Frydenlund, Bev Lunde, LaVonne Williams
Coffee Servers
October 5
October 12 Virginia
& Jeff VandeKamp/Audrey Cox
October 19 Steve
& Karen Sorenson/Bev Wright
October 26 Faye
Learn/Janice & John Habana
Ushers
*
Floyd Matson
Gary, Chris & Vicki Westland
Mary Stanley
Sandy Ruble
Communion and Offering Duty
Sonja Johnson
Steve Tufte
OCTOBER
ACOLYTE/USHER SCHEDULE
October 5 Julie Erickson & Lacy Wright
October 12 Louis Tufte & Hunter Gilby
October 19
October 26 Michelle Learn & Dahna Wright
October 4 Josselyn Hill
October 6 Kurt Freitag
October 7 Jean Skaar
October 11
October 12 Kaye Tufte
October 16 Eric Westland
October 17 Sally Anderson
October 18 Marlene Thompson
October 19 Todd Enderson
October 24 Gwyneth Nelson
October 26 Zachary Jensen
October 28 Steven Johnson
October 29 Lou Larson
October 8 Eugene & Elaine Flusek
October 12 Bob & Virginia Hill
October 22 Richard & Gwen Hanson
October 27 Tracy & Sue Skaar
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.
LIFT FUND
In
memory of Dale Carr
In
memory of Nora Jepson
In
memory of LaVonne Steiler
In
memory of Harold Keller
ALTAR GUILD
In
memory of Peggy (O’Neil) Gherke
CEMETERY FUND
In
memory of LaVonne Steiler
KNOWN
TO HAVE BEEN HOSPITALIZED
Paul Olson at Naeve in
Beatrice Wacholz at St. Mary’s,
Where We Are
End of Month End of Month Variance
Budget Goal Actual
Jan. $8,455 $8,186 -$268
Feb. $16,910 $13.296 -$3,613
March $25,366 $19,770 -$5,595
April $33,821 $28,535 -$5,286
May $42,277 $34,009 -$8,268
June $50,732 $45,001 -$5,731
July $59,187 $50,247 -$8,940
Aug.
$67,643 $56,483 -$11,160
Sept. $76,098 $63,160 -$12,938
YOUTH TO SERVE BARBECUE PORK DINNER
The Hayward Lutheran Youth Organization will be serving
a BARBEQUE PORK DINNER on Sunday, October 5th, following the worship
service. Free will donations will be
accepted. The profits from this dinner
will be used by the youth group for a summer trip.
NEW ADDITION AND STAINED GLASS WINDOWS TO BE DEDICATED
The new addition is nearing completion and
the Handicap Lift is ready for use. All
of the stained glass windows have now been installed as well. On Sunday, October 5th,
there will be a dedication of these new additions to our church building. Thank you to all who helped in any way with these
projects.
SEVENTH, EIGHTH,
AND NINTH GRADE SUNDAY SCHOOL TO GO TO
The 7th, 8th,
and 9th Grade Sunday School Class went to St. John’s Lutheran Home
on Sunday, September 28 and will be going again on October 26. This is one of
their service
projects. They go from room-to-room asking residents if
they would like to go to worship and, if so, they take them down to the
chapel. They stay for the worship there
and then take residents either back to their room or to the lunchroom for their
THIRD GRADERS RECEIVE BIBLES
During the Worship Service on
September 7 Mackenzie Elizabeth Berhow, McKenzie Lee Gilby, Laurel Ann
Heimsness and Tate Steven Tufte each received a Bible from
THANK YOU to the following people who have volunteered to be Sunday School teachers for Hayward Lutheran:
Pre-K – Kindergarten: Darlene
Garduno-Gilby & Cammie Tennis
First, Second & Third:
Cheryl Freitag & Colleen Lein
Fourth, Fifth & Sixth:
Kellie Anderson & Mike Larson
Seventh, Eighth & Ninth:
Pat Frydenlund & Steve Lundak
THANK YOU FROM
A letter was received from
Thank you to everyone who worked so diligently
making the quilts.
LIBRARY RECEIVES VIDEOS AND BOOKS
Marlene Thompson has given two new videos to
our Library. They are “Power In Plants” and “Journey of Life’
We have also been
given several books for our Library: Biography
of a Reformer – Martin Luther, very
inspirational and motivational. A MUST to read.
Chris Westland donated The Next Place
by Warren Hanson. This book is very
comforting for someone who has lost a loved one. Thank you to Marlene and Chris.
We invite you to come in a check out these
new videos and books as well as any others that may interest you.
WHO AND WHAT IS MARIE SANDVIK?
Many decades ago, Marie Sandvik, a very
dedicated and mission-minded Lutheran Christian, along with a dear friend and
others, made a decision to open a storefront mission to help needy people in an
old and run-down part of downtown
Over the last thirty years, that mission
was relocated to the Phillip’s neighborhood in
The Hayward WELCA is seeking your help and
support to put together some items that the mission requests from congregations
throughout the four-state area. This is
something that all of our people can join in on, whether young or old.
The Center has asked for our help with
their Christmas Shoeboxes. They need
shoeboxes and wrapping paper in which to wrap the gifts for the families. They also need items to be put into the
shoeboxes. You will find a complete list
of their needs on the TAN SHEET in this Newsletter. You may bring the shoeboxes, paper and gift
items to the church and leave them in the narthex any time BEFORE NOVEMBER
30. Thank you for your support.
LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF VAN COMING
The Lutheran World Relief Van will be at First Lutheran Church in Albert
Lea on Saturday,
October 11th from 7:30 a.m. –3:00 p.m. and Sunday October 12th
from 12:00 noon-2:00 p.m. Items requested: Light and Medium weight clothing for men,
children, and infants; sweaters and sweatshirts for men, women and children;
Quilts, layettes, health, school, and sewing kits; new soap in original
wrappers. Do Not Send: Women’s clothing, except sweaters, heavy
winter clothing, gloves, hats, shoes, socks, underwear, purses, and no clothes
with needed repairs.
All items MUST
be packed in STURDY BOXES (apple, banana, and cereal
cartons are excellent choices) and CANNOT EXCEED 40 POUNDS. Boxes must be FULL (to prevent collapsing when stacked), SORTED AND LABELED IN BOLD LETTERS according to contents, and tied with HEAVY CORD.
Thank you!!
Present: Vickie Storlie, Randy Eggum, Sonja Johnson,
Jean Skaar and Pastor Malm. Absent: Steve Tufte, Bob Armon and Sue Skaar.
Sonja Johnson presided over the meeting.
The Agenda was discussed. A motion was made by Jean Skaar to accept the
Agenda. Randy Eggum seconded the
motion. Motion carried.
Secretary’s Minutes:
Jean Skaar made a motion to accept the Secretary’s Report as printed
from the
Treasurer’s Report:
The Treasurer’s Report was placed on file.
ITEMS TO CONSIDER
A.
Calendar:
1.
Forum
Hour: ELCA Studies in Sexuality
continues for Sept. 21, 28,
and October 5th, with PART II of studies (six
sessions) beginning after that. Had
about twenty people for the first session.
Come and join us.
2.
Meeting
with ELCA Bishop Hanson. Pastors and lay
people are invited to Good Shepherd Lutheran in
3.
Rev.
Glenn Nycklemoe will be with us on Sunday, October 19th to talk
about our ELCA Fund for Leaders and ways that we can participate. He will be the preacher for services at
4.
Next
Council Meeting is on Sunday, October 26th,
5.
Synod
Theological Conference will be Nov. 2-4 at LaCrosse, WI. Keynote Speaker is Dr. Richard Jensen.
B.
Building Project:
1.
The
lift passed the State Inspection on Wednesday, September 17th
2.
Things
to finish up: Painting the lift chamber;
carpet baseboard in a couple of places; varnish oak trim on window sills;
replace ceiling tile above the steps.
3.
Restroom
and Hallway direction signs will be ordered.
4.
Thanks
to Doran & Shirley Gray for covering the cost of the tree stump chipping
and for cementing the hole. This is
completed.
5.
Louie
& Dick will see to the sod and bushes getting done outside. Louie Larson is covering the cost of that.
6.
The
carpets were steam cleaned.
C.
Sanctuary –
Chancel:
1.
Hopefully
within the next couple of weeks the chancel decorator will come.
2.
All
of the stained glass windows are installed.
3.
The
ad was placed in the Metro Lutheran for the chimes. We will see if there is any response to the
ad. If none we will look at having a
stand made for the keyboard to sit on and get the chimes tuned up.
D.
Pastor Malm shared some ideas
from a recent conference. The
information presented by Pr. Karen Soli,
E.
GOD’S Global
The congregation has received an
invitation to participate in sponsoring a missionary. There was some discussion regarding this but
no decisions were made.
F.
At their Homecoming
celebrations, October 11-12, Waldorf will have a special centennial focus. From the Association meeting last Tuesday,
congregations are invited to share a gift of $100.00 to the college in honor of
that milestone. $100.00 has been
budgeted to send to them and the treasurer will be directed to send the money
at this time.
G.
Kim Portz
Invoice:
Waiting to see if
there is a response from Kim Portz after the last letter sent.
H.
Social Hall Roof:
The company that put the roof on
the lift addition noted some issues with the roof on the Social Hall. They also submitted a quote for fixing the
roof. Randy Eggum was going to check
with Larson Contracting about having them do a roof inspection to get another
opinion.
I.
Fax Machine:
Pastor Malm did some checking on
a new fax machine. The one we have now
uses roll paper and the printing is poor quality for re-faxing information
back. Also need to make sure the
answering machine is shut off before receiving a fax or they don’t come
in. No further action taken at this
time.
J.
Dedication
Service and LYO Fundraiser:
Sunday, October 5th
will be set aside for dedicating the stained glass windows and the lift. The LYO will also be having a bar-b-que pork
sandwich dinner that day as a fundraiser for a summer trip.
Next meeting of the Council will
be Sunday, October 26th following the worship service.
Meeting adjourned at
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.
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!
DIRECTIONS
TO OUR FATHER’S HOUSE
+Make a Right onto Believeth Blvd.
+Keep straight and go through
the Green Light, which is Jesus Christ.
+There, you must turn onto the
+When you get off the bridge,
make a Right turn and Keep Straight.
+You are on the King’s Highway –
Heaven-bound.
+Keep going for three miles: One
for the Father, One for the Son, and One for the Holy Ghost.
+Then exit off onto
+From there, make a Right turn
on
+Keep Straight
and then make another Right on
+As you go on your way, Yield Not to the traffic on
+Also, avoid
+Pass up
+Also, pass
+However, you have to go down
+But that’s all right, because
AMEN11111111
TEN
REASONS WHY YOU MIGHT WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN A CHRISTIAN CHURCH
1.
Expressing
your love for God through worship.
2.
Being
grounded in tradition
3.
Having
a sense of belonging and receiving support in times of crisis.
4.
Being
obedient to God by honoring the Lord’s Day
5.
Having
a basis for moral behavior
6.
Learning
about God and spirituality
7.
Being
involved with music, drama and worship.
8.
Contributing
to others through ministry and service
9.
Finding
peers and social contacts for yourself and your children.
10.
Having
a place to share your doubts, triumphs and day-to-day experiences.
IN ALL SHOE BOXES
Winter Hat & Gloves/Mittens
Socks
Toothbrush and Toothpaste
Comb and/or Brush
Soap
Sample Size Shampoo
POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL ITEMS FOR THE FOLLOWING AGE CATEGORIES
BOYS & GIRLS – AGES 1-3 YEARS
Small Stuffed Animal/Toy
Book (preferably Bible-based)
BOYS & GIRLS – AGES 4-6 YEARS
Small Stuffed Animal/Toy (Hot Wheels, Doll)
Coloring Book and Crayons
Book (preferably Bible-based)
BOYS & GIRLS – AGES 7-9 YEARS
Toy or Game, Cars, Doll, Stuffed Animal
Coloring/Activity Book
Crayons/Watercolor Paints
Child Safety Scissors
Book (preferably Bible-based)
BOYS 10 YEARS – TEEN-AGED
Game/Small Ball
Paper/Notepad
Markers/Colored Pencils
Book/Tract/Christian Music
Deodorant
GIRLS 10 YEARS – TEEN-AGED
Game
Paper/Notepad
Markers/Colored Pencils
Book/Tract/Christian Music
Hair Accessories
Lotion/Body Spray, Deodorant
ADULT MAN
Razor/Small Can Shaving Cream
Pen & Notepad
Kleenex (Travel Size)
Gift Item, Deodorant
Tract/Small Bible
ADULT WOMAN
Pen & Notepad
Kleenex (Travel Size)
Thread & Needles
Make Up, Lotion, Body Spray
Gift Item, Deodorant
Tract/Small Bible
See the article about Marie Sandvik on Page 5 of this
Newsletter.
Please leave your contributions for these gift boxes in the
place provided in the narthex at church any time before November 30.
These boxes will be wrapped and given by the
Your generosity will be much appreciated.