THE PARISH NEWS

February 2004 Volume 9, No. 2

ACROSS THE PASTOR’S DESK……

IN THE MIDST OF IT ALL…

…..GRACE HAPPENS

It was about this time of year, some thirteen years ago, while living in Kiester, when a series of events happened in our family life that readily tempted me to want to go out and buy one of those hats or T-shirts that says “S…. HAPPENS!”

Early Wednesday morning, we awoke to the world news that the U.S. “Operation Desert Shield” had become a “Desert Storm.” The prayers that we had offered for a peaceful settlement in that earlier conflict with Iraq had not, it seemed, borne any good fruit. We were as anxious and concerned as everyone else as the machines of war began to rumble across the desert.

That Friday morning, my wife awoke with a good deal of pain and discomfort from an infection, which meant a need for a trip up town to see the doctor and get some medicine. That meant some rescheduling for me and a planned trip to the nursing home in Albert Lea for a monthly communion service for our member residents there. I was a few minutes late, but finally got to the nursing home, only to then find a message to call home for an important message. I thought that Sharon was having more pain trouble. I called home, only to discover that Sharon had received a call from my mother in Alexandria, saying that she was in the hospital. She had gone up town for a hair appointment and had slipped and fallen on the ice and broken her hip. Could I come up there and see to the care and needs of my father, who, after a stroke a couple of years earlier, was more dependent on Mom.

I quickly finished the service at the nursing home and returned home to pack and then leave as quickly as possible for Alexandria. I made some frantic calls to people to let them know that I would not be in church on Sunday and to also make arrangements for another pastor to take the worship service. I had concerns for my mother, but also for my father, who could not be left alone for any great length of time.

It was about a 250-mile trip to Alexandria, which takes more time than you wish it would in a time of crisis. I confess that I was putting the pedal to the metal to get there. When I arrived at the hospital, I found that my mother had already had her surgery to replace the damaged hip parts and was doing quite well and would have a good recovery. Having been reassured about her, I went on to my parent’s apartment and found that their next-door neighbors had volunteered to keep a watch on Dad and all was fine with him, although he was very anxious and concerned about Mom. He had been able to talk with Mom on the phone a couple of times, which helped a great deal.

Well, I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep that night, having some anxiety about my parents and all that had happened, and also having to be up a couple of times seeing to the needs of my father.

Saturday morning, about 7:30, my wife called to tell me that our son, Brian, a Junior in High School, had just been in a car accident north of Forest City. Nobody was injured, but our mini-van was a total wreck. Brian had agreed to take my place and get up early that morning to journey to the YMCA in Forest City to pick up some of our church youth who were having an overnight lock-in there with other area church youth. On his way down there, another car, which had crossed the center line, sideswiped him putting both cars into the ditch. Brian and the van ended up with the driver’s side down into a pile of snow. The other car and driver ended up in the ditch on the other side a hundred yards away. That driver, a young man, was DWI and had fallen asleep when he crossed the center line. It was truly a miracle that neither of them was injured.

Now there was a dilemma for me in needing to be in two places at the same time – to be a son for parents in need, and to be a father and husband for a wife and family in need. I needed to stay with my father until we could get him into the nearby nursing home on Monday. We didn’t think we could get him there on the weekend. I also needed to take him over to see and visit with Mom at the hospital, so he would know for sure that she was OK.

It was at this point that I was feeling like the dung was truly piling up around me and us. The shadows of this world’s darkness were becoming like thick clouds of fog rolling in around us. I found myself offering up prayers of confession; petitions for God’s forgiveness. Forgive me – forgive us – for our human failures that have allowed that multi-headed dragon of war to rear up and cause its destructions. Forgive me for not trusting you more and asking more for God’s guidance and protection. Forgive me that I am not all that God would want me to be. Forgive my self-centeredness. Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us.

It turned out that with a couple of phone calls and the fine help of the doctor and the social worker at the nursing home, I was able to secure a room for Dad at the nursing home on that Saturday. The neighbors helped me clear out things that might spoil in the refrigerator and do some other needed things there. Early Sunday morning I left for home by way of Minneapolis, where I picked up our daughter, Sarah, who had been at an event there. I actually met her at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis, where we worshipped together before heading for home. Before the service, I had to browse through the little bookstore there and what do you suppose I found? It was a bumper sticker that said, “GRACE HAPPENS!”

I took that wonderful piece of good news with me into worship that Sunday and then home with me. I celebrated God’s Grace upon us, singing the hymns and liturgy with gusto, taking part in the Sacrament, sharing the Peace with others, hearing a young black man sing so powerfully those words, “Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come; ‘Tis GRACE has brought me safe thus far, And GRACE will lead me home.”

We truly needed that marvelous good news of GRACE for the weeks to come, for the troubles did not end in those few days. That Tuesday, my wife took sick with the flu. Wednesday the other kids were home from school with the flu. Thursday, Sharon had an allergic reaction to the medicine she was taking. Sunday, while eating breakfast, I broke off a part of an upper molar.

After her time in the hospital, my mother was brought into the same nursing home room as my father for her time of recovery and therapy. Things were going well for a time, but then Dad caught a bad cold, which quickly turned into pneumonia. Soon HE was in the hospital and fighting for his life for about two weeks. He came near to death a couple of times, but then recovered enough to be brought back to the nursing home. A few days later, while being treated for a blood clot in his leg, the clot moved and just like that, Dad was gone, having died in the 81^st year of his life.

Yes, those forces of trial and suffering go on, in all kinds of ways each day and each week of our lives. None of us are immune from that dung pile that brings sin and brokenness into this world. Yet, each day, in the midst of it all, GRACE HAPPENS, God is with us, and we are not alone. About six weeks after all of this had begun, we gathered on March 9^th for the memorial service for my father and it was truly a celebration of God’s Amazing Grace in the love of Christ Jesus, and of God’s great love for the man everyone knew simply as HUB.

In these days when there seems to be more darkness than light, may the scripture lessons of Epiphany, Lent and Easter speak to us of this AMAZING GRACE OF GOD, and of his love and lose presence with us, even when we are least aware of him. For God has not forsaken us. He is ever present with us. The Holy Spirit as Counselor and Comforter is ever there. In the stillness of the storm, the Word comes to us – GRACE HAPPENS.

Pastor John

OPPORTUNITIES FOR HOLY COMMUNION

February 1– Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

February 25 – Ash Wednesday

BLUE EARTH RIVER CONFERENCE ASSEMBLY AT WELLS

On Sunday, February 8^th beginning at 1:30 p.m., the annual Blue Earth River Conference Assembly will begin at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 291 – 1^st St. SW, Wells, MN. This meeting is open to all members of our congregations. Members of the Congregation Council and the Synod Assembly Delegates are most encouraged to attend as delegates. This is an important meeting, for there will be nominations made in appointing delegates to the next ELCA Church wide Assembly scheduled for the summer of 2005. Members are encouraged to attend.

PARISH BIBLE STUDY AT HLC

Beginning on Sunday evening, February 15^th, 6:00 p.m., members of HLC and TLC are invited to gather in the Social Hall at HLC for a Bible Study focus on The Revelation to John. Through use of scripture study, video and discussion, we will take a look at this mysterious and puzzling last book of the Bible and seek to better understand what it is truly telling us that can be of value for our Christian life today. Come and join us. Bring your Bible and your willingness to learn, share and discuss.

PARISH ADVENT MEN’S BREAKFAST

A belated thanks to the men who took part in our Advent Breakfast meetings this year. The free-will offerings totaled $114.00. Of that amount, $76.00 went for food expenses and $38.00 went to the Salvation Army Food Shelf. We look forward to making this an annual Advent gathering. In other words, “Let’s do it again!”

MIDWEEK WORSHIP DURING LENT: SIGNS OF BELONGING

Our midweek worship gatherings for Lent will begin on Ash Wednesday, February 25^th. We will meet in the HLC sanctuary for worship with Holy Communion. We begin our Lenten experience as we are asked to remember – “remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.”

This year we will focus our worship reflections around a little study book by Mary Hinkle, called “Signs of Belonging – Luther’s Marks of the Church and the Christian Life.” Ms. Hinkle is an ordained minister of the ELCA and an Associate Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul.

This study is based on one of Martin Luther’s writings from 1539, in which Luther lists out seven congregational practices or activities by which Christian holy people can be recognized as we live our lives in this world. Through some very interesting New Testament stories we will seek to discover how it is that Jesus tells us where, why and how we belong. Thus, during our Lenten gatherings, we will look at these signs of belonging.

February 25 (Ash Wed.) Signs of Belonging

March 3 The Word

March 10 Holy Baptism

March 17 Holy Communion

March 24 The Forgiveness

And Reproof of Sin

March 31 The Office of Ministry

April 4 (Passion Sunday) Worship – Public

Prayer

April 8 (Maundy Thursday) The Holy Cross

April 11 (Easter) Community, Risk, &

The Presence of Christ

OFFICERS TO BE INSTALLED

On Sunday, February 8 all those who were elected to positions of leadership and those elected as delegates to other agencies, will be installed during the Worship Service.

THE CHALLENGE FOR 2004 - $1.00 A DAY

$1 A DAY. In and of itself, it doesn’t seem like much, but it adds up….. $365 a year.

$1 a day. People spend more than that for morning coffee. Youth are often given more than that for an allowance.

Let that be a minimum goal for your giving to the needs of the church for this coming year. Give a minimum of $1 a day.

Of course, if that is all that anybody gives, then income for the needs of our church programs will fall way short. Many will need to give much more than that, and they do, for they understand how great the need is and they also know how much God has blessed them. For many, it is not a hardship to give two or four times that amount, or even more. We are so thankful that we have members that have that kind of commitment and can share that kind of support.

This is all a way of reminding ourselves that every year we need to reflect upon all the ways that God has blessed us and then reexamine what our commitment and support will be to the needs of the church.

Thank you for that commitment and support for this coming year.

TRONDHJEM NEWS

TRONDHJEM

FEBRUARY ASSIGNMENTS

Altar Guild

Eileen Reese

Coffee Servers

February 8 – Kim & Annette Naatz

February 22 – Eileen Reese

FEBRUARY ACOLYTE/USHER

ASSIGNMENTS

February 1 Daniel Jax & Matt Reese

February 8 Kyle Thompson & Daniel Jax

February 15 Zach Kestner & Brad Thompson

February 29 Scott Kraushaar & Daniel Jax

TRONDHJEM MEMORIALS

General Fund:

In memory of Darlene Greibrak Hahn by Mr. & Mrs. Roger Krause

TRONDHJEM BIRTHDAYS

February 4 Maynard Johnson

February 10 Richard Kraushaar

February 16 Irene Benesh

February 17 Megan Thompson

Brad Thompson

February 26 David Krause

February 28 Ann Chapek

Daniel Jax

KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN HOSPITALIZED

Richard Kraushaar in Tampa, Florida

FEBRUARY ANNIVERSARIES

February 15 Elna and Roger Severtson

HAYWARD NEWS

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.

FEBRUARY ASSIGNMENTS

Altar Guild

Marlene Thompson & Carolyn Matson

Coffee Servers

February 1 – Bob & Ginny Hill

February 8 – Greg, Carolyn & Floyd Matson

February 15 – Jerry & Bev Noland

February 22 – Lowell, Dawn & Jenny Nelson

February 29 – Doran & Shirley Gray

Ushers

*David & Paulette Paulson

Dale & Millie Westland

Steve, Kay & Tristan Tufte

Bob & Bonnie Felt

Communion and Offering Duty

Vickie Storlie and Sonja Johnson

FEBRUARY ACOLYTE/USHER SCHEDULE

February 1 – Zoe Hill & Samantha Anderson

February 8 – Cecilia Hill & Josselyn Hill

February 15 – Julie Erickson & Lacy Wright

February 22 – Louis Tufte & Hunter Gilby

February 25 (Ash Wed.) – Chelsea Hill & Caylee Tennis

February 29 – Michelle Learn & Dahna Wright

HAYWARD BIRTHDAYS

February 2 Bob Armon

February 3 Kelly Christensen

Carol Conley

February 4 Paul Westland

Greg Matson

February 5 Dave Paulson

February 8 Paul Ladlie

Brett Frydenlund

February 9 Clayton Peterson

Chris Skaar

Kellie Anderson

February 10 James Becker

February 14 Cheryl Freitag

February 17 Sandra Ruble

Susan Hoiseth

February 18 Edith Tennis

Meta Iverson

February 19 Marlene Schroeder

February 20 Michael Hill

February 21 Steven Tufte

Joshua Enderson

Shelby Eggum

February 26 Kendall Johnson

Scott Nelson

February 27 Diane Matson

Doran Schroeder

February 28 David Westland

ALTAR GUILD

NEWS

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, Marlene Thompson (373-3895). 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 MEMORIALS

LIFT FUND

In memory of Robert Whitaker

In memory of Clifford & Olive Peterson

A THANK YOU has been received from Salvation Army for 108 lbs. of food received from Hayward Lutheran.

A THANK YOU has been received from Marie Sandvik Center, Inc. for 36 Christmas Shoe Boxes received from Hayward Lutheran.

NOTICE FO MEMBERS OF HAYWARD LUTHERAN CHURCH

The Congregation Annual Meeting will be held at HLC, in the church nave, at 11:30 a.m., following the morning worship service. Copies of the Annual Report will be available to you a couple of days before that through the mail boxes in the church narthex.

A Pot Luck meal will follow the meeting. Desserts will be provided.

HAYWARD AND TRONDHJEM JOINT

COUNCIL MEETING

Wednesday, December 17, 2003

The Joint Council meeting of Hayward and Trondhjem was held on December 17^th at Trondhjem at 7:20 p.m.

Present: Steve Tufte, Sonja Johnson, Jean Skaar, Randy Eggum, Vickie Storlie, Pastor Malm, Obert Haldorson, Sheldon Lukes, Shirley Kraushaar, Dale Lukes, Doug Thompson.

Obert Haldorson presided over the meeting.

The agenda was discussed. A motion was made by Sheldon Lukes to accept the agenda. Sonja Johnson seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Pastor Malm opened with devotions.

Secretary’s Report:

A motion was made by Shirley Kraushaar to accept the Minutes as printed of the June 18^th Joint Council meeting. Steve Tufte seconded the motion. Motion carried.

ITEMS TO CONSIDER:

A. CALENDAR

1. Trondhjem Annual meeting on January 18^th. Hayward Annual meeting February 1^st.

2. Good Earth Village Annual meeting on Sunday, February 22^nd, 2:00 p.m. at the camp lodge.

3. A list of council meeting schedules was handed out for 2004.

4. Midweek Lent Worship begins Ash Wednesday, February 25^th, 7:00 p.m. Subsequent Wednesdays = Meal at 6:00 p.m. and Worship in Social Hall at 7:00 p.m.

5. Midweek Lenten Offerings. Sheldon Lukes made a motion that the offering be equally divided between the following organizations: Albert Lea and Austin Salvation Army, Nepal Social Services and ELCA Hunger Appeal. Randy Eggum seconded the motion. Motion carried.

6. Easter Sunday Services:

Jean Skaar made a motion to have the following services Easter Sunday:

6:30 a.m. Sunrise Service at Hayward, led by youth

7:30 a.m. Easter Breakfast at Hayward

8:45 a.m. Service at Hayward with Holy Communion

10:15 a.m. Service at Trondhjem with Holy Communion

7. Blue Earth River Conference Assembly at Good Shepherd in Wells, February 8^th at 1:30 p.m.

8. Synod Assembly at Rochester on Friday-Saturday, April 23^rd and 24^th.

B. PARSONAGE:

1. Funds in the 2004 budget to redo the driveway , maybe including the apron and sidewalks.

2. Kitchen window, the center pane is fogging up and the window doesn’t latch properly. It is approximately a 4’ x 6’ window. The Parsonage Committee will be contacted about checking on prices for replacing the window and checking on the condition of other windows. This will be budgeted for 2005.

C. PARISH BUDGET:

1. The parish budget was discussed. Shirley Kraushaar made a motion to approve the 2004 Proposed Parish Budget. Doug Thompson seconded the motion. Motion carried.

D. MOTION FOR TAX-SOCIAL SECURITY PURPOSES, 2003:

Steve Tufte made the following motion: Be it resolved that Rev. John R. Malm, for the year of 2003, received compensation of $37,098.00. That of this amount $1,650.00 shall be designated as a parsonage furnishings allowance and $1,448.00 shall be designated as a Flexible Spending program for non-reimbursed medical expenses. Pastor Malm will also have the rent-free use of the house located at 203 West Street, Hayward, Minnesota, for the year of 2003, or for as long as he is pastor of Hayward and Trondhjem Lutheran Churches. Furthermore, the fair rental value of the parsonage (for Social Security purposes only), is hereby set at $300.00 per month or $3,600.00 per year.

Note: The amount of taxable income for 2003 = $34,000.00, deducting the amounts for parsonage furnishings allowance and for medical reimbursements.

The motion was seconded by Jean Skaar. Motion carried.

E. MOTION FOR TAX-SOCIAL SECURITY PURPOSES, 2004:

Shirley Kraushaar made the following motion: Be it resolved that Rev. John R. Malm, for the year of 2004, receive compensation of $38,800.00. That of this amount $1,500.00 shall be designated as a parsonage furnishings allowance and $1,800.00 shall be designated as a Flexible Spending program for non-reimbursed medical expenses. Pastor Malm will also have the rent-free use of the house located at 203 West Street, Hayward, Minnesota, for the year 2004, or for as long as he is pastor of Hayward and Trondhjem Lutheran Churches. Furthermore, the fair rental value of the parsonage (for Social Security purposes only), is hereby set at $300.00 per month or $3,600.00 per year.

Note: The amount of taxable income for 2004 = $35,500.00 deducting the amounts for parsonage furnishings allowance and for medical reimbursements.

Doug Thompson seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Steve Tufte made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Vickie Storlie seconded the motion. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Vickie Storlie, Council Secretary

HAYWARD CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING

Sunday, January 11, 2004 – 11:45 a.m.

The Hayward Church Council met on Sunday, January 11, 2004 at 11:45 a.m.

Present: Steve Tufte, Jean Skaar, Sonja Johnson, Randy Eggum, Vickie Storlie, Sharon Malm, Pastor Malm. Absent: Bob Armon.

Steve Tufte presided over the meeting.

The agenda was discussed. Jean Skaar made a motion to accept the agenda. Sonja Johnson seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Secretary’s Report:

Sonja Johnson made a motion to accept the Secretary’s report for the December 14^th meeting. Randy Eggum seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report:

The Treasurer’s report was discussed. A motion was made by Vickie Storlie to accept the Treasurer’s report. Jean Skaar seconded the motion. Motion carried.

ITEMS TO CONSIDER:

A. CALENDAR:

1. Worship, January 18^th at 10:30 a.m. in the Social Hall. Led by Steve Tufte and other members of the Council along with the confirmation class.

2. Annual Meeting, February 1^st at 11:30 a.m. with a pot luck meal following.

3. Blue Earth River Conference Assembly, Sunday, February 8^th, at Good Shepherd, Wells at 1:30 p.m.

4. Next Council meeting, Sunday, February 15^th at 11:45 a.m.

5. Lent begins on Wednesday, Feb. 25^th.

B. OTHER ITEMS;

1. Annual Meeting Agenda. The agenda for the Annual Meeting was discussed.

2. Social Hall Roof. Larson Contracting will come out and do a roof inspection.

3. Stepladder. Sonja Johnson made a motion to approve the purchase of a stepladder for under $200.00. Randy Eggum seconded the motion. Motion carried.

4. Membership Statistics. A Statistical Report for 2003 was handed out.

5. Child Care Room. Vickie Larson approached the Council about redoing the Child Care Room, which included repainting, going through the toys, shelving, etc. She would donate the supplies and the labor. Jean Skaar made a motion to accept Vicki’s proposal for redoing the Child Care Room. Vickie Storlie seconded the motion. Motion carried.

6. Confirmation Sunday School Room. A couple of the confirmation students approached the Council about redoing the Sunday School room. They were asked to come back to the Council with a plan.

7. Sonja Johnson and Vickie Storlie will help with communion and count the offering for the month of February.

Jean Skaar made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Sonja Johnson seconded the motion. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 1:00 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Vickie Storlie, Secretary

LIFT AND BATHROOM PROJECT

As the year wraps up, it seems appropriate to provide a summary as to what the final cost of the project was and how we are doing regarding the funding of the project.

At our original meetings in August and September of 2002, we had a proposed cost of $83,000 with a 10% contingency added on for a total project cost of $91,000. With the project completing this fall we had a final cost of $86,690. The additional $3,690 over the original proposal resulted from increasing the width of the addition by two feet, asbestos removal, installation of an under-the-counter water heater, and installing oak sills.

To fund the project we started with $21,000 of contributions that had been received prior to August of 2002. During our fund drive we received three year pledge commitments of $40,340 and one-time donations of $12,250. These pledges and donations were received in a three-week period. Thank you to all who gave so generously and so quickly to the project. To pay for the project until the pledges were received, we obtained a three-year loan of $29,130 from Americana Bank. This note has an interest rate of 6.25% with payments starting in the summer of 2004.

To summarize the above and show what funds we have left to raise, we thought this chart provided the best information:

$86,690 Total project cost

<21,000> Original lift fund balance

<26,440> Three-year pledges paid-to-date

<12,250> One-time donations

<5,540> Miscellaneous Contributions

received

- - - - - - -

$21,460 Balance not yet funded

<13,900> Final two years of pledges to be

received

------------

$ 7,560 Balance left to raise

As you can see, we are at 91% of our goal, a wonderful accomplishment. With only 9% remaining, we are confident we can receive additional donations over the next two years to cover this remaining balance. Again, thank you for your support of the church and our ability to truly meet the access requirements of all people.

----Church Council

SPECIAL MUSIC AT HAYWARD LUTHERAN ON FEBRUARY 22^ND

Last fall, at a Silent Auction for the Albert Lea area Youth Choir, one of the “items” for auction was the opportunity to have Ms. Diane Heaney, Choral Director at the Albert Lea High School, come and sing for a church or community event of the winning bidder’s choice. Well, Steve and Kaye Tufte won the bid. So now, on February 22^nd, Diane will be with us at the 10:30 worship hour to provide us with some very special music. We thank the Tufte’s and we thank Diane for being with us and sharing her excellent musical gifts. Come and join us.

LIBRARY NEWS

The Librari-Anns for the year 2004 are: Bev Noland and Edith Samuelson.

Our goal this year for your church Library is to sort the books. We hope to increase the number of books that inform, teach, inspire and renew our young and old. Books we will remove from the shelves will be duplicates and well-worn (books with torn pages, etc.)

We also plan to index the books we keep, providing the Library with an alphabetically printed list of books.

If anyone wishes to donate money for current books from Augsburg Publishing at 30% off the regular price, call Edith Samuelson at 377-3557. The offer expires February 29.

Current books from Augsburg Fortress are as follows:

The Friendship Factor - Captivating case histories and anecdotes about famous people as George Burns, Howard Hughes, C.S. Lewis. (The secret of how to love and be loved) $6.99

In The Dark Wood – Describing unlikely journeys toward faith. Dozens of readings, poems and prayers of faith and its rediscovery. - $16.00

Faith Journey Through Fantasy Land – Christian dialogue with Harry Potter, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. - $13.99

And We Fly Away – Ray Ashford. Moving story about final years in the life of author’s wife. - $8.99

Will I Sing Again – Book of poems and reflections about author’s personal struggle with Parkinson’s Disease. - $9.99

WELCA NEWS

HAYWARD WELCA PLANS A SURPRISE PROJECT!!

The Hayward Women of the ELCA are planning a “Surprise WELCA Project” in the months to come. For this project, they need to begin collecting large and small empty coffee cans. Therefore, they are asking the members of the congregation to save their empty coffee cans, bring them to church and put them on the shelves on the east wall of the kitchen.

DAKOTA ROAD CONCERT AT CENTRAL FREEBORN LUTHERAN

Hayward Lutheran is joining with five other area congregations to help sponsor the popular music/singing group DAKOTA ROAD, for a concert at Central Freeborn Lutheran on Friday, February 6^th, 7:30 p.m. Central Freeborn is located west and north of the Good Samaritan Home, north of Albert Lea, at 74427 – 245^th St. A free-will offering will be taken to help with expenses.

This is a group that presents good, lively music for youth and family of any age. It is fun, humorous, moving, challenging. These talented folk will get you involved with them in giving praise to God and in thinking about what the Christian life is meant to be. Come and join us for a rewarding evening.

LUTHER COLLEGE NORDIC CHOIR TO PRESENT CONCERT

Under the direction of Weston Noble, the Luther College Nordic Choir will appear in concert on Sunday, February 8, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, 213 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Mason City, IA. For tickets and information, call 641-423-0536.

GOOD EARTH VILLAGE NEWS

WINTER FUN DAYS

Good Earth Village will have Winter Fun Days February 1 & 15 from 2 – 5 p.m. Activities available include sledding, snowshoeing, hiking and cross country skiing. (Bring your own skates or skis)

There will be a warm fire, hot drinks and cookies available in Barr Lodge. Cost is $1 per person. Contact the camp at (507) 346-2494 or e-mail at goodearth@deskmedia.com if you plan to attend.

GOOD EARTH VILLAGE YOUTH BLAST!

March 19-20 and April 2-3

SURVIVORS IN THE BIBLE

If you think the TV show looks tough, just wait till you learn what these folks had to endure! Floods, lions, whales, shipwrecks, stonings, giants and more! We’ll be learning and talking about people who experienced intense adventures and the ULTIMATE reality!

TIME: 7:00 P.M. Friday to 7:00 p.m. Saturday

COST: $30/person (chaperones free)

TO REGISTER; Fill out a registration form and send the form, with a $15 deposit to: Good Earth Village, RR 1, Box 258, Spring Valley, MN 55975

(Registration forms are available in the church office)

IT’S A GIRL THING! IT’S A GOD THING!

It’s the TRUE THING, Girlfriend!

A retreat just for Jr. High Girls!!! It will be like a 24-hour slumber party as we talk about boys, clothes and life, and we’ll discover what the Bible has to say about all of it. It’s a retreat where you can ask your questions and talk about the issues that are important to you. It’s a GIRL’S WEEKEND with NO BOYS ALLOWED!

WHEN: April 16-17

WHERE: Good Earth Village

TIME: 7:00 p.m. Friday to 7:00 p.m. Saturday

COST: $30/PERSON (Chaperones free)

TO REGISTER: contact GEV (507-346-2494) to hold your spot. Registration forms available in the church office.

SUMMER STAFF WANTED!

Good Earth Village is now hiring staff for the summer of 2004. We are looking for college aged adults who enjoy being in the great outdoors and want to share their faith with God’s children of all ages!

Positions Available: Counselors, Kitchen Staff, Maintenance Staff, Craft/Canteen Coordinator, Naturalist, Health Care Manager, Leadership Team.

If you or someone you know is interested in being a part of this important ministry, contact Gretchen at Good Earth Village. 507-346-2494.

GOOD EARTH VILLAGE ANNUAL MEETING

The Annual Meeting for our camp, Good Earth Village, will be held at the camp lodge on SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22^nd BEGINNING AT 2:00 P.M. The camp leadership is excited to be able to have this meeting back on campus and to be able to show off the new camp lodge. If you are interested in attending, please let Pastor Malm know.

HOW TO RESERVE CAMPER SPOTS AT GOOD EARTH VILLAGE

Congregations may now begin reserving space for a particular week and the space may be held with or without the $75 per camper deposit until February 1, 2004. Only spaces held with a deposit can be guaranteed.

Sometime in December, summer brochures will be mailed to 2003 Summer Campers and the congregations.

February 1, 2004, all reserved spots that have not been filled with an actual registration and deposit, will no longer be held. Deposits not used by this date will be refunded to the congregation. You may continue to hold spaces after February 1 with a $75 per camper deposit. However, your deposit becomes non-refundable and non-transferable.

LUTHERAN AIRLINES, INC.

If you are traveling soon, consider LUTHERAN AIR, the no-frills airline---you’re all in the same boat on Lutheran Air. Where flying is an uplifting experience. There is no First Class on any LUTHERAN AIR flight.

Meals are potluck. Rows 1-6 bring rolls, 7-15 bring a salad, 16-21 a main dish, and 22-30 a dessert.

Bases and tenors please sit in the rear of the aircraft.

Everyone is responsible for his or her own luggage. All fares are by freewill offering and the plane will not land until the budget is met.

And pay attention to your flight attendant who will acquaint you with the safety system aboard this LUTHERAN AIR 599. Okay then. Listen up. I’m only gonna say this once. In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, I am frankly going to be real surprised and so will Captain Olson because we fly right at around 2000 feet, so loss of cabin pressure would probably indicate the Second Coming or something of that nature, and I wouldn’t bother with these little masks on the rubber tubes. You’re gonna have bigger things to worry about than that. Just stuff those back up in their little holes. Probably the masks fell out because of turbulence which, to be honest with you, we’re going to have quite a bit of at 2000 feet, sort of like driving across a plowed field, but after awhile you get used to it.

In the event of a water landing, I’d say forget it. Start saying the Lord’s Prayer and just hope to gosh you get to the part about forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Which some people say “trespass” against us, which isn’t right, but what can you do?

The use of cell phones on the plane is strictly forbidden, not because they may interfere with the plane’s navigational system – which is seat of the pants all the way – no, it’s because cell phones are a pain in the wazoo and if God meant you to use a cell phone, He would’ve put your mouth on the side of your head.

We’re going to start lunch right about noon and it’s buffet style and the coffee pot is up front and then we’ll have the hymn sing – hymnals in the seat pocket in front of you, and don’t take yours with you when you go or I am going to be real upset and I am not kidding. And right now I’ll say grace: God is great and God is good, and we thank Him for the food. Father, Son and Holy Ghost, May we land in Dallas or at least pretty close. Amen.

THE FIVE FINGERS OF PRAYER

1. Your thumb is nearest to you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C.S. Lewis once said, a “sweet duty.”

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God’s guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5. And lastly comes our little finger; the smallest finger of all, which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, “The least shall be the greatest among you.” Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

PARISH NEWS DEADLINE

The deadline for turning in articles and calendar information for the Parish News is the 20^th 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!