THE PARISH
NEWS
HAYWARD-TRONDHJEM LUTHERAN PARISH
December, 2008March, 2009 Vol.143,
No. 312
MIDWEEK LENTEN WORSHIP SERIES
– 2009
“BY HIS STRIPES” – Healing Wounded
Relationships
DEAR FRIENDS IN
CHRIST:
This year our Midweek Lenten Worship
began on Ash
Wednesday, February 25th. For those Lenten Wednesdays leading up to
Holy Week, we will follow this theme – “By His Stripes” – Healing Wounded
Relationships.
Christianity is all about
relationships – our relationship with God and our relationship with other human
beings and with all of creation. This year we will follow Christ during the
week of the Passion, from the time of His arrest to His death on the cross, and
along the way we will seek to discover how Jesus reclaims us and all our
relationships. We will hear the Gospel
message of God’s death-defying love brought directly into our family, church
and community relationships. It is a love
that heals, forgives and transforms.
We gather together on Wednesday
evenings at
March 4 Wednesday The
destructive pattern of
invalidation is seen in the testimony given by
others at Jesus’ trial
March 11 Wednesday The
destructive pattern of negative interpretation is seen in how the High
Priest reacts to the claims of the Christ.
March 18 Wednesday The
destructive pattern of withdrawal is seen in
Peter’s
denial of his Lord.
March 25 Wednesday The
secret of not having unrealistic expectations is seen
in Jesus’ willing
sacrifice upon the cross.
April 1 Wednesday The
secret of forgiveness and absolution is seen in
Jesus’ opening of paradise to
the thief on the cross.
April 9 Maundy Thursday The
relationship of Jesus to His disciples on the eve of His death
upon the
cross. Worship with Holy Communion in
worship
Sanctuary.
April 12 Easter Sunday Sunrise worship with Holy Communion
at HLC at
Easter Breakfast at HLC at
Easter Worship with Holy Communion at
TLC at
GOOD NEWS!!
December
is our chance, as the church, to get the jump on the rest of the world, for
this is when we begin our NEW YEAR. As
we begin this New Year, we focus on some new scripture lessons, as we focus on
the Gospel of Mark, along with other lessons from both the Old and New
Testaments. Mark is the condensed
version of the story of Jesus; it comes at us quickly, ever using that word
“immediately.” Mark does not even bother
to give us the birth stories of Jesus, leaving that to Matthew and Luke. He starts
his story of Jesus with the ADVENT, the coming, of John the Baptist, who will
announce “the way of the Lord.” In quick
fashion, Jesus is suddenly there, along the Jordan River, being baptized by
John and blessed by God the Father, and then moving on into His public
ministry, where He proclaims His preaching theme: “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of
God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
For
the people of Jesus’ day, this TIME that has come is the fulfillment of Jewish
dreams, the TIME when God will show His special love for the Jews by breaking
the bonds of their servitude and exalting them among the nations. It is the TIME that they have been waiting
for – waiting so long that they had almost ceased to believe that it could ever
come to pass. Suddenly, God comes near
to them, among them, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, God’s Son, Savior, and
invites His people to REPENT, to open their hearts and change their minds, and
believe that God’s promises are now being fulfilled right before their
eyes. Truly this IS the good news.
Today,
we who claim Jesus as the Christ, our Lord and Savior, as we hear those words
of Jesus, we understand that He is speaking not just to His fellow Jewish
people then, but to us now, we who are willing to listen to this good news here
and now. Yet, it is a surprising and
extraordinary thing to say – that the Kingdom of God has come near you and that
you must believe it. As this Advent
season moves on to the Christmas – Epiphany season, this good news continues to
be surprising. Suddenly, out of the
blue, a young girl in Nazareth gets the news from one of God’s own messengers
that SHE has been chosen by God to become pregnant and deliver into this world the
very Son of God, the Messiah. Who me? Pregnant? Really?
Mary
quickly recovers and humbly agrees to her new and chosen role as God’s own
servant, and goes on to rejoice in it all.
But that shock – that of receiving good, yet unsettling, news – that
shock is also something that WE share with Mary. For this message of Jesus is not just glad
tidings of hope for a weary, war-torn, terrorized world; it also is a calling,
an invitation to turn from all our worldly preoccupations and REPENT, open our
hearts and change our minds. Something
FROM us, then, is required. And the
ADVENT scripture lessons go on to tell us what that is: we need to step it up,
get to work, prepare, watch, wait, turn, open, and change.
The
NEW YEAR begins once again with these words and urgings for our new and
continuing journey through the coming months; that TIME, that ADVENT has come
once again. This ADVENT season is a time
of joy and expectation. It is a time of
HOPE amid our various world crises, it is LIGHT come into our self-created
darkness, it is a time of EXPECTATION
for One who will, once again, come among us and deliver us, and it is a time of
TRUST in the sure and certain promises of God.
God IS among us and God has NOT abandoned us. Yes, the Kingdom of God is among us, with us,
embracing us. That is GOOD NEWS, and it
reminds us that we, the faithful, have a way at looking at this troubled world
in a GOOD NEWS way that, to the non-believing world, looks rather odd and
senseless. These days the world can only
say, “Look around you. Look at this mess
we’re in, the economic mess, the natural disasters mess, the war, violence and
terrorist mess, the global-warming mess.
It’s all a big mess! Where’s the
good news in any of this?”
But
into this human, self-centered, greed-induced mess, comes Jesus Christ, God’s
Son, Savior, and announces to this whole, messed up world, “The Kingdom of God
has come near to you; REPENT, and believe in this good news.” The angel of the Lord comes to that young
girl, Mary and proclaims “Do not be afraid!”
A nervous mother listens to God’s Word and to the hopes that it
engenders in her heart. A prophet stirs
people to action, encouraging their expectation of a coming age of justice and
peace. WAKE UP PEOPLE! The NEWS will be good, even if, like the
people of Jesus’ day, we have almost ceased to believe that it could ever come
to pass. Take heart; be of good courage, for the Lord has come near to us. Dare to believe in this hope of the gospel,
and dare to share it with others. As we
have just heard from our Lord on the Day of Christ the King, continue to bring
that good news of salvation and hope to others by feeding the hungry, giving
drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting the lonely, imprisoned and
oppressed, caring for the sick and lame, and welcoming the stranger.
Joy
to the world, the Lord is come!
Let
earth receive its King;
Let
ev’ry heart prepare Him room
And
heav’n and nature sing.
No
more let sin and sorrow grow
Nor
thorns infest the ground;
He
comes to make His blessings flow
Far
as the curse is found.
He
rules the world with truth and grace
And
makes the nations prove
The
glories of His righteousness
And
wonders of His love.
Pastor
Malm
A NEW LUTHERAN STUDY BIBLE IS AVAILABLE
Early
in 2009, Augsburg Fortress will be publishing a Lutheran Study Bible. This is timed to coincide with our ELCA
emphasis on Bible Book of Faith. The
biblical text will be the New Revised Standard Version, and will feature
introductions, notes and articles on the biblical books and texts that are
written by over sixty Lutheran pastors and teaching theologians. This can be a valuable resource for you to
experience the Bible and its message through solid background material, unique
Lutheran insights, and opportunities for faith reflection. This is a Bible that is reader-friendly,
inviting, and engaging; a study Bible for both youth and adults who want to
encounter Scripture in a fresh, new way.
During
December, we have an opportunity to order this new Study Bible for a
significant discount if we can order ten or more copies. At the discount, a hard cover version of this
Bible will sell for $22.75 each (10 copies or more). A paperback version will sell for $17.50 (ten
copies or more). If you are interested,
please let Pastor Malm know, or contact the church office (373-8479) on or
before Christmas Day, December 25th.
OPPORTUNITIES
FOR
HOLY COMMUNION
Sunday, March 1
Sunday, March 8
THE SEASON OF LENT
LENT IS A JOURNEY
Lent is a journey, and that means
taking some risks. Experienced travelers
have tips to share for making the trip go more smoothly, but most people who
have been on a journey know that things do not always go so smoothly. Vehicles break down, planes are delayed,
storms interfere, and luggage gets lost.
All these variables mean releasing some of the control we have over our
lives. We are at the mercy of pilots,
drivers, weather, and other people on similar journeys. However, in spite of –
or because of – all the ways a journey can throw us off balance, travelers have
the opportunity to see, taste, hear, smell, feel, experience, even BE something
NEW.
LENT IS PERSONAL AND COMMUNAL
Lent is often experienced as a season
of reflection, looking inward, soul-searching.
It’s a season for looking intently toward Jesus Christ, God’s Son,
Savior, the author of our faith, and longing to know Jesus better. It’s a season of community, because in our
parish, as in many other parishes and congregations, we will come together more
often for worship and for a community meal and for some opportunities to get to
know one another better. This
community-building aspect of Lent can be so moving and meaningful that when it
is done we are a little saddened to leave it behind, for we have shared in this
commitment to come together – to gather around the Cross of Christ. This is a season where in simplicity there is
great strength.
LENT IS JOURNEY THROUGH THE WATERS
Lent begins with ashes but it is not
only a dry season – the waters of baptism flow through it. Lent is a time when we will have focus upon
confession of sins and forgiveness of sins, and to also have focus upon our
thanksgiving for baptism. We focus on
GOD, the fountain of living water during our wilderness journey. Because of this focus on Holy Baptism, God’s
gracious gift, the baptismal font becomes a central symbol during this season.
LENT HAS A THEME OF TRUST, TRUTH, AND
TRANSPARENCY
A continuous theme of trust moves
through the Scripture lessons during this season of Lent. The prophet ISAIAH reassures people, “The
LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and
make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring
of water, whose waters never fail.”
(58:11) In stories from Genesis,
Exodus, and Numbers, we encounter God’s covenant with creation – learning once
again the greatness of God and God’s vision for how people ought to live
together. Finally JEREMIAH points toward
a time when the covenant will be manifest – when everyone will know God, and
God’s promise will be written on their hearts.
The New Testament readings throughout
this season reinforce these themes and take them a step further. Recalling the story of Abraham and Sarah, who
were promised to bear a child though their bodies were too old, the Apostle
Paul teaches us that there is reason for hope and faith in spite of the
evidence, that there can be reconciliation not only between God and humanity,
but among all people in our diverse human community. “For by grace you have been saved through
faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God = not the result
of works, so that no one can boast. For
we are what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”
(Eph. 2:8-10)
A third theme woven through the
Scripture texts during Lent is that of TRUTH – who God is, who we are – and
truthful expression of a wide array of complex emotions such as anger,
jealousy, loyalty, deep grief, and love.
A TRANSPARENCY in these texts encourages us to communicate and live in
open and honest ways. Being honest with
ourselves and others is important in every aspect of life, including the way we
practice spiritual disciplines, the way we live each day, and the way we die.
LENT SPEAKS OF LOVING LIFE AND LOSING IT
In the Lenten scripture readings from
both the gospels of Mark and John, we hear Jesus express an important truth
about life and the ability to face death.
In the gospel for the second week of Lent, Jesus says, “For those who
want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my
sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.” (Mark
Pastor
Malm
On
February 19th, the 15-member
Task Force for the ELCA Studies on Sexuality released its document: “Human
Sexuality: Gift and Trust” – a proposed social statement on human
sexuality. This document will come
before the 2009
This
social statement has a lot of good things to say and teach about our human
relationships and our human sexuality.
It also has some things that some will regard as controversial. Among the most controversial are some
recommendations from the task force about Ministry Policies for the
professional leadership of the church.
These recommendations center around the ELCA’s
current policy and practice concerning rostered persons who are gay or
lesbian. Currently, this policy states
that no gay or lesbian person can be ordained or rostered with the ELCA unless
they make a pledge to be celibate and not be in any committed relationship with
a person of the same gender. The task force is now recommending to the
Church wide Assembly that this position
be modified so that each individual congregation can make their own
determination about whether or not they choose to call and ordain as their
pastor or call as a rostered person to their
staff, a person who is gay or lesbian and who may be in a committed
relationship with another person of the same gender.
This
study and the recommendations of the task force will also be discussed at SE
Minnesota Synod Assembly on May 1 & 2 in
LENTEN SUPPERS
The
following groups will be serving the Lenten Suppers on Wednesday evenings:
March
March
11 – Trondhjem WELCA
March
March
25 – TLC/HLC Joint Councils
April
1 – WE STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS FOR THIS MEAL
December 7th
– Advent II
December 24th
– Christmas Eve
December 25th
– Christmas Day
December 28th
– Christmas I
“CANDLES AND
CAROLS” TO BE PRESENTED
Come and join us On Christmas Eve, December 24th
for a service of hope, peace, joy, and love, entitled “Candles & Carols”. It
will be presented by the joint HLC/TLC Choir.
This is a cantata with narration and choir anthems.
The congregation will join the choir singing familiar Christmas carols.
CONFIRMATION CLASSES
Confirmation classes in December and January will be at Oakland Lutheran and February at Trondhjem Lutheran. In March there will be no
classes since it is Lent. In April the classes will be at Oakland Lutheran.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The
“Big Trip”! The ELCA
Youth Gathering next July.
Where else than historical
Confirmation
Christmas Caroling for the home bound
Imax
and
YOUTH BLAST!!
PARISH TO HAVE
MEN’S ADVENT BREAKFASTS
You
are invited to parish Men’s Advent
Breakfasts held on Tuesday mornings at 7 a.m. from December 2nd
through December 23rd.
A breakfast of pancakes or French toast or some other warm and tasty
goodies will be served. Following the
breakfast there will be a short devotional before you head off to work or
whatever you have planned for the day. Come and join the
fellowship!! Bring a friend or
neighbor!!
Can’t
wait to come back to camp? Our YOUTH
BLAST! Retreat for 3rd – 6th
graders is a wonderful opportunity to come to camp during the school year. During this 24-hour retreat we will play games,
hike and learn about awesome people in the Bible! Cost is $40/person. One chaperone free/8 kids.
MARCH 6 – 7, 27 – 28
Registration blanks are available in the church
office.
MARCH IS
Unfortunately it is true that food shelf
visits are up and continue to rise at record levels. During this month, we will be accepting food
contributions and/or monetary contributions for the food shelf. Food shelves can stretch donations of cash further than
donations of food because of their access to discount products and programs. However, they also welcome food
contributions.
At this time, the Salvation Army Food Shelf
is in need of the following items:
macaroni, spaghetti, boxed meals, canned meals such as ravioli and
spaghettios, cream soups and canned meats such as Spam, tuna and
corned beef.
If you would like to give a monetary
donation, you will find envelopes in the back of both HLC & TLC for your
use. Please mark
them for the FOOD SHELF.
+++
Whenever I’m disappointed with my
spot in life, I stop and think about little Jamie Scott. Jamie was trying out for a part in the school
play. His mother told me that he’d set
his heart on being in it, though she feared he would not be chosen. On the day the parts were awarded, I went
with her to collect him after school.
Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement. “Guess what, Mom,” he shouted, and then said those words
that will remain a lesson to me. “I’ve
been chosen to clap and cheer!”
EASTER MUSIC!!
During this
season of Lent, our musical groups will be busy preparing music for the Lenten
Worship Services and for Palm Sunday and Easter. During our Lenten Wednesday night services we
will hear from the HLC Choir, the HLC/TLC Men’s Group, the
HLC/TLC Women’s Group as well as some solos and duets. These groups will practice after the worship
services on Wednesday evenings.
On Easter
Sunday the HLC/TLC Choir will share a musical presentation called “Alleluia, He
is Risen!” The congregation will have
opportunity to join in with the choir on some of these songs. Vern Frydenlund
will be accompanying the choir on the trumpet during the
presentation. Come and join
us in celebrating the Risen Lord at
At
COME
AND JOIN US!!
MAKING THE OLD CHIMES NEW AGAIN
If
you have been at worship at Hayward Lutheran recently, you may have noticed
that
TRONDHJEM NEWS
DECEMBER MARCH ASSIGNMENTS
Altar Guild Coffee Servers Communion Assistants
Eileen Reese March 1 Roger & Betty Krause Steve & Linda Kraushaar
March 15 Beverly & Barb Prantner
March
29 Randy & Mona Lukes
Linda Kraushaar December 2 Sunday School Steve
& Linda Kraushaar
December
14 Emil & Bev Prantner
Lectors
Acolyte/Ushers Lectors
March 1 Madalyn Wangen March 1 Steve Kraushaar
March 8 Allison Wangen March 8 Linda Kraushaar
March 15 Reed & Cortney Thostenson March 15 Kiven Lukes
March 22 Anna Severtson March
22 Sheldon Lukes
March
29 Ethan Severtson March 29 Ruth Lukes
December 7 Linda Kraushaar December
7 Madalyn Wangen
December 14 Steve Kraushaar December
14 Cortney Thostenson & Allison
Wangen
December 21 Jill Krause December 21 Anna Severtson
December 25 Elaine Lukes December
25 Ethan Severtson
December 28 Pastor Malm December
28 Reed Thostenson
DECEMBER MARCH BIRTHDAYS MARCH ANNIVERSARIES
DECEMBER ANNIVERSARIES
March 2 Matt Reese March
18 John Chapek March 2 – Clifford & Lucetta
March 9 Olivia Krause March
21 Orin Krause Kermes
March 13 Bev Prantner March
22 Dean Lukes
March 17 Tisha Wangen March
24 Lucetta Kermes
March 17 Robyn Jahnke March
25 Anna Johnson
February 28 Ann Chapek March
29 Sean Kraushaar
February 28 Daniel Jax
December
19 Cindy Severtson December 5 Dean & Charlotte Lukes
December 20 Andrew Reese December
13 Dick & Shirley
Kraushaar
December 20 Tracy Jahnke
MEMORIALS
GENERAL FUND
In
memory of OBERT HALDORSON by M/M Melvin Haldorson, family & friends
In
memory of LILLIAN DOLAN by M/M Roger Krause, M/M Emil Prantner, M/M Robert
Dolan, Jr., Terry Adams, M/M
Dean Adams, Barb Prantner
In
memory of EDNA CHRISTIANSON by M/M Roger Krause, M/M Sheldon Lukes, Barb
Prantner, M/M Emil Prantner,
Emily Cech, M/M Richard Kraushaar,
M/M Mark Brekke
MISSIONS
In
memory of EDNA CHRISTIANSON by WELCA
In
memory of LILLIAN DOLAN by WELCA
ALTAR GUILD
In
memory of EDNA CHRISTIANSON by Edna’s family
SUNDAY SCHOOL
In
memory of EDNA CHRISTIANSON
by Edna’s family
In
memory of GRANDMA EDNA by Mike & Cindy Severtson, Ethan & Anna
In memory of
CAROL MORGAN by Sue Ball
In memory of
OBERT HALDORSON by M/M Don Chapek, M/M Sheldon Lukes, M/M Nordune Haldorson,
M/M Keith Eastman, M/M Emerson J. Yess, M/M B. E. Haldorson, M/M Don Flatness,
M/M Jerry Schewe, M/M Tim Struck, Lila Esse, M/M Douglas Riskedahl, M/M Vernon
Nordaune, M/M David Prantner, Mr. Julius Hansen, Ronald Burkhow, David Hernes,
M/M Clayton Kearns
In memory of
KENNETH MUDRO by M/M Roger Krause, Barb Prantner, M/M Emil Prantner
ALTAR GUILD
In memory of
OBERT HALDORSON by M/M Richard Kraushaar
ORGAN FUND
In memory of OBERT HALDORSON by Barb Prantner
TRONDHJEM WELCA MAKES MANY QUILTS
The Trondhjem WELCA met every Thursday morning at 9
a.m. for nine weeks to tie quilts. They
tied 84 quilts and 10 baby quilts in that time.
Some of the women work all year round making the tops for the
quilts. Some of the quilts are given to
Nursery Crisis Center in Albert Lea & Austin, Salvation Army in Albert Lea
& Austin, Red Cross, Albert Lea & Austin, Blind and Deaf in Faribault,
and some are saved for needs that may arise in the area, and the rest are sent
to World Relief.
MARK YOUR
CALENDARS …..
FOR THE TRONDHJEM
FAMILY CHRISTMAS DINNER AND SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM!!
On Saturday, December 13th
12 Noon – Pot Luck Meal
Those Trondhjem Ladies know how to put on a pot
luck meal!!!
Christmas Program to follow the meal
The Trondhjem Christmas Program is always a “HIT”
Directed by Linda Kraushaar
Always fun for young and “not-so-young”
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.
CONGREGATION
COUNCIL MEETING
Present: Neal Skaar, Jim Becker, Sonja Johnson, Todd
Enderson, Wayne Kromminga, Sharon Malm, Pastor John and Faye Learn.
President,
Neal Skaar, called the meeting to order.
Agenda:
Sonja Johnson
made a motion to approve the Agenda with one addition. Seconded by Jim Becker.
Secretary’s
Report:
Motion by Wayne
Kromminga to approve with noted corrections.
Second by Todd Enderson. Carried
Treasurer’s
Report:
Motion by Wayne Kromminga to approve. Second by Todd Enderson. Carried.
A.
CALENDAR:
1. February 18 Wednesday
2. February 20 Friday
3. February 22 Sunday Pulpit Exchange with
Oakland/Moscow
4. February 25 Wednesday
5. March 1 Sunday
6. March 2 Monday
7. March 3 Tuesday
8. March 4 Wednesday
9. March 5 Thursday
10. March 7 Saturday
Eve. SPRING AHEAD ONE HOUR
– CDST
11. March 11 Wednesday
12. March 12 Thursday
13. March 15 Sunday
14. March 25 Wednesday
15. March 29 Sunday
for all council members.
B.
CONGREGATIONAL LIFE:
1. Pastor
made note of a special meeting of the Waldorf College Association on Friday,
February 20th. The meeting will be discussing the proposals
the college has for dealing with their income shortages due to the failing
economy. Pastor and Dan Johnson will
attend.
2. Council
discussed the menu for their serving the Lenten meal on March 25th.
3. The
Annual Synod Councils as Leaders meeting will be held on Sunday, March 29th
from
C.
CONGREGATION PROPERTIES – FINANCE
1. Mike
Severtson of Trondhjem will be working on the parsonage windows sometime in
March.
2. A
motion was made by Wayne Kromminga and seconded by Jim Becker to have the
current Worship and Music Fund as the repository for funds to be used for the
repair of the old chimes in the church nave.
Carried. (Memorial and gifts are
welcomed for this project.)
3. Sharon
Malm made note of the savings we receive through the use of coupons and rewards
from Staples Office Supply for the paper and other office items we purchase at
the
4. Discussion
was held concerning the updating of the church insurance policies that will
come due this year as a part of the three-year cycle.
5. The
HLC WELCA will be purchasing 100 new padded chairs to replace most of the old
chairs in the Social Hall. When they
have made their selection, they will ask the Council for the necessary
approval.
Wayne
Kromminga moved to adjourn. Second by Sonja Johnson.
Carried
Next
Meeting: Sunday, March 15th,
Respectfully
Submitted,
Faye
Learn
Council
Secretary
DECEMBER MARCH ASSIGNMENTS
Altar
Guild Coffee Servers Ushers
Diane Ladlie March 1 Dennis Glassel/ Delores Glassel *Randy &
Tammy Eggum
Elaine Flusek
Marlene
Thompson December 7 Gary
& Paula Broitzman *Dave & Marlene Thompson
Stephanie
Larson December
14 Dave & Marlene Thompson Keith Iverson December
21 Steve & Kaye Tufte Vern & Pat Frydenlund
December
28 Nick & Jeanne Schermer Steve Johnson
March 8 Steve & Linda Johnson/Jill
Erickson Ted Eggum
March 15 Darrell & Vickie Storlie Jim Skaar March 22 Jeff &
March 29 Steve & Karen Sorenson
&
Virginia VandeKamp
Communion
Assistants
Bonnie
Felt & Jim Becker
Vickie Storlie & Todd Enderson
Acolyte/Ushers Lectors Lectors
March 1 Anna
Englin & Lindsay Nelson March 1 Shirley Gray
March 8 Caylee
Tennis & Shelby Eggum March 8 Sonja Johnson
March 15 Logan
& Tate Tufte March 15
March 22 Mitchell & Jay Skaar March 22 Phil TennisDecember 7 Shelby Eggum & Bryce Skaar December 7 Shirley Gray
December 14 Caylee Tennis & Anna Englin December
14 Dan Johnson
December 21 Mitchell & Jay Skaar December
21 Volunteer
Needed
December 24 Logan & Tate Tufte December
28 Volunteer Needed
December 28 Kadie & Kasie Habana
March 29 Kadie & Kasie Habana March 29 VOLUNTEER NEEDED
“A MOUSE’S TALE
“……..
Is the title of the Sunday School Christmas Program
to be presented on Sunday, December 7th
at Hayward Lutheran. The program is
about the Christmas story told through the eyes of stable animals on Christmas
night.
DECEMBER MARCH BIRTHDAYS
March 4 Bev Noland
March 16 Steve Sorenson
March
6 Ashle Skaar March
22 LaVonne Williams
March
6 Judy Becker March
25 Sonja Johnson
March
7 Michael Larson March 27 Michelle Learn
March
10 Sarah Frydenlund March 28 Nicholas Paulson
March
12 Samantha Anderson March 30 Aaron Enderson
MARCH
ANNIVERSARIES
March 17 Nathan & Betsy (Paulson) Smith
December 3 Linda Johnson December 20 Patricia Frydenlund
December 4 Eugene Jenson December 22 Paula
Broitzman
December 6 Vernon Lunde December 23 Brie-Ann (Woitas) Tubbs
December 10 Erwin (Red) Larson December 24 Jill
Erickson
December 12 Shirley Gray December 26 John Habana
December 14 Bernhardt Anderson December 28 Isabella
Nelson
December 14 Dawn Jenson December
29 Wayne Kromminga
December
29 Travis Jacobson
DECEMBER ANNIVERSARIES
December 9 Vernon
& Bev Lunde
December 27 Kendall
& Lila Johnson
December 30 Paul
& Min Westland
MEMORIALS
General Fund
In memory of BILL BROWN by M/M
Vern Frydenlund, M/M Neal Skaar
In memory of ELSIE PACOVSKY by
Beatrice Wacholz
In memory of LOIS HIENE by Beatrice
Wacholz
Building Fund
In
memory of MARIE JOHNSON by M/M Paul Westland
In
memory of ORIN BYE by M/M Paul Westland
In
memory of BILL BROWN by M/M Ashle Skaar
I would like to thank you for the
thoughts, prayers, cards & flowers I received after my surgery. ---Min
Westland
MEMORIALS
GENERAL FUND
In memory of
OBERT HALDORSON by M/M Neal Skaar, Camilla Frydenlund
In memory of
WILFORD QUAM by M/M David Paulson
BUILDING FUND
In memory of
OBERT HALDORSON by LaVonne Williams
In memory of
WILFORD QUAM by M/M Curtis Larson
CEMETERY FUND
In memory of
ANDREW & INDIANA SANDERSON, MIKAEL & DORA CHRISOPHERSON, IRENE REYNOLDS
by M/M Harry Dunn
ALTAR GUILD
In memory of
ANDREW & INDIANA SANDERSON, MIKAEL & DORA CHRISTOPHERSON, IRENE
REYNOLDS by M/M Harry Dunn
WELCA
NEWS
PURPOSE STATEMENT
As a
community of women created in the image of God, called to discipleship in Jesus
Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves to grow in faith,
affirm our gifts, support one another in our
callings, engage in ministry and action, and promote healing and wholeness in the church,
the society and the world
WELCA LADIES
BUSY QUILTING!!
Every Tuesday morning at
quilting. They welcome more
volunteers to come and help! They enjoy a great time of
fellowship and do take a
little time for a coffee break. They will continue to quilt every Tuesday
morning through Tuesday, April 7.
If you would like to contribute
to the WELCA quilting projects, you may purchase a
quilt top at the Calico Hutch for $10.
If you are not a “sewer”, someone else will do the sewing
for you.
This year the WELCA will be
assembling Health Kits and School Kits for Lutheran World Relief. You have the opportunity to contribute
to this worthwhile project. You will find
information and instructions on Page 13 of your Hayward Lutheran Church
Women Booklet as to what these kits need to contain and how to assemble them.
DON’T THROW AWAY THAT OLD CELL
PHONE!!
At the Triennial Gathering in
The recycled cell phones will be
used for:
Support
programs that lift women and families out of poverty;
Help provide
lasting solutions to climate change, a major contributor to poverty worldwide:
and
Provide
A box will be provided in the Social
Hall at Hayward Lutheran. The following are the
instructions:
1.
Deactivate your phone service
2.
Turn the phone off, leaving the battery attached
3.
Erase all person information (names, phone numbers,
etc.) from the phone
4.
Place the phone in the box provided in the kitchen.
THANK YOU!!
+++
An eye witness
account from
A little boy,
about 10 years old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway,
barefooted, peering through the window, shivering from the cold. A lady
approached the young boy and said, “My, but you’re in such deep thought staring
in that window!” “I was asking God to
give me a pair of shoes,” was the boy’s reply.
The lady took him by the hand, went in
to the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the
boy. She then asked if he could give her
a basin of water and a towel. He quickly
brought them to her. She took the little
fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her
gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with the towel. By this time, the clerk had returned with the
socks. Placing a pair upon the boy’s feet,
she purchased him a pair of shoes. She
tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave
them to him. She patted him on the head
and said, “No doubt, you will be more comfortable now.” As she turned to go, the astonished kid
caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes,
asked her, “Are you God’s wife?”
OF THE ELCA SPRING EVENT
918
Phone:
507-373-6496
Theme
“Act Boldly by Education”
Program
THE PEOPLE OF
SOCIAL SERVICE FUND
Dr. Earl & Bev Thompson talk about Nepal Social
Service fund providing Agricultural, Educational,
and
Medical Assistance to the people of
From my book shelf……
Sharon Barnes
The Shack
By William P.
Young
I could not put this book of fiction
down. In fact, I read it a second time
when my book study group chose it as one of its selections. I have also seen it listed on many best-seller
lists.
While the first part was
heart-wrenching to get through, I found the rest very interesting. After a terrible tragedy several years
earlier, Mack receives a suspicious message to come back to the shack in a
remote mountain area. Not knowing
who or what he will encounter, Mack makes arrangements to go to the shack having
told only one other person where he was going.
What he encounters there changes his world forever.
From the back book cover: “In a world where religion seems to grow
increasingly irrelevant THE SHACK wrestles with the timeless question, ‘Where
is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?” The answers Mack gets will astound you and
perhaps transform you as much as it did him.
You’ll want everyone you know to read this book.”
Reprinted from River Channels, the
newsletter of the Southeastern Minnesota Synodical Women’s Organization
WELCA
TO HAVE CHRISTMAS BAKE SALE
The Hayward
WELCA will have their Christmas Bake Sale and morning coffee on Saturday,
December 6th beginning at 8 a.m.
There will be a drawing at 11 a.m. for a Quilt Chest donated by Louie
Larson and a Quilt donated by Greg and Carolyn Matson. The quilt and quilt chest are displayed in
the social hall at HLC
HAYWARD
WELCA DONATES QUILTS TO GOOD EARTH VILLAGE QUILT AUCTION
On
August 17, 2008 Good Earth Village held a Quilt Auction. The Hayward WELCA donated several quilts for
the auction and they sold for a total of $545.
Diane Ladlie donated a quilt and that sold for $210. Kay Noland Smith donated some quilts and
runners and they sold for a total of $415.
The total credited to Hayward WELCA came to $1,170. Thank you to the women who made these
donations to help the work of Good Earth Village.
ALTAR
GUILD
WOULD
YOU LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE FRESH FLOWERS?ALTAR GUILD WILL MEET TO
CLEAN
The Altar Guild will meet on Tuesday, March 31st at 1:30 p.m. to discuss some
projects and to do some cleaning.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE
FRESH 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, 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 $20. Your generosity and support
are greatly appreciated. Thank you.
THIS
‘N’ THAT
A WOMAN
LOVINGLY PACKED HER HEIRLOOM SILVER AND SAT DOWN TO DECIDE WHICH OF HER THREE
DAUGHTERS SHOULD HAVE IT. Her daughter Amy would pack the
silver away even more carefully than her mother had and would store it in a
safe place, probably a bank vault.
There
the silver would stay. It would come to
no harm, but neither would it come to anyone’s sight. It would be the source of delight to no
one. Amy would tell her friends about
it, but she would never use it. She
would be proud of it, but she would not enjoy it. It would be better, thought Amy’s mother,
housed in a museum.
Cornelia
would use the silver, but she would enjoy it no more than Amy. She would use heirlooms as she used everything
else, carelessly, thoughtlessly, unheeding.
The silver would be thrown into the kitchen drawer with the steelware
and used for anything from a Thanksgiving dinner to a country picnic. It would be better, thought Cornelia’s
mother, if it were melted down for the worth of the metal.
God
isn’t like the woman with the silver. God gives gifts to all of us, but we
treat them very much as the three daughters would have treated the family
silver. Some of us, perhaps most of us,
are the Cornelia type. If we are,
then we take the gifts of God so lightly that we forget that they ever were
gifts at all, and who had given them. We
throw them into the clutter of a disordered and heedless existence and they are
wasted.
Some
of us are the Amy type, treasuring God’s gifts…and seldom using them . Amy-type people are so overwhelmed by the
value of such gifts that they forget the purpose of them. Amys are too solemn to enjoy anything that
concerns God, as if life were not God’s concern. Parenthood, for this sort of person, is only
a grim responsibility, and parents’ lives are either tedious or dull. Amy-type people wring their marriages dry of
all laughter, all true play, and in the end dry of all romance. To an Amy, vocation is neither a living nor a
calling, but only an existence and a burden.
We
must remember to give thanks for all of God’s gifts; hopefuly we are like
----Reprinted
from the publication, “Stewardship”, February 2009
Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia
once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the
most caring child. The winner was a four-year-old
child, whose next-door-neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost
his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the
little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just
sat there. When his mother asked him
what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, “Nothing. I just helped him cry”.
+++
Some first graders were
discussing a picture of a family where one little boy in the picture had a
different hair color than the other members. One of her students suggested that he was
adopted. A little girl said, “I know all
about adoption. I was adopted.”
“What does it mean to be adopted”, asked
another child. “It means,” said the
girl, “that you grew in your mommy’s heart instead of her tummy!”
+++
On my way home one day, I stopped
to watch a Little League baseball game
that was being played in a park near my home.
As I sat down behind the bench on the first-base line, I asked one
of the boys what the score was. “We’re
behind 14 to nothing,” he answered with a smile. “Really,” I said. “I have to say you don’t look very
discouraged.” “Discouraged?” the boy
asked with a puzzled look on his face.
“Why should we be discouraged? We
haven’t been up to bat yet.”
GOLD, COMMON SENSE AND FUR
My husband and I had been happily
(most of the time) married for five years, but hadn’t been blessed with a
baby. I decided to do some serious
praying and promised God that if He would give us a child, I would be a perfect
mother, love it with all my heart and raise it with His word as my guide. God answered my prayers and blessed us with a
son. The next year God blessed us with
another son. The following year, He
blessed us with yet another son. The
year after that we were blessed with a daughter.
My husband thought we’d been blessed
right into poverty. We now had four
children, and the oldest was only four years old. I learned never to ask God for anything
unless I meant it. As a minister once
told me, “If you pray for rain, make sure you carry an umbrella.”
I began reading a few verses of the
Bible to the children each day as they lay in their cribs. I was off to a good start. God had entrusted me with four children and I
didn’t want to disappoint Him.
I tried to be patient the day the
children smashed two dozen eggs on the kitchen floor searching for baby
chicks. I tried to be understanding when
they started a hotel for homeless frogs in the spare bedroom, although it took
me nearly two hours to catch all twenty-three frogs.
When my daughter poured ketchup all
over herself and rolled up in a blanket to see how it felt to be a hot dog, I
tried to see the humor rather than the mess.
In spite of changing over twenty-five
thousand diapers, never eating a hot meal and never sleeping for more than
thirty minutes at a time, I still thank God daily for my children.
While I couldn’t keep my promise to
be a perfect mother, I didn’t even come close.
I did keep my promise to raise them in the Word of God.
I knew I was missing the mark just a
little when I told my daughter we were going to church to worship God, and she
wanted to bring a bar of soap along to “wash up” Jesus too.
Something was lost in the
translation when I explained that God gave us everlasting life, and my son
thougth it was generous of God to give us his “last wife.”
My proudest moment came during the
children’s Christmas pageant. My
daughter was playing Mary, two of my sons were shepherds and my youngest son
was a wise man. This was their moment to
shine. My five-year-old shepherd had
practiced his line, “We found the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes.” But he was nervous and said, “The baby was
wrapped in wrinkled clothes.”
My four-year-old, ‘Mary’ said,
“That’s not ‘wrinkled clothes,’ silly.
That’s dirty, rotten clothes.” A
wrestling match broke out between Mary and the shepherd and was stopped by an
angel, who bent her halo and lost her left wing.
I slouched a little lower in my seat
when Mary dropped the doll representing Baby Jesus, and it bounced down the
aisle crying, “Mama, Mama.” Mary grabbed
the doll, wrapped it back up and held it tightly as the wise men arrived. My other son stepped forward wearing a
bathrobe and a paper crown, knelt at the manger and announced, “We are the
three wise men, and we are bringing gifts of gold, common sense and fur.”
The congregation dissolved into
laughter, and the pageant got a standing ovation. “I’ve never enjoyed a Christmas program as
much as this one,” Pastor Brian laughed, wiping tears from his eyes. “For the rest of my life, I’ll never hear the
Christmas story without thinking of gold, common sense and fur.”
“My children are my pride and my joy
and my greatest blessing,” I said as I dug through my purse for an aspirin.
I Corinthians 13 – A Christmas
Version
If I decorate my house perfectly
with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show
love to my family, I’m just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen,
baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a
beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I’m
just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol
in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love
to my family, it profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering
angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in
the choir’s cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the
child. Love sets aside the decorating to
kiss the spouse. Love is kind, though
harried and tired. Love doesn’t envy
another’s home that has coordinated Christmas China and table linens. Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of
the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way. Love doesn’t give only to those who are able
to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can’t. Love bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. Video games
will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the
gift of love will endure.
1.
WHO STARTED CHRISTMAS?
A woman was out Christmas shopping with her two
children. After many hours of looking at
row after row of toys, and everything else imaginable, and after hours of
hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves,
she finally made it to the elevator with her two kids.
She was feeling what so many of us
feel during the holiday season time of the year – overwhelming pressure to go
to every party, every housewarming, taste all the holiday food and treats,
getting that perfect gift for every single person on our shopping list, making
sure we don’t forget anyone on our card list, and the pressure of making sure
we respond to everyone who sent us a card.
Finally the elevator doors opened
and there was already a crowd in the car.
She pushed her way into the car and dragged her two kids in with her and
all the bags of stuff. When the doors
closed she couldn’t take it anymore and stated, “Whoever started this whole
Christmas thing should be found, strung up and shot.”
From the back of the car everyone
heard a quiet calm voice respond, “Don’t worry; we already crucified Him.” For the rest of the trip down the elevator it
was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.
Don’t forget this year to keep the
One who started this whole Christmas thing in your every thought, deed,
purchase, and word. If we all did it,
just think of how different this whole world would be.
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!
HAPPY NEW
YEAR!