Blog – Page 306

The Olive Branch, 1/20/16

January 21, 2016 By Mount Olive Church Leave a Comment

Accent on Worship

Gathering Rite: Preparation

When does this preparation for the liturgy happen for you? Some might say when we set
the alarm clock on Saturday night. Others might say when we dress. What we wear can say something about how we regard the activity we’re dressing for. Some can say even that what we wear has an effect on our behavior. Tuxedos just make me stand with better posture! Jeans and old pull-overs, well…posture is definitely different than when in a tux.

What are we preparing for? Folks may answer that question differently, but let’s start with
this assumption: we are preparing for an encounter with God, alive in this place, and in each other. Since there is no place that God is not, it is WE who take on this conscious focus when we come. In that en-counter we get to express how important God is to us, we will hear the Word of God which will challenge us for the part of the service that takes us out of this place back into the world, and we will partake in the sub-stance (bread and wine) that literally keep us a part of the Body of Christ. Through all these things we are strengthened as we are sent.

The Gathering rite is indeed an important part of our conscious and thoughtful participation in liturgy. It begins with all of the things mentioned so far – from plans to be here, a rehearsal on Wednesday, baking bread, ironing linens, setting the alarm clock, dressing, getting here, lighting candles, all the way through to the prayer of the day. Sometimes we corporately approach God through confessing our brokenness, or remembering whose we are in remembering our Baptism. We greet God with praise. We sing as one voice – a hymn or psalm, perhaps the Kyrie (sung prayer), and perhaps sing a Hymn of Praise. This “gathering” is actually quite vast and varies Sunday to Sunday, liturgical season to season.

For many, once arriving here, before the liturgy formally begins, thoughts turn to prayer. We set aside the nave for liturgies – prayer, praise, proclamation, celebration of the Holy Eucharist. We may greet some people in the narthex or in the lounge, but once entering the nave,
you may notice how many people prepare silently for what is about to take place. Some kneel in prayer. Some look through the service folder to see what has been planned for us to do, some look up the hymns and readings for a precursory look, perhaps marking them with the ribbons. Generally, it is quiet focus on God and mentally getting ready for what is to come, whether there is prelude music or not. It is important to respect that silence for those who value this preparation.

Not all congregations regard their space in this way. For some, it’s about the people. In that way of looking at things, it’s more like a reunion room. People great each other when they first arrive, happy to be reunited. For many here it’s a little different. Our time for “reunion” and greeting, also important, comes following the liturgy in the Chapel Lounge over coffee and treats! We are strengthened by our encounter with God, and now turn to each other for our mutual love and support before we return to “the world” so to speak.
What are you doing Sunday?

– Cantor David Cherwien

Sunday Readings

January 24, 2016: 3rd Sunday after Epiphany
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Psalm 19
I Corinthians 12:12-31a
Luke 4:14-21

January 31, 2016: 4th Sunday after Epiphany
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Psalm 71:1-6
I Corinthians 13:1-13
Luke 4:21-30

The Presentation of Our Lord
Tuesday, February 2
Holy Eucharist at 7:00 pm

Thursday Evening Study on the Book of Daniel

“Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land” is the title of the current Thursday Bible Study, exploring the book of Daniel. Written in a time of national tribulation and set in another such time, the book explores how God’s faithful live faithful lives in a threatening world. As always, the study begins with a light supper at 6, followed by the study. All are welcome!

Book Discussion Group

Mount Olive’s Book Discussion Group meets on the second Saturday of each month, at 10:00 a.m. in the West Assembly Area at church. All readers are welcome! For the February 13 meeting, they will read God’s Hotel, by Victoria Sweet. For March 12 they will read In the Garden of Beasts, by Erik Larson.

Sunday’s Adult Forum: January 24
“Luther and the Jews, presented by Darrell Jodock, Drell and Adeline Bernhardson Distinguished Professor of Religion Emeritus, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota, and founder of the Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding at Muhlenberg College.

Coffee Hosts Needed!

There are currently no hosts signed up for the coffee hour served between liturgies. If you’d like to help in some way, but don’t want to serve, consider making an extra batch of bars, cookies, or cake the next time you bake. You can bring the extra to church to be frozen for those days when no one signs up. Carla is glad to serve the treats, but would welcome help with the baking. Thank you for considering this important ministry of fellowship.

Music & Fine Arts News

Sunday, January 31, 4:00 p.m.
“A Winter Tapestry”
From Age to Age Choral Ensemble

Mount Olive Music & Fine Arts is pleased to welcome From Age to Age choral ensemble for the first time on their concert series. From Age to Age brings a program that will warm your heart as you listen to an eclectic mixture of repertoire representing all musical eras, and the standard of excellence that resounds the mission of our ensemble.

A reception follows the concert in the church’s Chapel Lounge.

Lent is Coming: Mark Your Calendars!

The Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper will be held on Tuesday, February 9, beginning at 6:00 pm.
Plan to come for a night of fun and fellowship for the whole congregation!

If you are willing to help with this event, please contact Amy Thompson via email to:
Amy.B.Thompson@wellsfargo.com

– Sponsored by the Mount Olive Youth

Sitze will lead February 6 “Stewardshift!” workshop

Bob Sitze, author of Stewardshift: An Economia for Congregational Change (Morehouse, January 2016), will lead a “Stewardshift!” workshop Saturday, February 6, for Mount Olive leaders and others who want to deepen and broaden their understanding of stewardship for congregational mission and daily life. The workshop, in the Chapel/Lounge, will start at 10:30 a.m. and end at 2 p.m., with participants joining Mount Olive’s Community Meal at noon.

Sitze (pronounced sights) says participants in the interactive workshop will wrestle with questions about the present and future of stewardship. They’ll examine the meaning of stewardship as the church and the secular world have understood it. Using ideas detailed in his new book, Bob will challenge common stewardship beliefs and practices, arguing that some may have run their course in the life of the church. He proposes a “shifted stewardship”—simultaneously more biblically centered and more secular—to more effectively shape and serve personal identity and congregational purpose. Bob’s workshops incorporate discovery-based methods, intellectual and emotional honesty, and what he calls “Lutheran levity.” Advised that Mount Olive people are not shy about asking questions and sharing opinions, Bob responded that he welcomes that prospect.

Bob Sitze is a former teacher and director of Christian education in the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. He worked for many years—until his recent retirement—in the ELCA’s national offices as a resource developer and workshop leader in the areas of stewardship, Christian education, hunger, and ministry in everyday life. Four of his previous books, all focused on congregational dynamics, were published by the Alban Institute. Bob and his wife, Chris, live in Wheaton, Illinois.

To help estimate the need for seating, tables, and handouts, please let us know you’re coming by leaving a note marked “stewardship” in the church office or a message for Donn at agathach@bitstream.net or 952-452-2049.

—Donn McLellan, director of stewardship

Creation Awakes

Please join the new Holden Village Co-Executive Directors Peg Carlson-Hoffman + Chuck Hoffman as they share images and information about the impact of the Wolverine Creek Fire on Holden Village. These free events are opportunities for the Holden community to come together in familiar rhythms of teaching sessions, coffee break, and worship. The Directors will provide insights on plans for 2016 and beyond. Full Narnia (childcare) programming is available, so the whole family is welcome.

This event will be held on January 23, 2016, 2:00–5:00 pm, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 4100 Lyndale Ave. S., in Minneapolis. Mount Olive member Senator John Marty is part of the teaching staff for this forum. His presentation is entitled, “Moving to a Fossil-Fuel Free Future; Addressing Climate Change Because There is No Planet B.” To register, please visit https://holdenvillage.thankyou4caring.org/creation-awakes

News from the Neighborhood
Anna Scott

Listen for A Change

Trinity Institute National Theological Conference presents: “Listen for a Change – Sacred Conversations for Racial Justice,” January 21-23, 2016. Hosted by Central Lutheran Church, this event is free, but registration is requested. For more information or to register go to: www.centralmpls.org & click on Events & News or talk to Anna Scott.

TI2016 is for anyone who is interested in a theological perspective on racial justice and a fuller understanding of present realities and ways to transform them. It’s not just for clergy – anyone interested is invited to attend. TI is also perfect for seminarians, students, activists, and young church leaders looking for new insights from thought leaders and change agents and all who are dedicated to or interested in striving for racial justice.

Oh My Lord, What Can I Do?

It breaks one’s heart to know: over 100,000 children in the Twin Cities live in “food insecurity,” a polite term for a child not knowing when they will get their next meal. On weekends, without the meal programs at school, hunger is their frequent reality, and for their family as well.

In this nation of abundance how can this happen? At an elementary school near Mount Olive:
– 92% of children receive free/reduced cost lunch because their families cannot afford to pay;
– 17% of children are homeless or “highly mobile;”
– 50% of children know little or no English.

It breaks one’s heart to think of hungry kids. What can I do? What can we do? Here is one answer. Watch The Olive Branch in coming weeks for more information on The Sheridan Story.

It’s a Clothing Swap!

Mount Olive will host the Do It Green Clothing Swap on Saturday, January 30, from 2-4 p.m.

Do It Green Minnesota is a non-profit organization committed to educating Minnesotans about making sustainable and green choices to better their lives and their community.

These clothing swaps provide a place for people to exchange clothes free of charge, which prevents waste, encourages reuse, and provides access to clothes to those who might not be able to afford them.

The event is free and open to the public.

Winter Gear Drive Continues

Neighborhood Ministries is receiving donations of winter gear for children and adults.

New or gently used items (hats, scarves, gloves, mittens, and coats) can be donated in the box near the coat room. There is designated space for coats in the coat rack area. Items will be given away at the Community Meal throughout the winter or brought to the Central Lutheran Free Store.

Thank you!

Hymn Festival: “One Body, Many Members”

David & Susan Cherwien will lead a hymn festival this Sunday, January 24, 4:00 pm at The Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Roseville (3115 Victoria St. N., Roseville).

All are invited!

Who exactly is the Synod? Well, We Are

Sometimes when Lutherans speak of “the synod,” what they really mean is the synod staff. In fact, the Minneapolis Area Synod of the ELCA is all the 155 congregations, other institutions, and all the nearly 190,000 members. We are the synod. We have a staff, too. Bishop Ann M. Svennungsen and twelve others work out of the synod’s office in the Minnesota Church Center at 122 West Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis and provide both service and leadership to congregations. But they, like the staff of Mount Olive, are there to serve the greater group.

As part of that greater work together with our sisters and brothers, Anna Scott, our Coordinator of Neighborhood Outreach and Ministry, was just named Vice Chair of the synod’s Public Voice Committee. This is the synod committee that works on how the many congregations of this synod speak in the public square and work in our neighborhoods for the good of the people of this city and world. But Anna is not alone in serving from Mount Olive. Two Mount Olive members serve on the Synod Council, the governing body of our synod between assemblies: Pr. Crippen, and Ty Inglis, who serves as synod treasurer, elected in 2015. Adam Krueger is co-chair of the synod’s Candidacy Committee, responsible for working with seminarians from Minneapolis as they navigate through the approval process. Through these, this is one way Mount Olive lives out our part as one of many that make up the “synod.”

Also Invited

January 17, 2016 By moadmin Leave a Comment

Inviting Christ to our lives, along with his friends, is the only way to begin to see the glory of God’s healing life for us and for the whole world.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
The Second Sunday after Epiphany, year C
text: John 2:1-11

Sisters and brothers in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Apparently it matters whom we invite to our parties.

At least if we want enough food and drink to satisfy our guests for a three day village wedding. Having one who can make fine wine out of water is handy.

This must be a family friend or relative of Jesus getting married, since Jesus’ mother is also on the guest list. Jesus’ disciples were also invited. We’ve only met five so far in John, but you’d have to like Jesus a lot to answer yes to: “is it OK if I bring along five guys who are following me around?”

This may be a grace point in this story, though, a place we can enter and see our lives and God differently.

Maybe it really does matter whom we invite into our story, whom they bring with them, what we expect of them, and what they ask of us.

First, we want to put Jesus on our life’s guest list.

This miracle wasn’t really world-changing. No disease was cured, no demon sent away. Jesus just made sure the hosts of the party weren’t embarrassed. Maybe their guests were heavy drinkers; maybe the family was poor. But it would be humiliating.

But God’s Christ was there, a guest. And even the little details of our lives matter to him. He blessed them with the abundance of God, changed what was ordinary into extraordinary. That’s what happens when Jesus is at the party.

We’re in the afterglow of our celebration of the birth of Christ, and this story reminds us what it means that God has become one of us. In Christ, God lives in our lives, cares about our needs, even ones that seem unimportant to others. Christ Jesus is someone we want actively involved in our lives, with us.

As annoying as they can be, we also want to be sure to invite Jesus’ friends.

Wherever Jesus goes, he brings his friends along. Even to a wedding. They’re not the brightest, they often miss his point, act in ways Christ would prefer they didn’t. They need correction, guidance, help.

But Christ’s friends are vital for us. At Cana, they’re the witnesses of God’s glory in Jesus. So they are for us. Jesus’ friends are the ones who sit next to us in the pew, who talk to us at the coffee time, who know when we need them. They’re the ones who help us see what God is doing in our lives and in the world. Christ’s friends are the ones who stand with us in our faith and doubt, who witness so we might also believe.

Many of those who bear the name Christ can be annoying or problematic. Sometimes we’d rather focus on our faith by ourselves. But we need the friends of this Christ in our lives. We couldn’t see or believe without them.

There’s another on the Cana guest list who needs to be on ours, too.

“The mother of Jesus was there,” John says. And she’s crucial. She’s the one who notices the problem of the wine. She’s the one who comes to the only one who could do something, her son. She’s the one who ignores his resistance and tells the servants they should do whatever he says. Without her at this wedding, would Jesus have acted?

We need people like her in our life. We need to invite people into our life who know the truth about us, who can see what needs we have. But who also know God well enough to bring God our needs and ask for help. Even wrestle a little, argue for our cause, not take no for an answer.

These are the people of faith who are so important to us, who trust God when we struggle to, who pray in confidence when we doubt, and who will speak on our behalf to God, even if we could have spoken ourselves. (Remember, the bridegroom could have come to Jesus. That’s not the question. Sometimes we need someone to speak up for us.)

We want people like Jesus’ mother in our life.

But isn’t this miracle kind of insignificant?

In the huge problems of the world, Jesus’ action was small potatoes. Much of what we hope for from God feels the same to us. We struggle to know what we can bring to God for healing, for hope, for change. We don’t want to be selfish, we know there are bigger, worse problems that lots of other people have. We might only be running out of wine, not dying of hunger or unjustly locked up in a jail. Who are we to ask the Incarnate Son of God to come to our lives and help us?

But Jesus did this small little thing. He learned of a need and met it. He didn’t say, “What about those people over there that have nothing? Your problems aren’t important.” He made the wine.

Oh, but also: “this was the first of his signs, and revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him,” John says. This was only the beginning. After Cana, Jesus would do much more – heal the sick, raise the dead, die on the cross, rise to new life – but this little miracle in an out-of-the-way village was the first sign of what was to come.

That’s the hope. Christ in our lives means we will see signs of God’s glory in our own small needs, our own small lives. And they will be signs that God is even now working in the world for healing. Signs of the much greater things God is going to do. And like the disciples, we believe.

There’s one more thing: whatever he tells you, do it, his mother said.

We need to hear what she said to the servants. Filling a jar with 30 gallons of water by carrying buckets from a well surely didn’t look miraculous. Nor did repeating it five more times. But out of their obedience came rich, abundant grace.

Pay attention to this. When Christ is in our lives, he’ll have things he needs us to do. Inviting him to our life isn’t a passive thing. So when Jesus tells us to do something, however small or unimportant, we would do well to do it. Love your neighbor as yourself, he said. Maybe that’s not going to change our society or world, or stop war, or end hunger. Maybe it’s going to be annoying and inconvenient, as tedious as endlessly carrying buckets to stone jars. But if Christ has asked us to do this, to love as we are loved, there is bound to be a grace, a miracle, a transformation in his plans. Our part is needed, even if we don’t see how.

Whatever he tells you, do it. That Mary sure knew her son.

It’s time to make the guest list of those whom we’re inviting to our lives.

We’ll invite Jesus, the Son of God, the Anointed. We’ll invite his friends, too, all of them, and especially one or two who know him well and will speak for us when we can’t.

And we’ll be ready for our jobs when we get them.

Because you never know what God can do with just a little thing like water. Or like us.

In the name of Jesus. Amen

The Olive Branch, 1/13/16

January 13, 2016 By Mount Olive Church Leave a Comment

Accent on Worship

“I Don’t Want You to Be Uninformed”

In these upcoming three green Sundays after Epiphany we have a brief run through First Corinthians as our second reading. Beginning with this Sunday, we hear from chapters 12 and 13 before Transfigura-tion on February 7.

These are remarkable words from a remarkable letter. Paul begins a discussion of spiritual gifts in chapter 12, with this explanation: “Concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.” In spite of that, I’m not sure we are becoming informed as he hopes. Too often we read these sections, as in the next Sundays, separately, out of context from the others.

When we read them together (and I encourage you to do this before Sunday) we see a thread of truth we don’t talk about as we could: the Spirit’s gifts are for the good of all. So this Sunday Paul says, “to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” Next Sunday, he claims we all belong to each other and care for each other, an inseparable body in Christ that we did not make. Then on Jan. 31, his hymn to Christly love is a powerful description of how we live together in that body.

We each are given gifts of the Spirit for the common good. We all belong to each other in one, inseparable body, where all are different and important. Sacrificial, Christly love, the highest of all spiritual gifts, and one given to all, shapes the life in this body. This is what Paul needs us and all believers to be informed about.

Most days we live into this life relatively well as the people of God at Mount Olive. But in the broader Church, among such different and diverse ways of speaking Christ’s name in the world, such a sense of the common good, our oneness in Christ, and the love that binds us, seems rarer and rarer.

Sometimes I think we’d do well as the Church to keep our mouths closed and read more of the Scriptures. It’s sad that 2,000 years after this first was sent to believers, our broader witness as Christ’s Church in this world shows us to still be uninformed, and unwilling to learn.
Perhaps our gift here at Mount Olive can be to show by our actions and life in the world this word of Paul, so that at least those who encounter us as examples of Christians might see that we are, in fact, informed as to the center of the heart of Christ, and so informed, are living in that heart. For the good of all the world’s people.

In Christ,

– Joseph

Sunday Readings

January 17, 2016: 2nd Sunday after Epiphany
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 36:5-10
I Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11

January 24, 2016: 3rd Sunday after Epiphany
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Psalm 19
I Corinthians 12:12-31a
Luke 4:14-21

The Presentation of Our Lord
Tuesday, February 2
Holy Eucharist at 7:00 pm
All are welcome!

Thursday Evening Study on the Book of Daniel

Book Discussion Group

Mount Olive’s Book Discussion Group meets on the second Saturday of each month, at 10:00 a.m. in the West Assembly Area at church. All readers are welcome! For the February 13 meeting, they will read God’s Hotel, by Victoria Sweet. For March 12 they will read In the Garden of Beasts, by Erik Larson.

Desk Needed!

The German family that Mount Olive has helped to bring to Minneapolis for a short-term work/study period would like a small desk to use. If you have a desk that you could lend them until the end of July, please contact Lora Dundek with the dimensions (lhdundek@usfamily.net). We have a desk chair already. Thanks.

Transitions Support Group

All are welcome at the Transitions Support Group. If you’re looking for new ideas or encouragement to meet the challenges or uncertainties that are before you, please consider joining us on January 13, 2016.

This is an opportunity to share in fellowship, prayer, and discussion with others in the Mount Olive community.

Transitions Support Group meets on Wednesday, January 13 from 6- 7 pm at Mount Olive in the lower level Youth Room, and will be facilitated by Cathy Bosworth and Amy Cotter.

For more information, please contact Cathy 612-708-1144, marcat8447@yahoo.com or Amy 612-710-1811, agate651@gmail.com.

Sunday’s Adult Forum: January 17

“Panhandling and Other Dilemmas,” presented by Mount Olive Coordinator of Neighborhood Outreach and Ministry, Anna Scott.

TRUST’s Annual Martin Luther King Celebration
Sunday, January 17, 5:00 pm, Living Spirit United Methodist Church, 4501 Bloomington Avenue South

Join us for fellowship and music. Featuring the voice of Libby Turner, Ann Jensen, and Leon Patterson, reflecting on their journey to Selma for the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March. TRUST Youth will provide music and lead the service.

A soup and sandwich supper will follow the service, and a freewill offering will be received.

Mark Your Calendars

Sunday, January 31, 4:00 p.m.
“A Winter Tapestry” From Age to Age Choral Ensemble

A reception follows the concert in the church’s Chapel Lounge.

Help Wanted for Our Saviour’s Meals

It’s sign-up time for serving at Our Saviour’s Shelter!

Mount Olive serves on the second Sunday of every month. If you have served before you know how rewarding it is to meet the residents and to have dinner with them. There is a 2016 calendar where you can put your name down for the month that is best for you.

More hands are always welcome!

Altar Flowers

The sign up chart for weekly altar flowers has been posted in its usual spot next to the church office. If you would like to sign up to provide flowers for worship to commemorate a special day, in memory of a loved one, in honor of a special event, or simply to help beautify our church for worship, please sign up on the chart for the date you want, and be sure to include your designation. The cost of the altar flowers this year is $50 per Sunday for two bouquets. If you wish to provide only one of the bouquets, simply sign on only one of the two lines provided for each Sunday. The cost for one bouquet is $25.

Please use one of the envelopes provided at the chart for your payment.

Reconciling in Christ Annual Service

The 2016 RIC Festival Service, “Diversity Thru Inclusivity,” will be held on Saturday, January 30, 2016, 4:30 PM, at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church (4150 Dupont Ave. N, Minneapolis, MN 55412). Pastor Robin Provis will serve as presider for this service, and Pastor Kelly Chatman will preach.

A soup supper will follow the service, and a freewill offering will be received. This event is sponsored by the Twin Cities Chapter of ReconcilingWorks.

Confronting Racism: A Holy Yearning

ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton and William B. Horne, an ELCA member from Clearwater, Fla., will continue their conversation on racism – a violation of God’s intention for humanity – in another live webcast Jan. 14, 2016, at 8 p.m. (CST). Eaton and Horne will be joined by other ELCA members who bring various perspectives on the U.S. criminal justice system. As with the previous webcast, this one will be grounded by two commitments. One is this church’s proclamation of Christ and the confidence this good news brings to set us free from the captivity of racism. The second is this church’s enduring commitment to address the complexity of racism and end discrimination.

Mount Olive will host this webinar broadcast in the Chapel Lounge starting at 8:00 pm on Thursday, Jan. 14, immediately following Thursday Bible Study. We will gather in the West Assembly Area beginning at 7:30 pm. We will watch together and have a discussion with other churches and neighbors.

Tending the Family of God

Sometimes when people are no longer present with us at worship on Sunday morning it is because they have moved or have moved on. For example, our vicar completes her year with us, or someone moves to another part of the country or another part of the world. Often, when that happens, we send them on their way from our liturgy with a rite of farewell and Godspeed.

Are there ways we can do that whenever anyone leaves, regardless of the circumstance, so that they know they have been important in our life together and that we will always carry them in our hearts?

News from the Neighborhood
Anna Scott

Let me introduce …

CLUES Comunidades Latinas Unidos En Servicio (Latin Communities United in Service).

CLUES is one of the organizations that Mount Olive supports for its local mission work and support of our neighborhood. This organization sits right across Lake Street, with another two offices in St. Paul. They diligently serve the Latino population in a variety of ways. Their programs focus on: health and wellbeing, economic vitality, education, and cultural and civic engagement. As their website says, living out their mission involves family, community strength, respect, collaboration, and accountability.

Thank you for helping support this vital and vibrant partner in the neighborhood!

CLUES

Who we are: CLUES (Spanish for: Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio) is a linguistically and culturally relevant resource and service nonprofit organization that was founded in 1981 by Latinos for Latinos. Our programs and services connect families to resources, skills, institutions, and systems and create an environment for people to be engaged and empowered.

Who we serve: Our services focus on the Latino family, yet our experience and capabilities enable us to serve individuals and families from all walks of life including new immigrants and low-income families who dream of a better future.

Our mission: To advance the capacity of Latino families to be healthy, prosperous and engaged in their communities.

Our vision: A thriving multicultural community enriched with confident and strong Latino families who contribute their voice, skills, entrepreneurial spirit, and cultural richness.

Listen for Change

The Trinity Institute National Theological Conference presents “Listen for a Change – Sacred Conversations for Racial Justice” on January 21-23, 2016.

Hosted at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, this event is free, but registration is requested. For more information or to register go to: www.centralmpls.org and click on Events & News.

Headed to Kenya!

Coming up on January 25 – Feb 6, Josh and I and a crew of 4 other friends will be headed to Kenya to hike Mount Kenya and hopefully do a safari in Tanzania.

It’s a dream come true for me, as I’ve longed to climb Kilimanjaro for many years, but this trek will suffice! Josh used to fly planes for Airserv, an NGO fleet that worked with the likes of Doctors Without Borders and ARC. He lived in Congo, Uganda, and Chad, but spent time in Kenya and many other countries on the fascinating continent. I’m looking forward to learning, enjoying, seeing incredible things, and having a lot of fun! See you when we get back (and please pray for safety for us. Last time I did something like this I ended up with a broken elbow).

– Anna

Coming Events of Interest

• Sat., Jan, 16, 7:30 pm: We Shall Overcome: a concert by Cantus and the Minnesota Boychoir (celebrating the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, Excelsior, MN.

• Sat., Jan 16, Noon, 2, 4, and 6 pm: Scandinavian Lutefisk and Meatball Dinner. First Lutheran Church, Columbia Heights, MN.

• Mon., Jan 18, beginning at 9:30 am: MLK Jr. Day (lectures, worship lunch and panel discussion) Luther Seminary, St. Paul.

• Sat., Jan 30, 7 pm: Luther College Symphony Orchestra concert, Trinity Lutheran Church, Stillwater, MN.

• Mon., Feb. 1, 7:00 pm – Luther College Nordic Choir concert. University Lutheran Church of Hope, Minneapolis.

The Olive Branch, 1/6/16

January 8, 2016 By Mount Olive Church Leave a Comment

Accent on Worship

“When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had
seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had
stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.”

I love to think about the Magi going on their quest to find the baby Jesus, following a star in the sky. This star showed them the way. And once it stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. I wonder what made them so joyful. Did they know their journey was almost complete? Were they excited to meet the infant Jesus and present him with gifts? Or could it be that they had some sense of what this birth meant? That suddenly everything had changed?

We, too, need light to s how us the way. Sometimes it’s real light, like a flashlight that illumines the way to the outhouse, or a candle that lights up the house after the power has gone out. But we
also need light from people in our lives who help us understand, who teach us new ways of thinking, and who enable us to make sense of our experience.

During my college physics classes, I would often have “lightbulb moments.” They were those times when suddenly everything made sense, when my math worked out, when a professor said something to me actually made sense. Be on the lookout for these “lightbulb moments” in your life, too. They don’t happen all the time, but when they do, they’re worth celebrating.

May the light of Christ fill you with joy during this season of Epiphany!

– Vicar Anna Helgen

Sunday Readings

January 10, 2016: Baptism of Our Lord
Isaiah 43:1-7
Psalm 29
Acts 8:14-17
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
______________________

January 17, 2016: 2nd Sunday after Epiphany
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 36:5-10
I Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11

Transitions Support Group
All are welcome at the Transitions Support Group. If you’re looking for new ideas or encouragement to meet the challenges or uncertainties that are before you, please consider joining us on January 13, 2016.

This is an opportunity to share in fellowship, prayer, and discussion with others in the Mount Olive
community.

Transitions Support Group meets on Wednesday, January 13 from 6- 7 pm at Mount Olive in the lower level Youth Room, and will be facilitated by Cathy Bosworth and Amy Cotter. For more information, please contact Cathy 612-708-1144, marcat8447@yahoo.com or Amy 612-710-1811,
agate651@gmail.com.

Thank you, thank you!
Many thanks to the people of Mount Olive for the generous Christmas gifts we received, and for all your kindness and support throughout the year! You are Christ to us in so many ways, and we are deeply grateful for you in our lives.

Blessings and peace to you all in this new year in God’s care!

– The staff of Mount Olive: David Cherwien, Joseph Crippen,
Anna Helgen, Cha Posz, William Pratley, and Anna Scott.

Thursday Evening Study Returns Jan. 7
Starting January 7, the Thursday evening study will begin meeting again in the Chapel Lounge from
6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. “Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land” is the title, with the group exploring the book of Daniel.

Written in a time of national tribulation and set in another such time, the book explores how God’s faithful live faithful lives in a threatening world.

As always, there will be a light supper preceding the study each week.

Book Discussion Group
Mount Olive’s Book Discussion Group meets on the second Saturday of each month, at 10:00
a.m. in the West Assembly Area at church. All readers are welcome!

For the January 9 meeting, they will read Grand Opening, by Jon Hassler, and for February 13, they will read God’s Hotel, by Victoria Sweet.

Desk Needed!

New Opportunity for Ministry

The Congregational Life Committee is looking for people who would be willing to assist members who have difficulty or are more cautious walking from the south parking lot to church.

For more information, contact Sandra Pranschke at spranschke@gmail.com, or 612-859-5448.

Winter Gear Drive Continues

Neighborhood Ministries is receiving donations of winter gear for children and adults. New or gently used items can be donated in the box near the coat room. There is designated space for coats in
the coat rack. Items will be given away at the Community Meal throughout the winter or brought to the Central Lutheran Free Store.

Thank you!

TRUST’s Annual Martin Luther King Celebration
Sunday, January 17, 5:00 pm, Living Spirit United Methodist Church,
4501 Bloomington Avenue South
Join us for fellowship and music. Featuring the voice of Libby Turner, Ann Jensen, and Leon Patterson reflecting on their journey to Selma for the 50th anniversary of the Selma to
Montgomery March. TRUST Youth will provide music and lead the service.

A soup and sandwich supper will follow the service, and a freewill offering will be received.

Confronting Racism: A Holy Yearning

ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton and William B. Horne, an ELCA member from Clearwater, Fla., will continue their conversation on racism – a violation of God’s intention for
humanity – in another live webcast Jan. 14, 2016, at 8 p.m. (CST). Eaton and Horne will be joined by other ELCA members who bring various perspectives on the U.S. criminal justice system. As with the previous webcast, this one will be grounded by two commitments. One is this church’s
proclamation of Christ and the confidence this good news brings to set us free from the captivity of racism. The second is this church’s enduring commitment to address the complexity of racism and end discrimination.

Sunday’s Adult Forum: January 10
“Islam and Christianity,” presented by John Matthews

John Matthews is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Apple Valley. John is a graduate of Concordia College (Moorhead, MN), Luther Seminary (St. Paul, MN), and did post-graduate study at the International Center for Holocaust Education at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. For ten years, he has been an adjunct professor of religion at Augsburg College’s Rochester Campus and has been very active in interfaith dialogue, especially Jewish-Christian, Native American, and Christian-Muslim.

In November 2015, John was recognized by the Islamic Resource Group of Minnesota with their “Building Bridges” Award, for his interfaith activity. He is the author of Anxious Souls Will Ask: The Christ-Centered Spirituality of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Eerdmans, 2005) and Bonhoeffer: A Brief Overview of the Life and Writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Lutheran University Press, 2011).

John presented on Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Mount Olive’s 2014-2015 forums.

Help Wanted for Our Saviour’s Meals

It’s sign-up time for serving at Our Saviour’s Shelter! Mount Olive serves on the second Sunday of every month.

If you have served before you know how rewarding it is to meet the residents and to have dinner with them. There is a 2016 calendar where you can put your name down for the month that is best for you.
More hands are always welcome!

Altar Flowers

The cost of the altar flowers this year is $50 per Sunday for two bouquets. If you wish to provide only one of the bouquets, simply sign on only one of the two lines provided for each Sunday. The cost for one bouquet is $25. Use the envelopes provided below the chart.

News from the Neighborhood
Anna Scott

Neighborhood Ministries Direct Care Report

One of the ministries we offer at Mount Olive is Direct Care in which, through generous funding from the congregation, we can assist our neighbors and friends with needs like a bus card, a laundry voucher, or help paying rent, utilities, or other emergencies.

This year we helped with:
RENT: 49 people with a total of $ 3,716.53
UTILITIES: 24 people with a total of $ 1,322.96
EMERGENCY: 39 people with a total of $ 1,951.77
GAVE: 83 Bus Cards and 86 Laundry Vouchers

Diaper Depot Report

Mount Olive hosts a Diaper Depot open to anyone who needs it as a way to lift a small piece of financial burden from parents. It is open Tues. 4:30-6:30 and Thurs. 1:30 – 3:30 downstairs by the Youth room. It’s a lovely place to see families, meet neighbors, and oogle at cute kiddos! The Depot
offers a bit of rest, a place to talk, extra supplies, and some savings to our friends.

“The Diaper Depot has lifted some financial burden from my family. I am very blessed to get discounted diapers.” – client

This year we:
– Helped 350 families who came to the depot (187 of those clients were new – the word keeps spreading!)
-Sold 1,908 packs of diapers

THANK YOU for your continued support of these ministries! As Hilda, one of our neighbors who received assistance said, “Keep it up. You really are helping out here.”

Mark Your Calendars
Sunday, January 31, 2016, 4:00 p.m.
“A Winter Tapestry” – From Age to Age Choral Ensemble
Mount Olive Music & Fine Arts is pleased to welcome From Age to Age choral ensemble for
the first time on their concert series. From Age to Age brings a program that will warm your
heart as you listen to an eclectic mixture of repertoire representing all musical eras, and the standard of excellence that resounds the mission of our ensemble.

A reception follows the concert in the church’s Chapel Lounge. This event is free and open to the public; a free-will offering will be received to support the Music and Fine Arts program.

Coming Events of Interest
– Sat., Jan, 16, 7:30 pm: We Shall Overcome: a concert by Cantus and the Minnesota
Boychoir (celebrating the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Mount Calvary
Lutheran Church, Excelsior, MN.

– Sat., Jan 16, Noon, 2, 4, and 6 pm: Scandinavian Lutefisk and Meatball Dinner. First
Lutheran Church, Columbia Heights, MN.

– Mon., Jan 18, beginning at 9:30 am: MLK Jr. Day (lectures, worship lunch and panel
discussion) Luther Seminary, St. Paul.

– Sat., Jan 30, 7 pm: Luther College Symphony Orchestra concert, Trinity Lutheran
Church, Stillwater, MN.

– Mon., Feb. 1, 7:00 pm – Luther College Nordic Choir concert. University Lutheran
Church of Hope, Minneapolis.

Know, See, Act

January 3, 2016 By moadmin Leave a Comment

Because Christ the Son has made the Father’s heart known to us, we can’t pretend we don’t know, or see, or don’t need to act with God’s heart in the world anymore.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
The Second Sunday of Christmas
texts: John 1:10-18; Ephesians 1:3-14; Jeremiah 31:7-14

Sisters and brothers in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

It’s a convenient lie we tell ourselves, that it’s hard to discern God’s will.

When people do great evil in God’s name, we know that’s not what God wants. When the Church acts in ways of cruelty or rigidity, when Christians spout racism and hatred as if it is of Christ, we’re outraged, and we know, this is not God’s will.

But when it comes to our lives, we sometimes act as if what God wants, what God dreams for this world, what God hopes for from us is a mystery. How can we know God’s will? It’s complicated, hard to discern. Life is complicated, too. So, sometimes, we say, that’s just the way it always will be. This is convenient, because we don’t have to understand anything we don’t want to, or see in any way we aren’t used to seeing, or do anything we’re uncomfortable doing.

Today John exposes our lie. John proclaims the unknowable, unfathomable Triune God who made all things is now known to us. Of course it’s impossible for us to grasp the fullness of the God. But John says everything we need to know, everything that is in God’s heart for us and for this world is now evident to us, known.

“No one has ever seen God,” he says. “It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.”

So we have no more excuses. We can’t justify our ignorance, our narrow vision, or our inactivity on the grounds that we aren’t sure what God wants. Because the Son of God has become one of us and taken on our body and has shown us God’s heart. Told us everything. Lived for us everything we need to know. If we want to know the truth of God’s heart, we look to Jesus.

And now we know the heart of God, we can’t pretend otherwise.

The Son of God said peacemakers are blessed, and God’s heart is that we pray for our enemies, love them. We can no longer play with the idea of justified war or condone violent response of any kind and say it’s what God wants. When someone strikes us, we are to turn our cheek. Non-violent resistance isn’t passive and isn’t cowardly, it’s Christ’s way, and therefore God’s way. Now that we know this, we can’t pretend we don’t.

The Son of God said God’s full law is done when we love God with our everything and love our neighbor as ourselves. We can no longer pretend we don’t have to love certain people, or that we aren’t sure how God wants us to act towards some. We can’t say some aren’t our neighbors, because the One who knows God’s heart opened “neighbor” to mean all people, even those we disagree with, even those who aren’t like us. Now that we know love is the center of what God wants from us, we can’t pretend we don’t.

Knowing God’s heart for the world means we are called to see the world through God’s heart. We can’t pretend otherwise.

We can’t see things the way we’ve always seen them, and now knowing that they are destructive and broken, pretend that we don’t see that. Seeing through the heart of God means seeing the evils of systems that oppress while making others like us rich, not lying and saying, “it’s more complicated than that”. Seeing with God’s heart means seeing things that are going to make us uncomfortable.

The Son of God also said that if we look at those who are hungry, or thirsty, or sick, and those who are imprisoned, or naked, or strangers, we are seeing God. Seeing with God’s heart means seeing that those whom the world calls the least are where God is, and if we want to be with God, where we’ll be.

Now that we know the heart of God, we can’t pretend not to see the world with the same heart.

And knowing and seeing don’t matter if we won’t act with the heart of God. We can’t pretend otherwise.

If we won’t be peacemakers in our personal lives and in our public discourse and in how we encourage our leaders. If we won’t pray for those who hate us and are our enemies. If we won’t change systems that make life impossible for so many, even if that means loss for us. If we won’t care for Jesus’ least and lost, those who are God for us.

As long as we claim ignorance of God’s will for us and the world, we don’t have to see differently. As long as we don’t have to see as God sees, we can sit idly by while the world falls apart. But now that we know, now that we see, we can’t pretend we can do nothing.

But there is deep Good News in John’s claim, too: the Son of God has not only made God known to us. Through the Son we receive power to become children of God ourselves.

Hear that again: John says the Son makes the heart of God known to us, and gives us the power to become children of God.

Paul says this in Ephesians, too: we’ve been adopted into God’s life as children and heirs, born in the Spirit of God. So we’re close to the Father’s heart, too. Listen to Paul: “With all wisdom and insight, God has made known to us the mystery of God’s will, . . . a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him.” Because we are children and heirs, we know what was once mystery, we know God’s heart is to draw all things into the life of God.

Better yet, in the power of the Spirit we receive all the grace of being God’s children and heirs, we receive all God’s strength and courage, the ability and will we need to know, and see, and do what God’s heart wants for this world.

Jeremiah today reveals the fullness of God’s plan, when God’s heart’s desire comes to full fruit in this world.

The world will be a watered garden, young women will rejoice in the dance, young and old will be merry. God will turn the world’s mourning into joy, give gladness instead of sorrow, and all people will be satisfied with the bounty of the Lord.

That’s what will happen when God gathers all things together in Christ. That’s the heart of God for the people of this world.

Now we know. Now we can see. Now we can act. It’s no mystery anymore, thanks be to God. And as children of God, we now also get to be a part of unfolding the heart of God to the rest of world. What greater joy could there be?

In the name of Jesus. Amen