Mount Olive Lutheran Church

All We Like Sheep

By

We are all like sheep—intelligent, but prone to scattering when we don’t listen to our shepherd. Like sheep, we are meant to stay with the flock, and follow Jesus, our shepherd. If you listen, you will hear the shepherd calling!

Vicar Meagan McLaughlin
     The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary 16, year B
        texts: Jeremiah 23:1-6, Psalm 23, Ephesians 2:11-22, Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

There are a lot of sheep in our readings for today. And a lot of shepherds. And for Jesus’ listeners, shepherds and sheep were very familiar, because if they were not shepherds themselves, they knew or worked with people who were. Encounters with sheep were common experiences, so when Jesus compared his listeners to sheep, as he does several times in the Gospels, or when they heard references to sheep and shepherds from the Hebrew scriptures, our Old Testament, they probably had a pretty easy time understanding what that meant.

Most of us today don’t have the same advantage when it comes to sheep images. Of course, we know some things about sheep. We know they live in flocks. We know they give us wool. We know they smell. And of course, we know they “baaaa!” But all of these things that we know about sheep from our limited experience are very little help when it comes to understanding what it means for us to be like sheep. After all, we may live in flocks, sort of, but we don’t shed wool, we hopefully don’t stink as badly as sheep do most of the time, and we don’t typically “baaaa,” except of course when we are singing Old MacDonald Had a Farm, or having fun with Biblical sheep imagery!

No, our limited experience with sheep is not very helpful at all. We might have better luck explaining rotary phones or pilot lights to someone under 18! But in spite of the challenge to our 21st century minds, sheep and shepherds are really major themes in the Bible, and given today’s texts, it is worth spending a little time thinking about what it means for us to be like sheep, with God as our shepherd.

Sheep often get a bad rap for being “stupid,” and it is true that they have been known to walk off the edge of a cliff, one following another, with no hesitation. Sheep stick together as a group for safety and companionship, and if a lead sheep heads off in a bad direction, it is likely that others will follow. The truth is, however, contrary to popular opinion, sheep are actually very intelligent, and they are good at solving problems. While they may get misled, sheep can also find their way back home. And, they can go to lengths, even working together, to get into fields of juicier grasses!

Does that sound familiar? We human beings, like sheep, are intelligent, and are very good at working together to solve problems or achieve our goals. We also find safety in numbers. And, we have been known to trust and follow leaders who made bad decisions, not fully aware of what we were doing. Think of the last time you were in a car caravan when the lead car got lost. How long did it take—how many minutes, or miles, or turns, or silent thoughts that maybe this wasn’t right—before someone actually decided to question the leader?

The results of our human flocking tendencies can be harmless, and even humorous. Taken to an extreme, our sheep-like behavior can lead to nothing short of tragedy. Dylan followed false shepherds and other sheep whose ideas were not only misguided, but simply evil, and it led him straight into the Wednesday night Bible study at Emanuel AME for the purpose of taking the lives of nine innocent people.

I think perhaps Jeremiah could have been talking about this when he said, “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord.” Those spreading overt messages of hatred and division and supremacy and bias are certainly responsible. But so are all of us who remain silent in the face of subtle jokes or comments that demean whole groups of our fellows, or remain unaware of our own biases. We are following and encouraging others on a path allowing racism, and other forms of discrimination and oppression, to go unchallenged.

We who don’t respond and share our abundance with those lacking basic needs have gone astray. We have forgotten that our well-being, and the well-being of all creation, is not dependent upon individual success or safety. Our lives are inextricably intertwined with all of our fellow sheep and this world in which we live. When we forget that, like sheep without a shepherd, we are scattered and separated from one another.

We have been scattered, driven apart. We are all responsible to look to the shepherd who can lead us home.

In Jeremiah, God promises to raise up a new shepherd, and call his people back from where they have been scattered. We as Christians understand Jesus to be God our shepherd, the one who prepares a table for us, protects us, leads us along the right path. Paul assures the Ephesians that Jesus, our shepherd, has called us together, with all of our differences. Jesus has compassion on the people who seek him, because they are like sheep without a shepherd, and he teaches them. Jesus becomes their shepherd. And Jesus is our shepherd, the one who brings all of us sheep-like humans together as one flock.

We, like sheep, can be confused and led astray when we are not listening to our shepherd. But non-human sheep can recognize each other, and even distinguish one human being from another. This means that sheep can identify who their shepherd is! They know their shepherd’s voice, they know their shepherd’s face.

The crowds followed Jesus, ran ahead of him to wherever he was going, because intuitively, they knew who he was.

And so do we. We hear the voice of our shepherd all the time, if we listen for it. We hear it in the scriptures. We hear the shepherd calling in the voice of loved ones and mentors who know us well, and can help us find our way when we are lost. We even hear that voice, I daresay, in the voice of the preacher telling us hard truths on Sunday morning. And when we hear the voice of the shepherd, we know it, the same way we know the voice of our parents, our children, our spouses or partners. We can’t explain how we know, we just know.

Our shepherd is with us, always, no matter how lost or scattered we may become. Native legend tells us that humanity will not be whole and healed of brokenness until all of us—all colors, ethnicities, traditions, backgrounds—come together and share equal voice in the circle. Our shepherd is calling!

We humans are like sheep, even if we don’t “baaa” . . . . we are intelligent, we know our shepherd’s voice when we hear it, and at our best, we tend to follow our shepherd and stay with the flock for safety and companionship. Our lives and our well-being are dependent on realizing that we are not meant to be scattered or divided along any lines, and only our shepherd can keep us from getting lost. Come together, little sheep! And listen to the voice of Jesus our shepherd in scriptures, pastors, trusted companions. We are all like sheep. And—listen, do you hear it?—our shepherd is calling!

Thanks be to God!

All We Like Sheep

By

We are all like sheep—intelligent, but prone to scattering when we don’t listen to our shepherd. Like sheep, we are meant to stay with the flock, and follow Jesus, our shepherd. If you listen, you will hear the shepherd calling!

Vicar Meagan McLaughlin
     The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary 16, year B
        texts: Jeremiah 23:1-6, Psalm 23, Ephesians 2:11-22, Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

There are a lot of sheep in our readings for today. And a lot of shepherds. And for Jesus’ listeners, shepherds and sheep were very familiar, because if they were not shepherds themselves, they knew or worked with people who were. Encounters with sheep were common experiences, so when Jesus compared his listeners to sheep, as he does several times in the Gospels, or when they heard references to sheep and shepherds from the Hebrew scriptures, our Old Testament, they probably had a pretty easy time understanding what that meant.

Most of us today don’t have the same advantage when it comes to sheep images. Of course, we know some things about sheep. We know they live in flocks. We know they give us wool. We know they smell. And of course, we know they “baaaa!” But all of these things that we know about sheep from our limited experience are very little help when it comes to understanding what it means for us to be like sheep. After all, we may live in flocks, sort of, but we don’t shed wool, we hopefully don’t stink as badly as sheep do most of the time, and we don’t typically “baaaa,” except of course when we are singing Old MacDonald Had a Farm, or having fun with Biblical sheep imagery!

No, our limited experience with sheep is not very helpful at all. We might have better luck explaining rotary phones or pilot lights to someone under 18! But in spite of the challenge to our 21st century minds, sheep and shepherds are really major themes in the Bible, and given today’s texts, it is worth spending a little time thinking about what it means for us to be like sheep, with God as our shepherd.

Sheep often get a bad rap for being “stupid,” and it is true that they have been known to walk off the edge of a cliff, one following another, with no hesitation. Sheep stick together as a group for safety and companionship, and if a lead sheep heads off in a bad direction, it is likely that others will follow. The truth is, however, contrary to popular opinion, sheep are actually very intelligent, and they are good at solving problems. While they may get misled, sheep can also find their way back home. And, they can go to lengths, even working together, to get into fields of juicier grasses!

Does that sound familiar? We human beings, like sheep, are intelligent, and are very good at working together to solve problems or achieve our goals. We also find safety in numbers. And, we have been known to trust and follow leaders who made bad decisions, not fully aware of what we were doing. Think of the last time you were in a car caravan when the lead car got lost. How long did it take—how many minutes, or miles, or turns, or silent thoughts that maybe this wasn’t right—before someone actually decided to question the leader?

The results of our human flocking tendencies can be harmless, and even humorous. Taken to an extreme, our sheep-like behavior can lead to nothing short of tragedy. Dylan followed false shepherds and other sheep whose ideas were not only misguided, but simply evil, and it led him straight into the Wednesday night Bible study at Emanuel AME for the purpose of taking the lives of nine innocent people.

I think perhaps Jeremiah could have been talking about this when he said, “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord.” Those spreading overt messages of hatred and division and supremacy and bias are certainly responsible. But so are all of us who remain silent in the face of subtle jokes or comments that demean whole groups of our fellows, or remain unaware of our own biases. We are following and encouraging others on a path allowing racism, and other forms of discrimination and oppression, to go unchallenged.

We who don’t respond and share our abundance with those lacking basic needs have gone astray. We have forgotten that our well-being, and the well-being of all creation, is not dependent upon individual success or safety. Our lives are inextricably intertwined with all of our fellow sheep and this world in which we live. When we forget that, like sheep without a shepherd, we are scattered and separated from one another.

We have been scattered, driven apart. We are all responsible to look to the shepherd who can lead us home.

In Jeremiah, God promises to raise up a new shepherd, and call his people back from where they have been scattered. We as Christians understand Jesus to be God our shepherd, the one who prepares a table for us, protects us, leads us along the right path. Paul assures the Ephesians that Jesus, our shepherd, has called us together, with all of our differences. Jesus has compassion on the people who seek him, because they are like sheep without a shepherd, and he teaches them. Jesus becomes their shepherd. And Jesus is our shepherd, the one who brings all of us sheep-like humans together as one flock.

We, like sheep, can be confused and led astray when we are not listening to our shepherd. But non-human sheep can recognize each other, and even distinguish one human being from another. This means that sheep can identify who their shepherd is! They know their shepherd’s voice, they know their shepherd’s face.

The crowds followed Jesus, ran ahead of him to wherever he was going, because intuitively, they knew who he was.

And so do we. We hear the voice of our shepherd all the time, if we listen for it. We hear it in the scriptures. We hear the shepherd calling in the voice of loved ones and mentors who know us well, and can help us find our way when we are lost. We even hear that voice, I daresay, in the voice of the preacher telling us hard truths on Sunday morning. And when we hear the voice of the shepherd, we know it, the same way we know the voice of our parents, our children, our spouses or partners. We can’t explain how we know, we just know.

Our shepherd is with us, always, no matter how lost or scattered we may become. Native legend tells us that humanity will not be whole and healed of brokenness until all of us—all colors, ethnicities, traditions, backgrounds—come together and share equal voice in the circle. Our shepherd is calling!

We humans are like sheep, even if we don’t “baaa” . . . . we are intelligent, we know our shepherd’s voice when we hear it, and at our best, we tend to follow our shepherd and stay with the flock for safety and companionship. Our lives and our well-being are dependent on realizing that we are not meant to be scattered or divided along any lines, and only our shepherd can keep us from getting lost. Come together, little sheep! And listen to the voice of Jesus our shepherd in scriptures, pastors, trusted companions. We are all like sheep. And—listen, do you hear it?—our shepherd is calling!

Thanks be to God!

The Olive Branch, 7/15/15

By

Accent on Worship

     Well, I guess this is my “swan song!”  That is a figure of speech, based on the legend that a swan is mute until just before death.  Then the swan lets out with a beautiful song and dies.  Well, I have not exactly been mute these months, but it is still applicable.  I may stop singing, but, as they say, the beat goes on!  The beauty belongs to the song, not the singer.

     That is just an introduction to what I want to write about: the relationship of the gospel to the one who is sent to preach it.  At Corinth, some believers were dividing on the basis of their favorite preacher.  Paul’s answer: “What then is Apollos?  What is Paul?  Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each.  I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.  So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” (I Cor. 3:5 ff.)

     Paul then switches the image from agriculture to the building trade.  “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it.  Each builder must choose with care how to build on it.  For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.”  (I Cor. 3:10 ff.)  Then, just as in the story of the three little pigs, Paul starts to list the different building materials used, from superior to inferior.

     One more image Paul uses for ministry we could call the olfactory image.  The gospel is called the fragrance of knowing Christ as Lord.  “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one, a fragrance from death to death, to the other, a fragrance from life to life.  Who is sufficient for these things?” (II Cor. 2:14 ff.)

     That is our challenge.  Who is sufficient for these things?  As hard as we may try, often we are unsure whether we are watering enough or whether the materials we build with are precious stones, or only straw.  Then we have to trust in God’s hard grace.  It is hard, because it tells us that on the last day our buildings will be tested with fire.  It is grace, because Paul says that the poor builder will be saved, but only as through fire.  (I Cor. 3:13 ff.)  

     “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.  My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.”  (I Cor. 16:23, 24)

– Interim Pastor Robert A. Hausman  

Sunday Readings

July 19, 2015: 8th Sunday after Pentecost, 16 B
 Jeremiah 23:1-6
Psalm 23
Ephesians 2:11-22
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
______________

July 26, 2015: 9th Sunday after Pentecost, 17 B
2 Kings 4:42-44
Psalm 145:10-18
Ephesians 3:14-21
John 6:1-21

Farewell and Godspeed

     This Sunday, July 19, we bid Farewell and Godspeed to Interim Pastor Robert Hausman, who has served Mount Olive during Pr. Crippen’s three-month sabbatical leave. A light reception will be held following liturgy on Sunday to thank Pr. Hausman for his work at Mount Olive. All are cordially invited!

Let’s Talk About Racism
Friday, August 7, 6-9 pm

     In response to the shooting at Emanuel AME Church, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has asked us to enter into a conversation about racism. This raises many different questions . . . Why do we need to talk about racism? What is it? What can we do about it?

     Please join us for a meal and facilitated conversation. Contact Vicar McLaughlin for more information.

Summer Organ Concert

     All are invited to hear Mount Olive member Bill Wilson play a summer organ concert at Wayzata Community Church, 125 E. Wayzata Blvd, Wayzata, MN, on Wed., July 22, at 12:15 pm.  The 30-minute concert is free and open to the public.

Mount Olive to Host National Night Out Gathering 

     We are going to host a National Night Out event in our parking lot on Tuesday, August 4, 2015, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.

     The Open Space Committee (a part of Neighborhood Ministries) is organizing the event.
National Night Out is a program aimed at bringing neighbors and neighborhoods together so they
can get to know each other and become closer.

     If you and your family would like to join the Mount Olive family on August 4 you are more than
welcome.  We are a part of this neighborhood and we hope events like this will help us become
closer and build bonds with those who live around our church.

     If you can join us that evening please:
1. Let Anna Kingman know you are coming and how many to expect.
2. Bring snacks or deserts to share.
3. Bring your own lawn chairs.
     Water and beverages will be provided.

     See you on August 4!!

ReconcilingWorks/RIC Gala 

July 31-Aug 2, 2015 – Augsburg College, Minneapolis

     So far two folks from Mount Olive have contacted me and want to attend the Reconciling Works-RIC gala event on Friday, July 31. It would be great to have a few more, so please check your calendars and let me know if YOU can attend.  The fee for the gala is $40.00.

     I am also putting together a set of items from Mount Olive to be sold in the silent auction at the gala. If you have some new items or would like to give a gift card from a store or restaurant, please contact me.  We could use a nice set of items for that auction.

    Please consider coming to the gala and meet other local and national members of RIC congregations.

– Paul Nixdorf-Chair, Reconciling Works-Twin Cities  

Spiritual Gifts Workshop

     Have you been asking yourself these questions?
What gifts has God given me?  Where is God calling me now? How can I be the presence of God for those around me?

     Explore these questions and more at this workshop!

Unwrapping Your Spiritual Gifts
Saturday, July 25, 8:30 a.m.–noon
Mount Olive Lutheran Church
Workshop Leaders: Connie Marty and
Vicar Meagan McLaughlin

Before the workshop, take an online gifts inventory: www.elca.org/Our-Work/Congregations-and-Synods/Faith-Practices/Assessment-Tools

     RSVP Required: Vicar McLaughlin at 612.827.5919 or vicar@mountolivechurch.org.

Olive Branch Summer Publication

     During the summer months of June, July, and August, The Olive Branch is published every other week. The next issue will be published on July 29.

     If you have information to be published in the July 29 issue, please have that information to the church office by Monday, July 27.

Lost and Found

     Have you lost an umbrella, coat, gloves, glasses, or keys at church? Did you bring a dish to pass, only to forget or lose the dish at church?

     Our lost and found is full to overflowing! Watch for a table with lost items in the coming weeks – see if your missing things are there and take them home!

Book Discussion Group Update

     Mount Olive’s Book Discussion Group meets on the second Saturday of each month, at 10:00 am in the West Assembly Area at church. All readers are welcome!     For the August 8 meeting they will read the collection of essays, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, by David Sedaris, and for the September 12 meeting, I Heard the Owl Call My Name, by Margaret Craven.

Called to Care: A Forum for Those Touched by Memory Loss
Saturday, August 1, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minneapolis

    Learn about supportive resources within our community and be inspired by stories of folks who have lived this journey.  Hear presentations by speakers from MN Council of Churches Dementia Friendly Congregations Program, Lyngblomsten’s The Gathering, Mount Olivet Day Services, and Normandale Center for Healing and Wholeness.

     This forum is free for caregivers and care receivers; $10 for everyone else.

     Look for brochures in the church office or download from www.trustinc.org.    
     Questions?  Contact Nancy Biele at 612-827-6159 or trustinc@visi.com.

Every Church A Peace Church – Twin Cities

     The next ECAPC potluck supper meeting will be on Monday, July 20, at 6:30 p.m. This meeting will be held at St. Albert the Great Catholic Church, (29th St. & 32nd Ave. South, Minneapolis: 612-724-3643, http://saintalbertthegreat.org

     The speaker for this meeting is Jay Kvale. Jay taught math, science, and reading at Catholic schools in the Twin Cities for 20 years. Following that, he served the state of Minnesota as a travel guide at the Albert Lea Information Center for 16 years. Since retiring in 2006, Jay has devoted his time to justice and peace activities, particularly nuclear disarmament.  He is a member of WAMM, the Minnesota Peace Project, and the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee.

     The title for his presentation is “Nuclear Weapons: A Christian Perspective.”  He will address the current status of nuclear arsenals, whether the use of nuclear weapons can be justified, and provide thoughts and statements by leading Christian thinkers about this subject.

     All are welcome.

Transitions Support Group to Meet Wednesday, August 5 

     All are welcome to visit the Transitions Support Group meetings if you’ve been hoping to find new ideas or encouragement to meet the challenges or uncertainties that are before you. This is an opportunity to share in fellowship, prayer, and discussion with others in the Mount Olive community.

     The next session meets on Wednesday, August 5, from 6- 7 pm, at Mount Olive in the lower level Youth Room. It will be facilitated by Amy Cotter and Cathy Bosworth.  

     If you have questions, please contact Cathy at 612-708-1144 or marcat8447@yahoo.com.

Donations Still Needed!

     Thanks to those who have contributed items for the Voigt family.  Many items are needed, but the key ones are listed here:
–  twin bed or bunk bed (and mattresses)
–  dressers
–  night stands
–  lamps (floor or table)
–  desk and chair
–  occasional tables
–  area rugs and scatter rugs
–  dining room table and chairs
–  twin and queen sized sheets and blankets
–  vacuum cleaner
–  adult bicycles (The Voigts are very accustomed to using public transportation and bicycles for transportation, although they will have a car to use here.)
–  gift cards/cash donations to help with purchasing items not donated.

Please see the “wish list” at: http://www.jooners.com/edit_sheet?l=45905ed6-a225-4f5e-a7ba-b7e7edad8a64  for a more complete list, or call/email Lora Dundek (651/645-6636 or lhdundek@usfamily.net).

Bargain Box

     What’s better than the start of a new school year? Making sure that all children have clothes and school supplies to make school something to look forward to!

     On Saturday, August 1, Bargain Box will sell new and gently-used clothing for kids. School supplies will be distributed to all children at the Community Meal. Each year, we are able to supply about 100 students with clothes and school supplies, which makes going back to school fun for kids and much easier for parents!

     You can help by volunteer-ing a few hours on that day, by bringing donations of gently used kids’ clothes, by donating new and gently used back-packs, or by making a mone-tary donation to purchase school supplies.

     For one more Sunday (this Sunday, July 19), someone from the Neighborhood Ministries Committee will be outside the lounge during the coffee hour to receive your donations.

     Thank you for making this annual ministry so successful!

News From the Neighborhood                        
Anna Kingman                  

     The last 48 hours for my family have been an unfolding of what staff here at Mount Olive call a “Cannon,” endearingly named after a previous Vicar’s consistency in sharing stories with troubling beginnings and a redeeming conclusion.

     My parents’ home in Blaine was struck by lightning in Sunday’s storm, sparking a fire in the attached garage and causing a considerable amount of damage, but only in a small area. My parents were out of town on a well-deserved vacation, but my sister was home alone. Around midnight our neighbors heard a loud crack and investigated, finding smoke in the garage. They leapt into action, getting my sister out of a smoky bedroom and the dogs out of the house. The fire department came very quickly, extinguished the fire, and made it safe. No one was injured and the constant statement of “it could have been so much worse” was soon found on everyone’s lips.

     Sometimes you need a bad thing to shake out all the good. Our neighbors were and continue to be an incredible support. What an immense blessing to have people so fully embrace your bad moments and sooth them. Offers to stay, offers for freezer space, calls of concern, meals, and everything was offered, but mainly comfort in the frustration. My wise little sister was shaken, but immensely grateful to the people who stuck their heads out their window when they sensed something wrong. There is no end to the trail of what could have happened, so we’re just grateful for what did happen and the ways that we can clearly see God acting throughout the story in small and big ways.

     We are grateful for our neighbors and family in an even deeper way. I hope you all feel that sense of trust and comfort in the many communities you sojourn through, and are able to find ways to be a good neighbor to those around you as well.

Summer ACTS: Last Week!

     Summer ACTS is providing jobs for 19 neighborhood youth and it’s been a great success! This fun group of youth, helped and mentored by some wonderful adults, worked with Stone’s Throw Urban Farms, the Minneapolis Police Dept., Handyworks home help, and an art project.

     Thanks to the following adult mentors who helped make this program possible: Judy Hinck, Elizabeth Biessel, Joyce Brown, Connie Marty, Elaine Halbardier, Cynthia Prosek, Jo Ellen Kloehn, Eunice Hafemeister, Amy, Ted, and Rose Thompson, Gretchen Campbell-Johnson, Gail Neilsen, Sue Ellen Zagrabelny, and Vicar Meaghan.

Coming Up

• OPEN STREETS – Lake Street on Sunday, Aug. 2, 11am – 5pm. Walk, bike, and participate along Lake Street to promote healthy living, local businesses, sustainable transportation, and civic pride in Minneapolis.

• DO-IT-GREEN CLOTHING SWAP on Saturday, Aug. 8, 9am – 3pm, in the Undercroft. Watch for details in the next issue of The Olive Branch.

The Olive Branch, 7/15/15

By

Accent on Worship

     Well, I guess this is my “swan song!”  That is a figure of speech, based on the legend that a swan is mute until just before death.  Then the swan lets out with a beautiful song and dies.  Well, I have not exactly been mute these months, but it is still applicable.  I may stop singing, but, as they say, the beat goes on!  The beauty belongs to the song, not the singer.

     That is just an introduction to what I want to write about: the relationship of the gospel to the one who is sent to preach it.  At Corinth, some believers were dividing on the basis of their favorite preacher.  Paul’s answer: “What then is Apollos?  What is Paul?  Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each.  I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.  So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” (I Cor. 3:5 ff.)

     Paul then switches the image from agriculture to the building trade.  “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it.  Each builder must choose with care how to build on it.  For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.”  (I Cor. 3:10 ff.)  Then, just as in the story of the three little pigs, Paul starts to list the different building materials used, from superior to inferior.

     One more image Paul uses for ministry we could call the olfactory image.  The gospel is called the fragrance of knowing Christ as Lord.  “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one, a fragrance from death to death, to the other, a fragrance from life to life.  Who is sufficient for these things?” (II Cor. 2:14 ff.)

     That is our challenge.  Who is sufficient for these things?  As hard as we may try, often we are unsure whether we are watering enough or whether the materials we build with are precious stones, or only straw.  Then we have to trust in God’s hard grace.  It is hard, because it tells us that on the last day our buildings will be tested with fire.  It is grace, because Paul says that the poor builder will be saved, but only as through fire.  (I Cor. 3:13 ff.)  

     “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.  My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.”  (I Cor. 16:23, 24)

– Interim Pastor Robert A. Hausman  

Sunday Readings

July 19, 2015: 8th Sunday after Pentecost, 16 B
 Jeremiah 23:1-6
Psalm 23
Ephesians 2:11-22
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
______________

July 26, 2015: 9th Sunday after Pentecost, 17 B
2 Kings 4:42-44
Psalm 145:10-18
Ephesians 3:14-21
John 6:1-21

Farewell and Godspeed

     This Sunday, July 19, we bid Farewell and Godspeed to Interim Pastor Robert Hausman, who has served Mount Olive during Pr. Crippen’s three-month sabbatical leave. A light reception will be held following liturgy on Sunday to thank Pr. Hausman for his work at Mount Olive. All are cordially invited!

Let’s Talk About Racism
Friday, August 7, 6-9 pm

     In response to the shooting at Emanuel AME Church, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has asked us to enter into a conversation about racism. This raises many different questions . . . Why do we need to talk about racism? What is it? What can we do about it?

     Please join us for a meal and facilitated conversation. Contact Vicar McLaughlin for more information.

Summer Organ Concert

     All are invited to hear Mount Olive member Bill Wilson play a summer organ concert at Wayzata Community Church, 125 E. Wayzata Blvd, Wayzata, MN, on Wed., July 22, at 12:15 pm.  The 30-minute concert is free and open to the public.

Mount Olive to Host National Night Out Gathering 

     We are going to host a National Night Out event in our parking lot on Tuesday, August 4, 2015, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.

     The Open Space Committee (a part of Neighborhood Ministries) is organizing the event.
National Night Out is a program aimed at bringing neighbors and neighborhoods together so they
can get to know each other and become closer.

     If you and your family would like to join the Mount Olive family on August 4 you are more than
welcome.  We are a part of this neighborhood and we hope events like this will help us become
closer and build bonds with those who live around our church.

     If you can join us that evening please:
1. Let Anna Kingman know you are coming and how many to expect.
2. Bring snacks or deserts to share.
3. Bring your own lawn chairs.
     Water and beverages will be provided.

     See you on August 4!!

ReconcilingWorks/RIC Gala 

July 31-Aug 2, 2015 – Augsburg College, Minneapolis

     So far two folks from Mount Olive have contacted me and want to attend the Reconciling Works-RIC gala event on Friday, July 31. It would be great to have a few more, so please check your calendars and let me know if YOU can attend.  The fee for the gala is $40.00.

     I am also putting together a set of items from Mount Olive to be sold in the silent auction at the gala. If you have some new items or would like to give a gift card from a store or restaurant, please contact me.  We could use a nice set of items for that auction.

    Please consider coming to the gala and meet other local and national members of RIC congregations.

– Paul Nixdorf-Chair, Reconciling Works-Twin Cities  

Spiritual Gifts Workshop

     Have you been asking yourself these questions?
What gifts has God given me?  Where is God calling me now? How can I be the presence of God for those around me?

     Explore these questions and more at this workshop!

Unwrapping Your Spiritual Gifts
Saturday, July 25, 8:30 a.m.–noon
Mount Olive Lutheran Church
Workshop Leaders: Connie Marty and
Vicar Meagan McLaughlin

Before the workshop, take an online gifts inventory: www.elca.org/Our-Work/Congregations-and-Synods/Faith-Practices/Assessment-Tools

     RSVP Required: Vicar McLaughlin at 612.827.5919 or vicar@mountolivechurch.org.

Olive Branch Summer Publication

     During the summer months of June, July, and August, The Olive Branch is published every other week. The next issue will be published on July 29.

     If you have information to be published in the July 29 issue, please have that information to the church office by Monday, July 27.

Lost and Found

     Have you lost an umbrella, coat, gloves, glasses, or keys at church? Did you bring a dish to pass, only to forget or lose the dish at church?

     Our lost and found is full to overflowing! Watch for a table with lost items in the coming weeks – see if your missing things are there and take them home!

Book Discussion Group Update

     Mount Olive’s Book Discussion Group meets on the second Saturday of each month, at 10:00 am in the West Assembly Area at church. All readers are welcome!     For the August 8 meeting they will read the collection of essays, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, by David Sedaris, and for the September 12 meeting, I Heard the Owl Call My Name, by Margaret Craven.

Called to Care: A Forum for Those Touched by Memory Loss
Saturday, August 1, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minneapolis

    Learn about supportive resources within our community and be inspired by stories of folks who have lived this journey.  Hear presentations by speakers from MN Council of Churches Dementia Friendly Congregations Program, Lyngblomsten’s The Gathering, Mount Olivet Day Services, and Normandale Center for Healing and Wholeness.

     This forum is free for caregivers and care receivers; $10 for everyone else.

     Look for brochures in the church office or download from www.trustinc.org.    
     Questions?  Contact Nancy Biele at 612-827-6159 or trustinc@visi.com.

Every Church A Peace Church – Twin Cities

     The next ECAPC potluck supper meeting will be on Monday, July 20, at 6:30 p.m. This meeting will be held at St. Albert the Great Catholic Church, (29th St. & 32nd Ave. South, Minneapolis: 612-724-3643, http://saintalbertthegreat.org

     The speaker for this meeting is Jay Kvale. Jay taught math, science, and reading at Catholic schools in the Twin Cities for 20 years. Following that, he served the state of Minnesota as a travel guide at the Albert Lea Information Center for 16 years. Since retiring in 2006, Jay has devoted his time to justice and peace activities, particularly nuclear disarmament.  He is a member of WAMM, the Minnesota Peace Project, and the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee.

     The title for his presentation is “Nuclear Weapons: A Christian Perspective.”  He will address the current status of nuclear arsenals, whether the use of nuclear weapons can be justified, and provide thoughts and statements by leading Christian thinkers about this subject.

     All are welcome.

Transitions Support Group to Meet Wednesday, August 5 

     All are welcome to visit the Transitions Support Group meetings if you’ve been hoping to find new ideas or encouragement to meet the challenges or uncertainties that are before you. This is an opportunity to share in fellowship, prayer, and discussion with others in the Mount Olive community.

     The next session meets on Wednesday, August 5, from 6- 7 pm, at Mount Olive in the lower level Youth Room. It will be facilitated by Amy Cotter and Cathy Bosworth.  

     If you have questions, please contact Cathy at 612-708-1144 or marcat8447@yahoo.com.

Donations Still Needed!

     Thanks to those who have contributed items for the Voigt family.  Many items are needed, but the key ones are listed here:
–  twin bed or bunk bed (and mattresses)
–  dressers
–  night stands
–  lamps (floor or table)
–  desk and chair
–  occasional tables
–  area rugs and scatter rugs
–  dining room table and chairs
–  twin and queen sized sheets and blankets
–  vacuum cleaner
–  adult bicycles (The Voigts are very accustomed to using public transportation and bicycles for transportation, although they will have a car to use here.)
–  gift cards/cash donations to help with purchasing items not donated.

Please see the “wish list” at: http://www.jooners.com/edit_sheet?l=45905ed6-a225-4f5e-a7ba-b7e7edad8a64  for a more complete list, or call/email Lora Dundek (651/645-6636 or lhdundek@usfamily.net).

Bargain Box

     What’s better than the start of a new school year? Making sure that all children have clothes and school supplies to make school something to look forward to!

     On Saturday, August 1, Bargain Box will sell new and gently-used clothing for kids. School supplies will be distributed to all children at the Community Meal. Each year, we are able to supply about 100 students with clothes and school supplies, which makes going back to school fun for kids and much easier for parents!

     You can help by volunteer-ing a few hours on that day, by bringing donations of gently used kids’ clothes, by donating new and gently used back-packs, or by making a mone-tary donation to purchase school supplies.

     For one more Sunday (this Sunday, July 19), someone from the Neighborhood Ministries Committee will be outside the lounge during the coffee hour to receive your donations.

     Thank you for making this annual ministry so successful!

News From the Neighborhood                        
Anna Kingman                  

     The last 48 hours for my family have been an unfolding of what staff here at Mount Olive call a “Cannon,” endearingly named after a previous Vicar’s consistency in sharing stories with troubling beginnings and a redeeming conclusion.

     My parents’ home in Blaine was struck by lightning in Sunday’s storm, sparking a fire in the attached garage and causing a considerable amount of damage, but only in a small area. My parents were out of town on a well-deserved vacation, but my sister was home alone. Around midnight our neighbors heard a loud crack and investigated, finding smoke in the garage. They leapt into action, getting my sister out of a smoky bedroom and the dogs out of the house. The fire department came very quickly, extinguished the fire, and made it safe. No one was injured and the constant statement of “it could have been so much worse” was soon found on everyone’s lips.

     Sometimes you need a bad thing to shake out all the good. Our neighbors were and continue to be an incredible support. What an immense blessing to have people so fully embrace your bad moments and sooth them. Offers to stay, offers for freezer space, calls of concern, meals, and everything was offered, but mainly comfort in the frustration. My wise little sister was shaken, but immensely grateful to the people who stuck their heads out their window when they sensed something wrong. There is no end to the trail of what could have happened, so we’re just grateful for what did happen and the ways that we can clearly see God acting throughout the story in small and big ways.

     We are grateful for our neighbors and family in an even deeper way. I hope you all feel that sense of trust and comfort in the many communities you sojourn through, and are able to find ways to be a good neighbor to those around you as well.

Summer ACTS: Last Week!

     Summer ACTS is providing jobs for 19 neighborhood youth and it’s been a great success! This fun group of youth, helped and mentored by some wonderful adults, worked with Stone’s Throw Urban Farms, the Minneapolis Police Dept., Handyworks home help, and an art project.

     Thanks to the following adult mentors who helped make this program possible: Judy Hinck, Elizabeth Biessel, Joyce Brown, Connie Marty, Elaine Halbardier, Cynthia Prosek, Jo Ellen Kloehn, Eunice Hafemeister, Amy, Ted, and Rose Thompson, Gretchen Campbell-Johnson, Gail Neilsen, Sue Ellen Zagrabelny, and Vicar Meaghan.

Coming Up

• OPEN STREETS – Lake Street on Sunday, Aug. 2, 11am – 5pm. Walk, bike, and participate along Lake Street to promote healthy living, local businesses, sustainable transportation, and civic pride in Minneapolis.

• DO-IT-GREEN CLOTHING SWAP on Saturday, Aug. 8, 9am – 3pm, in the Undercroft. Watch for details in the next issue of The Olive Branch.

The Olive Branch, 7/1/15

By

Accent on Worship

Crazy news we have seen in the last few weeks! Historic decisions came from the Supreme Court, including same-gender marriage and changes to the Voting Rights Act. Donald Trump was fired, and escaped convicts captured.  Greece faces financial ruin, and acts of terror and the spread of ISIS threaten people across the world. And President Obama eulogized Reverend Clementa Pinckney, and the FBI is investigating fires at several black churches in the south (3 confirmed arson at last count). Taken all together, it feels pretty chaotic. I find myself getting overwhelmed, and wonder, when is God going to straighten out this crazy world we live in?

And then, in this week’s reading from Mark, after describing how Jesus’ childhood neighbors resisted believing that Jesus has power from God, there is this: “And he could do no deed of power there . . .” What? Jesus can’t perform miracles because people don’t believe? This sounds like a “fake preacher” movie starring Steve Martin!

Matthew 13:58 reads differently: “And [Jesus] did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.” Not that he couldn’t, but simply did’t. Either way, it hints of a requirement of belief for miracles to take place! With the reality of the violence of racism revealed at Emanuel AME fresh in my mind, I wonder . . . if belief is required for miracles, whose belief, exactly?

The words of African American theologian and minister Crystal St. Marie Lewis echo in my mind: “Is it possible that our prayers for God to somehow “fix” the world seem unheard because we don’t yet see ourselves as the answers to those prayers?”

We—not “we” as in white-people-only or “we” as in Mount-Olive-members-only, but an all-encompassing corporate “we” that propels us into the community. God has created each human being to work for the realization of the kingdom of God. “We” are the answers to our prayers. God is waiting on us. Are “we” ready?

– Vicar Meagan McLaughlin

Sunday Readings

July 5, 2015: 6th Sunday after Pentecost, 14 B
 Ezekiel 2:1-5
Psalm 123
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Mark 6:1-13
______________

July 12, 2015: 7th Sunday after Pentecost, 15 B
Amos 7:7-15
Psalm 85:8-13
Ephesians 1:3-14
Mark 6:14-29

Meet Our Missionary July 12

     After church on Sunday, July 12, grab some coffee and a seat and spend some time getting to know Karen Anderson, our ELCA missionary to Chile. We support Karen through the ELCA and her community health work through our support of EPES/ (Educación Popular En Salud) Action for Health in the Americas. Karen had wanted to be with us when we celebrated the Taste of Chile a few years ago, but at that time her delayed flight kept her away. Now is our chance to catch up with Karen, learn about her commitment to developing strong community health organizations that meet the real needs of the communities they serve, from strengthening prenatal health to helping rebuild after a community fire to campaigning to end smoking. And even more: Karen and her team are now reaching out to teach com-munity health techniques to community workers through-out Central and South America, and even to those working in Africa. Through our support of Karen we have real impact in improving health and lives in Chile.

     Save the date. Save the time. Join the conversation.

Olive Branch Summer Publication

     During the summer months of June, July, and August, The Olive Branch is published every other week. The next issue will be published on July 15.

     If you have information to be published in the July 15 issue, please have that information to the church office by Monday, July 13.

 July Vestry Meeting Rescheduled

     To accommodate Pr. Crippen’s schedule, the Vestry will have its July meeting on Monday, July 20, rather than the regularly scheduled date of July 13.  Pr. Crippen will be accompanying youth to the ELCA 2015 Youth Gathering in Detroit during the week of July 13.

     The Vestry meetings are always open to congregation members, and are usually held on the second Monday of each month at 7:00 pm.

Book Discussion Group Update

     Mount Olive’s Book Discussion Group meets on the second Saturday of each month, at 10:00 am in the West Assembly Area at church. All readers are welcome!     For July 11 meeting, they will read, Bleak House, by Charles Dickens, and for August 8 the collection of essays, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, by David Sedaris.

Spiritual Gifts Workshop

     Have you been asking yourself these questions? What gifts has God given me?  Where is God calling me now? How can I be the presence of God for those around me?

     Explore these questions and more at this workshop!

Unwrapping Your Spiritual Gifts:
Saturday, July 25, 8:30 a.m.–noon
Mount Olive Lutheran Church
Workshop Leaders: Connie Marty and
Vicar Meagan McLaughlin

Before the workshop, take an online gifts inventory: www.elca.org/Our-Work/Congregations-and-Synods/Faith-Practices/Assessment-Tools
 
RSVP Required: Vicar McLaughlin at 612.827.5919 or vicar@mountolivechurch.org.

The Diaper Depot Needs You!’

     The Diaper Depot is open Tuesdays (4:30-6:30) and Thursdays (1:30-3:30) each week. Dozens of families make their way to Mount Olive each week for this extra support. Please consider if you can help any day this summer – just two hours of greeting families and neighbors who need diapers! Call Anna Kingman 612-827-5910 for more info and thank you.

Mark your Calendars for Wednesday, August 5: Transitions Support Group

     All are welcome to visit the Transitions Support Group meetings if you’ve been hoping to find new ideas or encouragement to meet the challenges or uncertainties that are before you. This is an opportunity to share in fellowship, prayer, and discussion with others in the Mount Olive community.

     The next session meets on Wednesday, August 5, from 6- 7 pm at Mount Olive in the lower level Youth Room, and will be facilitated by Amy Cotter and Cathy Bosworth.  

     If you have questions, please contact Cathy at 612-708-1144 or marcat8447@yahoo.com.

Donations Needed!

     Mount Olive and another ELCA congregation will be assisting Pr. Helge Voigt and his family from Leipzig, Germany, (friends of this congregation), as they spend a year in Minneapolis to study and work beginning in August.        

     Please click on the link below (or cut and paste, if needed), to be taken to the wish list of items.   You can sign up on line and then we’ll get in contact with you with details.

     Scour your closets and donate to the Voigts!  Cash and gift cards are also welcomed, as noted on the sign-up sheet.

     We also need moving vehicles and people to help, dates TBD.   For questions, contact Lora Dundek at 651/645-6636 or by email to lhdundek@usfamily.net.

http://www.jooners.com/guest?l=45905ed6-a225-4f5e-a7ba-b7e7edad8a64

Flour, Sugar and Oil, Oh Yeah

A request from our ACTS summer program kids and helpers:      

     After working at the Community Emergency Services food shelf this week, we noticed totally bare shelves above the flour, sugar and oil labels. We asked. We found out that these are items most needed and least donated. We encourage you to fill those shelves!  

     Place your donations in the marked spot in the coat room. Thanks.

Bargain Box

     What’s better than the start of a new school year? Making sure that all children have clothes and school supplies to make school something to look forward to!

     On Saturday, August 1, Bargain Box will sell new and gently-used clothing for kids. School supplies will be distributed to all children at the Community Meal. Each year, we are able to supply about 100 students with clothes and school supplies, which makes going back to school fun for kids and much easier for parents!

     You can help by volunteer-ing a few hours on that day, by bringing donations of gently used kids’ clothes, by donating new and gently used back-packs, or by making a mone-tary donation to purchase school supplies.

     On Sundays July 5, 12, and 19, someone from the Neighborhood Ministries Committee will be outside the lounge during the coffee hour to receive your donations.

     Thank you for making this annual ministry so successful!

News From the Neighborhood     
                                     
Profiles: conversations

     Having the role of Coordinator of Neighborhood Outreach and Ministry is a really amazing position. It’s challenging to walk through hardships with others and learn how to best support people. It’s immensely gratifying to see relief and hope and abundant blessings. It’s also really fun to chat with moms at the Diaper Depot or get to sort food with ACTS kids or play games after tutoring. But the most wonderful part of this role is the ability and (dare I say) call to actively pursue positive change and betterment for the neighborhood that Mount Olive is a part of and each one that our members and sojourners goes home to. It’s been all about conversations; talking with Meagan about how to recognize and address the complicated subject of racism, or to an Ethiopian Muslim man from LSS on respectful behavior at a mosque, to chatting with a forlorn woman over a bowl of soup after she literally bathed in the bathroom sink after days of unpaid work. All of these things, and so many more good, meaningful conversations make this job a ministry.

     We all have this opportunity within our lives. We all come across people we do not know or do not understand or do not appreciate, and we have an opportunity to start conversations in good faith with open hearts. It’s how we will all, in this big, broad, broken world, go about healing and hoping with one another. Where, when, and how are you starting new conversations and being a good neighbor?

P.S. I’m learning how to do that well, so any conversations or advice are always welcome.

Summer ACTS

     Summer ACTS is providing jobs for 19 neighborhood youth and it’s going great! It’s a fun group of youth, helped and mentored by some wonderful adults and we still need mentors to make it through the end on July 16. Yet to come: Stone’s Throw Urban Farm, the Minneapolis Police Dept., Handyworks home help, and an art project. If you can be a part in these kids’ life and this program any Monday – Thursday through July 16, from 10am – 2pm, please let me know: neighborhood@mountolivechurch.org or by calling 612-827-5910. Thank you.

Celebrate Ramadan with our Muslim Neighbors!

     Ramadan is the month on the Islamic lunar calendar during which Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset, each day the fast is broken with a meal called Iftar. The Minnesota Council of Churches and the Muslim American Society of Minnesota is hosting a series of open houses at area mosques. Attend an iftar dinner in your area! There is no charge, but RSVP required.

     Anna Kingman and Vicar Meagan will attend the dinner on July 7, at Dar al-Hajira Mosque. The link below will take you to registration for all the events scheduled for Ramadan this year. Hope you can join us!

http://mnchurches.org/respectfulcommunities/interfaithprogramming/takingheart/registration.html

Open Space Event on June 20, 2015: The Neighborhood Garage Sale

     Mount Olive hosted a community-wide garage sale in the OPEN SPACE of our church parking lot on June 20. Thank you to all who participated and made this activity a success. There were 12 vendors selling their goods; 5 members and 7 neighbors. There were 16 Mount Olive member volunteers whose main role was to be the presence of God for our guests! They put up handmade signs to draw in the guest shoppers, offered assistance to the vendors as they unloaded and set up, directed cars for parking in the lot, welcomed at our south church door to greet guests for tours of the building, and joined in the community meal over the lunch hour. Here are some comments from those who volunteered:

“I liked the mix of Mount Olive vendors and neighborhood vendors.”
“I didn’t hear any complaining from anyone – the feeling was almost celebratory.”
“The comments I heard as they came in to the church were positive. They liked having it in the area.
Also gave people a chance to come in to the church which many of them liked.”

     Yes, we literally opened our doors and our space which gave us a chance to show that we are part of the neighborhood, not just talk about it. Check out photos from the day in the main display case and watch for the next Open Space event coming up in August!

– Connie Marty and the Open Space Leadership Team

Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Conference

July 31-Aug 2, 2015 – Augsburg College, Minneapolis

     At the end of July we have an opportunity to show our support and commitment to the RIC program and to be a voice to the many other congregations in the ELCA who have not become RIC congregations.

     The National Reconciling Works Assembly and RIC conference is being held at Augsburg College July 31-August 2. If you would like to attend, visit www.reconcilingworks.org to register. If you cannot attend the entire conference, consider attending the July 31 gala. Gala tickets are $40 there will be a dinner and silent auction.  If you or you and your spouse would like to attend the gala please call or email me so I can get you on the list.  (Paul Nixdorf – 612-296-0055; pn@paulnixdorf.com )

     We are collecting items for the silent auction, asking each RIC congregation to assemble a set of items to be placed in the silent auction at the gala.  If you have ideas or know of that we can assemble for the silent auction please call me.
– Paul Nixdorf

MOUNT OLIVE LUTHERAN CHURCH
3045 Chicago Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55407

Map and Directions >

612-827-5919
welcome@mountolivechurch.org


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