Accent on Worship

About those hymns…

     I’ve noticed in my travels that very few of our colleague congregations practice what we do with hymnody:  alternation.  (Alternation means that various sub-groups sing stanzas, like “men,” “women,” “choir,”  “organ,” etc).  In case you’ve wondered why we do that, the bottom line is that this practice helps bring and maintain vitality to our hymnody. How?    

     First, it provides variety. When we have men and women alter-nate, it’s really two different octaves, musically.  I’ve experienced other attempts to accomplish the same without using gender language, but it always led to confusion.  With the example of “high voices” and “low Voices,” tenors and altos would say, “which am I?”  I’ve found it most clear to simply say “men” and “women.”   I’ve also noticed that when we return to an “all” stanza after taking turns, the singing is always increased – as if having the unity of the entire room adds to the freedom to sing out more!  We also achieve variety through alternating unison and harmony, and often in canon.  These, too, are tools for variety which contributes to vitality in our song.  We had a rule in Germany when I studied there, and we prepared 12-14 stanza hymns:  Never the same thing twice.

     When a choir sings a stanza, it provides the opportunity for a more involved setting, since they have the great advantage of a rehearsal prior.  Or, in the case of our young choir singers, they spend time memorizing that particular stanza.

     The organ occasionally “sings” a stanza as well – which provides the opportunity for the music painting a picture of what the text is saying, thus bringing out the meaning of the words even more profoundly.

     The practice of alternating stanzas also provides rest.  Orchestra players know this: a trumpet cannot play through an entire symphony without rest, nor can wind instruments.  The rests are important rejuvenation time.  This is also true for us. When it’s our turn to “not” sing, it never implies that we cease participating – we can notice the words more, we can participate through listening.  It’s also a time when we can appreciate our singing partners through listening.

     For me it’s very practical.  When alternation is used, the singing is almost always stronger in general.  When we all sing every stanza, it’s more taxing and harder to maintain vitality and, for me, less effective.  Because alternating is our constant practice, we’ve grown accustomed to it and it’s not tricky. Indeed – even when directions are omitted for a hymn, you all decide on your own alternations – which I love!

     Now you know!

– Cantor David Cherwien

Sunday Readings

May 10, 2015: Sixth Sunday of Easter
Acts 10:44-48
Psalm 98
I John 5:1-6
John 15:9-17

May 17, 2015: Seventh Sunday of Easter
Acts 1:15-17, 21-26
Psalm 1
I John 5:9-13
John 17:6-19

Sunday’s Adult Forum: May 10, 9:30 am

There will be no adult Forum this Sunday. Instead, all are invited to attend the annual Mother’s Day recital, presented by the youth of Mount Olive.

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 this evening Wednesday, May 6, 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.

Congrats to our Amazing gRace Racers

     Anna Dundek and Eric Bell raced hard on Saturday, riding bikes from north to south Minneapolis and through St. Paul, and completing tasks from planting a garden to matching housing applicants with just the right house, all the while learning about the peace and justice work of Lutheran Volunteer Corps volunteers. . Together with your Global Mission Committee, Anna and Eric raised over $1,400 in support of the work carried out by LVC volunteers throughout the Twin Cities. Many thanks to Anna and Eric, and to all who supported their efforts. It was a fun day; we learned much and met many others who are being God’s presence in our world.

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 May 9 meeting, the Book Discussion group will read, The Boat of Longing, by O. E. Rølvaag. For June 13, The Last Chinese Chef, by Nicole Mones, and for July 11, Bleak House, by Charles Dickens.

Calling All Graduates!

     On Sunday, June 14, we will honor our graduates at a reception following the 9:30 a.m. liturgy.

     If you are graduating from high school, college, seminary, or another post-secondary school, or if you know of some-one else from Mount Olive who is graduating this spring, please take a moment to notify the church office. We want to be sure that all of our graduates are invited!

The Ascension of Our Lord
Thursday, May 14
Holy Eucharist at 7:00 pm

Manz Endowment Fund Established

     In recognition of the long-time excellence of the musical and liturgical experience at Mount Olive, anonymous donors recent-ly completed their initial funding of the “Ruth and Paul Manz Endowed Fund for Music and Liturgy at Mount Olive Lutheran Church.”  Meeting the initial $25,000 threshold, the Manz Fund will be managed by the ELCA Foundation as a separate fund within Mount Olive Lutheran Church Foundation’s overall endowment.

     Income from the Fund may be used for out-of-the-ordinary course expenses for the Schlicker organ and its successors as well as fees and expenses which benefit and promote Mount Olive’s music program.  The donors’ overall intent is to help sustain the high standards of the worship experience which they find so meaningful.

     The donors intend to supplement the Manz Fund in the future but welcome anyone who shares their passion to join them by benefiting this endowment through a one-time gift, multi-year pledge, or an estate provision.

New Members to be Received on May 17

     New members will be received on May 17, 2015, at the second liturgy.  A welcome brunch will follow the liturgy in the Undercroft.

     Please contact Andrew Andersen at 763-607-1689, or call the church office at 612-837-5910, if you are interested in becoming a member at Mount Olive. The brunch is open to all Mount Olive folk as well as families and friends. Plan to come to meet our newest members and welcome them!

Help Earthquake Victims

     From your Global Missions Committee: ELCA Lutheran Disaster Response is working with Lutheran World Federation and Lutheran World Relief on large scale disaster response in Nepal. If you would like to contribute to this effort, please mark either a blue envelope contribution or a donation check ELCA Lutheran Disaster Response and our collected contributions will be forwarded to this important work.

Spiritual Gifts Workshop

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.”   ~ 1 Peter 4: 10-11
Have you been asking yourself these questions?

• What gifts has God given me?
• I can’t do the same things I did before.
• Where is God calling me now?
• How can I be the presence of God for my family? My co-workers? My neighbors?

Explore these questions and more in the upcoming Unwrapping Your Spiritual Gifts Workshop to be held Saturday, May 23, 9 a.m.–noon at Mount Olive Lutheran Church.

Workshop Leaders:
Connie Marty and Vicar Meagan McLaughlin

Before the workshop, take an online gifts inventory:
RSVP Required: Vicar McLaughlin at 612.827.5919 or vicar@mountolivechurch.org

News From the Neighborhood                          
Anna Kingman                  

Profiles: Meseret which means ‘Foundation of Jesus’ in Amharic

     Meseret was told by a friend “Go to Mount Olive and they will help you.” So she came with her lovely daughter and her father and a heavy heart. Without many personal details and a love of bravery, she simply said, “things are very complicated for us.” Her father, an elderly man who only speaks Amharic, had just moved to a new public housing apartment and has nothing at all. Meseret needs to care for him, as well as her two other children all by herself and this is all very over-whelming for her. And yet she said to me, “I don’t want to complain. Everywhere I look there is hope.” Even the way Cantor Cherwien opened the door to her told her that she was in the right place. But this family needs our help and I assured her that we will do just that! Can you and will you help with any of these items to help make this empty apartment a home? Here’s what she is requesting:

–  PRAYERS!  “Prayer is my road, my sunshine” (Meseret asked mostly for prayers for strength)
–  A bed and bedding (sheets, a blanket)           – A small table and chairs
–  Bathroom rug & shower curtain, supplies     – Small kitchen items (kettle, mugs, towels)
–  Lamp, small fan, bedside table                        – Toiletries, paper products
–  Her father has already received towels, silverware and a microwave – thanks to who brought those!

     If you can help with any of these items, please call Cha at the church office so that we don’t double up on items, and then bring the items (smaller items) to church, so that Meseret can pick them up. We must arrange for delivery of larger items.

Just so you know…

A few MO folks and I walked over to All God’s Children Metro Community Church, just west of Mount Olive on 31st  St. This was prompted by the Open Space project to connect with our neighbor churches, and just good old fashioned neighborliness. We met with Donna Olsen, who wears many hats at AGC, and learned about what programs they run there and things they care about, as we shared ours as well. It’s a good reminder of the opportunities for collaboration and care that we easily overlook. So – Opportunities to BE involved: Go somewhere new this week! Pick a new coffee shop, art store, local food corner you haven’t been in yet, or head to a different park than usual and see what lies beyond the beaten path that has something of the marvelous waiting for you to discover!

Open Space First Event

     Outdoor Community Garage Sale & Local Art Sale: June 20, 9am – 2pm in our “Open Space” (the parking lot!) Neighbors, friends, and local artists can have a parking space plot, bring their own table, and set up their goods to sell to the public. We will go door to door to invite neighborhood residents to reserve a spot or come to the sale, and ask churches, coffee shops and businesses to help publicize the event. Mount Olive will publicize and host, opening our doors to offer a glimpse of who we are inside and out.

     We need members willing to post flyers around the neighborhood, assist with hospitality that day, and put up direction signs that morning.  Because we are hosting the community meal that noon hour, around 100 friends and neighbors will be dining with us already, and perhaps they will be customers at the sale. (In case of rain the event is canceled).
Can you help distribute flyers? Please contact Anna at neighborhood@mountolivechurch.org.

The Ninth Annual BACH TAGE: Time to Register!

     The conference this year will focus on two cantatas from Bach’s youth, plus a piece by Dietrich Buxtehude, whose music was an important influence on young Johann. Bach Tage is Saturday and Sunday, June 6 – 7.

Two public concerts are a featured part of Bach Tage – invite your friends!:

Saturday, June 6, 4:00 pm: Music of Johann Sebastian Bach performed by the Bach Tage soloists and orchestra

Cantata BWV 196, Der Herr denket an uns
Concerto for Oboe and Violin, BWV 1060R, with soloists Marc Levine and Stanley King
       Prelude and Fugue in c minor for organ, by Cantor David Cherwien.

Sunday, June 7, 4:00 pm: Service of Evening Prayer            

Cantata BWV 150, Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich, and Buxtehude’s Befiehl dem Engel dass er komm will be performed by the participants in the weekend conference, with soloists and orchestra. Kathy Romey of the University of Minnesota is our guest conductor for the weekend, with Cantor David Cherwien, organist.

     Musical scores will be mailed next weekend, so the time to register is now. Brochures were sent in the mail, and are still available at Mount Olive. Or, you can find a brochure at www.mountolivechurch.org.

     This is a great opportunity, not to be missed!

Mother’s Day Recital – This Sunday!

     All are invited to attend the annual Mother’s Day Recital by our church youth. The recital takes place this Sunday, May 10, during the Education Hour, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Encounters with Jesus: Bible Study on Thursday Evenings  

     The spring Bible study series on encounters with Jesus continues this Thursday, May 7, in the Chapel Lounge from 6:00-7:30pm. The fifth and final session next week on May 14, will conclude with Eucharist for the Feast of the Ascension. The study begins with a light supper at 6 pm. RSVPs to (vicar@mountolivechurch.org) not required, but appreciated for meal planning purposes.    

New Giving Update

     At our April 26 semi-annual meeting we reported that we ended the first quarter with general-fund giving about where it was in the first quarter of last year—not good news in a year we face increased expenses of some 7%.  

     However, our April giving total, which we got a couple days after the meeting, was about 21% over the same month in 2014 and brought our cumulative giving for the four months to 5% over the same period a year ago. The danger, of course, is that this 5% lead could evaporate over the eight Sundays remaining in our second quarter. Together, let’s make certain it doesn’t and keep working toward our 7% target—which is really about mission and ministry.

– Lora Dundek, Vestry President
– Donn McLellan, Director of Stewardship

Attention Mount Olive Worship Assistants!

    The Servant Schedule for the 3rd quarter of 2015  (July-September) will be published at the beginning of June, 2015.   The deadline for submitting requests to me is May 10, 2015.  Please email your requests to peggyrf70@gmail.com.

Accent on Worship

This Monday I attended a conference about Church as a Community Asset, presented by the founder of Oasis in the UK, Steve Chalke. Oasis flows around a Christ -centered ethos of holistic, inclusive, community transformation. They started by looking out-side the doors of an enormously empty London church and not just wishing for better, but dreaming about what it could, should, be and then they went about creating just that. This was a valuable piece to the question we are constantly asking ourselves at Mount Olive. What is our neighborhood? Well, maybe one way to begin answering would be to ask “what do we want our neighborhood to be?” then go about making it so.

     Along the day we discussed the definitions of church; church as a religious service provider, a community space provider, a social service provider, then church AS the community. These were revealing in what many in the room were struggling through. How can you move the church from one of the provider categories in to the realm of full, whole, collective community? This is the “in the presence, being the presence” question.

     This conference was full of quotable wisdoms, big dreams, and inspiring possibilities, but no magic answers, because there is no short-cut way to building community and provoking real change. It comes from the roots of our spiritual questions, “who am I,” and “where am I going?” and answering in faith that “I am a beloved child of God and my life has purpose and meaning.”  It means staring at Jesus’s full command, not just the Mark 12 or Matthew 22 versions, but the Leviticus 19:18 “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” It means letting go of hurts and fears. It means showing up, serving one another, and living in to the world that God desires for us.

     There is much more I wish I could share. There is much more that I need to learn and talk through and discover. We all do. So let’s keep talking and dreaming and working towards the world that has Christ at the very center whether in a coffee shop, a school, a public restroom, or face-to-face with one another.

– Anna Kingman

Sunday Readings

May 3, 2015: Fifth Sunday of Easter
Acts 8:26-40
Psalm 22:25-31
I John 4:7-21
John 15:1-8

May 10, 2015: Sixth Sunday of Easter
Acts 10:44-48
Psalm 98
I John 5:1-6
John 15:9-17

Sunday’s Adult Forum: May 3, 9:30 am

 “Wisdom From the Desert: Stories from Women in the Early Church,” part 2 of a 2-part series presented by Prof. Sr. Mary Foreman, Assoc. Professor of Theology, St. Benedict University, St. Joseph, MN, and author of Praying With the Desert Mothers.

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, May 6, 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.

Encounters with Jesus: Bible Study on Thursday Evenings  

     The spring Bible study series continues this Thursday, April 30, in the Chapel Lounge from 6:00-7:30pm. The fifth and final session on May 14 will conclude with Eucharist for the Feast of the Ascension. RSVPs to (vicar@mountolivechurch.org) not required, but appreciated for meal planning.
     Vicar McLaughlin is leading a study focusing on five stories of encounters with Jesus from the New Testament. In addition to discussing the context and background, we are using the Ignatian meditation form Praying with Imagination as a way of entering into the stories.
     As usual, there will be a light supper when we begin.

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 May 9 meeting, the Book Discussion group will read, The Boat of Longing, by O. E. Rølvaag. For June 13, The Last Chinese Chef, by Nicole Mones, and for July 11, Bleak House, by Charles Dickens.

Calling All Graduates!

     On Sunday, June 14, we will honor our graduates at a reception following the 9:30 a.m. liturgy.
     If you are graduating from high school, college, seminary, or another post-secondary school, or if you know of some-one else from Mount Olive who is graduating this spring, please take a moment to notify the church office. We want to be sure that all of our graduates are invited!

The Ascension of Our Lord
Thursday, May 14
Holy Eucharist at 7:00 pm

Heads Up!

Summer worship schedule begins Memorial Day weekend, Sunday, May 24 (The Day of Pentecost). From Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend,     we celebrate one Eucharist each Sunday at 9:30 a.m.

Race Day is Saturday!

     This Saturday is the day that Anna Dundek and Eric Bell  will compete in the Amazing gRace. They will race between Lutheran Volunteer Corps service sites, performing all sorts of amazing feats that support the peace and justice work of LVC. Mount Olive Global Missions supports Anna and Eric, and we hope that you will too!

     Financially, you can support Anna, Eric, and the LVC work by donating at their web site:
https://www.firstgiving.com/team/293972  or by placing your contribution in a blue mission envelope and writing in “Amazing gRace.”

     All are invited to the end-of-race potluck Saturday from 4-6 pm at St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church (100 North Oxford Street in St. Paul). Bring a dish to share and cheer for Anna and Eric as they arrive.

     Lutheran Volunteer Corps does amazing work in promoting peace and justice while helping to form and sup-port young Christians as they explore their role in being God’s presence in the world. We have Lutheran Volunteer Corps graduates who have been part of our Mount Olive community, and we are committed to supporting the good work that they do.  Join this Amazing gRace event.

Congregation Meeting Recap

     Attached to this issue of The Olive Branch is an annual report prepared by several members of the Vestry, which describes the activities of their respective committees during the past year. (For those who receive hard copy newsletters, copies of the report are available at church in the office and the narthex).

     At the April 26 Semi-Annual meeting of the congregation, the following Vestry officers and directors were elected:

• President, Lora Dundek
• Vice President, Tom Graves
• Secretary, Peggy Hoeft
• Treasurer, Tim Lindholm
• Amy Thompson, Education Director
• Art Halbardier, Property Director
• Steve Manuel, Education Director

      Thanks to the outgoing officers and directors of the Vestry, Robert Gotwalt, Kat Campbell-Johnson, John Holtmeier, and Brenda Bartz.  They have served us all very well.

     Other actions taken at the meeting:
• Presentation of nearly $35,000 from the Mount Olive Foundation to the congregation to be used for various projects, and an update of the status of the Foundation’s funds;
• A review of the current budget status and encouragement for all to prayerfully consider their giving to the church.

Minnesota Brain Tumor 5K

     Inspired by Gene Hennig, the “Lean Mean Gene Machines” are raising research funds with the MN Brain Tumor 5K event on Sunday, May 17, 2015, at Lake Phalen in St. Paul.

     We have set a goal of $5000. One hundred percent of tax-deductible donations support the Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research and Information, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit public charity. Please visit our team fundraising page here: http://bit.ly/1OYNUAA.

     All are invited to join us for the non-competitive, fun run/walk! Families and dogs are welcome, provided that their caretakers assume responsibility. We are working on some fun “extras” as a part of the event, too. Feel free to contact Emily Hennig at emilyhennig@gmail.com, or Kate Teece  at k8teece@gmail.com with any questions. We hope you will join us!

– The Hennig family

News From the Neighborhood                          

Ask me about “Open Space!”

     As a way to live into our new vision expression, this summer we will open up our parking lot space to build community and see what can happen!  The question was: “What is an asset outside the walls of our building that we at Mount Olive can make better use of?”  Someone came up with the thought of the parking lot!

     A six month task force was created and goals established: to offer our parking lot space to create connection, be the presence of God, to partner with our neighbors, and to break the barrier of “us” and “them.” We hope to have a little fun and celebration while we connect hearts and build community.  We are calling this project “Open Space.”

     In addition to communicating with you, we want to talk with our neighbors.  So we are scheduling dates to meet with folks from the churches within a few blocks of Mount Olive to see if we can partner with them in this “Open Space” project. In our first phone call to a neighboring church, the staff person told us they had actually been looking for a parking lot option to host a large event. It’s already creating connections!

     The task force has come up with a few ideas to share with the congregation for some first steps. Here are a couple of them:

1. Outdoor Community Garage Sale & Local Art Sale: June 20, 9am – 2pm in our “Open Space.” Neighbors, friends, and local artists can have a parking space plot, bring their own table, and set up their goods to sell to the public. We will go door to door to invite neighborhood residents to reserve a spot or come to the sale, and ask churches, coffee shops and businesses to help publicize the event. Mount Olive will publicize and host, opening our doors to offer a glimpse of who we are inside and out.

     We will need members to post flyers around the neighborhood, assist with hospitality that day, and put up direction signs that morning.  Because we are hosting the community meal that noon hour, around 100 friends and neighbors will be dining with us already, and perhaps they will be customers at the sale. (In case of rain the event is canceled).

2. Later in summer, we have registered our “Open Space” to be a site for National Night Out on August 4, from 6 – 8pm.  The city of Minneapolis will list us as one of the neighborhood locations.  We will invite the neighbors to bring a lawn chair and some appetizers or a dessert to share.  There will be activities for the kids and we have invited the fire and police departments to bring a truck or squad car to the event.

     What else could take place in our under-used parking lot?  Do you have ideas?  Can you join in any of this summer’s activities?   Contact any of us with your ideas.  Let’s see what we can do to take an empty parking lot and make God’s creative, abundant presence be seen in this place.

Taskforce members:  George Ferguson, Patsy Holtmeier, Julie Manuel, Tim Pipkorn, Carol Austermann, Paul Nixdorf, Connie Marty & Anna Kingman.

Hospitality Help Wanted!

     Could you help with a behind-the-scenes hospitality task?  We are in need of two or three persons who would be willing and able to launder table linens after they are used at funeral receptions or congregation events such as the Easter Vigil.  

     Please call the church office at 612-837-5919 to volunteer or talk with Gail Neilsen, Carla Manuel, or Andrew Andersen.

May Day Parade to be Held This Sunday, May 3, Noon

     The May Day Parade and Festival has become a joyous annual rite of spring. More than 2,000 participants, along with amazing puppets and floats, parade down Bloomington Avenue telling a story and creating a moving theatrical performance. Thousands more line the streets to watch the parade and participate in day-long activities. Following the parade, a pageant and tree of life ceremony in Powderhorn Park ushers in the renewal of a new spring season. For more information or to get involved check the HOBT website: http://hobt.org/mayday/

   (Find the Mount Olive crew to watch the parade at the corner of Bloomington Ave. & 28th St. at Noon!)

Attention Mount Olive Worship Assistants!

  The Servant Schedule for the 3rd quarter of 2015  (July-September) will be published at the beginning of June, 2015.   The deadline for submitting requests to me is May 10, 2015.  Please email your requests to peggyrf70@gmail.com.

Unwrapping Your Spiritual Gifts

Saturday, May 23   9 a.m.–noon
Mount Olive Lutheran Church

 Explore your spiritual gifts—and how and where you are called to use them. We all have spiritual gifts, but do we need some new paradigms for discovering and using them? Live into Mount Olive’s vision: Being the Presence of God.

Workshop Leaders: Connie Marty and Vicar Meagan McLaughlin

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

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

Guatemala Vision Team to Meet This Sunday

     Are you interested in going to Guatemala with a group from Mount Olive this summer? An informational meeting is planned for this Sunday, May 3, at 9:30 am in the Undercroft. If you have already signed up to go, or if you just want to learn more about it, plan to come to this meeting!

Mount Olive Foundation Presents Annual Gift

     This past Sunday, President Keith Bartz of Mount Olive Lutheran Church Foundation presented a check for $34,894.00–its annual gift to the congregation.  For the fifth consecutive year, this sum represents the largest gift that the Foundation has given to the Church.  Over its history, the Foundation now has given almost $350,000 to the Church.

     Subject to the Vestry’s approval, the Foundation’s Board of Directors recommended that these funds be apportioned as follows:

• Neighborhood Ministries Kiosk and Display Case    3,000.00
• Bach Tage $  4,000.00
• Guatemala Partnership Trip $  4,000.00
• New Staff Member Accounting Role $  3,000.00
• Purchase new stove/oven for galley (upstairs) kitchen $ 800.00
• Design for Undercroft Refurbishment $  4,000.00
• General Improvements to Building Exterior $16,094.00

TOTAL $34,894.00

     To learn more about the Mount Olive Foundation and how you can build its endowment and annual giving, please contact Keith Bartz at (612) 823-3572 or albsinmpls@yahoo.com, or speak with other Foundation board members:  Michael Edwins, Victor Gebauer, Reid Peterson, Mark Ruff, or Pat and Doug Spaulding.

Accent on Worship

This Monday I attended a conference about Church as a Community Asset, presented by the founder of Oasis in the UK, Steve Chalke. Oasis flows around a Christ -centered ethos of holistic, inclusive, community transformation. They started by looking out-side the doors of an enormously empty London church and not just wishing for better, but dreaming about what it could, should, be and then they went about creating just that. This was a valuable piece to the question we are constantly asking ourselves at Mount Olive. What is our neighborhood? Well, maybe one way to begin answering would be to ask “what do we want our neighborhood to be?” then go about making it so.

     Along the day we discussed the definitions of church; church as a religious service provider, a community space provider, a social service provider, then church AS the community. These were revealing in what many in the room were struggling through. How can you move the church from one of the provider categories in to the realm of full, whole, collective community? This is the “in the presence, being the presence” question.

     This conference was full of quotable wisdoms, big dreams, and inspiring possibilities, but no magic answers, because there is no short-cut way to building community and provoking real change. It comes from the roots of our spiritual questions, “who am I,” and “where am I going?” and answering in faith that “I am a beloved child of God and my life has purpose and meaning.”  It means staring at Jesus’s full command, not just the Mark 12 or Matthew 22 versions, but the Leviticus 19:18 “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” It means letting go of hurts and fears. It means showing up, serving one another, and living in to the world that God desires for us.

     There is much more I wish I could share. There is much more that I need to learn and talk through and discover. We all do. So let’s keep talking and dreaming and working towards the world that has Christ at the very center whether in a coffee shop, a school, a public restroom, or face-to-face with one another.

– Anna Kingman

Sunday Readings

May 3, 2015: Fifth Sunday of Easter
Acts 8:26-40
Psalm 22:25-31
I John 4:7-21
John 15:1-8

May 10, 2015: Sixth Sunday of Easter
Acts 10:44-48
Psalm 98
I John 5:1-6
John 15:9-17

Sunday’s Adult Forum: May 3, 9:30 am

 “Wisdom From the Desert: Stories from Women in the Early Church,” part 2 of a 2-part series presented by Prof. Sr. Mary Foreman, Assoc. Professor of Theology, St. Benedict University, St. Joseph, MN, and author of Praying With the Desert Mothers.

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, May 6, 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.

Encounters with Jesus: Bible Study on Thursday Evenings  

     The spring Bible study series continues this Thursday, April 30, in the Chapel Lounge from 6:00-7:30pm. The fifth and final session on May 14 will conclude with Eucharist for the Feast of the Ascension. RSVPs to (vicar@mountolivechurch.org) not required, but appreciated for meal planning.
     Vicar McLaughlin is leading a study focusing on five stories of encounters with Jesus from the New Testament. In addition to discussing the context and background, we are using the Ignatian meditation form Praying with Imagination as a way of entering into the stories.
     As usual, there will be a light supper when we begin.

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 May 9 meeting, the Book Discussion group will read, The Boat of Longing, by O. E. Rølvaag. For June 13, The Last Chinese Chef, by Nicole Mones, and for July 11, Bleak House, by Charles Dickens.

Calling All Graduates!

     On Sunday, June 14, we will honor our graduates at a reception following the 9:30 a.m. liturgy.
     If you are graduating from high school, college, seminary, or another post-secondary school, or if you know of some-one else from Mount Olive who is graduating this spring, please take a moment to notify the church office. We want to be sure that all of our graduates are invited!

The Ascension of Our Lord
Thursday, May 14
Holy Eucharist at 7:00 pm

Heads Up!

Summer worship schedule begins Memorial Day weekend, Sunday, May 24 (The Day of Pentecost). From Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend,     we celebrate one Eucharist each Sunday at 9:30 a.m.

Race Day is Saturday!

     This Saturday is the day that Anna Dundek and Eric Bell  will compete in the Amazing gRace. They will race between Lutheran Volunteer Corps service sites, performing all sorts of amazing feats that support the peace and justice work of LVC. Mount Olive Global Missions supports Anna and Eric, and we hope that you will too!

     Financially, you can support Anna, Eric, and the LVC work by donating at their web site:
https://www.firstgiving.com/team/293972  or by placing your contribution in a blue mission envelope and writing in “Amazing gRace.”

     All are invited to the end-of-race potluck Saturday from 4-6 pm at St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church (100 North Oxford Street in St. Paul). Bring a dish to share and cheer for Anna and Eric as they arrive.

     Lutheran Volunteer Corps does amazing work in promoting peace and justice while helping to form and sup-port young Christians as they explore their role in being God’s presence in the world. We have Lutheran Volunteer Corps graduates who have been part of our Mount Olive community, and we are committed to supporting the good work that they do.  Join this Amazing gRace event.

Congregation Meeting Recap

     Attached to this issue of The Olive Branch is an annual report prepared by several members of the Vestry, which describes the activities of their respective committees during the past year. (For those who receive hard copy newsletters, copies of the report are available at church in the office and the narthex).

     At the April 26 Semi-Annual meeting of the congregation, the following Vestry officers and directors were elected:

• President, Lora Dundek
• Vice President, Tom Graves
• Secretary, Peggy Hoeft
• Treasurer, Tim Lindholm
• Amy Thompson, Education Director
• Art Halbardier, Property Director
• Steve Manuel, Education Director

      Thanks to the outgoing officers and directors of the Vestry, Robert Gotwalt, Kat Campbell-Johnson, John Holtmeier, and Brenda Bartz.  They have served us all very well.

     Other actions taken at the meeting:
• Presentation of nearly $35,000 from the Mount Olive Foundation to the congregation to be used for various projects, and an update of the status of the Foundation’s funds;
• A review of the current budget status and encouragement for all to prayerfully consider their giving to the church.

Minnesota Brain Tumor 5K

     Inspired by Gene Hennig, the “Lean Mean Gene Machines” are raising research funds with the MN Brain Tumor 5K event on Sunday, May 17, 2015, at Lake Phalen in St. Paul.

     We have set a goal of $5000. One hundred percent of tax-deductible donations support the Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research and Information, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit public charity. Please visit our team fundraising page here: http://bit.ly/1OYNUAA.

     All are invited to join us for the non-competitive, fun run/walk! Families and dogs are welcome, provided that their caretakers assume responsibility. We are working on some fun “extras” as a part of the event, too. Feel free to contact Emily Hennig at emilyhennig@gmail.com, or Kate Teece  at k8teece@gmail.com with any questions. We hope you will join us!

– The Hennig family

News From the Neighborhood                          

Ask me about “Open Space!”

     As a way to live into our new vision expression, this summer we will open up our parking lot space to build community and see what can happen!  The question was: “What is an asset outside the walls of our building that we at Mount Olive can make better use of?”  Someone came up with the thought of the parking lot!

     A six month task force was created and goals established: to offer our parking lot space to create connection, be the presence of God, to partner with our neighbors, and to break the barrier of “us” and “them.” We hope to have a little fun and celebration while we connect hearts and build community.  We are calling this project “Open Space.”

     In addition to communicating with you, we want to talk with our neighbors.  So we are scheduling dates to meet with folks from the churches within a few blocks of Mount Olive to see if we can partner with them in this “Open Space” project. In our first phone call to a neighboring church, the staff person told us they had actually been looking for a parking lot option to host a large event. It’s already creating connections!

     The task force has come up with a few ideas to share with the congregation for some first steps. Here are a couple of them:

1. Outdoor Community Garage Sale & Local Art Sale: June 20, 9am – 2pm in our “Open Space.” Neighbors, friends, and local artists can have a parking space plot, bring their own table, and set up their goods to sell to the public. We will go door to door to invite neighborhood residents to reserve a spot or come to the sale, and ask churches, coffee shops and businesses to help publicize the event. Mount Olive will publicize and host, opening our doors to offer a glimpse of who we are inside and out.

     We will need members to post flyers around the neighborhood, assist with hospitality that day, and put up direction signs that morning.  Because we are hosting the community meal that noon hour, around 100 friends and neighbors will be dining with us already, and perhaps they will be customers at the sale. (In case of rain the event is canceled).

2. Later in summer, we have registered our “Open Space” to be a site for National Night Out on August 4, from 6 – 8pm.  The city of Minneapolis will list us as one of the neighborhood locations.  We will invite the neighbors to bring a lawn chair and some appetizers or a dessert to share.  There will be activities for the kids and we have invited the fire and police departments to bring a truck or squad car to the event.

     What else could take place in our under-used parking lot?  Do you have ideas?  Can you join in any of this summer’s activities?   Contact any of us with your ideas.  Let’s see what we can do to take an empty parking lot and make God’s creative, abundant presence be seen in this place.

Taskforce members:  George Ferguson, Patsy Holtmeier, Julie Manuel, Tim Pipkorn, Carol Austermann, Paul Nixdorf, Connie Marty & Anna Kingman.

Hospitality Help Wanted!

     Could you help with a behind-the-scenes hospitality task?  We are in need of two or three persons who would be willing and able to launder table linens after they are used at funeral receptions or congregation events such as the Easter Vigil.  

     Please call the church office at 612-837-5919 to volunteer or talk with Gail Neilsen, Carla Manuel, or Andrew Andersen.

May Day Parade to be Held This Sunday, May 3, Noon

     The May Day Parade and Festival has become a joyous annual rite of spring. More than 2,000 participants, along with amazing puppets and floats, parade down Bloomington Avenue telling a story and creating a moving theatrical performance. Thousands more line the streets to watch the parade and participate in day-long activities. Following the parade, a pageant and tree of life ceremony in Powderhorn Park ushers in the renewal of a new spring season. For more information or to get involved check the HOBT website: http://hobt.org/mayday/

   (Find the Mount Olive crew to watch the parade at the corner of Bloomington Ave. & 28th St. at Noon!)

Attention Mount Olive Worship Assistants!

  The Servant Schedule for the 3rd quarter of 2015  (July-September) will be published at the beginning of June, 2015.   The deadline for submitting requests to me is May 10, 2015.  Please email your requests to peggyrf70@gmail.com.

Unwrapping Your Spiritual Gifts

Saturday, May 23   9 a.m.–noon
Mount Olive Lutheran Church

 Explore your spiritual gifts—and how and where you are called to use them. We all have spiritual gifts, but do we need some new paradigms for discovering and using them? Live into Mount Olive’s vision: Being the Presence of God.

Workshop Leaders: Connie Marty and Vicar Meagan McLaughlin

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

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

Guatemala Vision Team to Meet This Sunday

     Are you interested in going to Guatemala with a group from Mount Olive this summer? An informational meeting is planned for this Sunday, May 3, at 9:30 am in the Undercroft. If you have already signed up to go, or if you just want to learn more about it, plan to come to this meeting!

Mount Olive Foundation Presents Annual Gift

     This past Sunday, President Keith Bartz of Mount Olive Lutheran Church Foundation presented a check for $34,894.00–its annual gift to the congregation.  For the fifth consecutive year, this sum represents the largest gift that the Foundation has given to the Church.  Over its history, the Foundation now has given almost $350,000 to the Church.

     Subject to the Vestry’s approval, the Foundation’s Board of Directors recommended that these funds be apportioned as follows:

• Neighborhood Ministries Kiosk and Display Case    3,000.00
• Bach Tage $  4,000.00
• Guatemala Partnership Trip $  4,000.00
• New Staff Member Accounting Role $  3,000.00
• Purchase new stove/oven for galley (upstairs) kitchen $ 800.00
• Design for Undercroft Refurbishment $  4,000.00
• General Improvements to Building Exterior $16,094.00

TOTAL $34,894.00

     To learn more about the Mount Olive Foundation and how you can build its endowment and annual giving, please contact Keith Bartz at (612) 823-3572 or albsinmpls@yahoo.com, or speak with other Foundation board members:  Michael Edwins, Victor Gebauer, Reid Peterson, Mark Ruff, or Pat and Doug Spaulding.

Accent on Worship

Last week, I realized I have only four months left with you before internship ends. I think about when I started, excited but unsure what to expect. I think about my first Accent article, highlighting the many ways I had witnessed you loving each other, loving me.

     Over these eight months, I have only added to that list. 1 John says, “Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action,” and I see this invitation lived out by all of you. I see “love in truth and action” as you strive to build community with our neighbors. I see love in the deep relationships between members who share rides to church each week. Love abounds as you welcome and create space for those new to Mount Olive, visitors, clergy, and staff alike. That love is evident as you offer practical help and hope to those  experiencing illness and loss.

     As we live into our Vision Expression, “In the presence of God, Being the presence of God,” we grow in our ability to embody God’s love in the world. And we come face to face with how diffi-cult it can be. Over coffee on Sun-day, one of you asked how to respond in love to the pain of friends who have lost their home, loved ones, everything, to the devastation of civil war, when the only thing that feels loving to them is violent revenge. Several of us wrestled with this, and found more questions than answers. How do you love one who has been hurt so badly? How do you love one who has hurt you? How would you respond?

     I am fortunate to be with you this year, to learn and wrestle and grow and love together. I am grateful for the time we have had, and grateful that my time is not up, yet. Thank you for teaching me about love in truth and action. Thank you for being who you are!

– Vicar Meagan McLaughlin

Sunday Readings

April 26, 2015: Fourth Sunday of Easter
Acts 4:5-12
Psalm 23
I John 3:16-24
John 10:11-18

May 3, 2015: Fifth Sunday of Easter
 Acts 8:26-40
Psalm 22:25-31
I John 4:7-21
John 15:1-8

Sunday’s Adult Forum: April 26, 9:30 am

 “Wisdom From the Desert: Stories from Women in the Early Church,” part 1 of a 2-part series presented by Prof. Sr. Mary Foreman, Assoc. Professor of Theology, St. Benedict University, St. Joseph, MN, and author of Praying With the Desert Mothers.

Semi-Annual Congregation Meeting to be Held This Sunday, April 26

     The Semi-annual Congregational meeting of Mount Olive congregation will be held after second liturgy this Sunday, April 26.

     On the agenda is the election of Vestry Officers. The slate of candidates recommended by the Vestry for election are:

• President, Lora Dundek (1-year term)
• Secretary, Peggy Hoeft (1-year term)
• Vice President, Tom Graves (1-year term)
• Treasurer, Tim Lindholm (1-year term)
• Education Director, Steve Manuel (3-year term)
• Property Director, Art Halbardier (3-year term)
• Youth Director, Amy Thompson (3-year term)

Nominations for the Vestry may also be offered from the floor.

Other items of business are:
• Ministry Fair/Update on Vision process
• Mount Olive Foundation Presentation

All voting members of Mount Olive are encouraged to attend.

Encounters with Jesus: Bible Study on Thursday Evenings  

     The second Thursday Bible study series of this year began last Thursday, April 16, and runs for five weeks in the Chapel Lounge from 6:00-7:30 pm. The final session will end with the Holy Eucharist for the Feast of the Ascension on May 14.

     Vicar McLaughlin will lead a study focusing on five stories of encounters with Jesus from the New Testament. In addition to discussing the context and background, we will use the Ignatian meditation form, Praying with Imagination, as a way of entering into the stories.

     As usual, there will be a light supper when we begin. All are welcome to this study opportunity!

The Ascension of Our Lord
Thursday, May 14
Holy Eucharist 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 the May 9 meeting, the Book Discussion group will read, The Boat of Longing, by O. E. Rølvaag. For June 13, The Last Chinese Chef, by Nicole Mones, and for July 11, Bleak House, by Charles Dickens.

Calling All Graduates!

     On Sunday, June 14, we will honor our graduates at a reception following the 9:30 a.m. liturgy.

     If you are graduating from high school, college, seminary, or another post-secondary school, or if you know of some-one else from Mount Olive who is graduating this spring, please take a moment to notify the church office. We want to be sure that all of our graduates are invited!

Amazing gRace Link Correction–Get Involved!

     Apologies for last week’s link troubles. Try this: https://www.firstgiving.com/team/293972.

     Whether you donate through Mount Olive or directly to team member Anna, 100% of your support will go to LVC. Anna Dundek and Eric Bell are getting ready to race around the Twin Cities on May 2 as they visit Lutheran Volunteer Corps placement sites to learn about LVC and promote the work of LVC members for peace with justice across our area.

     Check out the display case to see Anna and Eric and the places their gRace will take them.

     When Anna and Eric win (!?!) they will have the opportunity to direct donations to a particular LVC placement site. What would you like to see the money support? Leave them a message on their donation site about your favorite LVC “peace with justice” work.

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, May 6, 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.

New Members to be Received May 17

     New members will be received on May 17, 2015, at the second liturgy.  A welcome brunch will follow the liturgy in the Undercroft.

     Please contact Andrew Andersen at 763-607-1689, or call the church office at 612-837-5910, if you are interested in becoming a member at Mount Olive.

The brunch is open to all Mount Olive folk as well as families and friends. Plan to come to meet our newest members and welcome them!

Hospitality Help Wanted!

     Could you help with a behind-the-scenes hospitality task?  We are in need of two or three persons who would be willing and able to launder table linens after they are used at funeral receptions or congregation events such as the Easter Vigil.  

     Please call the church office at 612-837-5919 to volunteer or talk with Gail Neilsen, Carla Manuel, or Andrew Andersen.

Mark Your Calendars for the May Day Parade, Sunday, May 3, Noon

     The May Day Parade and Festival has become a joyous annual rite of spring. More than 2,000 participants, along with amazing puppets and floats, parade down Bloomington Avenue telling a story and creating a moving theatrical performance. Thousands more line the streets to watch the parade and participate in day-long activities. Following the parade, a pageant and tree of life ceremony in Powderhorn Park ushers in the renewal of a new spring season. For more information or to get involved check the HOBT website: http://hobt.org/mayday/

   (Find the Mount Olive crew to watch the parade at the corner of Bloomington Ave. & 28th St. at Noon!)

Minnesota Brain Tumor 5K

     Inspired by Gene Hennig, the “Lean Mean Gene Machines” are raising research funds with the MN Brain Tumor 5K event on Sunday, May 17, 2015, at Lake Phalen in St. Paul.

     We have set a goal of $5000. One hundred percent of tax-deductible donations support the Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research and Information, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit public charity. Please visit our team fundraising page here: http://bit.ly/1OYNUAA.

     All are invited to join us for the non-competitive, fun run/walk! Families and dogs are welcome, provided that their caretakers assume responsibility. We are working on some fun “extras” as a part of the event, too. Feel free to contact Emily Hennig at emilyhennig@gmail.com, or Kate Teece  at k8teece@gmail.com with any questions. We hope you will join us!

– The Hennig family

Sign Up, Sign Up for Coffee!

     Take a turn and sign up to serve Sunday coffee. There are plenty of openings on the chart, so find a day that works for you and sign up!

News From the Neighborhood
Anna Kingman

     In an effort to share about the relationships being built through our interaction in the neighborhood, we will hear from the people who find support, relief, and help through Mount Olive.

Profiles: Exodus Lending
It’s one of the things you may never have to think about, but for many people it’s the only thing on their mind – Payday loans. April has been a momentous month on the front of battling ‘predatory lending’ and efforts to confront this immoral, but not illegal practice. With the work of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, JRLC, and many others, Exodus Lending was launched as an alternative and a relief for those trapped in these loans that exist to take advantage of them. Although the bill in the legislature was not brought up in this session, there is still much progress being made, but much much more to do.

An excerpt from a Southside Pride article by Ashley Pederson.
“On April 1, 2015, the nonprofit Exodus Lending opened for business. Exodus Lending refinances payday loans, and then offers financial counseling and a savings program. Four clients were enrolled in the program on the first day. Director Adam Rao said that, “In our first week of operations, we refinanced over $2,800 in payday debt, saving those clients nearly $12,800 over the next year in finance charges and fees.” Exodus Lending is the first of its kind in Minnesota. It is funded by individual donations and grants.

     If you want to enroll or donate, you can find more information at exoduslending.org or 612-615-0067.

In Need of a Few Extra Helping Hands!

     Mount Olive will host dinner at Our Saviour’s Housing on Sunday, May 10, and a few more helpers are needed to host a lovely evening meal on this day, beginning at 6:45 pm.

     If you are able and willing, please contact Lora Dundek at lhdundek@usfamily.net

Opportunities to BE Involved

     Take part in the Congregation Meeting and Ministry Fair this Sunday, April 26, after the second liturgy. There will be a variety of ways to use your gifts and talents to share with your church and community.

     Thank you for all that you do, and please consider where your energies may be well used!

Spanish phrase:

      Part of sharing in community is understanding one another through language, culture, or experience. As we explore our community and get to know our neighbors, let’s continue  with some helpful language lessons.

English: “Where is your family from?”
Spanish: ”De donde es su familia?” (Day-dohn-day es sue fah-meel-ee-ah)

Review: “How can I help you?’”
Spanish: “Como le puedo ayudar?” (Coh-mo lay pooh-ay-doh eye-u-dar)

     Go out and be fearlessly friendly folks!

National Lutheran Choir to Present Gretchaninoff’s Passion Week

     The National Lutheran Choir brings Alexander Gretchaninoff’s glorious Passion Week to the majestic Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis and Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester.

Thursday, April 30, 2015 – 8pm
Basilica of Saint Mary (88 N 17th St., Minneapolis, MN 55403)

Saturday, May 2, 2015 – 7pm
Zumbro Lutheran Church (624 3rd Ave. SW, Rochester, MN 55902)

Tickets: $25 Adult – $23 Senior – $10 Students aged 17 and under FREE. For tickets or more information, call (888) 747-4589 or visit www.nlca.com

Twin Cities AGO May Members Concert
Friday, May 1, 2015, 7:30 pm
St. Michael’s Lutheran Church
9201 Normandale Boulevard
Bloomington, MN 55437

     The Twin Cities American Guild of Organists presents its 2015 TCAGO Members Concert. Resident Musician Jane Horn has invited us to visit St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Bloomington and share the sounds of the splendid 48-rank Reuter organ.

     Performers in this concert will be: Jennifer Anderson, Matt Bacon, Kim Crisler, Chris Ganza, Stephen Hamilton, Samuel Holmberg, and Jane Horn.

     They will play works of Widor, Dupré, Howells, Paulus, Chilcott, Ives, Pardini, Friedell, Bach, Kendrick, Drischner, Vaubourgoin, and Messiaen.

     This concert is free and open to the public. A reception follows the concert.

Accent on Worship

Last week, I realized I have only four months left with you before internship ends. I think about when I started, excited but unsure what to expect. I think about my first Accent article, highlighting the many ways I had witnessed you loving each other, loving me.

     Over these eight months, I have only added to that list. 1 John says, “Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action,” and I see this invitation lived out by all of you. I see “love in truth and action” as you strive to build community with our neighbors. I see love in the deep relationships between members who share rides to church each week. Love abounds as you welcome and create space for those new to Mount Olive, visitors, clergy, and staff alike. That love is evident as you offer practical help and hope to those  experiencing illness and loss.

     As we live into our Vision Expression, “In the presence of God, Being the presence of God,” we grow in our ability to embody God’s love in the world. And we come face to face with how diffi-cult it can be. Over coffee on Sun-day, one of you asked how to respond in love to the pain of friends who have lost their home, loved ones, everything, to the devastation of civil war, when the only thing that feels loving to them is violent revenge. Several of us wrestled with this, and found more questions than answers. How do you love one who has been hurt so badly? How do you love one who has hurt you? How would you respond?

     I am fortunate to be with you this year, to learn and wrestle and grow and love together. I am grateful for the time we have had, and grateful that my time is not up, yet. Thank you for teaching me about love in truth and action. Thank you for being who you are!

– Vicar Meagan McLaughlin

Sunday Readings

April 26, 2015: Fourth Sunday of Easter
Acts 4:5-12
Psalm 23
I John 3:16-24
John 10:11-18

May 3, 2015: Fifth Sunday of Easter
 Acts 8:26-40
Psalm 22:25-31
I John 4:7-21
John 15:1-8

Sunday’s Adult Forum: April 26, 9:30 am

 “Wisdom From the Desert: Stories from Women in the Early Church,” part 1 of a 2-part series presented by Prof. Sr. Mary Foreman, Assoc. Professor of Theology, St. Benedict University, St. Joseph, MN, and author of Praying With the Desert Mothers.

Semi-Annual Congregation Meeting to be Held This Sunday, April 26

     The Semi-annual Congregational meeting of Mount Olive congregation will be held after second liturgy this Sunday, April 26.

     On the agenda is the election of Vestry Officers. The slate of candidates recommended by the Vestry for election are:

• President, Lora Dundek (1-year term)
• Secretary, Peggy Hoeft (1-year term)
• Vice President, Tom Graves (1-year term)
• Treasurer, Tim Lindholm (1-year term)
• Education Director, Steve Manuel (3-year term)
• Property Director, Art Halbardier (3-year term)
• Youth Director, Amy Thompson (3-year term)

Nominations for the Vestry may also be offered from the floor.

Other items of business are:
• Ministry Fair/Update on Vision process
• Mount Olive Foundation Presentation

All voting members of Mount Olive are encouraged to attend.

Encounters with Jesus: Bible Study on Thursday Evenings  

     The second Thursday Bible study series of this year began last Thursday, April 16, and runs for five weeks in the Chapel Lounge from 6:00-7:30 pm. The final session will end with the Holy Eucharist for the Feast of the Ascension on May 14.

     Vicar McLaughlin will lead a study focusing on five stories of encounters with Jesus from the New Testament. In addition to discussing the context and background, we will use the Ignatian meditation form, Praying with Imagination, as a way of entering into the stories.

     As usual, there will be a light supper when we begin. All are welcome to this study opportunity!

The Ascension of Our Lord
Thursday, May 14
Holy Eucharist 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 the May 9 meeting, the Book Discussion group will read, The Boat of Longing, by O. E. Rølvaag. For June 13, The Last Chinese Chef, by Nicole Mones, and for July 11, Bleak House, by Charles Dickens.

Calling All Graduates!

     On Sunday, June 14, we will honor our graduates at a reception following the 9:30 a.m. liturgy.

     If you are graduating from high school, college, seminary, or another post-secondary school, or if you know of some-one else from Mount Olive who is graduating this spring, please take a moment to notify the church office. We want to be sure that all of our graduates are invited!

Amazing gRace Link Correction–Get Involved!

     Apologies for last week’s link troubles. Try this: https://www.firstgiving.com/team/293972.

     Whether you donate through Mount Olive or directly to team member Anna, 100% of your support will go to LVC. Anna Dundek and Eric Bell are getting ready to race around the Twin Cities on May 2 as they visit Lutheran Volunteer Corps placement sites to learn about LVC and promote the work of LVC members for peace with justice across our area.

     Check out the display case to see Anna and Eric and the places their gRace will take them.

     When Anna and Eric win (!?!) they will have the opportunity to direct donations to a particular LVC placement site. What would you like to see the money support? Leave them a message on their donation site about your favorite LVC “peace with justice” work.

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, May 6, 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.

New Members to be Received May 17

     New members will be received on May 17, 2015, at the second liturgy.  A welcome brunch will follow the liturgy in the Undercroft.

     Please contact Andrew Andersen at 763-607-1689, or call the church office at 612-837-5910, if you are interested in becoming a member at Mount Olive.

The brunch is open to all Mount Olive folk as well as families and friends. Plan to come to meet our newest members and welcome them!

Hospitality Help Wanted!

     Could you help with a behind-the-scenes hospitality task?  We are in need of two or three persons who would be willing and able to launder table linens after they are used at funeral receptions or congregation events such as the Easter Vigil.  

     Please call the church office at 612-837-5919 to volunteer or talk with Gail Neilsen, Carla Manuel, or Andrew Andersen.

Mark Your Calendars for the May Day Parade, Sunday, May 3, Noon

     The May Day Parade and Festival has become a joyous annual rite of spring. More than 2,000 participants, along with amazing puppets and floats, parade down Bloomington Avenue telling a story and creating a moving theatrical performance. Thousands more line the streets to watch the parade and participate in day-long activities. Following the parade, a pageant and tree of life ceremony in Powderhorn Park ushers in the renewal of a new spring season. For more information or to get involved check the HOBT website: http://hobt.org/mayday/

   (Find the Mount Olive crew to watch the parade at the corner of Bloomington Ave. & 28th St. at Noon!)

Minnesota Brain Tumor 5K

     Inspired by Gene Hennig, the “Lean Mean Gene Machines” are raising research funds with the MN Brain Tumor 5K event on Sunday, May 17, 2015, at Lake Phalen in St. Paul.

     We have set a goal of $5000. One hundred percent of tax-deductible donations support the Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research and Information, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit public charity. Please visit our team fundraising page here: http://bit.ly/1OYNUAA.

     All are invited to join us for the non-competitive, fun run/walk! Families and dogs are welcome, provided that their caretakers assume responsibility. We are working on some fun “extras” as a part of the event, too. Feel free to contact Emily Hennig at emilyhennig@gmail.com, or Kate Teece  at k8teece@gmail.com with any questions. We hope you will join us!

– The Hennig family

Sign Up, Sign Up for Coffee!

     Take a turn and sign up to serve Sunday coffee. There are plenty of openings on the chart, so find a day that works for you and sign up!

News From the Neighborhood
Anna Kingman

     In an effort to share about the relationships being built through our interaction in the neighborhood, we will hear from the people who find support, relief, and help through Mount Olive.

Profiles: Exodus Lending
It’s one of the things you may never have to think about, but for many people it’s the only thing on their mind – Payday loans. April has been a momentous month on the front of battling ‘predatory lending’ and efforts to confront this immoral, but not illegal practice. With the work of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, JRLC, and many others, Exodus Lending was launched as an alternative and a relief for those trapped in these loans that exist to take advantage of them. Although the bill in the legislature was not brought up in this session, there is still much progress being made, but much much more to do.

An excerpt from a Southside Pride article by Ashley Pederson.
“On April 1, 2015, the nonprofit Exodus Lending opened for business. Exodus Lending refinances payday loans, and then offers financial counseling and a savings program. Four clients were enrolled in the program on the first day. Director Adam Rao said that, “In our first week of operations, we refinanced over $2,800 in payday debt, saving those clients nearly $12,800 over the next year in finance charges and fees.” Exodus Lending is the first of its kind in Minnesota. It is funded by individual donations and grants.

     If you want to enroll or donate, you can find more information at exoduslending.org or 612-615-0067.

In Need of a Few Extra Helping Hands!

     Mount Olive will host dinner at Our Saviour’s Housing on Sunday, May 10, and a few more helpers are needed to host a lovely evening meal on this day, beginning at 6:45 pm.

     If you are able and willing, please contact Lora Dundek at lhdundek@usfamily.net

Opportunities to BE Involved

     Take part in the Congregation Meeting and Ministry Fair this Sunday, April 26, after the second liturgy. There will be a variety of ways to use your gifts and talents to share with your church and community.

     Thank you for all that you do, and please consider where your energies may be well used!

Spanish phrase:

      Part of sharing in community is understanding one another through language, culture, or experience. As we explore our community and get to know our neighbors, let’s continue  with some helpful language lessons.

English: “Where is your family from?”
Spanish: ”De donde es su familia?” (Day-dohn-day es sue fah-meel-ee-ah)

Review: “How can I help you?’”
Spanish: “Como le puedo ayudar?” (Coh-mo lay pooh-ay-doh eye-u-dar)

     Go out and be fearlessly friendly folks!

National Lutheran Choir to Present Gretchaninoff’s Passion Week

     The National Lutheran Choir brings Alexander Gretchaninoff’s glorious Passion Week to the majestic Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis and Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester.

Thursday, April 30, 2015 – 8pm
Basilica of Saint Mary (88 N 17th St., Minneapolis, MN 55403)

Saturday, May 2, 2015 – 7pm
Zumbro Lutheran Church (624 3rd Ave. SW, Rochester, MN 55902)

Tickets: $25 Adult – $23 Senior – $10 Students aged 17 and under FREE. For tickets or more information, call (888) 747-4589 or visit www.nlca.com

Twin Cities AGO May Members Concert
Friday, May 1, 2015, 7:30 pm
St. Michael’s Lutheran Church
9201 Normandale Boulevard
Bloomington, MN 55437

     The Twin Cities American Guild of Organists presents its 2015 TCAGO Members Concert. Resident Musician Jane Horn has invited us to visit St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Bloomington and share the sounds of the splendid 48-rank Reuter organ.

     Performers in this concert will be: Jennifer Anderson, Matt Bacon, Kim Crisler, Chris Ganza, Stephen Hamilton, Samuel Holmberg, and Jane Horn.

     They will play works of Widor, Dupré, Howells, Paulus, Chilcott, Ives, Pardini, Friedell, Bach, Kendrick, Drischner, Vaubourgoin, and Messiaen.

     This concert is free and open to the public. A reception follows the concert.