Mount Olive Lutheran Church

The Olive Branch, 10/15/14

By

Accent on Worship

Idols and Traps

     Sunday we witness Jesus’ encounter with the Pharisees over paying taxes.  Hoping to trap him either into declaring himself a revolutionary by rejecting Roman taxes, or declar-ing himself against the people by supporting such taxes, they ask if it is lawful to pay Roman tax.  Were Jesus a modern politician, one of his aides would now whisper into his ear “avoid the tax question!”

     “Give to the emperor what belongs to him,” Jesus says, “and to God what is God’s.”  Like-wise, Paul declares the question of human v. divine rule over our lives is always a God question.  He praises the Thessalonians for “turning away from idols to serve a living and true God.”  That is the central question of our lives as well: what belongs to whom?

     We keep our heads straight over whom we serve and how, with our worship life. We gather weekly to worship the Triune God, taking time out of our schedules not for us but for God, and plant anchors in our hearts and minds.  These anchors strengthen each time we worship, reminding us even in a self-centered world with our self-centered minds that we belong not to ourselves but to God.  Our worship keeps us from falling for our trap of thinking there are parts of our lives that have noth-ing to do with God.

     Sunday we will gather once more around the means of God’s grace, Word and Sacrament, as we always do.  We will, as we always do, find we not only are fed by the life and healing love of the risen Christ, we are pulled off ourselves as center of our lives and recentered on the Triune God.  We are, like the Thessalon-ians, moved from idols to serving the living and true God.  No traps.  No idols.  Simply the grace of having our lives drawn into the heart of God’s death-ending love and life, and the joy of seeing that grace transform us and the world.

Joseph

Sunday Readings

October 19, 2014: 19th Sunday after Pentecost (Lect. 29A)
Isaiah 45:1-7
Psalm 96
I Thessalonians 1:1-10
Matthew 22:15-22
______________________

October 26, 2014: Reformation Sunday
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 46
Romans 3:19-28
John 8:31-36

Sunday’s Adult Forum: October 19

Conversation with the New Coordinator of Neighborhood Outreach and Ministry at Mount Olive, Anna Kingman

Congregation Meeting

     The semi-annual meeting of the Mount Olive congregation will be held this coming Sunday, October 19, after second liturgy.  Items for discussion include:

• the 2015 budget (needs congregational vote and approval)
• updates from the Visioning Committee
• a preview of on-going Stewardship work
• news from the current Capital Campaign to replenish our designated accounts and cash reserves.

Transitions Support Group

     All are welcome to drop in and visit the Transitions Support Group to see if this is a place where you might find some solace and reassurance for 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.    

     Please note the following change in time and location for our next meeting.  The next session meets on Saturday, November 22, 9:00 am at 3120 E. Minnehaha Parkway, Minneapolis 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.

The Great TRUST Auction

     The annual TRUST auction will be held on Saturday, October 25, 2014, beginning at 6:00 pm at Lake Harriet Methodist Church, 4901 Chowen Avenue S. in Minneapolis. This year’s auction features the Metropolitan Boys Choir!

The cost is $20 for adults (in advance or with reservations),
$15 for seniors (65+),  and youth under 10 are free;
$25 at the door. For reservations or additional information, call 612-827-6159, or email trustinc@visi.com.

Reserve a table of eight for your group!

CareerWalk

     Looking for a job? Whether unemployed, under-employed, misemployed or just thinking about doing something different, please join us for the fall CareerWalk program. Learn new skills, gain new networking contacts, feel refreshed and supported, explore new interests and land jobs. CareerWalk is open to everyone and there is no charge. Come for all sessions or those that are of interest. Find specific session information and register there.

     CareerWalk is held on Thursdays from 6:30-8:30 pm at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 4100 Lyndale Ave. S. in Minneapolis.

Getting to Know You …
     The new members received on October 5 were asked to submit a brief introduction about themselves for publication in The Olive Branch. We will publish these introductions as they are received.

Robin Rayfield
     I was born in Minneapolis, baptized in Door County, Wisconsin, and I grew up a couple of blocks away from Mount Olive. Except for maybe once, I had never set foot inside Mount Olive until I had an email exchange with Pr. Crippen. A fundamentalist preached that the rapture was about to happen, and I emailed the pastor of the church I knew about, asking about it. Pastor Crippen responded, telling me about God’s love, and that I had nothing to fear. I decided to visit Mount Olive and found something wonderful. I’m also now a co-administrator of a Christian group called Christians Tired of Being Misrepresented. We bring hope and healing to people that have been hurt by the actions of many Christians. Currently, I’m a struggling musician, and I play several instruments including guitar, piano, accordion, and Appalachian dulcimer.

Victor Gebauer
     Born in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1938, Victor arrived to the USA in 1942 and grew up in Illinois. A graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, he also spent over thirty years on the faculty of Concordia University, Saint Paul, before finishing his career as executive director of Lutheran Music Program. Victor and his wife, Marilyn, actually were members of Mount Olive in the 1960’s and l970’s. They were married here, began a family, and are now returning to the church where their relationship as family and fellows in faith first began.

Names of the Departed Saints Invited

     As a part of our All Saints liturgy on Nov. 2, members are invited to submit the names of loved ones close to them who have died in the past year, since last All Saints Sunday, who weren’t members of Mount Olive.  (Members of the parish who have died are always named.)  These other names submitted will be included in the prayers of intercession.  There will be an opportunity to write these names this Sunday and in the remaining weeks of October, or simply contact the church office.  Please keep this to just those who have died this past year, so we can have a more manageable list.

Thanks!

     Thanks to Lora Dundek, Patsy Holtmeier, Carla Manuel, Gail Neilsen, Connie Olson, and Sandra Pranschke for  providing treats and coffee for the Congregational Meeting this past Sunday.

     There are lots of empty slots on the coffee sign-up chart, and we invite you to bring cookies or bars for coffee after either liturgy. Please let Carla Manuel know if you can help out in this way. She can be reached at 612-521-3952.

The Roegges Welcome a New Baby Girl!

     While the birth of a child is always a time of joy and celebration, it is also a time of adjusting to new routines – and sometimes getting a meal on the table can be challenging.  If you are so inclined to offer a welcome, dinner might be just the ticket.

     Meals are most definitely welcomed by the Roegge family; thanks to those who have inquired about scheduling a delivery.  There is no pre-determined schedule so it is suggested that contact be made directly with Brooke and Matt at 612-332-2856, to see what works best for them.  When you agree on a date, please call or email Marilyn Gebauer at 612-306-8872 or gebauevm@bitstream.net  so a calendar entry can be made for purposes of future planning.

    The Rogge’s are vegetarians but eat fish, eggs, cheese etc. (word has it that  they aren’t picky at all!)    Matt and Brooke live in St Paul at 1604 Beechwood Ave.

Meals for the Manuels to be Continued 

     Thanks to all who have generously signed up to bring Friday dinners to the Manuel family.  The calendar to date is filled through to November 7, with the exception of Friday, October 31.  If you can bring dinner on that date (Halloween) or on any Friday from November 14 on, please let Marilyn Gebauer know at gebauevm@bitstream.net or 612-306-8872.

    Julie’s treatment will continue for at least the next several months.  The family is very grateful for the support of prayers and meals during this difficult time.

“Bowing to the Holy”

     Mount Olive is partnering with The Lutheran Church of the Resurrection ,  Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, and Pilgrim Lutheran Churches in St. Paul to present a one day worship conference on Saturday, November 22, at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer.

     Information on the conference, “Bowing to the Holy,” is available at church. If you would like a brochure to be mailed to you, just call the church office.

Chosen: Bible Study on Thursday Evenings  
     Meeting in the Chapel Lounge on Thursday evenings through October 23 (6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.), Pr. Crippen is leading a study titled “Chosen.”  This is an exploration of the biblical witness to Abraham and Sarah and their family, with a focus on what the Bible means by “chosen people,” and how that continues in the present both as our calling and also a challenge in a pluralistic, often violent world.  

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

Wedding Invitation

     In gratitude for the community that is Mount Olive, we invite you to join us in celebrating the marriage of our daughter Siri Rebecca Hellerman and John Michael Guari, and for light refreshments in the Chapel Lounge,  following the liturgy.  Saturday, 25 October 2014, 2:00 pm.

– David and Diana Hellerman

Book Discussion Group’s Upcoming Reads

     For their meeting on November 8 the Book Discussion Group will read Flight Behavior, by Barbara Kingsolver, and for their meeting on  December 13, they will read Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen.

National Lutheran Choir All Saints Concerts: “The Souls of the Righteous”

     This All Saints weekend, the National Lutheran Choir invites you to honor the saints in your life by gathering to reflect through song and prayer. Prior to our two concerts, guests are encouraged to add the name of a friend or family member that has passed away to the Book of Names (also available online at www.nlca.com). Candles will be lit in remembrance, and the Book of Names will be read aloud throughout the concerts. Artistic Director, David Cherwien, conducts.

     Musical highlights include:
Funeral Ikos by John Tavener, When David Heard by Thomas Weelkes, O Tod, wie bitter bist du (O Death, how bitter are you) by Max Reger, This is My Father’s World and Stars by Eriks Esenvalds, Angels Hovering Round by Kevin Siegfried, and
The Souls of the Righteous by David Cherwien

When & Where:
• Saturday, November 1, 2014 – 7pm
Normandale Lutheran Church (6100 Normandale Rd, Edina, MN 55436)
• Sunday, November 2, 2014 – 4pm
St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church (900 Stillwater Rd, Mahtomedi, MN 55115)

Tickets: $25 Adult | $23 Senior | $10 Student | 17 & under – FREE. For additional information or to purchase tickets, visit www.nlca.com or call 612-722-2301.

Let Us Be Glad

By

God’s deepest desire and firmest promise is to hold a feast for all peoples where death and pain is no more, where all have enough to eat, where all, all are welcome; our only question is why we’re so reluctant to come to the party.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
   Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary 28 A
   texts:  Matthew 22:1-14; Isaiah 25:1-9; Psalm 23; Philippians 4:1-9

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

You realize there’s no reason we can’t stop the Gospel reading after verse 4, don’t you?

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.  He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come.  Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’”

The end.  The party is ready, the food’s on the table, all are invited to the royal wedding.  Come and have a feast, a celebration, a party.  This could be the end of the story, the beginning of the joy.

The rest of this parable – the reaction, the killing, the horrifying consequences to the rejected invitation, the casting out of one guest – none of that has to happen.

Imagine all we heard from Scripture today was Isaiah’s vision of God’s feast, David’s joy in the Shepherd’s table, Paul’s exhortation to rejoice, and those first 4 verses of Matthew 22.  This would be a day of celebration.

You do realize there’s nothing preventing that, don’t you?  Nothing keeping us from stopping after 4?  We’re forcing the other ending.

If we did stop there, we could recognize important things about this feast God wants to have.

We could realize God’s feast is inclusive of all.

Certainly Jesus’ story shows the kingdom of heaven as a feast opening its doors to the many.  By the end, all are brought in, “both the good and the bad.”  Isaiah more powerfully promises a time when the Lord of hosts will “make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines.”  It sounds marvelous.

And it’s for all peoples.  It’s inclusive because God is inclusive: no one is left out.  All peoples, even, presumably, our enemies, will be at the feast.

David sang of God making us a table in the presence of our enemies.  Maybe we’ve misheard that, thinking it’s trust that we can bravely eat with God while our enemies howl at us.  What if David meant what Isaiah said?  The feast is for all peoples, so the Good Shepherd’s gift is that enemies are made companions, sharers of bread, fellow feasters.

That’s what this feast could be for us and for the world, if we want it.

We could realize God’s feast is restorative, too.

That vision, that even enemies are changed to friends and eat with us at God’s table, is magnificent in its hope for a new world unlike anything we experience.  This feast God provides, by bringing in all people, gives life and restoration to a world of death and brokenness.  “You restore my soul,” David sings.  Surely that happens when the table is spread in the midst of our enemies and all eat together.

The restoration goes even deeper: in the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, the feast God spreads for the peoples of the world is a healing gift of forgiveness and grace, where all – good and bad – are welcomed, where reconciliation is offered, where new life begins.

This restoration is actually complete: Isaiah declares a feast paired with the death of death.  The funeral pall covering this earth, pulled over the face of the world as a medical examiner might do at the scene of a crime, that sheet is now ripped away, destroyed, that all might live.  Tears are wiped away, with no need for new ones, unless they are tears of joy at this life.  At this feast all anyone can say is, “This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

That’s what this feast could be for us and for the world, if we want it.

We could also realize God’s feast is now, and it is a foretaste.

Isaiah sings of a coming time when death is no more.  David sings in the valley of the shadow of death.  Both sing of a great feast hosted by God.

Recognizing this about God’s providing, God’s feasting, Paul encourages the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord always.  Again, he repeats, I say rejoice.  He sees this feast of God not only in our future, but alive in our present.  So alive we can let go of all our anxiety, praying all things with thanksgiving knowing God answers with abundance.

The meal the risen Christ spreads before us of his Body and Blood, this Table of life at which we eat here, we call a foretaste of God’s great feast to come.  It’s also a sign of this present joy: at this table, around the world, gather friends and enemies, all to receive life and forgiveness and salvation.  It isn’t yet inclusive of all; it’s not the full feast God intends for the whole creation.  We wait for the time yet to come for that fullness.

But it is a sign of this greater feast of God that is beginning even now.

That’s what this feast could be for us and for the world, if we want it.

The king says: All is ready, come to my feast.  What’s keeping us?

Well, life is busy and complicated.  As with some in Jesus’ story, we might have business to attend to, life to live, work to be done.  We can’t stop such important things.  Like some in the parable, we might also “make light of it,” deciding this “feast” is just pie-in-the-sky unrealistic dreaming, focusing our attention on the “real” life.  Either way, we can’t be bothered to come to God’s feast.

We might struggle with our abundance.  As last week’s parable said, we live in a garden we did not make, with a harvest we don’t deserve; letting go of that isn’t easy.  We might not come to God’s feast if we have to share with others.

We may have something in common with the ill-dressed wedding guest.  The host provided wedding garments for everyone; he didn’t want to wear it.  Did he think his own clothes were nice enough, he didn’t need to wear someone else’s?  Do we also fool ourselves into thinking we deserve to be at God’s feast in our own right, by who we are, by what we’ve done, clothed in our own rightness, not clothed by God in the goodness of Christ Jesus?

This feast could be life for us and for the world.  Somehow, we’re the ones who keep us from living that.

My friends, listen to what our brother Paul says: Rejoice!  Rejoice!

There is no need for you or anyone to live outside God’s gracious providing.  The Lord is near, and you can pray with thanksgiving for all you need.  So keep your mind on the feast God is offering: “Beloved,” Paul says, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”  Think about these things and rejoice.  Set aside your worries, and trust in the Triune God, who, in Christ Jesus, has made all things new, true, just, honorable, worthy of praise, and is making a feast for all peoples to live in God’s abundant life.

This is the feast God is doing in the world, for us and for the world, if only we want it.  So we return to the prayer with which we began this morning:

“Call us again to your banquet, Lord of the feast.”

Ask us once more, gracious God.  We have held back, for many reasons, but we see now you dream for abundant life among all peoples; we want to be a part of that.  We want to come.

This feast God provides is found in its fullness in the time to come, yet even now God makes it in this world of evil and pain.  It’s a potluck feast, where everyone brings what they have for all.  Those with material abundance bring that to share; those with spiritual abundance bring that to share; those who think they have nothing still discover gifts they can place on God’s table for all to enjoy.

We know this: God’s hope and desire is to bring all peoples together, even in this life, in a feast of life and grace and love.  There’s absolutely no reason for us not to accept this invitation and step forward ready to work with God to make it a reality in this world.  No reason for us not to say with joy and hope: “This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

In the name of Jesus.  Amen

Let Us Be Glad

By

God’s deepest desire and firmest promise is to hold a feast for all peoples where death and pain is no more, where all have enough to eat, where all, all are welcome; our only question is why we’re so reluctant to come to the party.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
   Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary 28 A
   texts:  Matthew 22:1-14; Isaiah 25:1-9; Psalm 23; Philippians 4:1-9

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

You realize there’s no reason we can’t stop the Gospel reading after verse 4, don’t you?

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.  He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come.  Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’”

The end.  The party is ready, the food’s on the table, all are invited to the royal wedding.  Come and have a feast, a celebration, a party.  This could be the end of the story, the beginning of the joy.

The rest of this parable – the reaction, the killing, the horrifying consequences to the rejected invitation, the casting out of one guest – none of that has to happen.

Imagine all we heard from Scripture today was Isaiah’s vision of God’s feast, David’s joy in the Shepherd’s table, Paul’s exhortation to rejoice, and those first 4 verses of Matthew 22.  This would be a day of celebration.

You do realize there’s nothing preventing that, don’t you?  Nothing keeping us from stopping after 4?  We’re forcing the other ending.

If we did stop there, we could recognize important things about this feast God wants to have.

We could realize God’s feast is inclusive of all.

Certainly Jesus’ story shows the kingdom of heaven as a feast opening its doors to the many.  By the end, all are brought in, “both the good and the bad.”  Isaiah more powerfully promises a time when the Lord of hosts will “make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines.”  It sounds marvelous.

And it’s for all peoples.  It’s inclusive because God is inclusive: no one is left out.  All peoples, even, presumably, our enemies, will be at the feast.

David sang of God making us a table in the presence of our enemies.  Maybe we’ve misheard that, thinking it’s trust that we can bravely eat with God while our enemies howl at us.  What if David meant what Isaiah said?  The feast is for all peoples, so the Good Shepherd’s gift is that enemies are made companions, sharers of bread, fellow feasters.

That’s what this feast could be for us and for the world, if we want it.

We could realize God’s feast is restorative, too.

That vision, that even enemies are changed to friends and eat with us at God’s table, is magnificent in its hope for a new world unlike anything we experience.  This feast God provides, by bringing in all people, gives life and restoration to a world of death and brokenness.  “You restore my soul,” David sings.  Surely that happens when the table is spread in the midst of our enemies and all eat together.

The restoration goes even deeper: in the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, the feast God spreads for the peoples of the world is a healing gift of forgiveness and grace, where all – good and bad – are welcomed, where reconciliation is offered, where new life begins.

This restoration is actually complete: Isaiah declares a feast paired with the death of death.  The funeral pall covering this earth, pulled over the face of the world as a medical examiner might do at the scene of a crime, that sheet is now ripped away, destroyed, that all might live.  Tears are wiped away, with no need for new ones, unless they are tears of joy at this life.  At this feast all anyone can say is, “This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

That’s what this feast could be for us and for the world, if we want it.

We could also realize God’s feast is now, and it is a foretaste.

Isaiah sings of a coming time when death is no more.  David sings in the valley of the shadow of death.  Both sing of a great feast hosted by God.

Recognizing this about God’s providing, God’s feasting, Paul encourages the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord always.  Again, he repeats, I say rejoice.  He sees this feast of God not only in our future, but alive in our present.  So alive we can let go of all our anxiety, praying all things with thanksgiving knowing God answers with abundance.

The meal the risen Christ spreads before us of his Body and Blood, this Table of life at which we eat here, we call a foretaste of God’s great feast to come.  It’s also a sign of this present joy: at this table, around the world, gather friends and enemies, all to receive life and forgiveness and salvation.  It isn’t yet inclusive of all; it’s not the full feast God intends for the whole creation.  We wait for the time yet to come for that fullness.

But it is a sign of this greater feast of God that is beginning even now.

That’s what this feast could be for us and for the world, if we want it.

The king says: All is ready, come to my feast.  What’s keeping us?

Well, life is busy and complicated.  As with some in Jesus’ story, we might have business to attend to, life to live, work to be done.  We can’t stop such important things.  Like some in the parable, we might also “make light of it,” deciding this “feast” is just pie-in-the-sky unrealistic dreaming, focusing our attention on the “real” life.  Either way, we can’t be bothered to come to God’s feast.

We might struggle with our abundance.  As last week’s parable said, we live in a garden we did not make, with a harvest we don’t deserve; letting go of that isn’t easy.  We might not come to God’s feast if we have to share with others.

We may have something in common with the ill-dressed wedding guest.  The host provided wedding garments for everyone; he didn’t want to wear it.  Did he think his own clothes were nice enough, he didn’t need to wear someone else’s?  Do we also fool ourselves into thinking we deserve to be at God’s feast in our own right, by who we are, by what we’ve done, clothed in our own rightness, not clothed by God in the goodness of Christ Jesus?

This feast could be life for us and for the world.  Somehow, we’re the ones who keep us from living that.

My friends, listen to what our brother Paul says: Rejoice!  Rejoice!

There is no need for you or anyone to live outside God’s gracious providing.  The Lord is near, and you can pray with thanksgiving for all you need.  So keep your mind on the feast God is offering: “Beloved,” Paul says, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”  Think about these things and rejoice.  Set aside your worries, and trust in the Triune God, who, in Christ Jesus, has made all things new, true, just, honorable, worthy of praise, and is making a feast for all peoples to live in God’s abundant life.

This is the feast God is doing in the world, for us and for the world, if only we want it.  So we return to the prayer with which we began this morning:

“Call us again to your banquet, Lord of the feast.”

Ask us once more, gracious God.  We have held back, for many reasons, but we see now you dream for abundant life among all peoples; we want to be a part of that.  We want to come.

This feast God provides is found in its fullness in the time to come, yet even now God makes it in this world of evil and pain.  It’s a potluck feast, where everyone brings what they have for all.  Those with material abundance bring that to share; those with spiritual abundance bring that to share; those who think they have nothing still discover gifts they can place on God’s table for all to enjoy.

We know this: God’s hope and desire is to bring all peoples together, even in this life, in a feast of life and grace and love.  There’s absolutely no reason for us not to accept this invitation and step forward ready to work with God to make it a reality in this world.  No reason for us not to say with joy and hope: “This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

In the name of Jesus.  Amen

The Olive Branch, 10/8/14

By

Accent on Worship

 A few Sundays ago I stood along with many of you, hymnal in hand, the organ leading us, as fervent voices lifted up in energetic praise a song of worship. I could sense, feel, and share in that almost touchable offering that was flowing through the pews and up into the sky. It was that Sunday that I decided that yes, indeed, this is a place I could work with and worship with.

The following weeks meant more interviews and a job offer from Mount Olive to begin as the Coordinator of Neighbor-hood Outreach and Ministry. Through the hard work of the Visioning committee and interview team, they had created a vivid and inspiring picture of the possibilities and hopes for what can be done through this position.  I was encouraged along the way to hear that there is a deep-seated history of pursuing social justice issues and service, and that the people that make up this place are ready and willing to continue that work.

     As I step into this role and learn from its past and present, I am both impressed and fortified that there is still much, so much, to be done. Through deep listening, open conversa-tions, and active involvement, my role will be to see and guide the efforts of this congregation to fully participate and BE a part of the neighborhood and its people’s lives so that we may all experience God’s presence and blessing.

     I am reminded of the verses that sustained me through my 2 years in a tiny mountain town in Peru as I served in the Peace Corps: “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strength-en you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!”

     Let us dare to hope and dream and love with the know-ledge that it is God who is at work ahead of us, beside us, and within us.

– Anna Kingman

Sunday Readings

October 12, 2014: 18th Sunday after Pentecost (Lect. 28A)
Isaiah 25:1-9
Psalm 23
Philippians 4:1-9
Matthew 22:1-14
______________________

October 19, 2014: 19th Sunday after Pentecost (Lect. 29A)
Isaiah 45:1-7
Psalm 96:1-9 [10-13]
I Thessalonians 1:1-10
Matthew 22:15-22

Sunday’s Adult Forum: October 12

 “Music for Occasional Services,” presented by Cantor David Cherwien.    

     Marriage and funeral rites take place within the context of a liturgy of communal worship. How does this fact shape the selection of hymns, anthems, solos, and other music for these liturgies?

2015 Budget Preview Meeting

     The Vestry’s proposed 2015 budget will ask us to stretch ourselves to invest in and support our rostered staff, improve our building, and increase our commitment to live as Christ’s followers in the world.

     A copy of the proposed budget is attached/included with this newsletter.

     Come learn more at the budget preview after second liturgy this coming Sunday, October 12, beginning at approximately 12:30, and then attend the semi-annual congregational meeting on October 19 at Noon.

Congregation Meeting

     The semi-annual meeting of the Mount Olive congregation will be held on Sunday, October 19, after second liturgy.  Items for discussion include:

• the 2015 budget (needs congregational vote and approval)
• updates from the Visioning Committee
• a preview of on-going Stewardship work
• news from the current Capital Campaign to replenish our designated accounts and cash reserves.

Transitions Support Group

     All are welcome to drop in and visit the Transitions Support Group to see if this is a place where you might find some solace and reassurance for 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.    

     Please note the following change in time and location for our next meeting.  The next session meets on Saturday, November 22, 9:00 am at 3120 E. Minnehaha Parkway, Minneapolis 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.

Installation of Anna Kingman October 12

Note the schedule change for the day:

8:00 a.m. Morning Prayer
9:30 a.m. Education Hour
10:45 a.m.  Eucharist and Installation
12:00 p.m., after liturgy: refreshments and fellowship with Anna Kingman
12:30 p.m. or so, 2015 Budget Preview Forum

     This Sunday, October 12, we will install our new Coordinator of Neighborhood Outreach and Ministry, Anna Kingman.    

     Anna’s been working with us since Sept. 23.  Her hiring is the beginning of a new time in the life of Mount Olive congregation.  She will continue to do many of the things Donna Neste was doing, but in addition, her new job description includes a deep involvement in the life and work of this congregation.  We asked her to join us as a member, which she did last Sunday, Oct. 5.  She will work with us to help us better understand our mission and ministry in this neighborhood and in our neighborhoods.  She will dream with us and help us not only to hear God’s call but also help us to put hands and feet to what we hear.  We’ve asked her among us to help us get to work!

     When the pastor and cantor of this congregation are installed, a special worship schedule for the day is used, and in light of the importance of this new position and what we hope for Anna to do in leadership among us, we will celebrate her installation the same way.  This Sunday, Oct. 12, we’ll have Morning Prayer at 8:00 a.m., regular Education Hour at 9:30 a.m., and then Eucharist and Installation at 10:45 a.m.  This way the whole congregation can gather at once in God’s grace and presence as we commit to our work together with Anna.

     A couple other notable things related to these days: This Sunday, Oct. 12, there is a time of fellowship and refreshments with Anna after second liturgy. Following that, there will be a forum introducing the 2015 budget.  This is in preparation for the October Semi-Annual Meeting of the Congregation, set for Sunday, Oct. 19, after second liturgy (see page 2 for more information).
Lastly, Anna will lead the Adult Forum on Oct. 19, to introduce herself and the ministry she’s beginning with us.

First Music & Fine Arts Event of the Season to be Held This Sunday

     On Sunday, October 12, at 4:00 pm, Mount Olive Music & Fine Arts is pleased to present a recital by organist Aaron David Miller. He will play works of Bach, Sweelinck, Gigout, and improvisation.    
     Aaron is Music Director and Organist at House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul. He is known as one of the finest organ improvisers in the country, having won several international awards and given concerts across the nation. The improvisation for this concert will be an on-the-spot creation, using themes gathered from the audience! Don’t miss it!

     A reception will follow.

Brain Power Needs Treat Power!

     Please help us in providing our tutoring program kids with some re-fueling treats through-out the school year!

     We are looking for a snack and beverage for each Tuesday after the tutoring program to send kids home smart and happy.

     There are sign-up sheets downstairs by the Community Events bulletin board, or you may contact Anna Kingman, Coordinator of Neighborhood Outreach and Ministry at 612-827-5910, or by email to neighborhood@mountolivechurch.org. (Email is the best and fastest way to reach me!)
     We are also in need of more substitute tutors to be on-call for the year. We hope to serve many kids and want each one to get the attention they need.

     Let me know if you are interested.

– Anna Kingman

Support Mount Olive Music & Fine Arts!

     Members of the Music & Fine Arts Committee will be on hand between the liturgies this Sunday, October 12, to receive your donations to support this year’s series!

     2014-2015 brochures were sent electronically with last week’s Olive Branch. If you would like a hard copy of the brochure mailing, you may either pick one up at church or contact the church office and we will be happy to mail one to you.

Names of the Departed Saints Invited

     As a part of our All Saints liturgy on Nov. 2, members are invited to submit the names of loved ones close to them who have died in the past year, since last All Saints Sunday, who weren’t members of Mount Olive.  (Members of the parish who have died are always named.)  These other names submitted will be included in the prayers of intercession.  There will be an opportunity to write these names this Sunday and in the remaining weeks of October, or simply contact the church office.  Please keep this to just those who have died this past year, so we can have a more manageable list.

Mount Olive Directory Photos Fall 2014 Schedule

     If you did not get your personal, couple or family photos taken last fall there will be a time to get your photos taken in October and included in the updated directory.

     We invite folks who have been worshiping regularly but are not members at Mount Olive to also have their photo(s) taken to include in the directory so that others can put names and faces together.
     Below are listed the time slots available to have your photos taken. Select the day and approximate time(s) that work best for you and call or email the church office to sign up (612-827-5919/welcome@mountolivechurch.org).

     You will be contacted the week before the sessions with a specific time for your photo session. Photos will be taken in the lower level of the education building.

• Wednesday, October 8 – 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
• Thursday, October 9 – 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM
• Saturday, October 11 – 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
• Sunday, October 12 – 12:30 to 1:30 PM following the liturgy

     Once you have signed up for a date and approximate times that work for you, we will combine all of the requests and set up a schedule to take all those requesting that specific day.  If you have further questions please contact Paul Nixdorf (photographer) by phone at 612-296-0055, or by email to pn@paulnixdorf.com.

Welcome to Matt and Brooke Roegge’s new baby girl!

     While the birth of a child is always a time of joy and celebration, it is also a time of adjusting to new routines – and sometimes getting a meal on the table can be challenging.      If you are so inclined to offer a welcome, dinner might be just the ticket.

     Matt & Brooke are vegetarians, but they eat fish, eggs, cheese, etc. (word has it that they aren’t picky at all!)  If you’d like to provide a meal, you can call or email Marilyn Gebauer at 612-306-8872, or gebauevm@bitstream.net to schedule a date.  The Roegges live in St Paul at 1604 Beechwood Ave.

 “Bowing to the Holy”

     Mount Olive is partnering with The Lutheran Church of the Resurrection ,  Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, and Pilgrim Lutheran Churches in St. Paul to present a one day worship conference on Saturday, November 22, at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer.

     Information on the conference, “Bowing to the Holy,” is available at church. If you would like a brochure to be mailed to you, just call the church office.

Meals for the Manuels to be Continued 

     Thanks to all who have generously signed up to bring Friday dinners to the Manuel family.  The calendar to date is filled through to November 7, with the exception of Friday, October 31.  If you can bring dinner on that date (Halloween) or on any Friday from November 14 on, please let Marilyn Gebauer know at gebauevm@bitstream.net or 612-306-8872.

    Julie’s treatment will continue for at least the next several months.  The family is very grateful for the support of prayers and meals during this difficult time.

National Lutheran Choir All Saints Concerts: “The Souls of the Righteous”

     This All Saints weekend, the National Lutheran Choir invites you to honor the saints in your life by gathering to reflect through song and prayer. Prior to our two concerts, guests are encouraged to add the name of a friend or family member that has passed away to the Book of Names (also available online at www.nlca.com). Candles will be lit in remembrance, and the Book of Names will be read aloud throughout the concerts. Artistic Director, David Cherwien, conducts.

     Musical highlights include: Funeral Ikos by John Tavener, When David Heard by Thomas Weelkes, O Tod, wie bitter bist du (O Death, how bitter are you) by Max Reger, This is My Father’s World and Stars by Eriks Esenvalds, Angels Hovering Round by Kevin Siegfried, and
The Souls of the Righteous by David Cherwien.

When & Where:
• Saturday, November 1, 2014 – 7pm, Normandale Lutheran Church (6100 Normandale Rd, Edina, MN 55436)
• Sunday, November 2, 2014 – 4pm, St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church (900 Stillwater Rd, Mahtomedi, MN 55115)

Tickets: $25 Adult | $23 Senior | $10 Student | 17 & under – FREE. For additional information or to purchase tickets, visit www.nlca.com or call 612-722-2301.

Chosen: Bible Study on Thursday Evenings  

     Meeting in the Chapel Lounge on Thursday evenings through October 23 (6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.), Pr. Crippen is leading a study titled “Chosen.”  This is an exploration of the biblical witness to Abraham and Sarah and their family, with a focus on what the Bible means by “chosen people,” and how that continues in the present both as our calling and also a challenge in a pluralistic, often violent world.  

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

Wedding Invitation

     In gratitude for the community that is Mount Olive, we invite you to join us in celebrating the marriage of our daughter Siri Rebecca Hellerman and John Michael Guari, and for light refreshments in the Chapel Lounge,  following the liturgy.  Saturday, 25 October 2014, 2:00 pm.

– David and Diana Hellerman

Book Discussion Group’s Upcoming Reads

     For their meeting on October 11, the Book Discussion group will read The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid. For the meeting on November 8 they will read Flight Behavior, by Barbara Kingsolver.

     The Book Discussion Group meets on the second Saturday of each month at 10:00 a.m. in the West Assembly area at church. All readers are welcome!

The Olive Branch, 10/8/14

By

Accent on Worship

A few Sundays ago I stood along with many of you, hymnal in hand, the organ leading us, as fervent voices lifted up in energetic praise a song of worship. I could sense, feel, and share in that almost touchable offering that was flowing through the pews and up into the sky. It was that Sunday that I decided that yes, indeed, this is a place I could work with and worship with.

The following weeks meant more interviews and a job offer from Mount Olive to begin as the Coordinator of Neighbor-hood Outreach and Ministry. Through the hard work of the Visioning committee and interview team, they had created a vivid and inspiring picture of the possibilities and hopes for what can be done through this position.  I was encouraged along the way to hear that there is a deep-seated history of pursuing social justice issues and service, and that the people that make up this place are ready and willing to continue that work.

As I step into this role and learn from its past and present, I am both impressed and fortified that there is still much, so much, to be done. Through deep listening, open conversa-tions, and active involvement, my role will be to see and guide the efforts of this congregation to fully participate and BE a part of the neighborhood and its people’s lives so that we may all experience God’s presence and blessing.

I am reminded of the verses that sustained me through my 2 years in a tiny mountain town in Peru as I served in the Peace Corps: “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strength-en you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!”

Let us dare to hope and dream and love with the know-ledge that it is God who is at work ahead of us, beside us, and within us.

– Anna Kingman

Sunday Readings

October 12, 2014: 18th Sunday after Pentecost (Lect. 28A)
Isaiah 25:1-9
Psalm 23
Philippians 4:1-9
Matthew 22:1-14
______________________

October 19, 2014: 19th Sunday after Pentecost (Lect. 29A)
Isaiah 45:1-7
Psalm 96:1-9 [10-13]
I Thessalonians 1:1-10
Matthew 22:15-22

Sunday’s Adult Forum: October 12

 “Music for Occasional Services,” presented by Cantor David Cherwien.

Marriage and funeral rites take place within the context of a liturgy of communal worship. How does this fact shape the selection of hymns, anthems, solos, and other music for these liturgies?

2015 Budget Preview Meeting

     The Vestry’s proposed 2015 budget will ask us to stretch ourselves to invest in and support our rostered staff, improve our building, and increase our commitment to live as Christ’s followers in the world.

A copy of the proposed budget is attached/included with this newsletter.

Come learn more at the budget preview after second liturgy this coming Sunday, October 12, beginning at approximately 12:30, and then attend the semi-annual congregational meeting on October 19 at Noon.

Congregation Meeting

     The semi-annual meeting of the Mount Olive congregation will be held on Sunday, October 19, after second liturgy.  Items for discussion include:

• the 2015 budget (needs congregational vote and approval)
• updates from the Visioning Committee
• a preview of on-going Stewardship work
• news from the current Capital Campaign to replenish our designated accounts and cash reserves.

Transitions Support Group

     All are welcome to drop in and visit the Transitions Support Group to see if this is a place where you might find some solace and reassurance for 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.

Please note the following change in time and location for our next meeting.  The next session meets on Saturday, November 22, 9:00 am at 3120 E. Minnehaha Parkway, Minneapolis 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.

Installation of Anna Kingman October 12

Note the schedule change for the day:

8:00 a.m. Morning Prayer
9:30 a.m. Education Hour
10:45 a.m.  Eucharist and Installation
12:00 p.m., after liturgy: refreshments and fellowship with Anna Kingman
12:30 p.m. or so, 2015 Budget Preview Forum

This Sunday, October 12, we will install our new Coordinator of Neighborhood Outreach and Ministry, Anna Kingman.

Anna’s been working with us since Sept. 23.  Her hiring is the beginning of a new time in the life of Mount Olive congregation.  She will continue to do many of the things Donna Neste was doing, but in addition, her new job description includes a deep involvement in the life and work of this congregation.  We asked her to join us as a member, which she did last Sunday, Oct. 5.  She will work with us to help us better understand our mission and ministry in this neighborhood and in our neighborhoods.  She will dream with us and help us not only to hear God’s call but also help us to put hands and feet to what we hear.  We’ve asked her among us to help us get to work!

When the pastor and cantor of this congregation are installed, a special worship schedule for the day is used, and in light of the importance of this new position and what we hope for Anna to do in leadership among us, we will celebrate her installation the same way.  This Sunday, Oct. 12, we’ll have Morning Prayer at 8:00 a.m., regular Education Hour at 9:30 a.m., and then Eucharist and Installation at 10:45 a.m.  This way the whole congregation can gather at once in God’s grace and presence as we commit to our work together with Anna.

A couple other notable things related to these days: This Sunday, Oct. 12, there is a time of fellowship and refreshments with Anna after second liturgy. Following that, there will be a forum introducing the 2015 budget.  This is in preparation for the October Semi-Annual Meeting of the Congregation, set for Sunday, Oct. 19, after second liturgy (see page 2 for more information).
Lastly, Anna will lead the Adult Forum on Oct. 19, to introduce herself and the ministry she’s beginning with us.

First Music & Fine Arts Event of the Season to be Held This Sunday

     On Sunday, October 12, at 4:00 pm, Mount Olive Music & Fine Arts is pleased to present a recital by organist Aaron David Miller. He will play works of Bach, Sweelinck, Gigout, and improvisation.
Aaron is Music Director and Organist at House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul. He is known as one of the finest organ improvisers in the country, having won several international awards and given concerts across the nation. The improvisation for this concert will be an on-the-spot creation, using themes gathered from the audience! Don’t miss it!

A reception will follow.

Brain Power Needs Treat Power!

     Please help us in providing our tutoring program kids with some re-fueling treats through-out the school year!

We are looking for a snack and beverage for each Tuesday after the tutoring program to send kids home smart and happy.

There are sign-up sheets downstairs by the Community Events bulletin board, or you may contact Anna Kingman, Coordinator of Neighborhood Outreach and Ministry at 612-827-5910, or by email to neighborhood@mountolivechurch.org. (Email is the best and fastest way to reach me!)
We are also in need of more substitute tutors to be on-call for the year. We hope to serve many kids and want each one to get the attention they need.

Let me know if you are interested.

– Anna Kingman

Support Mount Olive Music & Fine Arts!

     Members of the Music & Fine Arts Committee will be on hand between the liturgies this Sunday, October 12, to receive your donations to support this year’s series!

2014-2015 brochures were sent electronically with last week’s Olive Branch. If you would like a hard copy of the brochure mailing, you may either pick one up at church or contact the church office and we will be happy to mail one to you.

Names of the Departed Saints Invited

     As a part of our All Saints liturgy on Nov. 2, members are invited to submit the names of loved ones close to them who have died in the past year, since last All Saints Sunday, who weren’t members of Mount Olive.  (Members of the parish who have died are always named.)  These other names submitted will be included in the prayers of intercession.  There will be an opportunity to write these names this Sunday and in the remaining weeks of October, or simply contact the church office.  Please keep this to just those who have died this past year, so we can have a more manageable list.

Mount Olive Directory Photos Fall 2014 Schedule

     If you did not get your personal, couple or family photos taken last fall there will be a time to get your photos taken in October and included in the updated directory.

We invite folks who have been worshiping regularly but are not members at Mount Olive to also have their photo(s) taken to include in the directory so that others can put names and faces together.
Below are listed the time slots available to have your photos taken. Select the day and approximate time(s) that work best for you and call or email the church office to sign up (612-827-5919/welcome@mountolivechurch.org).

You will be contacted the week before the sessions with a specific time for your photo session. Photos will be taken in the lower level of the education building.

• Wednesday, October 8 – 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
• Thursday, October 9 – 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM
• Saturday, October 11 – 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
• Sunday, October 12 – 12:30 to 1:30 PM following the liturgy

Once you have signed up for a date and approximate times that work for you, we will combine all of the requests and set up a schedule to take all those requesting that specific day.  If you have further questions please contact Paul Nixdorf (photographer) by phone at 612-296-0055, or by email to pn@paulnixdorf.com.

Welcome to Matt and Brooke Roegge’s new baby girl!

     While the birth of a child is always a time of joy and celebration, it is also a time of adjusting to new routines – and sometimes getting a meal on the table can be challenging.      If you are so inclined to offer a welcome, dinner might be just the ticket.

Matt & Brooke are vegetarians, but they eat fish, eggs, cheese, etc. (word has it that they aren’t picky at all!)  If you’d like to provide a meal, you can call or email Marilyn Gebauer at 612-306-8872, or gebauevm@bitstream.net to schedule a date.

 “Bowing to the Holy”

Mount Olive is partnering with The Lutheran Church of the Resurrection ,  Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, and Pilgrim Lutheran Churches in St. Paul to present a one day worship conference on Saturday, November 22, at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer.

Information on the conference, “Bowing to the Holy,” is available at church. If you would like a brochure to be mailed to you, just call the church office.

Meals for the Manuels to be Continued 

     Thanks to all who have generously signed up to bring Friday dinners to the Manuel family.  The calendar to date is filled through to November 7, with the exception of Friday, October 31.  If you can bring dinner on that date (Halloween) or on any Friday from November 14 on, please let Marilyn Gebauer know at gebauevm@bitstream.net or 612-306-8872.

Julie’s treatment will continue for at least the next several months.  The family is very grateful for the support of prayers and meals during this difficult time.

National Lutheran Choir All Saints Concerts: “The Souls of the Righteous”

     This All Saints weekend, the National Lutheran Choir invites you to honor the saints in your life by gathering to reflect through song and prayer. Prior to our two concerts, guests are encouraged to add the name of a friend or family member that has passed away to the Book of Names (also available online at www.nlca.com). Candles will be lit in remembrance, and the Book of Names will be read aloud throughout the concerts. Artistic Director, David Cherwien, conducts.

Musical highlights include: Funeral Ikos by John Tavener, When David Heard by Thomas Weelkes, O Tod, wie bitter bist du (O Death, how bitter are you) by Max Reger, This is My Father’s World and Stars by Eriks Esenvalds, Angels Hovering Round by Kevin Siegfried, and
The Souls of the Righteous by David Cherwien.

When & Where:
• Saturday, November 1, 2014 – 7pm, Normandale Lutheran Church (6100 Normandale Rd, Edina, MN 55436)
• Sunday, November 2, 2014 – 4pm, St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church (900 Stillwater Rd, Mahtomedi, MN 55115)

Tickets: $25 Adult | $23 Senior | $10 Student | 17 & under – FREE. For additional information or to purchase tickets, visit www.nlca.com or call 612-722-2301.

Chosen: Bible Study on Thursday Evenings  

     Meeting in the Chapel Lounge on Thursday evenings through October 23 (6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.), Pr. Crippen is leading a study titled “Chosen.”  This is an exploration of the biblical witness to Abraham and Sarah and their family, with a focus on what the Bible means by “chosen people,” and how that continues in the present both as our calling and also a challenge in a pluralistic, often violent world.

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

Wedding Invitation

     In gratitude for the community that is Mount Olive, we invite you to join us in celebrating the marriage of our daughter Siri Rebecca Hellerman and John Michael Guari, and for light refreshments in the Chapel Lounge,  following the liturgy.  Saturday, 25 October 2014, 2:00 pm.

– David and Diana Hellerman

Book Discussion Group’s Upcoming Reads

     For their meeting on October 11, the Book Discussion group will read The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid. For the meeting on November 8 they will read Flight Behavior, by Barbara Kingsolver.

The Book Discussion Group meets on the second Saturday of each month at 10:00 a.m. in the West Assembly area at church. All readers are welcome!

MOUNT OLIVE LUTHERAN CHURCH
3045 Chicago Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55407

Map and Directions >

612-827-5919
welcome@mountolivechurch.org


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