Mount Olive Lutheran Church

The Olive Branch, 9/10/14

By

Accent on Stewardship

Thinking about Stewardship

     I’ve been thinking a lot about stewardship since the congregation elected me director of stewardship. The first thing I need to do, I told myself, is reflect more deeply and regularly about my own stewardship and that of our household. But I’m also eager to have members of Mount Olive tell me or other members of our Stewardship Committee how they think about steward-ship, because we can learn a lot from one another (other committee members—and we’re still growing—are Dan Burow, Mike Edwins, Beth Gaede, Gene Janssen, and Leif Johnson).

     Ask a hundred self-identified U.S. Christians to say the first word that comes to mind when they hear the word stewardship and you can be certain that “money” and “church” will come up often. Both are part of stewardship but, especially together, they can imply a much-too-narrow definition of stewardship.

     Writing in the September issue of The Lutheran (“Stewardship: Biblical Perspectives,” pp. 14-15), Prof. Marty E. Stevens of the ELCA’s Gettysburg Seminary offers a brief but excellent overview of Christian stewardship. If we start with oikonomia (“household management”), the Greek word for stewardship, we can, she says, identify “three categories” of stewardship. We are called to be (1) stewards as faithful managers of an owner’s property; (2) stewards of God’s grace and the gospel; and (3) stewards of “the fullness of time” (Eph. 1:9-10) and “the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things” (Eph. 3:9). Stevens discusses tithing and key biblical teachings about stewardship. She tells us that “in the Gospels, Jesus talks about money more than any other topic except the kingdom of God—more than sin, more than love, more than heaven and hell.”

     As disciples of Christ we’re called to be wise, faithful stewards 24/7. We’re all stewards in Mount Olive’s ministry, in various ways, and most of us could name them. But stewardship opportunities and challenges daily present themselves to us in our lives at home, in the neighborhood, at work, at school. They include care of the earth, welcoming the stranger, and little acts of charity and kindness. I suspect that many among us are far more effect-ive daily stewards than they themselves imagine. I’m trying to be more mindful about my daily stewardship. On the other hand, when I observe Mount Olive people welcoming us, feed-ing us, teaching us, leading us, and comforting us—all aspects of stewardship—it occurs to me that they’re probably not so much thinking explicitly of stewardship as they’re just doing it.

     In a few weeks our congregation will adopt its budget for 2015. It’s a decision we make together. The budget represents the resources we need to do our work together—at 3045 Chicago Avenue South, in our neighborhood, and nationally and globally. Some of us will make a “pledge” or “estimate of giving,” while others of us, from a different tradition, will give with equal generosity without pledging. We should all be thinking prayerfully about these resources and our mission, now and throughout the coming year.

– Donn McLellan, Director of Stewardship

Sunday Readings

September 14, 2014: Holy Cross Day
Numbers 21:4b-9
Psalm 98
I Corinthians 1:18-24
John 3:13-17
 ___________________

September 21, 2014: St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
Ezekiel 2:8—3:11
Psalm 119:33-40
Ephesians 2:4-10
Matthew 9:9-13

Sunday’s Adult Forum: Sept. 14

“Empowering Learners: A Philanthropic Education Project in Namibia,” presented by Ann Sponberg Peterson.

     Ann Sponberg Peterson serves Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, as the director of development for principal gifts. She is the founder of Empowering Learners and enjoys sharing the promise of this project, as well as the hopes of the young nation of Namibia, with churches and individuals.

Chosen: Bible Study on Thursday Evenings Starting Sept. 18

     The first Thursday Bible study series of this year begins on Thursday, Sept. 18, and runs for six weeks.

     Meeting in the Chapel Lounge from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Pr. Crippen will lead 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.  If anyone wishes to provide the first meal, please let Pr. Crippen know.  All are welcome to this study opportunity!

Mount Olive Welcomes a New Coordinator of Neighborhood Outreach and Ministry

     The Vestry would like to introduce our new Coordinator of Neighborhood Outreach and Ministry:  Anna Kingman has been offered the position and she has accepted!   She will start her work with us during the week of September 21.   She’ll have an opportunity to spend a week with Connie Toavs to orient to the ministries we already have, and then will be getting down to work meeting the congregation and our neighbors!

     Anna comes to us as a life-long ELCA Lutheran, having been raised in Blaine.  She speaks of how her extended family’s value of service to and the intrinsic worth of every human has influenced her love of service to God’s family.   She stated that there were no “ins and outs” as far as her family was concerned – no one was less important, less valued, less worthy of dignity.  In college, she was active in student government, where she learned project management skills, the value of relationship building to accomplish work, and a deepening faith.  Two years in the Peace Corp in Peru enhanced her Spanish language skills (she is a certified Spanish interpreter), as well as challenged her to negotiate her way through difficult situations, draw boundaries around challenging relationships and appreciate and navigate cultural differences.

     The search committee was impressed with Anna’s insight, ability to articulate nuances of human relationships and work, and her obviously strong Christian faith.  She has a deep sense of the collaborative nature of service and ministry, that we are called to walk with each other and our neighbors as Christ to each other, a sense that connects strongly to where our visioning process has been leading.  Her articulation of the justice God seeks in this world and our participation in that is inspiring, as is her sense of how the people of God work together for such justice.  She possesses maturity and instincts for ministry seemingly beyond her years, and we are looking forward to getting to know her and partnering with her on our mission to the neighborhood.

Welcome, Anna!

Interested in the Business and Finance Committee?

     Are you interested in serving Mount Olive with your business, legal, technical or accounting skills?  The Business and Finance Committee is entering its second year and has some interesting projects underway:

• We are in need of an insurance coordinator to review policies and providers, make sure our coverages and premiums are appropriate, and act as the liaison with the insurance agency representatives.
• The Mount Olive Foundation granted the committee funds to implement a new accounting system – that project has yet to begin and help is needed to plan and implement this updated system.
• Overall help with budget process and providing input into policies and procedures that govern our financial routines.

     If you are interested speak to any current member:  Paul Sundquist, Ty Inglis, Tim Lindholm, or Kat Campbell, Treasurer.  The committee meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, starting September 17, from 5:30 to 7 pm, in the Library.

New Member Welcome

     Mount Olive will welcome new members and associate members on Sunday, October 5, during the second liturgy.   If you are interested in becoming a member or associate member, please contact the office as soon as possible via e-mail to welcome@mountolivechurch.org,  or by phone, 612-827-5919. You may also contact Pastor Crippen at church, or Andrew Andersen (763-607-1689).
 
     A welcome brunch will follow the liturgy for new members and for all who would like to be part of the welcome festivities.

  Wear Your Nametags!

     In order to help Vicar Meagan get to know our church community a bit faster, we are asking everyone to wear their nametags at church for the next several Sundays.

     If you don’t have a nametag and need one, or if you have a nametag which has been lost or damaged and you need a new one, please contact the church office. We will be happy to provide a new one for you!

Every Church a Peace Church September Potluck
Eyewitness to War, Witness for Peace

Monday, September 15 – potluck begins at 6:30 pm
St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 4537 3rd Ave, Minneapolis

     Speaker: Kathy Kelly, peacemaker and founder of Voices for Creative Nonviolence

     About the Speaker: During each of 15 trips to Afghanistan, Kathy Kelly, as an invited guest of the Afghan Peace Volunteers, has lived alongside ordinary Afghan people in a working class neighborhood in Kabul. She and her companions in Voices for Creative Nonviolence believe that “where you stand determines what you see.” They are resolved not to let war sever the bonds of friendship between them and Afghan people whom they’ve grown to know through successive delegations. Kathy Kelly will also be speaking at St. Frances Cabrini on Sunday, September 14, after the 9:00 am Mass (about 10:30 am), 1500 Franklin Ave SE, Minneapolis.

Tutors Are Still Needed! 

     Tutoring is a great opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with one or two community youth and their parents.  You do not need to have education training – just a desire to help a child succeed in school.  Tutoring sessions are weekly on Tuesday evenings from 7-8:30 PM beginning September 30th.   Materials and support will be provided.

     To be a part of this important outreach, please call Connie Toavs at the church or e mail Interim Neighborhood Ministries Coordinator at connietoavs@comcast.net.  Our new Coordinator of Neighborhood Outreach and Ministry will be on board for the first session of tutoring. Let’s get her off to a good start with a full slate of tutors.

     If you would like to provide a snack for the youth on tutoring night, there is a sign-up sheet on the Neighborhood Ministries bulletin board in the lower level.

Attention, Mount Olive Youth!

     Along with the new school year and a new year of Godly Play, it’s time to kick off another fun year of Mount Olive Youth activities – and we’re kicking it off with a bang!

     There is a great opportunity for serving our community coming up this Sunday, September 14. We will prepare and serve a meal for Our Saviour’s Shelter and prepare 45 sandwich lunches for a meal the following day.

     If any adults or kids are interested in helping the Youth, please contact Amy Thompson by Friday, September 12th for details. (amy.b.thompson@wellsfargo.com or 612-729-7932) Watch for more details coming soon on an upcoming Youth Committee meeting and additional activities. Thanks!

Book Discussion Group’s Upcoming Reads

     For their meeting this Saturday, September 13, the Book Discussion group will read The Woman Behind the New Deal, by Kirstin Downey. For the October 11 meeting they will read The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid.

     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!

Help Needed for Family in Crisis

     There is an opportunity for members of Mount Olive to make a very real difference in the life of a servant of God and his family, known to us, who are facing dire straits.

Pastor Dinku Bato, formerly of the Mekane Yesus Lutheran Church of Ethiopia, is writing his Ph.D. dissertation at Luther Seminary.  His wife, Mergitu, and his three sons live with him near the seminary.  He intends to finalize and defend his thesis by the end of December 2014.  Some might remember that Pr. Bato preached at Mount Olive in January 2013 as part of the Mission Committee’s Taste of Ethiopia celebration.

     Pr. Bato’s current situation is exceedingly difficult.  His financial funding ran out as of September 2014, due in part to cuts at Luther Seminary.  His church, the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, severed their long-standing relationship with the ELCA in January 2013 over our church’s decisions regarding the marriage and ordination of our LGBT sisters and brothers.  The Mekane Yesus Church has not communicated with Pr. Bato since they cut ties with the ELCA.  Because he remained in fellowship with the ELCA, his home church also severed relationship with him, and he no longer has a position with them. Pr. Bato is also from the Oromo tribe, a minority which is exceedingly discriminated against and marginalized in Ethiopia.  Remaining in fellowship with the ELCA has exacerbated an already difficult situation were he to return to Ethiopia.

     He and his family are praying for God to find him work beginning in 2015.  Ed Schroeder, a former professor at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and later at Seminex, has given his name to several ELCA bishops in hopes that he might be offered a position in the U.S. or anywhere he is needed.

Pr. Bato and his family worship with both an Oromo and an Amharic congregation in St. Paul.  Jehovah Lutheran Church on Snelling Ave. is the location for one of these congregations.  They are a very devout family and have great faith that God has a plan for them.

     The family’s expenses for which they need help are rent of $910/month, plus living expenses, from September through December 2014.  Some members of Mount Olive have already been helping them, and now are inviting others to give enough to take care of the family’s physical needs through December.  The goal is to raise $6,000, and there are also members of Mount Olive who have agreed to match any gifts donated, up to a total of $3,000, in order to meet that goal.  If you are able to help, checks may be written to Mount Olive, with “Pr. Dinku Bato” in the memo line, and we will take care of it.

     Thank you for your graciousness and kindness!

A Note of Thanks

     The Iverson Family would like to thank their friends at Mount Olive for the kind words and beautiful cards that were shared with Wally & Lydia Iverson at their anniversary party. It meant so much to them and to our family.

     Wally and Lydia have now moved (again!) to a facility which will provide even better care for their specific needs. Their new address is: 8454 Kell Avenue South, Bloomington, MN  55437.

Diaper Depot 

     Did you know?  The Diaper Depot served 319 individual households in the first 8 months of 2014, making Diaper Depot Mount Olive’s largest consistent outreach in the community!

     The Diaper Depot is now open year round, two afternoons a week.  Nearly every day, families, advocates, and agencies call to ask about the Diaper Depot. New households register at each open session.

     You can help to keep this important mission operating in two ways – by contributing dollars, and by volunteering in the Diaper Depot.  Stop in during any session and observe or assist. Call Connie Toavs at church with any questions you might have!  

We Are All In Debt

By

None of us can love another to the fulfillment of the law. We owe our neighbors love. And we are all in debt. Through the grace of God, we are forgiven, and we are deeply loved and capable of loving.

Vicar Meagan McLaughlin
13th Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary 23 A
   Texts: Ezekiel 33:7-11, Romans 13:8-14, Matthew 18:15-20

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” What an amazing statement Paul makes in his letter to the Romans! Take all of the law encompassed in the Old Testament, and it can be fulfilled by simply loving one another. Rather than attending to what can seem to be an endless list of rules, we can trust that if we love our neighbor, we are doing God’s will, because as Paul says a few verses later, “Love does no wrong to a neighbor.” For those of us who can get bogged down in details, this is truly liberating. The only thing we need to do is love one another.

It is not always as simple as it seems, however. In the time of Jesus, faithful Jewish leaders debated hard and long about the statement “Love your neighbor,” asking who their neighbor was. Jesus was part of these faithful discussions, and as we have seen time and time again, Jesus often presents us with a challenge to view things from a different perspective. During one such conversation, Jesus shared the parable of the Good Samaritan, which forced his listeners to see the Samaritan, a hated enemy of mainline Jewish people, as the neighbor who saved them from the ditch. Jesus calls us not only to love, but to love without distinction.

The question of who we should consider to be our neighbor, who is worthy of our love, is still debated today, and the truth is we are often, without realizing it, tempted to draw a line defining who is and who is not our neighbor. Many Israelis and Palestinians would not include each other in their definition of neighbor. Many in the United States wrestle with how to respond to our neighbors from the south who come to this country illegally out of desperation. Police officers and community leaders of Ferguson, Missouri, are separated by thick walls of hate, and fear. Closer to home, we may find it hard to see as neighbor the person who brings violence to our community, the fellow church member whose political beliefs seem to go against our core values, even the family member with whom we have never been able to get along.

This call to love one another in fulfillment of the law doesn’t sound so simple when we understand that Paul was talking about loving those that are difficult to love. In Matthew, Jesus says that if a neighbor who has sinned against us will not listen even to the church, we are to consider them to be a tax collector or Gentile. This text has often been used to justify shunning or excommunicating someone who doesn’t measure up to standard, but if we are to understand what Jesus is really saying here, we need to remember that, far from separating himself from tax collectors and Gentiles, Jesus often found himself the center of attention for doing precisely the opposite. Jesus talked with them, listened to them, ate with them. Jesus loved them as they were, and called them to the fullness of life.

We are called to love not only when it is convenient for us, not only when our neighbor is someone we like and approve of, but to love everyone we meet, without condition. We are called to love the person who cuts us off in rush hour traffic, the person who brings a cart with 20 items into the checkout lane clearly marked “12 Items or Less,” the family next door who turns up their music at 10 p.m. Even more unthinkable, perhaps, we are called to love those who have hurt us—those by whom we feel betrayed, or misunderstood, or abused, even in those circumstances where, for the safety and health of ourselves and our family, we need to maintain boundaries and distance to prevent additional physical and emotional harm. Love one another. What does that look like? Is it even possible?

The truth is, if our one primary directive, the fulfillment of all the law and commands of God, is to love one another, to owe no one anything but love, we all fall short. None of us can love another to the fulfillment of the law. And yet, there it is. “Owe no one anything, except to love one another.” We owe our neighbors love. And we are all in debt.

We see evidence in the readings from Ezekiel and the Gospel of Matthew that God understands our plight, knows our indebtedness. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus offers a guide for how to handle directly, and with respect and dignity, the conflict that inevitably arises among humans who struggle to love one another. In the verses immediately following this passage, Jesus tells his disciples that we are to forgive “seventy times seven times” when our neighbor asks forgiveness. When—not if—we fail to love, Ezekiel tells us we are to invite each other back to God, and remind ourselves of who we are called to be. God says to Ezekiel, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live.” We are all in debt. And the God of love knows this, and promises forgiveness, and life, no matter how far we fall.

And it is precisely where we fall that God steps in. When North Minneapolis resident Mary Johnson’s son Laramiun was shot by Oshea Israel, another teenager in the neighborhood, in 1993, forgiveness and love was the last thing on their mind. In an interview with People magazine in 2011, Mary and Oshea shared their experience. Mary said, “At the trial I hated Oshea. I thought he was an animal and deserved to be caged. I was so angry when the judge charged him with second degree murder, instead of first degree.” For his part, Oshea felt that Laramiun was to blame for the shooting, and that if Mary had raised him better the conflict that led to Laramiun’s death and Oshea’s imprisonment would not have happened. As time went on, Mary’s anger and depression and grief led her to become a recluse, and ultimately she knew she needed God’s help to forgive the man who had killed her son. After 12 long years, and countless hours of tears and prayer, Mary visited Oshea in prison, and as they shared their pain with each other, God transformed them, and love and forgiveness became possible in the midst of anger and grief. Mary founded From Death to Life, a program that offers hope and reconciliation to others who have lost children to violence through support groups, prayer walks, and community gatherings that celebrate life and forgiveness. Oshea was paroled in 2010, and today, Mary and Oshea live next door to each other, and share their story of healing from podiums and pulpits around the world, offering hope to many who have experienced the same grief. Oshea, having recognized his own guilt and responsibility for Laramiun’s death, said, “I caused her pain, but we are loving our way through it.” [1]  It is precisely where we fall that God steps in.

This is a dramatic example that may seem out of reach, but it is no less miraculous when a man extends forgiveness to the one who abused him, a minister offers care and love to the young church member who accidently hit him with her car in the church parking lot, or a daughter reaches out to the parent from whom she has been estranged. We fall, and God steps in. For us as humans, on our own, loving to the fulfillment of the law is not possible, but with God miracles of love and healing are possible, and they happen every day. Where can God’s love work in and through you to heal brokenness in your life, your family, your community?

It is the love of God revealed in Jesus that redeems us from our debt. The love of God in Jesus enables us to love our neighbors, even when it is difficult. God’s love in Jesus empowers us to care for and protect ourselves and our families in a spirit of love. And when we fail, as we humans will, Jesus’ love for us gives us the grace to offer forgiveness when others hurt us, and the grace to receive forgiveness when we hurt others. We are all in debt, but through the grace of God, we are forgiven, and we are deeply loved and capable of loving.

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” God calls us to fulfill the law by living in God’s love today, for we are redeemed by God’s love for each of us, today and every day.

Amen.

[1]  Margaret Nelson Brinkhaus and Lorenzo Benet. “How I Forgave My Son’s Murderer.” People Magazine, September 12, 2011, 84-86.

We Are All In Debt

By

None of us can love another to the fulfillment of the law. We owe our neighbors love. And we are all in debt. Through the grace of God, we are forgiven, and we are deeply loved and capable of loving.

Vicar Meagan McLaughlin
13th Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary 23 A
   Texts: Ezekiel 33:7-11, Romans 13:8-14, Matthew 18:15-20

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” What an amazing statement Paul makes in his letter to the Romans! Take all of the law encompassed in the Old Testament, and it can be fulfilled by simply loving one another. Rather than attending to what can seem to be an endless list of rules, we can trust that if we love our neighbor, we are doing God’s will, because as Paul says a few verses later, “Love does no wrong to a neighbor.” For those of us who can get bogged down in details, this is truly liberating. The only thing we need to do is love one another.

It is not always as simple as it seems, however. In the time of Jesus, faithful Jewish leaders debated hard and long about the statement “Love your neighbor,” asking who their neighbor was. Jesus was part of these faithful discussions, and as we have seen time and time again, Jesus often presents us with a challenge to view things from a different perspective. During one such conversation, Jesus shared the parable of the Good Samaritan, which forced his listeners to see the Samaritan, a hated enemy of mainline Jewish people, as the neighbor who saved them from the ditch. Jesus calls us not only to love, but to love without distinction.

The question of who we should consider to be our neighbor, who is worthy of our love, is still debated today, and the truth is we are often, without realizing it, tempted to draw a line defining who is and who is not our neighbor. Many Israelis and Palestinians would not include each other in their definition of neighbor. Many in the United States wrestle with how to respond to our neighbors from the south who come to this country illegally out of desperation. Police officers and community leaders of Ferguson, Missouri, are separated by thick walls of hate, and fear. Closer to home, we may find it hard to see as neighbor the person who brings violence to our community, the fellow church member whose political beliefs seem to go against our core values, even the family member with whom we have never been able to get along.

This call to love one another in fulfillment of the law doesn’t sound so simple when we understand that Paul was talking about loving those that are difficult to love. In Matthew, Jesus says that if a neighbor who has sinned against us will not listen even to the church, we are to consider them to be a tax collector or Gentile. This text has often been used to justify shunning or excommunicating someone who doesn’t measure up to standard, but if we are to understand what Jesus is really saying here, we need to remember that, far from separating himself from tax collectors and Gentiles, Jesus often found himself the center of attention for doing precisely the opposite. Jesus talked with them, listened to them, ate with them. Jesus loved them as they were, and called them to the fullness of life.

We are called to love not only when it is convenient for us, not only when our neighbor is someone we like and approve of, but to love everyone we meet, without condition. We are called to love the person who cuts us off in rush hour traffic, the person who brings a cart with 20 items into the checkout lane clearly marked “12 Items or Less,” the family next door who turns up their music at 10 p.m. Even more unthinkable, perhaps, we are called to love those who have hurt us—those by whom we feel betrayed, or misunderstood, or abused, even in those circumstances where, for the safety and health of ourselves and our family, we need to maintain boundaries and distance to prevent additional physical and emotional harm. Love one another. What does that look like? Is it even possible?

The truth is, if our one primary directive, the fulfillment of all the law and commands of God, is to love one another, to owe no one anything but love, we all fall short. None of us can love another to the fulfillment of the law. And yet, there it is. “Owe no one anything, except to love one another.” We owe our neighbors love. And we are all in debt.

We see evidence in the readings from Ezekiel and the Gospel of Matthew that God understands our plight, knows our indebtedness. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus offers a guide for how to handle directly, and with respect and dignity, the conflict that inevitably arises among humans who struggle to love one another. In the verses immediately following this passage, Jesus tells his disciples that we are to forgive “seventy times seven times” when our neighbor asks forgiveness. When—not if—we fail to love, Ezekiel tells us we are to invite each other back to God, and remind ourselves of who we are called to be. God says to Ezekiel, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live.” We are all in debt. And the God of love knows this, and promises forgiveness, and life, no matter how far we fall.

And it is precisely where we fall that God steps in. When North Minneapolis resident Mary Johnson’s son Laramiun was shot by Oshea Israel, another teenager in the neighborhood, in 1993, forgiveness and love was the last thing on their mind. In an interview with People magazine in 2011, Mary and Oshea shared their experience. Mary said, “At the trial I hated Oshea. I thought he was an animal and deserved to be caged. I was so angry when the judge charged him with second degree murder, instead of first degree.” For his part, Oshea felt that Laramiun was to blame for the shooting, and that if Mary had raised him better the conflict that led to Laramiun’s death and Oshea’s imprisonment would not have happened. As time went on, Mary’s anger and depression and grief led her to become a recluse, and ultimately she knew she needed God’s help to forgive the man who had killed her son. After 12 long years, and countless hours of tears and prayer, Mary visited Oshea in prison, and as they shared their pain with each other, God transformed them, and love and forgiveness became possible in the midst of anger and grief. Mary founded From Death to Life, a program that offers hope and reconciliation to others who have lost children to violence through support groups, prayer walks, and community gatherings that celebrate life and forgiveness. Oshea was paroled in 2010, and today, Mary and Oshea live next door to each other, and share their story of healing from podiums and pulpits around the world, offering hope to many who have experienced the same grief. Oshea, having recognized his own guilt and responsibility for Laramiun’s death, said, “I caused her pain, but we are loving our way through it.” [1]  It is precisely where we fall that God steps in.

This is a dramatic example that may seem out of reach, but it is no less miraculous when a man extends forgiveness to the one who abused him, a minister offers care and love to the young church member who accidently hit him with her car in the church parking lot, or a daughter reaches out to the parent from whom she has been estranged. We fall, and God steps in. For us as humans, on our own, loving to the fulfillment of the law is not possible, but with God miracles of love and healing are possible, and they happen every day. Where can God’s love work in and through you to heal brokenness in your life, your family, your community?

It is the love of God revealed in Jesus that redeems us from our debt. The love of God in Jesus enables us to love our neighbors, even when it is difficult. God’s love in Jesus empowers us to care for and protect ourselves and our families in a spirit of love. And when we fail, as we humans will, Jesus’ love for us gives us the grace to offer forgiveness when others hurt us, and the grace to receive forgiveness when we hurt others. We are all in debt, but through the grace of God, we are forgiven, and we are deeply loved and capable of loving.

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” God calls us to fulfill the law by living in God’s love today, for we are redeemed by God’s love for each of us, today and every day.

Amen.

[1]  Margaret Nelson Brinkhaus and Lorenzo Benet. “How I Forgave My Son’s Murderer.” People Magazine, September 12, 2011, 84-86.

The Olive Branch, 9/3/14

By

Accent on Worship 

    The readings for this Sunday spoke very powerfully to me about love and forgiveness. In my first few weeks as your Vicar, I have been blessed to witness love at work in many ways in the Mount Olive community. I have experienced that love in the warm welcome I have received from everyone I have met, in the commitment to teach me what I need to know, and in the flowers that magically appeared on my desk overnight. I saw love at work in the careful attention given to polishing brass, replacing candles, and cleaning the sanctuary. Love was evident in the offer to give up a seat in the common room for a fellow parishioner who needed it. Love presented itself each time a communion minister shared about visiting and bringing the Eucharist to a member who is not able to join us in worship. I see love in the time committed to the Diaper Depot and other Neighborhood Ministries, as all who come through our doors are treated with respect and dignity. Love was present in the celebration of a baptismal anniversary and the sharing and receiving of stories in the time of fellowship after worship. The love of this community is truly a gift!

     Along with love comes the grace of forgiveness. In this week’s Gospel from Matthew, Jesus outlines a process for responding to conflict directly, and with respect for all involved, and in the verses following this passage, Jesus tells us that we are to forgive those that harm us “seventy times seven times.” In other words, forgive often, without limit. For that I am grateful, as I am sure that there will be many times over the next year when I will have need of your forgiveness! What a blessing to know that we have a God who forgives, and encourages us to forgive each other . . . a God whose law is fulfilled by love.

– Vicar Meagan McLaughlin

Sunday Readings

September 7, 2014: 13th Sunday after Pentecost  (Lect. 23A)
Ezekiel 33:7-11
Psalm 119:33-40
Romans 13:8-14
Matthew 18:15-20
___________________

September 14, 2014: Holy Cross Day
Numbers 21:4b-9
Psalm 98:1-4
I Corinthians 1:18-24
John 3:13-17
 

Regular worship schedule resumes this Sunday, September 7!
Holy Eucharist, 8:00 and 10:45 a.m.
Church School and Adult Forum, 9:30 a.m.

Children’s Choir

Parents and guardians of our young!

     If you are hoping that your young one will be able to participate in the children’s choir, please contact Cantor David Cherwien this week.  We need to know that we have critical mass for this to work, and also for the food necessary.

     The first rehearsal is set for next Wednesday, September 10, 6:00-6:45 pm, with a light dinner just before rehearsal, beginning at 5:30.

     RSVP via email (cantor@mountolivechurch.org) for both participation in the choir itself, and also for how many are planning to join us for supper.
     Again, it’s for children grades 2 to 8 (roughly).

     Please feel free to contact Cantor Cherwien with any questions you may have.

Interested in the Business and Finance Committee?

     Are you interested in serving Mount Olive with your business, legal, technical or accounting skills?  The Business and Finance Committee is entering its second year and has some interesting projects underway:

• We are in need of an insurance coordinator to review policies and providers, make sure our coverages and premiums are appropriate, and act as the liaison with the insurance agency representatives.
• The Mount Olive Foundation granted the committee funds to implement a new accounting system – that project has yet to begin and help is needed to plan and implement this updated system.
• Overall all help with budget process and providing input into policies and procedures that govern our financial routines.
     If you are interested speak to any current member:  Paul Sundquist, Ty Inglis, Tim Lindholm, or Kat Campbell, Treasurer.  The committee meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, starting September 17, from 5:30 to 7 pm, in the Library.

Book Discussion Group’s Upcoming Reads
For their meeting on September 13, the Book Discussion group will read The Woman Behind the New Deal, by Kirstin Downey. For the October 11 meeting they will read The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid.

Thanks!

     Thanks is extended to Altar Guild members Bonnie McLellan, Beth Gaede, Sandra Pranschke, Cynthia Prosek, Peggy Hoeft, and Steve Pranschke, as well as congregational volunteer, R.T. Pranschke, for their hard work in cleaning the altar/chancel area as well as removing wax from and polishing the altar brassware on Saturday, August 23.

     The Altar Guild sponsors three special chancel cleanings a year – at the start of Advent, at the start of the Easter celebration and sometime during the summer. We enjoy having congregational volunteers join us in preserving and beautifying Mt. Olive’s  wonderful worship space. The next opportunity to participate in one of these activities will be Saturday, November 22, 2014, from 9 am to noon. Please contact Steve Pranschke if you are interested.

New Member Welcome

     Mount Olive will welcome new members and associate members on Sunday, October 5, during the second liturgy.   If you are interested in becoming a member or associate member, please contact the office as soon as possible via e-mail to welcome@mountolivechurch.org,  or by phone, 612-827-5919. You may also contact Pastor Crippen at church, or Andrew Andersen (763-607-1689).

     A welcome brunch will follow the liturgy for new members and for all who would like to be part of the welcome festivities.

Wear Your Nametags!

     In order to help our new vicar get to know our church community a bit faster, we are asking everyone to wear their nametags at church for the next several Sundays.

     If you don’t have a nametag and need one, or if you have a nametag which has been lost or damaged and you need a new one, please contact the church office. We will be happy to provide a new one for you!

Anniversary Open House

     Walter & Lydia Iverson are celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary, and they cordially invite Mount Olive members and friends to celebrate with them!

     An Open House will be held this Saturday, September 6, from 2-4pm at their new home, Minnehaha Senior Living: 3733 – 23rd Ave S.(they live in Apartment #336, for those who wish to send a card), Minneapolis, MN  55407.

     Plan to stop by to greet the Iversons, enjoy some light refreshments and celebrate with them!

Diaper Depot 

     Did you know?  The Diaper Depot served 319 individual households in the first 8 months of 2014, making Diaper Depot Mount Olive’s largest consistent outreach in the community!

     The Diaper Depot is now open year round, two afternoons a week.  Nearly every day, families, advocates, and agencies call to ask about the Diaper Depot. New households register at each open session.

     The diapers are not free to families.  Participants pay a little less than half of the cost of each pack of diapers and often talk about how much it helps them stretch their funds through the month.

     You can help to keep this important mission operating in two ways – by contributing dollars, and by volunteering in the Diaper Depot.  Stop in during any session and observe or assist. Call Connie Toavs at church with any questions you might have!

Join in Prayer for the Middle East 

     As people of Mount Olive, your mission dollars have supported the work of the Lutheran Federation in Jerusalem. We share with you a request from Rev. Mark Brown, regional representative for the LWF there. “I invite you to join the ACT Palestine Forum’s international prayer vigil for peace.  Prayer vigils devoted to peace in the Middle East are held on the 24th of every month.”

     From the Forum’s website:  “This global ecumenical prayer vigil began on 24 December 2012 and will continue across the globe, on the 24th of every month, until the Israeli occupation is dismantled, violence in the Middle East ends, and all can celebrate a just and lasting negotiated resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

     We urge people to see this prayer vigil as an outpouring of concern for Palestinians and Israelis – Christians, Muslims, and Jews – whose lives are overtaken by broken relationships and the conflict that flows from these divisions.”

     We will join the vigil on Sunday, August 24, and our prayer chain ministry will continue on the 24th of each month.  You are invited to add your prayers.

-Missions Committee

Tutoring to Begin Soon!

     Many tutors are still needed for the weekly tutoring program beginning September 30!  This year, we would like to expand the program to as many as 12 tutors because there are many families hoping to enroll their children.
  
     Tutoring sessions are held weekly on Tuesday evenings, except during school breaks.  Materials and support will be provided.

     To volunteer, simply drop an email to Interim Neighborhood Ministries Coordinator Connie Toavs at connietoavs@comcast.net, or call her at the church .

     Also, if you can’t tutor but would like to help with this worthy project, consider signing up to provide a snack for the youth on tutoring night! There is a sign-up sheet on the Neighborhood Ministries bulletin board on the lower level.

Search Process Nears Conclusion

     The search for our new staff person, the Coordinator of Neighborhood Outreach and Ministry, is nearly completed.    

     Our overall visioning process began over a year ago (and will continue this fall).  While that process is asking larger questions of the direction of this congregation, part of it also was listening and discerning what we would do with our ministry in the neighborhood upon Donna Neste’s retirement in March, 2014.  

     A group comprised of some members of the Vestry, the visioning team, and the Neighborhood Ministries Committee, planned the interim period, ultimately hiring Connie Toavs to bridge this time for us, and she’s been a tremendous gift.

     Another group, again with people from each of the three, plus two additional members from the congregation at large, simultaneously worked on the new position description and designed the search process.  The new job will incorporate the three elements reported to the congregation at the October, 2013, semi-annual meeting: working with the congregation to help us know our gifts and find places for us to work in mission and ministry with our neighbors; coordinating and administering our programming (with increased emphasis on involving congregation members to work the programs); and serving as Mount Olive’s main liaison to the neighborhood and to community organizations.

     The search team received 24 resumes and applications, from a wide variety of sources, including non-profit networks, the Minneapolis Area Synod, and various church websites.  During the process, Diana Hellerman organized a team of 13 Mount Olive members to pray for a good outcome to our search, an important gift to the process.  The search team interviewed 5 of those 24, and has made a decision to recommend a name to the Vestry.  This week background and reference checks are being made, and then the Vestry will be asked to vote on offering the job next Monday, Sept. 8, at the regular monthly meeting.  

     Assuming all goes well, in next week’s Olive Branch the new person will be announced, as well as a timeline for when this person will begin, farewells for Connie, and other details.

     Members of the search team are Lora Dundek and Pr. Crippen, from the Vestry; Kathy Thurston and Sue Ellen Zagrabelny, from Neighborhood Ministries; Neil Hering and Cynthia Prosek, from the Visioning Team; and Gretchen Campbell-Johnson and George Ferguson, from the congregation at large.  Vicar Beckering also participated in the process throughout, and was a part of the first round of interviews before completing her time with us.

Five Ways We Are Fighting Ebola 

     Through our support of these international programs, we join Lutherans around the world in fighting this dread disease.

   #1   Treat ebola patients. Through partnership with the Lutheran World Federation, two Lutheran hospitals in Liberia were treating infected patients.

   #2   Sending protective gear. The ELCA,  the Lutheran Church in Liberia, and Global Health Ministries are partnering to deliver five pallets of protection equipment to the hospitals.

  #3   Health care training. Lutheran World Relief is partnering with others to conduct prevention training for health care workers in Liberia, training them to also train others.

   #4   Raising Awareness. Through LWR and its partners, community volunteers are trained and materials (posters/flyers) prepared to spread accurate information.

   #5   Strengthening ties between religious and community leaders. This partnership is also training these leaders to reach out and disseminate timely, accurate information to their members.  Lutheran
World Relief “works with local partners to provide lasting solutions.”

     You may add additional support by using the blue mission envelopes and marking them “Lutheran World Relief.”

 -Missions Committee

Capital Campaign

Remember to make your pledge or donation to the Capital Campaign to fully fund our designated accounts and provide a financial “rainy day” fund. Pledge cards are available in the church office for your use. If you prefer, simply write your pledge amount on a piece of paper which includes your name, and leave it in the church office, or send the information via email to the church office at welcome@mountolivechurch.org.

The Olive Branch, 9/3/14

By

Accent on Worship 

    The readings for this Sunday spoke very powerfully to me about love and forgiveness. In my first few weeks as your Vicar, I have been blessed to witness love at work in many ways in the Mount Olive community. I have experienced that love in the warm welcome I have received from everyone I have met, in the commitment to teach me what I need to know, and in the flowers that magically appeared on my desk overnight. I saw love at work in the careful attention given to polishing brass, replacing candles, and cleaning the sanctuary. Love was evident in the offer to give up a seat in the common room for a fellow parishioner who needed it. Love presented itself each time a communion minister shared about visiting and bringing the Eucharist to a member who is not able to join us in worship. I see love in the time committed to the Diaper Depot and other Neighborhood Ministries, as all who come through our doors are treated with respect and dignity. Love was present in the celebration of a baptismal anniversary and the sharing and receiving of stories in the time of fellowship after worship. The love of this community is truly a gift!

     Along with love comes the grace of forgiveness. In this week’s Gospel from Matthew, Jesus outlines a process for responding to conflict directly, and with respect for all involved, and in the verses following this passage, Jesus tells us that we are to forgive those that harm us “seventy times seven times.” In other words, forgive often, without limit. For that I am grateful, as I am sure that there will be many times over the next year when I will have need of your forgiveness! What a blessing to know that we have a God who forgives, and encourages us to forgive each other . . . a God whose law is fulfilled by love.

– Vicar Meagan McLaughlin

Sunday Readings

September 7, 2014: 13th Sunday after Pentecost  (Lect. 23A)
Ezekiel 33:7-11
Psalm 119:33-40
Romans 13:8-14
Matthew 18:15-20
___________________

September 14, 2014: Holy Cross Day
Numbers 21:4b-9
Psalm 98:1-4
I Corinthians 1:18-24
John 3:13-17
 

Regular worship schedule resumes this Sunday, September 7!
Holy Eucharist, 8:00 and 10:45 a.m.
Church School and Adult Forum, 9:30 a.m.

Children’s Choir

Parents and guardians of our young!

     If you are hoping that your young one will be able to participate in the children’s choir, please contact Cantor David Cherwien this week.  We need to know that we have critical mass for this to work, and also for the food necessary.

     The first rehearsal is set for next Wednesday, September 10, 6:00-6:45 pm, with a light dinner just before rehearsal, beginning at 5:30.

     RSVP via email (cantor@mountolivechurch.org) for both participation in the choir itself, and also for how many are planning to join us for supper.
     Again, it’s for children grades 2 to 8 (roughly).

     Please feel free to contact Cantor Cherwien with any questions you may have.

Interested in the Business and Finance Committee?

     Are you interested in serving Mount Olive with your business, legal, technical or accounting skills?  The Business and Finance Committee is entering its second year and has some interesting projects underway:

• We are in need of an insurance coordinator to review policies and providers, make sure our coverages and premiums are appropriate, and act as the liaison with the insurance agency representatives.
• The Mount Olive Foundation granted the committee funds to implement a new accounting system – that project has yet to begin and help is needed to plan and implement this updated system.
• Overall all help with budget process and providing input into policies and procedures that govern our financial routines.
     If you are interested speak to any current member:  Paul Sundquist, Ty Inglis, Tim Lindholm, or Kat Campbell, Treasurer.  The committee meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, starting September 17, from 5:30 to 7 pm, in the Library.

Book Discussion Group’s Upcoming Reads
For their meeting on September 13, the Book Discussion group will read The Woman Behind the New Deal, by Kirstin Downey. For the October 11 meeting they will read The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid.

Thanks!

     Thanks is extended to Altar Guild members Bonnie McLellan, Beth Gaede, Sandra Pranschke, Cynthia Prosek, Peggy Hoeft, and Steve Pranschke, as well as congregational volunteer, R.T. Pranschke, for their hard work in cleaning the altar/chancel area as well as removing wax from and polishing the altar brassware on Saturday, August 23.

     The Altar Guild sponsors three special chancel cleanings a year – at the start of Advent, at the start of the Easter celebration and sometime during the summer. We enjoy having congregational volunteers join us in preserving and beautifying Mt. Olive’s  wonderful worship space. The next opportunity to participate in one of these activities will be Saturday, November 22, 2014, from 9 am to noon. Please contact Steve Pranschke if you are interested.

New Member Welcome

     Mount Olive will welcome new members and associate members on Sunday, October 5, during the second liturgy.   If you are interested in becoming a member or associate member, please contact the office as soon as possible via e-mail to welcome@mountolivechurch.org,  or by phone, 612-827-5919. You may also contact Pastor Crippen at church, or Andrew Andersen (763-607-1689).

     A welcome brunch will follow the liturgy for new members and for all who would like to be part of the welcome festivities.

Wear Your Nametags!

     In order to help our new vicar get to know our church community a bit faster, we are asking everyone to wear their nametags at church for the next several Sundays.

     If you don’t have a nametag and need one, or if you have a nametag which has been lost or damaged and you need a new one, please contact the church office. We will be happy to provide a new one for you!

Anniversary Open House

     Walter & Lydia Iverson are celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary, and they cordially invite Mount Olive members and friends to celebrate with them!

     An Open House will be held this Saturday, September 6, from 2-4pm at their new home, Minnehaha Senior Living: 3733 – 23rd Ave S.(they live in Apartment #336, for those who wish to send a card), Minneapolis, MN  55407.

     Plan to stop by to greet the Iversons, enjoy some light refreshments and celebrate with them!

Diaper Depot 

     Did you know?  The Diaper Depot served 319 individual households in the first 8 months of 2014, making Diaper Depot Mount Olive’s largest consistent outreach in the community!

     The Diaper Depot is now open year round, two afternoons a week.  Nearly every day, families, advocates, and agencies call to ask about the Diaper Depot. New households register at each open session.

     The diapers are not free to families.  Participants pay a little less than half of the cost of each pack of diapers and often talk about how much it helps them stretch their funds through the month.

     You can help to keep this important mission operating in two ways – by contributing dollars, and by volunteering in the Diaper Depot.  Stop in during any session and observe or assist. Call Connie Toavs at church with any questions you might have!

Join in Prayer for the Middle East 

     As people of Mount Olive, your mission dollars have supported the work of the Lutheran Federation in Jerusalem. We share with you a request from Rev. Mark Brown, regional representative for the LWF there. “I invite you to join the ACT Palestine Forum’s international prayer vigil for peace.  Prayer vigils devoted to peace in the Middle East are held on the 24th of every month.”

     From the Forum’s website:  “This global ecumenical prayer vigil began on 24 December 2012 and will continue across the globe, on the 24th of every month, until the Israeli occupation is dismantled, violence in the Middle East ends, and all can celebrate a just and lasting negotiated resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

     We urge people to see this prayer vigil as an outpouring of concern for Palestinians and Israelis – Christians, Muslims, and Jews – whose lives are overtaken by broken relationships and the conflict that flows from these divisions.”

     We will join the vigil on Sunday, August 24, and our prayer chain ministry will continue on the 24th of each month.  You are invited to add your prayers.

-Missions Committee

Tutoring to Begin Soon!

     Many tutors are still needed for the weekly tutoring program beginning September 30!  This year, we would like to expand the program to as many as 12 tutors because there are many families hoping to enroll their children.
  
     Tutoring sessions are held weekly on Tuesday evenings, except during school breaks.  Materials and support will be provided.

     To volunteer, simply drop an email to Interim Neighborhood Ministries Coordinator Connie Toavs at connietoavs@comcast.net, or call her at the church .

     Also, if you can’t tutor but would like to help with this worthy project, consider signing up to provide a snack for the youth on tutoring night! There is a sign-up sheet on the Neighborhood Ministries bulletin board on the lower level.

Search Process Nears Conclusion

     The search for our new staff person, the Coordinator of Neighborhood Outreach and Ministry, is nearly completed.    

     Our overall visioning process began over a year ago (and will continue this fall).  While that process is asking larger questions of the direction of this congregation, part of it also was listening and discerning what we would do with our ministry in the neighborhood upon Donna Neste’s retirement in March, 2014.  

     A group comprised of some members of the Vestry, the visioning team, and the Neighborhood Ministries Committee, planned the interim period, ultimately hiring Connie Toavs to bridge this time for us, and she’s been a tremendous gift.

     Another group, again with people from each of the three, plus two additional members from the congregation at large, simultaneously worked on the new position description and designed the search process.  The new job will incorporate the three elements reported to the congregation at the October, 2013, semi-annual meeting: working with the congregation to help us know our gifts and find places for us to work in mission and ministry with our neighbors; coordinating and administering our programming (with increased emphasis on involving congregation members to work the programs); and serving as Mount Olive’s main liaison to the neighborhood and to community organizations.

     The search team received 24 resumes and applications, from a wide variety of sources, including non-profit networks, the Minneapolis Area Synod, and various church websites.  During the process, Diana Hellerman organized a team of 13 Mount Olive members to pray for a good outcome to our search, an important gift to the process.  The search team interviewed 5 of those 24, and has made a decision to recommend a name to the Vestry.  This week background and reference checks are being made, and then the Vestry will be asked to vote on offering the job next Monday, Sept. 8, at the regular monthly meeting.  

     Assuming all goes well, in next week’s Olive Branch the new person will be announced, as well as a timeline for when this person will begin, farewells for Connie, and other details.

     Members of the search team are Lora Dundek and Pr. Crippen, from the Vestry; Kathy Thurston and Sue Ellen Zagrabelny, from Neighborhood Ministries; Neil Hering and Cynthia Prosek, from the Visioning Team; and Gretchen Campbell-Johnson and George Ferguson, from the congregation at large.  Vicar Beckering also participated in the process throughout, and was a part of the first round of interviews before completing her time with us.

Five Ways We Are Fighting Ebola 

     Through our support of these international programs, we join Lutherans around the world in fighting this dread disease.

   #1   Treat ebola patients. Through partnership with the Lutheran World Federation, two Lutheran hospitals in Liberia were treating infected patients.

   #2   Sending protective gear. The ELCA,  the Lutheran Church in Liberia, and Global Health Ministries are partnering to deliver five pallets of protection equipment to the hospitals.

  #3   Health care training. Lutheran World Relief is partnering with others to conduct prevention training for health care workers in Liberia, training them to also train others.

   #4   Raising Awareness. Through LWR and its partners, community volunteers are trained and materials (posters/flyers) prepared to spread accurate information.

   #5   Strengthening ties between religious and community leaders. This partnership is also training these leaders to reach out and disseminate timely, accurate information to their members.  Lutheran
World Relief “works with local partners to provide lasting solutions.”

     You may add additional support by using the blue mission envelopes and marking them “Lutheran World Relief.”

 -Missions Committee

Capital Campaign

Remember to make your pledge or donation to the Capital Campaign to fully fund our designated accounts and provide a financial “rainy day” fund. Pledge cards are available in the church office for your use. If you prefer, simply write your pledge amount on a piece of paper which includes your name, and leave it in the church office, or send the information via email to the church office at welcome@mountolivechurch.org.

MOUNT OLIVE LUTHERAN CHURCH
3045 Chicago Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55407

Map and Directions >

612-827-5919
welcome@mountolivechurch.org


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