In the midst of life…

     One thing I like about a hymn festival for which I travel: it’s usually three days of intense focus – I practice, rehearse, and lead the festival, away from everything else that normally defines my days when I’m here at home.  That focus really helps provide for an intense journey for the hymn festival!  Each piece becomes joined in a great flow with great clarity – without distractions in my preparations.

     This Sunday once again we enter into a week of intense focus:  we step into the story, right into the middle of it.  What I find so amazing about this week for us, is that most of us must go through it in the midst of our regular, normal (for most, busy and distracted) lives.  Work, sleep, school, relationships, bill paying, car repair, etc., continue to demand our attention,  yet every day we gather to retell and relive the story which defines us.

     While it may seem easier if we were to all leave town and go through the week with total focus, I rather like the “in the midst of life” dimension to Holy Week for most of us.  It exposes that inner part of us to our co-workers, friends, and even families.  We decline invitations for dinners, parties, etc. because we have something important to do.  “I’d love to, but I’m committed to be at church…”  It says who we actually are.  (Or rather,  “whose” we are).  It becomes a week of intense focus reminding us that all of our busy-ness is NOT the center for us.

     The week begins this Passion Sunday with what has become a two-fold drama.  The first is the triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  We reenact this, beginning outside (or in the undercroft, depending on the weather) and process in with palm branches.  Yet, this part of the story is a great switcheroo, as the people thought –“Finally a just King,” not yet knowing they would be the ones yelling, “Crucify him!”  Rather, the liturgy quickly moves to the story of the crucifixion from the Gospel of Matthew, dramatically changing the mood of the day’s liturgy.

     Then on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, we gather for prayer at noon.  These times of devotion help me maintain a sense of focus for this week.  In the center of the day, we’re brought back to the drama.  For those who can make the trek, even though a short service, these draw us back to the week’s significance.

     Thursday, the Triduum, “The Three Days,” includes the washing of feet, the community meal, and the dramatic stripping of the altar.

     Friday, a prayer service recalling the stations of the cross – at high noon – reminding us of the pain and suffering of Jesus.  This powerful service moves through the room filling it with smoke and the anguish of the story through our songs and powerful organ interpretations.  At the end, the organ goes silent until the Easter Proclamation of the Easter Vigil liturgy.  Once again on Friday in the evening we gather again to recall the crucifixion and adore the cross.  The great Solemn Reproaches are sung: “O my people, what have I done to you?”

     Saturday evening we begin in darkness and silence as we wait.  Five of the great stories of salvation are told, after each we sing in response in darkness.  We remember our baptism and its promises – and we dramatically proclaim Christ is Risen – to blaring bells and organ, and we sing a full throttled:  “Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds.”  After this great liturgy, a great party!  Celebrating with champagne and treats – what we love to do for life’s points of celebration!

     A few hours later in Easter Sunday, again we gather – a bit blurry eyed but happily so. The choir warms up their voices, and with trumpet and organ again we celebrate a family meal of celebration:  Christ is Risen!

     Now what is more important than all of this?  See you  — each day.    

– Cantor David Cherwien

Sunday Readings

April 13, 2014: Sunday of the Passion Palm Sunday
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
Matthew 26:14—27:66
____________________

April 20, 2014: Resurrection of Our Lord
Jeremiah 31:1-6
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
Colossians 3:1-4
Matthew 28:1-10

This Week’s Adult Forum

April 13:  Cantor Cherwien will lead us through the musical responses for Easter Vigil.  

An Invitation to Confession

     During the season of Lent I am making myself available at some regular times to hear individual confession and to offer absolution to any who desire it.  I will be in the chancel from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. each Monday in Lent, and continuing through the Monday of Holy Week.  If you wish to come for confession, simply come to the altar rail.  There will be a worship book so we can follow the rite together.  If someone is already there, please wait near the back of the nave and when I’m free, come forward.  While waiting, even if I’m free and you want to prepare yourself, praying the psalms in the pew or reading Scripture is worth considering.

– Pr. Joseph Crippen

Can You Help?  Do You Know Someone Who Can Help? 

     We have an urgent need for two more tutors for the Neighborhood Ministries Tuesday Evening Way to Goals Tutoring Program.  The tutoring program meets the 8 Tuesday evenings in April and May from 7:00 – 8:30 pm.

     Tutors work with one or two eager grade school learners – sometimes helping with homework, sometimes working on basic reading or math skills, and always being a mentor.  If you can help or would like more information, contact Connie Toavs in the Neighborhood Ministries office or at connietoavs@comcast.net.

Book Discussion Group’s Upcoming Reads

For their meeting on April 12, The Book Discussion Group will read Elizabeth and Hazel, by David Margolick. For the May 10 meeting they will read, The Small Hand and Dolly, Susan Hill.

Holy Week and Triduum at Mount Olive

Sunday of the Passion/Palm Sunday, Sunday, April 13
Holy Eucharist, 8 & 10:45 am

Monday-Wednesday of Holy Week, April 14-16
Daily Prayer at Noon, in the side chapel of the nave

Maundy Thursday, April 17
Holy Eucharist at Noon;
Holy Eucharist, with the Washing of Feet, 7:00 p.m.

Good Friday, April 18
Stations of the Cross at Noon;
Adoration of the Cross at 7 pm

Holy Saturday, April 19
Great Vigil of Easter, 8:30 pm, followed by a festive reception

The Resurrection of Our Lord, Sunday, April 20
Festival Eucharist at 8 & 10:45 am

Dusting and Polishing Day

     The Altar Guild will host a chancel-cleaning event on Saturday, April 12, from noon to 3:00 p.m. Bring your favorite duster and polishing rags, and help our worship space glow for Holy Week and the Triduum. Questions? Contact Steve Pranschke: hspranschke [at] gmail [dot] com.

Paschal Garden

     Volunteers will be on hand for one more Sunday (April 13) before and after the liturgies to receive your donations to purchase Easter flowers for this year’s Paschal Garden.

Noon Liturgy on Maundy Thursday

     There will be a simple noon Eucharist on Maundy Thursday this year, in addition to the Eucharist at 7:00 p.m.  In the evening will be the full rite beginning the Triduum, including confession and absolution, footwashing, and the stripping of the altar.

     The noon service is offered to accommodate those who have difficulty getting out in the evening, and will include confession and absolution and the Eucharist.

Easter Carry-In Brunch

     There will be a carry-in Easter Brunch between liturgies on Easter morning, April 20.  Bring your favorite Easter treats to share.

Night On the Street

     On Friday night, April 11, Mount Olive and TRUST Youth will again participate in Night On the Street at Plymouth Congregational Church.  Night On the Street is an opportunity for teens to learn about youth homelessness through activities, speakers, and by experiencing what it is like to sleep in a card board box in the parking lot.
 
     We’ve been asked to raise enough funds to provide one week’s worth of safe housing and supportive services for a homeless youth, $140 (seven days of housing and supportive services).  All donations to A Night On the Street will go to Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative, which provides housing and services for homeless youth.  If you would like to make a donation, please contact the church office or Julie Manuel.

Capital Campaign Corner

     Sometime this week you will receive a letter from Vestry President Lora Dundek and Pastor Crippen asking you make a pledge or donation to our ongoing capital campaign.  As the letter explains, the Vestry is asking for everyone’s help to fully fund our designated funds and to provide a two-month cash reserve to help us cope with the ups and downs of congregational giving.  
     This is a financially healthy church.  We meet our budget every year and give generously to causes missions outside our walls.   But we need a stronger financial foundation as we move forward into the future, and this is what we hope to gain with this campaign.  
     Please prayerfully consider your response and return your pledge card as soon as possible.  Thanks so much!

Goal:  $182,000
Currently pledged:  $39,200 Percent reached:  21.5%.

New Video Ministry

     The Mount Olive Foundation approved a proposal to start a video ministry project for Mount Olive.  The proposal included getting our own fine video camera, tripod, memory cards, and a computer with the capable of producing high quality videos.

     As word of this video project has spread, I have heard from several who are interested in helping with the project.  We have members with much experience in producing video and I am excited to get people involved.  A word of thanks to Elisabeth Hunt for setting up the special Mount Olive YouTube channel.

  The first thing I learned is that there is a reason longer movies take time to prepare, edit, add titles, and then have the computer and the internet render them for YouTube and then go through the whole upload and processing process.  The learning curve is getting better but the entire process is time consuming, so please be patient. I am excited that we now have our first examples to share with everyone.

  Our first video project was to record the four-part Earl Schwartz Adult Forum Series on the Book of Genesis.  The entire series is now on YouTube and the links to the videos are below.  When you go online to view your first video you will note that under the YouTube screen there is a note that tells you there are four videos.  If you click on that note (link) all four videos will appear and you can then click on the next video you want to view.  If you save the YouTube link in your “favorite” online file you will be able to access the videos quickly.

  Dwight Penas and Susan Cherwien do a masterful job in organizing thought-provoking adult forum sessions throughout the year.  As Dwight explains in the opening video, the Mount Olive Foundation approved a grant which allowed Mount Olive to bring Earl Schwartz in for four consecutive weeks.  Before Earl’s sessions even began some Mount Olive members were concerned because they knew they would have to miss one or more of his lectures and choir members always had to step out before each session was over.  With our new videos anyone can now go back and view all four sessions in their entirety
  This Forum project is the first video project and you will see as you view the four videos that I have experimented with titles etc.  Looking back, I see I made a title error in one of the bottom titles of video 3 and called it session 2.  I hope to correct the error but it literally will take over 3 hours to make the change.  I look forward to your comments so we can always improve our videos and that the videos will reflect the quality of worship and devotion we share at Mount Olive.

– Paul Nixdorf

Earl Schwartz Adult Forum Videos
Video #1 – February 23, 2014:   http://youtu.be/nzsw0rvT2TU
Video #2 – March 2, 2014:    http://youtu.be/JDUkEsLwCeE
Video #3 – March 9, 2014:    http://youtu.be/UXTlVxamxqg
               (note) an error in the bottom title says this is the second session,
                         it should say, the third session.  
Video #4 – March 16, 2014:     http://youtu.be/tNJPn2voGeU

Sign Up to Bring Tutoring Snacks

     Check out the snack sign-up sheet for Way to Goals Tutoring in the lower level.  Snacks for approximately 25 youth and tutors are needed on Tuesday evenings through May 27.  Your help is very much appreciated!

Life Transitions Support Group to Begin May 14

     Caregiver? Chronic Illness?  Loss of home?  Loss of loved one?
     We each encounter a variety of losses throughout our lives.  Have you wished for a familiar place where you could find some reassurance, share your story, discover a simple skill or two that could help in those moments when you feel overwhelmed?

       Beginning May 14, join us for a four-week structured support group at Mount Olive.  Cathy Bosworth will serve as facilitator for this group on Wednesday evenings.  Each week a brief educational component will be offered with time for you to share personally in a confidential, supportive setting.  Vicar Emily Beckering will offer guidance on the Lament Psalms, which we will use as a vehicle for prayer and healing.  Tentatively, the group will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the Youth Room. We will establish a firm meeting time  when we know what works best for those who wish to participate.

     If you are interested in attending, or have questions, please contact Cathy Bosworth (952-949-3679, email marcat8447@yahoo.com) or call the church office.  If three or more people express interest in participating, each will be contacted to confirm the group will meet as planned.

National Lutheran Choir to Present “Exalt.” 

     This Spring’s “Exalt” program showcases the artistic excellence of the National Lutheran Choir with works for choir and organ alongside unaccompanied choral pieces.    

     Nationally renowned organist, Aaron David Miller, joins the NLC for a program that is both affable and energizing. Some of the works on the program include: Benjamin Britten’s Te Deum; a world premiere of a commission by Zachary Wadsworth, Great or Small; and Frank Martin’s Mass for Unaccompanied Double Chorus.

     Organ pipes and choral pipes join together for a unique experience that will leave the listener inspired and revitalized. NLC Artistic Director, David Cherwien, conducts.

When: Sunday, May 4 – 4pm
Where: St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, 900 Stillwater Rd, Mahtomedi, MN 55115
Tickets: $25 Adult, $23 Senior, $20 Student
Contact: visit www.nlca.com or call 612-722-2301.

Accent on Worship

Do You Believe?

     I love this Lent, in year A.  Each week we have magnificent stories by John which show people encountering Jesus and finding God, though they may have thought they were seeking something else.  Nicodemus, the unnamed ones – a woman at a well, a man born blind – and then the family from Bethany.  This week we get those three friends of Jesus: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.  Siblings, but so different.

     Lazarus is desperately ill, and then Lazarus is dead.  Mary is deeply in touch with Jesus’ teachings and listens carefully when he’s there, and then Mary is weeping at her brother’s death.  Then there’s Martha, dear, direct Martha.  Martha is hospitable, loving, active when Jesus comes, and then feistily holding Jesus accountable for abandoning them in their hour of need. These are real people, people like us.  And Jesus blesses them, and so blesses us.

     Lazarus is given more years of life.  Perhaps that isn’t a great blessing; one wonders if he might have regretted having to come back.  Mary is given love and compassion, not instruction.  Her Lord and Master stands at her side, at the tomb, and weeps with her.  But Martha gets the most, I think, maybe because she’s so forthright, so honest, so willing to share her anger and disappointment in her Lord.
  
     What she “gets” is faith.  Confronting Jesus for his apparent lack of care for them in need, Jesus turns to her and asks if she believes in him.  Perhaps to her surprise, Martha realizes she does, in fact. “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”

– Pastor Joseph Crippen

Sunday Readings

April 6, 2014: Fifth Sunday in Lent
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Psalm 130
Romans 8:6-11
 John 11:1-45
____________________

April 13, 2014: Sunday of the Passion Palm Sunday
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
Matthew 26:14—27:66

This Week’s Adult Forum 
April 6:  “Hungry Neighbors,” presented by the Rev. Nancy Maeker from A Minnesota Without Poverty.  

Midweek Lenten Worship on Wednesdays: March 12 – April 9

• Noon: Holy Eucharist, followed by soup luncheon
• 7:00 pm: Evening Prayer, preceded by soup supper, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

An Invitation to Confession

     During the season of Lent I am making myself available at some regular times to hear individual confession and to offer absolution to any who desire it.  I will be in the chancel from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. each Monday in Lent, and continuing through the Monday of Holy Week.  If you wish to come for confession, simply come to the altar rail.  There will be a worship book so we can follow the rite together.  If someone is already there, please wait near the back of the nave and when I’m free, come forward.  While waiting, even if I’m free and you want to prepare yourself, praying the psalms in the pew or reading Scripture is worth considering.

– Pr. Joseph Crippen

Paschal Garden

     Volunteers will be on hand for the next two Sundays (March April 6 and April 13) before and after the liturgies to receive your donations to purchase Easter flowers for this year’s Paschal Garden.

Noon Liturgy on Maundy Thursday

     There will be a simple noon Eucharist on Maundy Thursday this year, in addition to the Eucharist at 7:00 p.m.  In the evening will be the full rite beginning the Triduum, including confession and absolution, footwashing, and the stripping of the altar.

     The noon service is offered to accommodate those who have difficulty getting out in the evening, and will include confession and absolution and the Eucharist.

Easter Carry-In Brunch

     There will be a carry-in Easter Brunch between liturgies on Easter morning, April 20.  Bring your favorite Easter treats to share.

Lenten Centering Prayer Group  

     Sue Ellen Zagrabelny is leading a Centering Prayer group this Lent. The monastic discipline of Centering prayer is an emptying of oneself in prayer in order to be accessible to the Spirit. This Centering Prayer Group has one week left, meeting on Tuesday after Bible Study, from 1:15 to 1:45 on April 1; and on Wednesday, April 2, before the Soup Supper at 5:30 to 6:00 Both sessions will meet in the library.    

Notice of Congregation Meeting

     The April Semi-annual congregational meeting will be held after the second liturgy this Sunday, April 6.   Business before the congregation will include election of officers and Vestry members for 2014-2015, annual report of the Mount Olive Foundation, and an update on the Capital Campaign.

     At the April 2013 congregation meeting, the congregation approved a limited capital campaign that would help to put Mount Olive and its many ministries on firm financial footing in 2014 and beyond.  A target of $182,000 was approved to be used for two purposes. The first is to restore funds that the congregation borrowed over a number of years from its restricted accounts (funds given by individuals who designated them for specific purposes); and the second is to create a cash reserve to help cover routine future expenses at times when donations are insufficient.

Vestry Nominees

     At the semi-annual congregation meeting on April 6, the following slate of nominees for Vestry positions will be presented to the congregation for voting.  Nominations may also be made from the floor.

President:  Lora Dundek (second 1-year term)
Vice President:  Robert Gotwalt (first 1-year term)
Secretary:  Peggy Hoeft (second 1-year term)
Treasurer:  Kat Campbell-Johnson (third 1-year term)
Director of Education:  John Holtmeier (filling third year of a  vacated 3-year term)
Director of Missions:  Judy Hinck (first 3-year term)
Director of Stewardship:   Donn McClellan (first 3-year term)
Director of Youth:  Amy Thompson (filling third year of a vacated 3-year term)

Night On the Street

     On Friday night, April 11, Mount Olive and TRUST Youth will again participate in Night On the Street at Plymouth Congregational Church.  Night On the Street is an opportunity for teens to learn about youth homelessness through activities, speakers, and by experiencing what it is like to sleep in a card board box in the parking lot.  

     We’ve been asked to raise at least enough funds to provide one week’s worth of safe housing and supportive services for a homeless youth, $140 (seven days of housing and supportive services).  All donations should be made payable to “Night on the Street.”  Donations will go to Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative, which provides housing and services for homeless youth.  If you would like to make a donation, please contact the church office or Julie Manuel.

Dusting and Polishing Day

     The Altar Guild will host a chancel-cleaning event on Saturday, April 12, from noon to 3:00 p.m. Bring your favorite duster and polishing rags, and help our worship space glow for Holy Week and the Triduum. Questions? Contact Steve Pranschke: hspranschke [at] gmail [dot] com.

Holy Week at Mount Olive

Sunday of the Passion/Palm Sunday
Sunday, April 13
Holy Eucharist, 8 & 10:45 am

Monday-Wednesday of Holy Week,
April 14-16
Daily Prayer at Noon, in the north transept of the nave

Maundy Thursday, April 17
Holy Eucharist at Noon;
Holy Eucharist, with the Washing of Feet, 7:00 p.m.

Good Friday, April 18
Stations of the Cross at Noon;
Adoration of the Cross at 7 pm

Holy Saturday, April 19
Great Vigil of Easter, 8:30 pm, followed by a festive reception

The Resurrection of Our Lord: Sunday, April 20
Festival Eucharist at 8 & 10:45 am
Carry-in Easter brunch between the liturgies at 9:30 am

 Sign Up to Bring Tutoring Snacks
     Check out the snack sign-up sheet for Way to Goals Tutoring in the lower level.  Snacks for approximately 25 youth and tutors are needed on Tuesday evenings through May 27.  Your help is very much appreciated!

Luther College Cathedral Choir to Perform at Mount Olive Saturday

     The Luther College Cathedral Choir will perform in concert at Mount Olive this Saturday evening, April 5, at 7:00 p.m. No tickets are needed, but a freewill offering will be received at the concert.

     The Cathedral Choir, directed by Dr. Jennaya Robison, performs a varied program of sacred music, including choral masterpieces by J.S. Bach, Hassler, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. At the heart of the program is Estonian composer’s Ēriks Ešenvalds’ “Stars” for choir, water-tuned glasses and Tibetan singing bowls.

     All are welcome!    

Life Transitions Support Group

     Caregiver? Chronic Illness?  Loss of home?  Loss of loved one?

     We each encounter a variety of losses throughout our lives.  Have you wished for a familiar place where you could find some reassurance, share your story, discover a simple skill or two that could help in those moments when you feel overwhelmed?

       Beginning May 14, join us for a four-week structured support group at Mount Olive.  Cathy Bosworth will serve as facilitator for this group on Wednesday evenings.  Each week a brief educational component will be offered with time for you to share personally in a confidential, supportive setting.  Vicar Emily Beckering will offer guidance on the Lament Psalms, which we will use as a vehicle for prayer and healing.  Tentatively, the group will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the Youth Room. We will establish a firm meeting time when we know what works best for those who wish to participate.

     If you are interested in attending, or have questions, please contact Cathy Bosworth (952-949-3679, email marcat8447@yahoo.com) or call the church office.  If three or more people express interest in participating, each will be contacted to confirm the group will meet as planned.

National Lutheran Choir to Present “Exalt.” 

     This Spring’s “Exalt” program showcases the artistic excellence of the National Lutheran Choir with works for choir and organ alongside unaccompanied choral pieces.    

     Nationally renowned organist, Aaron David Miller, joins the NLC for a program that is both affable and energizing. Some of the works on the program include: Benjamin Britten’s Te Deum; a world premiere of a commission by Zachary Wadsworth, Great or Small; and Frank Martin’s Mass for Unaccompanied Double Chorus.

     Organ pipes and choral pipes join together for a unique experience that will leave the listener inspired and revitalized. NLC Artistic Director, David Cherwien, conducts.

When: Sunday, May 4 – 4pm
Where: St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, 900 Stillwater Rd, Mahtomedi, MN 55115
Tickets: $25 Adult, $23 Senior, $20 Student
Contact: visit www.nlca.com or call 612-722-2301.

Book Discussion Group’s Upcoming Reads

For their meeting on April 12, The Book Discussion Group will read Elizabeth and Hazel, by David Margolick. For the May 10 meeting they will read, The Small Hand and Dolly, Susan Hill.

Accent on Worship

Seeing

You’ve heard it said, “Seeing is believing.” You’ve also heard it said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (Jn. 20:29). The trouble with believing only what we see is that our own sight (our perceptions, evaluations, and understanding) is often skewed, deceptive, and can lead us astray.

This week’s gospel—the story of Jesus healing a man born blind—reveals just how misleading our own sight can be. The Pharisees in the gospel refuse to see Jesus and the man as anything but sinners. The man’s neighbors cannot see passed his status as a blind man who begged. Even the man’s parents are unable to see the beauty of their son’s healing because they are afraid of being associated with Jesus. Everyone’s sight in this story is obstructed by fear for their own security and by pre-conceived notions about God, the Messiah, and the man born blind. How often our own fear or prejudices prevent us from seeing how God is at work and inhibit us from experiencing God’s intent for our lives!

Unlike the Pharisees, the neighbors, and even his own parents, the man born blind does not act out of fear. Instead, he trusts what Jesus says about how to be healed and about who Jesus is. Because he relies on Jesus’ promises, the man who once was blind is the sole person in the story who can really see: he alone recognizes Jesus as the Son of God.

After hearing this, we may ask, “Which group do we belong to, Lord? Are we those who do not see or those who think that we see but will become blind?”

Our fear of judgment prevents us from seeing Jesus—from believing the good news—that Jesus comes to everyone in the gospel and to all of us in order to heal us all from our inability to see as well as from false sight. He comes to us in the preached and written word, in the Eucharist, and through one another so that we might know him, and live in the joy of a relationship with the Triune God. Day by day, in this relationship, Jesus invites us to see ourselves and one another as God sees us—precious, worth healing and love. When we believe this, scales fall from our eyes, fear loses its power, and we are truly healed. That is seeing.

– Vicar Emily Beckering

Sunday Readings

March 30, 2014: Fourth Sunday in Lent
1 Samuel 16:1-13
Psalm 23
Ephesians 5:8-14
John 9:1-41
_____________________

April 6, 2014: Fifth Sunday in Lent
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Psalm 130
Romans 8:6-11
John 11:1-45

Bishop Visits Mount Olive

     We are happy to welcome Bishop Ann Svennungsen, who is bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod, our synod, to Mount Olive this coming Sunday, March 30, the Fourth Sunday in Lent.    

     The bishop will preach at both liturgies and will do the Adult Forum between liturgies.  This is her first official visit to this congregation since her election in 2012.

This Week’s Adult Forum 

March 30:  A conversation with Bishop Ann Svennungsen, Minneapolis Area Synod.  

Midweek Lenten Worship on Wednesdays
March 12 – April 9

• Noon: Holy Eucharist, followed by soup luncheon
• 7:00 pm: Evening Prayer, preceded by soup supper, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

Notice of Congregation Meeting

     The April Semi-annual congregational meeting will be held after the second liturgy on Sunday, April 6.   Business before the congregation will include election of officers and Vestry members for 2014-2015, annual report of the Mount Olive Foundation, and an update on the Capital Campaign.

     At the April 2013 congregation meeting, the congregation approved a limited capital campaign that would help to put Mount Olive and its many ministries on firm financial footing in 2014 and beyond.  A target of $182,000 was approved to be used for two purposes. The first is to restore funds that the congregation borrowed over a number of years from its restricted accounts (funds given by individuals who designated them for specific purposes); and the second is to create a cash reserve to help cover routine future expenses at times when donations are insufficient.

Vestry Nominees

     At the semi-annual congregation meeting on April 6, the following slate of nominees for Vestry positions will be presented to the congregation for voting.  Nominations may also be made from the floor.

President:  Lora Dundek (second 1-year term)
Vice President:  Robert Gotwalt (first 1-year term)
Secretary:  Peggy Hoeft (second 1-year term)
Treasurer:  Kat Campbell-Johnson (third 1-year term)
Director of Education:  John Holtmeier (filling third year of a vacated 3-year term)
Director of Missions:  Judy Hinck (first 3-year term)
Director of Stewardship:   Donn McClellan (first 3-year term)
Director of Youth:  Amy Thompson (filling third year of a vacated 3-year term)

Luther College Cathedral Choir to Perform at Mount Olive

     The Luther College Cathedral Choir will perform in concert at Mount Olive on April 5, 2014, 7:00 p.m. No tickets are needed, but a freewill offering will be received at the concert.

     The Cathedral Choir, directed by Dr. Jennaya Robison, performs a varied program of sacred music, including choral masterpieces by J.S. Bach, Hassler, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. At the heart of the program is Estonian composer’s Ēriks Ešenvalds’ “Stars” for choir, water-tuned glasses and Tibetan singing bowls. Favorite works by Olaf Christiansen, F. Melius Christiansen, Moses Hogan, Z. Randall Stroope, and others are included in an eclectic program suitable for listeners of all ages.

     The choir is in need of housing for some of their members. If you are able to provide hospitality for choir members, please contact Cantor Cherwien as soon as possible.

Housing Needed!

     Housing is needed for Luther College’s Cathedral Choir, Saturday, April 5.  If you can house two or more students,  PLEASE call the office,  or let Cantor Cherwien know this Sunday or the following Sunday.  He’ll be roaming the church with the clipboard.

     Students will need to be picked up and brought to your home after their concert here at 7:00 pm,   maybe a snack that evening.   Two in a double bed is OK.  After providing breakfast for them, they need to be back at Mount Olive at 7:00 am Sunday the 6th.

     There are 23 hosts needed (four each), so if you can help, please do!

Friendly Callers Meeting

     Mount Olive Friendly Callers will meet this Sunday, March 30, immediately following the first liturgy. This meeting will take place in the Undercroft.

     Please bring the names and numbers of the people you are calling on a regular basis.

Thanks …  
     Many thanks to all who helped with Donna’s retirement party on March 16.
Thanks especially for those who provided assistance with Skype, the video, the photo loop, the decorations, the food, the set-up, the clean-up and all of the other details that helped to make it a joy-filled day for her.

– Carol Austermann

And More Thanks
     I was touched and totally overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and gratitude from the Mount Olive community at my farewell reception on Sunday, March 16!    
     Thank you for all the years of support for the Mount Olive Neighborhood Ministries programs and all the support that you have given to me.  Thank you for all your kind words and the generous parting gifts.  I have never felt so loved and appreciated as I did that day.

– Donna Neste

A Servant Community: Lenten Midweek

  Baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, the community of the faithful are also bound into the servant role of our Messiah, called to give of ourselves for each other and the world.   Just as the kingdom comes into the world fully when the Son of God sets aside all power and domination and goes to the cross, so too we live out our lives as servant people who are willing to lose all for the sake of the other.

     This Lent in our midweek worship, both at the noon Eucharist and evening Vespers, we will be using Paul’s first letter to Corinth as an entrance into reflection on the servant life of the community of Christ, on what our call means in our life together and our life in the world, on what it is to live in the kingdom of God now.

An Invitation to Confession

     During the season of Lent I am making myself available at some regular times to hear individual confession and to offer absolution to any who desire it.  I will be in the chancel from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. each Monday in Lent, and continuing through the Monday of Holy Week.  If you wish to come for confession, simply come to the altar rail.  There will be a worship book so we can follow the rite together.  If someone is already there, please wait near the back of the nave and when I’m free, come forward.  While waiting, even if I’m free and you want to prepare yourself, praying the psalms in the pew or reading Scripture is worth considering.

– Pr. Joseph Crippen

Paschal Garden

     Volunteers will be on hand for the next two Sundays (March 30 and April 6) before and between the liturgies to receive your donations to purchase Easter flowers for this year’s Paschal Garden.

Noon Liturgy on Maundy Thursday

     There will be a simple noon Eucharist on Maundy Thursday this year, in addition to the Eucharist at 7:00 p.m.  In the evening will be the full rite beginning the Triduum, including confession and absolution, footwashing, and the stripping of the altar.

     The noon service is offered to accommodate those who have difficulty getting out in the evening, and will include confession and absolution and the Eucharist.

Easter Carry-In Brunch

     There will be a carry-in Easter Brunch between liturgies on Easter morning, April 20.  Bring your favorite Easter treats to share.

Holy Week at Mount Olive

Sunday of the Passion/Palm Sunday, Sunday, April 13
Holy Eucharist, 8 & 10:45 am

Monday-Wednesday of Holy Week, April 14-16
Daily Prayer at Noon, in the side chapel of the nave

Maundy Thursday, April 17
Holy Eucharist at Noon;
Holy Eucharist, with the Washing of Feet, 7:00 p.m.

Good Friday, April 18
Stations of the Cross at Noon;
Adoration of the Cross at 7 pm

Holy Saturday, April 19
Great Vigil of Easter, 8:30 pm, followed by a festive reception

The Resurrection of Our Lord, Sunday, April 20
Festival Eucharist at
8 & 10:45 am

Lenten Centering Prayer Group  

     Sue Ellen Zagrabelny is leading a Centering Prayer group this Lent. The monastic discipline of Centering prayer is an emptying of oneself in prayer in order to be accessible to the Spirit. This Centering Prayer Group will meet at Mount Olive at two different times over a period of 5 weeks:  on Tuesdays after Bible Study, from 1:15 to 1:45 March 4, 11, 18, 25 and April 1; and on Wednesdays, before the Soup Supper at 5:30 to 6:00 on March 12, 9, 19, 26 and April 2. Both sessions will meet in the library.  

Sign Up to Bring Tutoring Snacks

     Check out the snack sign-up sheet for Way to Goals Tutoring in the lower level.  Snacks for approximately 25 youth and tutors are needed on Tuesday evenings through May 27.  Your help is very much appreciated!

Night On the Street

     On Friday night, April 11, Mount Olive and TRUST Youth will again participate in Night On the Street at Plymouth Congregational Church.  Night On the Street is an opportunity for teens to learn about youth homelessness through activities, speakers, and by experiencing what it is like to sleep in a card board box in the parking lot.

     We’ve been asked to raise enough funds to provide one week’s worth of safe housing and supportive services for a homeless youth, $140 (seven days of housing and supportive services).  All donations to A Night On the Street will go to Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative, which provides housing and services for homeless youth.  If you would like to make a donation, please contact the church office or Julie Manuel.

March is Minnesota FoodShare Month!

     This is an annual event which is supported by congregations and other religious and civic associations throughout Minnesota to help re-stock Minnesota food shelves.

     Mount Olive has participated every year since it began in 1982.  We encourage you to be extra generous with your food or financial donations for our local food shelf during the month of March.  This drive fills the shelves of 300 food shelves across the state of Minnesota.

     Fifty percent of all food shelf recipients are children.  Twenty percent of all adult recipients are elderly.  More than sixty percent of those adults who use food shelves are the working poor.

     If possible, we encourage you to give funds (using your blue missions envelope, clearly labeled for the food shelf) instead of food donations. Ten dollars given to the food shelf can buy $40 worth of food when purchased by the food shelves.  How-ever, all donations are welcome! If you enjoy shopping for food to donate, please place your food donations in the cart in the cloak room.

Use Your Thrivent Choice Dollars Now

     If you entrust your insurance or investment needs to Thrivent Financial, chances are that you have Thrivent Choice Dollars that you can designate to a qualifying charitable organization.  Why not designate your Choice Dollars to our Mount Olive Foundation.  Doing so costs you nothing and it helps to build our church’s endowment.

     You must designate your 2013 Choice Dollars by March 31, 2014.  Here’s how to do it: call a Member Care representative at 800-THRIVENT (800-847-4836) and when prompted, say, “Thrivent Choice;” or Register and designate your dollars online at www.thrivent.com.

     Don’t leave money on the table.  Put it to work at Mount Olive by acting before March 31 (this coming Monday!).

Life Transitions Support Group

     Caregiver? Chronic Illness?  Loss of home?  Loss of loved one?

     We each encounter a variety of losses throughout our lives.  Have you wished for a familiar place where you could find some reassurance, share your story, discover a simple skill or two that could help in those moments when you feel overwhelmed?

       Beginning May 14, join us for a four-week structured support group at Mount Olive.  Cathy Bosworth will serve as facilitator for this group on Wednesday evenings.  Each week a brief educational component will be offered with time for you to share personally in a confidential, supportive setting.  Vicar Emily Beckering will offer guidance on the Lament Psalms, which we will use as a vehicle for prayer and healing.  Tentatively, the group will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the Youth Room. We will establish a firm meeting time  when we know what works best for those who wish to participate.

     If you are interested in attending, or have questions, please contact Cathy Bosworth (952-949-3679, email marcat8447@yahoo.com) or call the church office.  If three or more people express interest in participating, each will be contacted to confirm the group will meet as planned.

Book Discussion Group’s Upcoming Reads

For their meeting on April 12, The Book Discussion Group will read Elizabeth and Hazel, by David Margolick. For the May 10 meeting they will read, The Small Hand and Dolly, Susan Hill.

From the Church Library

     In other parts of this newsletter, you will find information about the upcoming congregation meeting on Sunday, April 6.    We are happy to announce that we will be having a free books give-away table at this meeting and you are invited to watch for it and to take advantage of this opportunity.

     Someone asked where the books to be given away come from?  One of the ongoing tasks in our main library includes a periodic weeding of books that are removed from our shelves, but still have merit.  Books may be removed for a variety of reasons, such as: age and condition (is there a newer version of that same book with updated information?); shelf space available in each category (our shelving units just aren’t very expandable); plus, we continue to receive quantities of donated books and we have to choose the books that best fill a need in our overall and varied collection, leaving a nice variety of books that will be placed on our give-away table on Sunday, April 6.  By choosing a book (or more) for your own collection, you will be able to have a bit Mount Olive’s library in your own library!

    If there are books left after the congregation meeting, they will be placed on a similar give-away table at the next Community Meal.

     An excellent saying from the writings of John Wesley will close our article this time:  “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can!”

– Leanna Kloempken

Confirmation Class Pictures of Mount Olive Members  

     Pentecost Sunday, June 8, 2014, is also confirmation Sunday. For the days surrounding Pentecost we would like to display photos of the confirmation classes of current members. They will be in the hallway display case. A small sign next to each photo will identify who’s class is shown, and we will have the opportunity to go on a “where’s Waldo” search of each class photo trying to spot the current member.   After several weeks a sign will then be added identifying the location of the member in the photo.

     If you want to take part and have your confirmation photo in the display case please place your photo in  an envelope and write “To Paul Nixdorf”  and also your name, church and town (and year, if you are willing) in which you were confirmed on the envelope and leave it in the church office.  With the photo please include a note with your name plus a description of where you are located in the photo.  Please submit photos to the office by May 31.

     The display will remain up from the first week in June through early to mid-July. Your photo will then be returned to the envelope you provided and can be picked up at the church office.

Thank you.

– Paul Nixdorf

Accent on Worship

Step In

     Singing in public is truly an amazing thing.

     There are times, however, when it reminds me of high school days when I used to play in a rock band at dances.  We waited with great nervous anticipation for someone to “break the ice” and dance, even though the dance floor was empty.  It would take awhile some times.  We’d offer several songs, sometimes an entire set, before someone would brave the floor.  But we knew that once someone did, the floor would quickly fill up and we’d be set for the rest of the night.  And sometimes, when we’d sense some energy coming from the floor, we’d step on the gas a bit (so to speak) and get them going even more!

     As you may have guessed, I draw a parallel from this “break the ice” dancing syndrome to congregational singing.

     People are very nervous about singing alone, or about feeling like they are being heard by someone else.  This is understandable – our voices are very personal, and we can’t change them in for a new one.  I’ve also known few who actually like their own voices when they hear them.  But when we’re singing together, the good news is that we’re NOT singing solo.  The more we all break the ice and step in, the easier it is for all of us to sing out.  
sing out.

     My predecessor with the National Lutheran Choir, Larry Fleming, once heard all of the voices of one section one at a time.  His response was, “Amazing.  Individually, they sound terrible.  But as a group, it’s magic.”  Indeed, when singing together a new sound is created that involves the contributions of all the individual voices with their different sounds to a new collective that can be magic.

     I’ve been in situations where all I sense is fear.  Everyone half mumbles out of fear that they might stick out if they sing more. I find myself doing the same, and funny thing:  can’t sing much, and certainly not very high because to do so involves “stepping on the gas” a bit with my voice.  And frankly, I’m not too crazy about my own voice either. But I don’t mind singing when there’s company.  In the fear-filled situation, the hymns feel like an obligatory chore rather than the opportunity that they are.

     When we all sing together, there’s nothing like it.  We’re all breaking the ice, we’re all on a limb together, and none of us sticks out.  Then as Cantor, I can sense that, and help us all step on the gas a little more through the use of the organ,  or – equally amazing – let it go unaccompanied, which lets the sound float like clouds of paradise!  When the singing is strong, that is a fantastic sensation!  When it’s weak, we hear fear.

     Public song is amazing! Do us all a favor, and decide to let go and sing in.  The more sound, the more inviting and encouraging it is to the next reluctant participant in song.  So, YOU be the one who breaks the ice.

– Cantor David Cherwien

Sunday Readings

March 23, 2014: Third Sunday in Lent

Exodus 17:1-7
 Psalm 95
Romans 5:1-11
 John 4:5-42
_____________________

March 30, 2014: Third Sunday in Lent

1 Samuel 16:1-13
 Psalm 23
Ephesians 5:8-14
 John 9:1-41

Notice of Congregation Meeting

     The April Semi-annual congregational meeting will be held after the second liturgy on Sunday, April 6.   Business before the congregation will include election of officers and Vestry members for 2014-2015, annual report of the Mount Olive Foundation, and an update on the Capital Campaign.

     At the April 2013 congregation meeting, the congregation approved a limited capital campaign that would help to put Mount Olive and its many ministries on firm financial footing in 2014 and beyond.  A target of $182,000 was approved to be used for two purposes. The first is to restore funds that the congregation borrowed over a number of years from its restricted accounts (funds given by individuals who designated them for specific purposes); and the second is to create a cash reserve to help cover routine future expenses at times when donations are insufficient.

Midweek Lenten Worship on Wednesdays
March 12 – April 9

• Noon: Holy Eucharist, followed by soup luncheon

• 7:00 pm: Evening Prayer, preceded by soup supper, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

A Servant Community: Lenten Midweek

  Baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, the community of the faithful are also bound into the servant role of our Messiah, called to give of ourselves for each other and the world.   Just as the kingdom comes into the world fully when the Son of God sets aside all power and domination and goes to the cross, so too we live out our lives as servant people who are willing to lose all for the sake of the other.

     This Lent in our midweek worship, both at the noon Eucharist and evening Vespers, we will be using Paul’s first letter to Corinth as an entrance into reflection on the servant life of the community of Christ, on what our call means in our life together and our life in the world, on what it is to live in the kingdom of God now.

This Week’s Forum 

March 23:  “Bringing Faith to Our Civic Life,” presented by Sen. John Marty.  

Lenten Devotional Available Online

     Again this year, Susan Cherwien’s Lenten devotional is also available online. Visit the blog and save it as a favorite, so that it’s easily accessible to you throughout the remainder of the season of Lent.

An Invitation to Confession

     During the season of Lent I am making myself available at some regular times to hear individual confession and to offer absolution to any who desire it.  I will be in the chancel from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. each Monday in Lent, and continuing through the Monday of Holy Week.  If you wish to come for confession, simply come to the altar rail.  There will be a worship book so we can follow the rite together.  If someone is already there, please wait near the back of the nave and when I’m free, come forward.  While waiting, even if I’m free and you want to prepare yourself, praying the psalms in the pew or reading Scripture is worth considering.

– Pr. Joseph Crippen

The Complete Rameau Concerti – This Sunday, March 23, 4 pm

     Sponsored by Mount Olive Music & Fine Arts, Tami Morse, harpsichord, Marc Levine, violin, and Tulio Rondon, viol da gambe, will present a complete performance of the five Harpsichord Concertos of Jean-Philippe Rameau.      

     Virtuoso harpsichordist, Tami Morse, is featured in an exceptional tour de force: a complete performance of the five Harpsichord Concertos of Jean-Philippe Rameau. Unlike the modern concerto requiring a full orchestra, these masterful works, filled with beautiful melodies and exceptional harmonies, are accompanied with perfectly orchestrated baroque violin and viola da gamba parts.
     Join us – and bring a friend!

March is Minnesota FoodShare Month!

     This is an annual event supported by congregations and other religious and civic associations throughout Minnesota.

     Mount Olive has participated every year since it began in 1982.  We encourage you to be extra generous with your food or financial donations for our local food shelf during the month of March.  This drive fills the shelves of 300 food shelves across the state of Minnesota.

     Fifty percent of all food shelf recipients are children.  Twenty percent of all adult recipients are elderly.  More than sixty percent of those adults who use food shelves are the working poor.

     If possible, we encourage you to give funds (using your blue missions envelope, clearly labeled for the food shelf) instead of food donations. Ten dollars given to the food shelf can buy $40 worth of food when purchased by the food shelves.  How-ever, all donations are welcome! If you enjoy shopping for food to donate, please place your food donations in the cart in the cloak room.

Sign Up to Bring Tutoring Snacks

     Check out the snack sign-up sheet for Way to Goals Tutoring in the lower level.  Snacks for approximately 25 youth and tutors are needed on Tuesday evenings through May 27.  Your help is very much appreciated!

Friendly Callers Meeting

     Mount Olive Friendly Callers will meet on Sunday, March 30, immediately following the first liturgy. This meeting will take place in the Undercroft.

     Please bring the names and numbers of the people you are calling on a regular basis.

Luther College Cathedral Choir to Perform at Mount Olive

     The Luther College Cathedral Choir will perform in concert April 5, 2014, 7:00 p.m. at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 3045 Chicago Avenue S, Minneapolis, MN. No tickets are needed, but a freewill offering will be received at the concert.

     The Cathedral Choir, directed by Dr. Jennaya Robison, performs a varied program of sacred music. The concert program will include choral masterpieces by J.S. Bach, Hassler, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. At the heart of the program is Estonian composer’s Ēriks Ešenvalds’ “Stars” for choir, water-tuned glasses and Tibetan singing bowls. Favorite works by Olaf Christiansen, F. Melius Christiansen, Moses Hogan, Z. Randall Stroope, and others are included in an eclectic program suitable for listeners of all ages.

     The choir is in need of housing for some of their members. If you are able to provide hospitality for choir members, please contact Cantor Cherwien as soon as possible.

Housing Needed!

     Housing is needed for Luther College’s Cathedral Choir, Saturday, April 5.  If you can house two or more students,  PLEASE call the office,  or let Cantor Cherwien know this Sunday or the following Sunday.  He’ll be roaming the church with the clipboard.

     Students will need to be picked up and brought to your home after their concert here at 7:00 pm,   maybe a snack that evening.   Two in a double bed is OK.  After providing breakfast for them, they need to be back at Mount Olive at 7:00 am Sunday the 6th.

     There are 23 hosts needed (four each), so if you can help, please do!

Holy Week at Mount Olive

Sunday of the Passion/Palm Sunday
Sunday, April 13
Holy Eucharist, 8 & 10:45 am

Monday-Wednesday of Holy Week,
April 14-16
Daily Prayer at Noon, in the side chapel of the nave

Maundy Thursday, April 17
Holy Eucharist at Noon
Holy Eucharist, with the Washing of Feet, 7:00 p.m.

Good Friday, April 18
Stations of the Cross at Noon
Adoration of the Cross at 7 pm

Holy Saturday, April 19
Great Vigil of Easter, 8:30 pm, followed by a festive reception

The Resurrection of Our Lord
Sunday, April 20
Festival Eucharist at
8 & 10:45 am

Lenten Centering Prayer Group

     Sue Ellen Zagrabelny, Mount Olive member and an oblate or lay associate at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton, WI is hosting a Centering Prayer group this Lent. Centering prayer, a monastic discipline at the monastery, is an emptying of oneself in prayer in order to be accessible to the Spirit. This Centering Prayer Group will be offered at Mount Olive at two different times over a period of 5 weeks:  on Tuesdays, the group will meet after Bible Study, from 1:15 to 1:45 March 4, 11, 18, 25 and April 1.  On Wednesdays, the group will meet before the Lenten Supper at 5:30 to 6:00 on March 12, 9, 19, 26 and April 2. Both sessions will meet in the library.    

     If you have questions, please contact Sue Ellen Zagrabelny at 815-997-6020 or via email to skatzny@yahoo.com

Way to Goals Thanks!

It has been a wonderful ride as your Coordinator of Neighborhood Ministries all these years and I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all those who have supported Neighborhood Ministries with their finances, their volunteer efforts, and their prayers.

I usually thank all those who have supported the Way to Goals Tutoring in May. However, I will not be here at the end of the season, so I would like to thank them at this time.  Thank you to all the tutors, for their dedication and time given to the students:    Vicar Emily Beckering, Yevette Berard, Diane Brown, Peter Bunge, Patsy Holtmier, Joe Kane, Greicia Pedroso, Catherine Pususta, and Amy Thompson.

Thanks also to all those who have supplied us with snacks: Gail Nielsen, Judy Graves, Naomi Peterson, and Dennis Bidwell.

– Donna Neste

Another Word of Thanks

     Thanks to Sedona and Austin Crosby for adding some festive spirit at the community meal on March 15, by making green decorated rice crispy treats to serve!

     If you are interested in volunteering for the 3rd Saturday community meal please talk with Kat or Gretchen Campbell-Johnson or Kathy Thurston for opportunities.

Wanted: Confirmation Class Photos of Mount Olive’s Members     

     Pentecost Sunday, June 8, 2014, is also confirmation Sunday. For the days surrounding Pentecost we would like to display photos of the confirmation classes of current members. They will be in the hallway display case. A small sign next to each photo will identify who’s class is shown, and we will have the opportunity to go on a “where’s Waldo” search of each class photo trying to spot the current member.   After several weeks a sign will then be added identifying the location of the member in the photo.

     If you want to take part and have your confirmation photo in the display case please place your photo in  an envelope and write “To Paul Nixdorf”  and also your name, church and town (and year, if you are willing) in which you were confirmed on the envelope and leave it in the church office.  With the photo please include a note with your name plus a description of where you are located in the photo.  Please submit photos to the office by May 31.

     The display will remain up from the first week in June through early to mid-July. Your photo will then be returned to the envelope you provided and can be picked up at the church office.

Thank you.

– Paul Nixdorf

Upcoming Reads

For their meeting on April 12, the Book Discussion Group will read Elizabeth and Hazel, by David Margolick.    For the May 10 meeting, they will read, The Small Hand and Dolly, by Susan Hill.

Accent on Worship

      “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him,” said Jesus to Nicodemus in the Gospel for the Second Sunday in Lent.
   
     That is what Jesus was all about.  He was a healer, one who restored and spoke the truth to those who benefited by wounding, withholding and tearing apart.  That is what Christ’s Church should be about and (though we fail at times) often it is.  It has been a body to come to for comfort, one that works to heal and make whole, one that does not ask, “what’s wrong with you?’ but “what happened in your life that is in need of healing?”

And that is why the congregation that belongs to the beautiful brick church on the corner of 31st and Chicago hired me almost 30 years ago.

     Being followers of Jesus, they saw all the pain and need in the community.  They needed someone to organize their efforts as healers, and they were so ahead of their time.  I wasn’t even the first person to hold that position when I came in the mid-eighties.  Mount Olive congregation was reaching out to the community with someone at the head of an organized effort since the early 1970s.

     As I leave you, I want to thank you with my deepest gratitude for giving me the gratitude, for giving me the opportunity to serve this neighborhood in the name of Jesus.  It has been a tremendous honor and I will hold you in my heart for as long as I live.  You are truly blessed to be so close to opportunities to serve, to restore, and to heal.  I have witnessed the outpouring of your compassion to those in need, and your willingness to be a part of the salvation of the world as followers of Jesus, as the precious children of God that you are.

     Thank you for everything.
– Donna Pususta Neste

Sunday Readings

March 16, 2014: Second Sunday in Lent
 Genesis 12:1-4a
 Psalm 121
 Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
 John 3:1-17
_____________________

March 23, 2014: Third Sunday in Lent
Exodus 17:1-7
Psalm 95
Romans 5:1-11
John 4:5-42

This Week’s Adult Forum

March 16: “From Earth, to Eden, to Ground: The Opening Chapters of the Book of Genesis” (part 4 of a 4-part series), presented by Scholar-in-Residence, Prof. Earl Schwartz of Hamline University.  

Midweek Lenten Worship on Wednesdays, March 12 – April 9

•  Noon: Holy Eucharist, followed by soup luncheon
•  7:00 pm: Evening Prayer, preceded by soup supper, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

Farewell Celebration: This Sunday

This Friday, March 14, will be Donna Neste’s last day as our Neighborhood Ministries Coordinator.  Donna has served God and Mount Olive admirably for many decades and it’s time to bid her a fond farewell. There will be a meal and celebration after the second liturgy this Sunday, March 16.

Soup-Makers Needed!

     Soup makers are needed to provide soup and bread for our midweek Lenten meals. Soup and bread for the lunch following Wednesday midday Eucharist should feed 40-50 people, and for the supper before Wednesday Evening Prayer, we need soup and bread for about 10-12 people.

     If you can help by signing up to bring a meal (or two!), the sign up chart will be on the refreshment table at coffee hour on Sundays.

Lenten Devotional Books

     Copies of Susan Cherwien’s Journey Into Lent 2014 are available in the narthex and in the church office, for your devotional use during this Lenten season.

     Again this year, the devotional is also available online. Visit the blog and save it as a favorite, so that it’s easily accessible to you throughout the season of Lent.

An Invitation to Confession

     During the season of Lent I am making myself available at some regular times to hear individual confession and to offer absolution to any who desire it.  I will be in the chancel from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. each Monday in Lent, and continuing through the Monday of Holy Week.  If you wish to come for confession, simply come to the altar rail.  There will be a worship book so we can follow the rite together.  If someone is already there, please wait near the back of the nave and when I’m free, come forward.  While waiting, even if I’m free and you want to prepare yourself, praying the psalms in the pew or reading Scripture is worth considering.

– Pr. Joseph Crippen

March is Minnesota FoodShare Month!

     This is an annual event is supported by congregations and other religious and civic associations throughout Minnesota.

     Mount Olive has participated every year since it began in 1982.  We encourage you to be extra generous with your food or financial donations for our local food shelf during the month of March.  This drive fills the shelves of 300 food shelves across the state of Minnesota.

     Fifty percent of all food shelf recipients are children.  Twenty percent of all adult recipients are elderly.  More than sixty percent of those adults who use food shelves are the working poor.

     If possible, we encourage you to give funds (using your blue missions envelope, clearly labeled for the food shelf) instead of food donations. Ten dollars given to the food shelf can buy $40 worth of food when purchased by the food shelves.  How-ever, all donations are welcome! If you enjoy shopping for food to donate, please place your food donations in the cart in the cloak room.

Wanted: Confirmation Class Photos of Mount Olive’s Members   

     Pentecost Sunday, June 8, 2014, is also confirmation Sunday. For the days surrounding Pentecost we would like to display photos of the confirmation classes of current members. They will be in the hallway display case. A small sign next to each photo will identify who’s class is shown, and we will have the opportunity to go on a “where’s Waldo” search of each class photo trying to spot the current member.   After several weeks a sign will then be added identifying the location of the member in the photo.

     If you want to take part and have your confirmation photo in the display case please place your photo in  an envelope and write “To Paul Nixdorf”  and also your name, church and town (and year, if you are willing) in which you were confirmed on the envelope and leave it in the church office.  With the photo please include a note with your name plus a description of where you are located in the photo.  Please submit photos to the office by May 31.

     The display will remain up from the first week in June through early to mid-July. Your photo will then be returned to the envelope you provided and can be picked up at the church office.
Thank you.

– Paul Nixdorf

Book Discussion Upcoming Reads

For their meeting on April 12, the Book Discussion Group will read Elizabeth and Hazel, by David Margolick. For the May 10 meeting, they will read, The Small Hand and Dolly, by Susan Hill.

A Servant Community: Lenten Midweek

  Baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, the community of the faithful are also bound into the servant role of our Messiah, called to give of ourselves for each other and the world.   Just as the kingdom comes into the world fully when the Son of God sets aside all power and domination and goes to the cross, so too we live out our lives as servant people who are willing to lose all for the sake of the other.

     This Lent in our midweek worship, both at the noon Eucharist and evening Vespers, we will be using Paul’s first letter to Corinth as an entrance into reflection on the servant life of the community of Christ, on what our call means in our life together and our life in the world, on what it is to live in the kingdom of God now.

Lenten Worship on Wednesdays: Eucharist at noon, followed by soup and bread lunch.  Soup and bread supper will be served at 6:00 p.m., followed by Vespers at 7:00 p.m.

Church Library News

     Thanks to Susan Cherwien for her wonderful gift to the Mount Olive community of a special book of Lenten devotions.  Awaiting your perusal is a further display of Lenten books in our main library, including:

     Portraits of the Christ (Messages for Lent and Easter), by John  McCollister, editor
    The Lord’s Prayer and the Lord’s Passion, by Paul G. Lessmann
    The Grace of the Passion, by Olive Wyon
    The Scandal of Lent (Themes for Lenten Preachings in the Gospel of John), by Robert Kysar
    A Cross to Glory (Lenten Sermons), by Alton F. Wedel
    Followers of the Cross (Messages for Lent and Easter), by Harry N. Huxhold
    Cross Words (Sermons and Dramas for Lent), by Kent Poovey
    Come, Lord Jesus, Come Quickly (Lenten Meditations), by Constance F. Parvey
    The Man Who Died for Me (Meditations on the Death and Resurrection of Our Lord),
                    by Herbert Lockyer
    A Book of Easter (with daily devotions), by Paul M. Lindberg
    Come to Easter, by Anna Laura and Edward Gebhard
    The Splendor of Easter, compiled and edited by Floyd W. Thatcher
   We Call This Friday Good (Meditations based on the 7 last words of  Christ), edited by Howard G.                            Hegaman
    The Ascension of Our Lord, by Peter Toon

    Last time our article mentioned a newer bookmark (these are always available to take for free) which listed suggestions for “What Good Readers Do” and to complete,  the reverse side mentions “Hints for Choosing a Book You’ll Enjoy” such as:

        Pick a genre (mystery, fantasy, history, etc.) you like,
        Read the description on the book’s cover,
        Be sure the topic interests you,
        Make sure the reading level is right for you,
        Select a book by an author you like,
        Choose a book from a series you enjoy,
        Talk to someone who has read the book,
      Ask a librarian or teacher to recommend a book.

– Leanna Kloempken

Friendly Callers Meeting

     Mount Olive Friendly Callers will meet on Sunday, March 30, immediately following the first liturgy. This meeting will take place in the Undercroft. Please bring the names and numbers of the people you are calling on a regular basis.

The Complete Rameau Concerti

     Sponsored by Mount Olive Music & Fine Arts, Tami Morse, harpsichord, Marc Levine, violin, and Tulio Rondon, viol da gambe, will present a complete performance of the five Harpsichord Concertos of Jean-Philippe Rameau.  The concert will be held on Sunday, March 23, at 4 pm.

     Plan to come – and bring a friend!

Luther College Cathedral Choir to Perform at Mount Olive

     The Luther College Cathedral Choir will perform in concert April 5, 2014, 7:00 p.m. at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 3045 Chicago Avenue S, Minneapolis, MN. No tickets are needed, but a freewill offering will be received at the concert.

     The Cathedral Choir, directed by Dr. Jennaya Robison, performs a varied program of sacred music. Composed of nearly 90 select singers drawn from the college’s sophomore class, its membership reflects a wide range of academic disciplines. The concert program will include choral masterpieces by J.S. Bach, Hassler, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. At the heart of the program is Estonian composer’s Ēriks Ešenvalds’ “Stars” for choir, water-tuned glasses and Tibetan singing bowls. Favorite works by Olaf Christiansen, F. Melius Christiansen, Moses Hogan, Z. Randall Stroope, and others are included in an eclectic program suitable for listeners of all ages.

     The choir is in need of housing for some of their members. If you are able to provide hospitality for choir members, please contact Cantor Cherwien as soon as possible.

Lenten Centering Prayer Group  

     Sue Ellen Zagrabelny, Mount Olive member and an oblate or lay associate at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton, WI is hosting a Centering Prayer group this Lent. Centering prayer, a monastic discipline at the monastery, is an emptying of oneself in prayer in order to be accessible to the Spirit. This Centering Prayer Group will be offered at Mount Olive at two different times over a period of 5 weeks:  on Tuesdays, the group will meet after Bible Study, from 1:15 to 1:45 March 4, 11, 18, 25 and April 1.  On Wednesdays, the group will meet before the Lenten Supper at 5:30 to 6:00 on March 12, 9, 19, 26 and April 2. Both sessions will meet in the library.

     If you have questions, please contact Sue Ellen Zagrabelny at 815-997-6020 or via email to skatzny@yahoo.com

Adult Forum Videos

    The four-part adult forum series with Dr. Earl Schwartz is being recorded on video and will soon be available to view online using a new Mount Olive Lutheran Church private channel on YouTube.

     Establishing that secure channel, uploading our videos, and ensuring that accessibility for Mount Olive members is easy is requiring a bit more time than originally thought.

     The project is well underway and our team of experts will hopefully soon have the process working smoothly. Once that occurs, we will send a link out to the entire Mount Olive community so that you can begin viewing this first series of videos and many more in the future.

Holy Week at Mount Olive

Sunday of the Passion/Palm Sunday, Sunday, April 13
Holy Eucharist, 8 & 10:45 am

Monday-Wednesday of Holy Week, April 14-16
Daily Prayer at Noon, in the side chapel of the nave

Maundy Thursday, April 17
Holy Eucharist at Noon
Holy Eucharist, with the Washing of Feet, 7:00 p.m.

Good Friday, April 18
Stations of the Cross at Noon
Adoration of the Cross at 7 pm

Holy Saturday, April 19
Great Vigil of Easter, 8:30 pm, followed by a festive reception

The Resurrection of Our Lord, Sunday, April 20
Festival Eucharist at 8 & 10:45 am