Accent on Worship

Be Not Afraid!

     Many of us know and take both pride and delight in the enthusiasm of one of our youngest members when the gradual (or Gospel Acclamation) for the day is “Be Not Afraid!” The exuberance shown by the child embodies the message of that song.

     What a joy it would be to be fearless.

     But let’s face it: We live lives filled with fear. One political philosophy asserts that we have society at all only because we make implied “contracts” that I won’t kill you if you don’t kill me. This is the culture in which we live.

     Or is it? Or at least, must it be?

     Do not be afraid, the LORD says to Abram before launching him on his journey.

     Don’t be afraid to give, Jesus tells his hearers and followers.

     Take a chance; fear not, said Gabriel to the mother of our Lord.

     Our call as Christians is to live by faith and thereby to set aside our fears. But that’s easy to say in the abstract. There are very real threats in the world; only a fool would pretend otherwise.

     But the promise of the Gospel is that we need not give in to those real fears. We may live unbounded by fear. How? Why?  Because we have a God who regards us in our low estate; who will protect us as we journey where he sends us. This is the God who reached into death to demonstrate his ability to defeat the very source of all fears.

     What seas might we (as the Israelites before us) pass through if the roiling waters didn’t petrify even the best swimmers among us? What reconciliation might we attain if we didn’t fear being stabbed in the back or even misunderstood by someone of another background? What miracles might this “one nation under God” achieve if our politicians risked their careers by funding a peace academy instead of  several billion dollar on war machines that the Pentagon doesn’t even want? What good might we individuals do with our money if we didn’t fear running out of money in our retirement?

     We will hear our Lord caution us to read the signs of the times. What will we see? The promise of the Gospel is that, in our songs and in our lives, we may match Rose decibel for decibel: Be not afraid! We are not afraid.

– Dwight Penas

Sunday Readings

August 11, 2013 – Time after Pentecost: Sunday 19
Genesis 15:1-6 + Psalm 33:12-22
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 + Luke 12:32-40

August 18, 2013 – Time after Pentecost: Sunday 20
Jeremiah 23:23-29 + Psalm 82
Hebrews 11:29—12:2 + Luke 12:49-56

Mary, Mother of Our Lord
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Holy Eucharist at 7:00 p.m.

Godly Play for Grownups

    Our summer 4-part series “Godly Play for Grown-ups” concludes on August 18th.  You are invited to come and experience a parable in a new way. Enjoy a quick cup of coffee after liturgy if you wish, and then come downstairs to Godly Play Circle One.  We will welcome you to the circle at 11:10am.

Book Discussion Group

     Mount Olive’s Book Discussion group meets on the second Saturday of each month at 10:00 a.m. at church. For the August 10 meeting we will discuss Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin, and on September 14, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe.

Organ Recital by Christine Skogen to be Held Sunday, August 18, 3:00 pm

     Christine Skogen came to Minneapolis summer of 2010 with the intention of learning to play the organ.  Since then, she has been the student of Cantor Cherwien and has worked extremely hard, learning an enormous amount in this relatively short time with us.  This fall she will begin undergraduate studies at Luther College, studying organ with Dr. Gregory Peterson.

     She will perform works by Bach, Brahms, Reger, and Vierne. A congratulatory and farewell reception will follow the program. If any would like to give her a personal note of encouragement or a gift to assist her with books and expenses at Luther, there will be a basket for these at the reception. All are invited!

Men’s Vocal Ensemble – for August 11

     A men’s ensemble will be assembled to sing at the Eucharist this Sunday, August 11, 9:30 service.  We will have one rehearsal, that morning at 8:00 a.m.  (coffee provided!)  Contact Cantor Cherwien if you would like to sing, or simply come Sunday August 11, at 8:00 am.

     Women! There will be a women’s ensemble assembled to sing for the liturgy on August 25. Protocol will be exactly the same: one rehearsal on the 25th at 8 a.m. with music available upon request beforehand by contacting Cantor Cherwien.

Congregational Care Comes to the Forum

     The art of giving and accepting care will be a forum topic during the coffee hour on Sunday, October 13.  Many at Mount Olive find themselves in the role of caregiver while others find themselves in the often unfamiliar spot of having to accept care from others.  While we tend to think of this as an “old people’s problem”, this is a generational concern as people care for aging parents, sick friends, special needs children, and ourselves.

     Key to care is knowledge of services and programs available in our state and city and how to access them.  While most of us know a little bit about some things, laws change and it is hard to keep up.  The forum could address a variety of topics, such as:

–  End of life issues – how to plan for known and unknown entities and how to access help.  Learn about health care directives, Hospice, and plan your funeral.

–  Family support – shifting roles, new responsibilities, changes in and losses of a loved one.  What will you need to help get through the tough times?

–  Unexpected life transitions – i.e. divorce, suicide, chronic illness, parenting small and adult children, and all the unanticipated twists and turns of life.

– Spiritual resources – accepting God’s grace through the loving action of the Mount Olive community.  We all need to learn and be open to how this works.

     This is a tall order for one forum!  The final shape of the hour depends on what topical interest emerges as a “high demand” priority.  Please weigh in via phone, email, or conversation by contacting Marilyn Gebauer at 651-704-9539 or by email at gebauevm@bitstream.net.  Feel free to speak with any of the other members of the Congregational Care Committee: Cathy Bosworth, Peggy Hoeft, and Warren Peterson.  

Guests from Germany

      You’re invited to meet Pr. Helge Voigt, a friend of Mount Olive who is currently a pastor in the Leipzig Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany.   Pr. Voigt has worshiped with us in the past and he and his family will be visiting in the Twin Cities for two weeks in August.   There is a gathering planned for them at Mount Olive on Wednesday evening, August 14, at 7 p.m.  Refreshments will be served.

     Pr. Voigt grew up in the former Democratic Republic of Germany (East Germany) under the Communist regime, in a non-religious family.  He served in the East German military and was a soldier at the time that the Berlin Wall fell.  He has some interesting stories about that harrowing time and also about how he became a practicing Christian called to the ministry.  He serves several parishes in and around Leipzig, including one which houses the organ that Mendelssohn played as a performer.

      Plan to come to meet Pr. Voigt, his wife Anke, and their daughters Marie (age 17) and Hannah (age 12).    If you get a chance, RSVP to the church office or email Lora Dundek at lhdundek@usfamily.net.  If you forget to RSVP, come anyway!

Accent on Worship

Surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses

     There is deep and abiding mystery in our life of faith regarding those sisters and brothers in Christ who have gone before us, who rest in the Lord from their labors.  We are at the start of a period in the Church Year which for me brings the question of the saints to the fore in a personal way.  Today as I write, July 22, is the feast day of St. Mary Magdalene, the first apostle and the first preacher of the resurrection, a saint for whom I long have had admiration and fondness.  Now Mary and I have a goddaughter and niece named Madeleine, which is the French form of Magdalene, so for these four years this feast day has had even more importance for me.  On August 15 Mount Olive will once again gather to celebrate the feast day of St. Mary, the mother of our Lord, which has become an important day for many in this congregation, a day to remember a remarkable servant of God whose affirmation of God’s call bore Christ into the world.

In between those two days is July 31, which is celebrated as the feast day of St. Joseph of Arimathea by Lutherans and by the Eastern Orthodox communions, and which has also become a day of importance for me.  My parents were divided over which Joseph was my namesake, the guardian of Jesus or the son of Jacob.  Joseph of Arimathea wasn’t even in play, but in the past couple years I’ve begun to consider him as possibly my true patron saint.  I admire his faithfulness, his life, his service to his Lord despite the costs it might have incurred for him.

     Lutherans in some circles remain somewhat suspicious if not outright hostile to any consideration of the saints beyond perhaps the naming of a congregation.  Even then battles are fought over whether an apostrophe and an ‘s’ after the saint’s name on a parish confuses people that somehow the congregation worships that saint and not the Triune God.  The Reformers, in the Augsburg Confession and the subsequent Apology (see Article XXI), approved giving honor to the saints, in thanksgiving to God for their lives, in being strengthened in their faith by the model of the saints, and in imitation of the way they lived.  They argued against mandating prayer to the saints only because they couldn’t find Scriptural warrant, so they allowed that saints may in fact pray for us, but that we can’t command believers to ask it since we don’t know with certainty that it’s really happening.

     Mount Olive has an openness to the greater tradition of the Church and a willingness to embrace ancient practices which have been shared by millions but which may not always have been important to American Lutherans.  We have a long-standing tradition of celebrating the lesser festivals of saints when they fall on a Sunday, and even, in the case of some like St. Mary, on their feast day itself.  That has in turn opened me to consider what it might mean to welcome the saints who have gone before us as sisters and brothers in the journey of faith I walk.

     I do not yet pray to St. Joseph, or any saint.  I do, however, ask many living saints for prayer, including all of you, my sisters and brothers at Mount Olive.  I don’t, by that asking, imply that I cannot address God directly myself, or that you have a closer connection.  I do because I covet your prayers and consider it a blessing when I know you are praying on my behalf and on behalf of so many.  I suspect that is true for most of you as well.  So perhaps we can at least entertain what it might mean to ask the same of those who now surround the throne of God in prayer and song.

     In the meantime, I continue following the Reformers’ wisdom and find great comfort and also modeling in the lives of those saints of this next month, and certainly plenty of reason for thanksgiving.  I do pray, however, that this cloud of witnesses that surrounds us, as Hebrews claims, be a support and strength in our journey that we walk here, until we all are together in the presence of the Triune God in the world that is to come.    

– Joseph

Godly Play for Grownups

    Our summer 4-part series “Godly Play for Grown-ups” continues on July 28 and concludes on August 18th.  On both Sundays you are invited to experience parables in a new way. Enjoy a quick cup of coffee after liturgy if you wish, and then come downstairs to Godly Play Circle One.  We will welcome you to the circle at 11:10am.

National Night Out: August 6

     The 30th annual Minneapolis National Night Out will be Tuesday, August 6, 2013. National Night Out is an annual nationwide event that encourages residents to get out in the community, holding block parties and getting to know their neighbors as a way to encourage crime prevention. It’s a great way to promote community-police partnerships and enjoy a Minnesota summer evening surrounded by friends and family.

     As we have many times in the past, participation by Minneapolitans outranked all U.S. cities over 250,000 population in 2012.  Over 1,360 events were registered. Was yours one of them?  We hope so!  Plan to organize or attend a Night Out event this year.

The Bargain Box

     Saturday, August 3 will be a busy day at Mount Olive! We will be helping to get neighborhood children ready for the next school year with Bargain Box fitting children with new school clothes and school supplies distribution during the Community Meal.

     If you have time to help with the meal, or assist with clothing or school supplies, please come!

     You help will be much appreciated.

– Neighborhood Ministries Committee

Book Discussion Group

     Mount Olive’s Book Discussion group meets on the second Saturday of each month at 10:00 a.m. at church. For the August 10 meeting we will discuss Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin, and on September 14, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe.

Organ Recital by Christine Skogen 
Sunday, August 18, 3:00 pm

     Christine Skogen came to Minneapolis summer of 2010 with the intention of learning to play the organ.  Since then, she has been the student of Cantor Cherwien and has worked extremely hard, learning an enormous amount in this relatively short time with us.  This fall she will begin undergraduate studies at Luther College, studying organ with Dr. Gregory Peterson.

     She will perform works by Bach, Brahms, Reger, and Vierne. A congratulatory and farewell reception will follow the program. If any would like to give her a personal note of encouragement or a gift to assist her with books and expenses at Luther, there will be a basket for these at the reception. All are invited!

Servant Schedule Request Deadline

     I will be working on the Servant Schedule for 2013 4th Quarter (October-December) in early August.  If you have requests for that period, please submit them by August 1 to peggyrf70@gmail.com.  Thanks!

– Peggy Hoeft

Mark your calendar! 

“God’s work. Our hands.” 
Saturday & Sunday, September 7-8, 2013

     For 25 years, the ELCA has been a church deeply rooted in faith and in sharing its passion for making positive changes in the world.

     To celebrate our 25th anniversary and our church’s commitment to sharing God’s love with our neighbors, Mount Olive is called to take part in a dedicated weekend of service on September 7-8 known as “God’s work. Our hands.”

     You work every day to welcome your neighbors and make your community a better place. Now let’s do it together as one body, using our hands to do God’s work in Jesus Christ’s name.

     Imagine the nearly 10,000 congregations of our church serving meals, cleaning up neighborhoods, making quilts for refugees or simply visiting the neighbors who need us. We are a church that rolls up our sleeves and gets to work. Let’s harness that experience in a focused weekend of service to others.  Maybe you want to work alone on a project that is near and dear to you.  Perhaps you want to join with others in the congregation for a larger project.  Interested in trying something new?  Meeting new people from the congregation?  There’s a place for you in this weekend event.

     Watch upcoming Olive Branch articles for suggestions about what you can do to pitch in.  

“And the King said to them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”  Matthew 25:40

Men’s Vocal Ensemble – for August 11

     A men’s ensemble will be assembled to sing at the Eucharist on Sunday, August 11, 9:30 service.  We will have one rehearsal, that morning at 8:00 a.m.  (coffee provided!)

     PDF’s of the music will be sent the week prior for those who wish to prepare in advance (always helpful!).  Contact Cantor Cherwien if you would like to sing, or simply come Sunday August 11, at 8:00 am.

Cantor Cherwien Sabbatical

     Mount Olive has a long history of supporting personal and professional development for our called staff.  Both Pastor Crippen and Cantor Cherwien have agreements with us about sabbatical leaves.  This fall it will be David’s turn to take time off, a time that he intends to fill to the brim with musical and other artistic experiences.  The congregation pays his salary and benefits during this time, and this investment is repaid to us with the enhanced skills and refreshed spirit that he will bring with him when he returns.

     His travels during this time will include Leipzig, Germany, to stand on Bach’s grave and learn from the famous Thomaskirche choir as they perform Bach’s cantatas and motets.  Paris will offer opportunities to listen to great organists and take in several liturgies in beautiful and historic churches.  Other planned activities include Evensong at King’s College in Cambridge, England, and time spent in churches in New York and Boston.

     David also will carry Mount Olive with him at several hymn festivals, including at churches in Arizona, California and Texas and Pennsylvania.

     And what about our musical life?  We will be ably served by organist and composer William Beckstrand.  Bill lives a good share of the year on an island in Lake Superior, where he spends his time composing choral, liturgical and instrumental music.  He has served as a cantor in several Lutheran congregations for many years, with his latest parish being in Duluth.  He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin in organ performance, and holds a Master’s Degree is church music from Concordia University in Chicago as well as a Master’s in systematic theology from Luther Seminary in St. Paul.  He also will direct the Cantorei during his time with us.

     Cantor Cherwien will be on sabbatical from the end of August until the end of November.  Our prayers will go with him on his journey and we look forward to his return.

Vestry Highlights: July 2013

     The Vestry met on July 8, 2013.  Newly installed officers and directors joined those already serving on Vestry.

     Unfinished business: The Visioning process continues. The leadership team led by Adam Krueger will be processing all the information gathered by the congregation. An update will be ready for Vestry in August and the congregation in September.

     Vicar Cannon will complete his time with us on August 11. Emily Beckering will begin her internship on August 12. A plan for the Mini-Capital Fund drive will be submitted to the Vestry by the Stewardship Director at the September Vestry meeting.

     New business: Letters of thanks were received from the English Learning Center at Our Savior’s, LSS, Lutheran Volunteer Corps and Lutheran Music Program for funds given by Mount Olive.

   The financial report for June was favorable with no outstanding debt and YTD contributions up 13% over 2012. The ELCA leadership has asked all congregations to consider a Day of Service on September 8 to celebrate the 25th  anniversary of the
ELCA.  Directors of Youth and Neighborhood Ministries will work with Donna Neste to suggest ways that Mount Olive could participate in the proposed Day of Service.

     Director reports: The Youth Committee continues to explore collaboration with TRUST youth programs. The Education Committee is exploring a process to create a digital catalog for the Library.  Neighborhood Ministries reported that the Bargain Box drive is underway and plans are progressing to do the annual school supply purchase.  Properties provided an update on the installation of bike racks. The committee is discussing the placement of additional locations for wheelchairs in the nave.

     Next meeting of the Vestry is August 12.

Name Badges

     We invite members to wear their name badges in the next couple of months.  This will be helpful for the following reasons:

1) To help members learn the names of fellow members. When we go from two liturgies to one during the summer months, there are members from the liturgy that you don’t usually attend who may not know you or may not know your name.

2)   During the summer at Mount Olive, we have a larger than usual number of visitors at liturgies.  Your name badge can serve as a welcome aid if someone is seeking information or needs assistance.

3) We have a new vicar, Emily Beckering, arriving in mid-August.  There are over 500 of us for her to get to know and having a name spoken and printed helps with remembering who a person is.

4) We have been blessed with a number of new members during the past year, and there are a number of folks who may be familiar to us but for whom a name is not known or remembered.  Knowing a name can make it easier to initiate a conversation. A name badge can help with the process of getting comfortable in a new place.  
5) As I am maturing, my memory is just not as good as it used to be. When I don’t remember a person’s name after three or four conversations, I am hesitant, or even embarrassed and sometimes hesitate to ask their name again.  A name badge helps reduce the embarrassment by giving me a visual cue.

     If you cannot find your name badge on the racks in the narthex, or if you have misplaced your name badge (as I have on three occasions), please give Cha a call at the church office, 612-827-5919, and she will print a new name badge for you.

– Andrew Andersen, Director of Evangelism

Free Tables!

     There are several 8-footbanquet tables that are free for the taking (for large events, garage sales, whatever use you may find for them!) They are located on the lower level in the room next to the pool table area – clearly marked “FREE.” These tables have been replaced with new lightweight tables in recent years.  If you want a table or two – or more – come and help yourself. We’d like them removed by August 7.

Common Hope

     Mount Olive generously supported Common Hope’s Antigua Library and Reading Promotion Initiative with a gift from our congregation’s Capital Campaign Tithe.  Our gift helped to launch this program and make a commitment to literacy and early childhood development in Guatemala.  Here is a link to an article about the program:  http://www.commonhope.org/2013/04/08/exploring-the-new-world-of-books/

     One of the criteria our congregation thought important in determining the tithe recipients was that we maintain a relationship with the organization.  Common Hope invites Vision Teams to come to Guatemala and spend eight days working at the project, building relationships and experiencing Guatemalan culture.  If you might be interested in participating in a Vision Team, perhaps next summer, please email Lisa Ruff at jklmruff@msn.com.

Guests from Germany

      You’re invited to meet Pr. Helge Voigt, a friend of Mount Olive who is currently a pastor in the Leipzig Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany.   Pr. Voigt has worshiped with us in the past and he and his family will be visiting in the Twin Cities for two weeks in August.   There is a gathering planned for them at Mount Olive on Wednesday evening, August 14, at 7 p.m.  Refreshments will be served.

     Pr. Voigt grew up in the former Democratic Republic of Germany (East Germany) under the Communist regime, in a non-religious family.  He served in the East German military and was a soldier at the time that the Berlin Wall fell.  He has some interesting stories about that harrowing time and also about how he became a practicing Christian called to the ministry.  He serves several parishes in and around Leipzig, including one which houses the organ that Mendelssohn played as a performer.

      Please plan to come to meet Pr. Voigt, his wife Anke, and their daughters Marie (age 17) and Hannah (age 12).    If you get a chance, RSVP to the church office or email Lora Dundek at lhdundek@usfamily.net.  If you forget to RSVP, come anyway!

Intrepid USA Hospice Seeks Volunteers

     You have an opportunity to give of your time, heart, and talents to hospice patients and their loved ones!  Training sessions are now being scheduled for volunteers throughout the Twin Cities metro area by Intrepid USA Hospice in Roseville, MN.  If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering, please call Karen Cherwien, Hospice Chaplain and Volunteer Coordinator, at 651-638-7899 for more information and an application.

Adopt a Plot – Three Plots Left!

     We need volunteers to help with the up keep of the planted areas and grounds.  Can you help? William, our Sexton, does the mowing, but even with our relatively low maintenance landscaping there is a good deal to keep up.   A sign up chart is in the gathering area with various plots mapped out for you to choose from.  Thanks to the eleven gardeners have already signed up; three more are needed! If you can help, we ask that you check the area you adopt weekly and attend to new weeds or other needs. Gardening tools and trash bags are available for your use along with instructions.  For information call Carla Manuel (612-521-3952), Andrew Andersen (763-607-1689), or Steve Manuel (952-922-6367).

Bring Your Pails and Bring Your Shovels! Part 2

     A hardy group of volunteers completed the first of two paver pads for Project Bicycle Rack!  
 
     Installation of the second pad is scheduled for this Saturday, July 27, starting at 8:00 a.m. The Property Committee invites you to take part in taking dirt from the planter at the north parking lot and replacing it with gravel base, sand and paver bricks.  The two bicycle racks will be set sometime in August.  Many hands make light work – and we will be grateful for your help.  If you have any questions, call Brenda Bartz at 612-824-7812 or 651-558-7979.  Thanks to the Mount Olive Foundation for making this project possible!

Accent on Worship

     When I talk about my neighbors, you know who I mean:  the peole who live in my condo building or in my neighborhood.  When you talk about your neighbors, I know who you mean:  those with whom you share an alley, or those who live on the same street, or those with whom you share a zip code. My neighbors and I are pretty much alike.  Same with you, I’d guess.

     In the Gospel for this Sunday, a man asks Jesus a question:  “Who is my neighbor?”  You know the story, and since you also know Jesus you know that if you are going to ask him a question you’d better be prepared to have your view of the world changed.
     So Jesus tells a story.  A man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho.  A Jewish man, most likely.  A religious man, perhaps.  A priest and a Levite pass by.  Two of his own kind.  People from his own zip code.  They pass by and do not stop to help.  You know the story.  And then a Samaritan comes along.  And since you know the story, you know that for the Jews of Jesus’ day, Samaritans were the lowest of the low, a people despised, a people with whom you had no dealings.

     And the Samaritan stops, helps the man left for dead by the side of the road, and makes sure that the costs of his recuperation are covered.  So who was the neighbor to this man?  You know.

     If Jesus were to tell the same story in answer to the same question in our time and place, it would not be a Samaritan who would come to the aid of the man beaten and left for dead on a south Minneapolis street.  Who would it be?  A welfare cheat?  A serial rapist?  A redneck bigot?  A hardened gang member?  A terrorist bomber?  Who is most despised by you?   That is who it would be.  And that is your neighbor.

     In fact, if Jesus is to be believed, everyone is your neighbor–maybe especially those you most despise.  Since there is no one outside the circle of God’s love, there is no one who is NOT your neighbor.  Mine, too.

     So, what are we to do?  Love God and love our neighbor.  All of them.  That’s what.

     And so the world will know that we are disciples of Jesus.

– Warren Peterson

Sunday Readings

July 14, 2013 – Time after Pentecost: Sunday 15
Deuteronomy 30:9-14 + Psalm 25:1-10
Colossians 1:1-14 + Luke 10:25-37

July 21, 2013 – Time after Pentecost: Sunday 16
Genesis 18:1-10a + Psalm 15
Colossians 1:15-28 + Luke 10:38-42

Godly Play for Grownups

     Join storyteller Diana Hellerman to experience Godly Play just as the children of Mount Olive do.  On Sunday, July 14, come to the Godly Play room at 11:15am for the second story in a series of four.  We’ll hear the story of The Great Family and our place in it. We’ll cross the threshold into the Godly Play space. We’ll build the circle one at a time, hear the story, wonder together about the story and share a feast. Enjoy a quick cup of coffee after liturgy if you wish, and then come downstairs to Godly Play Circle One.

     Additional sessions: July 28: A Parable (you’ll have to wait and see which one) and August 18: The Faces of Jesus.  Questions?  Contact Diana at 612-581-5969 or diana.hellerman@gmail.com.

The Bargain Box

     Each August, Mount Olive Neighborhood Ministries sponsors The Bargain Box, an affordable way for neighborhood families to obtain good quality clothing (new and gently used) for children of all ages to wear as they return to school in the fall. This year, the Bargain Box will be on August 3, from 8-11:30 a.m.

     You can help by donating new or gently used children’s clothes or money to purchase clothes (please include “Bargain Box” in the memo line of your gift), before August 4.

     If you have any questions about Bargain Box, please contact Irene Campbell at 651-230-3927.

Adopt a Plot

     We need volunteers to help with the up keep of the planted areas and grounds.  Can you help? With the abundant rain this spring, the weeds and grass are growing like crazy!  William, our Sexton, does the mowing, but even with our relatively low maintenance landscaping there is a good deal to keep up.   A sign up chart is in the gathering area with various plots mapped out for you to choose from.  Eight gardeners have already signed up, but 5 more are needed! If you can help, we ask that you check the area you adopt weekly and attend to new weeds or other needs. Gardening tools and trash bags are available for your use along with instructions.  For information call Carla Manuel (612-521-3952), Andrew Andersen (763-607-1689), or Steve Manuel (952-922-6367).

Book Discussion Group

     Mount Olive’s Book Discussion group meets on the second Saturday of each month at 10:00 a.m. at church. For the July 13 meeting, they will read The Violent Bear It Away, by Flannery O’Connor.  And advance notification (because of its length) and for August 10 we will discuss Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Meals on Wheels Thanks

     Thanks to the following volunteers from Mount Olive who delivered Meals on Wheels for TRUST during the second quarter of 2013: Gary Flatgard, Art & Elaine Halbardier, Bob & Mary Lee, and Connie & Rod Olson.

New Pictorial Directory

     Work has begun on a new Mount Olive Lutheran Church Pictorial Directory of members and friends.
     With 21st century technology, we plan to develop a secure online edition located in the Members Only section of our website.  There will be the option of requesting a print version for persons who do not have computer or internet access.

     The Vestry, in approving the new online photo directory, included in the authorizing motion that the directory must be secure.  The directory will be password protected.  It will not be out on the web for just anyone to view or mine contact or family information.

     Using the online digital method of producing a pictorial directory allows for continual updates throughout the year as new members join and as updated photos become available.  It also reduces the cost of production significantly.

     Our target date to roll out the directory is mid-autumn.
     Members and friends will need to secure a password for access to the online edition.  The passwords will be assigned through the church office.  The date when members can start requesting passwords will be announced in an upcoming Olive Branch as the project proceeds.

     Paul Nixdorf will take the lead on the photography portion of the project. Evangelism Director, Andrew Andersen, and Congregation Life Director, Sandra Pranschke, are working on scheduling times for taking photographs of members and friends.  We have proposed  that time slots to shoot photos be set up before and after Sunday liturgies with additional time slots scheduled as needed during the week.

     If you are able to volunteer to help with scheduling and or assist with registration at the time of the photo shoots, please call the church office at 612-827-5919.

     Watch upcoming Olive Branch publications for further information on this project.

Bring Your Pails and Bring Your Shovels!

     Phase One of Project Bicycle Rack happens this Saturday, July 13!  Starting at 8:30 a.m., the Property Committee invites you to take part in setting two small paver plots that will form the platforms for the bicycle racks.  We will shovel dirt from the planter at the north parking lot and replace it with gravel base, sand and paver blocks.  The two bicycle racks will be set in August.  Many hands make light work – and we will be grateful for your help.  If you have any questions, call Brenda Bartz at 612-824-7812 or 651-558-7979.

Common Hope

     Mount Olive generously supported Common Hope’s Antigua Library and Reading Promotion Initiative with a gift from our congregation’s Capital Campaign Tithe.  Our gift helped to launch this program and make a commitment to literacy and early childhood development in Guatemala.  Here is a link to an article about the program:  http://www.commonhope.org/2013/04/08/exploring-the-new-world-of-books/

     One of the criteria our congregation thought important in determining the tithe recipients was that we maintain a relationship with the organization.  Common Hope invites Vision Teams to come to Guatemala and spend eight days working at the project, building relationships and experiencing Guatemalan culture.  If you might be interested in participating in a Vision Team, perhaps next summer, please email Lisa Ruff at jklmruff@msn.com.

Servant Schedule Request Deadline

     I will be working on the Servant Schedule for 2013 4th Quarter (October-December) in early August.  If you have requests for that period, please submit them to me by August 1, 2013 @  peggyrf70@gmail.com.  Thanks!

    – Peggy Hoeft

Intrepid USA Hospice Seeks Volunteers

     You have an opportunity to give of your time, heart, and talents to hospice patients and their loved ones!  Training sessions are now being scheduled for volunteers throughout the Twin Cities metro area by Intrepid USA Hospice in Roseville, MN.  If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering, please call Karen Cherwien, Hospice Chaplain and Volunteer Coordinator, at 651-638-7899 for more information and an application.

Mark your calendar! 
“God’s work. Our hands.” 
Saturday & Sunday, September 7-8, 2013

     For 25 years, the ELCA has been a church deeply rooted in faith and in sharing its passion for making positive changes in the world.

     To celebrate our 25th anniversary and our church’s commitment to sharing God’s love with our neighbors, Mount Olive is called to take part in a dedicated weekend of service on September 7-8 known as “God’s work. Our hands.”

     You work every day to welcome your neighbors and make your community a better place. Now let’s do it together as one body, using our hands to do God’s work in Jesus Christ’s name.

     Imagine the nearly 10,000 congregations of our church serving meals, cleaning up neighborhoods, making quilts for refugees or simply visiting the neighbors who need us. We are a church that rolls up our sleeves and gets to work. Let’s harness that experience in a focused weekend of service to others.  Maybe you want to work alone on a project that is near and dear to you.

  Perhaps you want to join with others in the congregation for a larger project.  Interested in trying something new?  Meeting new people from the congregation?  There’s a place for you in this weekend event.

     Watch upcoming Olive Branch articles for suggestions about what you can do to pitch in.  

“And the King said to them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”  Matthew 25:40

Name Badges

     We invite members to wear their name badges in the next couple of months.  This will be helpful for the following reasons:

1) To help members learn the names of fellow members. When we go from two liturgies to one during the summer months, there are members from the liturgy that you don’t usually attend who may not know you or may not know your name.

2)   During the summer months at Mount Olive, we have a larger than usual number of visitors at liturgies.  Your name badge can serve as a welcome aid if someone is seeking information or needs assistance.

3) We have a new vicar, Emily Beckering, arriving in mid-August.  There are over 500 of us for her to get to know and having a name spoken and printed helps with remembering who a person is.

4) We have been blessed with a number of new members during the past year.  Like those of us who have been around for a while, they usually regularly attend one or the other of the liturgies.  There are a number of folks who may be familiar but for whom a name is not known or remembered.  Knowing a name can make it easier to initiate a conversation. A name badge can help with the process of getting comfortable in a new place.

5) As I am maturing, my memory is just not as good as it used to be. When I don’t remember a person’s name after three or four conversations, I am hesitant, or even embarrassed and sometimes hesitate to ask their name again.  A name badge helps reduce the embarrassment by giving me a visual cure.

     If you cannot find your name badge on the racks in the narthex, or if you have misplaced your name badge (as I have on three occasions), please give Cha a call at the church office, 612-827-5919, and she will print a new name badge for you.

– Andrew Andersen, Director of Evangelism

Accent on Worship

Slave

     On June 5th of 2002, a young girl was sleeping in her bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was abducted in the middle of the night.  Many of you may remember Elizabeth Smart.  She was all over the national news and shortly after she was abducted a state-wide manhunt was underway.  For awhile, it didn’t seem like the world would ever hear from Elizabeth Smart again, but nine months later Elizabeth was found walking out in the open with her abductor (though in disguise) and one other woman.

     When Elizabeth was found, the first question many people asked was, if she was out in the open, how come she didn’t call out for help?  After all, Elizabeth was basically enslaved and violated daily.  How could she be so near freedom and not cry out for help?  Over the course of the next few months sociologists began explaining what happened to Elizabeth.  They said that over a long period of time abduction victims can come to have an affinity for their captor, despite anything their captor may do or say to them. It’s called “Stockholm Syndrome,” and it happens because the captors often make their victim believe that they are the only ones that care about them, that the victim’s families have given up looking for them, and that they are the victim’s only hope.  Over long periods of psychological torment, victims can actually come to believe these lies, or at the very least are to afraid to believe otherwise.

     If we examine ourselves closely, this is not far from our own experience with sin.  In Galatians Paul writes that Christ has set us free from sin.  But if Christ has set us free, then why is there still so much sin and evil in the world?  Why do we all continue to sin everyday if we are free?  Like an abduction victim, sin has a powerful grip on us.  We cling to ways of being in the world that have harmful consequences for our communities, our environment, our families, and our selves.  We eat, drink, lie, cheat, fight, lust, etc. on a daily basis, clinging to its power over us.

     While none of us will ever be without sin, Paul’s letter in Galatians reminds us that we cling to old ways of being that work against bringing the fruits of the Spirit into the world.  Like an abduction victim, we do this because this is how we’ve learned to cope with the world around us. We fear that even in the face of overwhelming hope that sin cannot be defeated.  But as Paul teaches, “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

Therefore, trusting in Christ and being guided by the Spirit, sin has lost its power over you.

     Thanks be to God.

– Vicar Neal Cannon

Sunday Readings

June 30, 2013 – Time after Pentecost: Sunday 13
I Kings 19:15-16, 19-21 + Psalm 16
Galatians 5:1, 13-25 + Luke 9:51-62

July 7, 2013 – Time after Pentecost: Sunday 14
Isaiah 66:10-14 + Psalm 66:1-9
Galatians 6:1-16 + Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Fourth of July Potluck

     Coffee hour following the liturgy on Sunday, July 7 will be a 4th of July potluck! Bring a dish to pass and plan to join us for a mid-summer meal together. Pulled pork sandwiches, lemonade, and coffee will be provided. The potluck will be held inside the church, so that weather doesn’t become an issue.

The Bargain Box

     Each August, Mount Olive Neighborhood Ministries sponsors The Bargain Box, an affordable way for neighborhood families to obtain good quality clothing (new and gently used) for children of all ages to wear as they return to school in the fall. This year, the Bargain Box will be on August 3, from 8-11:30 a.m.

     You can help by donating new or gently used children’s clothes or money to purchase clothes (please include “Bargain Box” in the memo line of your gift), before August 4.

     If you have any questions about Bargain Box, please contact Irene Campbell at 651-230-3927.

Book Discussion Group

     Mount Olive’s Book Discussion group meets on the second Saturday of each month at 10:00 a.m. at church. For the July 13 meeting, they will read The Violent Bear It Away, by Flannery O’Connor.  And advance notification (because of its length) and for August 10 we will discuss Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Olive Branch Summer Publication

     Please note that during the months of June, July, and August, The Olive Branch is published every other week.  The next issue will be published on July 10.

Adopt a Plot

     Would you be able to adopt a section of the landscaped area around the Mount Olive Church property?  We need volunteers to help with the up keep of the planted areas and grounds.  With the abundant rain this spring, the weeds and grass are growing like crazy!  William, our Sexton, does the mowing, but even with our relatively low maintenance landscaping there is a good deal to keep up.   A sign up chart is in the gathering area with various plots mapped out for you to choose from.  We ask that you check the area you adopt weekly and attend to new weeds or other needs. Gardening tools and trash bags are available for your use along with instructions.  For information call Carla Manuel (612-521-3952), Andrew Andersen (763-607-1689), or Steve Manuel (952-922-6367).

Remember the Hungry and Homeless

     In your summer travels, please remember to save unused complimentary toiletries for homeless persons.  These, as well as trial size toiletries that can be purchased, are ideal because of their small size. Please bring your donations to the coat room at Mount Olive.

     Also, food needs are even greater in the summer months when children are not in school receiving free lunches.  Please keep this in mind when making your food donations.  CES (Community Emergency Services) has a food shelf to which we contribute.  Here are some needed items: chili, sugar, beef stew, salt, canned beets, cooking oil, pudding cups, Jello gelatin cups, coffee/tea, toilet tissue, cocoa, macaroni & cheese and microwaveable cups of food.

     Your usual generous response will do much to help provide for hungry children. Thank you!

Godly Play for Grownups

     Join storyteller Diana Hellerman to experience Godly Play just as the children of Mount Olive do.  A sampling of stories will be presented after Sunday morning liturgies this summer.  We’ll cross the threshold into the Godly Play space. We’ll build the circle one at a time, hear a story, wonder together about the story and share a feast. Enjoy a quick cup of coffee after liturgy if you wish, and then come downstairs to Godly Play Circle One.  We’ll start 15 or 20 minutes after the service. Come to one session or as many as suit you.

     Schedule: June 30: Creation; July 14: The Great Family; July 28: A Parable (you’ll have to wait and see which one); August 18: The Faces of Jesus.  Questions?  Contact Diana at 612-581-5969 or diana.hellerman@gmail.com.

Twin Cities Pride

     Each year on the last weekend in June, the Twin Cities Gay Pride Festival takes place at Loring Park in Minneapolis.  For the past eight years Mount Olive has joined a group of area churches to sponsor and staff a booth at the Pride Festival.  The booth/tent is a place where the various welcoming churches provide printed information and resources about their congregations. We are scheduled for staffing the booth/tent on Saturday, June 29, 2013, from 2 to 4 pm.  If you would be willing to be a host at the booth/tent, handing out printed material and answering questions, please call the church office (612-827-5919), or Andrew Andersen (763-607-1689).

New Pictorial Directory

     Work has begun on a new Mount Olive Lutheran Church Pictorial Directory of members and friends.

     With 21st century technology, we plan to develop a secure online edition located in the Members Only section of our website.  There will be the option of requesting a print version for persons who do not have computer or internet access.

     The Vestry, in approving the new online photo directory, included in the authorizing motion that the directory must be secure.  The directory will be password protected.  It will not be out on the web for just anyone to view or mine contact or family information.

     Using the online digital method of producing a pictorial directory allows for continual updates throughout the year as new members join and as updated photos become available.  It also reduces the cost of production significantly.

     Our target date to roll out the directory in mid-autumn.
     Members and friends will need to secure a password for access to the online edition.  The passwords will be assigned through the church office.  The date when members can start requesting passwords will be announced in an upcoming Olive Branch as the project proceeds.

     Paul Nixdorf will take the lead on the photography portion of the project. Evangelism Director, Andrew Andersen, and Congregation Life Director, Sandra Pranschke, are working on scheduling times for taking photographs of members and friends.  We have proposed  that time slots to shoot photos be set up before and after Sunday liturgies with additional time slots scheduled as needed during the week.

     If you are able to volunteer to help with scheduling and or assist with registration at the time of the photo shoots, please call the church office at 612-827-5919.

     Watch upcoming Olive Branch publications for further information on this project.

Calling our Property Helpers

     The Property Committee asks for your assistance in two important areas:

1. Exercise your gardening skills with “Adopt-a-Plot.”  Look for the poster board and sign-up sheet in the West Assembly area inviting you to do weeding and light clean-up at one area of our landscaped areas around the church and around the 31st  Street and Chicago Avenue parking lot during the summer.

2.  Saturday, July 13, the Property Committee will host a work day to install two bicycle racks with a new paver surface near the Parish Hall entry doors.  If you can assist with groundwork, setting pavers and two bicycle racks, please join us.  More information will be included in the next Olive Branch.  These bicycle racks are made possible by a generous grant from the Mount Olive Foundation.

     Thank you for your consideration!  If you have any questions, please contact Brenda Bartz at 612-824-7812 or rookwd1@aol.com.

Accent on Worship

     During these days after Pentecost, these “ordinary”, that is, numbered Sundays, we are confronted with the question of what it means to live in the heart of God, in the company of the Risen Christ, in the transforming fire of the Spirit of God. Who have we become after singing these stories, hearing these stories, breathing and touching and tasting these stories for the first half of this church year? Who are we becoming? And how shall we live?

     The story of the woman anointing Jesus’ feet with tears and oil and her own hair provides us with a part of the answer: “Her sins are forgiven.” We are to live as forgiven people, responding in beauty and love. Do we understand that our sins are forgiven even before we know enough to ask? Do we understand that God does not want us to sit in the dark, heads in our hands, paralyzed by self-recrimination and regret? Do we know from Christ how deep God’s love and understanding and care for us is?

     What would it mean for the way that we live, for the way we treat others, for the way we rise each morning and enter each day, to do so as forgiven people? Not faultless. Not righteous. Not superior. But forgiven. Forgiven by a loving God, responding with lives redolent with the sweet fragrance of acts of love and beauty toward others.

He came to my desk with quivering lip –
The lesson was done.
“Dear Teacher, I want a new leaf,” he said,
“I have spoiled this one.”
I took the old leaf, stained and blotted,
And gave him a new one, all unspotted.
And into his sad eyes smiled,
“Do better now, my child!”              
                                                        (Anonymous)
– Susan Palo Cherwien

Sunday Readings

June 16, 2013 – Time after Pentecost: Sunday 11
2 Samuel 11:26—12:10, 13-15 + Psalm 32
Galatians 2:15-21 + Luke 7:36—8:3

June 23, 2013 – Time after Pentecost: Sunday 12
Isaiah 65:1-9 + Psalm 22:19-28
Galatians 3:23-29 + Luke 8:26-39

Olive Branch Summer Publication

     Please note that during the months of June, July, and August, The Olive Branch is published every other week.  Weekly publication resumes after Labor Day. The next issue will be published on June 26.

Neighborhood News

As our Visioning process takes us into the neighborhood, pieces of information about the neighborhood  and local events have surfaced:

• On Sunday, June 2, the Star Tribune printed an article on “Ten Blocks of Art.” Those ten blocks are on Chicago Avenue from 32nd St. to 41st St.

• A neighborhood newspaper, The Messenger, which focuses on news in the Longfellow and Nokomis neighborhoods features the Lake Street Council. Mount Olive has supported the Council for many years – it is a business incubator and sustainer.

• Community Emergency Service, a food shelf and social service organization which we support, is having its annual Appreciation Event for Meals on Wheels Donors and Volunteers, a picnic, on Thursday, June 20, from 5:30-7:30 pm., at Community Emergency Services, 1900 11th Ave. S. Come for supper, fellowship, and fun!

The Bargain Box

     Each August, Mount Olive Neighborhood Ministries sponsors The Bargain Box, an affordable way for neighborhood families to obtain good quality clothing (new and gently used) for children of all ages to wear as they return to school in the fall. This year, the Bargain Box will be on August 3, from 8-11:30 a.m.

     You can help by donating new or gently used children’s clothes or money to purchase clothes (please include “Bargain Box” in the memo line of your gift), before August 4.

     If you have any questions about Bargain Box, please contact Irene Campbell at 651-230-3927.

Book Discussion Group

     Mount Olive’s Book Discussion group meets on the second Saturday of each month at 10:00 a.m. at church. For the July 13 meeting, they will read The Violent Bear It Away, by Flannery O’Connor.  And advance notification (because of its length) that for August 10 we will discuss Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

The Constitution is Coming!

     Copies of the updated Constitution and Bylaws of Mount Olive are being sent to all members of the congregation by mail this week.  If any who are not members of the congregation would also like to receive a copy, please contact the church office and we’d be glad to send one to you.

Remember the Hungry and Homeless

     In your summer travels, please remember to save unused complimentary toiletries for homeless persons.  These, as well as trial size toiletries that can be purchased, are ideal because of their small size. Please bring your donations to the coat room at Mount Olive.

     Also, food needs are even greater in the summer months when children are not in school receiving free lunches.  Please keep this in mind when making your food donations.  CES (Community Emergency Services) has a food shelf to which we contribute.  Here are some needed items: chili, sugar, beef stew, salt, canned beets, cooking oil, pudding cups, Jello gelatin cups, coffee/tea, toilet tissue, cocoa, macaroni & cheese and microwaveable cups of food.

     Your usual generous response will do much to help provide for hungry children. Thank you!

Who Cares?

     The Mount Olive community, of course! Our caring shows in the many ways people provide meals, transportation, home communion, prayers, hugs, and words of encouragement – to name a few. Yet there are missed opportunities, moments of isolation, and life crises of all sorts that happen with some regularity in our midst. As modern life becomes more complex, we can expect an increasing diversity of need among our own members.

     Mount Olive people respond quickly and appropriately when individuals or families have needs, but there are still those who may “fall between the cracks.” Who might they be? How can they also experience the grace that we receive from our Savior and extend to each other in the Body of Christ?

     What can we do? That’s the question which Cathy Bosworth, Marilyn Gebauer, Peggy Hoeft, and Warren Peterson – working with Sandra Pranschke, the newly elected Director of Congregational Life – are addressing in a new project of helping our own members.

     We are putting out a call for your input. Tell us if you are aware of a family or individual who could use some assistance. Others may find it tough to attend Sunday liturgies because of health or lack of transportation. Some may be grieving. You can also give us your ideas about ways to provide care and support for people. Perhaps we need educational programs addressing life changes, health, financial issues, dealing with loss in the family. What do you think?

     Feel free to contact:
• Cathy at 952-949-3679 (email: marcat8447@yahoo.com),
• Marilyn at 651-704-9539 (email:  gebauevm@bitstream.net),
• Peggy at 952-835-7132 (email: peggyrf70@gmail.com),
• Warren at 952-935-9262  (email: gary.nack@gmail.com)
• or Sandra at 612-859-5448 (email: sepranschke@earthlink.net).

     And watch for more details about this project in the future. Please pray that we who have been given much will have much to give.

An Opportunity to Help an Intern

     Mount Olive people have an opportunity to help a seminary student serve her internship next year in Minneapolis at a neighboring parish.  Mount Olive has been made aware of a seminary student from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, Melissa Sidars, who needs to restrict her internship to the Twin Cities area because her partner is working here.  There were no sites that Luther Seminary was able to share, consequently Salem Lutheran Church in Uptown (part of the SpringHouse Ministry Center with two other congregations) was asked if they could have her serve as their intern.  They would very much like to do it, but had not budgeted for the expense, and wouldn’t be able to pick up the whole cost.

     Salem was able to work out an agreement with LSTC that they would cover $9,000 of the cost, and Salem would try to find the other $9,000.  Pr. Jen Nagel, Salem’s pastor, asked some of the neighboring congregations if they’d be willing or able to help.  Mount Olive’s Vestry voted in May that we would come up with $2,000 toward Salem’s share.  Salem will try and find $3,000, and other congregations have indicated they would likely be able to contribute, thus making it possible for Melissa to serve at Salem.

     Long-term members of Mount Olive reminded the Vestry that there was once a time when Mount Olive was struggling to fully fund the vicar program here, and received aid and assistance from Luther Seminary. The Vestry sees this as a wonderful opportunity for us to give back, and make it possible for another student to experience what we cherish here, the opportunity to learn ministry in a rich congregational setting.  If any would like to donate to our pledged commitment, please put “Salem intern” in the memo line of your check to Mount Olive, and thank you!

Theology on Tap

     Theology on Tap is a group at Mount Olive that meets once a month at local bars/restaurants to enjoy a good beverage and dialogue about faith and life (no preparation or book reading required, only your personal knowledge and insight).  Contact Vicar Neal Cannon (vicar@mountolivechurch.org, 612-827-5919 x12) if you would like to join us or have questions about Theology on Tap.

June Event Details
Who: Anyone 21+ is welcome to join
Where: Grand Central: 1672 Grand Ave, St. Paul
When: Thursday June 20, 7:30-9:00pm
Discussion Topic: Environmentalism in the Bible

Godly Play for Grownups

     Join storyteller Diana Hellerman to experience Godly Play just as the children of Mount Olive do.  A sampling of stories will be presented after Sunday morning liturgies this summer.  We’ll cross the threshold into the Godly Play space. We’ll build the circle one at a time, hear a story, wonder together about the story and share a feast. Enjoy a quick cup of coffee after liturgy if you wish, and then come downstairs to Godly Play Circle One.  We’ll start 15 or 20 minutes after the service. Come to one session or as many as suit you.

     Schedule: June 30, Creation; July 14, The Great Family; July 28, A Parable (you’ll have to wait and see which one); August 18, The Faces of Jesus.  Questions?  Contact Diana at 612-581-5969 or diana.hellerman@gmail.com.