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.

       

Accent on Worship

Back to normal?

     We’ve now moved into our “normal” time of the Church Year, sometimes called “ordinary” time.  After months of seemingly constant festivals, special seasons, times of penitence, times of celebration, we now have nearly as many months ahead where there is not much in the way of special observances.  It’s a nice change at this stage, though by the end of the season after Pentecost I usually feel ready for the big run ahead as a Church Year ends and another begins.

     But I wonder if we’re really “back to normal” at all.  Or if we even want to be.  In fact, in these early weeks of the season of Pentecost we are still not far from hearing that marvelous story of the coming of the Spirit to those first believers.  Sound of wind, the sight of flames on or around their heads, and the gift of language to tell the Good News of Jesus to all in Jerusalem, that was a remarkable day, that birth-day of the Church.  And those disciples never got “back to normal.”  Read the account in Acts 2: 3,000 new believers on the first day, the disciples bravely out in the streets and in the Temple telling that the crucified Jesus is raised from death and is Lord and God.  Very soon some of these believers were persecuted for their witnessing, some jailed, and some killed.  I wonder if they sometimes wished it could be “back to normal.”

     I doubt it.  Not that there was always something wrong with “normal.”  For some, it was a working merchant life as independent fishermen.  For others, especially the women, there were families to raise, and daily housework to do.  For many, “normal” used to be a state of pain and fear due to illness, or possession.  So some of “normal” was good for these disciples, some bad, but for all this was their reality: once they met Jesus they were changed forever.  And once he was raised from the dead, they would never know normal again.

     It’s not highly likely that we’ll experience 3,000 new believers being baptized in one day, or should be expecting tongues of fire at our times together (though maybe we shouldn’t underestimate the Spirit!), but in the same way those early disciples were changed forever so are we.  The Spirit is calling us to new things here at Mount Olive, always opening us to new visions of our service to God here.  “Normal” life cannot be lived keeping to our own back yards, or our own church building walls.  Once the Spirit has enflamed us with God’s love, filled us with faith in the risen Jesus, and showered us with gifts, we will never be the same.

     It could be frightening, what the Spirit calls us to be.  Sometimes those early believers must have been scared.  But like them, we know that the Triune God is with us always, blessing us with love and sending us out to share that love.  We know that we have life in our Lord Jesus as we gather around Word and Sacrament each week and as we are sent out by the Spirit into the world.  We know that we are loved by the God of the universe, forever and always, and changed into children of God.  Who’d ever want to go back to normal after that?

– Joseph

Olive Branch Summer Publication

     Please note that during the months of June, July, and August, The Olive Branch is published every other week.  This is the last weekly issue until after Labor Day. The next issue will be published on June 12.

Attention Graduates!

     If you are a regular worshipper (member or friend of the congregation) and will be graduating from high school, college, or a graduate school this spring, please let us know as soon as possible. We want to be sure all graduates are included in our upcoming graduate recognition.

     Simply call the church office (612-827-5919), or drop an email (welcome@mountolivechurch.org).

Bach Tage Events

Saturday, June 8, 4 pm – Bach Masterworks Concert, featuring Marc Levine (Baroque violin), Tami Morse (harpsichord), and Tulio Rondón (Viola de gamba).

Sunday, June 9, 4 pm – Evening Prayer with Bach Cantatas 36 and 123; Susan Palo Cherwien, Susan Druck, William Pederson, and Daniel Mahraun, soloists.

Hebrews Study on Thursday Evenings

     Meeting in the Chapel Lounge from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Pr. Crippen is currently leading a study of the book of Hebrews, an early Christian sermon preserved in the New Testament.  As usual, there will be a light supper when we begin.  The final session of this study is June 6. All are welcome to this study opportunity!

Summer Jobs After School

     The Summer Jobs After School Program is in need of one more volunteer.  If you would like to hang out with three or four cool kids to supervise jobs and an art project once a week for up to two hours for six weeks, call Donna at church, 612-827-5919.  Summer Jobs After School will run from the first week in July through mid-August.  It’s a lot of fun!

Coffee Hour Birthday Celebration

    The families of Andrea Kloempken Volk and David Kloempken will host the coffee hour after the liturgy this Sunday, June 2, in honor of Leanna Kloempken’s 80th birthday. Please come by for the special treats and to help Leanna celebrate!

Adult Forum June 9

     Jessinia Ruff, daughter of Mark and Lisa, is a recent high school graduate. She will be traveling to the Dominican Republic with SCORE International for an 8 month-long trip to study Spanish and participate in local ministry. Following the liturgy on June 9, she will talk more about the organization, the work she’ll be doing there, and how you can support her.

Vision for the Future/Our Vision and Energy: Sunday June 2, 2013

     At our first Vision Event in April, we looked at our history and who we have been and what moved us to become who we are today.  Decade by decade God’s purpose was revealed as the people of Mount Olive responded to Word and Sacrament with action, outreach, and service.

     At our second Vision Event on May 5, we began by acknowledging that we strive to be Musical, Liturgical and Welcoming, and from there we defined other core values to guide Mount Olive into the future.  Two values rose to the top as primary: grace and hospitality. Six other values also were core to our discussion: love, sacredness, justice, commitment, compassion and joy. What would it mean to measure all of our decisions and actions against these values?

     Now it is time to use what we have learned and brainstorm together about what we may become over the next five years.  Join us this Sunday to Visioning Event #3 and add your ideas to the wealth of information your Vision Task Force will digest over the summer.  At Sunday’s event you will have the opportunity to choose from four discussion groups.

• Group #1 will generate a list of Mount Olive’s strengths and select two or three that, if built upon, could really move our ministry forward.
• Group #2 will focus on areas for further development, isolating two or three areas and suggesting ways we can move from good to better.
• Group #3 will examine the community data gained by our Observers and Interviewers over the last six weeks and see what it is telling us about where and how we need to reach out.
• Group #4 is for dreamers who will open doors and windows to what Mount Olive might be, brainstorming without thought of limitations or roadblocks.

     Join us June 2 for the final vision gathering to give input on Mount Olive’s strengths (values), neighborhood surrounding the church (community observers and interviewers) and a vision for our next steps.  We need your vision and energy!  We will gather in the Undercroft after worship on Sunday, share a simple lunch, and work together to discern God’s will for our work in this faith community.  See you there!

– Your Vision Leadership Team

Night On the Street Recap

     On April 19 I participated in a night out on the street. I would be lying to you if I said I was excited to do it. And when the night rolled around I wasn’t in the greatest of moods, but my attitude changed the further into the night we got.

     I and my dear friend, Peter Crippen, arrived there on a Friday afternoon, and as soon as we pulled into the parking lot we saw a huge crowd and a big stage. They had all the currently popular music playing and people having fun. They started us off playing some games and listening to music. Then they went on to tell us about the program and what we would be doing for the rest of the night. So after I got my dinner baggy (which contained some very well done chili, a corn muffin, a chocolate chip cookie and an apple), we went inside the church. They brought our group to a room at the far end of the hall, it was a fairly big room and, compared to the others, rather comfortable.

They sat us down, did their introductions, and then brought in a few groups to speak to us. But the one that caught my attention the most was a man who was homeless when he was a kid. He told us about how he would have to sleep during the day (since sleeping at night was, and still is, rather dangerous). When he could sleep at night it would be at a homeless shelter, and he went on to tell us how they sleep on not much more than a gym mat. He also told us that when they do go to those shelters for a night, they’d have to sleep with everything on, like shoes, socks, and even sometimes backpacks. Because if they didn’t, their possessions would get stolen.

     Later that night we went to the chapel of the church and there they hosted an amusing play. The play was not really relevant to what we were doing, and I started to wonder, “what does this have to do with homeless people?” But at the end they explained how the little play tied in with what they were doing and it made better sense. Later, we went outside and the iron clad doors were closed and we were told we are not allowed back in. And so we all prepared for a very cold night. On the stage they “rewarded” the churches who raised the most money, and then we said some prayers and got briefed on what was going to happen and what we would be doing that night. So Peter and I and the rest of the group we were in set out across the slippery parking lot to grab our shelter, a Grade A cardboard box. We set up our little camp, and hey, our “camp” looked like something out of a post- apocalyptic science fiction movie. After some talking, I considered going to sleep and then going home the next morning. But the person I was talking to noticed a group of people congregating at a trailer, and he realized they were giving cookies and cocoa out (one detail of the night I wasn’t made aware of until that night!), so we went over and ate our cookies and drank our cocoa and went to sleep.

     The next morning they fed us granola bars and fruit. Then they had us take a big group photo and after all that was done we went back to the chapel and they debriefed us  on the night, showed us a video they made with recordings, and then we sang a few songs, or rather, the same song repeated every time a group representative went up to say something. After that we went and cleaned up the mess of the parking lot. I won’t lie, I was disappointed seeing the little post- apocalyptic camp we created with tarps and boxes being taken down, but then I got over it and we went home. And by the end I possessed 3 new things: 1.) a new perspective on homeless, more importantly, homeless youth (witch this thing was all about);   2.) the experience of sleeping on a fairly empty stomach; and 3.) knowing what it was like freezing outside in the dead of night. And yes the last one might sound negative, but it does make you ask yourself, “they sleep like this every night?”

     All in all I had a great time! And I would like to thank all the people at Mount Olive who donated money to make it possible for me to attend!

 – Eric Manuel

A Note of Thanks

To Our Mount Olive Church Family

     We want to thank you for your care, concern, and prayers during Stan’s recent hospitalization and while in transitional care.  Thank you to Pastor Crippen and Vicar Neal for your visits to boost our Spirits.  Stan is now at home and our journey continues with extensive rehabilitation/therapy.

     We also want to thank the prayer shawl committee for the shawl. It has provided soft comfort and warmth (both physically and emotionally) for both of us.

     We need your continued prayers of hope for Stan’s recovery toward optimum health.

Thank You and God’s Blessings,
Stan and Jo Ann Sorenson

Remember the Hungry and Homeless

     Now that the end of the school year is at hand, our thoughts turn to vacations.  In your 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, as you may know, 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.  For our guidance, they have listed some needed items as follows: Chili, Sugar, Beef Stew, Salt, Canned Beets, Cooking Oil, Pudding Cups, Jello Cups, Coffee/Tea, Toilet Paper, Cocoa, Mac and Microwaveable Cups

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

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 June 8 meeting, they will discuss The Calligrapher’s Daughter, by Eugenia Kim. For July 13, they will read The Violent Bear It Away, by Flannery O’Connor.  And advance notification (because of its length) that for August 10 they will discuss Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Lost and Found

     The Lost and Found basket is filled to overflowing and our kitchens cluttered with pans and dishes which have been left at church. This Sunday, June 2, please plan to visit the Lost and Found table, which will be set up in or near the coat room. There may be things there which belong to you that you didn’t even know were missing!

TRUST News: Attention Runners

     If you are a marathon runner and are looking forward to a summer of running, TRUST’s Parish Nurse Program is sponsoring a 5K and a 10K run on June 8. For information about or enrollment forms for this race, please look on the bulletin board located on the lower level of Mount Olive, just outside Donna Neste’s office.

Accent on Worship

The Holy Trinity

     In this Sunday’s readings for The Holy Trinity, we are given a vision in the lessons, the Gospel and the Psalm of a cosmic Creator God, and the story of God’s creation in spirit and matter.  Wisdom, a spiritual entity, is personified in Proverbs as a feminine being, a companion to the Creator from the beginning. Psalm 8 is a tribute to the Creator for the majesty of the universe, the material world.  Paul writes in his letter to the Romans about suffering, which is done in the physical body and the powerful spiritual force of hope.  Jesus, who will soon physically depart from his disciples, tells them of how he will continue to be with them in the Spirit who will guild them and communicate with them in this world.

     The life force that resonates through all that is living originates with the spiritual force of God’s love.  “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us,” writes Paul.
     We are called by the life and love of Jesus to manifest God’s love in the material world, in which we live. We love by being physically present to those in need.  When our sisters and brothers are suffering, we are called to suffer through the sacrificial giving of our material (matter) and ourselves (spirit).  And, “that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,” writes Paul.

     We have been created to live in love, trust, kindness, and hope with God and one another.  And we do this in the spirit and the flesh.  For this reason Wisdom is portrayed as “rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race.”

– Donna Neste

Sunday Readings

May 26, 2013 – The Holy Trinity
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 + Psalm 8
Romans 5:1-5 + John 16:12-15

June 2, 2013 – Time after Pentecost: Sunday 9
I Kings 8:22-23, 41-43 + Psalm 96:1-9
Galatians 1:1-12 + Luke 7:1-10

Summer Worship Schedule Begins This Weekend!

     Beginning this Sunday, May 26, and running through Sunday, September 1, Mount Olive celebrates one Sunday Eucharist at 9:30 a.m.  

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.

Attention Graduates!
     If you are a regular worshipper (member or friend of the congregation) and will be graduating from high school, college, or a graduate school this spring, please let us know as soon as possible. We want to be sure all graduates are included in our upcoming graduate recognition.

     Simply call the church office (612-827-5919), or drop an email (welcome@mountolivechurch.org).

Hebrews Study on Thursday Evenings

     Meeting in the Chapel Lounge from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Pr. Crippen is currently leading a study of the book of Hebrews, an early Christian sermon preserved in the New Testament.  As usual, there will be a light supper when we begin.  All are welcome to this study opportunity!

Summer Jobs After School

     The Summer Jobs After School Program is in need of one more volunteer.  If you would like to hang out with three or four cool kids to supervise jobs and an art project once a week for up to two hours for six weeks, call Donna at church, 612-827-5919.  Summer Jobs After School will run from the first week in July through mid-August.  It’s a lot of fun!

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 June 8 meeting, they will discuss The Calligrapher’s Daughter, by Eugenia Kim. For July 13, 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.

Adult Forum June 9

     Jessinia Ruff, daughter of Mark and Lisa, is a recent high school graduate. She will be traveling to the Dominican Republic with SCORE International for an 8 month-long trip to study Spanish and participate in local ministry. Following the liturgy on June 9, she will talk more about the organization, the work she’ll be doing there, and how you can support her.

A Letter of Thanks

Dear Friends at Mount Olive—

     It is my pleasure to forward to you a letter I recently received on behalf of Mt. Olive from our Bethania partners in India.  You may recall that some months ago Bethania received a $5,000 grant out of the Capital Campaign tithe to help fund the start of a new mission project for children in the State of Odisha in India.  Thanks in no small part to that “seed money”, the work in this remote and largely unchurched part of India has successfully begun.

      You may also be interested to know that the author of the letter was Godfrey Immanuel Rajkumar.  Godfrey was one of the two visitors from Bethania who were at Mount Olive two years ago.  As the Odisha project has taken shape, Godfrey has been one of the key leaders in getting this project off the ground.
      Let me finally add a personal word of thanks for the grant that was awarded.  As some of you know, Mount Olive was one of the original supporters of Bethania going back to 1987.  The faithful support over the years has been much appreciated as Bethania continues to spread the “Good News” to some of India’s neediest children.
     God bless you and all the good people at Mount Olive!

– Gene Hennig

Remember the Hungry and Homeless

     Now that the end of the school year is at hand, our thoughts turn to vacations.  In your 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, as you may know, 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.  For our guidance, they have listed some needed items as follows: Chili, Sugar, Beef Stew, Salt, Canned Beets, Cooking Oil, Pudding Cups, Jello Cups, Coffee/Tea, Toilet Paper, Cocoa, Mac and Microwaveable Cups.

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

“Procession” arrives at Mount Olive

     Thanks to a generous gift by the Mount Olive Foundation, John August Swanson’s magnificent painting “Procession” has come to Mount Olive.  It is hanging in the Chapel Lounge, though that placement may change.  “Procession” is a beautiful, complex painting of a massive, celebratory liturgical procession, with portrayals of biblical stories throughout, banners and musical instruments and singing people.  The artist says this about the painting: “It is not my desire that the complexity and intricacy of this work confuse or confound, but that it illuminate and inspire.  We are invited to join together in the procession to help each other see in ways we have never seen before, to help each other see again what we have forgotten, to see something familiar in a new way, in a new light, from a different perspective.  The great procession is a celebration of life and faith where the rich and poor march in unison; the strong carry the weak, and the weak humble the proud; those who know the dance teach those who are just learning; and a child lifts high the banner for all to follow in joy, in peace, in love.  This is the reality, the spirit I want to make real in this work.”  This painting celebrates a life of worship and praise of God to which Mount Olive aspires.

     Swanson painted “Procession” in 1980, and created a signed, serigraph edition of 250 in 2007; Mount Olive’s is number 180 in the series.  For more information and reflections by the artist, see his website description of this work: http://www.johnaugustswanson.com/default.cfm/PID=1.2.21.

     Thanks are due to the Mount Olive foundation for this gift, and to Paul Nixdorf and Brian Jacobs for their assistance in procuring it and having it framed.

Church Library News

     We are pleased to invite you into our library to see and browse in the newest display of books.  Included are three books given in memory of someone and almost a dozen books that have been donated by one of our congregation’s members.  There are also some nice additions to our children’s book section.
     Memorial Books:
• WHAT A SON NEEDS FROM HIS DAD (How a Man Prepares His Sons for Life) by Michael A. O’Donnell, Ph.D., given in memory of Warren Bartz
• GOD’S ANSWERS TO LIFE’S DIFFICULT QUESTIONS (Living With Purpose series) by Rick Warren, given in memory of Bill Laack
• MY HEART’S CRY — Longing for More of Jesus by Anne Graham Lotz, given in memory of Vernette Schroeder

    Donated Books:
• THE HIDDEN GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, Annotated and Explained by Ron Miller,  given to our library by David Ludwig
• THE RIVER OF GOD (a New History of Christian Origins) by Gregory J. Riley, given by David Ludwig
• THE UNVARNISHED NEW TESTAMENT, A New Translation from the Original Greek Translation by Andy Gaus,  given by  David Ludwig
• THE JOURNEYS OF ST. PAUL (Bible Wisdom for Today) by James Harpur, given by David Ludwig.
• CAREGIVING FOR YOUR LOVED ONES by Mary Vaughn Armstrong, given by Adam Krueger
• WISDOM ABOUT WAR AND NON-VIOLENCE (30 Thoughts to Discuss and Ponder) with Lowell Erdahl and Duane Kamrath, given by Al Bostelmann
• ONLY ANGELS CAN WING IT (The Rest of Us Have to Practice) by Liz Curtis Higgs, given by Hans Tisberger
• MARTIN LUTHER — A PENGUIN LIFE by Martin Marty, given by Mary Dorow.
• MY REAL FAMILY (a Child’s Book About living in a Step Family) by Doris Sanford, given by Leanna Kloempken

More New Books:
• TRAVELING LIGHT (Releasing the Burdens You Were Never Intended to Bear), by Max Lucado
• REDEMPTION, RETURN, and TUESDAY MORNING (3 separate books about the Victim of the September 11, 2001 Terrorism Attack), the first two by Karen Kingsbury and Gary Smalley and the last in the series is written by Karen Kingsbury alone.
• GOD’S BEAUTIFUL HEAVEN, by Julie Cadalbert
• HELP WANTED (Devotions for Job Seekers), by Aaron M. Basko
• ALWAYS THERE (Reflections for Mom’s on God’s Presence), by Susan Wallace
• 3 Special Children’s books in the Helping Hand Books series, written by Sarah, Duchess of York — EMILY’S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, MICHAEL AND HIS NEW BABY BROTHER, and MATTHEW AND THE BULLIES.

     Also, remember that with the coming of the summer church schedule, our church library’s hours will change to being open 45 minutes after each Sunday’s liturgy.

     I’ll close with this quote from Archibald MacLeish:  “What is more important in a library than anything else — than everything else — is the fact that it exists!

– Leanna Kloempken