Olive Branch – Page 116

The Olive Branch, 2/15/13

February 15, 2013 By moadmin

Accent on Worship

Joyful Turning

I’ve started reading Soul Mending: the Art of Spiritual Direction, by Deacon John Chryssavgis, who was also our wonderful speaker at the Liturgical Conference last month. At the very start of this book he wrote something that has been sticking with me in the week since: “We have become so accustomed to thinking of repentance as an unpleasant, though necessary and obligatory rejection of the sin we “enjoy,” that we have tended to lose sight of repentance as a fundamentally joyous, restorative return to life in its fullness.”
(p. 1)

Repentance as a joyful return to life, that’s what’s been working its way through my mind as we approach Lent. Because Lent does have a rather dour reputation as a season of giving up things, a season of minor keys in music, a season of focusing on the terrible death of Jesus, a season of thinking about how awful and sinful we are. That it ends in Easter is considered a grace, but we often hear people speaking of Lent as something to be endured.

But Fr. Chryssavgis is right, that’s not what repentance looks like in the Scriptures, or even in the lives of believers. We are called to “return to the Lord” by the prophet Joel, “who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.” (Joel 2:13) Repentance, turning to God, isn’t actually a gloomy proposition at all because in it we are turning to life from death, to health from sickness, to goodness from evil, to loving action from sinful deed. It is a recognition that our lives are only of abundant value when they are lived in the life of the Triune God who loves us from before all time and into eternity, who is gracious, forgiving, merciful, and abounding in steadfast love.

I wonder what Lent would feel like if we lived it more joyously, as a time of renewal which brings us life from God’s grace, not grumpily as a time of sacrifice of things that normally we enjoy. Perhaps our New Year’s resolutions, which typically are intended to restore us to a better way of living and being, are better placed here, as pathways not to a six-week deprivation of things we long for but to the beginning of a life-long set of habits and ways that actually bring us life and joy. “Lenten discipline” need not have the connotations of a harsh school teacher for us. Rather, the disciplines of Lent could be for us the pathway of life and grace in the love of God we’ve been hoping to find all our lives.

I invite us all to consider this joy as we begin our discipline, as we intentionally begin to think on our being disciples once again. Jesus’ disciples didn’t follow him because of his threats or his stringent requirements. They followed him, and yes, learned the discipline of a life in Christ, because of his loving grace that drew them in, because of the life he brought them, even after dying himself, when he rose from the dead. Let us therefore joyfully repent of our sins, and turn to our God, in whom we find life and grace, a thing to celebrate even in this season of Lent.

In the name of Jesus,

– Joseph

2013 Lenten Devotional Booklets Now Available

Return to God: A Lenten Journey Into Wilderness, To Jerusalem, written for the Mount Olive community by Susan Cherwien, is now available at church. Pick one up for use in your Lenten journey this year. They are in the narthex and Chapel Lounge at church.

The devotional is also available online in a daily blog at www.journeyintolent.blogspot.com.

Upcoming Adult Forums

Sunday, February 17 – “The Work of Common Hope,” led by the Ruff family and Louise LeGrand.

Sunday, February 24– “The Art of Lectio Divinia,” presented by Sister Carol Rennie OSB and Sam Rahberg from the Benedictine Center.

Lent Procession to be Held This Sunday, February 17, 4 p.m.

Join us for another contemplative service of lessons and carols – for Lent! This service is offered on the First Sunday in Lent as an opportunity to withdraw from the busyness of life to pray, sing, listen, smell – to fully enter into the season of Lent, a time to renew our life as baptized children of God.

Midweek Lenten Worship
Wednesdays in Lent
Noon – Holy Eucharist
7:00 pm – Evening Prayer

Church Clean Up – Mark Your Calendars!

The next church clean-up day will be held on Saturday, February 23, from 8:30 am – 2:30 pm. Plan to come and pitch in – many hands make light work!

Book Discussion Group

For the March 9 meeting, the Book Discussion group will read Midnight’s Children, by Salman Rushdie. For the April 13 meeting they will discuss In the Company of the Courtesan, by Sarah Dunant. Looking ahead, in May we will discuss Children of God by Mary Doria Russell. This is the sequel to her novel The Sparrow which we read earlier.

Lenten Bible Study: Practice Faith

Christian faith practices are widely accepted, but not broadly understood outside of a moral/ethical understanding. Of course we should be hospitable, of course we should give to the poor, and of course we should be in service to our neighbor. Other faith practices take on the sense of duty and obligation. We’re called to pray, observe Sabbath, share the gospel, etc.

Come to the six week Lenten Bible study starting February 14th from 6-7:30pm in the Chapel Lounge to explore these topics in scripture and community.

February 14 – Hospitality and Welcome
February 21 – Tithing and Generosity
February 28 – Prayer
March 7 – Celebration and Sabbath
March 14 – Sharing the Gospel
March 21 – Serving our Neighbor

Meals on Wheels

Thanks to the following members of Mount Olive who delivered Meals on Wheels for TRUST, Inc. during the last quarter of 2012: Nancy & Gary Flatgard, Elaine & Art Halbardier; Bob Lee, and Connie & Rod Olson.

Thursday Musical Concert to Be Held at Mount Olive

For more than 120 years, Thursday Musical has been dedicated to presenting fine classical music programs featuring outstanding local musicians and offering educational opportunities to artists and audiences alike.

On Thursday, February 21, at 10:30 a.m., as part of their Thursday Morning Artist Series, their concert will be held at Mount Olive, and feature David Cherwien and Kathryn Moen, organists, and the Semada Trio (oboe, bassoon, and piano). The concert is free and open to the public. All are welcome!

Visioning

For the past month a Vision Task Force comprised of Andrew Andersen, David Cherwien, Pastor Crippen, Judy Hinck, Adam Krueger, Connie Marty, Peter Tressel, and Donna Neste have begun to develop a process that will allow the congregation to discern God’s vision for Mount Olive Lutheran Church and our shared ministry to our neighborhood and the world. A number of events have converged that make this an ideal time to undertake such a process: We have just completed a (quite successful) 5-year campaign and building renovation, Pastor Crippen is well into his third year as our pastor and has a stronger sense of who and where we are, and Donna Neste’s retirement as our Neighborhood Ministry Coordinator will occur in the spring of 2014.

Through a study of God’s word, prayer, visits around the neighborhood, interviews with community leaders, together we will work to match information gained with congregational interests and assets. A series of three congregational meetings will occur this spring and summer to build community around our history, our values, and God’s vision for our future as his people in this place. The task force will compile the information provided and present the findings and proposal for next steps to the October Semi-Annual meeting of the congregation.

How can you be involved in this important work? Following are some of the needs already identified.

• Pray for this important effort and correct discernment of God’s will; specific requests will be posted from time to time, but you can begin now to lift up the process that Christ’s church and God’s people are served by it.

• Commit to study God’s word; specific “vision passages” of scripture and others will be provided as a guide

• Get involved; volunteers will be needed for the following; contact any member of the Task Force or the church office.

 Augment the Task Force (especially those who are gifted in strategic thinking)—needed now through October
 Triads of people to visit, observe, and pray about what they see in our neighborhood—commit to 2-3 visits as a group over a 2 week period

 People to interview identified community leaders about what they see in and hope for the neighborhoods around Mount Olive—commit 2 to 3 visits over a 2-3 week period; sample interview questions will be provided

 People to help provide childcare at the three congregational meetings

 People to provide refreshments at the three congregational meetings

 People to provide transportation to/from the three congregational meetings

 Engage with and encourage other members to join you in these activities to help discern God’s vision for us and shape the direction of our journey in the coming years.

It is exciting to think about being deliberate in seeking what God has planned for Mount Olive, her people, and our neighborhoods. Won’t you join us in the discovery of what that is and how it could look for our life together?

The Olive Branch, 2/8/13

February 8, 2013 By moadmin

Accent on Worship

Shine On

Working at a Bible Camp in northern Minnesota during my summers in college, we had a term for the experience of our campers. We called it “The Mountain Top.” The Mountain Top experience is that ‘high’ that kids often felt in being at camp. It’s that feeling of never having been closer to God; never having been loved more in your life. Usually, by mid-week Tuesday or Wednesday, kids would start feeling as though they were on the mountain top, but by Thursday and certainly Friday, they started to dread going back down into the valley. They dreaded going home, going to school, and going back to “normal life” as they often called it.

I often wondered what it was that separated this place, the mountain; from our normal lives, the valley.

Our text this week answers that question beautifully. It tells us that there is a veil that separates us from God. The veil is that space between God and us. In scripture, whenever God appears to the people, it’s always at a distance or at an angle. God appears to Moses in a burning bush, and when he leaves, Moses only sees God’s back. Jacob wrestles with God in the dark, but God leaves before daybreak.

In this world, there are places where the veil is heavy. There are places in our lives where God seems far away, places of hatred, death, despair, loneliness, etc.

But there are also spaces in this world where we glimpse God. Sometimes we glimpse God when a friend comes to us in our sadness and loneliness. Sometimes we glimpse God in worship or in feeding the hungry. As someone once told me, there are places where the veil is thin.

But we also learn that in one person, the veil is removed. There’s one space where we see fully what God is like, and that’s in Jesus Christ as he comes down from the mountain, and into the valley to be with us.

So when kids at camp described their “mountain top” experience, what they are really saying is that they’ve encountered Jesus Christ who has come down from the mountain into the valley of their lives. They’ve encountered the Word of God, Jesus, in Bible study. They’ve encountered the Holy Spirit when friends and adults alike surround them with love and affirmation. They’ve encountered God in a song sung around the campfire. So, like Jesus and Moses on their mountain tops, they shine for the world to see when they encounter the Triune God.

The same is true for us. When we encounter God in worship, we shine. When we learn to love our neighbor as Jesus taught us, we shine because that is the image of God. When we bear this good news for others, we shine because we reflect God’s word to us.

So as Jesus and Moses did once, come to the mountain top where the veil is thin so you too may shine for the world.

– Vicar Neal Cannon

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper
Tuesday, February 12, 6–6:45 p.m.

All are invited! Please take a moment to sign up on the chart in the west assembly area so that we can get an approximate count for food preparation– or call your RSVP in to the church office.

We are in need of two volunteers to help with games at this event. If you are willing to help, call Beth Sawyer at 651-434-0666, or drop her an email at mikebethsawyer78@gmail.com.

Lent Begins
Ash Wednesday
February 13, 2013
Holy Eucharist
with the Imposition of Ashes
Noon and 7:00 pm

Bring Your Palms

It’s time to bring in any palm branches you have from last year’s Palm Sunday liturgy. These branches may be placed in the designated basket in the narthex. They will be burned in a brief rite on Shrove Tuesday after the Pancake Supper, and their ashes used for the Imposition of Ashes on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 13.

Sunday Readings

February 10, 2013 – Transfiguration of Our Lord
Exodus 34:29-35 + Psalm 99
2 Corinthians 3:12—4:2 + Luke 9:28-36[37-43]

February 17, 2013 – First Sunday in Lent
Deuteronomy 26:1-11 + Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Romans 10:8b-13 + Luke 4:1-13

Taste of Ethiopia – This Sunday

“Taste of Ethiopia,” is this Sunday, February 10. The preacher and education hour leader will be The Reverend Dinku Bato, a Ph.D. student at Luther Seminary in Congregational Mission and Leadership, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. At the education hour, he will talk about the history and current context of Christianity in Ethiopia and Lutherans in particular. After the second liturgy, please join us for a lunch of Ethiopian food, prepared by members of Mount Olive. The annual “Taste of” event, which highlights the culture, foods, and history of various areas of our global community, is a long tradition at Mount Olive.

Proceeds from this year’s “Taste of Ethiopia” will benefit two initiatives of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, the Lutheran church partner in Ethiopia. (1) The Oromo Functional Literacy project teaches Oromo communities to read and write with the goal of empowerment and development. We were invited to support this program by representatives of the Lutheran World Federation. (2) The other initiative is a program that supports communities to care for children who have been orphaned due to AIDS. We have been invited to contribute to this program by the Bishop of the La Crosse Area Synod of the ELCA, which supports this project through its sister synod relationship with Ethiopia.

Upcoming Adult Forums

Sunday, February 10 – As part of our Taste of Ethiopia observance, The Reverend Dinku Bato, a Ph.D. student at Luther Seminary in Congregational Mission and Leadership, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia will talk about the history and current context of Christianity in Ethiopia and Lutherans in particular.

Sunday, February 17 – Common Hope Project, led by the Ruff family (and others).

Lent Procession to be Held Sunday, February 17, 4 p.m.

Book Discussion Group

The Book Discussion Group will NOT meet in February because several members will be traveling at the usual meeting time. For the March 9 meeting we will discuss Midnight’s Children, by Salman Rushdie. For the April 13 meeting we will discuss In the Company of the Courtesan, by Sarah Dunant. Looking ahead, in May we will discuss Children of God by Mary Doria Russell. This is the sequel to her novel The Sparrow which we read earlier.

Servant Schedule Deadline

February 15, 2013 is the deadline for requests for the 2nd quarter Servant Schedule. The schedule for April, May and June of 2013 will be posted at the beginning of March. Please email requests to Peggy Hoeft @ peggyrf70@gmail.com by 2/15/13.

Art Shoppe Update

In 2011, A Minnesota Without Poverty approached Mount Olive and JCRC seeking help in providing a space in which local artists could sell their work. We agreed! And after several months of planning and remodeling an area at Midtown Global Market, The Art Shoppe opened in October of 2011. One year later, they celebrated their first birthday with food, music, and demonstrations. At Christmas, not only did the store do well, but a “sister” store in Gaviidae Common downtown asked us to participate. December sales topped $10,000.

The artists, Kim, Terry, Raelena, Tara, Kip, and Keegan, have learned skills of bookkeeping, sales, management, and publicity in this micro enterprise. Mount Olive volunteers Kathy Thurston and JoAnn Sorenson, and Carol Austermann have contributed their energy and ideas. Over 60 consigners bring a variety of glassware, pottery, clothing, and jewelry to sell.

The income generated at the store has enabled the artists to pay rent and to begin paying off the loan which enabled them to start this adventure. A contract for the same space for 2013 has been signed and they are looking at a bright future and toward teaching others how to succeed at business. Congratulations to The Art Shoppe!

All are encouraged to visit The Art Shoppe – and to shop!

Hymnal Companion

Have you ever sung a hymn in church and wanted to know more about it? Were you curious to know a little about the person who composed the tune or who wrote the text, or other background on the hymn? Thanks to a generous donor, a copy of Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship, by Paul Westermeyer is now available in the west reception area. This book is meant to remain in this area to be a resource for the whole congregation. Take some time to peruse it and learn a little more about the church’s rich heritage of hymns.

Church Clean Up – Mark Your Calendars!

The next church clean-up day will be held on Saturday, February 23, from 8:30 am – 2:30 pm. Plan to come and pitch in – many hands make light work!

Lenten Bible Study: Practice Faith

Come to the six week Lenten Bible study starting February 14th from 6-7:30pm in the Chapel Lounge to explore these topics in scripture and community.

A New Opportunity to Serve

The Neighborhood Ministries Committee recently took a survey of guests to see whether there was interest in staying for a social hour after the meal. There was enough favorable response so that we are considering offering a social time. However, the volunteers serving the Community Meal are obviously otherwise occupied. This is where you come in. We hope that a Mount Olive group or individual would like to take on this service. There is interest among the guests particularly in playing board games, and doing craft activities. The social hour could be kicked off, for instance, with a game of Bingo. A social time such as this could help fill a need for people who are often isolated and seeking to form relationships.

This service would require only a couple of hours on the Saturday that the community meal is served. If you or your committee or other group might be interested in carrying out this activity, please contact Carol Austermann (612-722-5123) or Eunice Hafemeister (612-721-6790) or speak to any member of the Neighborhood Ministries Committee.

Church Library News

One of the newest displays in our church library contains some timely or topical reading, as well as some pre-Lenten reading, such as:

• The Real Score, by golf champion Gene Littler
• All the Master’s Men: Patterns for Modern Discipleship, by Kendrick Strong
• Trevor’s Place: The Story of the Boy Who Brings Hope to the Homeless, by Frank and Janet Farrell
• Catch the New Wind: The Church is Alive and Dancing, by Marilee Zdenek and Marge Champion
• To the Kid in the Pew (60 Chapel Talks), by Eldon Weisheit
• Time for Questions: Messages for Lent and Easter, by Harris W. Lee
• Come, Lord Jesus, Come Quickly (Lenten Meditations), by Constance F. Parvey
• Parables from the Cross (Sermons for Lent and Easter), by Kenneth Rogahl and Walter Schoedel
• Voices of the Crossroads (First Person Dramatic Portrayals of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus),
edited by Paul K. Peterson (yes, this is our late Paul Peterson)
• Meeting Christ in Handel’s Messiah (Messages for Lent and Easter), by Roger T. Quillan

A recent article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune featured a great quote from the Reading is Fundamental organization and it goes like this: “BOOK PEOPLE UNITE — Read to a child today and spark a lifetime of ambition!”

– Leanna Kloempken

Sign Up, Sign Up for Coffee!

If you are willing to host an upcoming coffee hour during the months of March or April, please take a moment to sign up on the chart, located in the church office. The chart is also available to sign at coffee hour on Sunday mornings.

February 1, 2013 By moadmin

Accent on Worship

The word of God is always pleasing in the abstract. “God is love,” God loves the whole world,” or even the words that Jesus read in his hometown synagogue from the book of Isaiah about all that God is going to do for them; make the blind to see, heal the lame, free the oppressed and all those other good things. When Jesus put down the scroll and challenged them to go beyond the edifying words of God, to truly love and be a comfort themselves to all who suffer, they were enraged. They did not accept that the words read were fulfilled in him, a human being.

To pray to God for all that is good and believe that God will do this without us is not biblical. To pray to God and to believe that all our efforts to comfort, heal, do justice and bring peace to this world are driven by God, is truth. God will not do it without us. The first reading for Epiphany 4 is a good example of this and a familiar story. God is calling the prophet Jeremiah and Jeremiah is resisting. Like many prophets before him, he listed his faults and weaknesses and I’m sure that he was questioning whether God had made some kind of mistake. God did not leave Jeremiah on his own, though. He put his very words in the mouth of the prophet.

God sent out a formal invitation to Jeremiah to do a hard and special thing, and God calls us too. “Who me?” we may ask. “I don’t know how to write a letter to my representatives in Washington about changing policy to help those who are poor and hungry in this nation and the world,” we may say to a God of justice who is calling us. However, like Jeremiah and all the prophets before him, God will not leave us on our own. God has called others to help you do just that through Bread for the World, a faith based national organization. A representative from Bread for the World will be at Mount Olive this Sunday during the Adult Education hour with everything you need to be a voice for justice.

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians (in Sunday’s second reading) that if we believers do not have love, we have nothing. Love is not an abstract concept. It is divinely driven action that brings all that is good, and all that promotes peace and well-being to all of God’s creation. We are called to love.

– Donna Pususta Neste

Sunday Readings

February 3, 2013 – 4th Sunday after Epiphany
Jeremiah 1:4-10 + Psalm 71:1-6
I Corinthians 13:1-13 + Luke 4:21-30

February 10, 2013 – Transfiguration of Our Lord
Exodus 34:29-35 + Psalm 99
2 Corinthians 3:12—4:2 + Luke 9:28-36[37-43]

The Presentation of Our Lord
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Holy Eucharist at 7:00 pm

Upcoming Adult Forums

Sunday, February 3 – Bread for the World Offering of Letters, facilitated by Donna Neste.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper
Tuesday, February 12, 6–7 p.m.

All are invited! Please take a moment to sign up on the chart in the west assembly area so that we can get an approximate count for food preparation– or call your RSVP in to the church office.

We are in need of two volunteers to help with games at this event. If you are willing to help, call Beth Sawyer at 651-434-0666, or drop her an email at mikebethsawyer78@gmail.com.

From the Mount Olive Foundation

The Mount Olive Lutheran Church Foundation is excited to be able to fund an annual gift to the Church from the earnings of its endowment in the amount of approximately $26,000. The value of the endowment is now approximately $800,000, thanks to generous donors and those who have included the Foundation in their estate plans. The use of the endowment gift is restricted to activities that directly benefit Mount Olive, therefore no outside programs are eligible for the annual gift. The Foundation in the past has preferred gifts that are capital items or special programs not able to be funded out of the budget or through other Church funds. Please submit any ideas that you have to a Vestry member under whom the program or gift would fall. The Foundation has asked that the following questions be addressed: 1. Amount of funds requested. 2. How will the funds be used? 3. How will this request benefit the mission of Mount Olive? 4. If there is not enough money to fully finance this request, would less money be useful?

Please submit your ideas and answers to the four questions above to the appropriate Vestry member by February 8. Vestry Members are: Adam Krueger (President); Lisa Nordeen (Vice President); Elizabeth Beissel (Secretary); Kat Campbell-Johnson (Treasurer); Carl Manuel (Congregational Life); Brooke Roegge (Education); Andrew Andersen (Evangelism); Eunice Hafemeister and Carol Austermann (Neighborhood Ministries); Paul Schadewald (Missions); Brenda Bartz(Property); Dennis Bidwell (Stewardship); Al Bipes (Worship); and Beth Sawyer (Youth).

Taste of Ethiopia February 10

Mark your calendars for “Taste of Ethiopia,” on Sunday, February 10. The preacher and education hour leader will be The Reverend Dinku Bato, a Ph.D. student at Luther Seminary in Congregational Mission and Leadership, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. At the education hour, he will talk about the history and current context of Christianity in Ethiopia and Lutherans in particular.

After the second liturgy, please join us for a lunch of Ethiopian food, prepared by members of Mount Olive. The annual “Taste of” event, which highlights the culture, foods, and history of various areas of our global community, is a long tradition at Mount Olive.

Proceeds from this year’s “Taste of Ethiopia” will benefit two initiatives of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus–the Lutheran church partner in Ethiopia. (1) The Oromo Functional Literacy project teaches Oromo communities to read and write with the goal of empowerment and development. We were invited to support this program by representatives of the Lutheran World Federation. (2) The other initiative is a program that supports communities to care for children who have been orphaned due to AIDS. We have been invited to contribute to this program by the Bishop of the La Cross Synod of the ELCA, which supports this project through its sister synod relationship with Ethiopia.

Book Discussion Group

Mark Your Calendars!

The next church clean-up day will be held on Saturday, February 23, from 8:30 am – 2:30 pm. Plan to come and pitch in – many hands make light work!

However, the volunteers serving the Community Meal are obviously otherwise occupied. This is where you come in. It is our hope that a Mount Olive group or individual would like to take on this service. There is interest among the guests particularly in playing board games, and doing craft activities. The social hour could be kicked off, for instance, with a game of Bingo. A social time such as this could help fill a need for people who are often isolated and seeking to form relationships.

Nave Seating

You will notice some ‘rearranged’ seating in the nave this Sunday. One of the pews near the front (pulpit side) has been exchanged for a shorter one from one of the upper galleries to provide additional wheelchair accessibility. This mirrors the open space already available on the lectern side. Please leave these spaces available for those who need them, including the section of pew directly next to them for companions. Thanks to the Vestry, the Property Committee and the Thursday C.P.R. team (Art and George) for making this possible, that Mount Olive might continue to be a place of welcome for all.

Servant Schedule Deadline

Theology on Tap

Have you ever wanted to get to know the people sitting next to you in the pews a little better? Do you enjoy a good beer while sharing stories with friends? Then come to Theology on Tap! Theology on Tap is a new group at Mount Olive that meets once a month at local bars/restaurants to enjoy a good beverage (beer/wine/soda? It’s up to you!), good food, and good conversation. Each week we’ll also dive into a dialogue about faith and life (no preparation or book reading required, only your personal knowledge and insight) as we explore Christianity in the 21st century. Contact Vicar Neal Cannon (vicar@mountolivechurch.org, 612-827-5919 x12) if you would like to join us for our first Theology on Tap!

February Event Details

Who: Anyone 21+ is welcome to join
Where: Herkimer Pub and Brewery – 2922 Lyndale Ave S., Mpls.
When: Thursday February 7, 7:30-9:00pm
Discussion Topic: Young Adults and the Church
Facebook Page: Mount Olive Theology on Tap
(“Like” the Page to get updates on Theology on Tap
Contact: Vicar Neal Cannon
(vicar@mountolivechurch.org)

A Note of Thanks

To all of our friends at Mount Olive:
Where do I begin to express my gratitude for all of the extraordinary talent, love, compassion, and caring shared during one of the saddest times of my life with my Mama Z passing away?
There are many angels on this earth and our church is filled with them.
I will say to all of you what I said to so many at Westwood Health Care Center: if I thanked each one of you several times each day until my last day on earth, it still wouldn’t be enough thanks for all of the magnificent things you have done for me and for us.
God bless you all,
Eric Zander & Dennis Bidwell

Lenten Bible Study: Practice Faith

But what is the Biblical root of these practices? Why are these things so important that they are mentioned over, and over, and over again in the Bible? What have Christians done in the past and what can we do now to keep these practices alive in our lives?
Come to a six-week Lenten Bible study starting February 14, from 6-7:30 pm in the Chapel Lounge to explore these topics in scripture and community.

https://www.mountolivechurch.org/2013/02/01/1370/

January 25, 2013 By moadmin

Accent on Worship

For “Accent on Worship” this week, I’d like to reprint the reflection from the conference on liturgy’s hymn festival, written by Paul Westermeyer. The hymn festival was about “Images of Creation: the Earthiness of Liturgy.” This reflection was about smoke, and it preceded the hymn “Isaiah in a Vision Did of Old.”
– Cantor David Cherwien

Isaiah had a vision that the whole earth was full of the glory of God. So did Ezekiel. Ezekiel perceived God to be so holy that all you could see was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of God [Ezekiel 1:28]. God was protected by glory which was in turn protected by the appearance and the likeness of the glory. For Isaiah God was also protected by glory; and the glory of God was itself so holy that you could only approach it through smoke [Isaiah 6:4].

But in Christ God became flesh. Now we see God’s glory in Christ, full of grace and truth [John 1:14]; and we sing, “Holy, holy, holy” with a new vision. Both Isaiah’s vision and the one in Christ lead us to serve the earth and its creatures. When the smoke settles and the tomb is empty God asks, “Whom shall I send?”
The message God gives us is no picnic because it is full of grace and truth. The holiness of God’s anger has been kindled against a people who have wreaked injustice on the earth. There is no smoke now. God tells Isaiah to say to the people: “Hear, but don’t understand if you won’t. See, but perceive nothing if you won’t” [Isaiah 6:9]. Isaiah asks, “How long, O Lord?” God answers, “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is utterly desolate” [Isaiah 6:11]. It is a message of doom.

Second Isaiah is coming, to be sure, with a word of comfort, valleys lifted up, hills made low, and the glory of God to be revealed. But God still comes with justice, and the nations are as a drop from a bucket [Isaiah 40:15]. The glory of God is revealed in Christ, to be sure, but in Christ the justice we are called to do on the earth is, if anything, even more heightened.

We continually need to get two things straight. First, the holiness of God is holy indeed, and we are right to point to it through smoke since even when we see it in Christ it is veiled in flesh beyond our understanding. Second, the holiness of God has implications for how we are to treat the earth which is charged with the grandeur of God. We usually get it backwards. We mistakenly think that by removing the smoke and tinkering with our worship we by our works can make God clear. Then, we think that is all we need to do, when in fact it is not only impossible and wrong; it is yet another clever way to avoid our calling to serve and care for the earth and all its creatures.

“Holy, holy, holy,” says the Sanctus. The beams shake, the house is filled with smoke, and God says, “Go.”
– The Rev. Dr. Paul Westermeyer

Sunday Readings

January 27, 2013 – 3rd Sunday after Epiphany
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 + Psalm 19
I Corinthians 12:12-31a + Luke 4:14-21

January 20, 2013 – 4th Sunday after Epiphany
Jeremiah 1:4-10 + Psalm 71:1-6
I Corinthians 13:1-13 + Luke 4:21-30

Upcoming Adult Forums

Sunday, January 27 – A presentation by the Minnesota Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing (MICAH).
Sunday, February 3 – Bread for the World Offering of Letters, facilitated by Donna Neste.

The Presentation of Our Lord
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Holy Eucharist at 7:00 pm

From the Mount Olive Foundation

The Mount Olive Lutheran Church Foundation is excited to be able to fund an annual gift to the Church from the earnings of its endowment in the amount of approximately $26,000. The value of the endowment is now approximately $800,000, thanks to generous donors and those who have included the Foundation in their estate plans. The use of the endowment gift is restricted to activities that directly benefit Mount Olive, therefore no outside programs are eligible for the annual gift. The Foundation in the past has preferred gifts that are capital items or special programs not able to be funded out of the budget or through other Church funds. Please submit any ideas that you have to a Vestry member under whom the program or gift would fall. The Foundation has asked that the following questions be addressed: 1. Amount of funds requested. 2. How will the funds be used? 3. How will this request benefit the mission of Mount Olive? 4. If there is not enough money to fully finance this request, would less money be useful?

Prayer Shawl Ministry News

The members of the Prayer Shawl Ministry will meet following the second liturgy this Sunday, January 27. They will meet downstairs in the Undercroft. The purpose of this meeting is to further define and plan our ministry to the people of Mount Olive. Feel free to join the group, and bring your knitting/crocheting if you like. Please contact Peggy Hoeft with any questions about this group: 952-835-7132, or by email to peggyrf70@gmail.com.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper
Tuesday, February 12, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
All are invited!

Taste of Ethiopia, February 10

Mark your calendars for “Taste of Ethiopia,” on Sunday, February 10. The preacher and education hour leader will be The Reverend Dinku Bato, a Ph.D. student at Luther Seminary in Congregational Mission and Leadership, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Between 1998-2009 Pastor Bato was the national coordinator of the Mekane Yesus University Student Ministry (EECMY-USM) in Adddis Ababa. He will be joined at Mount Olive by his wife Mergitu and three sons: Amen (13), Ketim (9), and Melala (8). At the education hour, he will talk about the history and current context of Christianity in Ethiopia and Lutherans in particular. After the second liturgy, please join us for a lunch of Ethiopian food, prepared by members of Mount Olive. The annual “Taste of” event, which highlights the culture, foods, and history of various areas of our global community, is a long tradition at Mount Olive.

The Missions Committee is in need of volunteers who would be willing to cook a dish at home and bring to church on Sunday, February 10. The Missions Committee has the recipes. This is a wonderful chance to contribute to the event and to learn a new cuisine. We are also in need of volunteers to help prepare decorations for the event on Saturday, February 9. If you are interested in preparing one recipe at home and bringing it to church or in helping with decoration or set-up, please contact Paul Schadewald at pschadew@yahoo.com or 612-237-8517.

Book Discussion Group

The Book Discussion Group will NOT meet in February because several members will be traveling at the usual meeting time. For the March 9 meeting we will discuss Midnight’s Children, by Salman Rushdie. For the April 13 meeting we will discuss In the Company of the Courtesan, by Sarah Dunant. Looking ahead, in May we will discuss Children of God by Mary Doria Russell. This is the sequel to her novel The Sparrow which we read earlier.

A New Opportunity to Serve

Noticing that many of the guests linger after the Community Meal, the Neighborhood Ministries Committee took a survey to determine whether there was interest in staying for a social hour after the meal. There was enough favorable response so that we are considering providing a social time. However, the volunteers serving the Community Meal are obviously otherwise occupied. This is where you come in. It is our hope that a Mount Olive group or individual would like to take on this service. There is interest among the guests particularly in playing board games, and doing craft activities. The social hour could be kicked off, for instance, with a game of Bingo. A social time such as this could help fill a need for people who are often isolated and seeking to form relationships.

This service would require only a couple of hours on the Saturday that the community meal is served. If you or your committee or other group might be interested in carrying out this activity, please contact Carol Austermann (722-5123) or Eunice Hafemeister (721-6790) or speak to any member of the Neighborhood Ministries Committee.

Haug Family Ending Mission Work in Slovakia

The ELCA just contacted the Missions Committee to let us know that the Haug family has ended its mission to Slovakia/Eastern Europe. Pr. Arden Haug has taken the position of pastor at Lake of the Isles Lutheran Church here in Minneapolis. We pray that their transition goes well.

Upon the recommendation of the Missions Committee, Mount Olive had allocated $2,000 in the 2013 budget to support the Haug family, as part of the 4% congregational support to missions. The ending of this particular mission offers new possibilities. The Missions Committee will take time to examine how these funds should be used in 2013 and into the future. If you have questions, concerns, or suggestions, please contact Paul Schadewald, Missions Committee Director, at pschadew@yahoo.com.

Nave Seating

You will notice some ‘rearranged’ seating in the nave this Sunday. One of the pews near the front (pulpit side) has been exchanged for a shorter one from one of the upper galleries to provide additional wheelchair accessibility. This mirrors the open space already available on the lectern side. Please leave these spaces available for those who need them, including the section of pew directly next to them for companions. Thanks to the Vestry, the Property Committee and the Thursday C.P.R. team (Art and George) for making this possible, that Mount Olive might continue to be a place of welcome for all.

Reconciling in Christ Festival Worship

The Reconciling in Christ Program of ReconcilingWorks Twin Cities welcomes all people to join in their eighth annual Metro Area Festival Worship on Saturday, January 26, 2013, 4:30 p.m., at First Lutheran Church (463 Maria Avenue, Saint Paul). The service of Word and Sacrament celebrates the welcoming ministries of Metro area Lutheran churches. Rev. Anita Hill will preach.

The RIC program rosters Lutheran congregations that welcome and affirm LGBT persons in their full sacred worth. Both the Minneapolis and Saint Paul Area Synods are RIC Synods and together include dozens of RIC worship communities. A light supper will follow the service. All are welcome!

Vestry Meeting Updates
Submitted by Lisa Nordeen, Vestry Vice President

From the December, 2012 meeting

The December 10, 2012 meeting of the Vestry centered primarily around end of the year wrap-ups for many of the different areas represented on the board. First on the agenda was a discussion about restricted accounts and their general oversight and viability. Kat Campbell-Johnson presented an overview of all of the accounts and their standing as a starting point for a review of the accounts.

As we look forward to 2013, the Stewardship committee would like to remind the congregation to turn in their pledges for the upcoming year. Pledge cards can be placed in the collection plate at Sunday services.
William’s recovery has been progressing and we would like to thank all of you who have stepped in to help with the upkeep of the church during these past few weeks. The Properties committee also welcomes everyone to participate in the winter clean up which will take place in January after Epiphany. Watch for details in the Olive Branch.

The past month has been an extremely busy one at Mount Olive. Pastor Crippen and Cantor Cherwien have been busy with several funerals as well as preparing for Advent and Christmas. Congregational Life has worked the funerals and also served a well hosted an Advent luncheon for senior members of the congregation and a luncheon for synod pastors.

The Tithe Task Force will present their recommendations to the congregation after the second service on Sunday, December 16. All are asked to attend to approve the suggestions.
Missions will once again be hosting a “Taste of…” meal on February 10, 2013. This year Ethiopia will be the focus and that Sunday will include preaching from an Ethiopian pastor and delicious foods to be sampled after the service. Look for details in a future Olive Branch.

From the January, 2013 meeting

The first Vestry meeting of the new year was held on January 14 and was a positive one on many fronts. As we look forward to the coming year there are several items to note. Mount Olive is a generous congregation and many organizations have offered thanks for gifts they have received from us. Thank you letters have been received from the Capital Campaign Tithe grant recipients and those letters, along with more information about the organizations, will be posted in the near future. In addition, December giving was very strong and allowed us to pay off several commitments and end 2012 with a slight positive balance, and with an overall increase in member giving of 12% over 2011.

A number of people will be working to promote sustainability and green living. Also, Judy Hinck has been appointed as a new member of the Missions committee.

In the coming weeks look in The Olive Branch for a request for ideas that can use funding from the Mount Olive Foundation. Last year’s application process was a great success and Vestry Directors will gather ideas to bring to the Foundation.

Pastor Crippen and Cantor Cherwien both wrapped up a busy Advent and Christmas season. As they shared in their reports, when you add it up the numbers can be surprising. For example, Cantor Cherwien presented 90 hymns throughout the season and Pastor preached six sermons in 11 days during the Christmas season.

In the next few weeks look in The Olive Branch for details of some of these upcoming mission events. On February 10, the Missions Committee will host Taste of Ethiopia. Reverend Dinku Bato will be preaching that day and will also be a part of the adult forum. An Ethiopian meal will be served after second service. The following week, Lisa Ruff will lead an Adult Forum on their family’s work with Common Hope. She will be joined by representatives of Common Hope who wish to thank the people of Mount Olive for the gift they received from our Capital Campaign tithe.

The Stewardship Committee has noted pledges for $409,115 this year, which is about $3,000 less than last year. Approximately 1/3 of the congregation has submitted pledges to date. If you want to submit your pledge there is still time to do so.

https://www.mountolivechurch.org/2013/01/25/1372/

January 18, 2013 By moadmin

Accent on Worship

What’s With the Wine?

Sunday we have the third epiphany the Church celebrates in early January, the third manifestation of God’s glory in the world in Jesus. Because of the way the calendar works this year, we have all three on successive Sundays: Epiphany, Jan. 6, was a Sunday this year, and this Sunday’s Gospel only is used every three years, but it all came together in 2013.

The three manifestations, which the Church has long linked together, are the coming of the Magi to see the infant Jesus, the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, and the miracle Jesus performed at a wedding in the village of Cana (our Gospel this Sunday.) In the first, God’s incarnate Son, an infant, is revealed to the outside world; in the second, God’s incarnate Son, now an adult, is named publicly by the Father and visited by the Spirit, thus being the first time the Trinity is revealed and proclaimed in the world; and in the third, God’s incarnate Son himself reveals his glory, his divinity, by transforming water into wine to help a party move along properly.

Some Christians have found this third epiphany anti-climactic, given the others. Why would Jesus’ first miracle be making water turn into wine? For those who believe Christians never should consume alcohol, it’s even more uncomfortable to see this story. The point made is that with all the problems people have, sickness, death, suffering, surely Jesus’ first miracle could have been more than this trivial thing, making a party, well, a real party.

But consider what Jesus did here. He had compassion on a family who was going to be embarrassed, humiliated before their friends and family, by not having enough refreshments for their wedding. Sure, such humiliation only lasts until the next local scandal, but if you’ve ever worried that your party was failing, or that you didn’t provide enough, you know how anxious that can be. It might seem trivial to others, but to you it’s important. Jesus honors that, has compassion, and helps out. He makes the party continue, and the host to look good.

Perhaps that’s an important thing of this third manifestation, this third epiphany. Perhaps what Jesus is doing is telling us that he has come to be with us in all things, even things which others consider unimportant. He cares about our every need, and wants to bless them with his abundant grace and love. Maybe to others our cares and concerns seem minor, not worth bringing to Jesus. But at Cana, Jesus’ mother Mary shows us the way, that we can and ought to bring our concerns to our Lord.

So for me, I’m going to trust the Jesus at this party and at least mention my concerns to him, because I know they will matter to him. And like Jesus’ mother, I have confidence he will come to me in grace, abundant grace. That’s the joy of this epiphany that is ours and the world’s, always.

– Joseph

Sunday Readings

January 20, 2013 – 2nd Sunday after Epiphany
Isaiah 62:1-5 + Psalm 36:5-10
I Corinthians 12:1-11 + John 2:1-11

January 27, 2013 – 3rd Sunday after Epiphany
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 + Psalm 19
I Corinthians 12:12-31a + Luke 4:14-21

Upcoming Adult Forums

Sunday, January 20 – “Authentic Sound: Culture in Expression,” presented by The Rev. Marilyn Witte.

Sunday, January 27 – A presentation by the Minnesota Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing (MICAH).

Conference on Liturgy to Be Held This Weekend

This year’s Conference on Liturgy will be held January 18-19, 2013. The theme of this year’s conference is, “The Green Altar: Liturgy as Care for the Earth.”

There is still plenty of room! If you would like to attend this year’s conference, please register at the door this Saturday, beginning at 8:30 a.m. The cost to Mount Olive members is $35.

Hymn Festival Tonight at Mount Olive!

The Conference on Liturgy begins with a hymn festival which will take place on Friday, January 18, 2013 (tonight!), at 7:30 p.m. Leadership for the hymn festival this year will be by the Mount Olive Cantorei and Cantor David Cherwien.

Thursday Evening Bible Study

“Captive Conscience” is the title of a six-week Bible Study being held on Thursday evenings from 6:00-7:30 p.m. This Bible Study focuses on reading the Bible, how we are shaped by God’s Word, and what lenses we use as we read the Scriptures.

Though each of the sessions builds upon information from the previous sessions, they are also complete in themselves. So if you missed the first couple of sessions, there is still much to learn by coming to subsequent sessions, even if you can only attend one or two. All are invited.

The study begins with a light supper. If anyone wishes to provide one week’s meal, please let Pr. Crippen know. Looking ahead, in Lent Vicar Cannon will lead another six-week study.

2012 Year-End Contributions Statements

Contribution statements for 2012 are printed and available to be picked up at church, near the coat room. Please call the church office if you would like your statement mailed to you.

If you have any questions about your statement, or if you require a detailed amortization of your contributions, simply call Cha at the church office.

Prayer Shawl Ministry News

The members of the Prayer Shawl Ministry will meet following the second liturgy on Sunday, January 27. They will meet downstairs in the Undercroft. The purpose of this meeting is to further define and plan our ministry to the people of Mount Olive. Feel free to join the group, and bring your knitting/crocheting if you like. Please contact Peggy Hoeft with any questions about this group: 952-835-7132, or by email to peggyrf70@gmail.com.

The Presentation of Our Lord
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Holy Eucharist at 4:00 pm

Taste of Ethiopia, February 10

Mark your calendars for “Taste of Ethiopia,” on Sunday, February 10. The preacher and education hour leader will be The Reverend Dinku Bato, a Ph.D. student at Luther Seminary in Congregational Mission and Leadership, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Between 1998-2009 Pastor Bato was the national coordinator of the Mekane Yesus University Student Ministry (EECMY-USM) in Adddis Ababa. He will be joined at Mount Olive by his wife Mergitu and three sons: Amen (13), Ketim (9), and Melala (8). At the education hour, he will talk about the history and current context of Christianity in Ethiopia and Lutherans in particular. After the second liturgy, please join us for a lunch of Ethiopian food, prepared by members of Mount Olive. The annual “Taste of” event, which highlights the culture, foods, and history of various areas of our global community, is a long tradition at Mount Olive.

Book Discussion Group News

The Book Discussion Group will NOT meet in February because several members will be traveling at the usual meeting time. For the March 9 meeting we will discuss Midnight’s Children, by Salman Rushdie. For the April 13 meeting we will discuss In the Company of the Courtesan, by Sarah Dunant. Looking ahead, in May we will discuss Children of God by Mary Doria Russell. This is the sequel to her novel The Sparrow which we read earlier.

A Note of Thanks

On behalf of the Vestry I want to say thank you to the members and friends of Mount Olive for once again responding in sacrificial and loving ways. Last month I shared with you a cash shortfall situation as we approached the end of the year and the response was incredible. I am pleased to inform you that the year ended very well, with a final giving total for the month of December of $91K, resulting in an overall giving increase of 12% over 2011. Because of this, our line of credit is fully paid off and all mission commitments and other year end disbursements were fulfilled without additional borrowing. Additionally, we are starting the new year with good, positive momentum. To God be all glory!

– Adam Krueger, President, Mount Olive Vestry

Olive Branch Deadline

Please note that The Olive Branch is prepared each week on Wednesdays (so that those who do not have email can receive the information at roughly the same time as those who do have email). The deadline for articles or announcements to be published is each Wednesday at noon. If you have information to share with the church community and want it to be published in the newsletter, please be sure it is submitted to the church office by Wednesday of the week you would like it published. It is also helpful to note how many weeks you wish your article or information to be included.

TRUST News

Two items of note from TRUST:

1. Martin Luther King celebration to be held this Sunday!

Join us this Sunday, January 20, at 5:00 PM for TRUST’s 26th annual Martin Luther King celebration. It will be held at Living Spirit, 4501 Bloomington Ave. S. Featured at this event will be:
Sondra Samuels, CEO of the Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ); Tonia Hughes, local singer who has garnered critical acclaim for her leading roles in musical and theatrical productions; and the TRUST Youth will provide music and liturgy for this event.

2. The Gathering – The Gathering is a group respite program currently comprised of seven TRUST congregations. It is for people in early to mid-stage memory loss and it takes place at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 4100 Lyndale Ave. S. in Minneapolis. We are planning to open weekly beginning January 17, 2013! (We’ll expand our current 2nd and 4th Thursdays to include 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Thursdays – but will not meet on 5th Thursdays). Please call 651-414-5291 if you are interested in having a family member attend this group respite, or if you are interested in becoming a volunteer.

The Minneapolis Consortium of The Gathering began with TRUST congregations in 2009. Current members are Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Judson Baptist, First Universalist, St. John’s Lutheran Church, St. Joan of Arc, Lutheran Church of Christ the Redeemer, and Lynnhurst Congregational Church. Additional congregations and community members are always welcome.

The Gathering is looking for individuals and volunteer groups from area churches who might be willing to prepare and serve a meal. If this is an opportunity you might consider, please call Julie at 612-312-3366, or Carolyn at 952-261-5235.

Reconciling in Christ Festival Worship

The Reconciling in Christ Program of ReconcilingWorks Twin Cities welcomes all people to join in their eighth annual Metro Area Festival Worship on Saturday, January 26, 2013, 4:30 p.m., at First Lutheran Church (463 Maria Avenue, Saint Paul). The service of Word and Sacrament celebrates the welcoming ministries of Metro area Lutheran churches. Rev. Anita Hill will preach.

https://www.mountolivechurch.org/2013/01/18/1374/