Mission Trip Reflections by Megan Woods

Dear Friends,

Three weeks ago I was in Detroit and now, life is back to a “new” normal. I learned after my first FoC mission trip in 2010 to Montana that these trips change you. This ELCA National Youth Gathering in Detroit was no exception. Events are easy to share, but it is difficult explain what happens inside you. That experience is different for everyone.

It did not take long for me to feel overwhelmed by the immensity of this gathering.  There were easily 30,000 different ways participants were able to praise/worship/mingle/share/participate as we made our way through Detroit that week. I was relieved to know that it was safe to do it my own way.  There were “high-fivers”, huggers, clappers, dancers, thinkers, watchers, singers, pray-ers, leaders, followers, listeners, talkers. All of them believers, celebrating “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1) No way was right or wrong – just different.

As each speaker brought up social issues, I began to panic about which one I thought I could make a difference in. I was aware that there multiple viewpoints and angles that were not necessarily addressed by the speakers. Their concerns were complicated, yet important. I began to agonize over the fact that I had no cause that I actively pursue. I feel blessed to make it through a work day, get my kids fed and ensure that they have read 30 minutes per day. There is a young lady in Detroit who invented a coat that doubles as a sleeping bag for homeless people and now, hires only people from homeless shelters to make the coats.  Why didn’t I think of that? I do want to make a difference in the world, but where to start…..

I needed a new perspective.  I had recently read a few Bible verses that had new meaning and helped me understand the importance of “Rise Up Together” and how individual gifts/differences complement each other and are vital to the whole.  “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12: 27) I feel and believe in the power in numbers to fight injustice. Each person plays a part, none are insignificant.  2 Chronicles 20 reinforces the need for us to stand together, take our positions and value the spiritual gifts of those around us. When we seek God and let Him lead, we will find courage and strength to face our enemies. “You will not have to fight in this encounter. Take your places, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD; he will be with you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed. Tomorrow go out to meet them, and the LORD will be with you.”(2 Chronicles 20: 17) Whatever your position, it is an important one as a part of the whole. Don’t just stand still, but let God lead when you “go out” to face whatever you need to.

The Cobo Center, where all of the activities were set up, was thoughtfully laid out.  The center of this massive space was a large cross, where all walkways converged symbolically; the youth are drawn to the cross and sent out from the cross as agents of change. Youth lined up to donate blood, donate their hair, play games with youth with disabilities, encounter challenges, pack backpacks for Detroit students, and learn about the multiple issues facing people around the world. The greatest realization from this trip is that our youth:

•  Live among God’s faithful people
•  Hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper
•  Proclaim the good news of God in Christ through words and deed
•  Serve all people, following the example of Jesus
•  Strive for justice and peace in all the earth

No matter the bumps in the road or the struggles along the way, these basics are instilled through their baptism and confirmation.  I will keep cheering our young disciples on.  Sharing this experience with this amazing group of FoC youth along with 30K+ in Detroit singing and praising; Rising Up Together, how can I not be changed forever?

Megan Woods

   

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Dear Friends,

Did you catch the latest headline about Carver County?!? A research outfit called SmartAsset has ranked ours the “4th Happiest County in the U.S.” Of course, we’ve gotten kind of used to such accolades, right? Both Chaska and Chanhassen have been listed among the “Best” at something numerous times in the past ten years. “Best Small Town” and “Best Place to Raise a Family” (or something to that effect) are the ones that stand out in my mind. Good press!

According to SmartAsset, the overall happiness of a community is dependent to some degree on a mix of these factors:

• Family stability
• Physical health
• Personal financial health
• Economic security

Two of the four have to do with money. Not surprising.

Not long ago I had an experience in a different county that gave me cause for pause. I don’t know if it has anything to say about happiness per se, but I realized how grateful I should be for some basic services that I just take for granted.

Recently, I needed to transfer some funds to our ministry partners in El Salvador. The Western Union office best set up to handle the cash transaction was a few suburbs to our east. I had done extensive research on this so I didn’t expect the errand to take me more than a few minutes at the counter. To my great surprise, it ended up taking most of the afternoon…but that is another story.

As I stood in line waiting my turn to confer with the unsmiling young woman behind the bullet-proof glass, I got an education. One young woman – who looked like she had been up all night — paid $20 to send $300 to someone in Africa. A couple of tough-looking guys with eye-catching tattoos needed cashier’s checks in various amounts; they seemed to be very familiar with this type of transaction.  A young immigrant dad with a youngster in tow paid a $.75 fee to get a roll of quarters – to do the family laundry, was my guess. An older woman paid her electric bill at the window; she needed a roll of quarters, too.

Then a middle-aged couple came in. When they got to the window, they asked if they could send a telegram. “A what?” the clerk behind the porthole asked, her face screwed into a big question mark. “A telegram. I need to let people know about a death.” No lights went on for the 20-something clerk so I jumped in to bridge the generation gap. (I know it’s hard for you to believe, but unlike that  clerk, I AM old enough to remember telegrams.) “Telegrams were used to send bad news and good news, like a combat death or the birth of a baby.” I explained. “They used an electrical line called a telegraph with a system of dots and dashes to send a coded message that was read on the other end.” I turned to the puzzled couple: “I think they closed down the last telegraph office just recently. Now people use email or FAX, I guess. Or the telephone.” The woman could scarcely believe her ears. As they left the store I heard her husband say, “Guess we’ll have to make some phone calls.”

Money stores like the one I went to provide financial services that most of us would go to our banks for. I rarely need a cashier’s check because I have a checking account against which I can write checks as I need to. But not everybody has a checking account; not everyone qualifies for one. Since I have access to an array of financial services, I don’t often stop to think about how it is for a lot of other people. For example, not all of my family members are flush with cash, but no one is dependent on remittances made to them from a faraway country in order to put food on the table.

The world can be a frustrating place if you don’t have the resources to make things work for you and your family. On the other hand, if you do enjoy a measure of economic security – living within your means and able to prepare for a rainy day – happiness is something you can reach out for with some hope and expectation. And access to telecommunications is hugely important; in our wired world, access to the internet isn’t just nice to have…it’s essential to success in many areas of life. Some have called it a basic human right, up there along with food and water and personal safety and, well, the pursuit of happiness.

Enjoy these glorious summer days and nights. See you in church!

Pastor Kristie

Be Prepared

Dear Friends,

My mind has lately been spinning with all the parables of Jesus, because we are embarking on a summer series of preaching and teaching on these many texts.  The result of reading through all these colorful stories that Jesus told — thinking about them, studying them, getting ready to create sermons with them, finding songs about them – the end result is that I’ve begun seeing regular average everyday events through the lenses of these parables.

So it was that my wife and I were down to St. Olaf for our son, Bergen’s, graduation ceremony at the end of May.  On that Saturday night, there was a lantern lighting ceremony on the schedule, and we had been encouraged to go out ahead of time and figure out where his particular lantern had been placed.  That is because there were over 600 lanterns placed throughout the central courtyard of the college, along various sidewalks.  Might as well go out during daylight and find out where it was placed so that we could locate it later that night.  We dutifully walked around till we found his, and then each sighed with relief because all three of us genetically feel better when we’re as prepared as we can possibly be.

We enjoyed the internationally themed banquet that the college threw for all the seniors and their families.  You’d go to one banquet room and get the flavors of Africa.  Another room had cuisine from Europe, along with a strange-tasting frothy cucumber drink.  Another from the Americas.  For dessert we wandered into the Asian room where I tried a strange sesame based cookie which wasn’t half bad.  The whole thing was creative and fun with a wide variety of food choices.  At 9:30, we wandered down to the big auditorium for the start of the lantern-lighting ceremony which involved some music and a prayer, then some brief speeches by energetic  students.  They were all entertaining, but one fellow did an especially great job of using all the great stereotypes for graduates (first day of the rest of your life, best years of your life, etc.), debunking each one, but then in the end, showing how in some ways the stereotypes fit.  He was engaging and quite humorous and his fellow students enthusiastically applauded him.

At the end of the speeches, we received a benediction song and were then sent out for a procession in the darkness to find each student’s lit lantern.  It was quiet, and sentimental, and quite beautiful.  We had a moment of pictures and reflection and remembrance of four great years for our son.  But the moment was soon crashed, as that engaging student speaker suddenly breezed by us, with his entire family in tow, and he was crying out, ‘where’s my lantern, where’s my lantern!’  We had to laugh, which helped break up our tears.  And then, for me, with my mind entrenched in the parables, I suddenly recalled Jesus’ story of the five wise bridesmaids (who prepared their lanterns for a long wait of the bridegroom) and the five foolish bridesmaids (who didn’t bring enough oil such that their lanterns went out).

Most of the crowd now was breaking up, and we strolled toward the student center to listen to a jazz combo.  As we walked, here came that same guy still rushing around with his family, crying out in the darkness, trying in vain to locate his lantern.  Ah yes.  Be prepared, as the scouts say.  And as Jesus said too!  Be prepared.  Keep your lamps trimmed and burning!  Always do whatever it is you can to be best prepared to share God’s love, and share God’s Gospel.  May our summer study of the parables open your eyes to everyday lessons God wants to share with you.

See you in church, where this week we’ll hear about seeking treasure!

Pastor Josh

Together Growing in Faith

Take notice this Sunday, it’s finally here, the rain garden work has begun!  Yesterday I bounced into the church office once the backhoe dumped its first pile of dirt.  Marilyn said, “You are like a kid in a candy shop!”  Yes, it seems like the whole rain garden project has been a long time coming.

The discussion began before I started working here.  Pastor Kristie had received a letter from the county asking if Family of Christ might consider such a project.  She then brought it to the Creation Care committee where it received great support.  After the church council gave their support, the planning began and now, more than a year later, it is finally underway.

Rain Garden – Day 1!

In all the excitement (see photo), it also occurred to me that before something new could happen, something old had to be taken away.  The old grass and dirt needed to be removed as a first step.  Deconstruction has to happen before new construction can begin.

Ok, because I’m a pastor, my mind went right to baptism because this is precisely how we speak about baptism.  Through the water and Word, the old “Adam” (person) dies and a new one is born.  The very parts of us that are stuck and stubborn are taken away so that new growth and new life can take shape.

Each day the rain garden will grow and over time it will blossom into the beautiful creation it will finally become.  Not only will it offer aesthetic beauty but it will filter pollutants and sediment from the church parking lot, and will be a feeding source for bees, butterflies and birds.  So it is with us.  Over time we grow in faith, and by God’s hand, can offer our beauty, our love and our very selves for the sake of the world.

What a joy it has been for me to work with pastors Josh and Kristie, Creation Care, the church council and all of you to see this ministry come to fruition.  Indeed this is one way we can be good stewards of God’s creation.  Thanks to all who helped make the garden a reality.  We will be planting the garden in mid to late June and if you haven’t already signed up to help plant, but would like to do so, please email me (jeanne@familyofchristonline.com).

See you in church ~ Pastor Jeanne

Guess who moved into the neighborhood.

Dear Friends,

Sometimes we spend time pondering an imponderable in these weekly email notes. Sometimes we tell you a funny story, or share a devotional thought. And sometimes, like today, we just share a little news from a corner of the greater work of our church so that you can be more informed.

Last Friday and Saturday, our Minneapolis Area Synod (a gathering of representatives from the 150 ELCA churches in the west metro) met in Assembly at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Ramsey. They have a great big gymnasium so they could easily accommodate the nearly 500 of us that attended. Though Bishop Ann had just endured a difficult personal loss with the death of her son, she still graciously led our assembly in worship and in church business. Noted author, Brian McLaren, was our keynote speaker and he did a wonderful task of inspiring us with the message of incarnation – how God becomes really present among us. From Family of Christ, Pastor Jeanne, Laura Oman, Grace Dosdall (our lovely youth rep), and I represented all of you so we could sense and celebrate our greater partnerships in the work of the church at large.

The music, the coffee, the catered meals, the many display tables, the Christian book store, the fellowship, the game show, the reports, the resolutions and the votes: all of this took place in our whirlwind of two-days of meeting. Though I typically get a little antsy at these rather lengthy meetings, and some of the proceedings seem to drag on a bit (ask Grace about that!), I do enjoy getting together with excitable Lutherans to share in our greater sense of purpose at being faithful disciples in this part of God’s beautiful kingdom. Let me pause now to share some assembly reflections from one of the attendees who represented our Family of Christ congregation.

“I’m Laura Oman, and I serve as secretary on our church council. This was my first time attending the Minneapolis Area Synod Assembly. The theme of the assembly was “The Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood.” We were reminded that our Lutheran theology is “downward” theology. Christ came to us-we cannot bring ourselves ‘up’ to God-no matter hard we try. But God wants us close to Him so he sent Jesus down to us! The Word literally became flesh and moved into the neighborhood!

There were many inspiring stories from Minneapolis area churches of how they are the flesh in their neighborhood. Lutheran churches in the Minneapolis area are “becoming the flesh” in many inspiring ways such as painting garages to prevent graffiti and serving meals to their multi-cultural neighborhood to encourage relationships across cultures and religions. Attendees were posed with the challenge: how can we be the flesh in the neighborhood? I had time to contemplate where and how our church is involved in bringing God’s love to our neighborhoods. We are serving meals at Tree House and Our Savior’s Shelter. We are caring for creation with a rain garden. We work at Feed My Starving Children, and share in our offerings with others like Simpson House or the World Hunger Appeal. What else are we doing at Family of Christ that I’m not aware of? How can we do more? I look forward to the challenge!”

As Laura says, we are to keep pursuing the challenge that our own mission statement lays before us: to keep making disciples, making a difference. We will keep our attention and energy always on how we can make the love of God real to our children…to the youth and young adults…to middle-agers on up to the oldest among us…to our friends…to our neighbors…and to this world that God so dearly loves. It is especially heartening to know that in these tasks we are never alone. We have so many partners in faith in this synod who will work along with us, always responding to the ways the Holy Spirit would move us to greater acts of love and grace.

-Pastor Josh Nelson

An important conversation

Dear Friends,

I had never been to a Somali restaurant before, so it was fun to have our host, Abdirizak Bihi (he likes to be called ‘Bihi’), order for our table in Somali. Cher Sulerud, Richard Donnay, and I all thought that the chicken with seasoned rice sounded great. It sounded authentic. A tasty dish just like they might serve up in Mogadishu! But then Bihi put in his order and I asked him what he was going to have, and he said, “Spaghetti.” We all had to laugh because that sure didn’t sound Somali.

Then again, many things about Bihi are surprising.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Etymologically speaking, the word ‘lent’ has Anglo/Saxon/Germanic roots, and is connected to the word, ‘lengthen,’ as in the lengthening of days. (By the way, I believe that is the first time I’ve ever begun a sentence with the word ‘etymologically,’ and therefore I wish to get credit from all the English majors out there.) But back to the point: We are on the cusp of Lent, a special time in our Christian year. Sunlight is lengthened day-by-day, and our walk of faith may also be lengthened by taking on extra disciplines over these next 40 days.

This blog is an encouragement to take advantage of a few EXTRAS that we are offering during our Lenten season. These are interesting short-term undertakings that will certainly enhance your walk of faith, preparing you for the upper room on Maundy Thursday, for Golgotha on Good Friday, and for the empty tomb on Easter.

Teaming up to make a difference

During the winter, we enjoy watching our son, Manny, play basketball. He enjoys playing, Gregg enjoys helping the coaches, and I enjoy watching. This is his third season, and it’s fun to see how the kids have progressed from hovering around the ball to actually running some plays.

It takes time to learn a sport. This year, the boys are learning to play man-to-man defense and to set screens. They are learning about pivoting and handling the ball. But they still like to rebound the ball, dribble the length of the court, and shoot. Manny’s coach is trying to get the boys to “look up and find the open man;” in other words, to pass to a teammate rather than take a shot themselves. This seems to be difficult for the boys, perhaps because it takes some coordination and development they don’t yet have, though more likely because they want to be the one to score a basket!

Abracadabra

The lights went out at church this week, on Wednesday at about 3:10 pm. They flickered once, sputtered, then the power went off completely. What to do about the pizza order, and do we cancel Christos, and what about confirmation, kids’ choirs, adult choir, musical rehearsal? Oh my, there were suddenly a lot of things to figure out that would affect a great many people. I still haven’t heard what the primary cause was, but I have a hunch it may have been a squirrel that tried to bite through a power line and consequently tragically exploded. I’m sure Excel Energy will cover that story up, and instead tell us it was a blown relay switch or something. At any rate, power was out, and a lot of decisions had to be made quickly.

Update about our pastoral team

This week’s blog is a way of letting the congregation know that a decision has been made for both Pastor Kristie and Pastor Jeanne to extend their half-time pastoral roles here at Family of Christ for another year.

Initially, Pastor Jeanne was contracted to spend one year with us, and that time would be up on March 31. This allowed Pastor Kristie the flexibility to continue her pastoral work among us in a half-time capacity, so as to have time to travel and spend time with family, especially in light of the health concerns of her husband, Gene. He continues to undergo chemotherapy treatments for brain cancer, and the tumor has been kept at bay.