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Mount Olive Lutheran Church

Monday, June 14, 2010

Olive Branch

Accent on Worship

Jesus was the only human being to walk the earth uncompromised by power. The apostles of Jesus witnessed some amazing acts. Jesus raised the dead, healed the sick, multiplied loaves and fishes to feed thousands, and even calmed the destructive winds of a storm at sea. In the Gospel for Sunday 13 in Ordinary Time Jesus again draws on his divine power in order to drive a legion of demons out of a man.

There were many instances in the life of Jesus in which he refused to use his power. The Pharisees asked

Jesus for signs, but he refused. Jesus didn't even give an authority figure like Herod a sign. The devil himself asked Jesus to show him a miracle or two and Jesus did not grant his requests either. In almost every instance where Jesus used his divine power, he was responding with mercy and compassion to a horrible situation. One amazing piece in Sunday's Gospel is how Jesus even had compassion on the demons! They begged him not to send them hack to the abyss and Jesus obliged them by sending them into a herd of swine instead.

We all possess a certain amount of power. If we have no other power, we at least have power over ourselves.

However, most of us have much more than that. Just by being citizens of the U.S. gives us more than most. If we are parents of young children, we have power. Certainly we have power if we have people working under our supervision. We are also able to earn power, by being respected in our field or by what we do in other areas in our lives. Wisdom gives us power. The words of a wise person are heard, and often sway the decisions of others. Because we are sinful, power has compromised us. We need look no further than the mess we have made of this world to know that. As Christians we are called daily to repent and reconcile ourselves to God. How we use our power is a very good first step when examining our daily walk with our Lord.
-Donna Neste

Sunday Readings

June 20, 2010 –Ordinary Time: Sunday 12
I Kings 19:1-15a + Psalm 22:19-28
Galatians 3~23.29 + Luke 8:26-39

June 27, 2010 - Ordinary Time: Sunday 13
I Kings 19:15+16, 19-21 + Psalm 16
Galatians 5 1, 13.25 + Luke 951-62

Call Committee Update

The past two weeks have been exhilarating and exhausting for the committee. We met four times during the first week of June and conducted six interviews that lasted approximately two hours each. During the second week of June, we met with the final two candidates and held a meeting to discuss our impressions of each of the eight candidates.

The eight pastors that we interviewed were an impressive group. There were seven men and one woman. Six live in Minnesota and two reside in other states. Six were nominated from the congregation and two names came from the Synod.

To move from the one dimension of the candidate's papers and recorded sermons to the three dimensions of a face to face encounter taught us, once again, that the Holy Spirit is unpredictable. Throughout the interviews, we laughed, raised our eyebrows, nodded, and questioned the candidates and ourselves. The most enjoyable time was to respond to the candidates' questions to us. It was a delight to share our impressions of Mount Olive with a unity that is reflective of our entire congregation.

The committee will meet on June 16th to finalize the process for a second round of interviews. We expect to make visits to the congregations of each of the remaining candidates through the end of June and conduct the second interviews in early July. We hope that our work will be done shortly thereafter, but we recognize that much of this process is not ours to dictate nor to control.

The Call Committee will present another update on their work at Adult Forum on Sunday, June 27.

In Our Prayers

Please pray throughout the week for the following persons: Mabel Jackson; Priya Ross-Jones; Daphne Broum, friend of Melissa & Paul Stone; Brian Crosby, brother of Larry Croshy; Esther Mundinger; Paul Engwall; Ed Mikkola; Luni Peterson, friend of the Caye family; Richard Reyer, father of Chuck Reyer; Barbara Johnson, friend of Mount Olive; Steve Schultz, relative of Joyce Brown and Linda Pipkorn; Jay Graves, friend of Judy Graves; Marcella Meyer, sister of Eunice Hafemeister; Denise Dagon, friend of Brenda Bartz; Matt and Rita, friends of Nancy Peterson Anderson; Anne Swendsbye, friend of many; Cleo Edwins, aunt of Mike Edwins; Donald Bates, friend of Mike Edwins; George Lindbeck, friend of Dwight Penas and Brad Holt; Margaret Polzin; Ellie Siess; Anne & Warren Bartz; Brylee Tabis, granddaughter of David & Shirley Tahis; Dorothy Odlaug; Paul Holt, son of Brad & Linda Holt; Joy & Stephanie Obadiaru; Margie Brady, friend of Michael Brady; Marcella Seboldt; Patry McCabe, friend of Melissa Stone; Janet Rice, niece of Leanna Kloempken; Tom Johnson, friend of Florence Peterson; Mona Volden; Claudette Crosby, relative of Larry Crosby; Deb Anderson, friend of the Penas Khurstons, Rob & Lym Ruff, and the Peterson/Nacks; Ralph & Edna Berg, parents of Steve Berg; Richard Boggie, friend of Jack & Kathy Kruger; Labrant Dennis and Timothy Eling, friends of Paul & Darlene Engwall; Mike Kasner, friend of Celia Ellingson; Joel Berka and Leonard Molberg, brother and grandfather of James Berka; Jim Tomson, uncle of Tom Olsen; Gabriel Rodreick, friend of Leah Crosby; Anders Jenson, friend of Peter Tressel; Harold Diersen; Michael Brady; Maureen Degnan, friend of Erik Gronberg; Gloria Schnackenberg, sister of Margaret Polzin; LaVern Olson; Pariann Schenk; Gene Burmaster; Linnea Sundgaard, mother of Sven Sundgaard; Maq Elizabeth & Guy Jacobs, parents of Brian Jacobs; Jennifer Norbie, and Margaret Huisinga, nieces of Wes Huisinga; Paul Fisher, nephew of John Gidmark; Haley Nelson, grandchild of Jean Glabe; Carla Goedderz, sister-in-law of Ann Bruggeman; Daisy Zander, mother of Eric Zander; David, friend of Eric Zander. At the death of: Lorraine Sullivan, aunt of Dwight Penas.

For those who serve on Mount Olive’s Call Committee and for their work on our behalf: Dan Burow, Thomas Fenner, Elaine Halbardier, Erica Johnsen, Carol Peterson, JoAnn Sorenson, and Mark Ruff (Chair).

Our continual prayers are offered for peace. We pray for all of the world’s governments, leaders and peoples, especially for those who work overseas toward peace: Joe Minke, nephew of Evelyn Royce; Steve Knock, nephew of Judy Graves; Casey Moores, friend of Nancy Peterson Anderson; Ranz & Tamara Sykes and family, relatives of Brenda Bartz; Joel Adams, son of Dan & Julia Adams; Jean Batiste Uwimana, friend of Melissa Stone; Ruben Halstead and Jeremy Sager, friends of Krys Camphell; Solveig & Philip, daughter and son-in-law of Karen Johnson; and Tyson and Keegan Crush, relatives of the Croshy family.

Sunday’s Adult Education - 11:00 a.m.

1. Jeni Grangaard, Mount Olive member and 2009 graduate of Luther Seminary, will lead a presentation about her time spent in Africa, Israel, and Palestine while on a special preaching fellowship grant from Luther. She will also be our guest preacher that morning.

2. Loss and Grief Discussion and Support (see information in this issue of The Olive Branch) Book Discussion’s Books for June and July Mount Olive’s Book Discussion group meets on the second Saturday of each month a t 10:00 a.m. at church.

For the July 10 session the selection will be People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks.

Staff Summer Schedules

Several staff members are taking some vacation time in coming weeks:
Donna Neste is on vacation June 1-22.
Interim Pastor Hollie Holt-Woehl will be on vacation June 21-July 5.
Cantor David Cherwien will be out of the office June 19-July 2.
Cha Posz will be on vacation August 2-6.

Jeni Grangaard to Preach This Sunday

Jeni Grangaard joined Mount Olive in 2003, after graduating from Augsburg College and enrolling at Luther Seminary. When she received her M.Div. degree in 2009, she was honored with the Graduate Preaching Fellowship award, and has been traveling in Africa and the Holy Land this past year. Jeni will preach and lead our Adult Forum on June 20, sharing with us the adventures on which God has led her, and reflecting upon the work of the church in far corners of the world. Jeni is currently awaiting her first call and has been assigned to the NW Minnesota Synod.

Praying for Our Graduates

This Sunday, June 20, we would like to remember Mount Olive’s graduates in the Prayers of Intercession at the morning liturgy. If you, a member of your family, or someone you know from Mount Olive is graduating (from high school, college, or any post-secondary school), please drop a note to the church office, so that they may be named in the prayers this Sunday.

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