The Olive Branch: August 11, 2010

Accent on Worship
On August 15 we celebrate the Feast of Mary, Mother of our Lord. It may seem odd to have this festival in the middle of summer. We usually hear of Mary during the Advent and Christmas season. Although stores in London have started displaying their Christmas decorations already, to get a jump on the “shopping season,” it seems too soon to celebrate Christmas. To hear Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) at this time of year may be a bit disorientating. However, it serves as a way of hearing her words in a new way.

As we are in the middle of the Ordinary season in which the focus of our attention is on the church of Christ, what does it mean that God “has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant,” Mary? Or that God “has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts?” Or that God “has brought done the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly?” Or that God “has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty?”

These may be questions worth pondering as we prepare for the Feast of Mary.

- Pastor Hollie


Sunday Readings

August 15, 2010 – Mary, Mother of Our Lord
Isaiah 61:7-11 + Psalm 34:1-9
Galatians 4:4-7+ Luke 1:46-55

August 22, 2010 – Ordinary Time: Sunday 21
Isaiah 58:9b-14 + Psalm 103:1-8
Hebrews 12:18-29 + Luke 13:10-17


Mary, Mother of Our Lord
The Feast of Mary, Mother of Our Lord is this Sunday, August 15. Because it falls on a Sunday this year, it will be celebrated at our regular Sunday morning Eucharist. There will not be a separate service later in the day with Gethsemane Episcopal Church this year.


Mount Olive Congregation Votes to Call its Seventh Pastor
Led by the Holy Spirit, in a special meeting of the congregation on Sunday, August 8, the voters overwhelmingly approved a motion to extend a call to the Rev. Joseph Crippen of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Northfield, MN, to be the seventh Pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church. The voting was preceded by a question and answer session between voters and Call Committee, and followed by the singing of “The Church’s One Foundation” as the ballots were counted. When the results were announced there was great applause which continued as the Call Committee was thanked for their hard work that led to this point.

The official Call documents will now be reviewed by the Minneapolis Area Synod Bishop Craig Johnson, and forwarded to Pastor Crippen for his deliberation and decision.
Please keep Pastor Crippen, his family, and his congregation and staff in your prayers in the coming days and weeks, that God’s will may be discerned and done in this and in all things.

- Adam Krueger, Congregation President


About our Prayer List
We recently removed several names from our prayer list, because many have been on this list for a very long time, and we are unsure if they are still in need of our intercessions. If we have removed them prematurely, or if there are others whose names should be added to or removed from the list, please let us know.


Staff Changes
Please be aware that today (8/11/10) was Matthew Bell’s last day as Mount Olive’s Sexton. We wish him well in future endeavors.

The Properties Committee is assessing future needs and options for the Sexton position. If you have questions, please contact either David Molvik, Properties Director or Adam Krueger, Vestry President. Until a new Sexton has been hired, Andrew Andersen will cover some of the responsibilities on a part-time, volunteer basis as well as help coordinate other volunteers to see that the Sexton responsibilities are covered.


Mid-Year Financial Update
As of June 30, 2010, general giving year to date totals $217,745.00. This giving total is $16,631 less than the actual amount received last year for the same period. Our budgeted income for June 30, (what we planned on receiving and the amount approved during the budgeting process last fall), totals $287,900.00. Comparing actual income as of June 30 to budgeted income places us $70,000 behind - (I would like to note that the church’s operating expenses have been lower through June 30, which has lessened the impact of budgeted income being behind the planned amount).

Mid-year contribution statements are available to be picked up in the narthex at church. Please pick yours up and prayerfully consider Mount Olive as you review your statements and your giving plans for the remainder of the year.

- Paul Sundquist, Treasurer


Adult Education: August 15
This Sunday, the Feast of Mary, Mother of our Lord, Dwight Penas will lead a forum discussion entitled, “Mary: Model of Faith.”


Attention, Women!
Gail Nielsen cordially invites all women to her home for a Garden Luncheon on Wednesday, August 18, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Men are welcome, too! There is no charge for the luncheon, but a freewill offering will be received to help defray the cost of the food.

Please RSVP to Gail Nielsen if you are interested in coming, 612.825.9326 – feel free to leave a message.


Book Discussion’s Upcoming Reads
For its meeting on August 14, the Book Discussion Group will read and discuss, Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World, by Mark Kurlansky. For the September 11 meeting it will be Troubles, by J.G. Farrell.


Calendar
Wednesday, August 11
10:00 am Staff meeting
10:30 & 1 Summer J.A.S.
8:00 pm N.A.

Thursday, August 12
10 & 1 Summer J.A.S.
1:30 pm Meals on Wheels Board meeting

Friday, August 13
10 & 1 Summer J.A.S.

Saturday, August 14
9:00 am Men of Purpose
10:00 am Book Discussion Group

Sunday, August 15 – Mary, Mother of Our Lord
9:30 am Holy Eucharist, followed by fellowship & coffee
11:00 am Adult Education

Monday, August 16
10 & 1 Summer J.A.S.

Tuesday, August 17
10 & 1 Summer J.A.S.
12 & 1 pm Music Lessons (Mount Calvary Academy of Music)

Wednesday, August 18
10:00 am Staff meeting
10:30 & 1 Summer J.A.S.
3:30 pm MICAH meeting
8:00 pm N.A.

Thursday, August 19
10 & 1 Summer J.A.S.

Friday, August 20
10:00 am Summer J.A.S.
1:00 pm Summer J.A.S.

Saturday, August 21
9:00 am Men of Purpose

Sunday, August 22 – Ordinary Time: Sunday 21
9:30 am Holy Eucharist, followed by fellowship & coffee
11:00 am Adult Education

Monday, August 23
7:00 pm Worship Committee Meeting


Altar Guild Welcomes New Servers
Worship is central to our life together at Mount Olive, and throughout the year, dozens of people serve in a variety of capacities to prepare and lead our services. One group of volunteers, the Altar Guild, is eager to welcome new members.

Caring for the communion vessels, linens, and flowers can be a meaningful extension of worship and spiritually rewarding. Altar Guild work is also an efficient way to serve, because members are already at church for worship.

Responsibilities
• Prepare the altar before worship service, or clean up and set up between services (when we have two), or clean up after worship.
• You may serve alone; with a spouse, partner, or friend; or with another Altar Guild member. (You choose.)
• Attend quarterly Altar Guild meetings, held between worship services the first Sundays in February, May, and November, and after worship the first Sunday in August.

Frequency
Some Altar Guild members serve once a month, while others serve more often, even several Sundays in a row. Each person signs up for the time slot and number of Sundays that suit her or his schedule.

Training
Experienced, patient Altar Guild members provide thorough training.
Contact: If you’re interested in serving, please send a note to welcome@mountolivechurch.org. Or stop in the working sacristy (through the front left door as you face the altar) before or after worship to talk with a current Altar Guild member.


METROLutheran Needs a Boost.
Mount Olive supports METROLutheran newspaper with an annual gift and shares its members, Ken Siess and Mike Edwins as members of the Board of Directors. Mike Sherer, former editor, was a member of Mount Olive. METROLutheran appreciates such faithful and generous support.

Because of the downturn in the economy, some of our advertisers have scaled back the size of their ads which has hurt our “ad income.” Gifts from congregations are also a bit behind previous years, perhaps also influenced by the downturn in the economy.

Our current income is about $6,000 behind expenses. If members of Mount Olive can make a special offering to METROLutheran at this time, it will help immensely. With the approval of the Mount Olive Vestry, envelopes for your use are available (outside the Church Office in its newly-remodeled location). Thank you for your generosity and continued faithful reading of METROLutheran.


Keeping it Beautiful
Many have commented on the beautiful flower beds around the church and how nice they are this year. Several people have helped with this! Thanks is extended to Carla Manuel and her family, Gary Pagel, Evy Essenwein, Connie Olson, and the Summer Jobs After School workers (and anyone else not known to us who have helped) for the loving care they have given in tending these gardens. The colors and textures have been beautiful and add so much to our corner of 31st and Chicago.


Church Library News
People have been asking, "What about the Louise Schroedel Memorial Library, will we still have it and where will it be located?" I appreciate your interest and want to bring you up to date with current happenings. As you may remember, the old library, which had been in the same corner of the education wing for over 40 years, was dismantled last September and packed into many, many boxes to be stored away in the church basement. Likewise, the bookshelves and other library furniture was stored in the back of the East Assembly room. These steps were taken because of the upcoming construction project and there is now a new set of bathrooms where the old library once resided, and the church offices are relocated to the north wall instead of the west wall. At the end of that north corridor is one more space that will be the new home of the Louise Schroedel Memorial Library. At this point, the shelving is not yet reattached and the difficult and formidable task of unpacking boxes and boxes of books and other media still lies ahead of us this fall.

It will take a little more effort on your part to come down that long hallway to make use of our old library's contents, but we urge you to remember that when it is ready to re-open, it will still hold our valuable reference, inspirational, devotional, social welfare and Church history materials and they will be there for your use and enlightenment.

I also wish to announce a new library ministry to be located in the hospitality area across from the Chapel Lounge. It will be named "The Crossroads: a Mini-Library," and it will be devoted to providing a mixture of media to all ages who come through that crossroads of hospitality and everyday life. Specifically, we are pleased to provide a new children's book browser bin, an adult reading area, two periodical racks, a book truck holding much of our video and CD collection, and hopefully a couple of shelving units (no funding for that so far, however) where we can display newer books and also some historical books that pertain to Mount Olive's 100th anniversary, celebrated in 2009. Watch for our opening sometime in mid-September. We hope this mini-library will be a pleasant space to visit, even briefly, while parents wait for their Sunday School children (or vice versa) and that it will beckon everyone to stop in to see what some of the colorful and changing displays may have to offer.

I also want to introduce you to Bonnie McLellan of our congregation, who has agreed to help me with the restoration of our church library ministry. Bonnie is a retired Dakota County librarian and we are pleased and grateful to have her expertise and willingness to be of service to our church in this special way!

Along with our other library committee members, we will need more volunteer help once these two library ministry spaces become active, but remember that we will need friends who have a definite commitment to help on a rotating schedule and a willingness to learn simple library procedures. If you have such an interest, please let me know.

"May the beauty of life surround you and bring you joy!"
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- Leanna Kloempken


Membership Updates: Summer, 2010
Received into membership of transfer of Affirmation of Faith (August 1): Tom Olsen & Maury Anderson, Paul & Sharon Baglyos, Debra Bielke, Mark Ravndalen, Nathan Babcock & Donald Ogren, Matthew Tingler, and Randy Fritz.

Received into membership by Holy Baptism (July 11): William Robert Burns Spaulding, infant son of Stephen & Alicen Spaulding.

Funerals: (July 19) Harold Diersen; (August 11) Alma Erickson.

Transfers: Dustin Nelson, to Living Waters Lutheran Church, Lino Lakes, MN