Accent on Worship
When my son graduated from high school he was not ready to go to college. Because he really wanted to do something meaningful and adventurous, we investigated a number of mission experiences during his senior year. We were lucky to know some Mennonite missionaries in Honduras and they hooked him up with a young missionaries program in which he trained before he was placed with a Honduran pastor and his family. He was there for a year, and I had to let him go. Almost all parents have to let go at some point, whether they are sending their kids off to a foreign country, to college, or to a job in another city. When that time comes you realize that your daughter or son will not be at the table every night, you will not be waking your teenager up for school in the morning or knocking on your child’s bedroom door in the evening to remind him/her of something that needs to be attended to the following day. You go through a lot of emotions beyond loneliness, one of which is a certain loss of control over your child’s choices and decisions, and you are a little afraid for her/his safety. You are beyond positive that this person, who is far from an adult, is ready to leave and go it alone into the big, bad world.
When I read the Gospel for the Seventh Sunday of Easter, which highlights Jesus’ heartfelt intercessory prayer for his apostles the night before his death, I realized that Jesus was going through the same emotions. He also had to let go. But, before he did he gave a rundown to the Father of all that he taught them in His name. It felt like he was trying to convince himself that they are ready, the way parents tell themselves that their child will be ok. “After all, they have our values,” we say, “We can’t teach them any more.”
Like a parent, Jesus prays for their protection. “Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me,” he prays. Jesus prays for their fulfillment, something all parents want for their children. “But now I am coming to you, and I speak of these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves.” Jesus, like any parent knows, the world is not safe for those who live in the truth that he has taught, but he was not sent to them to take them back with him to the Father until they walked the path that he prepared for them.
So it is with our children, they must walk the path that Jesus has prepared for them in this world and we must let them go. But Jesus knows how we feel.
- Donna Neste
Metro Lutheran Hymn Festival
Sunday, May 20, 2012 – 4:00 p.m.
This annual hymn festival is a fundraiser for The Metro Lutheran newspaper and will be held here at Mount Olive. Cantor David Cherwien will play and Susan Palo Cherwien will provide reflections. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Book Discussion Group
Mount Olive’s Book Discussion group regularly meets on the second Saturday of each month at 10:00 a.m. The book they are reading for the coming months are:
- June 16: (postponed one week due to Bach Tage): Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann
- July 14: The Way We Live Now, by Anthony Trollope.
Meet the Artists!
During the Education Hour on Sunday, June 17, you will have the opportunity to meet artists from The Art Shoppe and to view some of their work.
Mount Olive sponsors the Art Shoppe jointly with A Minnesota Without Poverty and the Jewish Community Relations Council. By establishing an entrepreneurship, the artists are able to show and sell their work with the goal of overcoming poverty and becoming financially independent.
The Neighborhood Ministries Committee will sponsor this event hoping that a closer connection with the Art Shoppe will develop. Several from Mount Olive will soon begin volunteering at the shop. If anyone else is interested, please speak to a Neighborhood Committee member. The shop is located in the Midtown Global Market.
The artists are grateful for your support and are eager to meet you! We believe that you will be impressed with the quality of their work. So come enjoy meeting the artists, hearing their stories and viewing their work. Art work they display will be available for purchase.
Wanted: A Few Good Men or Women
This summer Jobs After School will take place from Monday, July 2 – Friday, August 10 (with the 4th of July off.) Neighborhood Ministries is in need of a few volunteers to help pick up three or four youth, supervise them on a job and bring them home one day a week, during those seven weeks. The summer jobs take about one to two hours. We will be holding an orientation lunch and meeting at noon on Tuesday, June 26 and an organizational meeting with the youth and parents at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday June 28.
You may pick your day and your hours, morning or afternoon. If you will be on vacation one or two of those weeks, we can cover that time for you. For more information, please call Donna @ 612-827-5919.
Summer Benefit Concert
A Minnesota Without Poverty is pleased to present a summer benefit concert, “2020: Enough For All.” This event will benefit the efforts of A Minnesota Without Poverty. The concert will be held on Monday, June 25 from 7-9 p.m. at the Capri Theater, 2027 W. Broadway, Minneapolis. Featured at this benefit performance will be Regina Marie Williams, T. Mychael Rambo, Thomasina Petrus, and others. Ticket price is $33 each and are available by visiting www.mnwithoutpoverty.org.
Walk Against Weapons
If you think our nation spends too much in funds and human lives on military madness and weapons, the Walk Against Weapons is the perfect opportunity to express this opinion and to raise funds for Women Against Military Madness (WAMM). They will sponsor a Walk Against Weapons on Saturday June 2, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The check-in point will be at Baker’s Square Restaurant, 928 Prairie Center Dr. in Eden Prairie. This is a highly visible three mile walk encircling Eden Prairie Center and ending at Alliant Techsystems, Minnesota's largest employer of weapons production. This walk is a fund raiser for Women Against Military Madness in which pledges will be solicited by the walkers. All checks are to be made payable to WAMM.
If you would like more information about participating or would just like to make a pledge, please contact Donna Neste at 612-827-5919.
The Bargain Box
Each August, Mount Olive Neighborhood Ministries sponsors The Bargain Box, an affordable way for neighborhood families to obtain good quality clothing (new and gently used) for children of all ages to wear as they return to school in the fall. This year, the Bargain Box will be on August 4, from 8-11:30 a.m.
You can help by donating new or gently used children’s clothes or money to purchase clothes (please include “Bargain Box” in the memo line of your gift), before August 4.
If you have any questions about Bargain Box, please contact Irene Campbell at 651-230-3927.
Summer Worship Schedule Approaches
Beginning Sunday, May 27 (Memorial Day weekend), Mount Olive will worship on summer Sunday schedule – one liturgy each Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. This schedule will continue through Labor Day weekend. We return to the regular (2 liturgy) schedule beginning Sunday, September 9.
Bach Tage – There’s Still Room!
June 9 and 10 are the dates for this sixth Bach Tage weekend at Mount Olive. Many of you have participated in the past, or have come to the Saturday afternoon concert or the cantata vespers on Sunday afternoon.
There is still room for additional participants! If you would like to join with other Bach-lovers to learn and sing BWV 75, Die Elenden sollen essen, register now! Brochures with schedule and registration forms are in the narthex at church.
The two concerts during Bach Tage are free of charge and open to the public – invite your friends!
Saturday, June 9, 4:30 p.m. All-Bach Recital
- Sonata in g for Oboe and Harpsichord (BWV 1030b), Stanley King, oboe; Arthur Halbardier, harpsichord
- Toccata & Fugue in d (“Dorian”) BWV 538) Cantor David Cherwien, organ
Sunday, June 10, 4:00 p.m. Evening Prayer
- Cantata BWV 75, Die Elenden sollen essen, and Motet BWV 118, O Jesu Christ, meines Lebens Licht, Kathy Romey, conductor, with soloists and orchestra
Plan to be part of Bach Tage VI, June 9 and 10.
Caring for a Person with Memory Loss: A Free Annual Educational Conference
Saturday, June 2, 2012 + 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Mayo Memorial Auditorium
420 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455
Join experts in a lively, informative discussion related to memory loss, care giving tips, and what you can do to help. The goal of this conference is to provide information, support, and education for adult children, spouses, parents, community care providers, and other individuals concerned with caring for persons with memory loss.
For registration and more information call: 612-626-2485.
Recital at Mindekirken
Tenor Aaron Humble and Pianists Mary and Sarah Hunt will present music by Schumann, Dvořák, and Schubert in a recital this Sunday, May 20, at 4:00 pm at Mindekirken (Norwegian Memorial Lutheran Church) 924 E. 21st St., Minneapolis.
Included in the program will be:
- Schumann: Dichterliebe
- Schubert: Assorted Mayrhofer Lieder
- Dvořák: Slavic Dances (Four Hands)
Put this event on your calendar and plan to attend and enjoy an afternoon of beautiful music.
Thanks For All The Great Snacks!
Many thanks to all the people who donated snacks to the Way to Goals Tutoring Program this year. Many donated more than once and we really appreciate it. Thanks to Naomi Peterson and Amy Thompson who brought treats five times! Thanks to Judy Graves, who came in with treats three nights, to Gail Nielsen, Andrew Andersen, Beth Sawyer, Dennis Bidwell, and Dan and Marcia Burow. Your generosity helps to keep the cost of this program down. Have a great summer!
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