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Mount Olive Lutheran Church

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

The Olive Branch, 5/22/13


Accent on Worship

The Holy Trinity

     In this Sunday’s readings for The Holy Trinity, we are given a vision in the lessons, the Gospel and the Psalm of a cosmic Creator God, and the story of God’s creation in spirit and matter.  Wisdom, a spiritual entity, is personified in Proverbs as a feminine being, a companion to the Creator from the beginning. Psalm 8 is a tribute to the Creator for the majesty of the universe, the material world.  Paul writes in his letter to the Romans about suffering, which is done in the physical body and the powerful spiritual force of hope.  Jesus, who will soon physically depart from his disciples, tells them of how he will continue to be with them in the Spirit who will guild them and communicate with them in this world.

     The life force that resonates through all that is living originates with the spiritual force of God’s love.  “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us,” writes Paul.
     We are called by the life and love of Jesus to manifest God’s love in the material world, in which we live. We love by being physically present to those in need.  When our sisters and brothers are suffering, we are called to suffer through the sacrificial giving of our material (matter) and ourselves (spirit).  And, “that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,” writes Paul.

     We have been created to live in love, trust, kindness, and hope with God and one another.  And we do this in the spirit and the flesh.  For this reason Wisdom is portrayed as “rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race.”

- Donna Neste




Sunday Readings

May 26, 2013 – The Holy Trinity
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 + Psalm 8
Romans 5:1-5 + John 16:12-15

June 2, 2013 – Time after Pentecost: Sunday 9
I Kings 8:22-23, 41-43 + Psalm 96:1-9
Galatians 1:1-12 + Luke 7:1-10




Summer Worship Schedule Begins This Weekend!

     Beginning this Sunday, May 26, and running through Sunday, September 1, Mount Olive celebrates one Sunday Eucharist at 9:30 a.m.  



Olive Branch Summer Publication

     Please note that during the months of June, July, and August, The Olive Branch is published every other week.  Weekly publication resumes after Labor Day.



Attention Graduates!
     If you are a regular worshipper (member or friend of the congregation) and will be graduating from high school, college, or a graduate school this spring, please let us know as soon as possible. We want to be sure all graduates are included in our upcoming graduate recognition.

     Simply call the church office (612-827-5919), or drop an email (welcome@mountolivechurch.org).



Hebrews Study on Thursday Evenings

     Meeting in the Chapel Lounge from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Pr. Crippen is currently leading a study of the book of Hebrews, an early Christian sermon preserved in the New Testament.  As usual, there will be a light supper when we begin.  All are welcome to this study opportunity!



Summer Jobs After School

     The Summer Jobs After School Program is in need of one more volunteer.  If you would like to hang out with three or four cool kids to supervise jobs and an art project once a week for up to two hours for six weeks, call Donna at church, 612-827-5919.  Summer Jobs After School will run from the first week in July through mid-August.  It’s a lot of fun!



Book Discussion Group

     Mount Olive’s Book Discussion group meets on the second Saturday of each month at 10:00 a.m. at church. For the June 8 meeting, they will discuss The Calligrapher's Daughter, by Eugenia Kim. For July 13, they will read The Violent Bear It Away, by Flannery O'Connor.  And advance notification (because of its length) that for August 10 we will discuss Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin.



Adult Forum June 9

     Jessinia Ruff, daughter of Mark and Lisa, is a recent high school graduate. She will be traveling to the Dominican Republic with SCORE International for an 8 month-long trip to study Spanish and participate in local ministry. Following the liturgy on June 9, she will talk more about the organization, the work she'll be doing there, and how you can support her.



A Letter of Thanks

Dear Friends at Mount Olive—

     It is my pleasure to forward to you a letter I recently received on behalf of Mt. Olive from our Bethania partners in India.  You may recall that some months ago Bethania received a $5,000 grant out of the Capital Campaign tithe to help fund the start of a new mission project for children in the State of Odisha in India.  Thanks in no small part to that “seed money”, the work in this remote and largely unchurched part of India has successfully begun.

      You may also be interested to know that the author of the letter was Godfrey Immanuel Rajkumar.  Godfrey was one of the two visitors from Bethania who were at Mount Olive two years ago.  As the Odisha project has taken shape, Godfrey has been one of the key leaders in getting this project off the ground.
      Let me finally add a personal word of thanks for the grant that was awarded.  As some of you know, Mount Olive was one of the original supporters of Bethania going back to 1987.  The faithful support over the years has been much appreciated as Bethania continues to spread the “Good News” to some of India’s neediest children.
     God bless you and all the good people at Mount Olive!

- Gene Hennig



Remember the Hungry and Homeless

     Now that the end of the school year is at hand, our thoughts turn to vacations.  In your travels, please remember to save unused complimentary toiletries for homeless persons.  These, as well as trial size toiletries that can be purchased, are ideal because of their small size. Please bring your donations to the coat room at Mount Olive.

     Also, as you may know, food needs are even greater in the summer months when children are not in school receiving free lunches.  Please keep this in mind when making your food donations.  CES (Community Emergency Services) has a food shelf to which we contribute.  For our guidance, they have listed some needed items as follows: Chili, Sugar, Beef Stew, Salt, Canned Beets, Cooking Oil, Pudding Cups, Jello Cups, Coffee/Tea, Toilet Paper, Cocoa, Mac and Microwaveable Cups.

     Your usual generous response will do much to help provide for hungry children. Thank you!



“Procession” arrives at Mount Olive

     Thanks to a generous gift by the Mount Olive Foundation, John August Swanson’s magnificent painting “Procession” has come to Mount Olive.  It is hanging in the Chapel Lounge, though that placement may change.  “Procession” is a beautiful, complex painting of a massive, celebratory liturgical procession, with portrayals of biblical stories throughout, banners and musical instruments and singing people.  The artist says this about the painting: “It is not my desire that the complexity and intricacy of this work confuse or confound, but that it illuminate and inspire.  We are invited to join together in the procession to help each other see in ways we have never seen before, to help each other see again what we have forgotten, to see something familiar in a new way, in a new light, from a different perspective.  The great procession is a celebration of life and faith where the rich and poor march in unison; the strong carry the weak, and the weak humble the proud; those who know the dance teach those who are just learning; and a child lifts high the banner for all to follow in joy, in peace, in love.  This is the reality, the spirit I want to make real in this work.”  This painting celebrates a life of worship and praise of God to which Mount Olive aspires.

     Swanson painted “Procession” in 1980, and created a signed, serigraph edition of 250 in 2007; Mount Olive’s is number 180 in the series.  For more information and reflections by the artist, see his website description of this work: http://www.johnaugustswanson.com/default.cfm/PID=1.2.21.

     Thanks are due to the Mount Olive foundation for this gift, and to Paul Nixdorf and Brian Jacobs for their assistance in procuring it and having it framed.



Church Library News

     We are pleased to invite you into our library to see and browse in the newest display of books.  Included are three books given in memory of someone and almost a dozen books that have been donated by one of our congregation's members.  There are also some nice additions to our children's book section.
     Memorial Books:
WHAT A SON NEEDS FROM HIS DAD (How a Man Prepares His Sons for Life) by Michael A. O'Donnell, Ph.D., given in memory of Warren Bartz
GOD'S ANSWERS TO LIFE'S DIFFICULT QUESTIONS (Living With Purpose series) by Rick Warren, given in memory of Bill Laack
MY HEART'S CRY -- Longing for More of Jesus by Anne Graham Lotz, given in memory of Vernette Schroeder

    Donated Books:
THE HIDDEN GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, Annotated and Explained by Ron Miller,  given to our library by David Ludwig
THE RIVER OF GOD (a New History of Christian Origins) by Gregory J. Riley, given by David Ludwig
THE UNVARNISHED NEW TESTAMENT, A New Translation from the Original Greek Translation by Andy Gaus,  given by  David Ludwig
THE JOURNEYS OF ST. PAUL (Bible Wisdom for Today) by James Harpur, given by David Ludwig.
CAREGIVING FOR YOUR LOVED ONES by Mary Vaughn Armstrong, given by Adam Krueger
WISDOM ABOUT WAR AND NON-VIOLENCE (30 Thoughts to Discuss and Ponder) with Lowell Erdahl and Duane Kamrath, given by Al Bostelmann
ONLY ANGELS CAN WING IT (The Rest of Us Have to Practice) by Liz Curtis Higgs, given by Hans Tisberger
MARTIN LUTHER -- A PENGUIN LIFE by Martin Marty, given by Mary Dorow.
MY REAL FAMILY (a Child's Book About living in a Step Family) by Doris Sanford, given by Leanna Kloempken

More New Books:
TRAVELING LIGHT (Releasing the Burdens You Were Never Intended to Bear), by Max Lucado
REDEMPTION, RETURN, and TUESDAY MORNING (3 separate books about the Victim of the September 11, 2001 Terrorism Attack), the first two by Karen Kingsbury and Gary Smalley and the last in the series is written by Karen Kingsbury alone.
GOD'S BEAUTIFUL HEAVEN, by Julie Cadalbert
HELP WANTED (Devotions for Job Seekers), by Aaron M. Basko
ALWAYS THERE (Reflections for Mom's on God's Presence), by Susan Wallace
3 Special Children’s books in the Helping Hand Books series, written by Sarah, Duchess of York -- EMILY'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, MICHAEL AND HIS NEW BABY BROTHER, and MATTHEW AND THE BULLIES.

     Also, remember that with the coming of the summer church schedule, our church library's hours will change to being open 45 minutes after each Sunday's liturgy.

     I’ll close with this quote from Archibald MacLeish:  "What is more important in a library than anything else -- than everything else -- is the fact that it exists!

- Leanna Kloempken

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