The Communion of Saints

This week finds several families of Resurrection grieving over the death of their loved ones.  Whether death comes after a long illness or suddenly, as it did to a 25-year-old man in a car accident, family and friends of each one who died still experience a personal loss.  Sorrow grips their hearts!  Even though Christians do not grieve as those who have no hope, as St. Paul tells us (1 Thess. 4:13), we do still grieve, and we do need comfort!

One of the petitions in the service for the Burial of the Dead pleads for the gift of increased faith in the midst of overwhelming circumstances: Help us, we pray, in the midst of things we cannot understand, to believe and trust in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, and the resurrection to life everlasting. The promise that Jesus died and rose again to win our salvation and that he will return one day to raise us from the dead is the core of our faith. However, when our hearts are heavy with grief, our faith may become clouded over, and therefore we pray for help to trust.

In addition, this prayer asks for help to believe in the communion of saints, which is the gathering of believers in Jesus Christ united in faith. Yes, it is none other than the Church! When we are bent over with the weight of sorrow we need help to believe that we are not alone, and assured that fellow believers are praying for us and supporting us. It is equally important that the rest of us are willing to BE the church, the communion of saints, joining hands with those in need, becoming an answer to their prayer.

The 1981 Special Olympics state finals were held in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Nearly 3,000 special athletes competed in summer games, in which caring was more important than winning. According to Bob Becker of The Grand Rapids Press, the events were run like those in any other track meet, with one exception. Each finish line was manned by what the special Olympians dubbed as "huggers." Their job, in addition to calling out the winners, was to encourage each one at the finish line with a hug and a pat on the back. Becker said that love was the key to the event's success.

In a similar way, you and I both know the key to the success of our life together in the Church is love, encouraging others in all circumstances of their lives.  Let the “huggers” step forward in times of joy as well as in times of sorrow. Let the confirmands, the graduates, the worship team, the ushers, the education leaders, the staff—receive your affirmation; at the end of any race we run in life, no matter how well we have run, we need a “hug!” May the Holy Spirit help us to trust and believe and then encourage us to BE the Church!

 Written by: Rev. Ron Freimark

Our Congregation's DNA

Generosity is a deep part of our congregational life. Giving seems to be a part of our mission. There are many factors that have contributed to the spirit of generosity.

First is God's generosity towards us. "For God so loved the world that God GAVE us God's son." John 3:16. Without the gift of God's grace we would be lost. 

Our congregation’s history also reveals that we are the recipients of generosity. The ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) saw the need for a new Lutheran congregation in the southeast corner of Woodbury and called Pastor Ted Vanderpan to be the mission developer for Resurrection. He and his wife Sara gave generous of their time and energy to start the Vibrant Life of Resurrection.  

Inez and Glenn Oehlke had the option to sell the land our church occupies for a significant profit, but chose instead to sell it at below market-value to both St. Ambrose and to Resurrection. Later Inez donated the farm house and surrounding buildings to the congregation. Generosity is part of our congregation’s DNA.

Generosity continues to strengthen our mission. In March we donated more than a $1,000 in a special offering to CURE Ministry and Beacon of Hope church. We are blessed to be a blessing to others.

There can sometimes be a snag in our giving to God’s Kingdom. In our busy, active lives we sometimes forget to write the check for the Sunday offering or we leave our cash at home. This is where Simply Giving helps.
 

There is no "mystery" to Simply Giving. 

 
Simply Giving is an easy way to have your donation to Resurrection deducted electronically from your bank account. It can be done once a month or twice a month as you choose. You set the amount to be deducted. It provides three benefits to your giving:

 

• Convenience: No check writing or forgetting.  
• Comfort: You know your Estimate of Giving will be met.
• Consistency: Your offering makes it to Resurrection even in your absence.

Currently Resurrection has about 75 families using Simply Giving. We have a goal to increase that to 100 families before summer comes. Will you be one of those households?  To begin using this convenient option of giving, please complete the Simply Giving Form available here and return it to the attention of Jay Hickey in the church office. Simply Giving Forms are also available in the office and on our website, under Stewardship 2015. 

“For your heart will always be where your riches are.” 

 Matthew 6:21 (GNT)

Pastor John Keller

Oh, The Places We Shall Grow

A previous year's presentation of a Dr. Seuss tale.

On Sunday, April 19, Sarah Storvick,  Betsy Hickey and Hannah Koehler used rhyme and story to tell of Resurrection's current facility concerns. 

With apologies to Dr. Seuss, we present a brief tale:

One Fish, Too Squished . . . or Oh, The Spaces We Will Grow!

At one end of town, where new neighborhoods sprout,

sits a wee little church . . . spacious, glorious land all about.


Sundays and Wednesdays, the building is hopping.

But ideas and dreams, our square footage is stopping.


Programs and people clamor for space.

Getting on the calendar? It’s always a race!

And what about the children who need a quiet space?

How lovely it would be for them to have a comfy place.

Students in grades five and six hike across the plain,

an adventure for some, for others a strain.

And a pain. Some complain. Guests may be filled with disdain.

Can anyone spell chilblain? Is this the right way our children to train?

Classes for grown-ups? Many are yearning,

but there isn’t a space for adults to be learning!

Struggles with allergies? This is truly serious stuff.

Keeping a dear child away—something at the farmhouse makes it too rough.

Eighth graders meeting on nursery chairs,

small group space would be an answer to prayers!

Places to rehearse, to practice, to stage . . .

Constant take-down make Barry and Larry age!

Yet, servants and leaders are creative and clever, sharing God’s love through heartfelt endeavor. Forever.

That is the end of our little story, but the great news is that God’s story for Resurrection is still in its early chapters. What we hope you take from that rhyming riff are two things.

One, we have been witness to amazing creativity over the years, and we are so thankful to work with both adults and children – who are flexible and willing to work with whatever resources and spaces and talents they are given. 

And two, we see amazing potential. Ideas that have potential. Children with incredible potential. Youth who are realizing their potential. Hopes and dreams and desires that long to be realized. For the sake of the potential God will bring to us in the years to come, we pray that this congregation can work toward expanding our ability to serve the children and youth moving into our community.

And yet, we do face limits – with busy lives, and overly full calendars, many of you like to combine your visits here – and would love to participate in a Bible study while your children learn at confirmation or in Sunday School. But space limits that.

Others might like to have a team meeting while their students are in confirmation small groups, but no meeting space is left over. Sunday School small group leaders wrestle with the distractions of all meeting in one room, which makes focus difficult. Any of us will happily walk to and through the farmhouse with you if you would like to experience for yourself the pros and cons of that unique space. 

 We invite you to prayerfully consider what the space needs for children and youth ministry are today, what they may be a few years from now, and what they could be when whatever-child-you-may-visit-with this morning is bringing children of his or her own to worship here. If children bring out any good thing in us, we hope it is thought-filled planning and trust-filled living for those who will come after us. May God find us faithful!

Just Right!

We were starting a new chapter in life when we first visited Resurrection in the fall of 2011. Our kids were grown and lived out of state, so our needs were different from those that had led us to our previous church home. We weren't sure exactly what we were looking for, but decided to visit three different congregations, trusting that we would just know when it was right.

Resurrection was the first church we visited. We were greeted warmly and felt very comfortable in this new space. The energy was great – everyone seemed involved in the life of this congregation, from little kids to “mature” folks like us. Above all, we felt the love. Resurrection members really care for each other and the community around them. We not only pray, as a church, for other church communities each week, but we join with them in service to others.

Jim and I have very different styles when it comes to new situations. I tend to jump right in, building relationships as I go, while he tends to build relationships slowly before making any commitments. I was surprised when after our first visit he said "I like this church." Coming from Jim, that is high praise!

We never did visit the other congregations on our list. Resurrection felt just right for us. We visited often during the fall and winter, and became members in the spring of 2012. I have found plenty of ways to serve and make connections, and Jim’s need to take things a little more slowly has always been respected.

God has brought us just where we need to be. We are home, and now it is our turn to extend a warm welcome to other visitors. We hope they will find that Resurrection is just right for them too. Even if they eventually settle elsewhere, they will know they are always welcome here.

Written by: Jeannie LeMere

Serving Brings Joy

How do you put your faith into action? Actively living in faith can take many, many shapes. Maybe your job gives you daily opportunities to trust in God’s provision or grace. Perhaps you give continued attention to a challenging relationship. Or possibly your faith is active in the prayerful way you are seeking God’s guidance. This past Sunday, we gathered together to serve God and our neighbors by putting our faith in action in community-wide ways.

A couple participants share their reflections on Resurrection’s Faith in ACT!ON Day:

Faith in Action day is a jump start for me each spring.  As spring time comes and brings the promise of new life and color in our lives, Faith in Action Day brings us to others’ lives as we serve inside and outside our congregation. From cleaning and sharing stories with elderly folks to packing kits for children living under stress we get to have our hands and hearts involved in projects that bring our faith to others. I love that children can serve with or without their parents. I love that young and old can do something to reach out into the community and share their faith.  As an event leader on Faith in Action Day I receive the added bonus of seeing the faces of those who are affected by our donations. I get to see the excitement of the volunteers when I deliver 700 hygiene kits to the Neighborhood House. I get to see the tears of joy when I deliver over 200 kitchen kits to Bridging. I am excited to see the faces of the people at Lutheran Social Service’s Camp Noah when I deliver the kids’ kits we made. To me, this is powerful stuff and it fuels me when my faith meter is running low.  Jodi Diekmann

I just love how you can make a difference, with only a couple hours of your time. The people we visited loved sharing their stories. There is a great deal of power in simply listening. I love seeing the smiles on the faces of both those who serve and those we visited. Faith in ACT!ON brings joy! Renae Jensen

During last night’s final Lenten Wednesday message on the ten commandments, Pastor John closed with an image of Jesus washing his disciples feet. He wrapped up this series by helping us all remember that the hope we have in living by the commandments is found in Christ and his example. It is when we turn our eyes and lives to him that we experience the joy of faith in action.

Haiti Reflections

On my most recent mission trip to Haiti, our team jumped aboard the “tap tap” last Tuesday morning anticipating what God had in store for us to learn that day.  What was God going to teach us?  How were our hearts going to be opened?  How would we learn more about who God is through his own people?

 

That day we delivered water to a tent city where there is no clean drinking water or electricity, and there is sewage running through the streets.  Yet as we arrived in Cite Soleil the children mobbed us with large grins and joyful spirits.  Under the extreme poverty conditions the team was taken aback seeing the joy in their eyes, their large smiles and gigantic never-ending hugs.  Watching the line of water buckets continually growing, partnering with desperation, some team members witnessed excitement and gratefulness as the Haitians received their portion of clean water for their families. As we witnessed them walking with their water buckets to their homes and seeing the conditions, the reality of poverty and lack of comfort they have compared to what we have back in the states was striking and made us ask, “What is God trying to teach me?”  When God breaks our hearts for what breaks His, we can move into action.  Mark 12:31 reminds us, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no other commandment greater than these.”  We do not have to go to Haiti to serve others or to be moved into action.  We can love and serve our neighbors in our own community and backyard. 

 

You are invited to serve with our church family on faith in ACT!ON Day, Sunday, March 22 when we have the opportunity to put our faith into action! Perhaps you will bring a pet to visit residents at a care center, or help assemble Kids Kits for Camp Noah, a summer camp for children whose neighborhoods have experienced trauma. Maybe you will serve breakfast at a homeless shelter, or perhaps you will build shelves or organize supplies for ReBuilding Together.  Out of town that day?  Consider donating supplies for one of the assembly projects as your way of serving.

Let’s move into action together, and spread the good news of Jesus! Sign up here for faith in ACT!ON Day by Monday, March 16.  Please sign up for the potluck also.

Written by: Hannah Koehler

Youth Sunday and Special Offering

I grew up in a church smaller than Resurrection. Our high school youth group (called “Luther League”) had 6-10 active youth. We had game nights and occasional Bible studies. We went on camping trips and hikes.  But our biggest events was when we went to the special youth gatherings in Seattle where several hundred high school youth would sing, shout and experience God’s love and grace together. At these gathering, I felt connected to something bigger, deeper, and wider than my small Luther League. Jesus came alive for me at these mass gatherings. The seeds for my calling as your pastor were sown at these events. 

This summer the youth of Resurrection will have the opportunity to experience God’s love in such a setting.  Every three years our national church body organizes a national youth gathering where over 35,000 high school youth and adults come together to worship and serve, play and converse. This year’s ELCA Youth Gathering is in Detroit starting July 15. During the day we will participate in various service opportunities; in the evening we will gather at Ford Field for special speakers and music. You can read more about the ELCA Youth Gathering here.  I plan to attend with Hannah Koehler (Director of Family-based Youth Ministry), John Moore, Leslee Donovan and our ten youth. 

On Sunday, March 1^st, the Resurrection’s youth will be a vital part of our worship as they speak to why they feel called to attend the National Youth Gathering. They will share how they hope this will impact their walk with Jesus. They will be asking for your prayers and encouragement as they prepare for the event. They will also be asking that each member of Resurrection contribute to a special offering that will help pay for the trip.

The registration cost for the Gathering is significantly more than the youth’s annual mission trip. Your generosity will help to make this event happen for our youth. As a congregation we make a covenant with each baptism that we will help our children and youth grew in faith in Christ. Their trip is an outreach of our entire congregation as we seek to call our youth to the Vibrant Life of Faith in Christ. It is your opportunity to plant and water God’s seeds of faith in their lives. Who knows?  Someday, one of them may be your pastor! 

 O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. Psalm 71:17

Pastor John Keller