The Saturday Night Club will again get off to a rousing start on September 25 with a repeat performance by the Senior Synod Band. The band was organized and is directed by Em Stark. Under his direction the band has grown and now includes over 80 fine musicians. Last year’s program was described by many as one of the best evenings of food and entertainment ever.
Dinner is served at 5:30 pm. Reservations are required—call Dorothy Siedler at 952-938-5858 by Sept 21.
On October 23 we will be entertained by Ingrid Anderson who is known for her outstanding Scandinavian gift shop on Gull Lake. Ingrid will bring Sweden to us with slides and stories of building her home in Sweden.
December 4 will feature the Travis Anderson Trio. They performed jazz at its best at our January dinner, and many of you expressed a desire to "get them back." These young musicians will lead us into the Christmas season.
The Women's Book Group meets every 3rd Tuesday of the month in the Fireside Gallery and is open to all women.
These are the selections for the rest of 2010. All are novels, but with very different plots and settings. Consider reading all or some and join the discussion at 7 pm in the Gallery.
September 21: A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. A suspenseful thriller set in 1907 rural Wisconsin.
October 19: The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips. A mystery set in 1931 Alabama, exploring the value of community, family and hope.
November: Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji. Set in 1973 Iran, it lays bare the beauty and brutality of the Persian culture during the last days of the Shah.
Gethsemane Lutheran Church is proud to present a retrospective show of the works of local artists Lois and Harry Heim. Over 50 paintings will chronicle their lives’ work in various art mediums.
The show will be on display from September 2 – October 31 in Gethsemane's Fireside Gallery. (See below for hours.)
A reception with the artists will be held on Sunday, September 26 from 10:30 am - 2:00 pm.
Together, Lois and Harry have received the Achievement Award from the Minnesota Watercolor Society and in 1999 the Alumni Achievement Award from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. They have maintained various studios and have led artists' tours to the South of France, Taos, Sante Fe and Ireland. They continue to paint in watercolor, acrylic, gouache and casein.
Stop in and view these amazing works by two of Gethsemane’s most devoted members. More info? Contact Paul McKenzie at pmckenzie@glconline.org or 952 935-1753 x113.
Gallery Hours *
Monday-Thursday 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
Friday 9:30 am - 3 pm
Sunday 9:00 am - 12 pm
*Note: this space is occasionally used for meetings during the week. It's best to call 952-935-1753 to make sure the room is available before you visit.
Some professional hints on the art of flower arranging will highlight the program for the Gethsemane Church Women’s Salad Supper on Tuesday, Sept 28 at 6:30 pm in Fellowship Hall.
The traditional opener for the GCW activity season, the supper is always a popular event for church women and their guests.
Demonstrating the flower arranging will be Peggy Bernet of Glenrose Floral in Glen Lake. A few lucky women will win a bouquet to carry home.
Each of the Circles will contribute to the colorful variety of salads for the buffet. Reservations should be made in advance by calling the church office.
Sunday, September 12 after worship we are gathering to celebrate the beginning of a new program year with food, fellowship and good times! Stay after church for food-on-a-stick, games, entertainment and the Blue Ribbon Recipe Contest (details below.) You will also have the opportunity to generously support the education ministries of our congregation.
Blue Ribbon Recipe Contest
On Rally Day we are hosting a recipe contest for cooks of all ages. Bring in a homemade sample from one of the categories below on September 12 along with your recipe and an entry form (find them at church) and our church council will provide the taste-testing and offer Blue Ribbons to the top recipe in each of the following categories:
Jam/Jelly * Sweet Bread * Pie * Salsa * Chocolate Treat
Fall is a great time to start thinking about how you can engage in new opportunities at Gethsemane. A tool that can help you match your interests with opportunities is the Serving Attributes Survey. Use your gifts and strengths to make a difference in our church and in our world! Log in to Access Gethsemane and complete the survey on your profile page.
from Mary Ofstie, Library Committee
As I was "weeding" the library I came across a little gem of a book, Morning and Evening, by Ruth Esbjornson, wife of Robert Esbjornson, long-time religion professor at Gustavus Adolphus College. Ruth wrote numerous articles for The Lutheran magazine in the 1960's. Morning and Evening is a selection of these articles Robert compiled in his wife's memory. They are arranged as morning and evening readings meant for personal spiritual growth. I wish to share with you excerpts from the article, On Being Patient.
"I have been forced to look in on myself while I waited. I have found a great empty well that nothing seems to fill – ambitions, accomplishments, dreams, family, friends - it's a waiting place, a hungry place, a yearning place. It is a place I sometimes forget when I am busy with other things. But when I am forced to be patient, I see it there.
Somewhere there must be water ready to rush into this hole to fill it, with the sparkle, the cleanness, the purity, the substance of fresh cool water."
Haven’t I read that Jesus is the water that can fill my emptiness?
Browse the shelves, choose from the featured materials, and discover some gems. Happy reading!
If you are considering becoming a member of Gethsemane you are invited to our next New Member Class, Sunday, October 10 at 12 pm.
In this 1½ hour session we will share with you the mission and vision of our congregation, go over various ways you can get involved, as well as introduce you to other members, new members, and staff. If you have not yet indicated your interest in becoming a member, please talk with one of the pastors or contact Karen Eckenrode in the church office at keckenrode@glconline.org or 952-935-1753.
Making Sense of Scripture: Big Questions About the Book of Faith Lose, David J.
David J. Lose holds the Marlbury E. Anderson Chair in Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. Making Sense of Scripture is part of the Book of Faith Adult Bible Studies. In his book, Lose invites the reader to engage in a dialogue about the seven major questions of the Bible. Quoting from the introduction, Lose writes: “Making Sense of Scripture is a book about the Bible, explaining enough of the Bible’s history and nature to make it more accessible to you. Even more, it is a book on how to read the Bible in the first place, and I hope and intend that it will give you confidence to explore the actual content and claims of the Bible on your own.” Making Sense of Scripture is written for lay people in a conversational format. It is highly recommended by Pastor John.
Revelation and the End of All Things Koester, Craig R.
Craig Koester is professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. Koester begins his book with this sentence: “The power of a book can be seen in what it does to people, and few books have affected people more dramatically than Revelation.” Revelation has been described as alluring, frightening, sensational, and incomprehensible. Revelation has also inspired artworks, musical compositions, and social upheaval. Koester takes lay readers first into some interpretations of Revelation and then guides them through the entire book. It’s a Luther Seminary Bookstore staff recommendation.
About the Bible: Short Answers to Big Questions, Revised and Expanded Edition Fretheim, Terence E.
Terence Fretheim is Elva B. Lovell Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. Should the Bible be interpreted literally? What about the Genesis creation accounts and science? How is God related to suffering? Are some parts of the Bible more important than other parts? Fretheim offers straightforward answers to these and 31 more frequently asked questions. Fretheim believes that living with questions is imperative because it keeps us thinking about matters central to our faith. “Even more, we are called to a ministry of questions: caring about the questions that people have and drawing ourselves and others more deeply into the mystery of faith.” It’s a Luther Seminary Bookstore staff recommendation.
There will be drawings for two lovely children's Easter books on Sunday, March 21. Kids, check out any material and you are automatically entered!
Since it began over 20 years ago, the ELCA has been committed to being a welcoming, diverse denomination, and its goal is for at least 10% of its membership to be persons of color or whose language is other than English. Each year, along with statistics about attendance and finance and educational programs, the ELCA asks congregations to report their racial/ethnic make-up in order to measure progress toward that goal.
In the past the GLC staff has estimated this information. But Gethsemane’s ethnic make-up has been changing and we believe that gathering this information in a more accurate, meaningful way will help us understand who we are as a congregation and be respectful of our diversity.
We now have a place in our membership database to record members’ race/ethnicity. We need each member to let us know how they identify themselves. You can do that by going to your Personal Profile in Access Gethsemane and choosing the Race/Ethnicity category that best describes you. Parents, please enter this information for your children as well. You can also check the rest of your information for accuracy, change the Newsletter Options to choose to get your newsletter by email , and complete the Attributes section of the Serving tab to tell us more about your interests and abilities. If you don’t have access to a computer you can contact Karen Eckenrode in the church office and she can record your information.
