Gethsemane is partnering for a series of three community meetings on the proposed Southwest Light Rail Line. Three congregations from South Minneapolis to Hopkins will be gathering at our respective locations along the line to look at existing plans and explore the potential impact on our communities.
Gethsemane will host the first evening and hear city plans as well as impact on the Blake corridor residents.
Join us Tuesday nights at 7:00 pm and invite your neighbors.
January 24 - Gethsemane Lutheran - Hopkins
January 31 - Westwood Lutheran – St. Louis Park
February 7 - Redeemer Lutheran – South Minneapolis
Have you seen the new Social Ministry brochure? You’ll find details about eleven initiatives available to help you live out your faith through acts of Service and Justice.
This may involve serving a meal at a homeless shelter, delivering a meal to the homebound, helping build adequate housing for a family, or something else that fits your skills and interests. The eleven current initiatives were not selected at random. Not too long ago our Social Ministry Team spent time identifying priority issues of focus for GLC's efforts. These are:
- Replacing homelessness with adequate housing
- Eliminating hunger by providing adequate food
- Helping our neighbors in need, especially children and families
In order to more effectively impact these issues of focus, we frequently work in partnership with five organizations:
The Social Ministry Team encourages everyone of every age to add some service and justice to your life. Imagine ... then take a leap of faith and ACT!
For several years teams of 4 or 5 people from GLC have journeyed to downtown Minneapolis on the 3rd Sunday of the month to serve supper to approximately 250-300 people housed temporarily at a building near Met stadium.
A nutritious meal is prepared by the staff at PSP, and our team of volunteers with the help of several staff spend approximately 2 hours serving and then cleaning up. The entire endeavor lasts about 3 hours including travel time to and from church.
Volunteers who come from churches and organizations all over the city are needed for the success of this program. We at Gethsemane are gratified to serve in this small way, and those who do benefit greatly.
GLC has committed to serving again this year on the 3rd Sunday of the month. You may volunteer for a specific date or just indicate that you'd like to help, and someone
will assign you. Please take this opportunity to reach out to those in need, to answer Christ's call, to "Go and serve."
If you have questions or times to discuss, please call Barbara Krig, 952-474-2041 or email bkrig@bitstream.net
Our Thursday After School for Kids program begins October 27 and runs through March 15 on weeks that school is in session. The program is free and open to all 3rd— 6th graders. A.S.K. starts at 4:10 and includes a snack, group activities, homework time and a 5:30 family dinner. Alice Smith students should be bringing the registration form home very soon. However, GLC children from other schools are also welcome to attend. Last year’s registration limits were reached very quickly, so early sign-up is strongly advised.
Volunteers Welcomed and Needed
The success of A.S.K. is entirely due to a wonderful volunteer team, many of whom have served since the program began. However, we’re always looking for additional adults and teens who would enjoy interacting with kids and welcoming their families to GLC. Volunteer opportunities include helping students with homework, assisting with or leading activities, serving dinner and handling cleanup. You can come one time to lead a craft or game; or you can come on a regular basis to assist with homework or meals. A special perk is the chance to eat a delicious dinner and meet wonderful families from our community.
For more information contact Donna at 952-933-0453 or Carol at 952-938-5105.
A.S.K. is an initiative of the Social Ministry Team. Funding for this program continues to be through a combination of grants and donations. This 11th year is made possible due to generous gifts from GCW and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.
We live in an increasingly diverse community. Gethsemane has the opportunity and responsibility to discern the most effective ways to be a church in this changing environment. These facts were the motivation for this summer’s Congregation Read and our hosting of two community events. It was wonderful to see so many get involved in a variety of ways.
Over 70 families purchased the book, close to 95 people attended the July Outcasts United and 55 people the August Neighbors United events. Plus many more likely read information about the events or issues in the Gethsemane News, local newspapers and various websites. It’s hoped that the learning, dialogue and community connections have only just begun.
By the way, did you know:
Research has found that inhabitants of very diverse communities tend to withdraw from collective life, volunteer less, distrust neighbors regardless of skin color, and huddle unhappily in front of the TV. (Unless, of course, a community takes strategic actions to prevent this from occurring.)
After hearing presentations about what’s currently happening in relations to our area’s growing immigrant and refugee populations, those attending Neighbors United brainstormed answers to the following question: What are some actions, big and small, that each of us might engage in to help build a healthy, united community? Here are just a few of the responses for your consideration:
- Smile and say hello, especially to those who look different from you
- Attend community ethnic festivals
- Go to the new ethnic restaurants and cultural markets in our area
- Introduce a new neighbor to your neighborhood
- Open a conversation with an immigrant or refugee. Try to find out what you have in common.
- Consider volunteering at Adult Options, Alice Smith or Eisenhower Elementary
- Support ResourceWest, ICA, and Lutheran Social Service
On the second Monday and Tuesday of each and every month, Gethsemane volunteers deliver hot noontime meals to the homebound in our community. Don and Lorraine
Carlson recently ‘retired’ from this duty after many years of faithful service. On behalf of our congregation, the Social Ministry Team recognizes and thanks Don and Lorraine for their generous gift of time.
Could you serve as a regular driver? We have many volunteers who are able and willing to help as occasional substitutes. However, we need people who could be ‘regular’ drivers on the first Monday (or even the first Tuesday) of each month. If your schedule fits that timeframe, please contact Jan Quist at 952-474-8194 for more information.
Have you seen the new Social Ministry brochure? You’ll find details about eleven initiatives available to help you live out your faith through acts of Service and Justice.
This may involve serving a meal at a homeless shelter, delivering a meal to the homebound, helping build adequate housing for a family, or something else that fits your skills and interests. The eleven current initiatives were not selected at random. Not too long ago our Social Ministry Team spent time identifying priority issues of focus for GLC's efforts. These are:
- Replacing homelessness with adequate housing
- Eliminating hunger by providing adequate food
- Helping our neighbors in need, especially children and families
In order to more effectively impact these issues of focus, we frequently work in partnership with five organizations:
As we move through these summer months, making plans and choices about how to spend our time, the Social Ministry Team encourages everyone of every age to add some service and justice to your life. Imagine ... then take a leap of faith and ACT!
The Gethsemane Social Ministry Team in partnership with local non-profit organizations would like to provide household furnishings to people in need in our community.
If you have items such as tables, chairs, lamps, dishes, utensils or linens in clean and safe working order, we may be able to provide a family with much needed items for their home.
Additionally, we may be able to accept some recycled products such as appliances, doors & windows, lighting fixtures and miscellaneous cabinetry including hardware and doorknobs, plumbing fixtures and more.
We may provide some pickup and delivery, or for small items we can set up a convenient time for you to drop your items off. (The non-profit organization is in Hopkins.)
Contact LaVerne Anderson at 952-544-3062, or email andrs691@aol.com, using the word “Gethsemane” in the subject line.
Lutheran World Relief Fair Trade chocolate, coffee and tea is sold every 3rd Sunday of the month in the Lobby at Gethsemane.
Gethsemane serves Fair Trade Coffee every Sunday during fellowship time in the Gathering Space. Fair Trade ensures that more of the money spent on coffee reaches the farmers who actually grow it. Visit www.lutheranworldrelief.org to learn more.
Special orders can be sent by email to kwilliams57@comcast.net.
By Brian Furan, Facilities Supervisor
These days, you can’t turn on the news, go online or open a newspaper without seeing more and more about the environment and being "green" (environmentally friendly.) By doing what we can to conserve energy here at Gethsemane and at home, we are contributing to a much larger effort that can produce massive results!
What can we do here at Gethsemane? We can ALL make an immediate difference by just doing a few simple things when we are at church.
- Simply wiping your shoes well on the way in can make a difference in the energy and resources needed to keep the carpets clean.
- Turn off lights, fans and air conditioners when you are finished using a room.
- Recycle instead of just tossing in the nearest garbage can. We have aluminum can recycling containers around the building, and containers for paper, glass and plastic are located next to the walk-in cooler in the kitchen, as well as a large red barrel for paper in the work room.
- Ink cartridges, cell phones and cell phone batteries can be recycled in a container located next to the front desk.
- Cardboard can be recycled in the paper dumpster located behind the garage, or left next to the maintenance office downstairs.
Other steps being taken include using paper products such as towels and tissues from recycled materials and certified "green" industries, and researching bio-degradeable cleaning products and methods to reduce cleaning waste.
Together, we can all take little steps towards making a big difference at Gethsemane, and hopefully be an inspiration for others in our community to work toward a cleaner, better environment for our future generations to enjoy!
