The percent of the U.S. population that is foreign born is now at levels not seen since early in the 20th century. Immigration is a timely issue that relates to Gethsemane’s outreach to the Latino community in our area. Our upcoming Adult Forum will address the positions that surround immigration and who gains and loses in an economic sense.
Last Sunday attorney Colleen Beebe spoke about immigration and the law. On May 18 Bob Shebeck will speak on the “The Economics of Immigration.” Join the discussion at 10:10 am on Sunday in the Fellowship Hall.
If you missed the King’s Men Breakfast on May 6, you can listen to the presentation by clicking on the link below. The speaker is Mike Pehrson, founder and director of “His Clay Ministries.” Mike played baseball for the U of M Minnesota Gophers and has been heavily involved with the “Potter’s Wheel” leadership program at Hosanna Lutheran Church. His topic was “Men in Today’s World.”
Click here to listen to Mike Pehrson’s presentation
Click here to visit the His Clay website
Start:
May 15 2008 - 6:30pm
End:
May 15 2008 - 8:30pm
Gethsemane women and their guests at the GCW Spring Supper will hear stories of how Lutheran World Relief has changed lives for those in need in third world countries.
Joanne Negstad, who has served as director of LWR, will tell some experiences she has had traveling to Kenya and Peru where LWR supplies have come to change lives. She will share how LWR has enabled women to put faith into action by providing quilts, school kits, midwife kits, layettes and sewing kits. You will hear how women of Gethsemane are involved with Lutheran World Relief.
Reservations should be made by calling the church office by Tuesday, May 13. Cost is $8.00.
Click here to visit the Lutheran World Relief website
Gethsemane is a participant of the Intercongregational Communities Association (ICA), our local food shelf organization. All the west metro congregations share in providing volunteers to ICA on a rotating schedule.
Two Gethsemane members are needed on Friday, May 16 to help out at the new ICA Center located at St. David’s Episcopal Church, just off Minnetonka Blvd.
Hours of operation are 9 am - 4 pm. If you can give 3-4 hours of your day receiving, sorting, stocking, or distributing food shelf items that would be very helpful to the ICA staff. The demand on ICA food shelves grows each year, so let’s support them with our time and food donations.
Future dates assigned to Gethsemane are July 3, August 20, October 7, and November 21.
If you can help please contact Norm Hendrickson at 952-933-1044 for information.
Click here to visit the ICA website!
If you love singing, dancing and acting sign up to be in a Show Choir Music Review of “High School Musical 2” directed by Nancy Pearson June 16-20, 2008.
Throughout the week participants will learn a variety of songs, choreography, and a short play to create a musical review for parents to enjoy on Friday, June 20 at 12:30 pm.
Rehearsals will be 10 am to noon Monday-Friday in the Gethsemane Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall. Cost is $40 per person; students entering 3rd Grade - 9th Grade are welcome. All participants will receive a T-shirt and a practice CD. Participants will want to bring a water bottle and wear comfortable clothing that they can dance in. Shoes with backs are required; no
flip flop sandals allowed!
There is a 40 student limit, and availability is based on a first come, first served basis. Be sure to sign up soon!
Click here for a registration form
All Gethsemane members and their friends are invited to enjoy their 2008 art exhibit in the Fireside Gallery. Our members have entered paintings, oils, watercolor, pastels, acrylics, photography, wood carving, and fiber. The exhibit will be in the Gallery from now until June 1, 2008. Come and see what your friends are doing in their spare time!
It’s that time again for Summer Retreat sign up! Gethsemane Family Ministry is meeting up at Luther Point Bible Camp near Grantsburg, Wisconsin (drive time is about 2 hours.)
Have you wondered what we do? If you like … lazing around by the lake, napping, reading, pontoon and paddle boat rides, fishing, hiking trails, home-cooked meals (made by someone else!), singing around bonfires … then please join us! We do not structure our activities except for meal times. We also have supplies for crafts.
Dates: Friday eve (5:00 pm) June 6 – Sunday (11:00 am) June 8
Cost: $178.50/couple (or 2 family members), child (age 2 and under) free, $35.80/child (ages 3-10), $51.70/child (ages 11-18).
Download a registration form or pick one up at the reception desk. Registration forms are due by May 27 (Luther Point requires firm numbers at this time.) If you have questions contact Deb Arneson at 952-544-8995.
We are in immediate need for someone to serve as our representative on the ICA (Intercongregation Community Association) Board. There are only two requirements and many of you reading this article will find that you meet them.
1) You need to be available to attend a noontime meeting held four times each year on the 3rd Wednesday (Jan, April, July, Oct.) Even attending 2 or 3 of the meetings would be a big help.
2) You should support ICA’s general mission to help those in need within our community through a food shelf and other services.
Gethsemane should have representation on the Board of this faith-based community group, and we presently do not. So if you’d be interested in volunteering or even in getting a bit more information, please contact Donna Anderson from the Social Ministry Team at 952-933-0453. It should prove to be a fairly simple, but very worthwhile commitment.
We’ll be working on a new home in Savage from July 9 - 11. It’s being built through a partnership between Thrivent Financial and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity.
As part of this project, coordinated by our Social Ministry Team, we will need:
- 15 workers (age 14 or older) for each of the three days
- Food for our workers
- Financial support for our project
What financial support is needed and why? Organizations sponsoring three day work crews are asked to donate $1500 to TC Habitat. These dollars are needed because costs continue to increase for land, building supplies, and certain skilled work that volunteers cannot provide. Thrivent is also making a significant contribution to this and seven other area Thrivent Builds with Habitat homes in 2008.
Do you typically make donations directly to Habitat? If so, please consider giving that gift through Gethsemane during our annual project collection. To launch this effort, the Social Ministry Team is seeking people who would either sponsor our Habitat Project at a level of at least $100, or be a matching giver at a level of $200 or more. A Libby Turner CD will be presented to each Project Sponsor or Matching Giver.
We would like to hear from Sponsors and Matching Givers prior to our general congregation donation request, which will take place as June’s Need of the Month. Anyone who would be willing to offer this level of financial support is asked to contact Pr. Laurie as soon as possible.
Mission of TC Habitat: To eliminate poverty housing from the Twin Cities and to make decent, affordable shelter for all people a matter of conscience.
Click here to visit the Habitat website.
Start:
May 28 2008 - 6:30pm
End:
May 28 2008 - 7:30pm
I invite you all to join me for another “Fireside Chat” where we can continue the conversation of what the next steps of our journey together at Gethsemane might be. We will take some time to get to know one another, learn what you are passionate about, and begin the discussion of where we think God is leading us together. The church council has begun the process of developing a five-year plan and I want you to be a part of that process. You can sign up in the Friendship Folder or by calling the church office, but drop-ins are always welcome.
From Paul McKenzie, Director of Music, Worship and Fine Arts
With the blessing of the Gethsemane Church Council, and with seed money from the Memorial Foundation, we have begun the process of acquiring the new ELCA Hymnal called Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW). I am excited about the material that this new hymnal will provide for us.
This new resource has 10 settings of Holy Communion (setting 4 is the one that we are now using), services for Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, and in a section called Life Passages are services for healing, funerals and weddings. Like the LBW it contains materials for services for evening worship, service of the word, prayer services and the Psalms.
As our need to embrace brothers and sisters from other parts of the globe expands, so has the breadth of hymn choices. There are songs from African, Asian and Latin American cultures represented besides the more familiar European and American ones. Many of these hymns have verses in their native tongues (How is your Swedish?) as well as English.
What I like is the choice of new words put to familiar tunes. Sometimes it is hard to find a hymn that truly supports the intentions of the gospel. With new words, there is now a greater selection of seasonally appropriate music.
What about old favorites? Many of them are in this new book. At a glance I see that hymns like “On Eagle’s Wings”, “Faith of Our Fathers”, “Joyful ,Joyful We Adore Thee”, “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, “My Faith Looks Up to Thee”, and “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” are all in this new book. I’m especially impressed with the choices of African-American Spirituals and American Folk music.
Here’s where YOU come in. Please consider purchasing these hymnals at $20 each. They may be given in memory of or in honor of someone, or you may choose to remain anonymous. Volunteers of the Hymnal Committee will be present to take your orders in the Narthex between services or with the receptionists during the week. We hope to order the ELW by July 1 and have the hymnals in the pews by August 1.
What will happen to the current Green and Blue books? We will be in touch with the synod headquarters to find congregations that could benefit from them. We will keep a few for retreats or small services.
Start:
May 2 2008 - 6:00pm
End:
May 2 2008 - 8:30pm
On May 2, Family Ministry Group gathered for a service project that brought a little sunshine into the lives of some Gethsemane members. We planted flowers to deliver to Gethsemane’s homebound members.
Click here to see a slideshow from this event.
During May our Need of the Month will focus on Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, which is in the Phillips neighborhood in Minneapolis and includes a homeless shelter.
We will be collecting laundry soap, reusable sport water bottles (all sizes), new and used towels and washcloths, inexpensive men’s flip-flops and pillow cases, which are much needed articles for this homeless shelter, long connected to the church.
We have contributed previously to this shelter, which has operated for many years, and our generosity has always been much appreciated. Let’s fill the barrels and meet their needs just as they meet many of the needs in their community. Donation barrels are located inside the north and south entrances of Gethsemane.
Click here to visit the Our Savior’s Lutheran Church website
Several of Gethsemane’s young ladies brought out their best hats and lots of talent for the fourth annual Chapel View Tea Party held Sunday afternoon, April 20 with Chapel View residents. Entertainment included poetry readings, musical numbers and fine piano playing. Click here to see the slideshow.
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 global warming, 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!
For instance, if every household in America replaced just one normal, incandescent bulb with an EPA certified compact fluorescent bulb (available at all hardware stores), it would save enough energy in one year to light more than 3 million homes and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equal to more than 800,000 cars!
So what can we do here at Gethsemane? Replacing light bulbs is a great idea, but not inexpensive. To replace the bulbs in the Sanctuary and Narthex areas (about the only area in the building that does not use fluorescent lighting) would cost around $1,800 and provide a savings of about $200 year – requiring 9 years to recover the initial cost! However, it’s not just about the cost savings. Replacing those same lights would reduce our energy use for those fixtures by 60% - a big step toward reducing overall energy consumption!
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 and air conditioners when you are finished using a room.
- Recycle instead of just tossing in the nearest garbage can. We have 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.
In addition, we have applied for an Energy Audit from Centerpoint Energy, who will evaluate our entire facility and make recommendations to improve our energy use and hopefully cut energy costs.
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!
The weather on Thursday evening, April 10 was windy, wet and stormy. However, inside Gethsemane it was warm with the spirit of community. Highlights would have to include:
- fantastic music by Libby Turner and Sam Reeves
- scrumptious desserts supplied by all the participating GLC groups
- warm, delicious enchiladas prepared by the women of St. Paul’s
- excellent informative displays by 10 GLC groups presently involved in mission or outreach activities
- generous giving during the freewill offering, which covered the cost of the entertainment and also allowed us to set aside $250 for our future Habitat for Humanity work.
You’re encouraged to check out the photos.
You’re also urged to continue asking yourself, “How am I Reaching to Serve? What is my niche in the mission of Gethsemane?”
Start:
Jul 27 2008 - 6:00pm
End:
Jul 31 2008 - 8:30pm
All kids between the ages of 3 and 11 are invited to swing on in for Rainforest Adventure Vacation Bible School! We will listen to great stories about Jesus, make cool crafts, sing fun songs, play zany games, and make a jungle of friends!
A congregational meal will be offered each evening at
5:30 p.m. and the VBS program will begin at 6:00 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m.
Registration has begun! The sooner you register the more chances you have to win an exciting adventure pack to the Minnesota Zoo. Click here for a 2008 VBS Registration Form. Stop by the VBS registration table after worship for more information.
Volunteers are needed in many areas! Click here for a VBS volunteer sign-up sheet.
Rainforest Adventure Vacation Bible School will swing into action July 27-31, 2008. Kids ages 3-11 will listen to great stories about Jesus, make cool crafts, sing fun songs, play zany games, and make a jungle of friends! Click here for a 2008 VBS Registration Form.
Volunteers are needed in many areas! Click here for a VBS volunteer sign-up sheet.
If Your Spiritual Gifts are…
TEACHING, think about signing up as …
- Activity Center Leader where you’ll connect the activity to the daily theme and Bible story in science, games, storytelling, snack, etc.
- Primary Adult for a classroom group to welcome, guide and lead kids through the activity centers and then tie the daily lessons together at the close of each day.
- Floater/Sub, this is new and is for someone willing to jump in wherever needed and run with it!
MUSICAL, you’ll work at the beginning of each session…
- Singing - Rehearse, and present new VBS Music plus VBS Favorites via vocal singing.
- Musical instruments for the VBS band for daily Worship/Music/Drama.
SCIENTIFIC, use those talents to…
- Plan & execute simple hands-on experiments in the Science Activity Center.
HOSPITALITY, show your welcoming manner by…
- Plan, prepare, and serve creative, appropriate, semi-healthy daily snacks for students.
- Greeting & welcoming kids & families to VBS and help them find classrooms on the first day.
ATHLETIC/COACHING, if team building is your thing…
- Games Center Leader that uses organized recess type games to connect the story for kids.
- Games Helper who climbs in and plays age-appropriate, safe games and is ready for each group.
DRAMATIC, bring the Bible Stories to life as…
- Storytelling Center Leader to present the Bible Story utilizing the curriculum DVD.
- Actor in Opening Worship Skits.
ARTISTIC, share your talents and…
- Create theme ideas/projects for narthex, hallways, and all activity spaces.
- Craft Center Helper to provide assistance on daily craft project for each group of kids.
- Produce samples of craft projects and décor items.
A/V or TECHNICAL, keep us up and running…
- Create Power Point Presentation and Operate Computer/Projector/Sound during worship/music.
- Operate DVD presentation for Storytelling Center.
CONSTRUCTION/DEMOLITION, get out your work gloves and…
- Pre-VBS; Move Altar pieces and platforms to best utilize the spaces for VBS.
- Lead the clean up efforts at church immediately following VBS.
CLERICAL; if counting and sorting are your strengths help us to…
- Process on-site registrations, collect and count daily offerings, photo copy daily newsletter, attach offering envelope, distribute to classrooms daily.
COOKING AND CLEAN-UP; if you like to cut vegetables and run the dish washer…
- Help organize nightly meals for VBS families and workers.
- Set-up the Kitchen and Fellowship hall in preparation for nightly meals.
- Clean up Fellowship Hall and the Kitchen following VBS meals.
DRIVING; if you like to drive the church van…
- Pick-up children at their homes so they can participate in Gethsemane’s VBS.
- Keep the van driver company and help organize the children during pick-up and drop off.
Click here for a VBS volunteer sign-up sheet.
If you are an instrumentalist in grades 7 – Adult, consider playing your instrument for 9:00 worship on Sunday, May 4.
Rehearsals will be on Monday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m. and Wednesday, April 30 at 5:30 p.m. and a warm-up at 8:15 a.m. on Sunday, May 4.
Please call Paul at 952-935-1753 x113 or e-mail at pmckenzie@glconline.org. Music can be picked up immediately, but you must contact Paul first.
The Social Ministry Team is collecting diapers for our April Need of the Month. The diapers will be distributed on an as-needed basis to parenting teens in the Intermediate School District 287 South Vista program.
South Vista serves up to forty pregnant and parenting students at any given time and provides on-site daycare for up to thirty infants and toddlers. The students come from several school districts including Hopkins, Minnetonka and St. Louis Park. South Vista offers a supportive environment that provides prenatal care, home visits after the babies are born by nurses on staff, and homebound academics so students can still graduate on time.
Many of the students receive economic assistance such as WIC for their basic needs, but diapers are not provided under the program. Your help is greatly appreciated and will be warmly received.
The greatest need is for diapers in sizes 3, 4 and 5; newborn diapers are not needed at this time. Place your donations in the barrels located inside Gethsemane’s main entry and near the reception desk. Thank you for making a difference!
Click here to read more about the South Vista Education Center
