Belle plaine herald february 8, 2017

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BPHS One-Act Play Takes Second at Section Festival

Scott West Continues to Pile On Wins Page 11

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Sundblad’s Sentencing Delayed

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ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SIXTH YEAR

BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, february 8, 2017

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NUMBER 6

First Presbyterian Church, New Pastor a Good Match Pastor Diane Goulson had the time to spare in her schedule. A Belle Plaine church needed a pastor who could commit about 10 hours a week to the congregation, someone with the energy and passion to help the small congregation grow and continue its ministry of community service. Goulson recently began her work with the First Presbyterian Church of Belle Plaine after the church’s membership overwhelming accepted the recommendation to call her. She’ll work on a quartertime schedule. The rest of her schedule will be at Redeemer Lutheran on Highway 19, just east of Highway 169 in Blakeley Township. Last fall, Goulson met Tom Bartholomew, a member of First Presbyterian’s church council, at a planning meeting for the annual community ecumenical service. As the two chatted, the congregation’s need for a quarter-time pastor and Goulson’s schedule seemingly meshed. Bartholomew was all too happy to suggest the congregation considering Goulson as its next pastor. The church’s congregation overwhelmingly agreed. She’ll work two days a week, leading worship on Sunday, visiting congregation members one other day a week – her favorite parts of the job -- and handling administrative tasks. Pastor Goulson replaces Pastor Don Genereux, who retired last year because of health concerns. The congregation was able to hire Goulson because the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Presbyterian churches has a reciprocity agreement permitting the two churches to share pastors. “We are very similar in our theology,” Goulson said of the two churches. She is looking forward to hitting the ground running. Getting to know Belle Plaine won’t be much of a problem. Goulson spent two years in training at St. John Lutheran in 2004 and ’05 before her ordination there March 25, 2006. Her husband, Darryl, was a teacher and coach in Belle Plaine for several years. He retired from teaching in 2014. Pastor Diane, as she prefers, is well aware of First Presbyte-

Andy Parrish, a strong advocate for returning the cross to Veterans Park, addressed the city council at length Monday night. Diane Goulson is the new pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Belle Plaine. rian. She worked with the congregation representatives and other members of Belle Plaine churches setting up the annual ecumenical thanksgiving service. “I think this church has so much to offer the community and they already give it,” Goulson said.

Plenty Going On

Along with participation in the ecumenical service, members of First Presbyterian are also actively involved in the Belle Plaine Food Shelf. Its members participate in Operation Christmas Child, helping to collect and donate hundreds of giftwrapped boxes of Christmas gifts for children in underdeveloped nations. The congregation also hosts a Halloween open house and sloppy Joe dinner. First Presbyterian has also hosted homeless families in the Families Moving Forward program, a temporary housing program other Belle Plaine churches have participated in. Goulson’s goal is to bring new life to the tiny congregation that has been a part of Belle Plaine for over a century. She enjoys music and looking at the status quo in a new way. “I want to make each person feel important, whether you are a guest or are here every Sunday,” Goulson said. She is confident the opportunity is a good fit between a congregation needing a quarter-

time pastor and three-quarterstime pastor who wants to work full-time. “What are the odds?” Goulson said. She enjoys an ecumenical approach to Christianity. Goulson spent five years as a cantor during Masses at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in New

New Pastor

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Sullivan Sisters to Lead St. Pat’s Parade The “Sullivan Sisters” – Joanie Hartmann, Jeanette Gloege and Theresa Sullivan – will lead Belle Plaine’s annual St. Patrick’s Parade on Saturday, March 18. The Belle Plaine St. Patrick’s Committee will hold its next planning meeting for this year’s celebration on Thursday (Feb. 9) at Neisen’s Corner Bar downtown. All committee members and bar/restaurant owners are asked to attend. It begins at 5:30 p.m.

Queen Candidates Sought

All Belle Plaine girls who are a junior in high school are invited to be a 2017 Miss Shamrock queen candidate. To sign up, stop by the school’s main office.

City Council Votes 3-2 to Restore Cross at Veterans Park Memorial by Dan Ruud To the delight and applause of many dozens of people who squeezed into the city council chambers Monday night, the Belle Plaine City Council voted 3-2 to pursue a limited public forum at Veterans Memorial Park. Mayor Chris Meyer directed the city attorney to draft the final language for the forum, which when finalized, will allow the “legal” return of the cross to the park, although future lawsuits are possible, particularly by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF). The public forum, under the proposed language, will accommodate up to five displays (religious or not) as long as they “honor military veterans.” The council is expected to finalize the matter at its next regular meeting on Feb. 21. Voting in favor of the forum were Theresa McDaniel, Ben Stier and Meyer. Voting against it were Cary Coop and Paul Chard, the latter of whom expressed concern about the possible fiscal impact to the city should a lawsuit(s) become reality. With many supporters in attendance, Andy Parrish, representing the Defend Veterans Park group, addressed the council Monday night. “We’re here tonight because of an out-of-state group, driven by extremism, has attacked our Veterans Park. We’re here tonight not by choice, but because the residents of this city feel a sense of duty. Our veterans defended us and it’s now our duty to defend them. “This cowardly hate group hides behind a perverted view of the First Amendment and uses that view to bully others,” Parrish continued. “They pick on small towns without the means to fight back. We did not

seek this fight – they sought this fight and they made a terrible mistake,” Parrish continued. The cross honoring veterans at the park was removed last month by the city and Belle Plaine Veterans Club after members of the FFRF, based in Wisconsin, demanded that the action be taken because the law clearly states that religious symbols are not permitted on government-owned property. Belle Plaine City Attorney Bob Vose recommended that the cross be removed to avoid potentially costly legal action by the FFRF. Following immense outrage by the public, particularly on social media, there became reason for optimism for those who want the cross returned. The Defend Veterans Park group’s Facebook page on Friday stated: IMPORTANT AND GREAT NEWS!!! I spoke (text) with the Mayor this morning. The City has used our proposal for a “Limited Public Forum” as a starting point for a solution to restoring our memorial. The proposal has been vetted by the League of Minnesota Cities and the city attorney . . . “All memorials as laid out in this policy have to be respectful, made of stone or metal or some combination thereof; has to be consistent with memorials in other memorial parks, and the group requesting the memorial has to have at least 50 percent of its membership living in Belle Plaine,” Parrish told the council Monday. “I beg you members of the council, do not drag this out any longer. Tonight, small towns across America are watching. Since they attacked us, the hate group has attacked towns in Mississippi and Michigan,” Parrish continued.

Parrish introduced Doug Wardlow, an attorney for Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which has agreed to represent Belle Plaine (without charge) should any legal action be taken against the city for allowing the cross to be returned to Veterans Park. However, any potential penalties against the city would not be covered by ADF. Wardlow stood by Parrish’s statements and described the group’s limited public forum proposal as a sound legal tool to defeat the FFRF. However, when asked, Wardlow could not fully assure that lawsuits from the FFRF or other groups will not follow. Vose, who also addressed the audience, did not make any such assurances either. During much of Monday’s meeting, it did not appear that the council was ready to take action on approving the limited public forum. More than once Meyer asked the council if there was a motion to vote on the issue, for which no motion was made. Chard said he was voted to the council “to protect” the people’s overall interest when it comes to city finances, and wants more assurances that legal action will not be taken against the city. “Someone’s going to have to prove to me that there isn’t going to be a big lawsuit,” Chard said. Parrish returned to the podium and said “not all fights involve money. Sometimes you have to fight for what’s right,” which drew applause from the audience. Eventually, McDaniel made the motion to approve the limited public forum for Veterans

City Council

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Pond Hockey Tournament Champs The Red Rockets, a team of Belle Plaine pond hockey players, came out on top in this year’s annual Belle Plaine Hockey Association Pond Hockey Tournament Saturday (Feb. 4) at the rinks across from Belle Plaine Junior-Senior High School. The Rockets include (from left) Jeremiah Kornder, Cody Meyer, Matt Riesgraf, Mike Price, Andrew Scofield, Troy GudmonIt was standing-room only in the city council chambers Monday night as people turned out in son and Dustin Leistiko. Additional photos on page 12. force to convince the council to create a limited public forum at Veterans Park.


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