Son Times Fall 2018

SON TIMES ST. ANDREW LUTHERAN CHURCH

FALL 2018

Everything We’ve Got

EVERYTHING

WE’VE GOT THOUGHT | WORD | DEED

Leadership

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t’s not uncommon for a teacher to expect everyone in the class to give their total and complete attention for the next fifty-four minutes. And, vice versa.

It’s the clear expectation that, during every minute of basic training, the cadets will be wholly focused on the task(s) at hand.

It’s the unwavering goal of a great coach that, between the whistles or horns, every athlete will give everything he or she has.

One day Jesus sat down opposite the place where people gave their offerings to the temple. Many people put in large amounts of money. Along came a poor widow and she put in two small copper

coins—worth only a few cents. Jesus then said to the disciples, “This poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others for she has put in everything.”

This fall we will begin a preaching series that will focus on following Jesus with everything we have. One way to think of it is this. We will love, serve, and follow Jesus with our thoughts, with our words, and with our deeds.

So help us, God. David Lillejord Senior Pastor

“This poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others for she has put in everything.”

Worship | Sundays 5:30 PM

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ant to respond to the sermon series in concrete actions?

Want to try out an innovative worship service? Looking to reset for the week ahead? Join us for worship on Sunday nights at 5:30 at The Table. This fall, we will be responding with Everything We’ve Got through art and conversation, singing familiar and new music, and receiving communion from one another every week.

Participants have said they love the experience of offering one another the gift of communion every week. If you haven’t experienced it yet, stop by on a Sunday night. All are welcome.

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Everything We’ve Got

Rally Sunday

RALLY SUNDAY | SEPT. 9 Rally Sunday fun, food and fellowship are just around the corner, and we have put “everything we’ve got” into making sure there is something fun for everyone this year. Back by popular demand, the food trucks will be here again and this year we have a very special treat… The Purple People Feeder will be here serving up BBQ pulled pork on a bun or on nachos. There will also be pizza, burgers, cupcakes and many other fine treats for appetites of all sizes. As Gina Altmann put it one Sunday morning, “The food will be amazing!”

For the young at heart there will be the bounce house, putt-putt golf, face painting and, new this

year, an inflatable gaga pit. And, of course, we can’t forget the dunk tank! Burke Hancer will also be back calling out those Bingo numbers in the fellowship hall with a few fun prizes for the winners. If you worship at the Table at 5:30 on Sunday evenings, join everyone after worship for floats and BBQ sandwiches.

What if it rains, you might ask? Well —we will find a way to make sure the fun still happens and the food will still be served. So come—rain or shine—to a fun Rally Sunday, starting with worship at 9:00 or 10:30 AM or in the evening at 5:30. See you there!

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Everything We’ve Got

Capital Appeal

An Update On “With Every Act of Love” We are quickly learning the ropes of integrating ministry schedules with project schedules and giving here at St. Andrew. So far, we are pleased with the way it is going, but then again, we are just beginning. As we approach fall and our programs start up, now is a good time to update you on our “With Every Act of Love” plans and progress.

As of the end of July we have received slightly over $400,000 to fund our projects. We have had three vendors come through with estimates for our security system and have made our decision. Most of these vendors were already booked with school projects throughout the summer, but will be available to work with us early to mid-fall. Shortly after September 1st, you will see locks and handles begin to change on our entrances to the building. We will also be installing exterior security cameras followed by new locks and systems on the classroom doors. Once it is installed the building will open and close on a timer system and give us the ability to know who is coming in at other times throughout the week. Members and groups will be able 3

to have access to the building during off hours with the use of access codes. Very different…and much more secure!

We are also meeting with lighting vendors to begin gathering cost information for relighting our sanctuary. There are several objectives to this project. First of all, we should be able to significantly reduce our electrical costs due to more efficient LED lights. Second, we will have a more updated look in the sanctuary. And finally, we will have the proper lighting configuration for live-streaming our worship services.

In addition to the lighting, we will be refinishing some of the older hardwood floors, and installing new carpet and chairs. We don’t know exact timing on these projects, but they will probably not happen until after the first of the year because of the sanctuary schedule between now and Christmas. January and February will be better timing. We will also need to make sure giving to the appeal through the end of the year will allow us to move forward on these projects.

We hope to begin some of the Early Learning restroom renovations shortly

after we finish up in the sanctuary. That is a high priority on our list and needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.

We hope to take on several other projects throughout the summer next year so they are completed before the start of the next program year. We will be able to provide more information once we get through this first set of projects.

We are excited about the progress and the changes that are coming. We are very grateful for the tremendous amount of talent, expertise and resources our members have provided in moving forward on these projects. Most of all, it can never be said enough – we are very thankful for your financial support.

Without all of these many gifts of love and support to the appeal, this would not be possible.

Gail Bach Pastor of Stewardship & Evangelism

Everything We’ve Got

Marketing & Communications/New Member

A New Look Giving it Everything We’ve Got… the marketing and communications team have been working hard this summer to bring a new look to St. Andrew.

Today, after 40 years we are releasing an updated brand identity, which includes a new logo, colors, and font! We hope you find it vibrant and refreshing. The logo of the two fish, the cross, and the globe has been updated in the past, but has not been redesigned in its entirety.

St. Andrew member, Carl Nelson, was the major contributor in the design of our first logo and is the designer of the current lattice cross you see in the sanctuary, fellowship hall, and up at Spirit in the Pines. We are truly blessed with a congregation full of talented individuals.

Thank you, Carl!

The goal in the redesign was to create a logo that reflects current design trends, simplify it, and make it unmistakably Christian. The cross is the most recognized image and is the principal symbol of Christianity. The latticed, three cross design, is something that sets St. Andrew’s logo apart from other crosses. While it is not an exact match to Carl’s design, it is an intentional refer-

ence to the crosses found in St. Andrew’s places of worship. The slight differences allow us to use this new logo across a wide range of applications such as media, print, and scales (using the logo in many different areas all using different sizes).

Our new logo is easily associated with a Christian church and more importantly ties our current mission statement to our logo—Living Out Our Faith In Daily Life. The new logo can be interpreted as the Holy Trinity or three crosses on Mount Calvary. The square behind the cross can represent “Daily Life,” with the cross representing our “Faith” in daily life.

Along with a new logo you will also notice new colors, fonts, and most thrillingly a new website! Take some time to “check us out” and find all of the exciting programs and events that are happening here at St. Andrew. We hope you like this new look and feel! We’ve given it everything we’ve got!

Joy Lillejord Marketing & Communications Director

Living Out Our Faith In Daily Life Connect with us! standrewlu.org

facebook.com/standrewlu @standrewlu @standrewlu

New Member Information Session Throughout the summer we see many guests and visitors join us for worship.

Many times these same people return in the fall and decide to make St. Andrew their new church home. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a member of St. Andrew, we have two new member sessions scheduled before the end of the year. We will be meeting on Sunday, October 14th and December 2nd at 10:15 AM in Room 206. During this time we will meet a few new friendly faces, share some information about St. Andrew, and enjoy some of those great Sunday morning treats.

If you would like to attend one of these new member gatherings, contact Pastor Gail at pastorgail@standrewlu.org and she will be glad to help you.

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Everything We’ve Got

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e have a lot of exciting changes this year and so much to be thankful for as we head into a new program year at St. Andrew. I want to highlight the recent changes in our music staff: we are blessed to have Larry Bach here to direct the Canticle Choir (Larry joined us earlier in 2018), and we welcome returning music staffer Kirsten Hanninen who will be reprising her role as our Spirit Singers Director. We also welcome our new organist, Bryon Dockter, and our new interim youth bell choir director, Linnae Stole. I also want to thank and acknowledge the

Music & Worship

outstanding work of former staff members Mike Kovic, Stephanie Beard, and Sheryl Ebert. I am grateful for the excellent contribution that each of them has made to our music ministry here through their leadership. God continues to provide new leaders for His church and I have the privilege to work with a very talented and committed group of people.

It’s important in the midst of change to be grounded in our traditions as the people of God. St. Andrew has had the tradition of excellent and poignant worship services on All Saints’ Sunday each

year in early November. This year, that tradition will be taken to new heights as the Canticle Choir will be joined

by North Central University Chorale (where Larry serves as Dean of the College of Fine Arts) to sing portions of John Rutter’s masterwork Requiem as a choir of nearly a hundred voices! Under Larry’s superb leadership, this promises to be a very special Sunday at St. Andrew. Help us spread the word!

While we are, as I stated before, blessed with a tremendous music staff here, our participants who make up all of the various choirs continue to be the heart and soul of our music ministry.

Please join me in giving praise to God for these selfless servants who give so freely of their gifts and, if you are not involved in a choir, please consider joining us this year! As St. Francis of Assisi once said, “he [or she] who sings, prays twice.”

God’s blessings to you as we head into a great program year at St. Andrew.

Thanks to all for your support. See you in church!

Shalom, Tim Graf Director of Worship & Music

Find Your Music Group Visit standrewlu.org for information about choirs and other music and performance opportunities.

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Everything We’ve Got

Hospitality

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t St. Andrew, we take the ministry of Hospitality very seriously, which means we do everything we can, in as many ways as we can, with “everything we’ve got” to make people feel welcomed and comfortable when they enter the doors of this building. As people walk in the front doors on Sunday morning, there is always someone there to greet them. When they enter the sanctuary for worship, ushers welcome them and see to it that they find a seat. At communion time, members of St. Andrew help serve the wine and bread to everyone who comes for the meal. And following worship, we offer the best rolls, treats and coffee in town!

None of these tasks are difficult, but they make a huge difference in the lives of our guests and visitors. Most who volunteer in some way on Sunday mornings call it fun. We also call it a ministry…it is caring for the neighbor and the stranger all at the same time. So, it is also important.

This fall we are looking for many volunteers to help us with these ministries. If you are able to greet, serve food or serve communion, please contact Deb Flach or Gina Altmann at debandgina@standrewlu.org. If you are interested in ushering, e-mail John Barth at ushers@standrewlu.org and he will get you scheduled.

Wednesday Suppers Begin September 12

Families, singles, couples and kids—you are all invited to join us again on Wednesday evenings for a delicious and affordable meal and good conversation with your St. Andrew friends.

September 12th is our kick-off and we will continue throughout the program year. Once again we will serve a full delicious meal along with a healthy salad bar. The cost structure of our meals has changed a little bit. Beginning in September we will ask for $5 for every child age 10 and under and $7 for everyone over the age of 10.

We are also looking for volunteers to help serve these meals.

Go on line to sign up or contact Deb Flach or Gina Altmann at debandgina@standrewlu.org if you can help.

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Everything We’ve Got

St. Andrew Celebrates Visit from Jorel Carte The recent visit to St. Andrew by Jorel Carte (and his wife Guerline), Seeds of Support Mission Haiti Coordinator, was a great opportunity for many in Minnesota to hear about the blessings of the mission.

Jorel has accompanied over 20 mission trips of Seeds of Support, and continues to work closely with the projects between Seeds of Support visits. Pastor Peter Johnson sat down with Jorel during his visit for an informal conversation about the mission.

Pastor Peter Johnson (PJ): Our mission in Haiti dates back to the earthquake that hit Port au Prince back in 2010. Can you describe how you and our mission community were affected by the tragedy?

Jorel Carte (JC): The challenges of economic development in Haiti already existed before the earthquake. The earthquake and the 100,000s of people it affected only brought about more challenges. When the earthquake happened, I was in my final year of school.

The building shifted and collapsed. I was lucky to get out. I thank God that I was eventually reunited with my family. I am also grateful that my home was not damaged in the way others were damaged.

PJ: A men’s group at St. Andrew responded the next day. They resolved to do something to help.

Four months later, there was a small group of St. Andrew members in Port au Prince. Can you describe how the past eight years of mission has developed?

JC: It has been amazing to see and be a part of. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti congregation that you were partnered with in 2012, was worshipping under a tree. The congregation went from gathering under a tree to having a full worship center. The community went from having to walk a kilometer for water to having a solar powered water well. The community now has a bakery employing six people. Amazingly, people are building homes in the community.

You can’t buy land by the church anymore. And, worship attendance has gone from 6 people to 60. It has really been a gift from God.

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Seeds of Support Mission: Haiti PJ: In your experience how would you say the mission is different than other Non-Governmental Organizations doing work in Haiti?

JC: You have always practiced accompaniment. You listen. You practice mutuality. You do things only that the community requests. And you lead projects over a longer term to make them successful.

Many organizations after the earthquake came to Haiti and did some amazing projects. But the water wells are now broken or the buildings did not get completed. Their approach was temporary and the Haitian people did not fully embrace the projects. Seeds of Support has focused on sustainability and empowerment, the only way a lasting difference can be made in Haiti.

PJ: So, what’s next for the mission in your perspective?

JC: Seeds of Support has another trip planned after Christmas. I would like all people to come on a mission trip. I will be standing at the airport ready to welcome them with my arms wide open.

People need to see what they are doing through Seeds of Support. And, they need to have their life changed. God is working in the mission and people need to come and see.

The next mission trip to Haiti is scheduled for December 28–Jan 5 (Signup deadline is October 15.) Information about the Haiti mission and registration links can be found on the Haiti webpage on standrewlu.org.

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Everything We’ve Got

Small Groups

One Foot in the Faith; One Foot in the World There are lots of things our parents taught us.

Part of the process of being raised (and raising our own children) is passing along values that we hold dear and the behaviors that are part of being responsible and faithful people.

Of course, our understanding of God comes into play here. We pass along the grace that Jesus demonstrated, acknowledging that we fail in life and with God more often than we like to admit.

We need encouragement every day and we get it every day from God. And, we need to help encourage others in their lives, too. This may not be a thorough synopsis of our rich faith. But faith is lived out, lived into, and discovered. The longer I live, the more I see faith as accompanying us as we make our way.

You have heard me talk about from time to time my father, David. He also was a pastor. My mother, Mary Ann, and him moved us kids around the world in our earlier lives. He served several churches and programs overseas and in the states, valuing people’s stories and potentials. No matter where we lived, he believed (and taught me) that we always have simultaneously one foot in the church and one

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foot in the world. One supports the other. They go hand in hand. This has always been a good and lasting image for me.

St. Andrew wants to support your life inside and outside church. Our mission statement (Living Out Our Faith in Daily Life) continues to be a vitally important, impacting phrase that guides us.

We want to help you walk this balance of faith and community development inside the church and engage outside the church. What God’s Word tells us helps us interpret things outside the church. Worship is practical and meant to flavor our lives. St. Andrew University programming give us times for deeper reflection and learning so that we can take these into the world.

Welcome to a new program year at St. Andrew as we engage the heart, mind, and spirit for life inside and outside the church.

Peter Johnson Pastor of Service & Small Groups

Everything We’ve Got

Bible Bookends

Matthew Ian Fleming Pastor of Teaching & Young Adults

Bible Bookends

Wednesdays, starting September 12

Heaven. Hell. End of the World. Faith & Politics.

hen I first read the book of Genesis I stumbled and tripped over the first few verses. What about the dinosaurs? How old is the earth? Did God create the serpent and therefore create evil? The problem? I was reading Genesis like a history book or a science text book instead of a book about God’s promise to the whole world and to me.

When I finally started reading it as poetry and promise, the book of Genesis opened my eyes to reading the Bible as a book that invites our questions and thoughts and arguments and indecision and doubt and hopes and dreams. It’s a Bible that wonders with us.

So this fall, I’m going to be leading a class on two of my favorite books of the Bible. They just happen to also be the first and last books of the Bible—the Bible Bookends. These two books are challenging but rich in detail and application to issues of today. We’ll explore them together, bringing our questions and finding even more.

REVELATION

GENESIS

Good. Evil. Creation & evolution.

God and suffering.

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7:00–8:00 AM 9:30–11:30 AM (Women of the Word) 6:30–7:30 PM

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Everything We’ve Got

I’ve never heard someone tell a toddler that they need to be more emotional or put more energy into something.

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s I watch the busy days of fall and “back to school” preparation unfold, I feel every moment of it is giving “Everything We’ve Got”! St. Andrew Early Learning Staff have been busy preparing for fall programing and in addition we are getting ready for the renewal of our National Accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). We are making sure every detail is made and every standard is met and we are definitely making sure to give “Everything We’ve Got” to show them we are committed to providing the highest quality Early Childhood Education at St. Andrew Early Learning. As I watch the work unfold for my staff, I also watch the work never slow down for the parents of St. Andrew Early Learning. They are dropping off their children, picking up their children, filling out forms, remembering the smallest of school details, truly finding that delicate balance between being

amazing parents and successful working professionals, they too are giving it “Everything We’ve Got”! As I thought about writing this article I reached out to the Early Learning Parents and challenged them to think about what it means to them and their faith when they hear the statement “Everything We’ve Got.” The incredible response below is from Ross Hedlund, otherwise known as Daddy to Liv & Knox.

I’ve never heard someone tell a toddler that they need to be more emotional or put more energy into something. It’s a blessing and a burden that children instinctively go ‘all out’ in just about everything they do.

Whether it’s sports, saying goodbye to mommy, or deciding the color cheese on their sandwich, kids will put everything they have into forming an opinion and defending it to the ends of the earth.

Early Learning

God gives kids the gift of passion while they await the learned behaviors of etiquette, self-control and filtering. It’s an incredible lesson to see the pure joy in our 3-year-old son’s eyes as he throws balls for hours, sees a friend in the morning, welcomes a teacher back from PTO, or finds out that it’s water day at school.

Sometimes, as adults, we lose that joy in God’s little gifts and start to worry about the details while missing the big picture of the immense blessings that we’ve been provided. Kids don’t yet know that they’re supposed to worry about what other people will think and so they have the freedom to just dive right in. If I could put the same passion, effort and emotion into my daily life that our kids put into theirs, I would be truly blessed.

God gives kids the gift of passion while they await the learned behaviors of etiquette, self-control and filtering.

So for this fall, St. Andrew Early Learning is going to continue to give it “Everything We’ve Got” and also we are going to take note from Ross’ reflection and take the time to notice the immense blessings that God has provided us. The blessings are there, and they truly are immense!

Melanie Eggers St. Andrew Early Learning Childcare Director

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Everything We’ve Got

Everything We’ve Got—With and For Kids “It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn’t be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them.”

–Henri Nouwen This quote from Henri Nouwen, a legendary priest, professor, and writer, has been making its way through social media for the past couple of weeks.

When I read it the first time, I realized that this is the type of ministry we strive for at St. Andrew, and in Children’s Ministry – a ministry of presence. We want to know you and your kids. We want to hear your stories. We want to call you by name. We will laugh with you. We will cry with you. We want to play together. We want to be with you. We want to give you everything we’ve got. We want to truly love you.

Thankfully, our kids can show us how to be present, because they are always present – even when it seems like 13

they are not. They are all in. They give everything they’ve got.

Early in June we were playing a game in Summer Sunday school where each child was invited to introduce themselves and share one thing they really love about summer. The answers were typical for the most part – “I love baking cookies with my grandma.” “I love going swimming.” “I love hanging out with friends.” I love riding my bike.” “I love soccer.” The last child to speak said, “I really hate that I have cancer.” Wham. This child felt safe enough to share his story, and was all in—giving everything he had, allowing us to love him.

One rainy August morning during Wee Ones Songs and Stories, I told the story of Jesus calming the storm. The toddlers and preschool kids were so excited about making a storm with the parachute we were playing with, that I wasn’t sure if anyone actually heard the story. About 30 minutes later, a little girl and her grandma were sharing lunch watching the rain come down, and the little girl looked out the window and said, “Jesus! Make the rain stop.” Clearly, she was fully present during the storytelling time.

In mid-August, nineteen kids came to St. Andrew for a day to record the Faith Rocks music and story soundtrack.

They made new friends, learned new music, and sang and danced their hearts out. We played games, shared pizza, went outside together, and recorded 19 songs, 5 Bible stories, and 6 Bible verses. These kids gave everything they had.

They were all in.

Our kids show up every day. They show us how to be present. Let’s follow their lead and give them and each other everything we’ve got.

If you want to be present with our kids, join us as a Faith Guide or Workshop Leader in Sunday School or ZONE 56 on Sunday mornings at 9:00 or 10:30 AM. With your love and your help, we all will have safe places to be who we are—fully present—giving everything we’ve got.

Arlene Flancher Children’s Ministry Director

Children’s Ministry Wednesday Night Youth Groups Start September 12 All are welcome—bring friends. Register online.

1st & 2nd Grade: Bible and Boogie We’ll read a Bible story, move and groove, play games, pray, and eat together. Bible and Boogie meets on Wednesdays from 5:15–6:15 PM in Room 206.

3rd & 4th Grade: Bible Blasters We play games, do some out-of-this-world Bible exploration, share highs and lows, pray, and eat together. Bible Blasters meets on Wednesdays from 5:15–6:15 PM in Room 207.

5th & 6th Grade: FUSE (Friends Understanding Self & Each Other) Wednesday nights are on fire in FUSE! Join Blake Wragge, Paul McKay, and your favorite high school student leaders for highs and lows, games, devos, and snacks. FUSE meets on Wednesdays from 6:30–7:30 in Room 207.

Children’s Ministry Save the Dates Sept 5: Back to School Wiggle and Worship Sept 9: Rally Sunday—the first day of Sunday School and ZONE 56 Sept 12: First day of Bible & Boogie, Bible Blasters, FUSE, & choirs Sept 16: Fusion Sunday and Bible Sunday Oct 7: Kick off for Socktober Oct 21: Fusion Sunday Oct 26: Let Your Light Shine Costume Party Oct 28: Last day of Socktober!

Nov 2: Grades 5–6 Lock-Out Nov 4: All Saints Celebration in Sunday School and ZONE 56 Nov 11: Christmas Program Prep starts in Sunday School Nov 18: Fusion Sunday Nov 30: Advent Family Fiesta Dec 2: Christmas Program Dress Rehearsal Dec 9: Christmas Program Worship Dec 16: Fusion Sunday, and Happy Birthday, Jesus Party

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Everything We’ve Got

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hat does it mean to give something everything you’ve got? It is a phrase that coaches say to players when it’s a close game and the time has almost run out on the clock. It is a thought that passes through minds of runners and bikers on the last leg of a race. It is something you tell your children before they step on stage for a performance.

I have grown up attending mission trips at St. Andrew - my first trip to Duluth, MN as a middle schooler in 2006 and my most recent trip was to Sisseton, SD as a chaperone to 7th & 8th graders.

When you are immersed in a culture different than your own, outside the walls of your own home, (both literally and figuratively) you find yourself being pushed to limits you never knew possible.

Physically, you are exhausted because your days are spent giving piggy back rides to little ones or helping build/ restore structures within the community, usually in unforgiving heat. Emotionally, you are drained because you are feeling a love you didn’t know existed within you, not only for the members of the community in which you are serving, but for the new friends you have made in your group. Spiritually, you are overwhelmed and confused and not sure if you should laugh or cry at God’s amazing work being done around you.

Whether you are on a quiet Indian Reservation in Montana, maneuvering the busy streets of New York City or basking in God’s beautiful creation on a hillside in Haiti, you realize that you and everything you’ve got was meant to be there. That the people you’ve met and the things you’ve seen have left you forever changed for the better.

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Congregational Council

We must share these God given skills we possess with the rest of the world because everything we’ve got should be celebrated rather than kept quiet.

You and everything you’ve got is a unique set of skills and traits that no other person can mimic. We must share these God given skills we possess with the rest of the world because everything we’ve got should be celebrated rather than kept quiet. So my challenge to you is to take that leap of faith and sign up for the next trip to Haiti. Say YES to your child when they ask if you will chaperone next summer’s mission trip because I can guarantee that you will discover everything you’ve got to give to those communities and people and places is so much more than you knew you had.

Jamie Samuelson Congregational Council

Everything We’ve Got

Middle School Ministry

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s author and poet Suzy Kassem so eloquently writes, “Through understanding, people will be able to see their similarities before differences.”

This message could not ring more true of our Middle School mission trip experience to Sisseton, South Dakota in July. Sisseton is a small community located on the Lake Traverse Native American Reservation and is the home of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, a branch of the Dakota tribe. Our middle schoolers arrived as excited and anticipating guests, ready to serve the community and understand the narrative of its people.

We became friends with our Dakota brothers and sisters through games and crafts during Kids Club, while painting houses, and through a shared meal at their weekly community cookout. It did not take long for our kids to find out that, in building these new friendships, WE should be the ones who are saying “thank you!” Each experience brought out a deep appreciation for the ways we can be the hands and feet of Jesus.

I recall many moments from this week. In particular, a member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate came to speak to us during our evening large group time about his people’s history and culture. His infectious personality and his wisdom as a

Middle Schoolers Mark Your Calendars: Sept. 12: Confirmation Classes Begin Sept. 21–23: 9th Grade Confirmation Retreat Oct. 18: Sever’s Corn Maze

middle school teacher brought out energy from our group. A few memories include the laughter of 60 youth as we learned to pronounce Dakota words, mesmerized faces as our speaker played his drums for us, and flashes of appreciation and humor as we learned how many of our hometowns are actually Dakota words! Minnesota, Minnetonka, Chaska, Shakopee, Wayzata… how amazing it was for us to find that connection to this community!

God was present in our time together that evening. I can still hear the kids reciting Wakan Tanka...Wakan Tanka... with hesitant and confused tongues.

Each time we spoke the name of God in this new language, we could more deeply comprehend what brings us together...

Through God’s grace and gifts of understanding, His children will be able to see their similarities before their differences. ...and so it was for our mission trip participants as we gathered in a church basement in the heart of Sisseton, South Dakota.

Reilly Orner Middle School Ministry Director

Oct. 28: Affirmation of Baptism Sunday Jul. 7–13, 2019: Middle School Mission Trip

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Everything We’ve Got

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e had a great summer for our High School Youth program, we had many great opportunities for fellowship and to worship our God. From traveling to Houston to recharge our faith with some fun opportunities and great speakers to golfing with Pastors, it has been a great summer. We even had Wednesday Night Youth Group (WNYG) for the first time in summer, we enjoyed everything that summer in Minnesota has to offer. Now we look to fall and all the amazing opportunities that we have coming up again. We start with our normal WNYG from 7:45 to 9:15 PM on Wednesday, where we will be playing some great games, hearing meaningful relevant topics, and discussing them in small groups and large group. We are looking to enjoy meeting new people and having a day to build you up in the middle of the week. We will also be having some great food!

We also look forward to our High School Bible Study. This study is run by 17

High School Ministry

high school students; it is designed to build a Christian Community. Unlike our WNYG this Bible Study will keep the same group members to build community, this does not mean that only those few are welcomed. It means that all our welcomed and you will have a group to fit who you are and where you are at in your life. We will be growing deeper in faith in this Bible Study and will be asking more meaningful questions. We look forward to the amazing leaders that we have this year who honestly want to be a part of their group members lives.

We will also be continuing our Los Niños program where we work with the community at Jackson Heights and play with the children. We look forward to making the shelter we play in a little nicer and enjoy being a part of the community as we bring a lot of laughter and fun as we shine Christ in their lives. This is every other Tuesday and is a great chance to serve others.

We still have many great opportuni-

ties for big events and activities. This will start with Paintball on Sunday September 16th as we go enjoy each other’s company and take a break from the stress of the start of school. We also have a great camp overnight for our High School overnight on October 18th to October 19th. We will be enjoying some great games and devotion time as we enjoy camp before the winter hits. We also have other great opportunities ahead of us including, Timberwolves game, Feed My Starving Children, and much more. Please keep your looking for the High School Emails at the beginning of the month to see what is upcoming. We are looking forward to reconnecting with some of you and meeting many new faces this year.

TJ Helgren High School Ministry Director

Everything We’ve Got

Young Adult Ministry

Young Adult Ministry Grant Over the next ten months, St. Andrew is honored to be partnered with an innovation coach from the Riverside Innovation Hub at Augsburg University. What is the Riverside Innovation Hub you may ask? How may they help? Here is what they have to say: It is no secret that the gap between young adults and Christian congregations is widening. There are many factors to this dynamic reality. Certain characteristics of today’s young adults and their culture make them less inclined to seek out a congregation, or any institution. Certain characteristics of today’s congregations make them less appealing to young adults. We do know young adults are not rejecting faith or religion. We do know many are living out their faith in vibrant ways at innovative intersections such as: faith and political activism, faith and the arts, faith and environmental stewardship, and interfaith engagement. The Riverside Innovation Hub will help congregations become engaged with young adults at these intersections and at others we may discover along the way.

In the coming months, Innovation Coach, Baird Linke will be helping us design and carry out young adult ministry.

Baird brings rich experience from camping ministry to mission work in Argentina. We are glad to welcome him and are eager to see where he leads us. If you see Baird in the coming weeks and months, introduce yourself !

What is an Innovation Coach?

Innovation Coaches are part of Augsburg University’s Riverside Innovation Hub, a project designed to help faith communities connect with young adults in the intersections of their faith and public lives. The Coaches will be working sideby-side in a long-term relationship with faith communities to help them in this process by facilitating community learning and development. The goal is that after ten months of collaboration, these faith communities will be left empowered to carry on the work sustainably into the future. Want to know more?

Contact Pastor Matthew at pastormatthew@standrewlu.org

Baird Linke

I was born and raised in beautiful Montana near the Great Divide where I learned to love being outside and exploring. I ran cross country and studied Biology and Spanish at Carroll College in Helena, Montana.

During the summers, I worked at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp, south of Glacier National Park, and I’ve spent the last year living in Buenos Aires, Argentina through the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission program. I’m excited to bring my curiosity and creativity to this new role as an Innovation Coach in the Twin Cities this year and to learn about and join in the work being done at St. Andrew!

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Everything We’ve Got

Funeral Reception

Quiet Servants Can be Counted on to Give!

As the Visitation Pastor at St. Andrew, I call on many members and friends of St. Andrew who are approaching the end of their life. Some of these saints are in their middle 90s and some of them have very fragile health conditions. As a result, I have quite a few funeral services every year for those who have entered the kingdom of heaven.

Usually following our memorial services, we have a luncheon. The wonderful thing about our funeral luncheons is that no matter whether they are large or small, they are done ‘first class’ with table cloths, plates, coffee cups and urns on all the tables and a buffet for all the funeral guests. It’s a wonderful time for people to share loving memories and stories they have of the dear person who has died. However, the most gracious part of these funeral luncheons is that they are FREE! People may make a donation but we never ask for it. Our funeral luncheon organizers and servers show their faith time after time by providing this kind service to grieving families. The

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deceased may have been an active member of St. Andrew or an inactive member, these servants of God provide the same loving service of a luncheon. Sometimes we will have two funerals in the same week or week after week but these servants never say, “We’re sorry but we can’t do another funeral luncheon right now.

We need a break!” What do they say is, “Of course Pastor, we’ll put the word out and we’ll take care of it!” These funeral luncheon servants are quiet about what they faithfully and generously do but the care this service expresses, the compassion it shows to the grieving family, and the quiet faith and service they give time after time, year after year is simply wonderful. Truly they are “giving everything they have to give!”

I say, “Praise God for these quiet servants from whom so many blessing flow!”

Pastor Roger Schindel Visitation Minister

Everything We’ve Got

Prime Timers

Little Things Mean a Lot I’ve learned in life that the little things are really the big things and “little things” can mean a lot! Mark Twain once said, “I could live for two months on a single compliment.” This simply reminds me that our words and actions toward one another can build us up or tear us down. Someone said to me recently, “I used to think of St. Andrew as such a big church that whether I was here on a Sunday or not wouldn’t matter but after my father died that feeling changed. After my father died, I received a lovely note in the mail from St. Andrew that offered concern and prayers and sympathy over my father’s death. Since then, I’ve felt like I’m part of a community who cares!”

So, what’s a community or a Christian community? It’s a group of people who feel they have a common bond with everyone there and that every person matters. In Philippians 1:3 the Apostle Paul writes to the community of believers at Philippi and says, “We have partnership in the gospel. I feel this way because I hold you in my heart. For we share together in Christ’s grace.” The thing that makes a church different from any other group or community is that Christ binds us together in fellowship and partnership. His grace compels and inspires us to be better people. The church is the one place where we can practice being compassionate and caring through our words and actions.

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

I’m one of the coordinators of our senior adult group we call Prime Timers. A lady in our group has been picking up another lady who doesn’t drive to bring her to worship for the past seven years! It may be a little thing but after 7 years, that’s a pretty big and caring thing! What I especially like about this group is that we have couples, singles, widows, widowers, members, non-members and it’s a place where, at least in that group, everybody knows your name and people truly care about you and are glad you came.

Plato said, “The unexamined life isn’t worth living.”

So, let’s ask ourselves as we move toward Rally Sunday at St. Andrew, “What can I commit to doing or saying on a consistent basis that may be a little thing but might help someone else feel that I care?” There’s a Danish proverb that says, “What you are is God’s gift to you; what you do with yourself is your gift to God.” Living an authentic Christian life begins with the “little things.”

Pastor Roger Schindel Visitation Minister

Upcoming Prime Timers Events Sept. 24: Tour of Historical Settlement, “The Landing” Oct. 18: Sovereign Estates Winery Nov.: Feed My Starving Children service project Dec. 17: Christmas potluck at church w/Christmas Trivia For more information visit standrewlu.org or email Pastor Roger Schindel at rogschindel@comcast.net.

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Everything We’ve Got

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Spirit In the Pines

Giving It All We Had at Camp!

The 2018 summer camping season at Spirit in the Pines has come to an end. The camp staff waved goodbye to the last camper filled buses of this busy and amazing summer today. We are all exhausted, grateful, and reflective of this last week of campers and of these past 11 weeks! Much like the upcoming sermon series, I truly believe that the camp staff “gave everything they got” to the campers, counselors and families! The outpouring of love, kindness, compassion, and God’s grace that they shared was a sight to behold and a feeling that will last for months, even years to come!

I am so very proud of each of them and feel honored to have worked alongside them this summer!

I asked each of them, “What was some of your fondest memories this summer?” There were way too many uplifting answers for me to share with you here. (This is a newsletter and not a novel series, don’t you know!) However, I would like to share several of them that are especially representative of this summer and the over 965 youth campers that attended (a new record!).

Dailia shared, “I was doing parkour with some campers during 11 o’clock activity. What that really means is that we were running around jumping off of different things and rolling around, all the while laughing and yelling out, Parkour!”

Cole said, “The sheer joy and exuberance on the faces of a diverse group of campers after they persevered and won a game of basketball against a much more

dominant team! The idea that they won at something athletic was the high light of the week for some!”

Olivia shared, “I had one specific cabin this summer that I oversaw and went to for devotions each night. It was filled with a lot of different groups of friends and some single campers. By the end of the first day I couldn’t tell which girls came together, because they all became such good friends!”

Most staff mentioned this same theme, “On multiple occasions seeing groups of boys or girls go over and include someone who was by themselves into the activity. It happened during games, free time, canteen and Olympics.

Seeing and feeling a diverse group of campers find common ground and grow closer and deeper in their faith. Opening up to be themselves and to still be accepted and welcomed!”

Several staff mentioned Evening worship, “Seeing and hearing the campers linked arm in arm, or holding hands swaying to the music and singing loudly!

Where else can you have 150 kids, not in choir, be so completely committed to singing and worshiping?! As the week progresses the songs are sung with more spirit and the prayers shared out loud go deeper. It is a sacred thing to behold!”

Lastly Paige remembers, “It was during evening worship and we were inside the chapel. It started pouring rain so hard that when you looked outside all you saw was a sheet of white. It was as if we were the only people in the

world. During that worship God’s presence was so strong and could be felt! It was one of the most powerful moments of the summer!”

During this past summer, God’s presence and Spirit was seen and felt over and over and over again. We as a staff strive to make Spirit in the Pines Camp a safe and fun place for kids to be themselves, to be accepted and cared for, to be encouraged to learn and experience God’s amazing love through Christ!

God has given and continues to give all that God has to each of us through God’s grace, love, and forgiveness. We in turn try to do the same by opening ourselves up for God’s Holy Spirit to work through us. Thank you to each camper, counselor, staff member and family for another amazing summer! May God continue to bless you!

Burke Hancer Camping Ministry Director

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13600 Technology Drive Eden Prairie, MN 55344 952.937.2776 | standrewlu.org

Fall at St. Andrew

RALLY SUNDAY SEPT. 9 | 9:00, 10:30 AM, 5:30 PM

RALLY CELEBRATION 9:45 AM–12:30 PM • Food Trucks • Inflatable Gaga Pit • Dunk Tank • Face Painting • Bingo • Bounce House • Putt-Putt Golf • Duck Pond CONNECT WITH US

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