The Week of January 27

Greetings from Swedlanda!

If you were worshiping at Swedlanda today, you might well have wondered who was leading the service. Neil N. said it sounded a little like Lou Rawls. We should be so fortunate (Mr. Rawls died two years ago). I’m afraid it was just Pastor Stewart, suffering from some laryngitis due to a cold. It did make for an interesting service, however.

I led the congregation in singing “Happy Birthday” to Nick A., who will be turning a milestone 17 on Friday. After that, I quit singing. I did manage to croak out the sermon, which you can read if you wish by clicking on the link for SkyDrive.

This is the final countdown to SouperBowl Sunday, one week from today. Some of our members have been using the “house banks” for Habitat For Humanity to collect an offering. Those will be turned in next Sunday. We will also have a soup and sandwich meal after our worship service to help raise funds for local HFH projects. The raffle will also conclude next Sunday and the drawing will be held during the Super Bowl half-time (see the announcements below). The HFH Board is hopeful that we can pay off all debts on the Hector and Buffalo Lake homes.

We continue to pray for a number of people on our prayer list, including members Jim A. and Olga S., who are still hospitalized. We added prayers for the family of Eileen Gratz, older sister of Ruth F. Eileen died Tuesday at Bethesda Heritage Center in Willmar. Her funeral was held Saturday at Ebenezer Lutheran Church in Kandiyohi.

We also prayed for the family of Janice (Rev. Joe) Dahlquist of Duluth. The couple has been close friends with Julie L’s family (Ralph & Corrine S’s daughter).

Also a birth announcement: Brandon and Nicole W. had a baby girl on Jan. 13. Madison Lynn was 6lbs, 4 oz and 20-1/2' in length and is now at home with her parents.

Lent is beginning early this year, with Ash Wednesday just one week from this Wednesday. We would love to have you join us for a mid-week series entitled “Bread For the Journey.”

It’s a busy time of the year, so I was relieved that I don’t have to report for jury duty this Monday. I’m hoping this obligation will not interfere with Lenten plans.

I hope all is well with you and your family. God Bless.

In Christ,

Pastor Stewart

Announcements:

The quilters of Swedlanda have a great ministry of providing quilts for various needs--Lutheran World Relief, local families in need, the fundraiser for Renville County domestic abuse prevention to name a few. Since we can't all quilt, perhaps we can support this ministry by a donation of funds. The jar on the narthex table is now accepting donations to help fund the quilters’ projects. Thank you.

The Wednesday morning Bible Study begins at 8:00 a.m. Bring your Bible and join us. No preparation necessary as we study the text for the week in light of our discipleship.

There will be a family-friendly Super Bowl party at the Buffalo Lake Community Center beginning at 5:30 p.m. There will be a "build-your-own taco bar" and the game will be on. The event is free and there will be a free-will offering for the food and snacks. The drawing for the raffle prizes will be conducted at half time during the game, approximately 7:00 p.m.

Habitat For Humanity Raffle tickets are still available!! This year, the Grand Prize is a candy apple red 2008 Ford Mustang convertible. Other prizes include a 15” Lap Top Computer, $500 cash, Apple I Pod 80 GB Video, and 27” Digital Color TV. Tickets are $50 and may be purchased from HFH Board members, Joyce N. or Pastor Stewart.

The Week of January 20

Blessings in the Name of Christ,

It was really cold this morning at Swedlanda. As Mark Twain supposedly said, “Cold! If the thermometer had been an inch longer we'd all have frozen to death.” Actually, it was about -15 degrees with no wind when I arrived at church. But I think it kept some people home today.

We had an installation service for newly elected Council Members and Officers: Calvin A., Lyndon A., and Melissa W.; President-Eileen R., Vice President-Calvin A., Secretary-Kari A., and Treasurer (appointed)-Kevin A.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity continues through Thursday of this week. A Christian Unity Service for the Hector-Buffalo Lake community is scheduled for today at 3:00 p.m. at First Lutheran Church, Hector. The offering will be used for the Hector Youth Center.

Jim A. was hoping to be home by now, but had some complications following the placement of a stent in the portal vein of his transplanted liver. The liver is fine, thankfully, and we pray he will be able to return home this week. Olga S. is also having a procedure on Monday, so we ask for your prayers for her.

As usual, I am making the weekly sermon available on SkyDrive (with the link on the right-hand column). I thought I would also add my annual report below.

Have a great week.

In Christ,

Pastor Stewart

Pastor’s Report for 2007

“Where there is no vision, the people perish” Proverbs 29:18, KJV

I have been thinking recently of several visions from God that are included in Scripture lessons around this time of the year. Zechariah receives an angelic visit while in the temple and is told that his wife Elizabeth will bear a son named John, who will turn the hearts of many to the Lord. Mary is also told by an angel that she will give birth to a baby conceived by the Holy Spirit who will be called the Son of the Most High. Joseph receives a visit from an angel who encourages him to take Mary as his wife and predicts the birth of Jesus as one who will save his people from their sins. The wise men from the East have a vision involving a star which reveals the birth of the King of the Jews. Then Joseph receives another vision warning him to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus.

The very ordinary people who received these visions had this in common: they were open to receiving a message from God and they believed the message once it was received. What does their experience have to teach us? How might we expect to receive a vision from God—a vision which will captivate our imaginations, motivate us, and lead us to passionate commitment? How can we be better listeners and better believers?

I have had some experiences this year that have drawn my attention to such matters. The process began with the conviction that God was calling me and the Swedlanda congregation to something more than just the maintenance of ministry. I felt led to apply for entrance in an educational program through our Seminary, which will lead to a Doctor of Ministry in Congregational Mission and Leadership. I didn’t know what to expect from this course of study, didn’t know how I would find time to pursue it, and didn’t know how I would pay for it. Some of those questions have been answered. I discovered that this course is unlike any other I have ever taken. It is not about learning a lot of information or receiving and applying some kind of program for church growth. At its heart, I think it has more to do with learning how to listen to what God is telling us and being open to the guidance of His Holy Spirit. This is something we can only do together, as God’s people. I can’t do it for the congregation and I can’t tell the members of Swedlanda what to do. This kind of growth can only come from within, as it is inspired by God. He has already called us as His people and He has already given us the gifts we need. It’s exciting to consider what new and unexpected directions God might take us in if we will only listen and trust.

The picture on the left is called “Three-winged Bird.” It is a “self-portrait drawn by a chaotic system, referred to as a “chaotic strange attractor.” [1] The pattern results from self-organization. It makes me think of the Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In human systems, the “strange attractor” which organizes us is the shared meaning or value which we hold in common. I keep wondering how God intends to shape us. What might happen if we were to claim a vision for what God wants us to do? Farmers know that only God can provide the good soil, the rains and the warmth of the sun in order that the miracle of life can take place. They participate in this miracle by preparing the soil, planting the seed, applying the necessary “inputs” and then harvesting. We do the same kind of thing in the Swedlanda congregation when we prepare the soil of faith through worship and education, plant the seed of God’s Word by reading it and studying it, apply the tools of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion as they are given us by the Holy Spirit, and reap the harvest of discipleship and devotion.

I have grown in my appreciation of our Swedlanda congregation and the vision to which God is calling us. I am grateful for the support of its members in this process, including spiritual, physical, and financial support. And I am especially grateful to God for His surprising grace and love and the promise of things to come that we can’t begin to imagine.

Your fellow missionary and pastor,

Charles Stewart

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[1] Wheatley, M. J. (2006). Leadership and the new science : discovering order in a chaotic world. San Francisco, CA, Berrett-Koehler.

The Week of January 13

Greetings from Swedlanda

Today is the Baptism of Our Lord. I am just back from a week of continuing education at our Seminary in St. Paul, so I showed the congregation a Power Point project I developed with the help of my Conversation Team. We viewed the first half on the History and Description for Swedlanda Lutheran during the worship time and then the second half on the Case Description and Action Plan during the Annual Meeting which followed. I would like to make it available on the internet, but I think I will try adding voice to the presentation first. Otherwise it would be difficult to follow without reading all of the accompanying notes.

It snowed during the worship service, but there wasn’t enough to make it a problem. We had a wonderful potluck meal after worship before beginning with the Cemetery Association Meeting followed by the Congregational Annual Meeting. There was nothing out-of-the ordinary with the exception of the Power Point. We had a net loss of one member over the year. Financially the congregation has been doing well. We are collecting money for some building maintenance projects and currently have almost $9,000 in the fund. The septic system at the parsonage is still working all right and Lyndon A. reports that the camera reveals the line is open, which is good news.

Calvin A., Lyndon A. and Melissa W. were all elected to the Church Council for 3 year terms. Those going off the Council were LaVaun D., Gail D., and Neil C. My thanks to them for their service.

Following the Annual Meeting, those Council members who were present met to elect officers. Eileen R. was re-elected President, Calvin A. was elected Vice President, and Keri A. was elected Secretary. Kevin A. was appointed to another one year term as Treasurer.

We have been praying for Jim A., who was hospitalized last week with some complications following his liver transplant. The good news is that his liver is fine. He has a partially blocked portal vein to his liver. This is something they should be able to fix with a stint. This will be placed in an outpatient procedure on Tuesday.

Here are a few announcements for the week. May God be with you in the coming days.

Pastor Stewart

Notices:

Pastor Stewart has just returned from a week of Contextual Education at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. He will be sharing a presentation developed for the first session of the Doctor of Ministry program in Congregational Mission and Leadership. The presentation was developed with the input of a Conversation Team, which included Jill B., Deb R., Bernice C., Nancy S., Erik D., and Eileen R. The first part of the presentation is a History and Description of Swedlanda Lutheran Church. The second part of the presentation is a Case Study and Action Plan with some suggested ideas from the pastor and Conversation Teams. The project is ongoing and open-ended. It needs your insight, prayers, deliberation, and discussion. To encourage that, you are asked to respond to the questions on the ½ sheet insert. Thank you for your commitment to our Lord and His mission through the Swedlanda Lutheran Congregation.

Habitat For Humanity Raffle tickets are still available!! This year, the Grand Prize is a candy apple red 2008 Ford Mustang convertible. Other prizes include a 15” Lap Top Computer, $500 cash, Apple I Pod 80 GB Video, and 27” Digital Color TV. Tickets are $50 and may be purchased from HFH Board members, Joyce Nyhus or Pastor Stewart. The drawing will be held on SouperBowl Sunday, February 3, 2008.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins January 18. A Christian Unity Service for the Hector-Buffalo Lake community is scheduled for Sunday, January 20 3:00 p.m. at First Lutheran Church, Hector.

The Week of January 6

Greetings from Swedlanda,

Today is the Day of Epiphany! This day marks the conclusion of the Christmas season and the beginning of a season of signs through which God’s Son is revealed. We sang Epiphany songs and after church, many people stayed to undecorated the church.

I thought you might be interested in the latest at the Swedlanda parsonage. Over the Christmas and New Year’s break, we had some plumbing problems. I described the south yard as a missile test site. Several faithful members arrived on the scene to help and I think things are back in working order. It was quite an experience. Fortunately, only Nancy and I are at home now.

I will be on Continuing Education leave this week, attending classes at Luther Seminary for the Doctor of Ministry program. Then next Sunday, January 13, the Annual Meeting will be held, beginning with the Cemetery Association meeting at 12:30. A potluck will be held immediately after worship on that day. The alternative date in case of bad weather is January 20. In anticipation of the meeting, I distributed a bulletin insert with some questions to consider:

1. What has God been up to in your life?

2. What purpose or mission does God have in mind for you?

3. In light of Swedlanda’s history and context, what do you think God is up to in our congregation/community?

4. What do you think God would have us do as His people?

5. Could you state God’s vision for our mission?

6. Is there a particular Bible passage or story that you think of in connection with this?

7. What steps should the people of Swedlanda take to pursue our mission?

These are some questions inspired by a study of the congregation that I have done with the help of a Conversation Team from the congregation. I hope you might give them some thought too.

We added two folks to our prayer list this week: Jim Anderson, who was taken to the University Hospital on Saturday. Tests on his transplanted liver indicate there may be a problem. The other person on our list is Kermit Olson, a member of Zion Lutheran, Buffalo Lake, whom I visited Wednesday at the Glencoe Hospital. He had fluid drained from a lung. Thank you for your prayers for all the concerns on our list.

As usual, my sermon is available through the SkyDrive link on the right. A few additional announcements follow. God bless you during this week of Epiphany.

Pastor Stewart

The Swedlanda Luther League will meet this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Zach is serving.

At the January Council Meeting it was decided to dedicate the interest of $388.93 from the Eddy Anderson and Oscar Kulberg Mission Investment Fund to Heifer International.

At a meeting held Oct. 7, the congregation voted to approve a recommendation from the council that covered several maintenance/repair projects: Replacement of the parsonage deck ($6-7,000); Church siding to be completed by 2009 ($23-25,000); Belfry floor maintenance; and a plan to replace shingles within 10 years. Your contributions toward these property items are much appreciated. Thank you. Total in the fund: $11,700.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins January 18. A Christian Unity Service for the Hector-Buffalo Lake community is scheduled for Sunday, January 20 3:00 p.m. at First Lutheran Church, Hector.