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.