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.