The Week of July 13

Greetings from Swedlanda!

We have a beautiful day for our outdoor worship service today and many came despite the fact that it was a bit cool in the shade with the traditional Swedlanda breeze. Imagine wearing jackets on the 13^th of July! Emily provided accompaniment and special music today and managed to hold on to her music. Several of those at the service had been present for Corn Chaff festivities over the weekend, including an all-class reunion. After the services, we filled ourselves with the wonderful food provided for the potluck. There is always more than enough!

I recently found this photo of LaVaun D. on our Synod website. She was in charge of the Companion Synod table at the Synod Assembly and is pictured with Marie Nelson, Chair of the Companion Synod Committee. LaVaun has been in attendance at the Triennial Women of the ELCA Conference in Salt Lake City.

I will be away for a few Sundays, as is explained in the announcements below, but if I have an opportunity, I will manage a posting or two. The message for the day is available through the link on the right of the page.

God’s blessings during the remainder of July!

Pastor Stewart

Announcements:

Pastor Stewart and Nancy will be attending the Global Mission Event at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, July 17-20. At the ELCA Global Mission Event, Lutherans of all ages from all over the world celebrate God’s mission and explore how to encourage and strengthen one another for global ministry.

Pastor Stewart will be taking a week of Continuing Education July 21-27 and will be attending a seminar at Luther Seminary in St. Paul as a part of the Doctor of Ministry program.

Pastor Ruth Edberg of St. Paul’s Lutheran, Hector will be available July 17-27 in case a pastor is needed and Pastor Keith Pearson of First Lutheran, Hector will be available July 21-27.

Come and join us on a mission trip to Lee Valley Ranch, August 3-8! The ranch offers a beautiful & peaceful setting near Crazy Horse Monument outside of Custer, South Dakota. There is always something to do! Opportunities for fellowship, sightseeing, community work projects, wildlife (Custer State Park), adventure (Harney Peak), or just relaxing. Take a few days off for a counter-cultural Christian experience. Sign up today!

Please be sure to join us for worship in the coming weeks, as we have some special speakers/worship leaders. Bernice C. will have the message on July 20. On July 27, Robert Bekkerus, a senior student at Luther Seminary, will lead the worship service. Wendy W. will have the message on August 3^rd. Neil C. will also be assisting as a lector. Thank-you to those from our congregation who are willing to share their gifts.

All are welcome to attend the local chapter meeting of Habitat For Humanity at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 15 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Fairfax. The next build will be in the Fairfax area.

Green Lake Lutheran Ministries 24^th Annual Quilt Auction.

Friday, July 18, 5:30-8:30 PM Quilt Review, Crafts & Country Store Admission $3.00/Silent Auction/Homemade Lefse/BBQ Supper.

Saturday, July 19, 9:00-11:30 AM Quilt Review, Crafts & Country Store Admission $3.00/Silent Auction/11:30 AM-1:30 PM Hog Roast/12:30 PM Quilt Auction.

The Week of July 6

Greetings from Swedlanda!

We had a very nice post-July 4^th celebration at Swedlanda today. Sophie and Nate, grandchildren of Ralph and Corrine S. offered a patriotic medley as a piano duet. Sophie will be having a piano recital in Duluth later this month. Both are very gifted and we were glad to have them with us.

After worship, most were able to stay for a fellowship celebrating Dick L’s 75^th birthday. His family provided the refreshments.

The sermon for the day is available through the link on the right. It related to the theme of community, represented in this banner of the Trinity which was used at the Synod Assembly this year.

Here are a few announcements from the day’s bulletin.

The Annual Outdoor Worship Service at Swedlanda is scheduled for Sunday, July 13 at 9:00 a.m. Please bring your lawn chairs; we will meet out behind the church, weather permitting. There will be a potluck afterwards, so bring something to share.

The Hector Firemen will be hosting a Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, July 13, 8 a.m. – 12 noon as a part of Hector Corn Chaff Days. Enjoy a pancake breakfast before coming to church!

Summer Camp Time! Take advantage of the opportunity at local Bible camps such as Green Lake Lutheran Ministries or Lee Valley Ranch (our trip is scheduled August 3-8). Scholarships are available: the Men In Mission will provide ½ the cost and the Women of the ELCA will provide $100. Sign up today!

The Swedlanda Church Council has designated the quarterly interest of $392.13 from the Eddy Anderson and Oscar Kulberg Mission Investment Fund for Midwest Flood Relief.

Pastor Stewart and Nancy will be attending the Global Mission Event at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, July 17-20. At the ELCA Global Mission Event, Lutherans of all ages from all over the world celebrate God’s mission and explore how to encourage and strengthen one another for global ministry.

Pastor Stewart will be taking a week of Continuing Education July 21-27 and will be attending a seminar at Luther Seminary in St. Paul as a part of the Doctor of Ministry program.

Green Lake Lutheran Ministries 24^th Annual Quilt Auction.

Friday, July 18, 5:30-8:30 PM Quilt Review, Crafts & Country Store Admission $3.00/Silent Auction/Homemade Lefse/BBQ Supper.

Saturday, July 19, 9:00-11:30 AM Quilt Review, Crafts & Country Store Admission $3.00/Silent Auction/11:30 AM-1:30 PM Hog Roast/12:30 PM Quilt Auction.

At the July meeting of the Church Council, the Swedlanda Treasurer’s Report indicated a general fund account balance of $3,663.79. We have currently borrowed $10,000 from the Mission Investment Funds of the church. Please remember your church during the summer months. Thank you for your stewardship.

The Week of June 29

Greetings from Swedlanda,

We had a beautiful day for our worship service today. Special music had been invited by Doug and Darlene S. Grandson Kyle A. played the saxophone and was accompanied by Granddaughter Hannah C. Their performance was appreciated and quite a few family members were there to see them play. We had some other visitors as well. The theme from our Gospel Lesson had to do with welcoming, which seemed very appropriate for the day. After worship we enjoyed fellowship and refreshments provided by Doug & Darlene and family.

Gail and Gary D. provided flowers in appreciation of our freedom and all the men and women who make that possible through their service in the Armed Forces in the past and serving now. They reminded us that the 4^th of July is approaching. Have a safe and happy celebration!

If you are interested, the sermon is available through the link on your right. A few announcements have been included below.

God bless,

Pastor Stewart

Announcements:

The Women of the ELCA will have a Unit Meeting on Thursday, July 3 at 9:30 a.m. Gail D. has the program and hostesses are Gail D. and Sandy P.

The Annual Outdoor Worship Service at Swedlanda is scheduled for Sunday, July 13 at 9:00 a.m. Please bring your lawn chairs and we will meet out behind the church. There will be a potluck afterwards, so bring something to share.

Summer Camp Time! Take advantage of the opportunity at local Bible camps such as Green Lake Lutheran Ministries or Lee Valley Ranch (our trip is scheduled August 3-8). Scholarships are available: the Men In Mission will provide ½ the cost and the Women of the ELCA will provide $100. Sign up today!

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: $16,428.66.

The Week of June 22

Greetings from Swedlanda!

There was a lot of activity at Swedlanda this past week. Wednesday was the Midsummer Event. We had plenty of pie and cake, of course. But we also had a lot of people. Perhaps the excellent weather brought them out. For our entertainment, Kim Schnitzer & Vicki Marthaler of Detroit Lakes provided songs and stories. Maybe next year we should try an authentic maypole accompanied by the little frog dance.

If you are looking for something meaningful to do this summer, consider a mission trip to Lee Valley Ranch, near Custer, the week of August 3^rd. Good fellowship and food, beautiful scenery, work projects at the camp, and lots of fun things to do! What more could you want? Our friends are waiting for us.

Have a great week! God’s blessings,

Pastor Stewart

P.S. The sermon for today is available through the link on the right.

Week of June 15

Greetings from Swedlanda!

It was a very busy week at Swedlanda, as we hosted children from our community for Vacation Bible School. The theme was “Rainforest Adventure” and included lessons about sharing, caring, and growing in faith. The younger kids had a class led by Kara P. while the older kids were with Pastor Stewart. Jill B. did a great job of leading the singing, while several volunteers helped with providing supper. Our able VBS Director, Theresa did a great job of recruiting and organizing. The VBS led the worship service, while Pastor Stewart attended the Annual Synod Assembly.

Gail and Eric D. were delegates at the Assembly, which was held Friday through Sunday at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. Gail helped serve communion on Sunday. Bishop Louis Sibiya was a guest and spoke at the Assembly and preached at our closing worship service. It was wonderful to see him and his wife, Mumsy, again. I was their guest for breakfast one morning when I went to visit our Companion Synod in 2005 with my daughter, Teresa.

This week we will be having the Swedlanda Midsummer Event. The notice is below. Hope to see you there!

Have a great week and Happy Father’s Day to all who are fathers.

God bless,

Pastor Stewart

“A Midsummer’s Festival” will be held at Swedlanda Lutheran on Wednesday, June 18

4:30-7:00 p.m. Ice Cream Social Supper Menu: Pork Sandwiches, Potato Salad, Beans, Pie, Cake & Home-made Ice Cream, Coffee & Lemonade. Sponsored by Renville County Chapter 31315 of Thrivent Financial.

7:00 p.m. Performing and presenting at the Festival will be Kim Schnitzer & Vicki Marthaler of "Sing & Tell the Story" Midsummer's Eve historically is the day set aside to celebrate John the Baptist's birth. Program Topic: Tent Meeting. Reminiscent of the revival meetings that were held in tents on the outskirts of town, Kim and Vicki have put together an energetic program of gold ‘ol gospel songs! Time to clap those hands and shout “Glory, Hallelujah”!

All families are asked to provide 2 pies for Midsummer. Set-up will be at 3:30 p.m.

The Week of June 8

Greetings from Swedlanda,

As you can see, preparations are under way for the Midsummer Festival. Several faithful members came to help make ice cream. Be sure to join us if you can on Wednesday, June 18, beginning at 4:30 p.m. The 7:00 p.m. program topic: Tent Meeting. Reminiscent of the revival meetings that were held in tents on the outskirts of town, Kim and Vicki have put together an energetic program of gold ‘ol gospel songs! Time to clap those hands and shout “Glory, Hallelujah”!

Today at church the Bruns family provided a coffee & juice fellowship as a farewell to their international student, Tom Bjorkman. We also sang “Happy Birthday” to Ray C., who will be celebrating his 85^th this Wednesday.

Vacation Bible School is being held this week, June 9-13, 5:30-8:00 p.m. The worship on June 15 will be led by VBS.

The Southwestern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA will have an Assembly at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, June 13-15. The Assembly theme is “Come and Follow Me”. Bishop Louis Sibiya of our Companion Synod in Africa will be there this year. Our delegates are Erik D. and Gail D. Pastor Stewart will also be in attendance.

Summer Camp Time! Take advantage of the opportunity at local Bible camps such as Green Lake Lutheran Ministries or Lee Valley Ranch (our trip is scheduled August 3-7). Scholarships are available: the Men In Mission will provide ½ the cost and the Women of the ELCA will provide $100. Sign up today!

Have a good week and God bless,

Pastor Stewart

The Week of June 1

Greetings from Swedlanda,

It must be summer! Ten minutes before worship begins, the church is empty, when suddenly everyone comes flooding through the doors. We actually had a very good turnout of worshipers today. One of the reasons for that was the fact that Ayrika Z. took communion for the first time and several of her family members were with her as guests. It was wonderful to share this special day with them. After worship, we had a coffee fellowship provided by Fredricksons and Lambs. Many stayed after worship, which is always a special part of the morning.

Another sign of summer are ice cream socials. We have our Midsummer Event coming up on June 18^th. Read the notice below to see details on the program.. If you are available, we could use your help in making ice cream on Thursday, June 5 at 6:30 p.m. If you come to help, you get to sample the freshly make ice cream. Even if you can’t join us, help out by loaning us the use of your ice cream freezer.

Today is also graduation day for our local high school seniors, so many will be out visiting the open houses. We, of course, had our Recognition Sunday a few weeks ago.

Last Monday, there was a Memorial Day service at the church and I snapped a few pictures to share. It was quite a chilly morning.

Please read over the other notices as well. Have a great week.

God bless,

Pastor Stewart

Announcements:

“A Midsummer’s Festival” will be held at Swedlanda Lutheran on Wednesday, June 18

4:30-7:00 p.m. Ice Cream Social Supper Menu: Pork Sandwiches, Potato Salad, Beans, Pie, Cake & Home-made Ice Cream, Coffee & Lemonade. Sponsored by Renville County Chapter 31315 of Thrivent Financial.

7:00 p.m. Performing and presenting at the Festival will be Kim Schnitzer & Vicki Marthaler of "Sing & Tell the Story" Midsummer's Eve historically is the day set aside to celebrate John the Baptist's birth. Program Topic: Tent Meeting. Reminiscent of the revival meetings that were held in tents on the outskirts of town, Kim and Vicki have put together an energetic program of gold ‘ol gospel songs! Time to clap those hands and shout “Glory, Hallelujah”!

The Women of the ELCA will have a Unit Meeting on Thursday, June 5 at 9:30 a.m. Deb Christensen has the program and hostesses are Joyce N. & Lois F.

This year’s Vacation Bible School is scheduled from June 9-13 5:30-8:00 p.m., with the worship on June 15 to be led by VBS. If you would like to provide a meal for one of the evenings or help with teaching, please contact Theresa F. Thank you.

The Southwestern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA will have an Assembly at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, June 13-15. The Synod Assembly theme is “Come and Follow Me”. Bishop Louis Sibiya of our Companion Synod in Africa will be there this year. Our delegates are Erik D. and Gail D. Pastor Stewart will also be in attendance.