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Outreach of the United Methodist Churches of Wells and Kiester, Minnesota

MAY 2019

Growing in love of God and neighbor, Reaching new people, and Healing a broken world.

EVERYONE

who belongs to

Christ will be given

NEW LIFE. 1 Corinthians 15:22

May 2019

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Wells Campus Service Groups:

Communion Servers * = Communion Preparer 12 Carol Draheim*, Dave &

Shari Petersen, Jeff Ramsley

Ushers 5 at Kiester park – Sherry Asmus,

Mickey Ellsworth, Terry Halverson, Roger Wigern

12,19,26 Sherry Asmus, Mickey Ellsworth

Acolytes 12 Kolt & Chloe Bullerman 19 Dylan Parks, Madison Meyer 26 Ushers

Cross Bearer 12 Madison Meyer

19 Nevaeh Roberts 26 Lexi Johnson

Greeters 5 at Kiester park – Don Stenzel,

JoEtta Doolittle, Terry Halverson, Roger Wigern

12 Bev Niebuhr, Cari Stenzel, Joyce Frederick, Sarah Hankerson

19 Sharon Miller, Dave & Shari Petersen, Deb Lackey

26 Bob & Virginia Clark, Sally Yokiel, JoEtta Doolittle

Liturgist 12 Lois Roberts 19 Cherryl Cain 26 Sarah Hankerson

Audio/Video Technicians 12 Sarah Hankerson, Don Stenzel 19 Kaylynn Healey, Don Stenzel 26 RJ Fordham, William Healey

Projection: Op Set-Up 12 Karen Stenzel Chris D. 19 Karen Stenzel Chris D. 26 Kevin Stenzel Deb L.

Nursery 14 Sally Yokiel, Grace Mithun 21 Amber Cords, Lexi Johnson 28 Amy & Hailey Chandler

Driver For a ride, call one of the following.

Dean Youngblom 553-5272 Dave Loveless 553-3609 Bruce Frederick 553-5456 Brian Bullerman 553-6346

Coffee Servers 12,19, 26 TBD

Coffee Treat Pot-Luck Bring a plate, a pan, or a container of any type of coffee treat you’d like to share. Could be cookies, bars, cheese & crackers, fruit, etc. This is an act of hospitality, so if you don’t bring something, that is fine. Everyone is welcome.

May 5 Kiester

Wednesday After School Snack and Supper Schedule SNACK – 3:10-3:25 SUPPER – 5:00-6:15

May 8 Sandy Youngblom Kim & Toby Anderson, Sally & Chris Musser (meatloaf mashed potatoes, corn)

Thank you to the many people who have served this school year by providing afterschool snacks for the

Pioneer Clubs and making supper on Wednesdays. The meals have all been delicious! Having a meal together at church works very will for busy families and the fellowship with other church members is precious.

Beautiful weather, great music by the Dundas’, and an encouraging message was enjoyed by 70 Open

Doors members and guests at the Kiester Park, with more joining us for a grilled hotdog lunch.

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Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Somehow it has become spring after what has seemed like an

endless winter. I am writing this with the sun shining in the

windows and May just over a week away. I have gotten back as

much as possible into running for exercise and have been enjoying the warm weather

whenever I can. The sun is getting me excited for all the long and lazy days of summer yet

to begin, but not too lazy since there are some really fun events coming up at Open Doors

UMC. We have “Church in the Park” on the 5th and the “Whole Church Auction” on the

19th. This is really only the beginning of the things we are doing here at church this

summer.

We recently celebrated Easter and I saw many of you as we proclaimed the Lord has

risen! Jesus died and rose again and then He put us to the task of proclaiming the Gospel or

Good News to the whole world, and particularly to the folks here in our community. It is a

glorious task and one that we join in with the Lord as he calls all people to himself. As the

Bible tells us, we are the “Body of Christ.” We, Christians, are the hands and feet and voice

of Jesus in this world today. He works though what we do, but we must be willing to join

and be a part of what is going on as His witness here in Wells and Kiester. The church, as I

have described it here as the people of God, are asked to join in the mission. It is really

only when the people of God assemble as the church, that we really are doing what Jesus

has called us to do. It really is that simple – we either join in and support the things that we

do as an assembled group or church, or we lessen or even can’t do the work to which we

are called. We are all called into mission as people who have come to the table of Jesus and

have had an encounter with the Risen Lord, and so are now sent into a world in need of the

good . . . no, great news, that he is alive and we live an Easter faith because of it. One of

joy and celebration, and one that, like the disciples, we can’t keep to ourselves but must

share with all whom we meet.

Please, get involved here and know that it is only when you give of your time, your

gifts, your prayers, and your witness, that we can be the body of Christ here and become

that much better for it. May the Crucified and Risen Lord be with you always and may the joy of that be

overflowing in your lives,

Pastor

“In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.”

—Mark Twain

Spring is wonderful. It makes you feel young enough to do all the things you’re old enough to know you can’t. —Franklin P. Jones

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The Auction is coming! Save the date of Sunday, May 19, for a giant church event!

Joint worship service at 9:00 am with both Kiester and Wells Campuses worshiping together in Wells.

Last day of The Story and of Sunday School for the season. Chapter 22 of The Story will be covered, “The Birth of a King.” We’ll be having Christmas in May! A special musical treat is being planned for worship.

LUNCH served outside under canopies on the back drive.

A SILENT AUCTION will be set up in the basement with many, many great things to bid on. Bidding will be half hour before church and from 10:00-11:45.

LIVE AUCTION of the larger items begins about 12:00 with auctioneer Lee Schumann.

Bounce house and games for the kids.

Preliminary list with more added daily:

Homemade cards – framed prints – counted cross stitch picture – small microwave – small TV – king-size bedspread – handmade quilts – 2 hours house cleaning – hand-painted fishing jigs – handmade baskets – Longaberger basket – Italian & wine-themed gift baskets – theater passes – Woodland Creatures set – blue violin – horse saddle – birdhouse – die-cast race car – 3 doz. peanut balls – sweet bread/month x4 – flowers & plants – patio chair with umbrella – gift cards for Casey’s, Subway, All Pets, Kaduce Tire, Lamperts, Jenny’s Pink Petals, Ron’s Plumbing & Heating – bracelet with essential oils – 5-ton and 15-ton crushed rock – large elephant figurine – cradle – “Crocodile Dundee”-style hats – coolers – steak fry tickets – tire pressure gauge – girls bike – 31 purse – green fees at Oak View Golf Club – bag chairs – leaf blower – logo wear – RACS dog beds – beverage holders – electronic keyboard – desk

Check out www.opendoorsumc.org for the most up-to-date list of auction items.

If you plan on donating anything for the auction, contact one of the Finance team or call the church office as soon as possible so we can advertise the items. Items can be dropped off at the Wells church anytime.

If you have any questions or would like to offer your assistance with any aspect of this big day, please contact anyone from the Finance Team: Scott Johnson, Sherry Asmus, Sarah Hankerson, Linda Willaby, or Neil Roesler. We can use lots of help!

Fund Raiser

May 19 An Open Doors United

Methodist All-Church Event

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Coffee With Pastor Chris Tuesday May 7, 21 & 28

9:30-11:30

At The Bean

United Methodist Women Offer Scholarships for Camp,

Mission Trips United Methodist Women of the Wells Campus have scholarships available to Open Doors UMC children and youth attending conference sponsored camps, conferences, and seminars, or Open Doors UMC spon-sored mission trips. The UMW scholarships will be 1/2 the cost, not to exceed $75.00. The potential camper should write a note stating which camp or mission trip they wish to attend and why. Send the note to Ruth Roesler, UMW Treasurer, 21180 35th Street, Wells, Minnesota 56097. If approved, the check will be made out to the respective camp or organization.

Thank you for all your gifts to the Lenten Offering for Gordon & Ardell Graner, our missionaries in Dominican Republic! We reached our goal of $1,365 and a little more! Thank you!! See an article about the Gran-ers, our Pathfinder Pioneer Club, and solar ovens on page 8.

Grill-outs, sitting on the deck, playing a game of Cowboy Golf or bean bags with a group of new friends – doesn’t that sound fun? Then sign up for a summer round of Dinners For 6! Dinners For 6 is strictly a social time where groups of six get together for dinner once a month for a three month period. Dinners can be at a person’s home (preferred), at a favorite restaurant, or wherever the group likes. It’s a great way to meet some new friends within our church and get connected. Groups are set up by the D46 Coordinator. Contact the church office by May 19 if you’d like to be in a group. Groups will meet June, July & August.

Richard W. Roberts Born April 8, 1936

Died April 11, 2019

A prayer service and fellowship lunch was held April 17, 2019, at Open Doors UMC–

Wells Campus, with burial in Rosehill Cemetery.

Communities Fighting Student Hunger Fundraiser

May 14 The USC Backpack Program is sponsoring a Community Spring Salad Luncheon on Tuesday, May 14, from 11:00am-1:00 pm at the Wells Community center. Delicious salads, garlic toast, sweets, coffee, lemon-ade, water. Take-outs available. Free-will donation, all proceeds go to CFSH.

Road Ditch Clean-Up May 15 On Wednesday, May 15, we will be picking up litter from our 2-mile stretch of road on Hwy 109 between the Pink School house & 2 miles east (mile markers 17–19) weather permitting. Pioneer Club kids (3rd-6th), Youth Group, and any other adults that can help are asked to be at the Wells Campus at 3:15. There’ll be snack and then we’ll head out. Wear older, sturdy shoes and bring gloves.

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2019 Country Store It’s Time: To start planning for Country Store. We will opening the store September

14-15, and again on September 22 for the Last-Chance Sale. These are great days for sharing our talents and produce, and getting to know each other better, as well as helping Open Doors meet mission-giving obligations. New ideas for the store are needed and welcome.

We still have a little over five months to prepare, but time goes fast, especially in these busy months. We sell houseplants, ‘Almost Antiques,’ needlework and other crafts, vintage jewelry, candy, produce, and canned/preserved food items We are always looking for other areas of interest to add to the store.

As you pick up seeds for your garden, consider planting a little extra to share at the store. Fresh produce is always appreciated, and if the growing season isn’t timed quite right, jams, jellies, relishes, and salsas are popular items. All other areas also need items to catch one’s eye, and help fill the shelves.

It takes all of us to make this happen. Please consider how you might add your skills and talent. Also, watch for a planning and organizational meeting, and plan to attend. Let’s make this the best year yet. Contact Jan Johanson with ideas or questions.

CABLE TV Worship Times (Wells service) Every Monday: 11am & 6pm – Bevcomm Ch 7 Every Tuesday: 8:00 pm – Bevcomm Ch 7

Note: If anyone without cable service would like to borrow a DVD recording, they are available for loan from the Wells church library.

THE STORY WORSHIP CALENDAR The Story is an abridged, chronological Bible that reads like a novel. For

those intimidated or overwhelmed by the unabridged Bible, The Story helps

people understand God’s Word more fully and engage with it more easily.

Join us in an all-church experience reading through the Bible in 31 weeks.

Worship times & locations: 9:00 am–Wells; 10:30 am–Kiester

Adult Classes: Sundays, 9:15-10:15 am in Kiester

Sundays, 10:00-11:00 am in Wells

Wednesdays, 5:45-7:15 pm in Wells

Ch# Date Topic Focus Text

21 May 12 Rebuilding the Walls Nehemiah Ezra 7; Nehemiah 1-2,4,6-8; Malachi 1-4

22 May 19 The Birth of the King Jesus Matthew 1-2; Luke 1-2; John 1

Celebrate Christmas in May! The May 19th worship will include Christmas carols and a cute skit by the Sounds of Praise Bell Choir, a sheep, and a donkey. This will be the final chapter before we take a break during summer. We will continue with the New Testament in September.

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Vacation Bible School

Tuesday-Friday, June 4-7, 2019 9:00-11:30 am – Wells Campus

All children, age 3 thru 5th grade are invited!

Travel back into Bible times and become part of Paul’s dangerous journey to share the truth! Each day, the children become part of history as they see, hear, touch, and even taste what it was like to live in

ancient Athens! They’ll explore the Marketplace shops, visit Paul, take part in games, dance to lively Bible songs, and sample tasty tidbits as you discover more about Paul’s missionary adventures. These experiences make God’s Word come alive with new mean-ing for all who participate!

We’re looking for volunteers to help in all areas. Please contact Sandy Youngblom or Sarah Hankerson.

2-Day VBS in Kiester Open Doors is super excited to be offering a

mini Vacation Bible School to the community of Kiester. We’re not sure what we can expect, but think we will be meeting a whole new bunch of kids that will be eager and excited for a couple evenings of Bible School fun.

The evenings will have a camping theme, include a simple supper, Bible story, craft, games, and more. We ask families to RSVP to the church office so we have an idea of how many will be attending. Please spread the word around Kiester.

We’re in need of LOTS of smiling faces to assist with various jobs, all the way from leading an activity, to serving the meal, helping a little one with a craft project, giving out name badges, or a number of other tasks. If you can help put this on, contact Sandy Youngblom or Sarah in the church office.

This is an outreach ministry of Open Doors. Won’t you join us as we reach out to new people, new families?

June 4 & 5

5:30-7:30 p.m.

Kiester City Park All children age 4 thru 6th grade

are invited! No fee. RSVP to 553-5453.

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(Continued on page 15)

Pioneer Clubs® Year Nearing the End

Wednesday, May 8, will be the last meeting of Pioneer Clubs® for the 2018/2019 year. It’s been a really fun one for everyone involved! We’ll start up again in the fall. Pioneer Clubs is open to any child in 1st through 6th grade.

Pathfinders Learn About Missionaries This spring, the 3rd & 4th grade Pathfinders got to learn about the missionaries that

our church supports, Gordy & Ardell Graner, and even got to ask them some questions via e-mail. Part of the Graner’s ministry is to distribute solar ovens to the needy in Dominican Republic. Electricity is expensive and not reliable in that country and over-using fossil fuels have stripped the land. Solar ovens are a very good and economical alternative. The Pathfinders made their own solar ovens and attempted to make nachos, but alas, the sun was behind a cloud and it did not work that day.

Ardell answered one question from each child. Space does not allow including all the questions, but here are some: 1. How do you make the solar ovens? It’s so interesting to work with the Solar Ovens.

The founder of this organization is from South Dakota. The components of the ovens are all cut in the States, boxed in Brookings, South Dakota and shipped to the Dominican Republic in a ship container. The ovens are made of a heavy plastic material that can be shipped and that will uphold in some rain. When we take the components to a site, the people there put together the ovens, make the food to go into the ovens and learn about how the ovens work. The food cooks in about 2-4 hours and everyone in the workshop then share the food that’s cooked. I will attach a couple pictures to this letter so you can see the oven. On a hot day with a full sun and no wind, the temperature of the oven can get up to 300 degrees F. Every pot of food that goes in the oven brings the temperature down 25 degrees. 3 pots can fit into one oven.

2. How many solar ovens do you give out approximately every year? The num-ber of ovens we distribute can vary. Some sites we have distributed 60 ovens, others 20. The cost of making the oven is $150. This doesn’t include shipping the ovens here. The participants in the workshop then pay $20 to receive an oven after they have participated in 2 days of workshop. The participants pay

The Pathfinders with the solar ovens they made. Unfortunately,

solar ovens do not work on a cloudy day!

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W =Wells Campus; K =Kiester Campus; All other events at Wells Campus unless designated otherwise.

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Event Calendar

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MAY NEWS

Youth Group, Grades 7-12 – Wednesdays, May 1 & 8, at 6:15-8:00 pm Come for supper from 5:00-6:00; youth Group starts at 6:15.

Road Ditch Pick-Up – Wednesday, May 15 Grades 3-12 – Weather permitting, we will have road ditch pick up after school on May 15.

Come to church for a snack and bring old clothes, old shoes or boots, and work gloves to pick up the road ditch! It usually takes about an hour or a little more. Our section of road is on MN109 from the S-curve by the Pink Schoolhouse and east two miles, between mile markers 17 & 19. Pioneer Clubs® kids (grades 3-6), youth group kids and adults are needed to help!

Mission Kids – Thursday, May 9 The last Mission Kids for the school year is Thursday, May 9, right after school. We will

be making Random Acts of Kindness bags and delivering them around town. If you are able, please donate some goodies for the bags. Examples are: granola bars, small bags of chips, crackers, cookies, suckers, candy–but not chocolate, in case it is hot and it melts, gum, hard candy. We also need a lot of chaperones, to help take the kids out and about!! Thanks so much for the fun year we have had!! It is fun to help others while working alongside great friends!! These are the verses we try to live by . . .

Jesus replied: “‘Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22: 37-39

Summer Mission Trip – June 28-30 in Des Moines, IA The summer mission trip is for 7-12 grade students. This year we are travelling to Des

Moines, IA, on June 28-30 to experience Urban Plunge. During the Urban Plunge, we will be partnered with 6 to 10 different inner-city ministries serving the homeless and those in need to: Bless and increase their volunteer capacity Come alongside what God is doing

Empower young people to understand the reality of life for others in urban areas and a culture quite different from our own Help them discern how God may want to use them in building His Kingdom. We will spread the Word of God and the love of Jesus on a weekend trip with eternal significance.

5/6 Grade Pioneer Club Boot Camp – May 17-18, at Prairie River Camp The 5/6 graders and some parents will have our first Boot Camp campout at Prairie River

Camp near Bricelyn. We will leave after school on Friday, May 17, and be there until around 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Josh Edwards will come and speak about our faith walk with Jesus and he will also sing around the campfire with us. We will be doing a scavenger hunt, high ropes course, cook our meals, learn about using a compass, group games, free time, and have a blast!! It has been a fun year together, and we are looking forward to doing Boot Camp with each other!

Sandy Youngblom Youth & Family Ministries

photobug0608@yahoo.com 507-525-2401

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Congratulations to the high school graduates from Open Doors: Taylor Lacher and Faith Wedin. We will celebrate and recognize them and all graduates at worship on May 19 followed by a special coffee hour reception.

Faith Wedin will graduate from Alden-Conger High School on

May 31, 2019. She is the daughter of Mark and Jennifer Wedin. Her siblings are Hayley and Abby Wedin. In church, Faith has been a Sunday School and Vacation Bible School helper and nursery worker. Her high school activities have included volleyball, softball, National Honor Society, Student Council, class secretary, Youth Advisory Commit-tee, and 4-H. After graduation, Faith will attend Buena Vista Univer-sity in Storm Lake, IA, to major in Biomedical Sciences.

Taylor Lacher will graduate from IQ Academy Minnesota, out of Fergus Falls, on May 24, 2019. She is the daughter of Mark & Michelle Lacher. She has one brother, Ryan. Taylor has been active in Youth Group, and a helper at VBS and Pioneer Clubs.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR OTHER GRADUATES:

Kaylynn Healey, daughter of Mar tin & Michelle Healey, will graduate May 17, 2019, from Riverland Community College with an Associates in Fine Arts.

Heather Schuster, daughter of Dave & Sue Schuster , will gradu-ate from Minnesota State University–Mankato on May 11 with a Bachelors of Science degree in History with a Film Studies minor. Her future plans include making documentaries and working on their farm.

Brian Remington, son of Bradley & Amy Remington, will gradu-ate from Aplena Community College in Alpena, MI, on May 9 with a second AAS degree in Pre-Engineering. He will be continuing his education at the University of Minnesota going for a mechanical engineering degree and working full-time in an internship at Zepto Life Technologies in St Paul.

Lindsay Johnson, daughter of Scott & Linda Johnson, graduated April 28 with her Masters in Learning Design and Technology from St. Mary’s University. She will be starting in a new position for New Ulm Public Schools as their elementary and middle school Technology Integration Specialist.

Ava Larson, daughter of Scott & Kristy Larson and granddaughter of Larry & Nancy Hummer, will graduation June 2 from Eastridge High School, Woodbury, MN.

Preston Hintz, grandson of Terry & Sylvia Halverson, will graduate from the Univer-sity of Minnesota–Duluth on May 11 with a degree in Environmental Science.

Joseph Halverson, grandson of Terry & Sylvia Halverson, will graduate from West Marshall High School, State Center, IA, on May 19.

Amy Elizabeth Otteson, granddaughter of Dave & Mary Loveless, will graduate from St. Olaf College, Northfield, on May 26 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Nursing.

Faith Wedin

Taylor Lacher

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Welcome to Our Newest Members! Welcome to Doug & Pat Druckenmiller and Matt & Tanya Bird and their children

Gavin, Olivia, Elyse, Harper, and Sawyer, who all joined Open Doors UMC on April 14!

Doug and Pat Druckenmiller joined by letter of transfer from St. Peter’s Episcopal church in Bettendorf, IA. They are recently retired teachers and moved to Wells to be near their only child, Chris, and his family. Doug & Pat both taught at Western Illinois University, Doug taught Computer Science and Pat Business Communica-tion. It’s interesting to note that they lived in a village in Taiwan for three years during their time on the staff of Ecumenical Institute/Institute of Cultural Affairs from 1970-1982. They worked with churches and in community development. In addition to the years in Taiwan, they also directed a similar project on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. They lived on the reservation for eight years while Pat taught high school English and Doug did economic development. They also taught at Sitting Bull College (Pat) and The University of Mary in Bismarck (Doug).

With more spare time on their hands now, they’re enjoying reading, camping, watch-ing TV, traveling, hosting people, singing (they’re both in the Open Doors choir), and playing instruments (Doug–guitar & Pat–clarinet). Doug also enjoys photography.

Matt and Tanya Bird transfer red their membership to Open Doors UMC from Cross-roads Church in Albert Lea. They live in Wells, lead busy lives, and wanted to find a church home in town. Their children are: Gavin (age 11), Olivia (9), Elyse (7), Harper (5), and Sawyer (4). Matt is a Network Administrator/IT Support at United South Central school. Tanya is an LPN and is going back to school for RN/BSN (bachelor of science in nursing). Matt & Tanya are both graduates of USC and after they were married, they moved to Albert Lea, but moved back to Wells in 2008 to raise their family.

In their spare time, they go to sporting events and enjoy grilling, hanging out with friends, and being outdoors.

Wish to join? If you would like to be a member of the family of Open Doors UMC, contact Pastor Chris or the church office to set up a meeting.

The Bird Family–clockwise, starting on the left: Gavin,

Tanya, Matt, Olivia, Sawyer, Harper, and Elyse.

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Wells—The United Methodist Women at the Wells campus will not meet in June, July or August. We encourage you to visit the church library and read the Response magazine and keep currant on the activities of the United Methodist Women as they advocate for women, children and youth around the world and for social justice for everyone.

Also available in the library are books from the reading lists of previous years as well as the books for the current year. – JoEtta Doolittle, President UMW–Wells

Kiester—The May meeting of Open Doors UMW–Kiester will be held Thursday, May 16. Marge Mutschler will have the lesson on “Women Responding and Serving in Christ’s Name.” The roll call will be a favorite May flower. Rose Wigern will serve.

– Wendy Nickel, President UMW–Kiester

UMW Reading Program Book Reviews

The House of Purple Cedar – by Tim Tingle Wells Campus Collection

This is the story of Rose Goode’s upbringing in Indian territory. Skullyville, a once thriving Choctaw community, was destroyed by land-grabbers, culminating in the arson of New Hope Academy for Girls on New Year’s Eve, 1896. Twenty Choctaw girls died, but Rose escaped. Soon after, her grandfather Amato was humiliated in front of the town’s people. But instead of asking the Choctaw community to avenge him, he decided to follow the path of forgiveness. (UMW 2016 Reading Program - Nurturing for Community)

for an oven and then they are more likely to value the oven. The money is then used to finance a team of Dominicans to continue working with the ovens when the US volunteer teams aren’t here.

3. What is your favorite food that comes from your place? Dominicans favor ite food is beans, rice and chicken. They say they are eating their flag since they correspond with their flag colors: red, white and blue: beans are red, rice is white but hopefully chicken isn’t blue. My favorite food here is fish even though we seldom get to eat it since all the water in the country and around the shores is contaminated so you have to be careful where you buy the fish. Gordy’s favorite food here is fried chicken and the Dominicans are good at making their chicken since it’s one of their national foods.

4. What’s your favorite animal? My favor ite animal is a hummingbird and Gord’s is a cow. Kids here really like little dogs. There are many of them. In the country side kids have goats and I’ve seen them find tiny tropical fish in different areas.

5. What do the children in Dominican Republic like to play? Kids in the Dominican love to play baseball. They love it! They begin playing as little children, the same as us. There are professional Dominican baseball players on every major league team in the States.

To learn more about solar ovens or to donate to the mission, go to https://advance. umcmission.org/ and search for Solar Oven Partners UMC. The Graners have many solar oven stories on their website www.granerfamily.org as well.

Pathfinders Learn From Missionaries (continued from page 8)

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Annual Conference 2019 Reaching new people isn’t just about getting people to come and join us–it’s about extending the love of Jesus. Drawing on John 4:1-26, the theme of the 2019 Annual Conference is “Dare to Reach: Love Boldly!” At our June 18-20 gathering in St. Cloud, we will explore

ways in which Jesus calls us to step out of our comfort zone and reach those around us with the love of God in ways beyond our imagination.

The three-day conference session is a time for Minnesota United Methodists to worship and enjoy fellowship, learn from teaching sessions, seek God’s guidance as we make decisions about ministry direction, determine budgets, ordain and commission clergy, and receive the bishop’s clergy appointments. Again this year, those who can’t attend in person are invited to watch the key sessions—including the bishop’s episcopal address and the teaching sessions—online via live streaming.

Here’s a look at a few of the exciting things planned for the 2019 Annual Conference: Guest speaker, Rev. Dr. Mark Teasdale: Rev. Dr . Teasdale, professor of evange-

lism at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, will deliver two teaching sessions focused on reaching the next person for Jesus. In his courses, Teasdale is focused on helping students answer questions so they can express their faith in a clear, articulate, and authentic way in word and practice. “My greatest hope is that they will become public witnesses, inviting those who are not Christians to know God through Jesus Christ, and strengthening the church by leading other Christians to articulate their faith,” he said.

Risk-taking ministry makers: On Wednesday evening, June 19, we’ll hear from a few inspiring people who are engaged in cutting-edge ways of doing ministry, taking bold risks, and experimenting with new ways, spaces, and places to “do” church and reach the next person for Jesus.

Celebration of Life in Ministry worship service will be Tuesday evening, June 18—the first day of Annual Conference. This service is a time to remember friends and colleagues who have died over the past year, honor retiring clergy, and celebrate newly licensed local pastors and those being commissioned and ordained. We’ll celebrate mile-stones in ministry to kick off our gathering, and spend the next two days recommitting to our shared mission and vision. Bishop Bruce R. Ough’s Episcopal Address will conclude our gathering on Thursday afternoon, June 20.

Love Offering: The recipients of this year ’s offering are: Lao Samphan Methodist Church, through which missionary and Pastor Daniel Yang is overseeing church develop-ment, leadership training, and pastoral support in Laos (60 percent), the Volunteer Lawyers Network, which provides free civil legal services to low-income Minnesotans (20 percent), and Volunteers in Mission scholarships (20 percent). You’ll hear more about the recipients next month when we will be collecting for the Conference Love Offering locally.

Open Doors UMC will be represented this year by Clergy Delegate Chris Leistra and Lay Delegate Sherry Asmus. JoEtta Doolittle will work as a volunteer Page. All United Methodists are invited to attend any or all of the Conference events. For more information, go to www.minnesotaumc.org.

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Church Leadership Meeting Minutes The minutes of the church leadership meetings are published in the OneWay. They will be

subject to approval at the next month’s meeting. Meeting packets of Open Doors UMC are located on the literature table (W&K) and are available for taking.

Ad Council Minutes – April 4, 2019, 6:30 pm – at Wells Present: Charlie Johnson, Pastor Chris, Deb Johnson, Darin Johnson, Sherry Asmus, Scott Johnson, Sarah

Hankerson Chairman Charlie Johnson called the meeting to order. Pastor Chris opened with prayer. No additions to the agenda. Minutes: M2P Deb/Sherry to approve the amended minutes of the 2/21/19 Ad

Council meeting as presented. Unfinished business: A line of credit was approved by CCF Bank and all paperwork taken care of.

Kevin Stenzel Riding for a Cure On May 19, Kevin Stenzel will be participating in Bike MS: Twin Cities Ride 2019. He does this because his daughter, Megan, has MS. Could you support him in the effort to find a cure for MS by donating to this cause? You can make your donations online at htpp://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/KevinJStenzel. Or you can donate to Kevin directly, making your check out to MS Society.

Lunch & Learn at Open Doors UMC

“Living Well with Diabetes” Thursday, May 16 from 12:00-1:00 pm – Open Doors UMC, Wells

Come get educated on Diabetes with Janel Buseman & Carolyn Kryzer from UHD. Learn how to prevent it, live with it, and help those who have it!

Please RSVP to 507-526-4684. Suggested donation: $4.

UM Day at Target Field Wednesday, June 12, 2019, 7:10 p.m., Twins vs Seattle Mariners

United Methodist Day will be coming back to Target Field again this season! Here’s your chance to join fellow UM friends and family for a night of big league action and fun! Bishop Bruce Ough will be leading the 7th Inning Stretch. $3 from every ticket purchased will benefit UMCOR

Disaster Response! Funds will be used for Midwest flood and disaster relief efforts.

The Deck: $31 Home Run Porch View Seats: $18

Demand for seats to this outing is very high and tickets will likely go fast . . . Seats are availa-ble on a first come, first served basis only. Orders must be placed by May 22. Order tickets online at https://groupmatics.events/event/Unitedmethodist5. A $4.40 service fee per ticket will be added to each order.

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Church Leadership Meeting Minutes (continued from page 17)

Trustees: Dar in Johnson, Trustee Chair , repor ted. Kiester campus is good. Wells parsonage: Wayne from Window Depot will look at the broken upstairs window and front door

window. Planning on leveling and seeding the garden. Parsonage furnace is at end of life expectancy. Will talk to ESC and Ron’s for quotes.

Rental unit: the renters still have things in it. Terry will follow up with them. Discussed whether to sell or re-rent. Trustees were unanimous about selling. An interested party would like to buy it as is. After Terry follows up with them, Trustees will have a meeting at the house to inspect. Pastor Chris will contact DS to find out exact rules for how the funds could be used.

Wells Campus has quite a few water leaks, Youth Room is the worst. Talk to Lonnie Stenzel about the inside. Darin will contact Lonnie about the outside steps. Carpet cleaning – done after spring. Upstairs – check with Joel Treptow or Jesus about roof leak by the steeple. Water damage in game room is a lower priority. Darin will talk to Brian about changing light bulbs in the steeple. Exterior north door – will look into a similar door installed on the Community Center. Kitchen – Freeborn Lumber has been contacted to draw up plans, once an internal committee is formed and can offer some direction. Lift was repaired, replaced a brake solenoid. LaMar requested a 100-gal. wet/dry vac. Trustees will get something to him.

Finance: Scott Johnson, Finance Chair , repor ted. Giving is trying to catch up from the bad weather . Finance statements will be going out and Pastor Chris will include a letter. Overdraft protection will be paid off tomorrow by Sherry. We’re paying all the expenses, but it’s nip & tuck. The church auction is coming up on May 19. An auction meeting was held on March 19 at 5:30. Asking for anyone to take part in the planning that would like to. A solicitation letter is drafted. On the 19th, we will have one joint service. There will be a live and silent auction. The silent auction will end 15 minutes before the live auction. Because of the large number of items to auction, we will limit the live auction to 15-20 main items. Will ask Brakebush and Mrs. Gerry’s if they would donate food for lunch. Will start soliciting businesses. Linda & Dan Willaby will bring the KFAC carnival games and firefighter’s bounce house. Will try to get NHS students to monitor the bounce house and watch the children for service hours. Asking for widespread help from Ad Council to plan and carry out this major fundraising event. Hope to make $5K-$6K.

SPRC: Did not meet. Trust Fund: Deb Johnson r epor ted that the United Methodist Foundation is re-doing their investment

options. Currently, the Trust Fund is invested 65% Equity; 35% Fixed, and that is not one of the new options. The committee would like to go with what they call Moderate Aggressive or 60/40, which is the closest to what we currently have. Scott moved/Darin seconded to go with the moderate aggressive investment option. Passed. The Trust Fund earned over $21,000 in the first quarter 2019.

In a related matter, the Dunbar Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund is also invested in the Foundation and has been asked to choose new investment options, just as the Trust Fund was. Per Cemetery Caretaker Sarah Hankerson’s recommendation, Darin moved and Deb seconded, to change the cemetery fund to Moderate Aggressive (60/40), the same as the Trust Fund. Passed.

With no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:40 pm. M2P Scott/Sherry. Next meeting: Ad Council 7:15 pm, Thursday, May 2, in Kiester, with team meetings before. The next

auction meeting will be April 15 at 5:30 pm. Recorded by Sarah Hankerson

Ministry Council Minutes – April 15, 2019, 6:30 pm – at Wells

Members present: Sandy Youngblom, Kevin Stenzel, Sherry Asmus, Diane Viesselman, Jan Johanson, Karen Stenzel, Sarah Hankerson, Pastor Chris Leistra.

Location: Wells campus. Karen opened the meeting with devotions from Psalm 1:3 about thriving, not just surviving. We can thrive if

we’re rooted in Christ. Minutes: M2P Sandy/Diane to approve the minutes of 3/14/19 as printed.

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Evaluate/Old Business: Emmaus Gathering–Karen is still planning on having a meeting to find out the interest level or if we should join in with Blue Earth.

Serve Day–Thrivent VISA cards have a little left on them to use. Will use for postage for military boxes. In Kiester, it was exciting to see what could be done and Wendy got a nice thank you from a women who received a RAK bag. Comments were heard of what a fun day it was working together. Many thanks to Sandy and everyone who made it possible.

UPCOMING: Reaching New People Dinners For 6: One group has met once, one has not. Could be fun to do it in the summer . Discussed

having sign-up on May 19 at the Auction/Picnic. Kiester Block Party, May 5: J an & Pr . Chr is will contact Mark Dundas to work out the music. Would

like 15 minutes of gathering music before worship begins at 11:00. Lunch: hot dogs with buns, bars, individual bag chips, water (Karen’s getting), cut-up fruit. Will pass sign-up sheets for food volunteers. Kiester men will provide grills. Sarah will contact Linda Willaby about KFAC carnival games. Will take 9 Square in the Air, too. Sign-up table on Easter, pass clip boards on 4/28. Sherry will get helium balloons for sign-up table.

Children’s VBS in Kiester June 4 & 5: Will ask for assistance from Kiester folks. Will hold planning meeting soon.

RAK in Kiester: 40 bags were put together on Serve Day. Have star ted passing out. Wells 150th Anniversary Celebration: Pr . Chr is repor ted churches have been asked to sponsor some

sort of event. Can be a new event/activity or something we’re doing already. Will continue to think on that. Growing in Love with God and Neighbor Check-ins: Last day for Sunday school is 5/19, Pioneer Club & Youth Group 5/8, Wednesday suppers 5/8.

The Wells & Kiester adult study groups of The Story will all meet together for the final session on Sunday, May 19, and be led by Pastor Chris.

Holy Week / Easter Sunday: The Lenten study at Kiester has been well attended with about 20 each time. Palm Sunday – needed adults to organize and direct the kids before they marched in. Maundy Thursday service at Kiester – regarding foot washing symbolism, Pr. Chris would like a volunteer to be part of the demonstration as he talks through it. Karen volunteered. Good Friday service at Wells – will be a Tenebrae service with 10 readers. Easter Breakfast – unsure how long the SonRise service will last. It can be served as food is ready, not necessarily when people come down.

VBS, June 4-7 in Wells: Working on it. Mother’s Day, May 12: Sher ry volunteered to make bookmarks. For Father ’s Day, we’ll have a Coffee

Treat Buffet full of snacks. Graduation Recognition Day: Pr . Chr is will contact families for what would be a good date. Sandy will

look for gift ideas. We have two high school graduates this year. Healing a Broken World Mission Kids: Weather has been bad. Sandy tr ied three times to go to Parkview to sing. Finally made

it. There will be one more in May to make and deliver RAK bags in Wells. Summer Mission Trip, June 28-30 in Des Moines: Urban Plunge will ar range for 6-8 different homeless

organizations/places that they’ll get to visit or work at. Happens on one weekend. Boot Camp, May 17-18: This is for 5th & 6th graders. Will stay in cabins at Prairie River Camp. Josh

Edwards is invited to come to talk and lead singing around the campfire. Compassion Sunday: Amy Chandler wants to do a talk in church about Compassion International.

Haven’t picked a date yet. Neighbors Helping Neighbors: Sandy would like to do it again, like Serve Day, with the whole congre-

gation involved. There aren’t many teens this year. Can it be connected to the city’s 150th? Give some thought as to how to do it. Possibly include a meal. 2-3 days.

Other: Community parades – will discuss next time. Next meeting: Monday, May 6, 2019, 6:30 pm in Kiester .

Recorded by Sarah Hankerson

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WELLS CAMPUS: (Central Office) 595 1st Ave SW, Wells, MN 56097 Office Phone: 507-553-5453 Fax: 507-553-6370 E-mail: opendoorsumc@bevcomm.net Web Site: opendoorsumc.org

Sunday Worship 9:00 a.m. / Coffee Fellowship 8:30 & 10:00 a.m. Sunday School 10:00 a.m. (Sept-May)

KIESTER CAMPUS: 116 North 3rd St., Kiester, MN 56051 Phone: 507-294-3300 Sunday School 9:30-10:15 a.m. (Sept-May) Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m. / Coffee Fellowship 9:45 a.m.

Ministers ......................................... People of the Congregation Pastor .................................................. Rev. Christopher Leistra Office Manager ............................................... Sarah Hankerson Music Ministries Coordinator ................................ Jan Johanson Youth & Family Ministries Coordinator. ......... Sandy Youngblom Custodians ............. LaMar Johnson (Wells); Priscilla Holst (Kiester)

OPEN DOORS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION Central Office PERMIT #15 595 1ST AVE SW U.S. POSTAGE PAID WELLS MN 56097 WELLS, MINNESOTA 56097-1397

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

STAFF

In this issue: Volunteer Schedule / Church in the Park .... 2 Pastor’s Page .................................................. 3 Auction ............................................................. 4 Bits & Pieces ................................................... 5 Country Store / The Story Worship Calendar .. 6 VBS – Wells & Kiester ................................... 7 Pioneer Clubs® ............................................... 8 May Prayer Calendar ...................................... 9 May Events Calendar .............................. 10-11 Youth & Family News................................... 12 Graduates ...................................................... 13 New Members ................................................ 14 UMW News .................................................... 15 Annual Conference 2019 .............................. 16 BikeMS / Lunch & Learn / UM Day at Twins ...... 17 Leadership Meetings ............................... 17-19

MAY 2019

OPEN DOORS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH