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There is a Greek term: “koinonia.”
It means community or fellowship, and in particular I’m applying it to the New Testament sense of community, the way in which the Apostle Paul instructed the first people of the church to live in community with each other.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this Greek term in the past week or so since at-tending my first City of Wolverton Summer Kickball Event on June 13. My fami-ly and I were able to participate, and I saw neighbors breaking bread with each other, sharing fellowship and lifting up the town’s children in play. And, as I said in the sermon the following Sunday, you could very palpably feel the Holy Spirit present there at the ball field that night.
And then the following Sunday -- which was Holy Trinity Sunday -- I preached about how the Creator, Son and Holy Spirit all reside in one another. As Chris-tians, we are very familiar with this doctrine of the Holy Trinity, the three distinct entities of the Godhead -- God, Son and the Holy Spirit -- also being one in the same. Essentially, we understand God as the Trinity because God’s defining characteristic is loving relationship. So the separate ideas of Father, Son and Holy Spirit are less important than the eternal interwoven-ness of relationship.
Both of these examples -- the Wolverton kickball event and the Holy Trinity -- describe the essence of koinonia, or community. … And that is why the term has been on my mind this past week.
It makes me think about the role that koinonia plays here at Faith Lutheran Church. I think the term describes that palpable feeling of the Spirit being pre-sent every Sunday when we come together to celebrate in worship and in fel-lowship. I think it describes the friendly buzz that exists between neighbors be-fore service starts, all catching up on the week’s events since they were last together. And I think koinonia also describes the happy joy of our downstairs Fellowship Hall after service when all have come together for a cup of coffee and the exchanging of news and sharing of stories.
Finally, I’ve been thinking: What if we could share this palpable sense of the Spirit that we feel here inside the walls of Faith Lutheran with those who reside in the community, but who aren’t sharing Sunday service with us? What would that look like? How would we bring that feeling of koinonia to the others in the community?
As a church that lies nearly geographically in the heart of the community of Wolverton, I wonder what it would look like if we actively sought to foster koi-nonia with the rest of the residents of the community, friends and neighbors whom we aren’t seeing on Sunday in our doors? We often talk about taking our fellowship outside our walls, but I’m wondering how we go about setting our minds to do so.
July Food Pantry Item
Pasta Salad
From our Intern Pastor - Devlyn Brooks
July/August 2019 Volume 22, Issue 7
Faith Lutheran Church PO Box 175
Wolverton, MN 56594
(218) 995-2556
www.faithwolverton.org
Devlyn Brooks, Intern Pastor
(701) 412-8733
It is the mission of Faith
Lutheran Church:
To gather prayerfully as the Body of Christ; To grow in faith, love, and service; To go into the world joyfully as disciples.
Sunday Worship
9:30 a.m.
Holy Communion on the first and
third Sunday of the month.
Coffee Fellowship
10:30 a.m.
Follow Faith Lutheran
Wolverton on
I think koinonia -- or community -- is one of the most important things we have to offer those around us. I’m convinced that in this age of discordance, distrust and individu-alism, that a good dose of commu-nity would go a long way toward curing our society’s ills. After all, if you’ve sat across a picnic table with someone and shared a hot dog and beans with them, it’s a lot harder to distrust them or worry about what ulterior motives they possess. And I mean that whether it’s taking place right here in Wolverton, or elsewhere across this big country.
As noted in the book “The Second Mountain” by author David Brooks that I just finished reading, the so-cietal cultural backlash to the age of World War II was a seeking of individualism. For the next 50 years, and maybe more, following the war, people pushed against the collective restraints that were required of our society, the ex-treme effort that was needed to win a world war. And so the next couple of generations pushed for
(Continued from page 1) more individual freedom, the op-portunity to determine their own courses in life, above the needs of the collective good.
Now, don’t get me wrong, as with every societal turn, there are good and bad outcomes. And there cer-tainly was a lot of good that came from the changing norms that came out of the counterculture of America’s middle and late 20th century. But in the process we al-so came to depend less on our neighbors, our communities, and the byproduct of that was an un-raveling of the koinonia that kept us from falling apart during a cou-ple of world wars and Korea earlier in the century.
And so now I wonder what it would mean for us as a church, as peo-ple of Christ, to help our larger community come to know the im-portance of koinonia -- of fellow-ship -- again. I’m convinced that is the greatest gift we can offer those who are not worshiping with us on Sundays. We can give them the gift of community, of fellowship, the kind exemplified by our very own Holy Trinity, and help sew this
nation back together again.
This is an important focus of mine, and will be integral to my intern-ship here at Faith Lutheran Church over the next two years. I would like us to explore what it means to offer our broader com-munity around us koinonia, or fel-lowship. And let’s just see what kinds of crops that effort sows. Be-cause after all, we already know the special things taking place here at Faith every Sunday. So let’s help our friends and neigh-bors around us see what’s hap-pening as well!
Next Community Events—
Wednesday, June 26—Eagle Val-ley E-Free Church is hosting a Wolverton Community Day with meal starting at 5:30 with ice cream after. Please bring side dish to share. Kids activities and games, adult softball, bounce cas-tle, face painting by Pikadilly face painting.
Wednesday, July 10– Kickball (Watch for details and future dates on the city of Wolverton and FLC’s facebook pages)
Jane Buchholz—Sheyenne Crossing Long Term Care West Fargo, ND
Doris Dibley—at home in Wolverton
Barney Edwards—Eventide, Moorhead, MN
Judy Getz—at home in Wolverton
Louie Gruenberg—River Pointe Moorhead, MN
Rose Hanson—Bethany Grace Pointe Fargo
Elaine Johnson—Bethany on 42nd Ave Fargo
Linda Lucke—at home
Arlene Nelson—Eventide Senior Living Moorhead, MN
Keith Nelson—at home in Wolverton, MN
Prayer Requests
Page 2 Faith News
Please keep these people who are under medical care in your prayers. Let Devlyn know if you would like your name or that of a loved one added to this list.
Volume 22, Issue 7 Page 3
1 Barb Wise
2 David Matz
4 Kristi Edwards
4 David Israelson
6 Sheyenne Dockter
8 Sage Tuel
9 Dennis Bohner
9 Jim Lucke
11 Scott Blilie
11 Jessica Nelson
11 Zayden Smeby
12 Dallas Israelson
15 Tammy Dockter
15 Eric Stark
16 Riley Kappes
17 Devlyn Brooks
17 Adrie Israelson
19 Amanda Nelson
21 Claire Aigner
22 Kiyara Jinadasa
22 Candace Johnson
23 Karen Thompson
26 Mandy Schroeder
26 Brayden Retzlaff
27 Grant Israelson
28 Carley Stark
29 Anton Smeby
30 Beverly Israelson
31 Marlow Cassidy
31 Delmar Nord
12 Amy and Raymond Traut
16 Jeff and Sue Rasmussen
21 Erick and Ellen Stark
22 Bradley and Vicky Nelson
25 John and Jessi Kappes
26 David and Gayle Matz
31 Karl and Karen Thompson
1 Erica Halverson
2 Lois Picotte
4 Chloe Nord
6 Carter Erickson
8 Harlie Nord
9 Mike Byars
10 Tania Merritt
13 Tony Emerfoll
14 Marie Skoblik
15 Kyle Affield
15 Madison Nord
15 Kaitlyn Israelson
17 Ben Krump
19 Elijah Beyer
19 Maren Cassidy
20 Adrianne Tucker
21 Colton Mastin
21 Mason Tucker
23 Randy Emerson
23 Brendon Skoblik
24 Elizabeth Aigner
24 Kirk Lindblom
24 Kaden Schroeder
25 Nancy Israelson
25 Lisa Miller
25 Ron Wilner
28 Boden Schroeder
29 Jessica Mastin
30 Chad Erickson
30 Natalie Nelson
30 Darin Smith
9 Spencer and Lanette Nord
17 Jay and Cindy Nord
Birthdays and Anniversaries
Thank you -
Thank you to Rose Hanson for the donation of fabric to our quilt-
ers. Her gift of two wonderful totes filled with lengths of fabric will
be used to make quilts for LWR and many local agencies. Rose un-
derstands what this means to us because she has been a quilter at
Faith for many years and we appreciate all that she has done for
Faith!
“A sweet friendship refreshes the soul.” Proverbs 27:9
Death—Former Faith Lutheran Church Pastor Paul Guldseth passed away on June 21. Funeral ar-
rangements are in trust to Korsmo Funeral Home. Please see The Forum or Korsmo.com for details of fu-
neral. Pr. Guldseth served Faith Lutheran from 1967 to 1970.
The Rev. Bill Tesch Elected Bishop of Northwestern Minnesota Synod
Reprinted from Northern Lights E-Newsletter
After five ballots, more than 400 Rostered Leaders and Lay Voting Members of the Northwestern Minnesota
Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has called Pastor Bill Tesch as its Bishop-Elect.
"I'm incredibly excited!" Bishop-elect Tesch said.
"This is an amazing call, it's an amazing honor. I'm
deeply humbled and I'm still processing it and will
be doing so for a while. I'm grateful to God and to
the people of this synod for this opportunity."
The fifth and final ballot results were: 265 Pastor Bill
Tesch, Sioux Falls, SD; 161 Pastor Genelle Netland,
Bemidji, MN. A simply majority of votes were need.
Tesch, who grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, has
been serving as the Director of Evangelical Mission
and Associate to the Bishop in South Dakota since
2007. He is also a Chaplain (Colonel) in the SD Air
National Guard.
"This is the beginning of an exciting collaboration
with the people of this synod as we explore how to
be the church in the twenty-first century, how to
reach people with the exciting good news of the
gospel of Jesus Christ." Bishop-Elect Tesch says. "I'll
be collaborating with the people of this synod to
explore how we can raise up leaders, both ros-
tered and lay leaders, across our synod to serve
congregations, especially our rural congregations. I'll also be exploring how we can collaborate and reach
out to people who have experienced marginalization, including our Native American brothers and sisters."
Northwestern Minnesota Synod elected Pr. Bill Tesch as its bishop
at the Synod Assembly in June.
♥What is a Pop-Up Pantry ♥
Ruby’s Pantry holds Pop-Up Pantry’s in a number of lo-cations across Minnesota and Wisconsin every month. Our local Ruby’s Pantry is at Inspiration Church in Breckenridge, MN. Ruby’s Pantry is faith-based and is organized and hosted by a group of volunteers. We have several from FLC that volunteer on a regular basis.
There are no income or resident limits/requirements and you can attend a Pop-Up Pantry at any city/state location.
♥ What to Expect at a Pop-Up Pantry ♥
There is a $20 cash donation per food share at the Pop-Up Pantry location. We recommend you bring 2 boxes, baskets or totes with you to the Pop-Up Pantry for your food share distribution.
When you arrive at a Pop-Up Pantry for the first time, you will need to register and sign in. This registration is sim-ple and requires no documentation.
After the first time attending, you will not need to register and will simply sign in. You will be provided a number and once your number is called, you will go through the line to receive your food share.
Ruby’s Pantry Mission: To activate people in be-
ing alert to the needs of others and to be proac-
tive in encouraging faith, showing friendship
and meeting tangible needs of neighbors,
friends and strangers regardless of race, reli-
gion or ethnicity.
Upcoming Pantry Dates at Inspiration Church in
Breckenridge:
July 22 August 26
Distribution is from 6-8 pm
Prayer: Pastor Jill Steichen
Opening Devotions: LaDawn
Turner
Members Present: Debi Byars,
Brad Nelson, Ross Aigner, RC
Stein and LaDawn Turner.
July Meeting Date: July 10, 2019
(Note this has been canceled. Next
meeting is August 7 at 6pm)
June Devotions: Debi Byars
Communion Assistant: June 16th
RC Stein July 7th Debi Byars.
Offering Counter: All of council
Food Pantry Item for June: Pasta
salad
Secretary’s report: Approved
Treasurer’s report: Approved
Update by Mike Nelson on Organ:
He is working on the 5 reservoirs
which is slow. He has a friend that
is willing to come out to help him
on the weekends. Mike knows he
has others that have volunteered
to help when he needs them.
Committee reports:
Faith women-LaDawn Turner re-
ported Churches United donations
were delivered.
Men’s Group-RC Stein reported
there was a good volunteer group
to prepare for Memorial Day. They
had 46 people attended the ser-
vice and enjoyed a potluck follow-
ing. Ross Aigner reported Polar
Communication completed work
on WiFi today.
Music & Worship-Debi Byars re-
ported Sunday schedule is set
through August. Next meeting is
August 13th.
Old Business:
Project updates: RC Stein reported
they will go ahead with an electri-
cal work & carpet replacement.
Internship: Pastor Jill Steichen re-
ported on schedule for she and
Devlyn Brooks, 2 years part time
internship.
Internship committee is Ross Aign-
er, Dave Matz, Brad Nelson, Jean
Aigner, Rose Turner and Janelle
Krump.
New Business:
Discussion on special offerings in
August.
Adjourn
Lord’s Prayer
LaDawn Turner, Secretary
FLC Council Minutes—June 5, 2019
We’re on the Web!
Faithwolverton.org
Follow us on Facebook:
Faith Lutheran Church Wolverton
And our youth group at
Faith Lutheran LYO Wolverton, MN
Happy Independence Day!
God bless America!
Be safe everyone!
Amazon will contrib-
ute .5% of your pur-
chases to Faith Luther-
an when you select
Faith Lutheran Church
as your charity when
using
Smile.Amazon.com.
FAITH LUTHERAN CHURCH PO BOX 175
302 1ST STREET WOLVERTON, MN 56594-0175
Faith Lutheran Church PO Box 175 Wolverton, MN 56594
July Schedule
NO COUNCIL MEETING IN JULY
Sunday, July 7—Devlyn Brooks
Sunday, July 14—Lay Service -Pat Freitag
Sunday, July 21—Devlyn Brooks
Wednesday, July 15—Endowment Committee Meeting @ 8:00pm
Sunday, July 28—Pr. Helen Beth Kuhens
August Schedule
Sunday, August 4 Devlyn Brooks
Wednesday, August 7 Church Council Meeting at 6PM
Sunday, August 11 Lay Service—Ross Aigner
Tuesday, August 13 Music and Worship Meeting at 7PM
Sunday, August 18 Devlyn Brooks
Sunday, August 25—Pr. Jerry Protextor
Men’s Club meets first and third Tuesday’s at 7 pm.
Faith Lutheran Church’s
Summer worship schedule—
9:30 worship in the month’s
of June, July, and August
July Ushers
Randy Emerson
Dave Matz
August Ushers
Robert Nord
Wayne Krump
Ben Krump
July—September
Altar Committee
Lois Picotte
