Newsletter

4 1 8 E S U M N E R S T

N O R T H F I E L D , M N 5 5 0 5 7

5 0 7 - 6 4 5 - 8 2 5 2

W W W . N O R T H F I E L D S T P . O R G

PARISH VISITOR M A R C H 2 0 1 3 S T . P E T E R ’ S L U T H E R A N C H U R C H

In this Issue:

Lenten Schedule 1

From Pastor Janet 2

Friendship Forum 3

Children, Youth

and Family 4-5

Vacation Bible School 6

Keep in Mind 7-8

Pilots for Christ

International 9

Northfield Grief

Support Group 9

March Calendar 10

March Birthdays 11

Notes from the Prez 12

Council Minutes 12-13

Turning Point

Counseling Center 14

Women’s Page 15

Annual Meeting 16-18

Council, Chairs,

and Staff 19

Church office hours:

Tuesday—Friday

9:00 a.m. — 2:00 p.m.

Articles for the Newsletter

must be submitted by the 17th

of each month to the Church

office or e-mailed to

[email protected]

Holy Week Schedule

Palm Sunday, March 24, 2013 8:30 a.m. Worship Service

9:30 a.m. Sunday School/Youth Forum 9:30 a.m. Friendship Forum

10:45 a.m. Contemporary Worship with Holy Communion

Wednesday, March 27, 2013 6:00 p.m. Seder Meal for 5th graders and their parents

Maundy Thursday, March 28, 2013 7:00 p.m. Worship Service with Holy Communion

5th Graders receive First Communion

Good Friday, March 29, 2013 7:00 p.m. Worship Service

Saturday, March 30, 2013 7:30 p.m. Easter Vigil Worship Service @ Boe Chapel, St. Olaf Campus

Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013 7:00 a.m. Easter Sunrise Service

7:45—10:45 a.m. Easter Breakfast served by St. Peter’s Youth 8:30 a.m. Easter Festival Worship Service with Holy Communion

10:45 a.m. Easter Contemporary Worship Service with Holy Communion

Wednesday Lenten Services Continue 7:00 p.m.

Holding Evening Prayer Services

Join us as we consider key topics in Paul’s letters:

March 6—Unity in the Church (1 Corinthians)

March 13—Meaning of the Love Chapter

March 20—Saved by Grace Alone

From Interim Pastor Janet

You couldn’t miss the difference at second service on Sunday, February 17. If you were there, you saw the church alive with children—lots of them.

You’ll get to experience this again at the first service on March 17. Janet Smith directs music in our Sunday School and she has scheduled them to sing at worship once each month. It is wonderful!

It begs the question, though, where are these children and their families every Sunday? Where are these families on Sundays when our children aren’t scheduled to sing in worship?

St. Peter’s is a church family blessed with members of all ages. As our Focus Groups met over the last few weeks, one of the recurring themes was concern over our young families, because it is the age group least likely to be present at worship. We need to be asking why.

St. Peter’s isn’t alone. The Church is losing a generation of people now in the 20s and 30s. We are losing them from active church life and we need to understand why. There are professional organizations working to help us understand our culture and how the church can interact with it. The Barna Group is one such organization. They list seven reasons why young people are leaving the Church:

Culture…we in the church are overprotective. Young people are ready to take risks and try new things. Some churches are unwilling to try anything new, saying, “We’ve never done it that way before.”

Sex...our church attitudes about sex are repressive . Sexual norms have changed. As a church we grapple with reconciling cultural changes without totally giving in to compromised moral norms.

Science…the Church appears to be anti-science. It’s hard for our young people to understand how faith and science intersect without being in conflict with each other. We need to model the reality that faith and science can work together.

Peers…the Church seems to demand exclusivity about relationships. In other words, churches can appear cliquish. We need to work at being inviting to all ages, including the young.

Mind…the young people think that the Church is not willing to help them grapple with their doubts. I hope that in my preaching and teaching I’m helping to create an atmosphere at St. Peter’s in which people can express their doubts. If I’m not succeeding at that, please let me know.

Church…as an organization we can be shallow. That’s what they think. We are called as disciples of Christ to make a difference in confronting the serious problems of the world: hunger, violence, and the destruction of our ecosystem. I hope our young people see us working at that at St. Peter’s.

Lifestyle…we demand a rigid lifestyle among our mem bers. I don’t believe that we do this at St. Peter’s, but maybe that is the perception of some.

We need to let young people know that we want them here with their new ideas and perspectives. We need to make it known that we want to try new things—and we need to mean it. We need everyone to know that St. Peter’s is a place where you can express your doubts and share your ideas. We need to do a better job in telling the world that St. Peter’s is ready for the next generations of Christians.

That might mean offering more worship opportunities and different styles that our young people will find meaningful. We need to be open to new ways of doing things.

As someone wrote on their focus group survey: We need a strong program for our young people. They are the future of St. Peter’s. If you are a member of this younger generation, I would love to hear from you about what would be helpful to you in your life of faith.

All of us need to remember that we need each other. We are called to be God’s people in this place. That is a blessing and a challenge as we work together to be disciples of Christ in an ever more challenging world. Blessing to you, Pastor Janet White 2

MARCH FRIENDSHIP FORUM

“…I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.” II Corinthians 12:1 B

March 3 rd – WAFFLE BREAKFAST

Come support the Extended Ministries mission by attending this delicious breakfast. Funds raised go to support a number of good causes. Enjoy delicious, fresh waffles with the topping of your choice.

March 10 th – THE UNEXPECTED CAREGIVER with Kari Berit

“Tag – you’re it!” That’s the feeling you and millions of Americans feel when step-ping up to help an aging family member or friend. You're not trained to give care, haven't planned for it, and not even sure what you need to do next, let alone how to care for yourself. Whether you've just started looking in on your Mom or taking your dad to his doctor visits or feeling that the roles of child and parent are reversing, now is the time to get help, because, you may be the one. You may be it."

Kari is a nationally recognized expert on caregiving, and is featured locally on KYMN radio as well as writes for Girlfriends magazine. She is supported with a grant through the Northfield Retirement Center to enhance and support caregiving in Northfield. She speaks at state and national conferences so we are so fortunate to host her here.

March 17 th-SELF WORTH - SELF ESTEEM with Pastor Duane Everson

Pastor Duane Everson accepted a call to St. Peter's in 1978, serving St. Peter's Congregation as Senior Pastor through 1990. In St. Peter's 90th Anniversary Cel-ebration Booklet in 1983 Pastor Everson wrote, "We have an appropriate theme to celebrate our 90th Anniversary - 'Thanks and Praise.' We are indeed thankful to God and His people, the Church, for the past; and praise Him for His present promises to go with us into the future." In the 100th Anniversary Celebration booklet

in 1993 the theme was "Roots and Wings." Brad Ness wrote, "During this decade of 1983-1993 Pastor Everson gave the Church unselfish leadership and guidance, having a vision of growth, but not just for the sake of adding numbers but encouraging participation in church activities and he truly challenged people with his message." Pastor Duane commented that he will make the case built on Biblical theology that self worth and self esteem are two different issues. Self worth is based on God's gifts to us. It is a GIFT to us. Self es-teem, on the other hand, is earned when we take who we are and what we have as a gift and live it out re-sponsibly and gratefully in our human relationships." St. Peter's welcomes Pastor Everson back for this Friendship Forum during this 120th Anniversary year!

March 24 th – PALM SUNDAY, Thrivent Financial with Bruce Denni son—Discussing the Common Bond Vote

March 31 st- EASTER SUNDAY, Easter Breakfast

WANTED: "CLAIM THE VISION" WRITERS

Our Friendship Forum theme for 2012-2013 is 'Claim the Vision.' (see logo box on this page) Your forum team would love to include additional writers' visions for St. Peter's in future Parish Visitors. WHAT DOES 'Claim the Vision' MEAN TO YOU? Please call Donna @664-0434 or Phyllis @645-4231 to volunteer to write for an upcoming Friendship Forum page.

Also, the devotions in the “Christ in our Home” are great for holy week. Please pick up a copy!

Claim the Vision

Come To St. Peter’s

Friendship Forum.

Be thou my vision, O

Lord of my heart.

Sundays 9:30

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CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILY Classes Resume CAT classes for students in 4th, 5th and 6th grade and Confirmation classes for 7th, 8th and 9th graders will resume the first Wednesday after Easter, April 3 rd. A meal will be served at 5:30pm on Wednesdays; CAT will continue to meet at 6:00pm and Confirmation at 6:30pm.

5th graders

This is a special time of year for you, as you pre-pare to receive your First Holy Communion. 5th graders and their parents are invited to special class on Wednesday, March 20 th from 6:00-8:00pm , ‘A Place for You’ . On the 20th, parents and 5th graders will learn about communion and what it means for our life of faith. We will be talking about bringing faith into the home as the important milestone of first communion is celebrated. During this time on the 20th, the kids will also be decorating their own goblets for First Communion. The following week (Holy Week), 5th graders and their families will participate in a Seder Meal as part of their preparation for First Communion. 5th graders will be able to receive their First Communion on Maundy Thursday, March 28th, at the 7:00pm Worship Service. We’re looking forward to seeing you on the 20th!

"KIDS NIGHT OUT" EVENT

Mark your calendars for March 15, Friday 5:30-8:30pm, "kids night out" for all

1st-5th grade kids. Pizza supper, snacks, games and activities. Movie with a message will be shown "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs". Kids bring a pillow and

blanket, we will camp upstairs in the High School youth room for the movie. Cost $3.00/child and $6.00/family. If you are registered for Sunday School you only need

to check in your child, if not registered you will need to complete permission form.

Go to St. Peter's church website and download registration form and complete, copies also available Friday night. Please do not drop your child off before checking in at the

desk in fellowship hall. Organizing event: Jeannie Spittle and Pat Picha, questions contact Pat at "645-7813 or [email protected].

Seder Meal – March 27th

One of the things the 5th graders learn in CAT class is the story of the first Passover meal; how the Angel of Death ‘passed over’ the homes of the Israelites in Egypt and only came to the homes of the Egyptians. Following the Passover, Pharoah allowed Moses and his people to leave Egypt for the Promised Land that God had promised them.

Since that first Passover, the Passover, or Seder Meal, has been celebrated every year. It is the meal we know now as the Last Supper that Jesus ate with his disciples the night before he was crucified. The Last Supper has become what we celebrate as Holy Communion.

Our Seder Meal is a special Passover meal for the 5th graders and their families. The Seder Meal is on the Wednesday of Holy Week (March 27th). The actual meal will begin at 6:00pm, with set up and meal preparation time before. We will discuss more details of the Seder Meal when 5th graders and their parents meet on March 20th; but be sure and make your calendars now for the SEDER MEAL on March 27th!

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CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILY CONTINUED

Sharing & Caring Hands The next trip to Sharing & Caring Hands will be on Sunday, March 17 th. Please contact the church office or Troy Nystuen if you would be interested in participating.

Youth Service Rehearsal All participants in this year’s Youth Service: Mark your calendars now – we will have a special rehearsal for the service on Thursday, March 7 that 6:30pm. Sean Stevens will be there to go through the music with us and we’ll practice the rest of the service too. Attention all St. Peter’s Youth ; you are invited to join us for Youth Forum on Sunday Mornings from 9:30-10:30. We meet in the High School Youth Room and treats are always available. There are some great activities planned for this month – we hope to see you there!

March 3 rd –This will be our last opportunity to work on the Youth Service. We hope you can join us to share your thoughts and ideas!

March 10 th- YOUTH SERVICE; Join us in the High School Youth Room between services.

March 17 th- Once again; we hope you can join us as we work to build connections with the younger kids in Sunday School. We will be spending the hour planning stories and activities to share with the kids the following Sunday. Your input is important!

March 24 th – We will be putting the plans of the previous week to use as we work with the Sunday School kids; teaching them about God’s Love and His Word. This is a great oppor-tunity for you to work with the little kids; they all think you ‘big kids’ are awesome!

March 31 st – EASTER SUNDAY – Youth will be serving EASTER BREAKFAST in Fellowship Hall from 7:45—10:45 a.m.. We hope you can join us!

Roller Skating Party

March 22nd

Middle and High School Youth – we hope you can join us on Friday, March 22ndfor another fun-filled evening of roller skating at Belle Creek! We will be meeting in the St. Peter’s parking lot and leaving for Belle Creek at 6:00pm. Please bring $5.00 with you for expenses. We hope you can join us and celebrate the beginning of Spring Break. If you have any questions, please contact anyone on the youth team. Hope to see you on the 22nd! *********************************************************

Confirmation News

Confirmation students in grades 7, 8, and 9 are expected to attend worship. Please plan to attend worship services on Wednesday evenings as well as Sunday mornings. Worship note forms are available in the back of the church and should be returned to Pastor Janet. Lent is not considered "time off" from confirmation. See you in church!

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VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

We are pleased to offer two options for Vacation Bible School this year!

The first will be at St. Peter's on July 21-24. Thi s will be for children ages 3 through entering 5th Grade. We are excited to bring Vacation Bible School back to St. Peter's this year! The other is the community Vacation Bible School: Good Earth Village On the Road is Coming Back to Northfield! August 4-8 GEV On the Road is a 5 day program for children who have completed Kindergarten through 4th grade. It brings the fun of camp to the camper and provides a great, Christ-centered week filled with games, worship, crafts, Bible study and singing. Registration for GEV On the Road is done through Good Earth Village. Campers can register by completing an online form or downloading and printing the form atwww.GoodEarthVillage.org. This year's On the Road location in Northfield will be Bethel Lutheran Church. Questions? Contact Good Earth Village at 507-346-2494 [email protected]. All Campers must pre-register and space is limited, so please be sure to register as early as possible to insure your spot. Pre-School Vacation Bible School will be held the same week as GEV On The Road – Au-gust 5-8. This experience is open to children who will be 4 years old by September 1, 2013 through those who have completed kindergarten in the spring of 2013. This year St. John's Lutheran Church will be hosting the pre-school Vacation Bible School experience. Please be advised that the Good Earth Village option carries a cost of about $65 per child with a family limit. Cost at St. Peter's will be minimal, if any. Families should feel free to reg-ister for one or both of these options for your children.

Mark Your Calendar!

• March 17—Sunday School children sing at 8:45 a.m. W orship Service (wear green) • April 21—Children sing at the 10:45 a.m. Worship Se rvice • March 31—No Sunday School

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L E N T E N S O U P S U P P E R SL E N T E N S O U P S U P P E R SL E N T E N S O U P S U P P E R SL E N T E N S O U P S U P P E R S

From March 6th through March 20th. Soup will be served from 5:30—6:45 p.m. Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches are also availa-ble each week. Then stay for worship during this holy time of the church year.

KEEP IN MIND

GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE Northfield Community

Blood Drive Tuesday, March 5th

10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Location: Northfield Senior Center

Contact Diane Gehler at 507-645-8719 to sign up!

For some the month of March is the start of spring; for the Community Action Center’s (CAC) food programs, it is Minnesota FoodShare Month. “No one needs to go hungry in Northfield, because the community does not want that to happen,” states Jim Blaha. We ask that you please join us again during the month of March and help us reach this year’s fundraising goal of 130,000 dollars and/or pounds.

Attention Class of 2013 Pictures needed for Baccalaureate

As we have done in years past, we would like to have a PowerPoint of this year’s graduates to show at the Baccalaureate Re-ception, May 19th. We would like to have both a senior picture and a picture of you as a baby for the Pow-erPoint. Your pictures can be dropped off at the church office, or you can email them to me at [email protected]. Once again; I’m looking forward to working on the Power-Point. If you have any questions about the pictures, please ask. Peace, Laura

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KEEP IN MIND

Sunday March 3 8:30 Kate Bornhauser 507.663.0366 10:45 Joe Gatzlaff 507.645.6389

Rowen Jasnoch 507.663.1480 Trevor Lauseng Wed March 6 - Lenten Service 7 pm Carson Babbini 507.650.0222 Nathan Riley 507.645.7497 Sunday March 10

8:30 Laurel Martinson 612.227.2329 10:45 Nikki Schulz 507.663.9097 Laura Rezac 507.645.5992 Tyler Schulz 507.663.9097 Wed March 13 - Lenten Service 7 pm Jason Nystuen 507.663.1926 Hunter Grobe 507.650.7584 Sunday March 17

8:30 Sarah Stowe 507.663.7102 10:45 Ethan Anderson 507.581.0259 Dillon Rowan 507.645.5061 Nick Jewison 507.650.1354 Wed March 20 - Lenten Service 7 pm Riley Stevens 612.363.4890 Hunter Payne 507.301.9570 Sunday March 24

8:30 Tori Papke 507.645.4299 10:45 Riley Stevens 612.363.4890 Kamrey Humann 507.663.6179 Hannah Johnson 507.645.5824 H O L Y W E E K Maundy Thursday March 28 - 7 pm Will & Avery Valek 507.645.7265 Good Friday March 29 - 7 pm Courtney Sevcik 507.664.9422 Nikki Schulz 507.663.9097 Easter March 31

8:30 Will Valek 507.645.7265 10:45 Ellie, Raleigh & 507.440.0802 Avery Valek 507.645.7265 Lainey Wilson

March 2013 Acolyte Schedule

Parents and Guardians,

Thank you to all who responded to my emails. It was another challenging month of scheduling.

I am grateful for the support you provide by having your children participate in acolyting.

Many thanks, Beth Vivant [email protected] 952.250.6879

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PILOTS FOR CHRIST INTERNATIONAL—MINNESOTA CHAPTER It has been some time since I placed anything in the VISITOR about this very welcoming, servant ministry. We still meet, at AirLake in Lakeville, in the Pilots Lounge, the second Friday of every month, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Pilots and non-pilots alike, are welcome to join us. As a non-denominational organization, we focus on helping other people, and through outreach, with our commitment to Christ and an aviation interest. What exactly does this mean? We provide aviation transportation for those in need. Specifically, for those who do not have the finances to afford it on their own. We help our church youth to achieve their

financial goals. We provide free rides, and the youth collect the free will donations. We make a point to get to aviation fly-ins, around the state, to talk to people and hand out tracts and pamphlets. We try to provide some financial help to a Chapter member who is a flying missionary down in Guatemala. This year, we prayerfully took a huge step of faith by having a booth at AirVenture, Oshkosh, which is the largest aviation EXPO in the world. By doing this, the whole world stopped in at our booth. What a fantastic experience of sharing Christ! Our national convention this year was at Gillette, Wyoming. It was a time of great inspiration! Now, just a brief word about what our Chapter meetings are like. We begin with Bible study…we are looking at the evangelist Luke right now. From here, we evaluate missions accomplished and needs before us. We also take time for reviewing professional flight knowledge. All of this happens within our regular meeting procedures. We close the meeting by remembering in prayer the needs of many requests. If you would be interested in being a part of such a group, please feel free to stop in at our Chapter meeting. This Chapter was originally started, from St. Peter’s because the Church was given a plane and we wanted to put it into the Lord’s work. Eventually, the giver wanted it back, but the Minnesota Chapter has continue it’s focus of serving Christ. Neale C. Thompson

Northfield Grief Support Group

The Northfield Grief Support Group will meet at St. Peter’s for six weeks starting Monday, March 18, from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. in the Fireside Room. Discussion leaders are Nancy Topp, Evie Wegner, and Doris Erickson. If you have had a loss and wish to join us, please feel free to attend. For any questions, call St. Peter’s or any of the discussion leaders. This is part of the Northfield Grief Support Group Coalition. Every two months a support group will meet for six weeks in various churches around Northfield.

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March 2013

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

8:30am LUV Ladies

9:00am Womens Fellowship

2

3 Waffle Breakfast

8:00am —12:00pm Waffle Breakfast

8:30am Worship w/communion

9:30am Friendship Forum

9:30am Sunday School/Youth Forum

10:45am Contemporary Worship

4

12:30pm Prayer Team

7:00pm Jubilee Bells

7:00pm Emotions Anonymous

5 6

5:00pm Sacred Stitches

5:30pm Soup Supper

5:30pm Cornerstone

6:00pm Adult Choir

7:00pm Worship

7

7:00am Table Talk

8 9

10 Daylight Saving Time begins

8:30am Worship led by the Youth



10:45am Worship led by the Youth

11

9:30am New Spirit Circle

7:00pm Properties


12

6:00pm Worship Team

9:30am Hannah Circle

7:00pm Church Council

13

5:30pm Soup Supper

5:30pm Cornerstone

6:00pm Adult Choir

7:00pm Worship

14

9:30am Esther Circle

7:00am Table Talk

15

8:30am LUV Ladies

9:00am Womens Fellowship

16

17 St. Patrick’s Day

7:30am Sharing and Caring Hands

8:30am Worship w/communion Sunday School Children sing @ 8:45am (wear green)




18

6:30pm Grief Support Group



7:00pm Eve Circle

19

7:00pm Rachael Circle

20

5:00pm Sacred Stitches

5:30pm Soup Supper

5:30pm Cornerstone

6:00pm Adult Choir

7:00pm Worship

21

7:00am Table Talk

22 23

24 Palm Sunday

8:30am Worship




25



26 27

5:30pm Cornerstone

6:00pm Seder Meal

7:00pm Adult Choir

28

Maundy Thursday

7:00am Table Talk

7:00pm Worship w/ Communion

29

Good Friday

7:00pm Worship

30

7:30pm Easter Vigil Worship Service @ Boe Chapel

31 Easter

7:00am Easter Sunrise Service

7:45—10:45 am Easter Breakfast

8:30am Easter Festival Worship Service with Holy Communion

10:45am Easter Contemporary Worship Service with Holy Communion

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MARCH BIRTHDAYS 1 Taylor Ingham Laurel Martinson 2 Julie Dvorak Lynn Palan Olivia Prescott 4 Daniel Behrens Dale Finger Dawn Ingham Ted Jewison Nancy Rechtzigel Connor Triplett Lois Vevle 5 Charles Rechtzigel Janet Smith 6 Rowan Boisvert Kate Bornhauser 7 Scott Bergemann Selma Johnson William Valek 8 Madison Carr Andrea Gates-Stowe 9 Austin Boe Susie Fischer Duane Meliza Abby Quinnell Courtney Sevcik 10 James Herreid 11 Shelly Jandro 12 William Quinnell

13 Amy Gunderson Wayne Hallcock Caitlin Remes 14 Louise Vivant 15 Sandy Bremer Emily Verlinich 16 Nicholas Bornhauser Eli Jasnoch Daniel Remes Ashlynn Sabyan 17 Mike Larson Sylvia Luckman Patricia Picha Jenna Stowe Virgil Witte 18 John Carr Tyler Peterson Dale Underdahl 19 John Fossum Nancy Gunderson Jill Lien Caitlin Truax Kathie Westlund Aidan Wilson 20 Sean Pumper 21 Jim Johnson Devon Seeley 22 John Hallcock Jim Jessen Floyd Jones Shirley Shaft

23 Eric Behrens Stewart Shaft 24 Dennis Berry Mitchell Bornhauser Carol Ceder-Behrens Wes Kinstad Daryl Knudsen Jan Nelson Joshua Neset 25 Kristi Bell Aaron Bridley Dolly Roush 27 Carmen Sevcik Sonja Smith 28 Merlin Dewar Emma Johnson Gregory Johnson 29 Jackson Caton 30 Emily Lieske 31 Jon Finger Celena Witt

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NOTES FROM THE PREZ At the February council meeting we established the goals for 2013:

Build out staff Our highest priority is to call a senior pastor We have identified the process We will hire a full time director of children, youth, and family ministries

Manage to the budget The business management team is committed to ensuring we spend every dollar wisely

Re-invigorate small groups Ask for leaders We are open to a diversity of topics

Grow into the new council structure With a smaller council, we will over communicate about what we are doing The church boards will need to communicate with the council through monthly minutes of their

meetings Build trust

The best way to build trust is to do what you say You have our commitment to provide relentless follow up We will do everything with a sense of urgency

I look forward to accomplishing these goals. See you in church.

Bill Bleckwehl, Council president

COUNCIL MINUTES—FEBRUARY 12, 2013 @ 7:00 P.M. Present: Behrens, Bleckwehl, Bornhauser, Bridley, Chapman, Jessen, Odell, Scharber, Sommers,

and Pastor Janet. Absent: Pederson and Scheffert.

Meeting called to order at 7:15. Bill provided devotions and snacks.

January Council minutes accepted as read. March newsletter articles are due 2/18.

Meet the Council: All present shared a little about themselves.

Council Installation : will take place February 17, 2013 at both services.

2013 Goals

Build Staff – Pastor and support (CY&F) Reinvigorate small groups Manage the budget Grow into the new council structure Build Trust – Do what you say… Follow through…. Do it right, but move quickly.

How does Council interact with the boards?

Programs Worship, Extended Ministries, Evangelism Youth, Education Facility Business Management, Properties, Stewardship

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COUNCIL MINUTES CONTINUED Transition Team Update

Team has been meeting since late October. Focus groups have been meeting. One focus group left. There will be a wrap up on Sunday, February 17. Next meeting is Monday and feedback will be collated at that meeting. Bill received input from St. Johns past president on how their call committee was set up. They used an application process. Each candidate wrote up their biography and the congregation voted. The top 9 were on the call committee and it was a diverse group. Our committee will be made up of 6 members. It is time to get the call committee process starting soon. We will seek to gather a diverse call committee.

Lay Staff

One suggestion is to begin searching for one staff person to fill the Christian Youth & Family position. There doesn’t seem to be enough for two people right now so hiring one to start is the most doable choice. We have to keep an eye on our Staff to Salary ratio. General consensus is to start now with hiring one that will cover both areas, children and youth, with the assistance of volunteers. We need to keep our adult needs in mind, as well, since that is where the money is coming from and will provide the financial stability to allow hir-ing of more staff. Motion made by Jessen to hire one Children, Youth, and Family Director fulltime posi-tion. Motion seconded by Behrens. Motion passed.

Benefits for staff

Question was raised at Annual Meeting about why we do not offer Benefits to Staff. Benefits are offered (Simple IRA, Vacation, Sick Time) but those Benefits do not include Medical Benefits.

Small Groups

What needs to be done to get the Small Groups going again? Beth Vivant is leading a group that begins to-morrow. We will begin soliciting for Leaders to choose their passion (or provide suggestions) and lead a group. It will be included in the Bulletin this Sunday. We will keep the website content updated and get a Fa-cebook page up and running.

Creating a vibrant church – handout to Council members

Staff Reports Pastor Janet: Janet has had a great month. Things are going well. She has met with Children, Youth

and Family. We are planning Vacation Bible School on site the evenings of July 21-24. We will also promote the community Vacation Bible School in August. Attended two pastors meetings about safety in our building. We need to consider suggestions that would assist Police if there were any incident within our building.

Pastor Neale: The Conference Assembly (cancelled last weekend) will now meet March 3 and discuss voting for a new Bishop. December: 38 visits and 46 hoursJanuary: 29 visits and 42 hours

The Secretarial position has been offered to Jennifer Whitson depending on the approval of this Council. A very good candidate and Pastor Janet and Dottie recommend her for the position. Chapman made motion to hire Jennifer Whitson. Behrens seconded the motion. She will be working 20 hours per week. She is one of several candidates. Motion passed.

Scrip Cards: Wendy Jessen has done some research on Scrip Cards. You choose which merchants you would like and then we buy the script cards at a discount and sell at full price. The funds are used for various missions throughout Northfield and beyond. We would need someone to organize and keep the records. We can take orders and process the orders or we can order various cards and pay first. We can choose to sell a couple times per year (graduation, Christmas, etc).

Respectfully submitted,

Jo Odell

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TURNING POINT COUNSELING CENTER The mission statement of the Turning Point Counseling Center: This Christ-centered ministry has but one goal – to equip all God’s people to make spiritually mature decisions for their lives and to accept the responsibility for those decisions. There are gifted people, called lexiphiles (lovers of words), who find amusement by taking words, that seem to have no relation to one another, into interesting combinations. For example: You can tune a piano, but… you can’t tuna fish. I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger…then it hit me! To write with a broken pencil is…pointless. When fish are in schools, they sometimes…take debate. A thief who stole a calendar…got twelve months. When the smog lifts in Los Angeles…U.C.L.A. The professor discovered that her theory of earthquakes…was on shaky ground. The batteries were given out…free of charge. A dentist and a manicurist married…They fought tooth and nail. A will is a…dead giveaway. With her marriage, she got a new name…and a dress. Show me a piano falling down a mineshaft and I’ll show you…A-flat miner. You are stuck with your debt if…you can’t budge it. A boiled egg is…hard to beat. When you’ve seen one shopping center…you’ve seen a mall. Police were called to a day care where a three-year-old was…resisting a rest. Did you hear about the fellow whose whole left side was cut off?...He’s all right now. A bicycle can’t stand alone…it is two tired. In a democracy, it’s your vote that counts; in feudalism1it’s your Count that votes. When clock is hungry…it goes back four seconds. The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine…was fully recovered. He had a photographic memory…which was never developed. When she saw her first strands of gray hair…she thought she’d dye. Acupuncture…a jab well done. Obviously, some folks just have a knack for putting words together. I think the word “knack” is better defined by the word “gift”. Some are gifted physically and some are gifted mentally, and we can’t even begin to count how all those gifts are expressed! Now, don’t let me hear you say you don’t have a gift! Often our gifts are so subtle, that we just assume that everyone can do it. But, of course, not everyone can DO it, and thus we find ourselves following a certain path in life. What I am driving at is the fact that our various professions may be quite different from our vocation. Our vocation may link up with the work we are doing, but there is another aspect of it that may not link into the world around us, because vocation is linked, for the Christian, into the gifts of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness…against such, there is no law. The vocational aspirations, of the Spirit, are working in us ALL. Again, how you express them is determined by the higher calling that you sense. If you would like to explore your calling, please take time to call and leave a message: 507/645-8252 (extension #13). Your confidentiality will be respected. Neale C. Thompson Spiritual Pastoral Counselor

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Prayer Team March 4, 2013

12:30pm-2pm in the Fireside Lounge

All are welcome!

WOMEN’S PAGE

St. Peter's Widows' Support Group

SUNDAY March 3, at 10:45am

at the Carbones Restaurant Omelette Bar. Note changed date/time. All welcomed.

ALL WOMEN INVITED TO VISIT A CIRCLE THIS MONTH!

Circles are friendly, welcoming groups

March Circle Bible Study "Gather" Bible Study Theme: "Beneath Her Wings" Theme Verse: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!" (Luke 13:34)

Theme Hymn: "Thy Holy Wings" (ELW 613)

Esther Circle: Thursday, March 14 9:30 a.m.—Perkins

Eve Circle:

Monday, March 18 7:00 p.m.—

Hannah Circle:

Tuesday, March 12 9:30 a.m.—Fellowship Hall Bible Leader: Ginny Paulson Hostess: Ardy Koehler

New Spirit:

Monday, March 11 9:30 a.m.—Fellowship Hall Leader: Bring your own treats

Rachel Circle: Tuesday, March 12 9:30 a.m.—Fireside Lounge

LUV Ladies:

Friday, March 1 8:30 a.m.—Fellowship Hall Friday, March 15 8:30 a.m.—Fellowship Hall

Women’s Fellowship:

Friday, March 1 9:00 a.m.—Tavern Friday, March 15 9:00 a.m.—Fireside Lounge Bible study

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ST. PETER’S ANNUAL MEETING—JANUARY 27, 2013 Meeting called to order by President Bleckwehl at 12:30 p.m.

2012 meeting minutes approved as written.

Pastor Janet led Devotions and opening Liturgy.

Report from the Interim Senior Pastor Pastor Janet is very happy to be here. Janet recei ved the call 6 days after her mother died. Had her mother still been alive, her decision may have been different. Everything worked out and she is happy to have been chosen to serve us. Janet commented t hat she has raised four great children and in hind-sight knows she could have trusted in their goodnes s sooner. Similarly, she wants us, as a congrega-tion, to trust in the power of God’s love and know that we are a great congregation right now. Janet h as talked to many people, past and present, and wants us to look forward and move on. Many things in the past could have been different but it can’t be changed. We can move forward and do great things.

The President talked about the five goals from last year’s meeting and graded the results. Claim a vision for St. Peter’s - incomplete Establish financial stability - accomplished Ensure accountability - work in progress Revise the constitution and how the church is organ ized - accomplished Rebuild our Youth Program - incomplete Expect more from Bill and expect more from each oth er - work in progress

Certificates of appreciation were awarded to member s whose term was up or who will be leaving their board position:

Betty Chapman leaving Congregational Life Mike Chapman leaving as Treasurer Norma Lundell leaving Evangelism Jeannie Machacek leaving Extended Ministries Nancy Topp leaving Extended Ministries

2012 Board Reports • Congregational Life refer to written report • Education refer to written report • Evangelism refer to written report • Extended Ministries refer to written report Properties refer to written report; comments - looking at getting a WIFI hotspot for St. Peters, landscaping prayer garden area

• Stewardship refer to written report • Worship refer to written report • Youth refer to written report Friendship Forum refer to written report; comment - Phyllis Swanson encouraged

continued support of Friendship Forum

Women of the ELCA refer to written report; comment – Celena Witt stated that there will no longer be a WELCA Board

• Rachel Circle refer to written report • Hannah Circle refer to written report • The Love Quilters refer to written report; comment - Quilt party on February 23 • Nfld Retirement Community refer to written report, comment - Peter Scheffert replaced Mavis Bell who has been on the NRC Board for nine years. NRC’s goal is to improve relationships with community churches. • ELCA Synod refer to written report • Turning Point Counseling Center refer to written report Thrivent Representatives no report

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ST. PETER’S ANNUAL MEETING CONTINUED

The President ended the staff and board reports by asking people to look at pages 10-11, the Business Man-ager report, and to thank Dottie Scharber for all the work she does as our Business Manager. Nominations for new 2013 Council and Boards Voting Members • President Bill Bleckwehl • Vice President Ryan Behrens • Treasurer Todd Bornhauser • Secretary Mike Chapman • Members-at-large: Pete Pederson, Andrea Sommers, Wendy Jessen • Young Adult: Bryn Bridley • Youth representative: Jenna Scheffert • Pastor Janet White Non-voting members: Dottie Scharber(Business Administrator), Jo Odell (Scribe)

Officers will serve for two years. It is not automatic for the vice president to move to the president’s position.

Shirley Shaft made the motion to except the new Council structure, as recommended by the current church council, motion was seconded by Arnie Witte. Motion passed.

Board Chairs: • Business Management Todd Bornhauser • Congregational Life Open • Education Lisa Pumper • Evangelism Jan Nelson • Extended Ministries Wendy Jessen • Properties Tim Babbini • Stewardship Dan Hagen • Worship Mark Shaw • Youth Penny Carr/Troy Nystuen

Treasurer’s report (details in the written report)

2012 Actual 2011 Actual Difference 2012 Budget Difference Total Income $453,724 $456,562 - $2,838 $451,600 $4,124 Total Expense $414,889 $462,441 - $47,552 $447,535 $32,646 Net Income $38,835 -$5,879 $44,714 $4,065 $34,770

2012 Balance Sheet Notes: • All bills due were paid off at year-end. • Line of credit was paid off at year-end. • The mortgage year-end balance was $258,855. The checking account had a balance of $43,792, due to record income in December.

Presentation of the 2013 Budget (details in the wri tten report) Prior to presenting the 2013 Budget, Todd Bornhauser had some financial handouts on the tables that were discussed. A question that was asked of him was why the $100/100 when we ended up the year so good. Well at the time that fund raising idea was presented, our projection for yearend didn’t look good. Thanks to all who made the $100/100 a success. He proceeded to present the 2013 Budget.

• Total budgeted income for 2013 is $440,000 • Total budgeted expense for 2013 is $435,000 Net income will be $4,500, representing 1% of our revenue.

Motion was made by Arnie Witt to accept 2013 budget. Mike Lane seconded motion. Motion passed.

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ST. PETER’S ANNUAL MEETING CONTINUED Old Business The question was raised asking why we paid Pastor Paul a “two month severance”. Bleckwehl clarified that the money paid to Pastor Paul was not a severance, as Pastor Paul resigned from his position. In addition, Bornhauser responded that if Paul had stayed, we would have paid his salary until the new pastor arrived, which could be up to a year or longer. By Pastor Paul leaving now, and offering a transition payment, the church is actually saving money. Having a single interim Pastor on board will make our decisions much easier and less stressful. Pastor Janet commented that when she left one of the churches she served she was given six months of transition payment. • Also questioned was why does the church not offer benefits to non-clergy staff. The new council will dis-cuss at the February council meeting and respond. A question was asked about what will be done with t he parsonage. We will keep the parsonage and will strongly encourage the called Pastor to live t here.

Ryan Behrens spoke on behalf of the Transition Team . Members of this team include Ryan, Andrea Sommers, Bob Anderson, Dottie Scharber, Bruc e Dennison, Jenna Scheffert, Kathy Tonolli, and Bert Reese. Three age-based focus gro ups have met to review our pastor needs. There will be more this coming week. If you missed your age group, please feel free to come to any age group. We appreciate your feedback, commen ts, and concerns.

The call committee will be formed after the focus groups have met and responses compiled. Members will need to apply to serve on the call committee. The congregation will then vote on who will serve on the pastor call committee. Based on our constitution requirement, we will have a six member call committee. New Business • 2013 is St. Peter’s 120th Anniversary. A request for volunteers to serve on the anniversary committee was made. The Mission Endowment Fund has set aside $500 for this celebration. • Mike Chapman reviewed the new constitution. Phil Olson, Dennis Hahn, Brad Ness, Gary Van Erp, and Dottie Scharber were on the committee to review the Synod’s constitutional structure and bring forth recommendations to the congregation. In the past, our council has consisted of board chair persons. Motion was made and seconded to accept the sub committee’s recommendation for the new constitution. Motion passed. • A question was asked if there were minutes from the executive committee and if they are available. • A comment was offered that church communication has improved but still needs work. • A central calendar to view facilities availability would be helpful. We have to work together across, and through, our committees. • Ginny Paulsen requested the minutes of the Annual Meeting be posted as soon as possible. That will be done and distributed via multiple methods. • Decision on where and how the council minutes will be shared will be made shortly. • Tim Freeland has been hired to redesign our web site. The web site will be one option for distribution of the Annual Meeting and council minutes, as well as the monthly newsletter. • Providing a council update at worship is effective and will continue. • We will start small groups. If you are interested in leading, please volunteer. • Connie Albers expressed thanks to all the leaders. You are appreciated!! • We have faith that we will call an outstanding Pastor and we will move forward in a positive direction. Bleckwehl briefly shared ideas on how to become a vibrant church

Meeting adjourned at 2:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Jo Odell

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Church Council Bill Bleckwehl President [email protected] Ryan Behrens Vice President [email protected] Todd Bornhauser Treasurer [email protected] Mike Chapman Secretary [email protected] [email protected] Bryn Bridley [email protected] Wendy Jessen [email protected] Pete Pedersen [email protected] Jenna Scheffert [email protected] Andria Sommers [email protected]

Team Chairs Todd Bornhauser Business Manager [email protected] Lisa Pumper Children’s [email protected] Jan Nelson Evangelism Board [email protected] Wendy Jessen Extended Ministries [email protected] Tim Babbini Properties Board [email protected] Dan Hagen Stewardship Board [email protected] Mark Shaw Worship [email protected] Penny Carr Youth Board [email protected] Troy Nystuen Youth Board [email protected] To be determined Congregational Life

CHURCH COUNCIL & TEAM CHAIRS

Rev. Janet White ext. 17 Interim Senior Pastor [email protected]

Dottie Scharber ext. 24 Business Administrator [email protected]

Jennifer Whitson ext. 10 Secretary [email protected]

Neale Thompson ext. 13 Spiritual Counselor/ Visitation Pastor [email protected]

Dan & Dottie Scharber Maintenance Coordinators

Donna Paulsen Organist Music Co-Coordinator

Peter Schleif Adult Choir Director Music Co-Coordinator

J.P. Douglas Jubilee Bells Director

Sean Stevens Contemporary Worship Music Leader

ST. PETER’S STAFF

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St. Peter’s Lutheran Church

418 E Sumner Street

Northfield, MN 55057

Return Service Requested

Non-Profit Organization

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

Northfield, MN 55057

Permit number 121

St. Peter’s Mission Statement

Expressing God’s love and grace to

build a community where people

Believe in God,

Belong to Christ, and

Become disciples

Who serve in day to day living.

Easter Sunday

No Sunday School/Youth Forum

July 21st—24th

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