November 2015 - Saint Paul Area Synod

SAINT
PAU L
AREA
SYNOD
FaithLink
Connecting Leaders of the Saint Paul Area Synod (ELCA)
We Need Guatemala
The Rev. Bradley Schmeling of Gloria Dei, Saint Paul and Bishop Lull join leaders of the Iglesia Luterana Agustina de Guatemala. From left
to right, Marcos Caal Choc, president, Jeremias Caal, treasurer, and Sebastian Caal, secretary, all of ILA Virgen del Rosario in Aurora 8 de
octubre Alta Verapaz Coban.
by Chloe Ahlf
today. But she found herself instead largely in the role of a learner. Her story was
At the recent Iringa Fall Festival, The Rev.
shaped by the stories of the people she met.
Peter Harrits, director of Bega Kwa Bega,
spoke of the dangers of the single story. The
Here’s what I learned, and here’s what I
single story is the concept that one story – a
have to tell: Our church life needs global
stereotype, if you will – can encapsulate all
companions.
stories.
“The single story robs people of dignity,”
Harrits said. “It is not what the church is
about. The single story devalues what God
has made in that person.”
I have been in the role of “communicating”
the companionship between the Iglesia
Luterana Agustina de Guatemala (ILAG)
and the Saint Paul Area Synod for more
than a year now. I was eager to visit Guatemala City so that, as a storyteller, I could
do better. I came home re-invigorated to
tell people what I heard and saw and felt.
I was full of experiences that needed to be
told. But I found myself feeling discouraged
at the lack of words that I could properly
produce that would do justice. How can I
tell a story that is not a single story? How
can we all tell these stories? Harrits challenges us to tell stories that showcase our
own vulnerability – as well as stories that
are mutual, inclusive, empowering, and
sustaining.
In a globalized and interconnected world,
we, as the church in North America, need
our global companions. As Bishop Lull
wrote in this issue’s column, she went to
the ILAG under the assumption of being a
“teacher” – to teach about grace, and about
Martin Luther, and about being a Lutheran
La Resurrección
This collective need is one that I
experienced first hand in El Tuerto, a neighborhood settled in the ravines of Guatemala
City, with homes stacked on top of each
other, hanging from the cliff sides. There
at the bottom of a steep and precarious
staircase, sits La Resurrección, a community of faith led by Pastor Marcelina Monroy
whose witness spoke to me and, I believe,
speaks to needs that are shared by many in
the communities that I call home.
We entered their church, damp from the
rain and a little shaky from the uncertain
climb through the dark. Like many of the
Lutheran church spaces I’ve been in, there
was bright welcome and immediate comfort. After greeting the church leaders, we
filed out together and began our ascent up
to the home of Casimiro Zarat, who gives
communion at La Resurrección. There,
we prayed. We then traveled to two other homes and prayed with congregants.
Each welcomed us with graciousness. Each
hugged us with a strong embrace. I was
overwhelmed by the courage in faith. The
courage in faith of welcoming a stranger
into your home where they can see your belongings and see how you live. The courage
continued on page 6
Volume 20 n Number 6 n November 2015
I first traveled to Guatemala in 2012 to visit a
Catholic mission with my Lutheran church. I
was stunned by the experience and left with
the deep feeling of needing more. When I
was given the opportunity to visit the Iglesia
Luterana Agustina de Guatemala (ILAG)
in September as part of a delegation with
the Bishop, I was eager. Many expressed
curiosity in the very notion of the trip – and
of Lutherans in Guatemala. “There aren’t very
many Lutherans down there,” I told people,
“but it’s important that we go. They’re our
companions.” To others, I described Guatemala
as a place that has never really left me. I went
and came back with a piece of it clinging to
my soul. We’ve all traveled to places like this.
For me, Guatemala is one of those places. Our
congregations in the Saint Paul Area Synod
have these places, too. The places that shape
our ministry, that call us to public witness of
faith. For some churches, this place is Tanzania.
For some it’s Guatemala. For others it’s El
Salvador, or India, or China. Wherever your
global companion is, our church in North
America needs them.
Chloe Ahlf, Editor
W H A T ’ S
Inside
1 We Need Guatemala
From the Bishop
2 Sometimes
Big Things Require Big
by The Rev. Peter
3 Partnerships
Weston Miller
4 Calendar of Events
5 One Month In by Julia Hubbard
6 Prayers + News About Calls
7 We Need Guatemala, cont.
FaithLink is published six times a year
by the Saint Paul Area Synod of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
Patricia J. Lull, Bishop.
Saint Paul Area Synod
105 West University Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55103-2094
Website: www.spas-elca.org
Phone: 651.224.4313
Chloe Ahlf, Editor
Email: chloe.ahlf@spas-elca.org
From the Bishop
By Patricia Lull
With the heart of a learner
This fall I spent a week in Guatemala. An
hour before the plane landed we were handed forms to fill out for screening at customs
as we entered the country. To the question
“reason for visit”, I replied “tourist”. I
paused at the question about my occupation. Bishop? Clergy? Adventurer? Pilgrim?
I settled on Teacher.
During the three days I spent at the Lutheran Center in Guatemala City with our
partners from Iglesia Luterana Agustina de
Guatemala (ILAG), I was indeed a teacher.
I had been invited to give two presentations to the faith leaders from the small
communities that make up our companion
synod. And teach I did, leading the same
Bible study many of you participated in last
summer as part of our synod-wide visioning
process, and then offering an overview of
Lutheran identity in an ecumenical world.
But for seven days in Guatemala I was more
a learner than a teacher. To enter into a
world rich in customs and practices that are
not native to me, to depend on a translator
to speak for me, and to see with my own
eyes how Christian faith takes on daily form
in another culture placed me in the wonderful and sometimes disorienting role of being
the learner.
On a rain-soaked evening, our group from
America joined one of the small congregations in the city to see their church and to
make home visits to members. Throughout
that evening we were welcomed into the
humble rooms that serve as home for extended families. As we made our way from
place to place, we prayed with a woman
struggling with chronic illness. We prayed
and laid hands on a baby who is not well.
We gathered around a father who had lost
his job and so desperately needed to find
work to support his family.
We shared scripture and prayed but at every
stop God was widening my own heart to
see how lovely it is that we dwell together
as sisters and brothers in Christ. In every
home where we found refuge from the rain
and the darkness, the Spirit revealed how
dependent we all are on the grace of God
and the friendship of others in this living
body called the church.
What makes us strong as a synod are the
very same gifts that make the church vital
in Guatemala and Tanzania, in faith communities small and large around the world.
We are so blessed with the amazing gift of
God’s grace, which comes to us through
the sharing of God’s Word, in Baptism and
Holy Communion, in prayer and confession,
and in the joy of standing together in difficult times. We are not strong because the
life of faith is easy; we are strong because
faith allows us to face all times, all circumstances with courage and trust in a Living
God.
No one needs a passport to learn such
lessons but many in this synod have been
privileged to learn from the Lutherans in
our two companion synods. And for those
rich lessons, I give thanks.
Yours in God’s service –
Patricia J. Lull, Bishop
Photos from the 2015 Joint Ministerium
& Bega Kwa Bega Fall Festival
Saint Paul Area Synod and Minneapolis Area Synod rostered leaders gathered on Thursday, November 5 at Shepherd of the Valley, Apple Valley for
the 2015 Joint Ministerium. This year’s theme, “Standing in Awe”, focused
on creation care and finding wonder in the relationship between ecology &
theology. We were joined by Jacob J. Erickson, Instructor of Religion and
Environmental Studies at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, and “Ecotheologian in Residence” at Mercy Seat Lutheran Church in Minneapolis,
MN. Photos from the event can be found on the synod’s Facebook page.
The Bega Kwa Bega Fall Festival was held Saturday, November 7 at King
of Kings in Woodbury. The theme for the day surrounded the Swahili word
“Kusema”, meaning to speak, to talk, to tell. As the Rev. Peter Harrits put
it, “Stories matter. They can be used to empower, mobilize, and repair.” He
then challenged us to tell our own stories of Bega Kwa Bega in ways that are
mutual, inclusive, empowering, sustaining, and that highlight our own vulnerability. What stories are you sharing about Bega Kwa Bega? Photos from
the event can be found on Bega Kwa Bega’s Facebook page.
2 FaithLink Saint Paul Area Synod
Connections
with the ELCA churchwide and other partners in ministry and mission
Sometimes big needs require big
partnerships
by The Rev. Peter Weston Miller
Atonement Lutheran
On a beautiful late-summer day in Minnesota, four Lutheran churches from New
Brighton and Mounds View – Abiding Savior, Atonement, Christ the King, and Cross
of Glory – teamed up with Ralph Reeder
Food Shelf and Cub Foods to plan a large
food drive, hot dog fundraiser, food packing, and card-making event for September
13 – God’s Work. Our Hands. Sunday.
The goal of the event was to collect as many
of the “top 15 food shelf items” as possible,
as well as provide weekend supplemental food for low-income children in the
Mounds View school district. Ralph Reeder
Food Shelf distributed close to 400,000
pounds of food and served nearly 17,000
individuals in 2014. According to the
Metropolitan Council, research has shown
suburban poverty is on the rise in the Twin
Cities and there is always a big need at the
beginning of the school year. Ralph Reeder
expects these numbers to continue to rise in
coming years.
Over 120 volunteers from the different
congregations worked side-by-side at Cub
Foods to collect items, help sell hot dogs,
bag groceries, and pack a trailer full with
donations. Other volunteers organized
incoming food and packed bags for the
SnackPack program at Ralph Reeder.
Through the generosity of shoppers, we
raised $1201.11 (hot dog sales and bagging
donations) and brought in 1,080 pounds of
food. Cub Foods donated all of the hot dogs
and also pre-packed 125 Cub Cares bags
that were purchased.
At Ralph Reeder, with an added Thrivent
Grant of $2000, volunteers were able to
pack 750 SnackPacks for low-income children. Those SnackPack bags will provide
enough supplemental weekend food for 17
of our most in need children.
This event highlighted the work of ELCA
congregations in listening and collaborating
as needs increase or change in our communities. We are a church that is committed
to service to our neighbors and working to
change our neighborhoods for the better.
God’s work in the world needs all of our
hands and all of our hearts, especially as
poverty shifts to new areas.
Saint Paul Area Synod
FaithLink
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Calendar
Look for more events and information at www.spas-elca.org
The Power and Practice of Personal
Storytelling with Mark Yaconelli
Saturday, December 5, 9:00am - 5:00pm at Christ on Capitol Hill
Hosted by the Saint Paul Area Synod and Augsburg College’s Youth and Public Church
Initiative, this one day training will be an exploration of personal storytelling in ministry. Through presentation, contemplative exercises, theological reflection, and a variety
of narrative practices, participants will encounter the power of personal storytelling for
spiritual formation, outreach, social justice, and other ministries. The workshop will give
participants practical skills for telling stories, creating narrative events, and assisting
others “give testimony” to the work of the Spirit in their lives. Purchase your tickets at
the Cvent registration site.
Mark Yaconelli is the founder and executive director of The Hearth: Real Stories by
Regular Folks, a registered non-profit that assists cities and service-based agencies in producing personal storytelling events designed to help
communities and individuals deepen relationships and cultivate compassion. Through the Hearth, Mark has produced and led events for The
Boys and Girls Club, The Oregon State Department of Human Resources, The Church of Wales, Asante Hospital, Austin Theological Seminary,
and many other institutions and agencies. Mark is an author, retreat leader, and popular speaker. His most recent book, The Gift of Hard Things
will be released in 2016.
November
Minnesota Faith Summit to Prevent Gun
Violence
Thursday, November 12, 6:00pm
Richfield Lutheran, 8 W. 60th St,
Minneapolis. Calling on leaders of all faiths
across Minnesota to join together to learn,
discuss, pray and act to prevent bloodshed.
Please RSVP at http://every.tw/mn-faith.
Safeguarding God’s Children
Saturday, November 14, 9:00am - 1:00pm
Grace Lutheran, Saint Paul. A Safeguarding
God’s Children workshop will be held at
Grace Lutheran Church in St. Paul with
lunch included. The cost is just $5 to cover
expenses. This is an opportunity for those
working in the areas of Children, Youth,
and Family ministries to learn about best
practices in child safety in the church as
well as for youth and vulnerable adults
so that our ministries with young people
are healthy and safe. Our instructor will
be The Rev. Mary Kay Ashley. Please
register with The Rev. Karen Williams at
pastorglcstpaul@gmail.com so that we may
be prepared.
North Central Conference Meeting
Thursday, November 19, 3:00pm
Incarnation, Shoreview. North Central
Conference leaders are invited to join in
conversation with Superintendent Dan
Hoverman from the Mounds View School
District. Questions or comments can be
sent to North Central Conference Dean
Ryan Brodin at pastorryan@abidingsavior.
org.
December
31st Annual Smörgåsbord
Sunday, December 6, 5:00pm
Christ the King, New Brighton. This
traditional Scandinavian feast will feature
lutefisk, Swedish meatballs, baked ham,
Swedish potato sausage, mashed potatoes
4 FaithLink and gravy, rice pudding, lefse, and a holiday
dessert buffet. Tickets are $18.00 for
adults, $10.00 for children ages 6-12. There
is no charge for children under 6. Seating
times start at 5:00 p.m. Tickets are available
during the week in the church office or
by calling 651-633-4674. Tickets will be
available November 8 through December 2.
Synod Communicators Gathering
Monday, December 7, 1:00 - 3:30pm
Hope Lutheran, Saint Paul. All church
communicators and administrators are
invited to this networking gathering. The
discussion topic for the day will be church
communications such as bulletins, newsletters, websites, and social media, and how
the changing media landscape affects our
communication. What do we do in print?
What do we communicate electronically?
Join us and share in conversation about
our constantly changing communications!
Email Chloe Ahlf, Saint Paul Area Synod
communications coordinator, at chloe.
ahlf@spas-elca.org for more information or
to RSVP.
The National Lutheran Choir Christmas
Festival
Friday, December 11 & Saturday, December 12
Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis. The
National Lutheran Choir returns for its popular Christmas Festival program. Known
for the “experience,” the Christmas Festival
removes the listener from any sense of time
and space and draws them into a place of
awe and beauty. Through a unique use of
space, the choir performs from the front
and back of the sanctuary, amidst and surrounding the audience. This year’s literature
ranges from historic -- Herbert Howells and
Victoria -- to new music by Dale Warland,
David Conte and others. More information
can be found at www.nlca.com.
“Hidden Inheritance” Book Reading and
Discussion with The Rev. Heidi Neumark
Monday, November 16, 7:00pm
Gloria Dei, Saint Paul. The Rev. Heidi
Neumark will be reading from her new
book, Hidden Inheritance: Family Secrets,
Memory and Faith, and leading discussion
about her journey as she uncovered
her Jewish roots and learned about her
successive family loss during the Holocaust,
and how her ministry as a Lutheran pastor
as been transformed since the discovery.
Copies of Hidden Inheritance: Family
Secrets, Memory and Faith, will be available
to purchase for $10. Neumark was the
keynote speaker at the 2015 Saint Paul
Area Synod Assembly, where she shared
some reflections on discovering her Jewish
roots. Join us on November 16 to hear more
and ask questions!
Share your event!
Do you have an upcoming event with
synodwide appeal that you would like to
share on the calendar? Email the details to
Chloe Ahlf at chloe.ahlf@spas-elca.org.
Saint Paul Area Synod
One Month In
by Julia Hubbard, Bega Kwa Bega Program Coordinator, Long-term Volunteer
Walking down the street this morning I find myself fighting the urge to let my eyes drift
from the concrete blocks in front of me, instead they want to roam left and right, and all
around trying to take in all of the different sights. A man is sweeping out his duka (shop)
preparing it for the day, a woman in a stylish dress talking loudly outside the fashion boutique next door, and a line of piki pikis wiping down their motorbikes and calling out to
me “Dada, where do you want to go?” All the while dala dalas (mini buses) are whirring
down the streets opening and closing their doors to passengers every so often. There is so
much activity and motion in this city. This is an Iringa morning and I can’t help but marvel
at how I have already been here for a month and get to be here for 23 more.
In some ways I cannot believe that it has been that many days and weeks. In that time,
Tanzania prepared for an election with waving flags strung across the market and acress
almost every intersection, supporters of either party donning their respective colors, and
motorbikes and trucks driving through the streets blasting speeches and music in favor
of Lowassa or Magufuli. In those weeks I climbed into the center seat between Frank and
Pastor Msigwa and rode out to several of the further out villages in the Diocese. I came to
memorize the phrase “Bwana Yesu Asifiwe” (Praise Jesus, Lord) and received countless
blessings and “karibu sanas” (words of welcome) from pastors and partnership committee representatives. I have watched those same pastors and partnership committees taking
notes as Frank shared the new changes we are making in our scholarship program, later offering their comments and questions. (Later, asking questions of my own to Pastor Msigwa
or Peter about why and how and what.) We have eaten ugali and tasted mandazi, smiled at
the camera and said “ndizi” (banana) together. I have danced and sang into a school and
a church carried in a movement of joy. And I have come home covered in a red dust. A dust that reminds me of the Holy Spirit at work in this
relationship. How it takes energy and vulnerability to learn from each other and be sisters and brothers to one another. How sometimes I can’t
even see beyond myself in a red cloud, but if I step into it and take a moment to let that dust settle, the dancing and rejoicing that we are one
body becomes clear. How that dust falls on all of us and travels with us. This is what I’m coming to understand about Bega Kwa Bega.
Bega Kwa Bega has been described to me by so many people; I have heard stories about transformation, challenges, joy, stumbles, and commitment. It excites me that I have this opportunity to experience those pieces firsthand. To continue to see, hear, feel, smell, and taste what it
means to share life together. From the hills of Ndengsivili to the treelings sprouting upwards at the Diocese headquarters, it is amazing to feel
this energy and excitement in the community of the Church. That the Church is involved in the spiritual, mental, physical, and economical
well-being of its people, it is intimately a part of life. There seems to be so many connections like this that keeps me realizing how much I have
to learn here. And I am starting understand the Swahili saying, “Haraka haraka haina baraka” – Hurry, hurry has no blessings. So, as my eyes
meet the other eyes of my brothers and sisters here on the streets of Iringa, I find myself smiling and saying hello because there are so many
blessings here waiting to be realized.
Jointly sponsored by the Saint Paul Area Synod
and ELCA-Global Mission, the role of BKB
Program Coordinator is a longterm volunteer
position based in Iringa, Tanzania. The position’s purpose is two-fold: enabling a deeper
level of presence with our companions in the
ELCT while ensuring that future leaders of the
ELCA are both globally formed and informed.
Direct financial gifts to support this new
initiative are welcome and encouraged; interested congregations and individuals should
contact Greg Triplett, financial administrator,
at greg.triplett@spas-elca.org or the Rev. Peter
Harrits, director of Bega Kwa Bega, at peter.
harrits@spas-elca.org.
Saint Paul Area Synod
FaithLink
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continued from page 1
in faith to read scripture and pray with a foreigner who does not share a common language. The
courage in faith to embrace a stranger in a deep
hug that revealed no insecurities. How much I
lack this courage in faith, I thought, as we stumbled back up to the van.
It turns out, I needed the witness of La Resurrección. We need the witness of La Resurrección.
We also need El Divino Salvador del Mundo, a
congregation in the El Mirador neighborhood.
We need to know Carlos, Pedro, Edgar, and
Eduardo – four young men who met us under
a torrential downpour to tell us about the work
that they are so impassioned by. We need to learn
about El Divino Salvador del Mundo, where they
process through the streets during Lent, carrying floats that they made depicting the Passion
of Christ. They do this as an act of devotion and
public witness, carrying Christ to the doors of
those who need to pray.
Our church needs the witness of all of the leaders of the ILAG. We need the leaders who walk
an hour, take a bus for four hours, and another
bus for four more hours, to attend a leadership
retreat. Our church needs the leaders that greet
each new morning by singing together on the
church roof. We need the 17 year old boy who
leads the church while also attending school full
time. We need the leaders who ask questions
about God’s grace with hunger and hope.
A student at the Colegio Luterano Agustino de El Mirador, the primary school of the ILAG. The school educates about
75 students between four classrooms, with four teachers.
Our church needs La Resurrección, and El Divino Salvador del Mundo, and the witness of all the
leaders of the ILAG. We need all the Lutheran
churches in Guatemala, and in Tanzania, and in
all the other places in the world where we have
companions in Christ.
Our church needs the courage in faith that is
only stronger when it’s global. Our church needs
the hunger for God’s grace that exists here in
Minnesota, too, amplified by the voices and the
hope that exists globally. Our church needs all the
voices on the rooftop greeting every new morning. Our church needs to carry Christ to those
who need the Word the most, on the doorsteps of
Minnesotans, and Guatemalans, and Tanzanians,
and in every place in the world where companions in Christ live.
Nazario Gaspar, a leader of San Juan Bautista in Zaculeu La Libertad Peten, leans out for a photo during a break-out
session of the leader’s retreat.
We are not a single story
There exists a single story of being Lutheran
in Minnesota – of hotdish and Lake Wobegon.
There exists a single story of life in these places
where our global companions live, and worship,
and pray, and gather together in Christ’s name.
As Harrits said, “The single story is not what
the church is about.” How can we better tell the
stories of what it means to be Lutheran as global
companions in Christ? How can we tell others
about why we need La Resurrección, and El
Divino Salvador del Mundo, and the witness of
all the leaders & congregations of the ILAG, and
beyond?
Keep in touch with our Guatemala
companions through Caminando Juntos
(Walking Together), the twice-a-month
newsletter about the ILAG-Synod companionship. Email Chloe Ahlf at chloe.
ahlf@spas-elca.org to subscribe.
For more information on how your
ministry setting can get involved with
the ILAG, contact Janet Metcalfe at
651.450.1717 or jkmetcalfe@yahoo.com.
6 FaithLink Herlindo Ixim Max, president and leader of Luterana Agustina San Juan Bautista in Casería Playita Cerro Alto, Cobán,
Alta Verapaz, laughs as his colleagues tease him while having his portrait taken. A different leader’s portrait and bio is
featured in each new issue of Caminando Juntos.
More photos from the synod’s time with our companions at the Iglesia Luterana Agustina
de Guatemala (ILAG) can be found on the synod’s Facebook page. You do not need to be a
member of Facebook to view the photos.
Saint Paul Area Synod
Prayers
NEWS
Week of November 9
ABOUT
St. Mark, Circle Pines; St. Mark’s, North
St. Paul; Delaware-Maryland Synod &
Bishop Woldgang Herz-Lane; The Rev.
Mark Rydberg, Presbyterian HomesJohanna
Calls
In Interim
Christ the Servant, Vadnais Heights, pastor
Christ, Lake Elmo, senior pastor
Gethsemane, Maplewood, senior pastor
Hmong Central, St. Paul, pastor
Hope, St. Paul, pastor
Living Waters, Lino Lakes
Resurrection, Woodbury
St. Luke, Cottage Grove, senior pastor
Trinity, Lindstrom, senior pastor
Trinity, Stillwater, senior pastor
Week of November 16
St. Mark, Randolph; St. Mark, St. Paul;
Metropolitan Washington DC Synod &
Bishop Richard Graham; The Rev. Gary
Sartain, North Central Region ACPE
Week of November 23
St. Michael’s, Roseville; St. Paul,
Stillwater; West Virginia-Western
Maryland Synod & Bishop Ralph
Dunkin; The Rev. Kristofer Skrade,
Augsburg Fortress Publishers; The Rev.
Beth Stassen, Regions Hospital
Call Committee Active
Christ the King, New Brighton, associate pastor
Faith, Forest Lake, senior pastor
Fish Lake, Harris, senior pastor
Gustavus Adolphus, St. Paul, senior pastor
Memorial Lutheran, Afton, senior pastor
Shepherd of the Valley, Apple Valley, senior pastor
St. James, Burnsville, associate pastor
St. Paul, Stillwater, associate pastor
St. Paul, Wyoming, pastor
Trinity, North Branch, senior pastor
Week of November 30
St. Paul, Wyoming; St. PaulReformation, St. Paul; Virginia Synod &
Bishop James Mauney; The Rev. Robin
Steinke, Luther Seminary; Sister Noreen
Stevens, Saint Paul Area Synod
Week of December 7
St. Philip’s, Hastings; St. Stephen
the Martyr, White Bear Lake; North
Carolina Synod & Bishop Leonard
Bolick; The Rev. Karen Stevensen,
Marriage & Family Counselor; The Rev.
Julia Thompson, HealthEast Care System
Calls Accepted
The Rev. Laurel Bernard, synodical
call to minister with families with
persons with disabilities in their midst with Lutheran Church of the Resurrection and in partnership with the Saint Paul Area Synod and
Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota
Elizabeth Flomo, synodical call to serve with Lutheran Volunteer Corps and affiliated with Christ, St. Paul
The Rev. Amanda Olson de Castillo, called to serve as senior pastor with Luther Memorial, South St. Paul
The Rev. Lauren Wrightsman, called to serve as senior pastor with Roseville Lutheran, Roseville
The Rev. Jennifer Collins, called to serve as associate pastor with Hosanna, Forest Lake
Week of December 14
St. Stephen’s, West St. Paul; St. Timothy,
St. Paul; South Carolina Synod &
Bishop Herman Yoos; Sooutheastern
Synod & Bishop Julian Gordy; The Rev.
Rebecca Thurman, Augsburg College;
Hans Vigessa, AiM, Easter, Eagan
Week of December 21
Trinity, Lindstrom; Trinity, North
Branch; Trinity, Stillwater; FloridaBahamas Synod & Bishop Robert
Schaefer; Caribbean Synod & Bishop
Felipe Lozada-Montañez; The Rev.
Bea Vue-Benson, Marriage & Family
Counselor
Retirements
Week of December 28
The Rev. Paul Harris
August 1, 2015
Deaths
The Rev. Marjorie Aurelius
September 11, 2015
The Rev. Roy Gustafson
October 23, 2015
The Rev. Norman Magnuson
October 27, 2015
The Rev. Kenneth Roufs
October 6, 2015
Saint Paul Area Synod
C A L L
Assist
Clergy, rostered leaders, and their families are
sometimes the last ones to reach out for help with their
own problems. But you don’t have to wait until things
fall completely apart before you ask for help. Assist,
the employee assistance program of Fairview Health
Services, can help. To speak confidentially with an Assist
counselor about issues of personal or professional
concern, call 612.672.2195. The phone is answered 24
hours a day.
Zion, Chisago City; Zion, Cottage Grove;
Zion, St. Paul; Synod of the ELCA &
Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton; The
Rev. Nancy Wigdahl, Fairview Ridges
Hospital; The Rev. Allen Dundek, North
Central Region ACPE
Week of January 4
Abiding Savior, Mounds View; All
Saints, Eagan; Alaska Synod &
Bishop Shelley Wickstrom; Northwest
Washington Synod & Bishop B. Kirby
Unti; The Rev. Paul Baglyos, Region
3-ELCA
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