Aurora Trinity Lutheran Parish

Feeding Body, Mind, and Spirit with the Love of Jesus

Monthly Newsletter
August, 2012
www.auroratrinitylutheran.org

Aurora Diner 2012 Work Schedule

Heres the 2012 Diner Work Schedule, be sure to mark your calendars: Wed. Aug 1 Getting ready for the National Trappers August 2 August 5 Open for Natl Trappers Wed., Aug. 8 Pie Making/Meatballs 6:00 p.m. Fri., Aug. 10 Meat Roasting All Day Sat. Aug. 11 Meat Slicing 9:00 a.m. Steele County Free Fair: August 13 August 19 Mon., Aug. 20 Cleaning up of the diner 6:00 p.m. The sign up board will be up soon for both the Trappers and Fair Events, please be sure to sign up.

Moving to Communion Twice a Month at Aurora

On June 26th, about 20 people or so gathered together to talk about Holy Communion. We talked about why Holy Communion is important to us individually, the history of it, and the variety of meanings that it holds for us as Christians. At the end of the evening, many indicated that they would support Aurora moving to celebrate Holy Communion twice a month. At the July council meeting, the Aurora council voted to approve this motion. Beginning in September, Aurora will have st rd worship with Holy Communion on the 1 and 3 Sundays of each month. At our annual meeting in January, there will be time for discussion and feedback on this addition to our worshipping life.

Food Shelf Sunday at Aurora

The next food shelf Sunday at Aurora will be on th Sunday, August 5 . Please give to this worthy cause and help people in need.

Aurora Church Council

The next church council meeting will be on th Wednesday, September 19 , at 6:30 p.m. at church. Due to the Aurora Diner, there will not be an August meeting.

Board of Education Meeting

The Board of Education will be meeting on th Wednesday, August 8 at 7:00 at Jerianne Hendricks to plan for the 2012-2013 Sunday School year.

Annual Review for Pastor Jon

It has been one year since Pastor Jon began at Aurora and Trinity. With his presence many changes have come forth. We thought it would be a good time to evaluate things in our parish by getting your feedback. This will be chance for you to voice your opinion on what you like, dislike or what you'd like to see changed. Watch for more information to come out.

Newsletter Information Deadline

Please have all information for the August newsletter rd and calendar to Kayla by Thursday, August 23 . Please e-mail your information to owatpaape@aol.com or you can call either 451-3941 or 507-390-2039.

Annual Joint Picnic a Success!

Water balloons were being tossed. Kids were jumping. Three-legged pairs were falling. The annual joint picnic for Aurora and Trinity was a great success! We worshipped together. We ate together. We played together. One of our initiatives for this year is to strengthen the relationship between Aurora and Trinity. This event helped us to do that. Many thanks to everyone who was there and to those who went above and beyond to make this a fun afternoon!

Come to Narnia This Summer!

All are welcome to join Pastor Jon in the Aurora library after worship, as he continues to read aloud from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis. WE will continue through August until we finish the book.

Cradle Roll & Rally Day for Aurora

Our next Cradle Roll & Rally Day is on Sunday, th September 9 . Cradle Roll is for all baptized children ages 0 Kindergarten. New Cradle Roll members will be honored during our Rally Day Church Service at 9:00 a.m. All the Cradle Roll Members entering Kindergarten will graduate during the service. All Cradle Roll members are encouraged to attend and stay after for pictures. Rally Day marks the beginning of the 2012-2013 Sunday School Year. All Sunday School students and parents should attend as the students start out a new year in learning. Starting at 10:15 a.m., all the Sunday School students, teachers, and parents need to attend an informative meeting to start off the year.

Its been a year!

Time moves so quickly! It has been a year since you all welcomed us into Aurora and Trinity and into your lives. We thought we would say thank you for everything you have done to help make this transition easy and successful for everyone. We especially want to thank you for your care and support in the addition of Elliot to our family. We love you all and are looking forward to what the next year holds! Jon, Lauren, and Elliot

Thank You
We would like to thank the ladies who made us meals for the first week home. It was very helpful. Thank you all for the prayers and the good thoughts. Billy is doing good. Starting to walk with a walker. Getting stronger every day. Larson Family

Aurora Nursery
Do you have a little one and find yourself paying more attention to them instead of the church service? When you get home do you ever think, What did the minister say today? Bonnie Johnson is willing to staff a nursery for babies through 4 years old every second Sunday of the month. This way you can enjoy the service and your little one is happy too. Bonnie will be available in the preschool/kindergarten room in the basement of the church.

Aurora Receipt Reminder

All reimbursements need to be turned in with an original receipt, name of person to be reimbursed, and a note to indicate what the reimbursement is for. Reimbursements related to the fair stand should be given to Angie Jensen or Jodi Keck.

Welcome Corner
Welcome to Elizabeth Ruth Rosecke, daughter of Jeremy & Melissa Rosecke. She became a member of Aurora through the Sacrament of Baptism on Sunday, th July 29 . If you or anyone you know are interested in becoming a member of the Aurora or Trinity Lutheran Church congregation, please contact Pastor Jon at auroratrinitypastor@gmail.com/(507) 676-5696 for new member information.

September Time Change

Just a reminder that worship times will be changing in nd September. Starting on Sunday, September 2 , Aurora will have worship at 9:00 a.m. Trinitys worship service will be at 10:30 a.m. Aurora Sunday School will start on th Rally Day, Sunday, September 9 , at 10:15 a.m.

No Monday Night Service on August 20th

There will be no Monday night worship on August 20 due to cleaning of the diner following the fair. The last th Monday night worship will be on August 27 .
th

Please be sure to review the following enclosures:

Pastor Jon Letter Aurora July Church Council Meeting Minutes SE MN Synod Newsletter

Pastor Jon Contact Information

If you need to reach Pastor Jon during the week, please call him at 507-676-5696 or you can send him an e-mail at: auroratrinitypastor@gmail.com. Pastor Jons day off is Friday.

Young Adult Group

The Young Adult Group is taking the month of August off. Please stay tuned for upcoming events. Young Adult Group offers a way to stay connected to what really matters faith, family, friends, fellowship through the unique perspectives of young men and women just like you. Feel free to invite friends!

The Carpenter
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career. When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you." What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well. So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized, we would have done it differently. Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today. Make today count. -Author Unknown

August 2012 Dear Friends in Christ, We live in a world that often feels divided. Where things seem black and white. Where often only two options are given. It is either this way or that. You are either Republican or Democrat. Pro-life or Pro-choice. You either support the war or are against it. Christian or non-Christian. Conservative Christian or liberal Christian. There are too many to count. During our cottage meetings last fall, the topic of homosexuality was clearly a place of division and tension for some. It is clearly a place of division and tension within our country. If we are being honest, these topics divide us. They divide our communities and they divide our congregations. Much too often, they divide us silently. We do not talk about them because the conversation feels too hard and too emotional. But the longer we wait, the harder it gets. The silence gets louder; the tension gets thicker. As Christians, our faith seeks to call us together in relationship and community, rather than divide us. Christian community is about coming together in the midst of our differences to love and serve one another and the world that God loves so much. So, can we find a way to be together that is less polarizing and divisive? How does our faith help us in conversations like these? Can the church be a place that builds bridges rather than walls? Rather than things being black or white, is there a gray area on which to stand? Adam Hamilton thinks so. In his book Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White, Adam Hamilton looks at a number of polarizing issues we face today, from the Bible to war to abortion. He does not intend to solve these issues, but instead hopes to find common ground, or the gray areas, that can lead us to dialogue and mutual respect. I invite all of you to join me this fall as we use this book to begin to discover how to have difficult conversations with the people in our lives. Sessions will be offered on Thursdays at two different times 10:30am-12:00pm (at Karen Beadells house) and 6:30pm-8pm (at Aurora). Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White Book Study Thursday, Sept. 6th What does it mean to see gray? Thursday, September 13th The Battle over the Bible Thursday, September 20th Is Your Jesus Too Small? Thursday, October 4th Homosexuality at the Center Please sign up at church or by contacting me. As always, it is a joy to be here with you, Pastor Jon

Aurora Lutheran Church Council Meeting July 17, 2012 The regular monthly meeting of the Aurora Church Council met on July 17, 2012, at 6:30 PM. Those present were Pastor Jon Davis, Jeanne Pichner, Cheryl Thompson, Mark Prestegard, Jodi Keck, Roger Carroll, Brett Paape, Michelle Williams, Ryan Schrom, Curtis Jensen, Sara Pichner. Pastor Jon lead devotions: Are we living out our church mission statement? Picnic: togetherness, bonding of both churches Raven: her project to help people Monday night discussion on communion Vacation Bible school The Secretarys report corrected: our mission statement is Feeding Body, Mind, & Spirit with the Love of Jesus. The Treasures report was approved as read and subject to audit: General Fund: $1,825.02; Building Fund: $4,004.60; Memorial Fund: $13,072.20; Parsonage Fund: $1,462.75; Cemetery Fund: $8,593.44. Pastor Jons Notes: Communion meeting was held and discussed having communion twice a month. The council also discussed the matter. A motion was made and seconded to go ahead and have communion on the first and third Sunday of the month. A motion was made and seconded that we will no longer be using the communion cards. If a deacon is not available to serve communion anyone can help. We will start this new procedure in Sept with the thought that we will evaluate it at the annual meeting to see how it is going. Church picnic was a success and a lot of fun. Thanks to all who helped to organize it. Confirmation is being looked at. Some thoughts are to have it every other Monday night for 1-1/2 hour. Also to have mentoring for all 3 grades. More discussions will be coming up. Church Logo, Pastor Jon had some designs to look at as we would like to make a banner with our mission statement on and have it at the fair stand. 1. Curtis Jensen is working on the duties of the ushers with Brian Jensen. They will be typed up and posted. 2. Jodi Keck will take the aprons in and get the printing done for the church stand. 3. No church the Sunday of fair or that following Monday night, August 19 & 20. 4. Please sign up to work at the church stand at the fair. It is a lot of fun and fellowship. Respectfully Submitted, Cheryl Thompson, Council Secretary.