Aurora Trinity Lutheran Parish

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

Monthly Newsletter
October, 2012
www.auroratrinitylutheran.org

Food Shelf Sunday at Aurora

The next food shelf Sunday at Aurora will be on th Sunday, October 7 . Please give to this worthy cause and help people in need.

Family Fun Night at Aurora

Everyone is welcome to attend the family fun night at Aurora on Saturday, th October 13 . The fun starts at 4:00 p.m. and lasts until 8:00 p.m. There will be wagon rides, a potluck meal, & a bonfire with smores. Bring a dish to pass for the potluck as well as the entire family & friends for a fun night out!

New Parish Office Administrator

After several months of soliciting for this position, the councils are excited to announce that it has been filled by Lisa Korbel from Aurora. She will begin her duties mid-October. We appreciate that Kayla agreed to stay on until a replacement has been found and also her time in training Lisa in. Thank you Kayla for your dedication and work done for Aurora & Trinity.

Young Adult Group

Our October Young Adults event is right around the corner. We are planning a fun, yet casual gathering at Pastor Jon and Lauren's house on Sunday, October st 21 . Sunday's are a great day to hang out, watch the football games, and most importantly, socialize with good friends. So why not do it together! Here's the details: When: Sunday, October 21st Time: 2:00 Where: Pastor Jon & Lauren's house What to bring: A small appetizer if you'd like &your own beverage We had a great time at our September outing, and hope that everyone can join in the fun at this next one! If you have any questions, please call Michelle Williams (456-8468) or Ryan Williams (262-349-0545)

Annual Pastor Evaluation

It's hard to believe it has been a year since Pastor Jon joined our parish. We have been very fortunate that God has brought him and his wonderful family to us. Now it's time to evaluate how things are going. We ask that you share your thoughts and opinions by completing a short, 10-minute survey. The feedback generated will be helpful to Pastor in determining how to move forward and so he can be sensitive to your needs. It can be completed several ways: In writing: a survey is enclosed in this newsletter Through e-mail: send an e-mail to jeannep193@gmail.com and the survey will be e-mailed to you. Online: go to our website at www.auroratrinitylutheran.org and click on "Links" button. There will be an established link which will take you directly to the on-line survey. We ask that you complete by October 31 and return your survey to either Jeanne Pichner or Rich Paulson via e-mail or in person, or place in the box located in the narthex. Thank you in advance!!

High School Luther League Youth

There will be a meeting Sunday, October 7 , 6:30 8:00 p.m. at Aurora to talk about plans for the next year. There will be pizza! Bring your ideas, questions, creativity, and energy so we can make this next year great! If you have any questions or if you are not able to come to the meeting but have ideas of what you would like to see happen with Luther League contact Nathele 507-319-4146.
th

Newsletter Information Deadline

Please have all information for the November newsletter and calendar to Kayla by Thursday, th October 18 . Please e-mail your information to owatpaape@aol.com or you can call either 451-3941 or 507-390-2039.

Aurora Sunday School Students to Sing

The Aurora Sunday School Students will be th singing during the Sunday, October 28 , worship service.

Christ in Our Home Booklets

The Christ in Our Home booklets are now available for the months of October, November, and December. They are available at both Aurora and Trinity.

Aurora Church Council

The next church council meeting will be on th Wednesday, October 17 , at 6:30 p.m. at church.

Aurora-Trinity Joint Council Meeting

The Aurora-Trinity Joint/council meeting will be on th Wednesday, October 17 at 7:00 p.m. at Trinity.

Boo for Food! on Wednesday, October 31st Halloween

Our mission is to feed people in body, mind, and spirit. On Halloween, youth and adults are invited to participate in an event that benefits our local food shelf. Groups are gathering to go trick-or-treating for canned goods to be donated to the Steele County food shelf in Owatonna. We will gather at Our Saviors Lutheran in Owatonna (1909 Saint Paul Road in Owatonna) at 6:15 p.m. and head out to our assigned section of the city. Around 8:00 p.m., all groups will gather again to drop off food and have a closing bonfire and devotion. If interested, please sign up at church or call Pastor Jon. Drivers may be needed. If you are willing to be a driver, please indicate that on the sign-up form.

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.

Welcome Corner
Presley Jenna Noel Condon & Zeah Rae-Lynn Condon, daughters of William Condon & Holly Weise became members of Aurora through the Sacrament of Baptism th on September 16 . Welcome to Ayla Rebecca Mueller, daughter of John & Rebecca Mueller. She became a member of Aurora through the Sacrament of Baptism on Sunday, June th 17 . Welcome Elizabeth Ruth Rosecke, daughter of Jeremy and 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.

ELCAs Statement on Criminal Justice

Did you know that 1 out of 100 adults is behind bars in the United States? The US has one of the highest percentages of individuals behind bars in the world. There are serious deficiencies in our criminal justice system and there is need for reform. The ELCA has put out a draft of a social statement on criminal justice. Documents like these help to guide our participation in society as Christians. The ELCA would like feedback on this social statement from members like you. On Thursday, October 25, at 6:30pm at Aurora, Pastor Jon will hold a discussion for those interested in giving feedback to the ELCA. A link to the social statement can be found on our website. If you would like a print version please speak with Pastor Jon.

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.

Please be sure to review the following enclosures:

Pastor Jons Letter Aurora September Church Council Meeting Minutes Pastor Evaluation SE MN Synod Newsletter

Kindess Cookies
The Sunday School Students made these cookies and shared with others during the 2011-2012 Sunday School year as part of one the rotational Sunday School Sessions. cup applesauce 1 cup brown sugar cup butter 1 egg 1 cup flour tsp. baking soda tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon tsp. ground cloves Vanilla Frosting butter 2 cups powdered sugar 1 Tbsp. milk 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix applesauce, brown sugar, butter, and egg together. Then add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ground cloves. Cover & refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cool & frost with vanilla frosting.

Where else?
Last month, I wrote about the importance of relationships. Have you made any new relationships since then? Have you met anyone new at church or elsewhere? As a pastor friend of mine recently told, relationships are where all that church stuff we talk about forgiveness, grace, love happens. Relationships are important. Even the promise that we are made in the image of God is a fully relational promise. We bear resemblance with God; we are related to God. God will not be God without us; God chooses to be known in and through relationships. But I dont want to simply highlight relationships in general as important. I want us to think about intergenerational relationships. Think about it where else in your life, or your kids life, is there the opportunity to spend time with three, if not four, generations of people who are not family? Church is a unique location where adults who have lived through the depression and children who have only known of iPhones and Kindle Fires come together in worship and fellowship. What a wide variety of knowledge and wisdom that resides within the walls of the church on Sunday mornings! A goal that we have this year is to strengthen the relationships between Aurora and Trinity. I have already seen movement in this area in the past couple of months, with Trinity members helping at the Aurora Diner and Aurora members helping at the Trinity Aebleskiver supper. We will continue to work on this, but as we do, we also want to strengthen the relationships within Aurora and Trinity. We want those who have worshipped together for years (decades?) to get to know one another better. Here are some of the ways we are working on intergenerational relationships in the months ahead: Inviting adults into the Confirmation program as mentors. Thirteen adults have agreed to come alongside our Confirmation students this year! Offering at least one intergenerational service project each month. All members, regardless of age, from both Aurora and Trinity are invited to help out. Finally, there will be Intergenerational fellowship events, like the Fall Festival on October 13th at Aurora. I hope that you will join us in this effort to deepen our relationships with one another. Know that I am grateful for all of you. Peace and love, Pastor Jon

Aurora Lutheran Church Council Meeting Sept 19 2012 The regular monthly meeting of the Aurora Church Council met on Sept 19, 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, Sara Pichner. A joint meeting was held with Trinity council members attending. Our agenda was to interview the candidates for Administrative Assistant. It was a very hard decision, as all the candidates were qualified and could handle the position. Thank you to all who applied. Lisa Korbel will be our new Parish Officer Administrator, starting in about 3 weeks. The Secretarys report was not read, nor was the Treasures report read. Jodi submitted the following totals: General Fund: $549.55; Building Fund: $4,004.60; Memorial Fund: $10,939.55; Parsonage Fund: $1,462.75; Cemetery Fund: $7,843.44. Pastor Jons notes: Pastor Jon and family will be on vacation after church on Sept 23-Sept 30. Paige Whitney will be preaching on Sept 30. Oct. 1-3 Pastor Jon will be at a preaching conference at Luther Seminary. The sign in front of the church needs the service times changed. Ryan Schrom will do it. The Parsonage is in need of painting. WELCA is looking into getting some new windows also at the parsonage using funds from the Trappers Convention. The NW side of the basement is moist at the parsonage. The copier is broken again. Our choices are to leases, buy new or look into using other churches machines. Ryan will look into leasing, Jodi will look into buying new and Pastor Jon will contact some churches. We will be purchasing a lap top for the Parish Office Administrator. Sara Pichner and Jodi will be looking into it and purchasing one. Karyn Kubista is concerned that the play ground equipment is very unsafe. The Sunday School would like to start some fund raisers to raise money to replace the equipment. The council approved the idea. Due to an over site and the company changing its name, we have fallen behind on our insurance payment. To catch up we have set up a payment plan. A motion was made and seconded to authorize Jodi to pay the insurance payment plus the catch up payment, boring from the emergency fund if necessary. We will have the back bills paid up and current by the end of December. Our next meeting will be on Oct 17, 2013 at Aurora. The joint meeting will be at 6:30 with Aurora having their council meeting following. Respectfully Submitted, Cheryl Thompson, Secretary