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April 2013 Newsletter Worship Services:

Special Services: Sunday, April 14 Guest Speaker Jolene Sherrets from Hospitality House Communion Worship Services:
Sunday, April 7th & 21st

Guest Speaker, Jolene Sherrets, on Sunday, April 14th

As many of you know, our Lenten Offering Folders raised money for the Hospitality House, the home for homeless men in Owatonna. Jesus said whenever we have given food to the hungry or clothes to the naked, we have fed and clothed him. Our Lenten Offerings are supporting a ministry that puts a roof over the very head of Jesus. On Sunday, April 14th, Jolene Sherrets will be speaking in worship about the Hospitality House. She will share stories about how the Hospitality House has been instrumental in helping men in our communities not only survive the cold nights, but also turn their lives around.

Council Meeting: The next Joint Council Meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 17th at 6:30 p.m. at Trinity.

Young Adult Group

Everyone seemed to have a great time at our last gathering, so we thought we would do the same thing for April! The next gathering will be at Grand Plaza Morena on Friday, April 12 at 7:00 p.m. Feel free to spread the word and invite anyone youd like. See you there!
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Confirmation:
7 & 8 Grade: April 8th & 15 @ 6:30 pm April 29th -6:30 p.m.-End of Year Party for Confirmation Students and Mentors
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9th Grade: April 19 -20 Confirmation Retreat (More information will be sent out at a later date)
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Food Shelf Sunday

The next food shelf Sunday at Aurora is Sunday, April 7th! Please give to this worthy cause as we Feed Bodies with the Love of Jesus!

WELCA will be having a meeting on Saturday, April 13th. A continental breakfast will be served. A program with Spring Gardening Tips will follow the business meeting. Come and ENJOY! Think Spring!!

Aurora Nursery
Bonnie Johnson is willing to staff a nursery for babies through 4 years old every second Sunday of the month. Bonnie will be available in the preschool/kindergarten room.

Mission Committee
Pastor Jon is looking for 2-3 more people to be on a Mission Committee. Three people have already stepped forward. The purpose of this committee is to envision and plan how Aurora and Trinity can attend to the three mission goals that were set for our 2013 theme Feeding Body with the Love of Jesus. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Pastor Jon.
Anti-Bullying Event Hosted by SE MN Synod On April 14th, from 2:00pm-5:00pm, the SE MN Synod is hosting an anti-bullying event called Bullying in Our Midst: Hearing the Voices Which Connect And Call Us to Respond as Gods People. The event is held at St. Johns Lutheran in Kasson. Keynote speaker Adam Arnold will give a presentation called Analyzing the Bully. There will also be workshops on topics such as: Bullying Prevention and Preparation for Parents, Cyber Bullying, Young Voices for Change, What Can Compassionate Adults Do When Kids Call Other Kids Gay?, Strong Communities Stand Together in Crisis, and A Not So Little Secret: Bullies in Church. Pastor Jon will be bringing a group to this event. Please sign-up at church or contact Pastor Jon by April 7th. Any who are concerned about bullying in our community are invited to attend. Parents of middle school and high school students are strongly encouraged to attend with their child(ren).
Newsletter Information Deadline Please have all information for the April newsletter and calendar to Lisa by Friday, April 19th. Send

Pop Can Collection

Are you a pop consumer? Bring your empty cans to Aurora. The Prestegard family will be collecting the cans and donating the profits to the new playground equipment. Please be sure to bag the cans to prevent messes and pass them along to April or Alycin Prestegard. Thanks so much to the Prestegard family for your investment in our kids!!!

Service Project: We continue to work towards our mission of feeding BODIES with the love of Jesus. On Sunday, April 21st from 4:30 p.m- 6:30 p.m. we will help serve meals for the Meals of Hope Project at Trinity Lutheran Church in Owatonna. The mission at Meals of Hope is to provide a free, hot meal once a week for anyone who is at a point in their life where food or fellowship is hard to come by. If you have any questions or would like to participate please contact Jessie Kubista at 507-456-7717.

WELCA

your information to:auroratrinityoffice@gmail.com or you can call 507-456-0740.

The real incubators of faith are not church staff, but parents and guardians.
Dr. Rev. Rich Melheim
Dr. Rev. Rich Melheim, a former ELCA pastor in Owatonna, wrote this in an article titled How Faith is Formed: Family Affair for Christian Century in 2012. Do you agree or disagree? What Melheim is trying to say is that while traditionally the pastor and church staff have been viewed as responsible for teaching and passing on the faith to young people, the role of the family in faith has more impact in the end.

Agree or Disagree?

If this is true, then what does it mean for children, youth, and family education at Aurora and Trinity? The two key traditions and practices for children, youth, and family education are Sunday School and Confirmation. From what I see and hear from you, you wish for Sunday School and Confirmation to be a strong part of the Christian faith journey. In the past year or so, weve been trying to imagine what to do with Sunday School and Confirmation in light of current trends in the church and the lives of families in the 21st Century, such as the need for different learning styles among children and youth, confirmed youth not coming back to church, busier and busier schedules for children, youth, and families, etc. So how do we respond? Lets explore this topic together through conversation and discussion. Karen Gieseke, the Children, Youth, and Family (CYF) Ministry Coordinator for our synod, will be guiding us through this discussion on Sunday, April 21st from 12:00pm-1:30pm at Aurora. Christian Faith and Families Today with Karen Gieseke, synod CYF Ministry Coordinator Aurora, Sunday, April 21st 12:00pm 1:30pm Lunch will be provided. All ages are welcome! I would like to invite you, whether you are a leader in the congregation, a parent or grandparent of pre-school, elementary children, or junior or senior high youth, or just passionate about the faith and learning of our children and families. Please join us for conversation! Gods peace to you all, Pastor Jon

Aurora Lutheran Church Council Meeting March 19, 2013 The regular monthly meeting of the Aurora Lutheran Church Council was held on March 19, 2013. The members present were Jeanne Pichner, Mark Prestegard, Curtis Jenson, Brad Thurnau, Michelle Willams, Alicyn Prestegard, Ryan Schrom, Jon Davis and Nathele Beadell. The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by President Jeanne Pichner. Pastor Jon led the meeting with prayer and devotions. Secretarys report: The minutes from the February 19, 2012 meeting were approved as read. Treasures report: There was no Treasures report. Pastors report: Jon presented the Council Covenant. The council agreed to follow the covenant as read. Three people (Rich Paulson, Judy Thimson & Alicyn Prestegard) have come forward to lead the mission committee. They will focus on ways the church can meet its goals of feeding body mind and spirit. Marlene Nelson from the Hospitality House will be speaking at the April 7 th church service. There is an Anti-bullying conference in Kasson on April 14 th. Jon will be asking the confirmation youth to attend. Jon asked that the church cover the $30 fee. The fee would cover everybody that would attend from our congregation. Curtis made a motion to cover the $30 fee, Mark seconded, the motion passed by a unanimous vote. On April 21st Karen Gieseke from the synod will be leading a discussion about how Sunday school, confirmation and worship has and is changing. With the fundraising the Sunday school is doing for the new playground equipment, it has been brought to our attention we need to look into what regulations, insurance and/or liabilities need to be addressed before we move forward with purchasing and installing the equipment. Curtis will contact Steele County to address any regulations they may have. Jeanne will contact the insurance company to address the insurance and liabilities. How are we supporting families that are dealing with the loss of a loved one? We will be looking into tools, devotions, or other ways we can help support families dealing with grief.

Old Business: The financial audit has not been completed yet. The parish agreement is finished and has been approved by the synod.

New Business: Jon noted the parsonage needs to be painted as the paint is peeling. We will be addressing this need. Note from WELCA: The diner needs a new water heater, new stoves for the back room and the front and new coffee pots. Jeanne and Angie will be looking into costs of new and/or used equipment. Looking forward do we want to celebrate the 50 th anniversary of the diner in 2015?

The meeting was adjourned at 8:00p.m. The next council meeting is a joint meeting and will be held on April 17 th, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. at Trinity. Respectfully submitted, Nathele Beadell