Aurora Trinity Lutheran Parish Monthly Newsletter

June, 2012
www.auroratrinitylutheran.org

Cemetery Notice for Aurora Members

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Due to safety concerns, artificial flowers and ornaments not in above ground pots will be removed th June 15 . No glass bottles or glass vases are allowed! Tim Johnson, Cemetery Caretaker

Come to Narnia This Summer!

Calling all children, parents.anyone! Come join Pastor Jon on a trip through the wardrobe and into the land of Narnia. Beginning on June 10th, following the worship service at Aurora, Pastor Jon invites children of all ages to stick around and go on a journey, to hear the story of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis. Each Sunday from June 10th through July, Pastor Jon will read part of the story out loud for about 30 minutes. All are invited to attend!

WELCA Picnic and Meeting

The next WELCA meeting will be on th Tuesday, June 19 at a park. Sub sandwiches will be provided by the Board. The drink and dessert will be provided by: Karyn Kubista, Vivian Rubedor, & Nicole Copp. Watch the bulletins for more details.

Open House Graduation for Samantha Larson

You are invited to an open house for Samantha Larson in honor of her graduation from Owatonna High School nd on Saturday, June 2 from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. at her home. The address is: 8400 Austin Road; Claremont, MN.

Food Shelf Sunday at Aurora

The next food shelf Sunday at Aurora will be on rd Sunday, June 3 . Please give to this worthy cause and help people in need.

Vacation Bible School 2012

It is hard to believe that it is already time to start thinking about Vacation Bible School, but it is true, it is fast approaching. Vacation Bible School is scheduled th th th th for June 11 , 12 , 13 , and 14 at Aurora. Again this year, we are looking forward to another fun filled week of good food, lots of music, fun crafts, games, and learning new things about the Bible. Just like last year, Bible School will be held in the evening from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Supper and a snack will be provided. The cost is $10.00 per child ($25.00 family maximum). Bible School is open to kids preschool through 3rd grade. Friends are welcome to attend. Please contact me at 507-456-2614 if you are interested. We are also looking for volunteers to help throughout the week. Please let me know if you want to help out. We hope to have another great turn out this year. Jerianne Hendricks, Aurora Sunday School Superintendent

Newsletter Information Deadline

Please have all information for the April newsletter and st calendar to Kayla by Thursday, June 21 . Please email your information to owatpaape@aol.com or you can call either 451-3941 or 507-390-2039.

Aurora Church Council

The June Aurora church council meeting will be on th Wednesday, June 20 at 6:30 p.m. at Aurora.

2011-2012 Aurora and Trinity Graduates

The following Aurora students will be rd honored on Sunday, June 3 at the 10:30 a.m. Worship Service and before the worship service with rolls & coffee: Kelsey Kubista & Samantha Larson are the graduates this year. Congratulations on your high school graduation and best of luck with your future plans! Congratulations to Julia Manges of Trinity on her high school graduation! She will be honored at Trinitys 9:00 a.m. worship service. We wish her all the best with her future plans!

Monday Night Worship Services at Aurora

Beginning on Monday, June 4th, there will be an evening worship service at Aurora at 6:30 p.m. This service will be shorter and more informal than Sundays services. If you are unable to worship with us on Sunday, you are invited to come and worship on Monday evenings.

Cemetery Cleanup
On Saturday, June 16 , there will be a cemetery cleanup day starting at 8:00 a.m. One focus will be to cut down dead trees. Please bring chain saws, rakes and anything else that could be needed for yard work. Come and help beautify our church property.
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Aurora Communion Meeting

Everyone is welcome to attend a meeting regarding the possibility of having communion twice a month on th Monday, June 25 at 7:00 p.m. This will following the 6:30 p.m. Monday Worship Service.

96 Mosquito Nets! Thank You!

Knowing that a child dies every 45 seconds in Africa from Malaria, we decided to give our quarters during Lent to fight it. Our goal was to raise enough money to help purchase 40 mosquito nets, each of which cost $10. As a great sign of Gods abundance, we were able to not only beat this goal, but also more than double it! We raised enough money to purchase 96 mosquito nets! The ELCA has committed to raising $15 million dollars by 2015 to help fight Malaria. We have helped move the ELCA toward that goal. Thank you for your generosity!

Food, Fire, & Friends - Young Adult Group

The next Young Adults outing is set for th Friday, June 29 . It will be held at Amy (Pichner) Gillis house. We will be grilling, playing some yard games and making smores over a camp fire. Hot dogs, buns and lemonade will be provided. Please bring a dish to pass if youd like. Please feel free to invite others to join in the fun!!
Where: Amy (Pichner) Gillis (5784 NW 76 St Medford, MN) When: Friday, June 29th Time: 7:00
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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.

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.

Directions to Amys house from Owatonna: Take I 35 N Turn off at the Medford Exit Take the round about to the West Turn right onto County Road 23 County Road 23 th will make a sharp left curve to the West (76 St.) Go 3 miles and Amys house is on the right side of the road (look for a white fence and grain bins). 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!

Welcome Corner
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.

Please be sure to review the following enclosures:

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

Aurora Lutheran Church Council Meeting May 2012 The regular monthly meeting of the Aurora Church Council met on May 16, 2012, at 6:30 PM. Those present were Pastor Jon Davis, Mark Prestegard, Cheryl Thompson, Roger Carroll, Brett Paape, Michelle Williams, Curtis Jensen. The Secretarys report was read. There was no Treasures report: General Fund: $4,888.23. (no other details were available) No formal meeting was held as we did not have a quorum. Pastor Jons notes: He expressed his Thanks for all the support they have received since Elliots birth. May 20 after the 9AM worship we will be going over our mission statement. This will be a joint service. JoAnn Nelson got us aprons that we can use at the diner. We just need to get the printing done. Pew Cushions: Angie Jensen got a bid for new cushions, between $4300 and $4400. Mark Prestegard said that there was about $2000 given in memory of his dad, marked for new cushions. As we had no quorum, no further decision was made. Book reading: Pastor Jon will be reading the book: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe after our 10:30 service starting June 10. This is a childrens book, but everyone is invited to stay after church and listen. He will be reading from 11:30-12:00. Communion: Pastor Jon went over some of the different traditions surrounding communion. He will be having a meeting Monday, June 25 starting after Monday night services at 7PM. All are invited to come and learn about communion and express their feelings on have communion twice a month. We will again be having Monday night services starting June 4 at 6:30PM. This is another opportunity to worship if you are unable to be at church on Sunday mornings. 1. Window: Roger Carroll did drop off the contract at Kirschers. The window has not been fixed as of yet. Roger will again contact Kirschners to see when they are going to do the work. 2. Suggestion Box: Curtis Jensen had Paul Kubicek make one. It will be on the table where the cookbooks are. If you see any repairs needed in the church or suggestions put them in the box. 3. Trees: Once again a day to clean up the cemetery is needed. There are trees that are dead that need to be cut down. Saturday June 16 will be our clean up day starting at 8AM. Please bring chain saws, rakes and anything else that could be needed for yard work. Come and help beautify our church property. 4. Mosquito Net: we raised enough money to purchase 96 nets! Thanks to all who helped us exceed our goal of 40! Respectfully Submitted, Cheryl Thompson, Secretary

Dear Friends in Christ, A sacrament is when the promises of God are combined with an ordinary, tangible thing. As Lutherans (along with other Protestants), we have two sacraments Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. The promises of God found in these sacraments are that we have been claimed as Gods beloved children. That our sins are forgiven. That we are valued and cared for. That God promises to be for and with us always. That we belong. The ordinary, tangible thing in Holy Baptism is water. We get your head wet so that there is no question whom these promises are for. You. In Holy Communion, the ordinary, tangible thing is simple bread and wine. These are things you can taste and see. And take into your body. Again, there is no doubt whom the promises of God are for. You. But there is one more thing. We take Holy Communion together at a common table, next to family members, friends, strangers. Which means these promises of God are for them as well. The sacraments are about being washed and cared for, fed and nourished by God. They are a visible means of Gods grace. Something we can touch and taste. Throughout this past year, many have asked if we can begin having Holy Communion twice a month. In response, others have indicated that they want to stay with Holy Communion only once a month. There are good and faithful reasons for both points of view. Some do not want Holy Communion to become too commonplace and lose its meaning. Others want more opportunities to hear and receive these tangible promises of God. In Scripture, the early church is indicated to have celebrated this sacrament every week (Acts 2:42, 20:7). But throughout history, there have been a variety of practices, including only celebrating Holy Communion four times a year. Today, the majority of churches receive this sacrament either weekly, or twice a month. In March, Trinity voted to have Holy Communion twice a month. After some discussion with the Aurora Council, they are open to the idea of doing the same. But we would like to also hear from you! On Monday, June 25th, at 7pm, there will be a conversation about Holy Communion at Aurora. All are invited to attend. I will speak about the history and meaning of Holy Communion, as well as invite conversation around whether Aurora should begin having Holy Communion twice a month or not. If you are not able to attend, please let me know if you have any thoughts or concerns at another time. Peace and love, Pastor Jon