We will seek God’s will, share God’s love, and serve as Christ’s people.

Christ Lutheran News August 2020

Changing the World

When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.

I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.

When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town.

I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.

Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself,

and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself,

I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact

on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.

Christ Lutheran Church Building remains closed until further notice.

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Saturday: 5:15 pm Saturday Evening Worship with Holy Communion Sunday: 9:00 am Sunday School (September —May) 10:00 am Worship Broadcasts: Sunday, 11:30 am Worship broadcast on Radio KJOE FM 106.1

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Executive Council

Travis Stoel, President Brenda Whitehead, Vice President

Kathy Behrends, Secretary Karen Frisk, Treasurer

Remember to check out our Mobile Friendly

Website: christinslayton.weebly.com

“Slayton Christ Lutheran Church”

Would you prefer to read your newsletter online or by

e-mail? Please e-mail us: slaytonchrist

lutheran@gmail.com

Inside this issue:

From the Pastor 4

From the Lay Minister 6

Council Minutes—July 8

Carpet & Door Updates 10

Financial / Giving 11

Emergency Response/Youth 12

WCLC / Prayers / Stress 14

Staff Updates / Local Resources 20

Devotionals / Shop with Scrip 26

LYO / Canews 28

Birthdays / Anniversaries 30

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Prayer Requests

Call the church office at 507-836-8291, or e-mail with your prayer requests. If you would like a pastoral visit or be included in pastoral prayers during worship, please call the church office.

Address, Phone & Email Corrections

Christ Lutheran maintains a database of all members. If you have had any changes to your address, phone num-ber, marital status, etc. please contact Dawn with your name and the changes that need to be made.

If You Are Ill

Hospitals no longer notify churches when their members are admitted for care. While we feel these laws are im-portant to maintain your privacy, we would like to sup-port you with prayer and a visit. Please call the church office 836-8291 to keep us informed of your situation.

Church Office: 836-8291 Street Address: 2959 Queen Avenue, Slayton, MN 56172 E-mail: slaytonchristlutheran@gmail.com Website: christinslayton.weebly.com Dawn Mouw, Office Manager Dale Lange, Custodian

Pastor Dale Degner Cell Phone: 701-261-8437 Email: prdale.clcslayton@gmail.com

Gwen Degner, Lay Minister Email: gwen.clcslayton@gmail.com

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Dear Members and Friends of Christ Lutheran Church,

Is there any bias in your life? Do you have some pretty strong opinions about some things, and are quite certain that anything other possibilities seems wrong? I am fairly certain that, if we are truly honest with ourselves, the an-swer to both of these questions is “Yes.” Something hap-pens in our lives that sways our opinions. We see a topic and the first thing our human brain does is judge it as good or bad. Then our brain digs into our past and all sorts of memories come rushing to our minds of why we believe this topic is good or bad. All of this is done in a flash, less than a second. This is how our brains work and it is neither good nor bad…it is how God made our brains to work.

This is not the end of the story, or at least, it should not be. God also created our brain to be aware of itself. In other words, when a topic comes up in conversation, we automat-ically label it as good or bad, BUT we also have the ability to be aware of what our brain just did so quickly, and to stop right there. This is the point where we make a choice either to go with what our brain has told us how we have thought previously, OR to take a new path and challenge that whole process. The Bible calls this repentance, or to change one’s attitude or mind and begin walking a new path God has in mind for us.

Many, many times, what the brain has dug up for us from our past is taken as the truth for us and rarely are our brains challenged. We use that same part of the brain only and leave the rest of the brain sit dormant. How sad that is. There is so much potential waiting to be used, and it is rare-ly awakened. The brain is like muscles in our body: if we don’t use it, it atrophies.

When often give away our opportunity to be aware of why we think the way we do. In other words, we have become biased. We have chosen to go along with whatever our

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brain has dug up for us: we have allowed ourselves to be taken over completely by our brain’s initial, and sometimes errant, findings.

There is a Biblical word that can break this problem of ours. We all know that word, and our brains might have given it a negative connotation. The word is…repentance. The word repentance has gotten bad rap because often people see a change of mind or heart as being weak. I don’t see it that way. I see repentance as the strength to move forward in a way that God is providing to me this day. Yesterday was good for me…yesterday. Today is a new day and it might have new beginnings.

Isaiah 43:19 has God telling all of us: “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” If we don’t allow our brains to be aware that it is making judg-ments for us, we will continue to be biased and make judg-ments based on the same rut we’ve been stuck in for years. Repentance, being aware of the brain and the possibility of something completely new and even better for us, is the on-ly way out of this rut we are in…this bias that we haven’t challenged.

What stance have you taken and left unchallenged in your life? God is doing a new thing…can you perceive it? Be aware. Be aware of your bias. Be aware that God has already done a new thing for you!

Pastor Dale

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Hope It seems a lot of us, including me, are a bit crabby lately. Somedays are harder than others. Today, in this moment, I am going to choose to look for signs of hope, because that might give me an attitude adjustment.

Signs of hope are right here in front of us if we have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart that is open. Sometimes those signs are in the simplest, most common things.

I see signs of hope in the green grass and trees outside my window, and in the burst of colors in a garden.

I see signs of hope in the intricate design of a flower or a leaf or in the swirl of summer clouds across the prairie sky.

I see signs of hope in a field of tasseled corn, or golden wheat, or thriving soybeans.

I hear signs of hope in the rush of a waterfall or the crashing waves of Lake Superior.

I see signs of hope in my daughter’s face 4,000+ miles away, thanks to technology.

I see signs of hope when I watch my children as they parent my grandchildren.

I see signs of hope when I watch my granddaugh-ters’ wonder at the world around them and their joy at exploring the outdoors, and I have hope when I feel their tight hugs.

I see signs of hope when I look in the faces of the wonderful people of this congregation and hear their kind words of encouragement.

What signs of hope do you notice?

If those earthly things give me that much hope, how much more profound is the hope I have when I remember God’s promises to me?

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God promises that God is alive and active and doing a new thing. See Isaiah 43:19.

God promises that God loves me. See Isaiah 43:4.

God’s promise to be with me. See Matthew 28:20.

God promises me eternal life. See John 3:16.

And here’s one more. In Romans 8:38-39 (NRSV) the Apostle Paul tell us,

“For I am convinced that neither death,

nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any-thing else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

My prayer for you today is that you will find hope in the world around you, and most of all, in God’s promises to you.

Yours in Christ,

Gwen

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from

the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~Romans 8:38-39 (NRSV)

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The meeting was called to order by President Stoel. Those in attend-ance online and in person were: Travis Stoel, Nancy Moberg, Gwen and Pastor Dale Degner, Brenda Whitehead, Jeff Grieme, Dawn Mouw, Amy Benda, Megan Schryv-ers, Karen Frisk, Irene Moline, Tim Lange, Arlyn Stokesbary and Kathy Behrends.

Pastor Dale led us with devotions. The Agenda was approved as pre-sented. M/S/P Dale/Brenda The secretary’s report for the June 10, 2020 council meeting was presented. M/S/P to accept as presented. Travis/Karen The June treasurer’s report was re-viewed. The balance is listed as $32,362.75. The treasurer’s report will be filed for audit. Pastor Dale shared with the members his month’s accomplishments: Zoom meetings, proposal for a Covid-19 team, Personnel Committee meeting, Bible Study ideas, researching church monies not being used, etc. Gwen’s shared her report which sum-marized her work with zoom meetings,

researching Sunday school curricu-lum, seeking volunteers for the consti-tution project and working on the Safe Haven policies committee using zoom meeting format with the two volun-teers, researching racial justice is-sues, etc. Old Business: Carpet: A motion was made by Pastor

Dale/Jeff which was passed to pro-ceed with the carpet project. Abatement issues discovered have increased the original bid. There are funds available in savings that can also be used for this project. Brenda will prepare an article for congregational donation opportuni-ties. Volunteers are being sought to move the pews into the fellow-ship hall, etc. to prepare for the carpet installation. Rustad’s of Pipestone was awarded the bid, at a cost of approximately $50,000.

Handicapped Doors: Two bids were received for this installation on the West side entrance. M/S/P by Brenda/Karen to proceed with this project, accepting the bid from a Worthington company for $5,000.00 which comes with a 1 year warranty. Electrical installa-tion will be an additional expense.

Constitution Committee: Gwen re-ported that one person has volun-

Christ Lutheran Church Executive Council Minutes

Zoom Meeting and in Person July 8, 2020

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teered to work on this project and is looking for more volunteers.

Safe Haven Policies: Progress has been made. It is recommended to have legal counsel review the poli-cy before final approval is given.

CARES Act Application Update: This money has been utilized with no funds remaining.

Church Directory: Will be resched-uled for April of 2021.

New Business: Next Meeting: August 12, 2020 7:30

p.m. Task Force for reopening the

church: Pastor Dale presented a Motion to develop a Task Force for the Reopening of the Church, to consist of 5 members. The membership would consist of the pastor and one member each from the Executive board, Health Ministries Team, Property and Management Committee and the Worship and Evangelism Commit-tee. Their responsibilities will be to create, implement and oversee a detailed emergency plan for the care and reopening of the Church building, designate a plan admin-istrator, make the call to deter-mine when and what conditions to use when the church reopens, serve for a one year term or until this pandemic has passed, and then the Task Force will be re-placed with an Emergency Pre-paredness Team to prepare for any future catastrophic events.

An amendment to this motion was M/S/P Brenda/Tim, For the Task Force to provide their recom-mendations for the re-opening or closing to the Executive Council and Pastor Dale for final approval, with the final decision being made within 24 hours. Amy seconded Pastor Dale’s Motion. The original motion with the amendment passed.

Update Office Phones: The Church phones are outdated. M/S/P Brenda/Amy to purchase replace-ment phones, with a headset and proper technology for the Church, with this expense being taken from the technology budget.

SLM letter – Mission Outreach: This committee will be in charge of designing a fundraising program and set a goal to go toward SLM’s “Building on the Foundation Cam-paign”.

Board Reports: Fellowship and Service: No report/

meeting Mission Outreach: No report/

meeting Parish Ed: No report/meeting Property and Management: Carpet

and Door information is listed above. The walk through inspec-tions were made. Several pro-jects are being planned which include painting of the Church hallway walls and ceiling, insula-tion in the parsonage attic areas, installation of parsonage window,

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and mowing for August. Stewardship: No report/meeting Worship and Evangelism: Suggest-

ed that in the event of rain dur-ing the Sunday drive-in service that an announcement be made by 8:00 a.m. with indoor/online service being held.

WCLC: No report Youth: No report/meeting

A motion was made to adjourn. M/S/P Kathy/Travis The meeting was adjourned with the Lord’s Prayer. Respectfully Submitted Kathy Behrends

Flooring Project Update

The carpet at church needs replacing. Property and Man-agement, along with council approval, is preparing to start this project the end of the week. Approximately $50,000 is needed to purchase the carpet, remove the old and install the new. Also included in the cost is about $27,000 for abatement – asbestos removal. We have about $30,000 from building renewal, the carpet fund, and memorials. Please consider helping fund the carpet project. Donations can be made by check (with Flooring in the memo), or given online – https://christinslayton.weebly.com/onlineautomatic-giving.html

Automatic Door Openers

At the last council meeting, the council approved the instal-lation of automatic door openers on the west doors. Watch for more information as it comes available.

Calls to Church

Because the building is stilled locked and we are in the of-fice only limited hours, we have forwarded the calls to the parsonage telephone. So, if you’re calling the church and get the parsonage answering machine, please leave a mes-sage.

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On this page you will find a brief overview of Christ Lutheran’s finances. At the annual meet-ing, the congregation voted on the 2020 budg-et. The budgeted amount for general offerings

breaks down to $27,048.33 each month to cover our antic-ipated ministry expenses. 4% of your offerings each month will be sent to the Synod office to meet our Synod Mission Support goal.

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Additional Ways to Give to Christ Lutheran Church

GivePlus Text—507-481-1314

GivePlus Church App

You can find videos on our website to help with texting or the app. You will also find a link to give online or a form if you pre-fer to give through a monthly bank draft. Contact one of the Stewardship Committee or the office with questions.

Christinslayton.weebly.com/onlineautomatic-giving

Here’s a look at where we ended June:

Balance 4/30/20: $ 36,742.35 May/June Receipts: $ 39,967.72 May/June Expenses: $ (45,303.10) Net Savings Transfers (designated): $ 955.78 Ending Balance 6/30/20: $ 32,362.75

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Emergency Response Team Christ Lutheran Church has formed an Emergency Re-sponse team to create, implement, and oversee a plan for the care and reopening of the building. The team in-cludes Pastor Dale, Brenda Whitehead representing the Executive Board, Parish Nurse Caren Voss, Joan Kluis from the Worship and Evangelism Committee, and Russ Winter from the Property and Management Committee. Please pray for this team as it does this important work. The building will remain closed through the month of Au-gust to all except staff, those working with the flooring project, and those who help with worship.

SK Notify

Christ Lutheran now has the ability to send out group notifi-cations by email, text or even voice messages. (For those who get notifications from school, it’s a very similar pro-gram.) At this time the plan is to use text messages and/or voice mails for reminders for committee meetings, church cancellations due to weather, when a decision to open church has been made, and Confirmation & Sunday School communication.

I sent a test text message to myself and it came from 223-82 from SK Notify: I’ll try to remember to add CLC at the beginning of the message so you know it’s from church.

If we don’t already have your email address or cell phone, please send an email to the church and we’ll get your con-tact information updated. A HUGE thank you to those who have already done this!

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Sunday School

Even though we are still unsure of what Sunday School will look like this fall, we are still looking for Sunday School teachers. Contact the church office if you are interested.

Photo Directory Pictures

have been rescheduled, again!

Tuesday, April 7, 2021 through Saturday, April 10, 2021

and

Tuesday, April 21, 2021 through Saturday, April 24, 2021

National Youth Gathering Has been postponed until July 24-28, 2022,

in Minneapolis.

Start making plans now to attend!

Safe Haven Update

Our Safe Haven Team of Connie Berglund, Kim John-son, and Gwen Degner has been meeting weekly by Zoom since mid-June to craft Safe Haven Guidelines to protect members of the congregation from physical, ver-bal, and sexual abuse. Special emphasis is on children, youth, and vulnerable adults. The guidelines will provide for training and screening for those who work with minis-tries in our congregation, and will communicate clear policies and procedures for preventing and reporting abuse.

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Our Mission: To mobilize women to act boldly on

their faith in Jesus Christ.

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Women’s Events Cancelled

There will be no Women’s Bible Studies or Quilting during August

If comparison is the thief of joy, then Lord,

help me to not compare my life today to my life 6 months ago.

Help me find the joy in THIS life,

and in THIS day, and to know that it is from you,

and it is enough. Amen ~Nadia Bolz-Weber

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Prayer Concerns

Kraig Boese, Phyllis Bruns, Gary Busse, Roger Busswitz, Bernice Crompton, Patty Crowley, Elayne Finke, Sawyer Frovarp, Les Hakeneis, Brian Hanson, John Henning, Jon Hoyme, Harry Kirlin, Teresa Liesenfeld, Lyla Nelson, Margaret Nelson, David Petersen, Marilyn Robillard, Clarine Schaeffer, Linda Schmalz, Carl Schreier, Judy Schreier, Chris Van Meveren.

Continue to remember in prayer ~ Those dealing with cancer and other long-term

illnesses.

Members who are shut-in

Service men and women

Those who mourn the loss of loved ones

Those dealing with mental issues

Please continue to pray for our leaders, medical personnel

and those personally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Radio Broadcast Ministry Sponsors are Needed

Radio Broadcast sponsors are needed for September 13, 27 and October 18. Cost is $65. Thank you to all of those who are making these broadcasts possible! Your radio sponsorship is greatly appreciated.

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Stress

Many of us are feeling more anxious than usual during this time of pandemic. In the June/July newsletter, we shared “Signs and Symptoms of Stress” and what to do about them. Here are additional suggestions for managing your stress levels:

• Speak to loved ones. They can provide emotional support without them even knowing it. Call some-body you haven’t talked to in a while. Have some fun!

• Exercise regularly. Exercise can involve walking, cycling, running, working out, or playing sports. As you do these things, keep your mind on your senses, not emotions.

• Try centering prayer. I do this most days on Face-book Live. Join us or watch later. Nobody will even know you are there if you wish to remain anony-mous.

• Get at least 7 hours of sleep per night. This can be a difficult thing to manage. Avoid vigorous activity or playing or watching anything with screens at least one hour before bedtime. Avoid eating or drinking caffeinated products before going to bed.

• Smile. It doesn’t make sense, but the simple act of a smile for just a short time has shown amazing results in some people. Just smile a little while—maybe it will stick.

Remember that signs and symptoms of chronic stress can include:

• worrying

• loss of interest

• feeling anxious

• difficulty concentrating

• disorganized thinking

• difficulty sleeping

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• digestive problems

• changes in appetite

• weight loss or gain

• a perceived loss of control

• chest pain

• Poor hygiene

• Increased smoking or drinking

• frequent infections or illnesses

If you are experiencing symptoms that last for more than two weeks, or are seriously interfering with your ability to function at work, with your family, and in your social life, or is causing you to contemplate or plan to commit suicide, it would be a very good idea for you to consult with a mental health professional as soon as possible. Here are some resources:

Western Mental Health Center: 800-658-2429 Mobile Crisis Response Service: 507-337-4980 Minnesota Warmline (Non-Crisis): 877-404-3190 Text Crisis Line: Text MN to 741-741 Suicide Hotline (Luverne): 1-800-642-1525 National Suicide Prevention Line: 800-273-8255

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Worship services can be found on the church website: christinslayton.weebly.com

Or on the church Facebook page:

Slayton Christ Lutheran

MN Farm Suicide Survivors Support Group

The Minnesota Farm Suicide Survivors Support Group pro-vides online support to Minnesota farmers and farm families who have lost a loved one to suicide. The group will meet the third Monday of each month from 8-9:30 pm.

Their goal is to give survivors a nonjudgmental, comforta-ble, and completely confidential space to express them-selves and find support among other farm family members who truly understand.

For more information contact: Monica McConkey, Minneso-ta Rural Mental Health Specialist, monicama-riekm@yahoo.com or 218-280-7785.

To register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUpcOCuqzsqGdH9TbGemYTyBOZoPptkT

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Operation Prairie Venture

In May 2019, the nursing home in Slayton suddenly closed its doors. Since then, a group of concerned citizens has or-ganized to form a non-profit called Operation Prairie Ven-ture (OPV) to help address the need for services and hous-ing for older adults. This group is asking for your assistance in providing critical feedback they need to make progress in addressing the community’s needs.

Please help by taking the survey. A link can be found on our website. If you would like a paper version of the sur-vey, please email your request to jasonw@swrdc.org and OPV will deliver as many copies as you need. If you would like to learn more, visit www.operationprairieventure.org, www.facebook.com/operationprairieventure, email opvslay-ton@gmail.com or call Lynn Johnson at 507-836-6757.

A message from Murray County Hospice …

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What has the staff been up to?

We’re guessing some of you have been wondering what the staff has been up to since the church building closed at the end of March.

Pastor Dale -

I have been asked a few times, and I seriously do not know if it was serious or not, what I do in my spare time during this pandemic. Just the thought that somebody thinks the ministry has stopped during this time makes me wonder why Gwen and I are putting in more hours during this time. I don’t go to a farmer and ask him/her what is happening dur-ing their spare time. Farming goes on as usual, except dur-ing this pandemic, a few more things also have to be thought through. The same thing happens in ministry. Min-istry still has to happen, plus a whole lot more meetings, and plus a whole lot more thought has to go into things. And then there is the learning of how to do technology, which has been absolutely wonderful and I plan on using these new things forever. I am not a complainer of any of this (I do get tired of all the meetings though). I see these things as pure gift.

What have I been doing since March? The normal minis-tries have kept going except for getting into group living places. I still write the sermon and plan worship services (thank Gwen for all the time she is putting into this and oth-er things as well—see her report in this newsletter). I still reach out to people who are in need by phone or other means. Nothing has changed in ministry. I go to committee meetings, Ministerial meetings, Synod meetings and keep the ministry of Christ Lutheran Church viable.

After saying that, everything has changed. Gwen and I are doing more work in ministry than we ever have. If you’re on Facebook and have visited our page recently, you will have noticed that there is an explosion of activity happening. There are daily devotions/Bible study/Centering Prayer that

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I do. This was started because I have studied what all the powerful, positive effects these things have on people. Dur-ing the time of a pandemic, mental illnesses explode. This is my attempt to help people as much as possible and I have gotten so much feedback from people who aren’t even members of this church. I am going to be very un-Lutheran here and just say what I am feeling: I am proud of what I have done.

Other things Gwen and I have had to deal with is all the stuff that has to happen to open church again, and then what has to happen within the church when it does open. We have developed a task force who met once now and I think we have a good start. (Due to carpeting being done now while we are closed, church will be closed until at least September).

We have done work as the staff to try to make this strange time better for you. If you call the church and nobody is there, you will be transferred to the parsonage phone. We are at church on Tuesday through Thursday from 10:00A to 3:00P. There is so much stuff to communicate that has barely been started, but we will be letting you know things by Facebook, KJOE, emails and texts. Dawn is doing in-vestigating into new ways of communicating all the time and is finding some great things.

Gwen and I have been invited to be a part of the Synod Ra-cial Justice Network. We look forward to helping our syn-od’s endeavors in this area.

Lastly, there are so many webinars, classes done on Zoom, and networking with other pastors during this time that Gwen and I are doing. We are not alone in this pandemic and others, including Gwen and me, need help. I praise God for the wonderful people who reach out for help and who offer help. We are in this together and this is our only way to survive this time—together!

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Gwen -

I began working from home on March 18. We soon learned that everything took more time and energy as we explored new ways to do ministry to people of all ages. 4 ½ months later that is still true. It’s also been a time of great oppor-tunity to do new things.

Our priority has been to find new ways to do worship. Many hours of planning, re-planning, and recording services were necessary during March, April, and May. Figuring out how to finish confirmation classes was a big challenge. I also spent a great deal of time seeking and sharing resources for children as well as adults in the newsletter and on our church Facebook page.

Before the pandemic, I had little clue what Zoom was. That changed in a hurry. Typically, I have three to six Zoom meetings a week, and have met with the Safe Haven Team, church council, synod youth ministers, synod pas-tors, the Health Ministries Team, Parish Ed., and a few more.

I recently have begun working at least one day a week in the office. My summer has been full of studying resources for safe reopening, researching faith formation curricula - particularly for the Sunday School, and writing and editing new Safe Haven Guidelines with my team. I have also be-gun work with the synod’s new Racial Justice Network. I have attended several webinars and virtual conferences focusing on everything from racial justice to mental health and trauma to youth ministry. I do a great deal of research-ing and writing.

Those are the highlights. There is so much more, but there is not enough room in this newsletter to tell you everything. Suffice it to say, we are busier than we have ever been as we do ministry in this church. It’s good, but sometimes it is overwhelming.

On a personal note, I had a couple of health scares in May, but I’m doing fine now. We were thankful we could take a much-needed vacation to Lake Superior in June.

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Dawn –

This spring I spent a lot of time learning to use a new video editing software to edit the worship service recordings. At the time we closed down, we weren’t too far from Holy Week, which involved a lot of videos and editing! In addi-tion, I’ve continued to do the normal weekly bulletins, up-dating the website and some facebook posts, newsletter and taking care of the finances. Now that you’re doing parking lot services, the time spent on the video editing and power points has been freed up to work on updating mem-bership information and getting the SK Notify (more on this on page 12) set up with various groups.

I’ve learned a lot about editing video, uploading to YouTube, downloading from Facebook, and now learning how best the church can communicate with you with new (to me!) technology. I’m still amazed that I’m able to do a good share of work from home, thanks to the internet and technology. I’m at church usually 1 or 2 days a week to work in the office for a few hours and meet with Pastor Dale & Gwen.

I have spent a good chunk of time since March being a farm wife. We’re bottle feeding beef calves, so I’ve been helping with them every morning and evening. (I guess you could say I’m literally the chief bottle washer—☺ haha!) At one point we were up to 65 calves in individual huts. We’re down to 20 right now, although I’ve heard rumblings of get-ting more!

I was also the go-fer this spring during planting and spray-ing, helped with raking and hauling hay multiple times, and helped out wherever else an extra set of hands was need-ed—fixing, sorting, you name it. I’d love to tell you that I got my house completely decluttered and organized through all of this, but that would be a complete lie! I had good intentions, but that’s as far as I got. :)

I’ve been appreciating the flexibility of fitting church work in around helping on the farm, so if you happen to get an email early in the morning or later in the evening, yes, I re-ally am working then!

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COVID-19 STAY AT HOME Local Resources Murray County

Southwest Health & Human Services—507-836-6144 swmhhs.com Emergency Housing—UCAP: 507-537-1416 Salvation Army—Slayton Police—836-6460 Transportation—UCAP—507-847-2632 Mental Health Western Mental Health Center—507-532-3236 Mobile Crisis—800-658-2429 SW Mental Health Center—507-376-4141 Southwest Health & Human Services—507-836-6144 Pharmacies Mail out/Drive Through/Delivery: Guide Point, Fulda—507-425-3166 Guide Point, Slayton—507-873-2075 Mail Out/Curbside Pickup Thrifty White, Slayton—507-204-7456 Financial Child Care/Cash Assistance—507-836-6144 Edocs.dhs.state.mm.us/ifserver/public/dhs-2920-eng Use the drop box at Southwest Health & Human Services

building to drop off Medical—MNSURE—507-836-6144 Www.mnsure.org Food Resources WIC—507-836-6144 Supplemental nutrition program for wom-

en, infants and children Www.health.state.mn.us/people/wic/index.html SNAP—507-836-6144 Use the drop box at the Southwest

Health & Human Services building to drop off applications and paperwork.

Edocs.dhs.state.mn.us/lfserver/public/dhs-2814.eng Meals on Wheels—507-829-1422 Delivery Monday-Friday,

Fulda & Slayton

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Murray County Food Shelf—507-836-1170 Curbside pickup Wednesday, 2:30-4:30 pm

Fulda Food Shelf—507-425-2211 Curbside Pickup 1st Monday 10-11am, 3rd Monday 2-3 pm, 4th Monday 6-7 pm

NAPS Program—507-836-8705 Plaid Moose—507-836-0100 Offering a free meal to elderly/

shut ins School Meal Distribution ages 0-18 Fulda Public Schools—507-425-8360 Murray County Central—507-836-8360 Tracy Public Schools—507-629-5511 Grocery Delivery Almich’s, Slayton—507-836-6464 ($2.50 fee) Maynard’s, Fulda—507-425-2168 ($2 fee) UCAP—800-658-2448

How much does a prayer weigh? How much does a prayer weigh? There is a story of a grocery store owner who tried to weigh one.

A tired-looking woman came into the store and asked for enough food to make a dinner for her children. The grocer asked her how much she could spend. The frail woman answered, “I have nothing to offer but a little prayer.”

The storekeeper was not very sentimental nor religious, so he said, have-mockingly, “Write it on paper, and I’ll weigh it.”

So she did. The grocer placed the prayer on the weight side of his old-fashioned scales. Then he began piling food on the other side; but to his amazement, the scale would not go down. He finally became flustered and gave the woman a large bag of food. The grocer never saw the woman again, but he treasures the slip of paper upon which the woman’s prayer had been written – “Please, Lord, give us this day our daily bread.”

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Devotionals

If you’d like a copy of Living Lutheran, or the devotion-als—Christ in Our Home or The Word in Season, there are some on the table in the church entry way on 29th Street. Please help yourself.

In addition to being availa-ble in print, Christ in Our Home and The Word in Season are now available as eBooks. You can pur-chase them on Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks, Google Play Books, and Kobo Reader Stores. This is a great way to get the devotional if you can't get to church to pick up your subscription, or if you're new to the devotional!

Counting the good things

When we start to count flowers, we cease to count weeds;

When we start to count blessings, we cease to count needs;

When we start to count laughter, we cease to count tears;

When we count happy memories, we cease to count years.

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Local stores just added: The Hut, Almich’s Grocery Story and Left Bank Café. Christ Lutheran is providing you a new way to raise money for the church through your everyday shopping!! Purchase a gift card from hundreds of companies and 2%-16% of every purchase is given to the church to be used primarily for Youth and Local Mission Outreach purposes. More in-formation can be found in the March Newsletter. Contact Randi Stoel (slaytonclcscrip @gmail.com) with questions or to register.

Trust ... in His timing.

Wait ... for His answers.

Rely ... on His promises.

Relax ... in His presence.

Believe ... in His miracles.

Rejoice ... in His goodness.

Come near to God and He will come near to you.

~James 4:8

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Dear Christ Lutheran Church,

God’s Peace be with you!

You may know that Logan Steinle was elected to the Southwest-ern Minnesota Synod Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) Board this spring. I want to express my congratulations and thanks to you in raising up a gifted young leader.

It is truly an honor to be chosen to serve on the LYO board and I’m sure the care, nurturing and mentoring in faith your congrega-tions has given this young person has helped prepare them for this ministry.

I would like to take some time to let you nknow what the LYO board is about. We are a Synod board made up of 15 youth and up to 13 adults. Basically, the calling of the LYO board is to:

Represent the voice of Lutheran Youth in SW MN

Plan, coordinate and staff the Jr. and Sr. High Youth Gather-ings

Represent the youth of the SW MN Synod at churchwide functions; and

Proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ through the above activi-ties.

The service of the LYO is vital to youth ministry in our synod, and I have no doubt that each youth has been called to serve on the board for a reason.

I want to also point out that serving on the board is not only an honor, but a valuable learning experience as well. Youth learn leadership and organizational skills. They learn how to work co-operatively with other youth and adults. They acquire an under-standing of the church and how it functions on local, synodical, regional, national and global levels.

Blessings,

Sister Sarah Hausken SW MN Synod Youth Ministry Coordinator and LYO Advisor

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14 Keeley Island Dr Slayton, MN 56172

507-763-3567 slbc@frontiernet.net

www.shetek.org

August, 2020

Shetek Lutheran Ministries Where Christ Renews and Empowers

Help send kids to Camp…Become a Pelican Club or Tim-ber Society member today. Pelican Club members sup-port the ministry with a gift of $100 - $499 a year and

Timber Society members give $500 or more a year. Thanks for your support!

During this time, we are thankful for donations from supporters when we don’t have any retreat

or program income. If you are able to help out, we really appreciate it!

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18 Kent Johansen BethAnn Winter 19 Christine Kirchner Beckyn Rupp Nicola Swart Megan Hanson Mikayla Reith Sam Jens 20 Jerry Moline 21 Donna Johansen Aidan Swenson Lexy Ackerman Trey Ackerman 22 Kevin Erickson Scott Sagmoe Sheila Skindelien Ezmae Wurpts 23 Dean Larson Margaret Nelson Madison Larson Theo Bergerson 24 Megan Schryvers Derek Kluis Dustin Sykora 25 Janelle Van Meveren Spencer Clark 26 Lance Lange

Stacie Schuur Grant Rohrer Jason Schreier Drew Coulter 27 Max Wasberg 28 Eric Skindelien 29 Danyel Neilson Ethan Sundahl 30 Kristina Larson Avaya Sagmoe 31 Keyane Hansen Craig Tommeraasen

1 Gary Johnson Kari Lindberg Ivy Sagmoe 3 Mark Van Dyke Krew Schneider Dustin Carlson 4 Justin Hoffmann Kayla Winter 5 Brad Gass Jeremy Peterson Atalie Rosenbrook 6 Jeanne Cochran Pat Erickson 7 Janet Anderson Lorna Bader Jim Thovson Paisley Karsky Sharyn Busswitz 8 Dave LaBoda Ashley Haken Carli Moline 9 Karen Onken Casey Gass McCoy Johnson 10 Leon Hegstad 11 Mark Boerboom Oliver Hamilton 12 Dawn Groves Joshua Kirchner 13 Noah Engelkes 14 Marlene Muecke Jocelyn Schreier Beckett Stelter 15 William Baune Theresa Nysetvold Bentley Petersen 16 Tessa Clercx Kathy Behrends Kensey Soderholm 17 Danielle Berglund Anthony Falk Mel Johnson Brayden Ahlers

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Please contact the office if you notice a mistake or omission on the Birthday or Anniversary lists. Thanks for your help!

3 Neal & Mary Everson (1985) Mike & Brenda Loosbrock (1991) Julian & Ruth Petersen (1963) 4 Jem & Amy Hamilton (2012) 5 Cornelius & Sandy Smit (1962) Philip & Billie Gervais (2011) 6 John & Mary Ellen Moline (1994) 7 Kevin & Shelly Erickson (1993) 8 Mark & Nancy Boerboom (1992) Andrew & Amy Nepp (2009) Cole & Lacey Rachuy (2015) 9 Doug & Lynette Sieve (2008) 10 Scott & Darla Bly (1985) Randy & Betty Ackerman (2001) Jerami & Marcy Wittrock (2002) William & Kori Robinson (2013) 13 Darren & Lisa Saner (1988) 15 David & Denise Schreier (1992) 16 Cal & Kathy Wurpts (1969) 17 Luke & Megan Schryvers (2004) 22 Harry & Ann Kirlin (1972 23 Dennis & Janet Opdahl (1986) Marv & Theresa Nysetvold (1986) Richard & Deb Staples (1969) John & Shannon Leysen (1997) 25 Gary & Charilyn Busse (2007) Steve & DeeDee Telkamp (2018) 29 Paul & Barb Kirchner (1981) 31 Brian & Alexis Gass (2002)

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