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In a few weeks St. Luke’s will welcome another child to the waters of Baptism. There are three major parts to baptism – Washing of the Water, Blessing of the Holy Spirit, and Welcome into the Family of God. The parents, sponsors, and congregation all make a commitment to help this child grow in faith. We need to remember that those gathered in worship are speaking on behalf of the whole Church and our promise to that child, is really a promise to all children. We live out our commitment to that child by welcoming all children as Jesus instructed…
“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” – Mark 9:37 And calling to him a child, Jesus put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. – Matthew 18:2-6 And they were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. – Mark 10:13-16/Luke 18:15-17 Even before baptism I am proud that St. Luke’s welcomes children into worship. At a funeral a guest was excited to have her child participate in the Children’s Prayground. She told me it was the first time her daughter enjoyed an entire worship without fussing. The woman took a picture of it and said she was sharing the idea with her church. Children’s Time and Children’s Church are a way to help children learn the topic of the message when appropriate. Andrea Griner, Director of Children and Family Ministry does a wonderful job. She is quick to add, there is a wonderful group of parents and older students who make Children’s Church a success. Thank you to all the members who share not only the Gospel, but their very lives. Our Summer Sunday Worship Readings will come from children and youth programming. St. Luke’s Vacation Bible School, Snowball Mountain. That teaches resilience, courage, and spiritual strength in fun ways. - June 15-18. Sign up HERE! Camp Wapo’s theme, Revealed. God is revealed in the Bible, Community, Light, and Revelation. Youth Camp - July 12-17; Children’s Seed’s Camp - July 17-19, and there is Grandparent/Kid Camp - June 28-July 2. Spots are still available. Use St. Luke’s Registration Code: hpps://lwlbci.com/stlukes-blmt And for our high school youth caring for God’s creation, including one another during a Boundary Waters Trip, August 8-15. Follow Links for INFO and for REGISTER. So thank you to St. Luke’s for fulfilling your baptism promises as we support the children and youth of our congregation and their friends. “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” - Jesus
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Good morning.
The Minneapolis Area Synod includes 134 member churches in and around Minneapolis and extending just beyond Hennepin County. On May 1st and 2nd more than 350 voting members and 80 ministry partner representatives gathered at Lord of Life Church in Ramsey to worship and conduct Synod business. Brad Bostrom and I, both first time attendees, arrived with a sense of curiosity and a feeling of gratitude for the opportunity to represent this Congregation. The Assembly theme, “Unwavering,” comes from Hebrews 10:23-25, “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for the one who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” The Assembly reflected on the unwavering faith of God and the call for Christians to gather and provoke one another to love and good deeds. In her report to the Assembly, Bishop Jen Nagel said, “One of the messages I get often from people inside and outside of the church, often with tears in their eyes, is this: we are heartened that the church is being the church.” Bishop Jen reflected on the impact of Operation Metro Surge across the state, but particularly in the Minneapolis Area Synod, and invited the Assembly to consider ways to sustain the focus on neighboring and community. BTW, I was spell-bound by our bishop’s captivating and inspirational oratorical style. Don’t miss the chance to hear her speak or preach. The Synod’s Immigration Task Force provided an update on their work over the last year, including stories of impact from congregations who received support from the Welcome Fund – a fund established to support congregations accompanying immigrants. Business conducted included the election of leaders to the Synod Council (just like this church body, the Synod is governed by a Council of elected leaders) and the adoption of resolutions on Artificial Intelligence to guide the practices of both synod staff and synod council, and preparing a model policy for MAS congregations desiring to adopt their own AI policies … and a resolution to assist the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action by launching a fundraising campaign, seeking to raise at least $1 million for specific programs dedicated to 30 greenhouse gas reduction and other efforts to address Earth’s climate crisis. That’s a mouthful, I know. You can read the resolutions in detail on the Synod website. We also approved the Synod’s 2026 budget and the 2027 forecast. You may be interested in knowing that the Synod’s operating budget of $2.6M is funded by “Mission Support” from MAS churches and that roughly 50% of that amount, or $1.3M, goes to support our ministry partners locally and nationally. On another note, I was heartened to learn that the ELCA is working for justice and peace in Palestine and Israel. The initiative is named Sumud, which is Arabic for perseverance or steadfastness. As Lutherans, we believe bearing witness to the plight of our Palestinian brothers and sisters does not come at the expense of our love for our Jewish brothers and sisters as we are all children of God. To learn more, see elca.org/samud. Lastly, don’t hesitate to volunteer to attend a synod assembly in the future. Brad and I both enjoyed meeting and mingling with other voting members and ministers and left confident in our Synod’s leadership and uplifted by the Assembly’s theme of “unwavering … and the call for Christians to gather and provoke one another to love and good deeds.” Thank you. |
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