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June 2013 Newsletter

Summer Worship Services:
Joint Council Meeting voted to change our Summer Worship Services. Option #1 passed, which means we will rotate between churches during June, July & August at 9:00am. AND, Monday night services will be held at Aurora at 6:30pm. Monday, June 3rd, 10th, 17th, & 24th - 6:30 p.m. Council Meeting: The next Aurora Council Meeting will take place on Wednesday, June 19th at 6:30 p.m.

Summer 2013 Sunday Worship Schedule:

Sunday, June 2 - Trinity (Communion) Sunday, June 9 - Aurora Sunday, June 16 - Trinity Sunday, June 23 - Aurora Sunday, June 30 - Trinity Sunday, July 7 - Aurora Sun., July 14 - at BP Gun Club-10:30am (Comm.) Sunday, July 21 - Trinity Sunday, July 28 - Aurora Sunday, August 4 - Trinity Sunday, August 11 - Aurora (Communion) Sunday, August 18 - Trinity Sunday, August 25 - Aurora

The next food shelf Sunday at Aurora is Sun., June 2nd! Please give to this worth cause as we Feed Bodies with the Love of Jesus! Monday Night Worship Services at Aurora Beginning on Monday, June 3rd, 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.
IMPORTANT AURORA CEMETARY NOTICE:
Due to safety concerns, artificial flowers and ornaments not in above ground pots will be removed June 15th. No glass bottles or glass vases are allowed! Tim Johnson, Cemetery Caretaker

Food Shelf Sunday

June Monday Night Worship Schedule:

Vacation Bible School

Vacation Bible School will be held on Saturday, July 27th. It will be from 8:30

a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Cost to attend is $10.00 per child. Please contact Jerrianne Hendricks at 507-456-2614 to sign up!

Newsletter Information Deadline

Please have all information for the July newsletter and calendar to Lisa by Friday, June 14th (Lisa will be on vacation June 21st-June 30th). Send your information to: auroratrinityoffice@gmail.com or you can call 507-4560740.

Creation Untamed Sermon Series

During the month of June, Pastor Jon will be leading a sermon series called Creation Untamed: The Bible, God, and Natural Disasters. This series is based on the book of the same name by Terence Fretheim, Old Testament Professor at Luther Seminary. In light of the recent tornados in Oklahoma, Hurricane Sandy and Katrina, and the earthquakes in China and Haiti, many of us are asking the question Why, God? The Bible is no stranger to natural disasters either, the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, numerous famines, and plagues. The question becomes: How is God involved in all of this? We will wade through these difficult questions throughout the month of June and, with any luck, we will walk away more hopeful and trusting in the promises of God. June 2nd God Created the World Good, Not Perfect June 9th The God of the Flood Story and Natural Disasters June 16th Natural Disasters, the Will of the Creator, and the Suffering of Job June 23rd Suffering and the God of the Old Testament June 30th God, Faith, and the Practice of Prayer

needs of people in our community seeking shelter, with the possibility of offering a free meal to this community at some point.

WELCA Meeting & Potluck

Join us for poolside fun at Julie Spinlers home on Tuesday, June 18th at 6:30 p.m. We will begin with a potluck supper. Bring a swimsuit and a dish to pass.

FAITH 5 for June

Week of June 2 + SHARE Share highs and lows with one another +READ - Luke 7:11-17 +TALK Talk about the Scripture reading and what you liked or didnt like, or how it relates to the highs and lows. +PRAY O loving God, to turn away from you is to fall, to turn toward you is to rise, and to stand before you is to abide forever. Grant us, dear God, in all our duties your help; in all our uncertainties your guidance; in all our dangers your protection; and in all our sorrows your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen +Bless Make sign of the cross and say, God bless you and keep you Week of June 9th +SHARE Share highs and lows with one another +READ - Luke 7:36-8:3 +TALK - Talk about the Scripture reading and what you liked or didnt like, or how it relates to the highs and lows. +PRAY Make us worthy, Lord, to serve our fellow human beings throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them through our hands this day their daily bread, and by our understanding love, give peace and joy. Amen. +BLESS - Make sign of the cross and say, God be with you, Child of God Week of June 16th +SHARE Share highs and lows with one another +READ - Luke 8:26-39 +TALK - Talk about the Scripture reading and what you liked or didnt like, or how it relates to the highs and lows. +PRAY Gracious God, give us diligence to seek you, wisdom to perceive you, and patience to wait for you. Grant us, O God, a mind to meditate on you; eyes to behold you; ears to listen for your word; a heart to love; and a life to proclaim you; through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Mission Committee
A group of 7 people have come together to form the Mission Committee. What is the Mission Committee? This committee will gather monthly to help us give specific attention to meeting our mission goals for 2013. Together we will discern how best to respond to what God is calling our parish to do at this specific time and place. If you are interested in be a part of the Mission Committee, please speak with Pastor Jon. As a reminder, our goals for 2013 are: 1. Set up a ride-share system for members of our congregations who dont drive or have a hard time getting to church 2. Find volunteers from our congregations to visit our members who are not able to leave their homes easily. 3. Develop a relationship with the homeless shelters and transitional housing to get a deeper sense of the

+BLESS - Make sign of the cross and say, Child of God, you are loved Week of June 23rd +SHARE Share highs and lows with one another +READ - Luke 9:51-62 +TALK - Talk about the Scripture reading and what you liked or didnt like, or how it relates to the highs and lows. +PRAY Dear Jesus, as a hen covers her chicks with her wings to keep them safe, protect us this night under your golden wings; for your mercys sake. Amen. +BLESS - Make sign of the cross and say, May God watch over you all of your days.

Take 5 (Faith) Minutes

On April 21st, Karen Gieske, Children, Youth, and Family Coordinator from our synod, and about 30 other members of our parish gathered together for a meal and conversation around the Christian faith and families in the 21st Century. One of the things that came out of our discussion is the importance of faith in the home. Research tells us that our family has a more significant impact on growing in faith than the church does. As a response to this, I would like to help encourage families to practice their faith at home. In Confirmation this past year, we used FAITH 5. This is a five-step faith practice intended to connect church to home, faith to life, and the people of God with one another. And it only takes 5 minutes! FAITH 5 looks like this: Step One: Share highs and lows. Name something good and bad you experienced today. Can't think of a personal one? Check out the headlines from the news and teach empathy and compassion for the broader world. Step Two: Read a verse from your Bible. Step Three: Talk about how the verse relates to highs and lows. Unpack the verse a bit. What does it mean in your own words? How might it relate to where you are today in your highs and lows? Step Four: Pray for one another's highs and lows, for your family, and for the world. Simply talk to God, thank Jesus for the good, and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance in specific problems. Step Five: Bless one another. Trace the sign of the cross on one another's forehead or palm as a reminder that you belong to God and to one another. This practice can be done every day or simply once a week. Any family can do it! And by family, I mean all families. It does not matter if you have little ones running around, or if your little ones are chasing their little ones, or if you dont have children, or if you are single. Simply find a family member or a friend, and go through the five-steps and see what happens! I realize this is a new practice, which can be uncomfortable. In order to help with getting our feet wet, you will find in this newsletter weekly scripture, prayer, and blessing to use. This way you dont feel like you have to come up with it all on your own. Also, in order to help try this out, we will be doing some practicing and modeling of FAITH 5 in worship this summer. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Gods peace to you all, Pastor Jon

TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH QUARTERLY MEETING Sunday, May 5, 2013 Meeting was brought to order by Pres. Rich Paulson. Sec. report presented by Shari, approved as read. Copies handed out. Treas. Report presented by Lorna, approved as read. Copies handed out. Total revenue brought in for the first quarter of 2013 was $3,860.00, total expenses were $5,128.76. This leaves a deficit of $1,268.76. Balances include: $12,726.44 in checking, $12,425.68 in Memorial, and $1,684.02 in Mainstay. MISSION STATEMENT: Trinity has donated $150.00 to a family in need who lost their home to a fire. We also donated $142.00 to the Hospitality House from the Lenten folders, and $32.00 to the Malaria project. Memorial Fund: It was discussed what this fund is for. It can be used for building repairs and upkeep. Just not for regular monthly expenses. Ideas brought up included continuing the remodeling of the front of the church, replacing the cement coming into the church entrance, opening up the area where the balcony used to be, putting benches outside and making an area for summer outside services. It was decided to look more into the cement project for safety reasons. Motion was made and approved to go ahead with this, however the date has been tabled until the weather gets better. FOOD SHELF: We should try to collect items more often than just during Food Shelf Month. Aurora does a collection the first Sunday of every month. Soles for Souls: This is an organization that collects shoes, and sends them out to the needy. It is too late this year, but we will look into this for next year. Account for Local Aid: Pastor Jon sometimes gets calls from people in need of emergency items such as a room for the night, or maybe just a hot meal. Aurora has an account for local aid that is accessible to Pastor Jon for these situations. The Aurora Welca also provides gift cards for gas or meals. Pastor Jon has asked if Trinity would be interested in participating in this. This will be discussed further at the annual budget meeting for Trinity. Quarterly Meetings: It was discussed to change this to monthly meetings instead of quarterly. Motion was made and approved to go to monthly meetings. They will be on the second Sunday of the month, following the church service. They will continue to be council/member meetings since most of the members are on the board all ready. The next meeting will be held on Sunday, June 9, 2013. Graduation Sunday: Trinity has two students that will graduate from high school this year. Sunday June 9th will be designated as Grad. Sunday, to recognize these two individuals. They are Abbey Nelson, and Amber Clausen. Bible Study: Pastor Jon asked if anyone would like to have a bible study group during the summer, or if they would like to take a break for the summer. He also asked if anyone had any topics of interest that they would like to look into. Some members thought that we should take the summer off. Pastor Jon will get more peoples opinions and let us know what is decided. Summer Survey: This is for each member to reply to, not just one per household. Please turn them in by May 15, 2013. There will be a joint council meeting on May 15 th at Aurora to go over the results.

Prairie Manor: Gary announced that they are looking for a new administrator. Sue has resigned as of June 2013 due to health reasons. There are three applicants that will be interviewed on May 7, 2013. With no further business to discuss, motion to adjourn was made by Abbey, and seconded by Paul. Respectfully submitted, Shari Manges, Trinity Secretary

Aurora Lutheran Church Council Meeting

May 16, 2013 The regular monthly meeting of the Aurora Lutheran Church Council was held on May 15, 2013. The members present were Jeanne Pichner, Mark Prestegard, Michelle Williams, Jodi Keck, Brett Paape, Ryan Schrom, Sara Pichner, Paul Korbel, Curtis Jenson, Brad Thurnau, Jerianne Hendricks and Nathele Beadell. The meeting was called to order after the joint council meeting by President Jeanne Pichner. Secretarys report: The minutes from the April 17, 2013 meeting were approved with the change to the memorial fund report. Treasures report: New reports were presented to the council. Discussion followed, it was decided to have the reports combined into one report. The audit of the 2012 financials is complete. The reported financials are as follows: General Fund $2,560.16 Building Fund $5,004.60 Memorial Fund $7,274.96 Parsonage Fund $1,462.75 Cemetery Fund $10,358.44

Old Business: Jerianne will be ordering the playground set. It will be delivered to Jeannes home to be stored until it can be installed. Brad thinks he will be able to complete the speaker system by July 1st. It was noted that we may need to replace the Pastors microphone. Brad will look into the cost of a new microphone. Michelle will ask Ryan to come the next council meeting to help us review the insurance coverage. Lighting for the parking lot still needs to be checked.

New Business: Do we need to put stripes on the parking lot. It was decided that we do not need to do this at this time. The meeting was adjourned at 8:15p.m. The next council meeting will be held on June 19th, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Nathele Beadell

Aurora and Trinity Church Joint Council Meeting

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

The special joint council meeting of the Aurora and Trinity churches was held on Wed. May `5, 2013, at Aurora, at 6:30pm. President Jeanne Pichner presided. Curtis led us in a prayer. The special joint council meeting was held to decide what the summer church schedule should be. The ballets from the congregations were reviewed and read. Discussion followed. The council held a secret ballot. A motion was made for Option 1 by Curtis and seconded by Paul. Motion Passed. Option 1: have just one Sunday service at 9:00, rotating between Aurora and Trinity every other Sunday and Aurora will continue the Monday night service passed. The new summer rotation will begin June 2nd at Trinity. Communion will be held on June 2nd Trinity, July 14th at the Joint picnic and August 11th at Aurora. It was noted the Jeanne and Rich will be attending the synod assembly in Rochester. Paul pointed out the copier used in their home for church business needed repair of a new photo conductor. A new photo conductor would cost $150.00 and Paul could replace it. It was decided to order the part instead of trying to find a new copier. The meeting was adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Nathele Beadell