PASTOR'S NOTE

I sit in the room that was mine as a child, listening to the ocean. It is a comforting sound, strong and stable among all the changes of life. There is much godlike about the ocean.

I wonder how it is that we learn to see God at work in our lives. The child that I was found God in this little room. The child that I am today is touched by God on the beach as the fertile, powerful, and dangerous ocean washes around my feet.

God's touch is unplanned, unscheduled. God in God's own time takes me by surprise. Those times when I try to pin God down, to find God at the time and place of my choosing, scheduling "the experience" to fit my busy schedule, I am so often left feeling alone, empty, and frustrated. I have forgotten who's in charge of this relationship. This is no tame god, subject to my call.

I try to set those control needs of my adult self aside. I wait in my little room childlike, breathing with the sound of the ocean until I fall asleep. Waking sleepy-eyed I see before me the Holy Trinity: Flaming red dove, trailing streams of glory. The light of the world shining like a victor's torch. The brilliant multicolored mystery of the holy one. Three in one dancing, interpenetrating, flowing light and color, the burning bush, wrapping me in peace.

I blink and it's gone. Or it's still there. Same old child's painting – multicolored ink blot type – that's been there for years. But for that one brief moment in childlike suspension of practical, adult reality, I was in the presence of the Holy, the really real.

You, perhaps, have been there, too. The light reflected off an autumn maple leaf, the laughter of children, a grandmother's tears, the crash of the surf, the warmth of your own breath. In a moment of childlike grace, a taste of what is really real, a glimpse of the presence of the Holy among us.

"Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." Luke 18:17

May the child in you discover God in your life today.

MEET OUR MINISTRY TEAM

What a whirlwind of a year it has been and so many changes and personal growth. As I continued to pray about my spiritual callings it became clear to me that I was also called to a ministry of pastoral care. In order to expand on this call, I enrolled at the St. Cloud Veterans Administration Medical Center in a year long course called CPE, Clinical Pastoral Education, where under the guidance of a trained staff of Chaplains, I learned how to minister to veterans suffering with Alzheimer/dementia type diseases. Although the course added an extra 25 hrs to my work week, it was an experience that I would not trade for anything. Through the visits with the veterans, I learned how to minister to their needs. Each day brought new meanings to my life and filled me with God's grace. As a result, I have put my preaching duties "on hold" and plan on working with our Churches in the Spirit of the Heartland setting up a pastoral care network to meet our pastoral care needs. In April of this year I was ordained to the Diaconate with ordination to the Priesthood planned in October 2002. The Spirit is blowing freely through us my brothers and sisters in Christ and, through the Grace of God, we - all of us- will be ready to minister to God's people. In God''s name, Randy

• Cedar Morrigan, Our Saviour's
• Cynthia Evans, Good Samaritan
• Doris Dodds, St. Stephen's
• Harriette Burkhalter, St. Stephen's
• Jan (Zippy) Zeman, Our Saviour's
• Johanna Morrigan, Our Saviour's
• Lu Tax, Our Saviour's
• Maren Kay Welsand, St. John's
• Randy Welsand, St. John's
• Rob Cavanna, St. John's
• Roger Phillips, Good Samaritan
• Rosemary Phillips, Good Samaritan

WHERE'S OUR TEAM?

Our snowbird team members have returned to Minnesota. Roger and Rosemary Phillips are back from Florida and Harriette Burkhalter is back from Arizona. Team members are setting up parish visits in order to get to know Spirit of the Heartland parishioners and to talk about Total Team ministry. Randy Welsand has completed a year of CPE training which gives him the background and skills needed to minister to those suffering sickness or grief. Randy will be co-ordinating this ministry for our churches and working with others to meet the needs in our parishes. Recently the Team worked on an Ember letter which is the way we communicate regularly with the Bishop and we are all excited and awed by the fact that the date for ordination and commissioning is set for Oct. 6. Mark your calendars now and plan to attend this very special ceremony at the Church of Our Saviour in Little Falls at 3PM Sunday, October 6, 2002.
- Harriette Burkhalter

MEET OUR PARISH MINISTERS

Luci YoungBlood
Our Savioiur's

SUNDAY WORSHIP TIMES

9:00 am St. Stephen's in Paynesville
(320)243-2012
320 Wendell Street, Paynesville, MN 56362

10:00 am Our Saviour's in Little Falls
(320)-632-5731)
113 NE 4th Street (PO Box 344) Little Falls, MN 56345

11:00 am Good Samaritan in Sauk Centre
(320)-352-6882
529 Main Street (PO Box 205) Sauk Centre, MN 56378

WEDNESDAY NOON PRAYER

12:00 pm Our Saviour's in Little Falls

ANNUAL MEETINGS

Here is the annual meeting schedule for this summer. Save the dates!
St. Stephen's Sunday, July 7, 2:00 pm
Our Saviour's Sunday, July 14, 11:15 am
Good Samaritan Sunday, July 21, 12:15 pm

VESTRY MEETINGS FOR MAY

June 12, 7:00 pm Our Saviour's
June 16, 12:10 pm Good Samaritan

ORDAINING AND COMMISSIONING TEAM MINISTERS

Already Ordained and Commissioned
Priest Pastoral Mentor Pat Gillespie

Our "Next Class" of Team Ministers to be commissioned later.
Lay Administrator Rosemary Phillips Good Samaritan
Priest Sacramentalist Doris Dodds St. Stephen's
Priest Sacramentalist Roger Phillips Good Samaritan

In the Episcopal Church all who are baptized are in at least one of four orders.
Orders are a state of being. It is WHO a person is:
a lay person, priest, deacon, or bishop.

Everyone who is baptized has a ministry; there are many, many ministries.
Ministry is an action. It is WHAT a person does:
preach, acolyte, sing, type newsletters, pray .... etc.

For example: Pat IS a priest, even when on vacation, even after she retires, and even when she ceases his active ministry. In the same way, Rob and Randy and Cedar will BE priests everywhere and always whether they are actively ministering or not. Johanna will always and everywhere BE a deacon.

People are baptized or ordained into an order.
People are commissioned for a ministry.

"Rector" is a combination of ministries – the WORK done in the past by someone who IS a "priest." So, Pat is always BEING a priest, while sometimes DOING the work of rector.

Total ministry gives the WORK, the ministry, of the Rector back to the People, where it began.
In total ministry everyone in the parish has a ministry.
Some are called to be commissioned for a particular ministry and make a commitment to serve as part of a team.
Some ministries, like preaching, may be done by people in any order.
Other ministries, like serving as sacramentalist, require the minister to be in a particular order, in this case, the priesthood.

Traditional, seminary-trained priests are prepared to be active in many different ministries.
Locally-trained priests, deacons, and lay ministers are prepared for one or two specific ministries.

Traditional, seminary-trained priests may serve in any parish that calls them to minister.
Locally-trained priests, deacons, and lay ministers serve only in the parish(es) for which they were trained, unless the bishop grants an exception.

Traditional, seminary-trained priests are ordinarily professional (paid or "stipendiary") clergy.
Locally-trained priests, deacons, and lay ministers are volunteer (or non-stipendiary) clergy.
Seminary-trained or diocesan-trained deacons are also volunteer (or non-stipendiary) clergy.

Ministers from our ministry team are all locally trained.
Amy is a volunteer, diocesan-trained deacon.
Pat is a professional, seminary-trained priest.

Seminary-trained and locally-trained priests all share the same priesthood.
Seminary-trained, diocesan-trained and locally-trained deacons all share in the same diaconate.

All deacons must first be baptized into the lay order.
All priests must first be ordained into the diaconate.
All bishops must first be ordained into the priesthood.

Those called to be priest are first ordained deacons, and spend time in formation and training in the "transitional diaconate." This group includes Cedar, Randy, and Rob.
Those called to be deacon become part of the "vocational" or "permanent" diaconate. Johanna will be a vocational deacon.

Locally-trained team ministers are required in this diocese always to be under the supervision of a mentor who must be seminary-trained priest. These mentors are paid professionals, like Pat. Unlike most mentors, Pat will also serve as a regular team minster, filling in the gaps. Initially she will be commissioned as Christian Education minister. Pat will also preach and preside in the rotation with other preachers and sacramentalists, serving in each parish every other month.

Those called to a lay ministry for our team have essentially the same formation and training as our priests and deacons. Each minister has some training specific to their ministry. Ministers from all three orders minister together on the team as equals. Together they are doing the work of Rector. They cannot do that work without all ministry of all the baptized.

EFM

The Seekers EFM Group will meet at St. Stephen's in Paynesville for both sessions in June. Anyone interested in becoming part of next year's EFM (Education for Ministry) program, please contact Pat or Johanna. This is a wonderful opportunity to share your spiritual journey in a community of prayer and reflection.

SPIRIT OF THE HEARTLAND COUNCIL

The spirit of the Heartland Council met on May 7th at Church of the Good Samaritan at Sauk Centre. Members present were the Rev. Pat Gillespie, Fran Svardahl of Good Samaritan, Mary Ann Erdmann of St. Stephens, Paynesville and Virginia Berguson of the Church of our Saviour, Little Falls.

It was agreed that team discernment should be held every three years instead of every year. EFM is a four-year program open to anyone interested in personal enrichment and team ministry. These meetings' open times are listed on the church calendar.

Each of the three Spirit of the Heartland churches should share equally, paying the expenses for the team ministries, such as continuing education, convention expenses, retreats and travel, etc. For now each church will contribute $2,000 a year, payable quarterly to the SOH Council Treasurer, Mary Ann Erdmann, beginning January 2003, Individual treasurers should set up their own in-house systems to budget these funds automatically as no bill will be sent.. The Treasurer is accepting no payment for her service. Thanks, Mary Ann..

It was also suggested that each church consult their vestry about setting aside the loose plate offerings for a team ministry discretionary fund. We should have a better idea of how much the team expenses will be after the first full year. Also grant monies can be applied for to cover some of these expenses.

These proposals must be approved by the three vestries and will then be voted on at the August 6th meeting of the Council in Paynesville.

ALTAR GUILD WORKSHOPS

This summer there will be workshop trainings for altar guilds in each of our parishes. Altar guild ministers are expected to attend one of these workshops, which will be scheduled for the convenience of active altar guild members. It is best to attend the one at your own parish, but the basic content will be the same at all workshops. If you have not been part of the altar guild before and are interested in this ministry, contact Dorothy at Good Samaritan, Elaine at St. Stephens, or Debbie at Our Saviour's for more information.This summer there will be workshop trainings for altar guilds in each of our parishes. Altar guild ministers are expected to attend one of these workshops, which will be scheduled for the convenience of active altar guild members. It is best to attend the one at your own parish, but the basic content will be the same at all workshops. If you have not been part of the altar guild before and are interested in this ministry, contact Dorothy at Good Samaritan, Elaine at St. Stephens, or Debbie at Our Saviour's for more information.

DISCERNMENT

Christians are always "in discernment" - trying to figure out through prayer and reflection just what it is that God is up to in our lives.What is it that God want us to do? Discernment: We do it in our individual prayer time. We do it when we meet to make decisions for the church. And for the past few years we've done it formally and up front in church with lists of our names and the gifts that God has given us for ministry, for loving and serving each other. We try to 'discern' who might lead our churches as trained and commissioned ministers on our team.

This discernment can be exciting and affirming and sometimes exhausting work. Now that we have a team of ministers almost ready for commissioning and more in formation to join them, our Spirit of the Heartland Council has decided to have formal ministry discernment every third year rather than annually. So it will be a couple of years before we again see those big lists up front or send out 'call letters' inviting people to prepare for team ministry. God, of course, does not stop calling people to ministry. We must continue to try to discern God's work in our lives and the gifts we have been given. Between times of formal discernment for team ministry people may be called to parish ministries or to prepare for a possible team ministry later. People will continue to join EFM and to grow in their own spiritual life and ministry. People who received call letters to team ministry in the past may now or later be ready to answer that call.

If you believe that God is calling you to a particular ministry in our churches, talk with any of our team ministers about how you can serve in our churches. Our churches have been blessed with many, many gifts for ministry - let's keep looking for them and celebrating them, and by 2004 our discernment lists will overflow with gifts of the Spirit.

PARISH VISITS

You team ministers are continuing making visits to our parish members and friends. They began last fall and still scheduling visits so if you have not been visited yet, please do not think you have been forgotten. We are making these visits to get to know you better and give you a chance to voice any concerns or wishes you have. It is a good chance to ask questions about total ministry and what it means for you and your parish.

LAKE WOBEGON EPISCOPALIANS AND THE RED DOOR OF EVANGELISM

Plan now to be present on Friday June 14 with the Lake Wobegon Episcopalians (aka Spirit of the Heartland Churches) as we gather for Food, Fun and Fellowship! We will meet at St. Stephens in Paynesville at 6:00 pm to share a pot-luck meal. Please bring either salad or hot dish to share. Bread, drinks, and dessert will be provided.

A special presentation on sharing the good news in our communities will follow the meal. A good time for all is guaranteed! Look for your invitation in the mail with further details!

PILGRIMAGE TO IRELAND

Pat's stories and slides from her visit to Ireland
Good Samaritan - Sunday, June 2 -- 12:30pm (end of Coffee Hour)
St. Stephen's - Thursday, June 6 -- 1:00pm (after Book Study Lunch)
Our Saviour's - Sunday, June 9 -- 11:45pm (end of Coffee Hour)

ALPHA FOR SPIRIT OF THE HEARTLAND

A reminder that there will be an Alpha Conference at Hosanna Lutheran church in Lakeville on Monday and Tuesday, July 22 and 23, 2002. The conference is an invaluable opportunity to find answers to your questions and to receive training and encouragement for Alpha Team members. Please, consider participating and helping to bring Alpha to our communities. Contact Harriette Burkhalter harrijack@meltel.net or320-453-7805 if you are interested.

PARISH NOTES

Our Saviour's

• Operating Budget
  Another matter, not related to the building project was discussed at length and our most immediate concerns are our operating funds for the remainder of 2002. As most of you know our "cushion " is gone. As anticipated we will have a shortfall for this year. It would be most helpful to have pledges paid ASAP. We will need to borrow money to carry us, also as anticipated, but would like to minimize this debt as much as possible. Any pledges paid now would be beneficial . If anyone could and would pay ahead that would also be an option. We will have considerably less expense next year with the Team Ministry in full operation. Our church is showing growth, our pledges are up, and we are optimistic about the future. We hope you will "pitch in" and help with this exciting effort. -Your Vestry
• Groundbreaking Postponed Again
  Say "what?!" The wheels of progress often turn slower than we wish and Our Saviour's groundbreaking for the new building addition has been delayed again. A delay in finalizing plans and the bidding process prompted the vestry to delay the ceremony once again that had been scheduled for June 9th. Announcements will be made when at a later date. Our new parish hall building project is just one component of the Mission of our church, "to make Christ's love known and welcome all who seek God." In this mission, we are dedicated not only to making our church accessible to handicapped persons but also to serving many and varied needs of our community.
• New Sunday Bulletins Marge Campbell is now preparing a Sunday Bulletin for Our Saviour's. We express our thanks for her personal ministry.Any news items for this should be put in her mailbox, or e-mailed to her by Thursday at 8:00 Am at MAC1TIBE@ aol.com.

Good Samaritan

Good Samaritan will hold a "Yard and Bake Sale" on the church grounds Friday and Saturday, June 21st and 22nd, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Rosemary Phillips and Fran Svardahl are co-chairing the event. Good Sam is accepting donations of articles (no clothes, please) from not until the sale. All items not sold will be donated to charity. Everything will be stored in the Parish Hall until the sale. Baked goods are also being requested for delivery Thursday, June 20th to the church or to Rosemary and Fran on Thursday. If you have something to donate and cannot get it to Good Samaritan, call Rosemary (320-285-2310) or Fran (320) 732-6992 to arrange a pickup. St. Stephan's

Don't forget to mark your calendar for fun with the Lake Wobegon Episcopalians, Friday, June 14th, 6 p.m.

VESTRY HIGHLIGHTS

Our Saviour's
May

• The Vestry reviewed the work of Marge Campbell and expresses thanks for doing the Sunday Bulletin.
• Thanks too to David Mitzel for cleaning the church and helping us care for our beautiful building.
• The building plans were expected soon and have since been reviewed with a local contractor for bids.
• Pending any unknowns, the ground breaking ceremonies were left unchanged for June 9th but have since been postponed to a later date to be announced.
• Cedar Morrigan reported that she has donations for the building fund totaling $659 from local businesses. Many thanks to her for her efforts .She will continue with this project with the help of Zippy.
• The vestry made arrangements for meeting with a local bank to get information on a short term operating expense loan.
• The plans for the new Parish building are moving along. We continue to collect pledges and money. The revised plans from architect Richard Fry were received and presented to a local contractor for a bid. We expect to proceed very soon.

JUNE BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES

Church of the Good Samaritan, Sauk Centre
June 9th Jennie Pelkey
June 22nd Jon & Sarah Coltvet

St. Stephen'sr, Paynesville
June 9th Don & Maurine Pederson
June 13th Peggie Jerabek
June 29th Jack & Harriette Burkhalter
June 30th Lloyd & Joan McMillan

Church of Our Saviour, Little Falls
June 3rd Luci YoungBlood
June 5th Johanna Morrigan
June 10th Tim Wright
June 10th Dorothy Johnson
June 12th Jon & Carol Lovdahl
June 12th Bill & Marcie Cheeseman
June 14th Ch'aska Quillo
June 14th Whitney Woidyla-Wood

MINISTRY SCHEDULES

Good Samaritan
Our Saviour's
St. Stephen's

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