MEET OUR MINISTRY TEAM
Randy Welsand
St. John's, St. Cloud
Called to be sacramentalist & preacher
My name is Randy Welsand. I was born and raised in Duluth, Minnesota, and spent most of my life there. I have been married to Maren Kay for 21 years and have three stepchildren, 7 grandchildren, and a son who is currently attending Wyoming Technical Institute In Laramie, Wyoming. I am employed by Grede Foundries in St. Cloud and have been a Foundryman for almost 20 years.
I have been a life-long member of the Episcopal Church, and my family and I have been members of St. John's Episcopal in St. Cloud for the last 6 years. I sing tenor in the choir and am an active member of the lay preachers' group. I am in my second year of EFM (Education for Ministry) and blessed to be part of the Spirit of the Heartland total ministry team.
Music has always been a big part of my life. I play guitar and have been actively involved with Cursillo music teams. My hobbies include woodworking, drum making, and primitive camping. I am also an avid target shooter, using antique black powder muskets, and a gunsmith. I look forward to making the journey together with you.
WHERE'S OUR TEAM?
Members of the team along with members of the formation and training group went to St. Christopher's in Roseville for a statewide Total Ministry Summit on Saturday 10/9/99. We had some good discussion with other teams from around the state and were pleased to see how organized and how well the Spirit of the Heartland Team is doing. Thanks Pat for all your hard work.
The team went to Birchaven near Grey Eagle for a team formation retreat on October 15 & 16. On Friday evening only a few of the members were able to be there and spend the night. We ate at the Rock Tavern and could have fed all the rest of the team with what we brought home with us in doggie-boxes. The food was great! We watched the movie Pleasantville and spent some time theologically reflecting on it. On Saturday morning the rest of the non-snowbird members of the team that were in the state joined us. It was a full day spent in prayer, refection, worship, and lots of good discussion. A team member's spouse/partner joined us for the open portion of the meeting time on Saturday.
We will be gathering once a month as a full team. That date will usually be the second Saturday of each month from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00. We have decided that part of each monthly meeting would be open (from 1:00 - 3:00) for anyone who would like to attend. We will also need some time at each meeting to discuss confidential information and to work on formation and bonding as a team. So the team-only portion of the meetings will be from 11:00 - 1:00.
The team members that are preparing to be licensed as preachers will be meeting with the preaching group from 9 - 11:00 on that same day each month. Visitors are welcome for the preaching group meetings. The preaching rota has been posted at http://www.MotherFlash.com/spirit/preachers.html
A consensus was reached on the issue of those who were not able to be with us at the retreat: WE MISSED YOU ALL!
THANK YOU
The Spirit of the Heartland Youth would like to extend a joyful and loving thank-you to all the people who came to the Children's Sabbath Celebration that was held at Our Saviour's on Sunday 10/17. It was wonderful to see so many people there to worship in support of Youth. THANK YOU to EVERYONE!
Our Saviour's in Little Falls Why do we?
9 am second Sundays
Why? "Because we've always done it that way." That's the unwritten rule in many churches. But did you ever wonder how "it" got started: church wardens or canons, advent wreaths or Santa Claus, vestments or processions? Here's a chance to come find out the stories behind why we do what we do. Bring your questions and play "Stump the Priest." It's easy to do, and fun too. But if you come back the next session, chances are she'll have dug up an answer to your "stump."
Reflections on how we make difficult moral decisions in a church that doesn't tell us what to do.
Book Study. Kathleen Norris' experience of monasticism and our neighbor, St. John's Abbey.
EFM NEWS
EFM (Education for Ministry) has begun with a fury in the Spirit of the Heartland this year. We have 3 groups with 26 total members involved. The groups meeting times and dates are posted on the Spirit of the Heartland calendar. It is exciting to have so many people involved in EFM. Anyone interested may participate in the classes, starting in September of each year. The Total Ministry Team members are in EFM as well. We have people in three of the four levels at this time. It is a one-year (nine-month) commitment at a time. The year-3 people are already starting to wonder what they will do when they finish year 4. Hmm, maybe they will have to write their own programs for years 5, 6, 7 &. . . .
Cedar Morrigan
PASTOR'S MESSAGE
So, are you confused yet? Are you thinking, "Jesus is our great high priest. Pat is our parish priest, but she isn't doing the traditional one-parish/one-priest thing. We're preparing canon-9 priests' and a total ministry team. So, really, now
Who is going to be our priest?"
You are. Perhaps that's not the answer you expected or wanted. But the message is there in the Bible: in Exodus "You shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation" (19:6) and echoed in Revelation, "[Christ] made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father" (1:5).
The Protestant tradition calls it the "priesthood of all believers." It is part of our baptism, as the Prayer Book reminds us when we welcome the newly baptized and invite them to "share with us in [Christ's] eternal priesthood."
But just what are we supposed to do as priests? What is this priesthood that Christ shares with us? It means that all Christians are "worthy to appear before God to pray for others and to teach one another the things of God" (Luther).
Those who are ordained priests are not necessarily closer to God. They are in "holy orders." "Holy" doesn't mean they are better or nicer or more pious. "Holy" literally means "set apart," and usually implies "set apart for God."
Some of us, called to traditional holy orders, are blessed to be given "a living." You have given me the time "set apart" to live my calling as priest in the church. Those on our ministry team, who must "make their own living," are themselves giving a significant part their own time to live their callings as priests in the church. You, too, are called by your baptism to live out your calling as priests. Our ministry team can't minister without you.
We all live out our callings as priests in that set-apart ("holy") work of prayer for others and teaching about God. Your priesthood of prayer and teaching may be lived out in your solitary prayer times, or in the busyness of worldly work and family life, or in time given to our churches. This is total ministry, we need all of us together for it to work.
All of us are priests, but no one can be a priest alone. "Me and God" is not only bad grammar it's bad theology. Priesting, just like being Christian, is a community thing involving at least God, neighbor, and self/priest. It takes three together so we are a reflection of the Trinity, of the God in whose image we are made to be "a kingdom of priests to serve our God."
Peace!
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