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Messenger What a fun week we had at VBS, June 15-19. We had 53 children participate in the day-long program, 18 middle and high school students assisting, and about 7 adults to make it happen. Our theme was “Beyond Everest” and here were our learning points each day:

Day 1: God has the power to provide. Day 2: God has the power to comfort.

Day 3: God has the power to heal. Day 4: God has the power to forgive.

Day 5: God has the power to love us forever.

We would like to invite you our upcoming Woodlake Children/Youth Events. More specific info will be coming as the dates get closer!!

Turn to Page 2 for the link to sign up for InterMission July 1st 8:30-6:00PM InterMission-Kids Pre K-6th, Pre-Registration required 8th 8:30-6:00PM InterMission -Kids Pre K-6th, Pre-Registration required 8th 7:00-8:30PM High School Mission Trip Parent meeting (same

information as the one on June 28th, just trying to catch everyone) 15th 8:30-6:00PM InterMission -Kids Pre K-6th, Pre-Registration required 22nd 8:30-6:00PM InterMission -Kids Pre K-6th, Pre-Registration required 29th 8:30-6:00PM InterMission -Kids Pre K-6th, Pre-Registration required

August 5th 8:30-6:00PM InterMission -Kids Pre K-6th, Pre-Registration required 12th 8:30-6:00PM InterMission -Kids Pre K-6th, Pre-Registration required 19th 8:30-6:00PM InterMission -Kids Pre K-6th, Pre-Registration required

September 13

th Sunday School Open House

18th

Outdoor Movie Night 20

th 1

st Day of Sunday School

October 28th

Halloween Party

November 8th

Blessing Bags – Community Service Project

December 5

th Parents’ Night Out (childcare for parents)

20th

Christmas Pageant

January 3rd

Vikings vs. Packers Football Party

February 7th

Valentine Card Making & Holiday Party

March 25

th High School Program

27th

Egg Hunt

April 10th

VEAP Birthday Bags – Community Service Project

We look forward to seeing you at Picnic Church and InterMission this summer. Please turn to Page 2 for more information about both programs. Enjoy your

summer!

Woodlake Lutheran Church

7525 Oliver Avenue South Richfield, MN 55423

(612) 866-8449 www.woodlakechurch.org

Woodlake Lutheran Church is a congregation of the ELCA.

Worship Services

Sun AM ............................... 9:30am Outdoor worship on the 1st, 3rd,

and 5th Sundays through the summer

Weds AM Matins .................. 8am Weds PM Picnic Church ..... 6pm Sat PM ....................................... 5pm

Communion is served at the Saturday and Sunday services.

Church Office Hours

Monday ....................... 9am – 1pm Tuesday ...................... 9am – 4pm Wednesday ................ 9am – 6pm Thursday .................... 9am – 4pm Friday .......................... 9am – 1pm Saturday ............. 9am – 12pm** Sunday ................. 9am** – 11am

**Note Change Weekdays: Church Office is

closed for lunch from 12:00 – 12:30.

Office will be closed for 4th of

July on Friday, July 3, and Saturday, July 4.

Reduced Office Hours:

Mon, July 6 – Fri, July 10 9am – 1pm

Articles for August’s issue of

The Messenger are due to office@woodlakechurch.org

no later than July 15.

July 2015

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Wednesdays throughout the summer 6-7 pm on the lawn (weather permitting)

FREE cookout – bring a dish to share, if you want!

Picnic Church returns and welcomes a new Song Leader! If you weren’t able to attend the first Picnic Church of 2015 on Wednesday, June 17th, those who attended will likely tell you that you missed out! A new Song Leader, Michael Morris, will join us this summer as we eat and worship on our lawn, and he is extremely gifted.

Michael is a singer/songwriter who currently resides in Northfield, but who has experience with a large number of congregations

throughout the Twin Cities metro area. His resume reads like a “who’s who” of Lutherans, Christian Leadership, and musicians, but his humility and desire to use his talents as a vessel to spread God’s grace to all, are paramount to his connections and experience.

For the first service, he actually wrote a song as a reflection to Pastor Fred’s sermon on “Love”, and he took requests! Additionally, he brought a friend to worship with us, which all Picnic Church veterans know, is a MUST!

Join us for Picnic Church on Wednesdays at 6pm throughout the summer. Hot dogs and Hamburgers are provided and so is the music, fellowship and worship. Bring a dish to share and invite a friend! If you want to volunteer to grill or set-up/clean-up, please contact Kirsten Hargreaves or sign up in the green book in the office!

INTERMISSION

Wednesdays, 8:30am-6pm

Kids K-6th grade… Join us for games, songs, crafts, snacks, and outreach activities. The afternoons will be

spent out on a local adventure! Students are provided a snack but bring a lunch each week.

Dates: June 24; July 1,8,15,22,29; August 5,12,19

REGISTER ONLINE:

https://www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/woodlakehopekids/gpgs/Home.aspx

$15 per session; 4 for $50

(Due to planning and transportation, registration must be received the Wednesday before participating)

Planned Field Trip Details – Subject to Change!

Wednesday, July 1st: Paddleford Boat Company Paddleboat Ride in St. Paul and adjacent park Wednesday, July 8th: Elm Creek Swimming Pond and Elm Creek Park 12420 James Deane Parkway, Maple Grove, MN 55369 Wednesday , July 15th: Swap Day! Charlotte's Web at Old Log Theater in Excelsior (10am show) Excelsior Commons for a late lunch and play time following the show. Wednesday, July 22nd: Crystal Caves W965 State Road 29, Spring Valley, WI 54767 Wednesday, July 29th: Bakken Museum and Lake Calhoun Beach 3537 Zenith Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55416 Wednesday, August 5th: MIA and Park Play-- 2400 Third Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN 55404 Wednesday, August 12th: Bowling at Southtown Lanes! Wednesday, August 19th: RollerGarden, St. Louis Park

Picnic Church

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Worship and Music Notes

Summer Worship As we continue to journey through the summer, we’ll

worship outside (weather permitting) on Sunday mornings at 9:30am on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of the month. On the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month we will worship in the sanctuary.

On Wednesdays, we gather for dinner and worship at 6pm for Picnic Church! Come early and stay late for fun and fellowship out on the front lawn of the church. Invite your neighbors as we grow together in understanding the “Fruits of the Spirit.”

In continuing to follow the Narrative Lectionary, weekend worship will center on select Old Testament Wisdom and Poetry from July 12th through August 2nd. We’ll close the summer with a five-week focus series on Hebrews, from August 9th through September 6th.

As always, if you have questions, ideas, or would like to lead and/or volunteer to help and be involved, please talk to me. You can either find me in person in the office usually on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and parts of Thursdays, or reach me via email at: timothy.siburg@gmail.com, or by cell phone at: (360) 536-1963.

Blessings and thanks, Timothy

July Worship Schedule and Narrative Lectionary Themes Sat June 27 Psalm 40:1-10: Thanksgiving; Chapel, 5pm

Sun June 28 Psalm 40:1-10: Thanksgiving; Sanctuary, 9:30am

Sat July 4 – No Worship Service This Saturday

Sun July 5 Psalm 146:1-10: Praise and Trust (and a little 4th of July Fun); Front Lawn, 9:30am

Sat July 11 OT (Old Testament) Wisdom & Poetry: Proverbs 1 & 3; Chapel, 5pm

Sun July 12 OT Wisdom & Poetry: Proverbs 1 & 3: Sanctuary, 9:30am

Sat July 18 OT Wisdom & Poetry: Proverbs 8; Chapel, 5pm

Sun July 19 OT Wisdom & Poetry: Proverbs 8; Front Lawn, 9:30am

Sat July 25 OT Wisdom & Poetry: Ecclesiastes 1 & 3; Chapel, 5pm

Sun July 26 OT Wisdom & Poetry: Ecclesiastes 1 & 3; Sanctuary, 9:30am

Sat Aug 1 OT Wisdom & Poetry: Song of Solomon 2 & 8; Chapel, 5pm

Sun Aug 2 OT Wisdom & Poetry: Song of Solomon 2 & 8; Front Lawn, 9:30am

Other Invitations to Serve, Share & Join, and Serve If you have enjoyed reading, serving, putting a smile on someone’s face, or helping others experience God’s love, we have all sorts of roles that you can try. You are always welcome to sign up to serve as a reader or communion assistant in the office. However, if there are other areas of worship you would like to try and share or explore in a form of service or leadership I want to help make that happen. Please email, call, or visit me in my office or catch me before or after worship. I want to talk with you and see how we can walk together in creating and serving in worship.

Worship and Music Commission Are you interested and passionate about helping regularly plan the themes and pieces of worship at Woodlake? Have you ever wondered who helps plan and coordinate what worship is? Are you looking for a way to serve and be involved at Woodlake? If your answer to any of these questions is “yes,” then you are cordially invited to join the Worship and Music Commission. The commission regularly meets on the second Tuesday of each month from 6:30-8pm in the Fireside Room. All are welcome to attend and participate, and the door is always open for you to join us in our conversation, discernment and work together.

Matins (Morning Prayer) Wednesday mornings at 8am, Woodlake Lutheran offers a Morning Prayer or Matins worship which involves liturgy, chanting, hymns, scripture and a message the chapel. Before the worship experience at 7:30am is a time of spoken prayer for any prayer concerns all may have, and the worship itself begins at 8am. Following the worship experience is a time of fellowship and food in the Fireside Room. Come and join!

National Lutheran Choir Sponsorship Woodlake Lutheran has been invited to sponsor a singer, Leah Bergman, in the National Lutheran Choir. Leah has shared her musical gifts with Woodlake many times over the years. So far, Woodlake is already half way to its goal to make this a reality! If you are interested in helping sponsor Leah, please speak to Timothy or Shirley Stroud. Worship and Music Notes continued on Page 4

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Worship and Music Notes, continued

An Update and Some Words from the Heart

I am so grateful and happy that I have been able to serve alongside you in ministry as part of Woodlake Lutheran Church in this temporary, interim time. It has been a wonderful year, we have done some amazing things, and I have grown and learned from you. As you may know, my wife Allison has been back in seminary this past spring to become an ordained pastor, and is currently doing her hospital chaplaincy this summer. We recently found out that her internship will be taking us to Messiah Lutheran Church in Vancouver, Washington. This means that we’ll be going “back home” to the Pacific Northwest. We’re excited about this unexpected surprise.

Some of you may not know that as Allison has been in this process, I have also been going through the process to be commissioned as an Associate in Ministry in the ELCA (a focus on Word and service). If all goes well, I could be approved by early/mid-August. So, in partnership with Allison’s internship, I will have a role at Messiah Lutheran with her as well as doing some work for the Southwestern Washington Synod.

This means, though, that my interim time with you is coming to a close. My final Sunday in worship will be August 9th, although I will be in the office the entire following week. As Allison’s internship begins September 1st, we need to take some time during the second half of August to move out west, so my final day in the office will be Friday, August 14th. As this transition unfolds, I am planning to help lead the Worship and Music Commission through it, and deeply believe that we have accomplished the interim pieces that I was brought on to serve as the Interim Worship and Music Director. I will also assist in the search and hiring process for the new Worship and Music Director this summer, and continue to help with Stewardship and Facilities and Properties.

I have really loved being welcomed into this community and serving alongside all of you, so this news is bittersweet. If you have questions, or would like to discuss any of this, please just let me know.

Thank you and blessings, Timothy

Tapestry has been busy as we begin the summer!

We continue to meet Sunday evenings at 5:00 p.m. We know people are busy during the summer, but we believe it's important to continue to build our relationships with each other, rooted in the love of Jesus. We also want to be here to welcome anyone who might want to worship with us before they go in for a delicious meal with Loaves & Fishes.

We have also been getting out into the neighborhood and meeting our neighbors with cookies and lemonade. You can read more about these outings at Pastor Melissa's blog: https://diariesofamissiondeveloper.wordpress.com/ . We’ve had the opportunity to hear peoples’ stories and share in the wonder of God working in our lives and in the world.

We continue to build community in Richfield! We will be at the Richfield Farmer's Market June 20th and August 8th. You can also look for us at PennFest where we'll invite people to play percussion with us! We welcomed Julia Dinsmore, local spoken word artist and author, to lead us in worship, and we will welcome Jesus Purisaca, Peruvian musician, as well as Teresa Ortiz, Mexican poet and author who very often writes bilingual works.

We are pleased that we have partners in ministry among local congregations as well. We thank the Epiphany Legacy Fund for their donations to our mission, and we thank Oak Grove Lutheran for their generous donation as well! And of course, we praise God for Woodlake and your generosity with Tapestry over these last few months.

Our team has been discussing our vision and ministry and where we believe the Spirit is leading. This is very exciting work and we will have an update on this vision next month! Or speak with Pastor Melissa and she can share some of the plans we are considering.

Bendiciones y paz! Blessings and peace!

Pastora Melissa Melnick

A Quick Note from Pastor Diane! We are here in Texas! Scout is adjusting. I just wanted to thank you all for the sendoff, and personal thank-you’s will follow. Love, Pastor Diane

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Around the Table Notes from your Leadership Board

This month’s column was written by Jacquelyn Rupp, Worship and Music Commissioner Monique Rupp’s daughter.

Summer isn’t usually the season that compels us to reflect on change;

instead, autumn is what tends to give us pause, to make us think about what is static and what is dynamic.

Yet for us at Woodlake, this summer is bringing change in a myriad of ways: our mission and central vision is continuing to kaleidoscope, slowly crystallizing a new way forward; our doors are welcoming both familiar and fresh faces into our congregation; and perhaps most significantly, our doors are opening for leaders and community members to leave and follow new paths and new stories. Pastor Diane Roth has left to answer a call in Texas, and her ministry and her gifts are already so missed; and now, it is with bitter-sweetness and full gratitude that we bid farewell to our Director of Mission & Outreach, Chris Okey. These past few years as a college student I have not been fortunate to watch Chris work in this role, but I was privileged to work alongside him on many mission trips and learn from him in his previous position as Woodlake’s Youth Director.

Trying to summarize and articulate what Chris has done for the youth of Woodlake is like trying to hold everyone you love at the same time and knowing there’s no way your arms are long enough. But I have a memory of the first summer youth mission trip Chris took Woodlake youth to, a dusty Dakotah-Sioux reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. And one night, a few of us had a serious case of giggles; the wildly inappropriate, everything-else-is-solemn-but-you-can’t-stop kind of laughter. Admittedly, I was probably the instigator; and so Chris looked at me and shook his head and said “Man, J, you are a serious handful.” But even as he said it, never once did I feel as though he was criticizing my character or personhood– even in chastising me, I knew that he always saw me for and would encourage my gifts, my best qualities. Chris’s own gift is the tenacity and dedication with which he can make each of us feel uniquely seen at a time in our lives when all we wanted to do was blend in.

Chris Okey is the kind of youth director who took what sometimes seemed foreign and antiquated (scripture, doctrine, ritual) and stitches it together with sports, our favorite bands, and our ultimately adolescent brains in a way that is both believable and accessible. In the moments when one or two or twelve of us would push buttons, bringing up case studies or books or personal crises that worked to reduce God or put all of Christianity in a tidy box, Chris would always say, “It’s never important that you have the answers; it’s only important that you keep asking the questions.” This has stuck with me into my early twenties, my foray into marriage, my first jobs – I know that it’ll stay with all of us.

In the thirteen years that he has served Woodlake as a youth director, he has completely revolutionized my understanding of myself and what it means to love God. What Chris gives to us goes beyond ministry. He is a beautiful example of what it means to meet someone where they’re at, to take them as they are, to love them unconditionally: the simple profundity and essence of Christianity.

Indeed, that gift and his example and leadership have taught me and dozens of Woodlake youth more about Christianity than any scripture or doctrine ever could. We will miss him fiercely and love him always.

Jacquelyn Rupp

Welcome, Pastor Charlie!

We are pleased to welcome Pastor Charlie Plaster as our new Pastor of Visitation and Congregational Care. He will be formally installed during worship on Sunday, June 28, and you will have the chance to get to know him in the weeks to come. Many of you may already know Pastor Charlie, who has been a member here at Woodlake for several years. You’ll usually find him in church on Sundays, in the office on Monday and Tuesday morning, and at the Wednesday morning Matins service (8am).

FOURTH OF JULY CLOSURES BUILDING CLOSED: Friday, July 3, and Saturday, July 4 NO CHAPEL WORSHIP on Saturday, July 4 REDUCED OFFICE HOURS: Office is open from 9am-1pm from Monday, July 6 – Friday, July 10. (Office Coordinator Julia is going on vacation, and Bernice Deike will be covering the phones.)

From the Records

Deaths and Funerals Thank you for keeping

these families in your prayers.

Inger-Mette Reffsgaard

Selma Hanson Mary Anne Helleckson Janet Ketcham

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Mission: Possible!

GOOD MORNING, DEAR WOODLAKER: Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to live your life in intentional service to others. Of course, you are already doing many acts of service for others: VEAP, Families Moving Forward, homebound ministry, among others. However, we are looking to find new ways of reaching out to help our neighbors: both with home-grown ideas for mission, plus projects in partnership with other congregations. Here are just some of the newer service projects going on at Woodlake:

* Knitting hats and scarves

* Loaves and Fishes

* Growing fresh vegetables

* Monarch Garden (picture of a new baby, below!)

* Habitat for Humanity (partnering with Hope Lutheran Church)

* Little Free Library (picture below)

As always, should any member of Woodlake be caught performing an act of service, they will be thanked and encouraged to do more. Those you serve will be uplifted by your actions. This message will not self-destruct… instead, it is intended to be spread through the good deeds of all of us at Woodlake. Want to know more? Contact Mission and Outreach Commissioner Anne Schmieg at 952-881-4213 or anneebuggs@hotmail.com.

Technology Update

Coming soon, at long last….

the new and improved www.woodlakechurch.org! Our website has been totally redesigned and we will be unveiling it this summer. It has many features that people have been asking for, including

Updated, fresher, easier-to-navigate design

Ability to donate online with a debit or credit card (either on a one-time or ongoing basis)

Complete building calendar (the one we actually run the building from, so it’s updated in real time).

Frequently-updated events page, with a slideshow on the front page showing new content all the time

Ability to register and pay for Bible studies, classes, VBS, etc. (as they are offered)

And more! It has truly been a collaborative effort among staff and members, and we are looking forward to having a more functional website to keep you all updated on the latest.

Church Software Updated The software we use to keep track of membership and finances has been updated (yes, again). Please let us know if you notice any irregularities, such as: you didn’t receive your Messenger this month (we’ll assume you grabbed this one from the kiosk); you got put back on the mailing list when you didn’t want to be, or any weirdness on a statement or communication you think may be incorrect. Thank you!

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Small Groups and Circles

Prayer Knitting Many of you may have had the privilege of hearing Deb Olson speak in church about our prayer knitting ministry, which in addition to the shawls, also creates knitted hats for those in need. Many people have asked what kind of yarn donations we can use, so here’s some information about that!

The hat knitters prefer Michael’s Loops and Threads Charisma, or JoAnn’s Hometown USA. We can, however, use any yarn, but baby yarn is somewhat harder to use. Yarn from garage sales is fine. Also, circular knitting looms from garage sales can be put to good use for those wanting to learn.

There is a box in the office where we collect donations of yarn. Monetary donations are also accepted! Checks should be made out to Woodlake and marked Knitters – Hats in the memo line. Bring these to the office as well.

If you are interested in learning how to knit on a loom please call or email Deb Olson: 952-285-2976 or yeti5353@yahoo.com.

Prayer Knitting Schedule This Summer Our prayer knitting group will continue to meet each 2nd and 4th Thursday throughout the summer months, from 9:30 – 11:30 in the Fireside Room. New knitters and crocheters, those who knit or crocheted years ago, those who want to learn – all are welcome. We will help anyone who wants to learn and help with this ministry – all ages, bar none!

Besides being one of Woodlake’s outreach ministries, it’s a fun, fun group to be a part of. We make shawls to be given for any occasion, baptism shawls, and chemo caps. You are welcome to them. They are crafted with a lot of love and prayers, and are given at no cost. Contact Betty H. at 952-835-3133 (or talk to anyone you know is involved with this ministry) if you would like one for yourself or someone you know would appreciate one.

Faith and Fiction Book Club We will meet on Thursday, July 26, at 7:00pm in the Heritage Room. Our book for July is Once We Were Brothers by Ronald Balsom.

Woodlakers’ Outing You are invited to attend our 3rd Annual Plymouth Summer Music Series concert on July 28 at 7:00pm! The one we will hear is the Copper Street Brass Quintet, back by popular demand! All four are worth attending, and are a free-will offering. The church fills up, so come early – parking is behind the church, which is on Franklin and Nicollet in Minneapolis. After the concert, we will uphold our tradition and have sundaes and coffee at the Hassenstabs’. If we are lucky, Mickey might build some of her famous cookies. When you call to say you plan to attend, let us know if there is a topping for the ice cream you would like to bring.

For more details, and to say you are coming, call the Hassenstabs at 952-835-3133, or the Larsons at 952-835-1851. RSVP by July 25.

Hi Woodlake Family, As some of you may know, I have recently signed my first official publishing contract with Starfield Press in Oklahoma City. They have published my first book "Soul Studies: Etymology and Story", an essay collection on how words and language impact and influence our relationships and lived experiences. :)

Under my particular contract, I am able to sell print copies of my book on my own to local friends and family - 100% of those proceeds go directly to me, and I will personally be donating a portion of proceeds to Language Conservation and Global Literacy for Women. Print copies of my book are retailing for $10.95.

If you are interested in purchasing print copies from me, here is what you need to do:

1) Please send an email to jacquelynelizabeth.author@gmail.com and include the number of copies you'd like to purchase as well as the address to which you'd like them sent. Please also note whether you would like your copy autographed!

2) You can either send a check (made out to me at $10.95 ea.) to 16201 Hampshire Ave S, Prior Lake, MN OR, if you have a PayPal account, you can pay the total directly to jacquelynelizabeth.author@gmail.com Being an author is a dream come true for me, and your support is incredibly appreciated. Thank you so much for being an outstanding faith family and wonderful friends!

Lots of love and many many thanks, Jacquelyn Rupp

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Pastor’s Corner Ponderings . . .

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

I want to write about faith, about the way the moon rises over cold snow, night after night,

faithful even as it fades from fullness, slowly becoming that last curving and impossible sliver of light before the final darkness.

But I have no faith myself I refuse it even the smallest entry.

Let this then, my small poem, like a new moon, slender and barely open, be the first prayer that opens me to faith.

-- David Whyte from Where Many Rivers Meet ©2007 Many Rivers Press

To me, poetry captures the deepest longings and struggle within the human soul more than any other medium. In this poem, the author David Whyte struggles with his own faith.

As Christians, we talk about faith all of the time, and as Lutherans we proclaim that we are saved by faith. Yet, if we are honest with ourselves, there are times – sometimes many – in which we struggle to have faith, especially when things happen that don’t seem to make sense. Such experiences can lead to a crisis of faith, and leave us questioning ourselves: “I’m supposed to be a Christian, but I’m struggling to believe…what’s wrong with me?”

There is nothing wrong with you. The fact that we sometimes struggle to have faith is something we all experience. Even Luther struggled to believe. At one time in his life, he had hit such a low point that he exclaimed, “My faith is hanging by a thread.”

In our Gospel passage above, a father approaches Jesus in desperation, asking Jesus to heal his daughter. Jesus responds that all that is required of him is to have faith; in turn, he responds, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.” Even when our faith is like a “sliver of light,” it is enough for Jesus.

Yes, you too will have times when you feel as though your faith is hanging by a thread, but it does not reveal a lack of faith. It is because you take your faith so seriously that you question it at times. So what do you do when find yourself between faith and doubt? Remember the words of David Whyte: Let this then, my small poem, like a new moon, slender and barely open, be the first prayer that opens me to faith. Be honest with Jesus and yourself. Know that Jesus loves you just the same whether our faith is strong or whether we are struggling with unbelief. Just that fact that you seek Jesus in your hour of need is enough. Accept yourself as you are, and simply allow Jesus to be your faith for you. Rest not on your own strength, but on the grace, love and peace of God.

Blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord, Pastor Fred