By Bishop Ann Svennungsen At his recent ordination, Leif Johnson, a tennis-coach-become-pastor, shared his thanks during the worship service. He thanked his church family, his tennis family, and his AA family. I admired his courage to include Alcoholics Anonymous. My admiration makes little sense since AA is all about courage – courage to be honest, [...]
By Emilie Bouvier A week ago Saturday, as I stared at a shiny silver balloon reflecting blue sky, leafy trees, and big smiles, I tried to put my finger on the sense of joy I was experiencing. We were gathering in the backyard of Redeemer Lutheran Church to celebrate the big strides we’ve made [...]
By Pastor John Hulden I witnessed two baptisms last Sunday. Thanks to Edina Community and Oak Grove Lutheran churches for the privilege of joining you in welcoming two adorable babies, Isaac and Gordon, to “the body of Christ and the mission we share.” Water and the Word: Promises are made by parents and by sponsors [...]
By Pastor Norma Malfatti “Take a break … Run away with us for the summer. Let’s go upstate … There’s a lake I know In a nearby park.” --Eliza to Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton: An American Musical This snippet from Hamilton has been running through my [...]
By Maya Bryant Spring is often associated with rebirth, the bringing of new life after the quiet of winter. Although, I can’t help but find myself continuing to think about the ending, or death, of things. Just less than two weeks have passed since Synod Assembly ended – an event which synod staff work tirelessly [...]
By Bob Hulteen In Minnesota Prince may be royalty, but in the Lutheran church the bishop is … Hmm, what is the bishop? (I’ll start an answer below.) The 2023 Minneapolis Area Synod Assembly just concluded a day or so ago. The Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III lit up the room with his inspiring oratory, [...]
By Nicholas Tangen When I was a kid, I often struggled in school. My grades rarely rose above a C average, and the end of every semester was a mad dash to complete dozens of assignments that had been lost to history or the bottom of my backpack. I survived because I was a decent [...]
By Pastor Hans Lee In October of last year, I decided to reach out to Pastor John Hulden to let him know of my openness to and interest in serving as an interim pastor, after having taken some time off (testing out retirement). About a month later I received a call from Bishop Ann, who [...]
By Pastor John Hulden This blog is written for you church leaders. How are you doing after Holy Week and Easter? How are you really? Thanks for all you did to make Lent and Easter worship happen at your setting. Now that we are in the season of Easter, it is a good time to [...]
