Ministry in Context

If you have seen “The Lion King” (and we hope you have!) you might remember that delightful little song called “ The Morning Report ,” in which Zazu, the red-billed hornbill who serves as eyes and ears for King Mufasa, comes before the king to give an account of what has happened in Mufasa’s kingdom in the last 24 hours.

Chimps are going ape, giraffes remain above it all
Elephants remember, though just what I can't recall
Crocodiles are snapping up fresh offers from the …

Want to bake some fine communion bread for the holidays? Or show other folks in the congregation how to do it? Or, to tell the truth…just some good eating bread for yourself or your family or your guests?

Using the official “Luther Seminary Recipe,” one of our fine internship supervisors, Pastor Ron Glusenkamp of Bethany Lutheran, Cherry Hills, Colorado, shows you how in this video:

http://vimeo.com/48145113

Thanks for sharing this, Ron!

Here we are in Advent, that hectic and joyous time. We’ll celebrate Christmas as families gather for gala celebrations, great meals and traditional activities. That’s great.

But for some interns, this could be a hard time. Some interns might not be going home for Christmas for the first time. They’ll be missing out on things they’ve always done and the people they have always enjoyed these holidays with. If the intern has a family, the intern’s spouse will be going …

Call me an old softie and a slob. I love Christmas. I love the whole month of December.

I love the scripture and hymns of Advent. I love the “stir up” prayers. (God knows, we need to get stirred up.) I love the candles. I love the concerts. The late service on Christmas Eve has always been one of my two favorite worship services of the whole year. (You didn’t ask, but the answer is the sunrise service on Easter Day.) I love the Sundays after Christmas, with relatively small congregations …

Photos from the Nov. 6 cluster meeting of interns in the Pacific Northwest.

I wrote an article for this newsletter a few days ago. It seemed good at the time. I am grateful that we didn’t go to press right then, because it soon became a totally inappropriate article–and I pulled it. Why?

I was using the then-forming Hurricane Sandy and as illustrative material for a point I wanted to make. The point doesn’t matter now, but had Sandy been a typical storm, it would have been an okay article.

However, Sandy grew beyond all expectations. As it became clear …

As October becomes November, certain pertinent documents pertaining to internship are either due for completion or soon will be.

Learning Goals are due by the end of the second month of internship which, for most interns, means the end of October. Learning Goals are broad summary statements which are inclusive, far-reaching, and visionary. These goals (ideally 3-5) are then joined to objectives which are mini-goals which focus upon specific aspects of the overall goal.  Those objectives should …

The Internship Committee should be meeting regularly by now. You may be wondering what role you play in the internship besides meeting once a month. The text below comes from the Lay Committee Guide found on-line.

What roles do committee members play?

1. Supporter
   You provide counsel and encouragement for the intern and his/her spouse. You provide support and honest feedback - something that everyone needs.
2. Sponsor
   You are able to acquaint the intern with the members of the congregation …

While I have spent most of my life in and around cities, I grew up in southeastern Iowa, never far from farmland, and one of my first jobs involved driving various trucks around Iowa and Illinois, so there is something about farm fields embedded firmly in my soul. I find it relaxing and renewing to drive across the southern Minnesota countryside.

So I was cheerful and anxious in a positive way the other day when I looked forward to driving to Shalom Hill Farm outside Windom to meet with the Southwestern …

Intern Neal Cannon, Intern Kayla Monson, Pastor Joel Quie, Pastor Bob Linstrand, and intern LisaMarie Doerrmann at the West Metro Cluster Meeting.

Interns Kristine Isder, Gwen Powell, Amy Swenson and Amanda Ullrich at the Southwestern Minnesota-South Dakota Cluster.

Interns Jeremy Ullrich, William Johnson, Josh Toufar and Michael Buller enjoy a little cribbage during a lunch break at the Southwestern Minnesota-South Dakota Cluster.

Pastor Rick Hoyme, Intern Aaron …