September 2011 • Volume 24, ISSue 8

An abandoned building, a natural disaster, a family’s personal struggle, a simple mission statement—the opportunities to serve local communities come in all forms with results that can transform lives and congregations.

Trinity Lutheran, Mason City, has a laundry list of ministries that reach out to the local community through partnerships, volunteerism, financial support and hospitality. The congregation consciously works to make itself known to others as a servant church, as a way to live up to its own mission statement: We are called to share God’s healing love through Christ’s forgiveness and our personal servanthood.

According to Jim Magelssen, Trinity senior pastor, the mission statement has helped the congregation turn outward in visible ways to help others. “It’s about sharing God’s love through servanthood,” he said. “Bit by bit people began to think about how we live that, to really become who we say we want to be. It’s been a process of trying to grow into what our mission statement says we are.”

The church has developed and strengthened partnerships with community organizations, such as the YMCA to house a preschool and the Salvation Army to assist struggling families through the Trinity Welfare Fund. Congregation members have volunteered in force for the local CROP Walk and to clean up the community, especially following the 2008 floods when the church building served as a Red Cross feeding center.

Trinity youth learn about mission early on through giving opportunities and servant trips. Children attending this year’s joint vacation Bible school with Our Saviour’s Lutheran, Mason City, collected 88 tubes of toothpaste and 50 bottles of shampoo to donate to the Salvation Army. After visiting a homeless shelter and soup kitchen in Minneapolis, some of the older youth were inspired to make purses and sell them at Trinity’s fall bazaar as part of a “Purses for Poverty” project to support the local women’s shelter.

Mission and servanthood have a prominent part in Trinity’s celebration of its 140th anniversary this year. The congregation has committed to giving 1,400 hours and $14,000 to Habitat for Humanity, 14,000 food items and $14,000 to the Harvest Food Bank, and $14,000 for the ELCA Malaria Campaign.

“I am so grateful for Trinity’s commitment to be a servant church,” Magelssen says. “It’s easy for uninvolved people in the church to be unaware of what we are doing, so we put the message out as often as possible, even on our offering envelopes. We need to keep reinforcing the self image of who we are and how we respond to God’s love in our community.”

NORTHEASTERN IOWA

Strengthening Mission

Congregations Serve Their Local Communities by Marcia Hahn

Evangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaStar

In THIS ISSue

>> Continued on page 2

1 Congregations Serve Their Local Communities

3 Renewal and Revitalization of Mission

4 Fall Conference to Focus on ‘Forgiveness and Reconciliation’

7 The Language of Gratitude

9 Events, Congregations

10 Prayer Calendar

Jan Feustel fills a box with donated food as part of trinity lutheran’s annual easter food distribution. The congregation gave away more than 70 food boxes this year to Mason City area families in need.

2 NoRThEaSTERN Iowa SyNod | www.neiasynod.org

Show and tell can get people doingPlacing mission projects front and center for the congregation to see and support has become a pattern at Faith Lutheran, Shell Rock. When the youth wanted to support a Habitat for Humanity project in Parkersburg last year, members built and displayed their own playhouse in the church as a fundraiser for the project. For their Buck-a-Chick project to support ELCA World Hunger, a member brought in several three-day-old chicks for people to hold.

Earlier this year, members set up a tent in the church narthex to show the congregation what Faith’s campsite would look like at the Relay for Life event to fight cancer. Fifteen church members joined Faith’s Relay for Life team at Allison where they sold luminaries and popcorn to raise $530.

Events planned for this fall include recognition of veterans for Veterans Day and a paper drive to support the Shell Rock Food Bank. Congregation members will be asked to bring in paper towels, toilet tissue, laundry soap, and other supplies to donate. “I can envision having a mountain of items from floor to ceiling in the

church during October,” says Cathi DeWitt, leader of fellowship and social ministry and evangelism.

A “Blessing of Pets” will support the local animal shelter in honor of a congregation member who was seriously injured from a fall on the ice. “His dog stayed beside him, and we thought that was such a nice story,” DeWitt says. Members are invited to bring their pets to the church to have them blessed and to contribute cat litter, leashes, money, and other pet supplies for the shelter.

“We have a fun congregation that is very involved.” DeWitt says.

Members of Zion Lutheran, West Union, bared their mission for all to see as part of a “Bald and Beautiful” event to support a congregation member diagnosed with breast cancer. Pam Moss, a registered nurse and assistant professor at Upper Iowa

University, knew she would lose her hair shortly after her first chemotherapy treatment, so she invited the Zion congregation to lose their tresses too and support the Relay for Life of Fayette County. Some 50 people from the community, including Pastor David Grant and 20 other Zion members, joined Moss in April to have their heads shaved while others came for moral support.

People were asked to give a $10 donation to have their heads shaved or to watch, but generous giving brought in $2,700 at the event and a total of $5,000 by the time of the Relay for Life in June. The shaving event hit home in the community since five other West Union residents were diagnosed with breast cancer about the same time as Moss, including one of the three cosmetologists who volunteered their shaving skills.

“My church family has been huge through this whole thing,” Moss says. “Zion is a wonderful congregation, and I can’t say enough about my church family. Thank you to the members of Zion for their faithful support!”

empty spaces beckon to serve againEmpty buildings—even empty rooms—can be transformed into vibrant spaces for mission to local families. An abandoned parochial school building across from St. John (Buck Creek) Lutheran, Oran, has found new life as a clothing outlet for families of Northeastern Iowa.

Congregations Serve...<< Continued from page 1

>> Continued on page 6

Newly shaved participants in the “Bald and Beautfiul” fund-raising event at Zion, West union, include pastor David Grant; Doug poppen, council president; pam moss, breast cancer survivor and council secretary; and Doug’s son Sam poppen.

Belmond Churches Take Mission on the RoadCongregations from St. John and St. olaf, Belmond, filled the pews and raised a cross on their own float, and then made the rounds in community parades this year as a way to invite others to join their ministry “united in Christ.”

3SEPTEMBER 2011

It is a congregation that has known challenges. The pastor, committed to the neo-pentecostal movement of the 1970s, confused them. Their faith was grounded in scripture and catechism without much emotion.

Before long a pastor came who was removed for misconduct. Then came a pastor who was able to insist that he knew so much more than they did about faith, Jesus and evangelism.

So the phone call came to me. “We aren’t going to last much longer. I read the constitution and we need to remove our pastor.” I replied, “I’m leaving for sabbatical tomorrow.” This was a thoroughly inadequate response and not very pastoral on my part.

“We can’t wait three months, we’ll be closed.”

“If you can’t last three months, then maybe it is time to close.” Again, not the highpoint of my pastoral care.

The congregation decided to take my comments as a challenge. They

concluded that it was not about the pastor or bishop, but about the members. When I returned from sabbatical, they had grown in worship attendance and membership each month for three months. We were able to work together at that point. In fact, it was time for the pastor to move on. When I returned several years later for an anniversary, I found one of the most healthy, vibrant, welcoming congregations in our synod. Even though it is a congregation in a very remote location, it is as welcoming a community of faith that you can find.

When God calls us to a particular place for mission, God gives us the necessary gifts for mission for that place and time. The gifts for renewal and revitalization do not reside in the synod office or the churchwide office, but in the place where people of God gather each week for Word and Sacrament and community.

What is true for this congregation is true for every community of faith in this church.

This congreg- ation knew more than anyone else what it would take to welcome family, friends and neighbors to a community of grace. They just needed to realize that this was their calling and no one was going to do it for them. God had given them the gifts and insights, faith and commitment to be the evangelists in their area. Synod ministries are available to provide resources and networks to assist in this outreach, but it is the commitment and determination of the congregation that is essential to becoming an evangelizing community.

− Steven L. Ullestad Bishop, Northeastern Iowa Synod

Renewal and Revitalization of Mission

BISHop

namibia pastor to VisitPastor Jeremia Kashululu of the evangelical lutheran Church in Namibia, will be a guest of the Northeastern Iowa Synod from oct. 15-Nov. 15. plans are for pastor Kashululu to visit a number of churches during his visit so that congregations can learn about the Namibian culture and the Companion Synod relationship, and so he can learn more about the ministry and culture in Northeastern Iowa.

Any congregations that would like to host a visit from Pastor Kashululu should contact pastor pat Shaw, 641-512-1198, or Nancy larson at the synod office, 319-352-1414.

Youth Ministry Leadership TrainingYouth Ministry Training events continue this fall with three live webinars and a seminar. All programs are offered free for youth leaders, volunteers and parents. The live webinars include opportunities for participants to ask questions and discuss topics online. Recorded versions of the webinars will be available for people to view at their own convenience. The webinars can be accessed at www.elcaymnet.org/webinars.

Sunday, Sept. 18 Webinar – Lutheran Theology: How God is Working in the World , 2 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 2 Webinar – Lutheran Theology: How Lutherans Read Scripture , 2 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 8 Seminar – Youth Ministry as Faith Formation, at Bethlehem Lutheran, Cedar Falls, 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 16 Webinar – Your Role as Leader, 2 p.m.

to learn more about these events, visit www.elca.org/youth or call the synod office, 319-352-1414.

4 NoRThEaSTERN Iowa SyNod | www.neiasynod.org

Bishop Rev. Dr. Steven L. Ullestad - ullestads@neiasynod.org Assistants to the Bishop Rev. Mark A. Anderson - andersonm@neiasynod.org Rev. Darrel W. Gerrietts - gerriettsd@neiasynod.org Linda J. Hudgins - hudginsl@neiasynod.org Rev. Nancy J. Larson - nancy_larson@elca.org STAR Editors Marcia Hahn - hahnm@neiasynod.org Julie Drewes - jdrewes@mchsi.com

The STAR is published 11 times a year by the Northeastern Iowa Synod, 201 20th Street SW, PO Box 804, Waverly, IA 50677-0804; www.neiasynod.org, phone 319-352-1414, FAX 319-352-1416.

Send news for the November issue to Marcia Hahn by October 2. We welcome story ideas related to the 2011 theme, Strengthening Mission.

Articles in this newsletter may be duplicated for use in synod congregations and organizations, with credit to the Star newsletter.

Please notify the synod office with name and address changes.

noRTHeaSTeRn Iowa SYnod

Forgiveness and reconciliation will be the focus of the Fall Theological Conference set for Oct. 16-18, 2011, at the Best Western Midway in Dubuque. The Rev. Dr. Janet Ramsey, professor emeritus of Congregational Care Leadership at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., will speak on “Understanding the What, Who, and How of Forgiveness: Theological and Pastoral Foundations.”

Ramsey is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a licensed marriage and family therapist, and a Diplomate in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. She is the author of numerous articles and book chapters and is a well-known national speaker. Her work at Luther Seminary focuses on a philosophical and theological change in which the pastor is no longer seen as the sole giver of care to the congregation; instead, the pastor is one model of care giving among

others – a Christian leader who can organize and educate congregations to become caring communities. “To truly believe in the priesthood of all believers means that everyone in the congregations must be enabled to minister according to his or her gifts,” Ramsey says.

The conference begins Oct. 16 with check-in at 4 p.m., followed by a spouse breakout, time with the Bishop, Holden Evening Prayer, and fellowship. Monday’s schedule includes two learning sessions, Holy Communion with Bishop Steven Ullestad preaching, and evening fellowship at Wartburg Seminary Chapel. Tuesday’s events include two learning sessions and prayer and renewal of vows.

Registration is due Sept. 30 to the synod office. The conference fee is $95 per person, with one supper and two lunches included. to download a registration, visit www.neisynod.org/events.

Fall Conference to Focus on ‘Forgiveness and Reconciliation’

aGape Concert to Kickoff Youth Gathering RegistrationA kickball tournament, seminar and concert will kickoff registration for the 2012 elCA Youth Gathering in New orleans.

Synod youth groups are invited to bethlehem lutheran, Cedar Falls, Saturday, oct. 8, at 3:30 p.m., to join in an afternoon kickball tournament while their youth leaders attend the training seminar, “Youth ministry as Faith Formation.” In the evening, everyone can gather at St. John lutheran for a 7:00 concert with Christian hip hop artist AGAPE and singer/songwriter Rachel Kurtz.

online registration for the elCA Youth Gathering begins Sunday, oct. 9. Youth groups are encouraged to register as early as possible to submit their lodging and service preferences.

to learn more, visit www.neiasynod.org/youth or call the synod office, 319-352-1414.

Coming Soon!Jr. High/Middle School Lock-In

Oct. 14-15, 2011 uNI Wellness recreation Center

Cedar Falls, Iowa

Rev. dr. Janet Ramsey

5SEPTEMBER 2011

Turkey River Forumlay and rostered members of the Northeastern Iowa Synod are invited to hear Stanley olson, president of Wartburg theological Seminary, present “the lutheran Conversation about Vocation—Congregations, Seminaries and Daily life” tuesday, Sept. 13, at Zion lutheran, West union.

This Turkey River Forum event will look at how the church shapes worship and congregational life, and forms and supports pastors and other leaders. martin luther’s understanding of Christian vocation has been a transformative insight for the church that sometimes illuminates and inspires. pastor olson thinks the early 21st century is primed for such illumination and inspiration.

the program will be from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., followed by lunch. Cost is $25 for rostered leaders, $10 for retired rostered leaders, and free for interns and lay members. to register, contact Susan Friedrich at friedrichsusan@gmail.com or call 563-422-6242.

Cedar Valley/north Iowa Forum presents Gospel of Mark Rostered members can prepare for the coming year of Mark by attending the program “Preaching and teaching the Gospel of mark in Year b” tuesday, Nov. 8, at St. John lutheran, Charles City. the presenter will be Dr. roy A. Harrisville, professor emeritus, New testament, at luther Seminary, St. paul, minn.

the program is part of the Cedar Valley/North Iowa Forum. It will run from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. with lunch included. Cost to attend is $20.

to learn more or to pre-register, contact pastor Irving Sandberg, 319-352-0181 or irving@mchsi.com.

Synod Hosts Hungarian Bishopbishop tamas Fabiny, of the Northern District of the evangelical lutheran Church in Hungary (elCH), presents a book of martin luther’s last Will and testament to bishop Steven ullestad during a reception at Wartburg College honoring Fabiny and his wife. the elCH and the Northeastern Iowa Synod have started a Companion Synod relationship. In addition to Wartburg College, Fabiny visited the Glocal mission Gathering in Decorah, WIYlDe at luther College, Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, and the churchwide office in Chicago. more pictures from bishop Fabiny’s visit can be seen at www.neiasynod.org/synod_resources/hungary CompanionSynod.htm.

Stanley olson

Tri-State ForumSept. 15, 2011Where to now? The Future of Mission in the ELCA, presented by the rev. rafael malpica padilla, executive director of the elCA Division for Global mission.

The program will look at the need for a critical review of life together in the church in order to begin a missional vocation today and vision for a church in a post-modern context.

Oct. 20, 2011Reflections on the God of the Old Testament, presented by terence Fretheim , luther Seminary, St. paul, mN.

this program will explore several old testament texts, giving special consideration to the divine-human relationship, divine power and divine violence.

For more information or to register, click on the lifelong learners link at www.wartburgseminary.edu, email lifelonglearners@wartburgseminary.edu, or call 563-589-0327.

6 NoRThEaSTERN Iowa SyNod | www.neiasynod.org

The Helping Hands Clothing Closet, co-sponsored by St. John and St. Peter, Oran, opened in August 2010 and serves 50 to 100 people a month.

“We realized there was a need to provide clothing for families,” says

Pastor Sandra Burroughs. “Even Goodwill was too expensive for some people, so we wanted to offer clothes for free. We have been very blessed with a constant supply of donations.”

The clothing closet was initially set up in a classroom, but in one month it expanded to three rooms, then filled the entire five-room brick school building a month later. Some 50 regular volunteers from the two churches run the operation, sorting through clothes and assisting families. Clothing items in all sizes are available free of charge to anyone who asks, along with blankets, sheets and towels.

Volunteers try to meet special needs, such as when they sent out a request to area churches for prom dresses last spring. They also work closely with graduates of the Barnabas Uplift certified nursing assistant training program to provide appropriate clothes for job interviews and scrub

suits for those starting their first jobs.

Burroughs says that word about the service has spread quickly, and families come from as far away as Manchester for clothes. Social workers often bring clients who are unable to drive.

The two small churches cover utility expenses and building upkeep from their annual budgets and also sponsor the nearby His Hands Food Pantry, which opened late last year on Main Street Oran (see June 2011 Star).

A former Lutheran church in St. Olaf is home to the Shepherd of the Hills ministry, sponsored by 17 area ELCA churches. The ministry includes a resource center, crisis fund for family

emergencies, and clothing center, which opened in 1985. Some 40 to 50 families are referred to the clothing center each month for free clothing and household items. People without referrals can purchase items for a dollar each.

According to coordinator Ruth Hilgerson, the program works because of the support and donations from area churches, businesses, and organizations. “Pastors, social workers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, caseworkers and county agencies can refer people to us,” Hilgerson says. “Teachers may call with a need for boots, gloves or mittens for a student, and we’ll try to find their size.”

Two special give-away events take place each year at the center. The “Back to School for Kids” event in August provides more than

200 children with new backpacks, socks, underwear and school supplies donated by area churches and organizations. Two weeks prior to Christmas, the Holiday Shop opens for parents to shop for gifts for their children. All items are new and arranged like a “mini Wal-Mart,” according to Hilgerson. Volunteers help parents select toys, clothing, coats and other available items. Everyone receives new underwear, socks, hats and mittens. Each family is given a quilt, and children age one and older receive new pillows and pillow cases made by volunteers of the Sweet Dreams Project.

“Everybody really looks forward to the Holiday Shop,” Hilgerson says. “We have to limit it to Clayton County residents unless we receive a referral from a pastor. It’s a faith thing. The families are in need, and that’s what we’re here for.”

natural disasters strengthen community outreachEver since the tornado of 1968 struck the Charles City community, St. John Lutheran has built on a tradition of opening its doors to others and seeking ways to help. The church became a refuge for families displaced by the floods of 1999 and 2008, offering shelter and food. Today, St. John continues serving families

Congregations Serve...<< Continued from page 2

Ruth Hilgerson coorindates the Shepherd of the Hills ministry in St. olaf, sponsored by 17 area elCA churches.

>> Continued on page 7

A former parochial school located in the country across from St. John (buck Creek) lutheran, oran, has been converted into the Helping Hands Clothing Closet.

7SEPTEMBER 2011

in need through its vital clothing missions.

The Clothing Room opened 25 years ago in a corner of the church’s lower level to provide free clothing in good repair for area families in need. Volunteers sort, label, clean and recycle the continual donations of clothes that come in. Five or more families are served every month. “They don’t have to meet any criteria, they just have to ask,” says Pastor Dennis Niezwaag, St. John senior pastor.

Five years ago a group of women decided to expand the service with a special “Coats for Kids” day in October. Requests go out for people to bring new or gently used coats and other winter clothing items to the church or leave them at a drop box at the local hardware store. Financial gifts are also used to purchase additional winter clothing items in a variety of sizes.

In 2010, the project gave away 813 winter clothes items, including 164 coats, 171 hats and 301 pairs of mittens and gloves. Volunteers say that some of the children have been so excited to receive their new coats

and boots that they wear them home from the event instead of putting them in the bag.

“It’s a one-day event, but if teachers or school staff later encounter children who don’t have appropriate wear for the winter, they can contact us and we may have extra coats available or we can use our ‘needy fund’ to purchase items,” Niezwaag says.

One volunteer for the project noted how rewarding and gratifying it is to be part of this mission. “It is almost unbelievable how generous and caring this community and the body of Christ at St. John are.

Congregations Serve...<< Continued from page 6

I do enjoy a good Chinese meal now and again. The tradition of a fortune cookie for dessert is one of the delightful components that has provided both humor and thought over the years. A recent lunch with friends provided the fortune “Never forget the language of gratitude.” I decided that was my prompting for this article.

5 Reasons we Should use the Language of Gratitude oftenGod has richly blessed us beyond our wildest imaginations!

1. We have been graced with forgiveness and salvation through no doing of our own.

2. God has provided “…food and clothing, home and family, daily work and all I need from day to day…out of fatherly and divine goodness and mercy, though I do not deserve it.” (Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, Explanation to

the First Article of the Apostles Creed)

3. We live in the richest country in the world with access to abundant food, the best in medical care, fine educational facilities, job opportunities, generally safe communities and this list can go on and on.

4. The sun rises and sets, the seasons roll on in their order, the rains flow (sometimes too much) and yet even in the face of various disasters we are not left alone; God is with us in the caring and hard working hands of so many.

5. We experience life with freedoms unparalleled—faith, speech, gathering, political perspective. We can be conservative or liberal, right, left or in between, but we are children of the same gracious God, abundant in mercy and never failing love.

It’s too easy to take all of this for granted or to assume that we somehow deserve all these blessings! The language of gratitude helps us to keep things in proper perspective, keep our arrogance in check and remember that it all begins with God.

The language of gratitude is our acknowledgement that God is our God and we are God’s people. When this truth is in full focus, we are able to be the faithful stewards God desires us to be. We can better manage that which God has entrusted to us and more appropriately distribute the riches of God’s grace in word and deed.

Indeed, it is all about the language of gratitude – thanks be to God!

The Language of GratitudeBy pastor nancy LarsonDirector for Evangelical Mission and Assistant to the Bishop

8 NoRThEaSTERN Iowa SyNod | www.neiasynod.org

new networks to Beginthe synod’s transition from work groups to networks begins at the Fall leadership Conference set for Saturday, Sept. 17, at redeemer lutheran, Waverly. the new networks are Care of Creation, Companion Synod-Namibia, Companion Synod-Hungary, Home life, rural life, Hunger, Global mission, Colleague Group leaders, Youth & Family ministry, lYo leadership team, ministry on Aging, Immigration, and Disaster response. New member opportunities are also available on the Compensation Committee and SAFE Ministry Committee.

The agenda includes breakout meetings for the networks to create charters, set goals, and plan electronic meetings. A tutorial for conducting electronic meetings will also be presented. lunch will be served.

Anyone who has not yet registered but would like to attend should call the synod office, 319-352-1414.

Cultures Spice up Glocal GatheringA cultural mix of music, skits, worship, food, learning and displays highlighted the synod’s first Glocal Mission Gathering in July. Thank you goes to Decorah lutheran, Decorah, for hosting the event and to the Global mission Work Group and volunteers who helped. to view more photos from the event, visit the Global mission Work Group page at www.neiasynod.org/synod_resources.

Barnabas uplift Tax assistanceFree tax assistance offered through barnabas uplift helped working Iowans receive $8,508 through the earned Income tax Credit (eItC) for 2010. those refunds had an economic impact of $19,568 in Iowa communities.

the eItC is a refundable federal income tax credit for low to moderate income working individuals and families to offset the burden of social security taxes and to provide an incentive to work. Trained volunteers at five barnabas uplift sites helped Iowans determine if they qualified for the eItC, and then assisted them in filing their tax returns to claim the credit, even if they did not have a filing requirement. In addition, tax returns filed through barnabas uplift Iowa sites resulted in $44,623 in federal refunds and $5,208 in state refunds.

Congregations participate by providing a location where tax documents can be photocopied, tax payers can log in, and volunteers can assist with filing. three congregations in the Northeastern Iowa Synod offer the service: St. paul, postville; our Saviour’s, mason City; and St. paul, Hampton.

Malaria Campaign progressesA number of congregations in the Northeastern Iowa Synod are abuzz with creative ways to raise awareness and funds for the elCA malaria Campaign. two churches—bethlehem lutheran, Cedar Falls, and St. peter, Garnavillo—have pledged to raise the equivalent of $10 for each congregation member during the three-year campaign. A pipe-cleaner mosquito is added to a net hanging in bethlehem’s narthex each time a $10 gift is made toward the campaign. To view more creative ideas to support the Malaria Campagin, visit www.neiasynod.org/synod_resources/Malaria.asp.

Safeguarding God’s Childrentwo sessions of the “Safeguarding God’s Children” workshop are scheduled in october: Sunday, oct. 16, 2011, at our Savior, Radcliffe, 3-6 p.m. Sunday, oct. 23, 2011, at S. John, Charles City, 1-4 p.m.

Contact the host church to register.