The Glory Banner
Cross of Glory Lutheran Church (ELCA), a Wildfire Congregation
April 2015
Maundy Thursday ~ April 2, 7:00 pm
Including a narrative drama of the passion,
liturgical dance and the debut of a new choral
anthem by Keith Williams
Good Friday ~ April 3, 12:00 and 7:00pm
Easter Sunday ~ April 5
Sunrise Worship at 7:00 am
Traditional Worship at 9:00 am
Easter Breakfast 9:45 ~ 11:00 am (new times)
Contemporary Worship at 11:00 am
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Why a cross?
Next time you are walking through the grocery store or the mall, pay
attention to the number of crosses you see. Necklaces, earrings,
tattoos, bumper stickers, wrist bands, they are everywhere. Some people wear them to
broadcast their faith, some just wear them because some group or another has decided
they are cool. Speaking of crosses, I’ve heard that some churches even include “cross”
in their names!
So why do we have so many crosses? Wouldn’t it make more sense to wear empty tomb
necklaces or have “He Is Risen” tattoos? After all, the Romans killed lots of rebels,
traitors and other threats to their power on crosses. But only one didn’t stay dead. We
are resurrection people, Easter people. It is our living Lord that we follow, who has made
us into his body, the church.
Yet this week, Holy Week, like every other week in worship, the symbol that will
dominate our worship space is the cross. Whether we are remembering the events of
Palm Sunday, the garden, the Last Supper, the crucifixion or the empty tomb, we
worship in the shadow of that cross above the altar. And perhaps that is as it should be.
The cross reminds us that to celebrate resurrection is to remember crucifixion. The cross
reminds us that our world was and is deeply broken, that God so loved the world that he
chose to die that we might have new life. The cross reminds us that we live in two worlds,
the now and the not yet, the world as it is and the Kingdom of God that broke in on our
broken existence in Jesus. The promise of Easter is not that all will be perfect if our faith
is strong enough but that God’s faithfulness is perfect, everlasting, insurmountable. The
cross reminds us to see the world as it truly is, tragically broken but deeply loved by
God. The cross reminds us that though suffering and death are still very real they no
longer have the final word. May the resurrected Christ be with you this Holy Week and
in your Easter life!
Peace,
Pastor Doug
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Join us for a very special
Maundy Thursday Worship this year!
I invite you to make a special effort to attend Maundy Thursday worship this year. At the
heart of our service will be a narrative drama of the passion written by beloved Lutheran
author Walt Wangerin, Jr. The narrative drama will alternate between a few leaders and
the gathered community with no one left out. During the narrative our own Britta Maddox
will share her gifts as a dancer.
Our choir will also be debuting a new anthem written by our director Keith Williams
entitled “Stay.” It is a marvelous anthem for Maundy Thursday built around Jesus’
request to his disciples in the garden on the eve of his arrest.
Bible Readings for April
April 2 ~ “The Cry of the Whole Congregation” - A narrative
drama of the events of Jesus’ passion
April 3 ~ Matthew 27:27-61 – Crucifixion; “My God, my God why
have you forsaken me?”
April 5 ~ Matthew 28:1-10 – Resurrection, empty tomb, women
encounter the risen Jesus
April 12 ~ Matthew 28:16-20 – Great commission, Go therefore
and make disciples of all nations
April 19 ~ Acts 10:1-17, 34-35 – Peter’s vision shows how God
cleanses people of every nation
April 26 ~ Acts 13:1-3; 14:8-18 – Beginning of Paul’s mission.
Healing at Lystra, gospel to the Gentile world
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4/19 Carol Stejskal
4/26 Maranda Schoffstall
Coffee Servers:
4/05 Easter
4/12 Marian Priest
Jennifer Hagen
Lois Dumonceasux
4/19 Al & Linda Knudsen
Kris Lawrence Anderson
4/26 Dave Hengel, Ruth Brateng
Joyce Kowalczyk
Sunday Morning Ministers
Ushers:
9:00 a.m.
Charles Isenberg Dale Haase
Jerry Rowley
Jim Swenson
Don Custer
Dick Mero
Communion Servers:
4/05 John & Deb Groettum
Judy Lewis, Sharon Quick
Arlene Kosek
Articles for the May, 2015
Glory Banner should to be turned
in to Sue Vukelich by April 14th.
4/19 Dan & Julie Aulwes
Diane Dalton
Lay Lectors:
4/05 Britta Maddox
4/12 Kris Simon
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their ethnic turns. After lunch we visit
St. Wenceslas Church. We end up at
the Czech Bakery where you can buy
kolacky and other goodies to take
home. We will leave church at 9:00am.
50 + and Friends
April is here. Easter is coming,
and Spring has sprung!
We will
celebrate the good weather with a trip
on April 15th to Faribault. We’ll visit the
cathedral of our Merciful Savior ~ a
beautiful Episcopalian church. Then
we will go to the reopened woolen mill
where we can see their process from
sheared wool to thread to fabric. Our
lunch is at the Depot Bar and Grill with
a choice of fried chicken, meat loaf or
walleye. After lunch, a step-on guide
will take us to see the academies for
deaf and blind, River Bend Nature
Center, Shattuck St. Mary’s School,
Farmer’s Seed, Donahue’s and
Alexander Faribault House. We finish
the day with samples at the Cheese
Cave and shopping at Paradise Center
for the Arts. We leave church at
8:30am.
June 24th brings us the
refurbished Old Log Theater and the
fun play “The Best Little Whorehouse
in Texas.” A story of small town vice
and puritanism that cause its demise.
Our lunch choices are Beef short rib,
tilapia, or French cut chicken with
potatoes, vegetables, rolls and
dessert. We leave at 11:00am.
Sign up and remember to check
your choice for meals.
Marian Priest
In April the circles
will continue their nine
month
study,
TRANSFORMING LIFE AND FAITH.
This month our lesson is titled Inspired
by the Risen Lord.
Our three circles meet the third
Tuesday of each month. Community
Needs Circle meets in the Fellowship
Hall at 9:30am. Glory Circle meets in
the Fellowship Hall at 12:00pm. And
the Mission Circle meets in one of their
member’s homes.
(continued on page 8)
On May 13th we will go to
another town. In New Prague we start
at the library with a little history of the
town. Then we’ll drive through town to
see the murals on the buildings. Our
lunch will be build your own
sandwiches, salads and dessert.
During lunch we will listen to the New
Prague Czech Singers singing some of
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(continued from page 5)
Spring Luncheon
May 16, 2015
Theme Verse
“For I handed onto you as of
first importance what I in turn had
received: that Christ died for our sins in
accordance with the scriptures, and
that he was buried and that he was
raised on the third day in accordance
with the scriptures, and that he
appeared to Cephas, then to the
twelve. Then he appeared to more
than five hundred brothers and sisters
at one time, most of whom are still
alive, though some have died. Then he
appeared to James, then to all the
apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely
born, he appeared also to me.” 1
Corinthians 15:3-8
Our Spring Luncheon is
scheduled for Saturday, May 16. The
reason for the later date is the Garms
Family will be our entertainment. They
were so well received at the
Smorgasbord, that Donna asked the
family to come back. This was the only
date that they had available. We all
look forward to hearing them again.
The sign up poster to indicate a dish
you would like to share will be put up
near the Welcome Center on April 19th.
Overview
2015 Gathering
Convention
The Gospels and Acts retell
Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances
and the promised arrival of the Holy
Spirit. These stories, along with Paul’s
insights in 1 Corinthians, will help us
understand how the promises apply to
us as well, giving hope and trust for
now and for the future.
This year’s convention will be
held on October 8-9 at Zion Lutheran
church in Anoka. The Gathering Board
voted to have the planning session on
Friday afternoon and gathering portion
on Saturday and Sunday.
The 2015 theme is Always
Being Made New based on Psalm
51:10-12.
There will be more
information as it becomes available.
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2015
Annual Community Garage Sale
Now that winter is almost over, it is time to start
thinking about our annual garage sale!
The dates for this year’s sale are July 8, 9, 10, and 11th. We will be
setting up for the sale on Saturday, May 30th. Receiving will begin on
Monday, June 1st until Tuesday, June 23rd. Again this year we have been
asked by Advent Lutheran Church in Maple Grove to come on Saturday, May
16 around 12:00pm to pick up any of their treasure that didn’t sell.
Volunteers are needed during the preparation time prior to the
sale. The Garage Sale is a great activity that involves many of our church
members and their families and friends. It is a social time for everyone with
coffee breaks and treats for all. You do not need to work every day during
the prep time. We realize that many of our members are still working fulltime jobs. If you can work one day a week for a few hours or one evening, it
will be greatly appreciated. It takes 25-30 people working about 30 hours a
week during the preparation time to get ready for the sale. All volunteers
work according to their own schedules. If you are able to come and help
after the normal hours of 9:00am to 4:00pm, give us a call and we will be
happy to meet you at church.
Additional workers will be needed during the sale dates to work as
cashiers, baggers, security, clean-up, etc. We will need many volunteers on
Saturday, July 11th to get the church cleaned and back to normal.
If you haven’t already done so it is time to check out your closets,
garages, storerooms or any other place that you might find items that are
useable but you no longer need or use and bring them to the main door of
the church during the receiving times. All items are to be clean and in
saleable condition. We will NOT accept mattresses, baby cribs, playpens,
highchairs, strollers, car seats, hard sided suitcases, computers and
accessories, console televisions, exercise equipment, curtain rods, window
shades, Christmas trees, encyclopedias, bicycles with missing or broken
parts and flat or unusable tires.
Thank you to all of the many volunteers we have had in the past and
all of the new volunteers we will have this year. Any questions? Call Linda
Knudsen at 612-518-4879.
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For the generous donations of 148 pounds of personal hygiene items
by the Women of the ELCA and Cross of Glory members! These items were
bagged and boxed after the women’s meeting on February 5 and taken to
CEAP to store. On the very next delivery to No Hassles Youth Food Shelf,
many of the very same containers came back. Now the drawers and shelves
are overflowing with hygiene items and there will be a supply for a long time
to come!
On March 18, there were six kids at the shelf. I offered a Speed stick
deodorant to a young man who came to the shelf looking for dress clothes,
which he found, for an upcoming job interview at Target Center. Before the
donation, I never saw an item at the shelf specifically made for males, or
many of the other items the shelf received after your church’s drive for
hygiene items. Two kids who were at the shelf on the same day were
enjoying a stress-free game of pool in the space your church provides for
free. That was great to see.
It was a privilege to be a small part of the presentation at the women’s
meeting and I enjoyed meeting so many caring people. Last year, 477
homeless youth visited the shelf and took 6,292 pounds of food. In January,
25 kids took 352 pounds of food. In February, 23 kids took 323 pounds of
food. You are making an important difference in the lives of youth and the
community. On behalf of the youth, CEAP, YMCA and Streetworks outreach
staff, and myself, I want to express deep gratitude for your support of the
shelf.
If anyone wants to extend more generosity, I am currently seeking
volunteers to help organize the shelf on Tuesdays at 10:00am and/or
Sundays at 1:15pm for about 90 minutes. Also please feel to contact me
with questions. Thanks again!
Gail Stone, coordinator
No Hassles Youth Food Shelf
brooklynmosaic@gmail.com
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Dear Friends at Cross of Glory,
I enjoyed the flowers visits, cards and the “prayer chain” most
importantly and all the support for myself and Marcy.
Gil Hartlage
Cross of Glory Golf League
All are welcome to join the Cross of Glory Golf League! Teams can
be two women, two men, or a man and a woman. If you have a son or
daughter, niece or nephew or a spouse you would like to golf with, please
come to our organizational meeting on Thursday, April 9 th.
We golf at Pheasant Acres in Corcoran on Thursday nights with tee
times starting at 4:30pm. We alternate each week between the front and
back nine and play nine holes each week. Tee times are assigned and vary
from week to week.
If you are interested or have questions, either come to our meeting on
Thursday, April 9th at 6:00pm at Cross of Glory or feel free to call John
Groettum: home – 763-425-8581 or cell – 763-360-1865.
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Cross of Glory Lutheran Church
5929 Brooklyn Boulevard
Brooklyn Center, MN 55429-2583
Volume 2015 – Issue 4
Standard Mail
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 1412
Change Service Requested
Welcoming all people to become devoted followers of Jesus Christ
Worship at Cross of Glory on Sundays
9:00 a.m. ~ Traditional Worship
10:00 a.m. ~ Coffee Fellowship
11:00 a.m. ~ Crosswalk Contemporary Worship
10:15 a.m. ~ Sunday School
To watch worship services: www.cogtv.info
Cross of Glory Staff:
Lead Pastor:
Rev. Doug Mork ~
dmork@crossofglory.us
Minister of Crosswalk Ministry:
Rev. Mark Hostetler ~
markhostetler@mac.com
Organist:
Rev. Dr. Allan Mahnke ~
FuriusBib@comcast.net
Director of Senior Choir:
Keith J. Williams ~
williams@csp.edu
Outreach:
Rev. Christian Vincent ~
cvincent@crossofglory.us
Bookkeeper:
Mike Edstrom ~
medstrom@crossofglory.us
Administrative Assistant:
Sue Vukelich
svukelich@crossofglory.us
Contact us at:
Phone: (763) 533-8602
E-Mail: office@crossofglory.us
www.crossofglory.us
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