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CREATED TO BE
For as long as I can remember I have loved playing video games. My parents bought me a Nintendo in grade school, and I was hooked. When school let out for the summer, I spent every day in the basement playing Major League Baseball (the one with Kirby Puckett on the cover). I’d take a break only for sleep (my parents had to force me to do that), food, playing baseball with my friends outside, or to watch the actual Twins on TV. However, I’d quickly become frustrated with the real-life Twins and go back to the video game. I loved being in control of the team. As video games advanced over the years, so did the level of control they offered. I’ve spent countless hours signing free agents, trading superstars, and building the team that could win it all. Yet, despite decades of playing, I have never completed a season. In my disappointment, I give up and want to start over. Whenever my team didn’t meet my expectations, I would hit the reset button. Video games made it all too easy to create a new team that would hopefully live up to my expectations.
Just as I seek control in my video games, we often seek control in our lives. But unlike my impatience when things don’t go my way, God’s patience with us is without limits. Many of us might agree that we are grateful that God has more patience for God’s creation than I have for mine. God doesn’t give up and press the reset button on us and the world that God has made. But sometimes it would be good for us to spend some time thinking about our creator. What do we do that frustrates God? What do we do that delights God? Do you ever wonder why God made you the unique way that you are? God has created each one of us to be something special.
We are created to be brave, to show up with an open mind and heart, willing to be challenged. We are created to be authentic, to share our whole selves and know that we are loved by our Creator. We are created to be free, to be transformed by the gospel. We are created to be disruptive, to work for justice for all our siblings. We are created to be disciples, to be sent out into the world to love our neighbor just as we are loved by God.
Join us for our summer worship series, “Created to Be” as we explore our calling to be brave, free, authentic, and at times disruptive disciples of Jesus. Come as you are to discover together the incredible truth of our God-given identities and learn more about who each of us is created to be. Let’s discover together the purpose behind who are, and the design God has for our lives. And let us celebrate that God loves each of us way too much to ever give up on who we have been created to be.
-Pastor Justin
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This summer, on Sundays and Wednesdays, we’ll consider what we were created to be...
Created to be Brave
June 5, 9, 12 & 16
Created to be Free
June 19, 23, 26 & 30
Created to be Authentic
July 3, 7, 10, 14, 17 & 21
Created to be Disruptive
July 24, 28, 31 & August 4
Created to be Disciples
August 7, 11 & 18
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Wednesday worship services will have a unique line up of guest musicians that will help lead worship. Here’s who you’ll hear...
June 5 David Lanning
June 12 Worth Saving
June 19 Worth Saving, Beatles Theme
June 26 Peace Lutheran Blue Grass Band
July 3 Tim Burns, Billy Joel Theme
July 10 Brady Pearson & Andy Jensen
July 17 Nate Creary
July 24 Ava Hanson
July 31 Lily Sargent
August 7 Todd & Libby Anderson
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SUMMER VBS/DAY CAMP!
PRE K-5TH GRADE | JULY 15-18 | 8:30 AM-4 PM
We hope that all K-5th graders will join us for a week of VBS/Day Camp fun at Shores of St. Andrew. At day camp, kids will participate with their friends in age-appropriate Bible study, worship, activities, crafts, and games. Students will experience and enjoy all sorts of fun like a traditional vacation bible school, while also getting an introduction to the magic of summer camp! There is also a great VBS opportunity for Pre-K kids which will take place at Vinje from 8:30-11 am each of those days! More info and the registration link can be found HERE.
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FAMILY PROMISE HELP NEEDED
Vinje will be hosting Family Promise families June 9-15. Our “hosting” responsibilities include providing a few meals, providing groceries and joining the families for a time of fellowship. Like to cook? Like to socialize? Want to add a couple of groceries or household goods to your online grocery order? There's something for everyone! Many of the volunteer slots are still unclaimed for our upcoming week. Can you help serve our neighbors? Please click here and sign up to help if you are able. Thanks!
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DIRECTOR OF MODERN WORSHIP
Vinje is seeking a part or full time Worship Director. We are committed to bring innovation to our past worship styles and seek a key partner to join our staff as we shape the next chapter of vibrant worship at Vinje. We desire a modern and captivating worship experience that reflects the rich traditions of our faith. We seek a worship leader who can lead our congregation in Spirit-filled, relevant, and meaningful worship. Click here to view the job description! Interested individuals should email Pastor Justin.
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VINJE SOFTBALL TEAM BACK ON THE FIELD TO DEFEND THEIR TITLE
All are welcome to come cheer on the Vinje Heretics on Thursday evenings. They’ve played two games so far, and their record is 2-1. All of their games are played at Swansson Field. Here’s their schedule:
June 6 @ 7:30 pm, Red Field
June 13 @ 7:30 pm, Red Field
June 20-Bye
June 27 @ 6:30 & 7:30 pm, Yellow Field
July 11 @ 7:30 pm, Red Field
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SUMMER WEDNESDAY WORSHIP AT GREEN LAKE BIBLE CAMP
SUPPER & ACTIVITIES @ 5:30 PM
WORSHIP @ 6:30 PM
Vinje is excited to be hosting a unique outdoor worship experience on the shores of Green Lake. We hope you will join us as we worship together in this beautiful and relaxed setting. Through uplifting music, an impactful message, and the sharing of communion, we aim to foster a deeper sense of faith and unity. Prior to worship, enjoy a time of food, fellowship, and outdoor activities for children! Bring a chair if you are able (a limited number of chairs will be set up onsite). Also, golf cart rides will be provided from the parking lot to the beach. See you at the lake!
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VINJE QUILTERS
Vinje Quilters meet Sept-Dec and March-May. This past year, 47 quilts were assembled and given to United Community Action, Salvation Army, WELL (Women’s Recovery) and Family Promise. The quilt auction netted $500 which was donated to Bible Camp Scholarships. Thank you to Thrivent for continued support as well as all those that donated their time, material, and/or Thrivent Choice Dollars for these projects.
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LOVING ARMS UPDATE: SUMMER FUN
We are excited to be spending time outdoors! We are also excited to welcome our school age friends back for the summer!
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The Creation Care Committee is NOT taking the summer off! We will continue to collect and recycle plastic bags at the locations in the church entrance and by the kitchen, working towards our next 1,000 lbs. collected! We are thankful to all who have faithfully brought their bags to church and will continue this as a project to reduce the impact of plastic in our environment. One of our goals is to not just recycle plastic but to RECDUCE the use of plastic in our environment. Each of us can help with that- buy a product in a glass bottle whenever possible (glass can be recycled many times); buy in bulk –use your own containers instead of plastic bags or plastic wrap; and re-fill you water bottles at home vs. buying water bottles at the store (plastic water bottles are one of biggest sources of plastic waste).
Wander over and look at the Pollinator Garden or the raised beds with potatoes, squash, beets and carrots to share with all this fall (you have our permission to pull any weeds you see). Plans for fall include adding recycling of used toothpaste tubes and toothbrushes (yes, they can be recycled!) and other ways we can REDUCE our use of plastic and support our environment.
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At their May 29th meeting, the Vinje Council:
- Continued conversations about extending the agreement with Saint John’s through 2027.
- Received an update about a conversation with council leaders from Kerkhoven Lutheran Church about Vinje’s pastoral staff providing interim coverage for their congregation.
- Continued conversations about the staffing model and needs in children and youth programing as well as additional preaching help being necessary when the agreements with Pastors Ingrid and Seyward expire.
- Received an update that no candidates have been interviewed for Director of Modern Worship position at this time.
- Empowered the Insurance Task Force to obtain coverage for the congregation (current coverage expires at the end of June).
- Set the 2024 Christmas Eve worship schedule for services at 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm and 2025 Easter worship service (one service only) at 9:30 am.
- Discussed concerns about the steel beams outside of the sanctuary needing maintenance. Property Committee to address next steps.
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EXPLORING VINJE'S HISTORY
This month pastor Andrés shares a little more about the last name on the frieze around the wall of our sanctuary, Ordass.
I have become fascinated with the personality and the witness of the bishop Lajos Ordass. In not many other places in the world outside Hungary his legacy is remembered as we do at Vinje by having his name on the frieze as part of “the great cloud of witnesses” we are surrounded by (Hebrews 12:1). Bishop Ordass’ portrait hangs in the parish hall of the Hungarian Lutheran Church in Buenos Aires I visited a few times when I served as pastor in Argentina, not imagining that it would only be many years later that he would capture my attention as he has done now. And there is an artist in Cleveland, Ohio, who created a series of reliefs of bishop Ordass.
It is worth mentioning that bishop Ordass traveled more than once to the Scandinavian countries and made many friends. Throughout his whole life, Ordass preserved a strong connection with his Scandinavian friends and the Lutheran culture there, which he also actively tried to introduce to the Hungarian church life, by learning the languages and translating works from Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, and even Icelandic to Hungarian. For instance, Ordass translated several plays from Danish by the playwright and Lutheran pastor Kaj Munk. For a time in the 1930s, Munk had admired Hitler and Mussolini, but after the occupation of Denmark by Nazi forces in 1940, his powerful sermons drew masses to the resistance, and his own opposition became so outspoken that his plays were banned. On January 4th, 1944, Munk was taken from his vicarage by the Gestapo. He was shot in the head and his body was found the next day in a ditch. The ELCA commemorates Munk as a martyr in its Calendar of Saints on August 14th alongside Maximilian Kolbe.
Ordass also became an enthusiastic supporter of the “folk high school model” first developed by the Danish bishop, poet, renewer of the church, and reformer of society, N. F. S. Grundtvig (who is commemorated in the ELCA Calendar of Saints on September 2nd, but unfortunately did not make it to our Vinje frieze as he should have). This model became very popular in Hungary.
I have contacted the current bishop of the Lutheran Church in Hungary, Tamás Fabiny. He told me that bishop Ordass “is really a great hero and example of our church.” Bishop Fabiny shared that he did some journalistic work before he was elected bishop, including a 60-minute-long documentary on the life of bishop Ordass that I’m now trying to get English subtitles for. He shared as well that one of the most known representatives of the Danish “folk high school model” that Ordass had supported was Rev. Gábor Sztehlo, who played a crucial role in 1944 when he saved the lives of about 2000 Jewish children.
Bishop Fabiny also put me in contact with a Hungarian church historian whose research focuses on bishop Ordass’ life and service, Isó Gergely, PhD. I will stay in touch with both bishop Fabiny and Dr. Gergely and expect to have much more to share about my findings in future columns.
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Make a one-time contribution or set up reoccurring giving here. Need help? Call the church office!
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VINJE ON THE GO!
RADIO Listen on Sundays at 9:30 am on KWLM, 1340 AM.
INTERNET Catch worship or our Podcasts anytime right here.
TV Watch local access channel, 180 Sundays at 2:30 pm and 8:30 pm and Tuesdays at 8 am and 5 pm.
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