NEWS & EVENTS

November 4, 2026

TONIGHT! Spaghetti Supper Fundraiser!

Home-made spaghetti sauce, spaghetti,

Garlic bread, salad, and dessert!

Gluten free and vegetarian options will be available.

Wednesday, November 4

5:00 – 6:30 in the Fellowship Hall

Free Will Offering, with the proceeds to support our youth activities here at LCR.

Dine in and enjoy the company of our church community, or take-out orders will be available, so you can have your spaghetti at home. Let us do the cooking for you!

Holden Evening Prayer follows the meal at 7:00 p.m.

2027 Stewardship Campaign

This is a reminder to bring your completed "Commitment for 2027" card to church on Sunday, Nov. 8. Cards will be received during the service that morning. If you are unable to come in person please mail your completed card to the church office for use by the Council in planning the new budget.

November 8 - Pentecost 24

Hymn of the Day: "Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning" - ACS 949

Today’s parable is from the gospel of Matthew (25:1-13); the story of the wise and foolish bridesmaids. The bridesmaids who have done the work as followers of Jesus (symbolized by being prepared with enough lamp oil for the night) get to go into the wedding feast with the groom and the gates are closed behind them. Then, like pier-runners late for their cruise ship departure, the bridesmaids who have had to go to the market to buy more lamp oil, arrive late to the gate and beg to be let in to the feast. Jesus denies them entry, saying he does not know them. Presumably, we must not only say that we are followers of Jesus, we must also DO the actions in this life that demonstrate that we are followers of that same Jesus that we talk about. By not doing the acts of love, peace, and care-taking of those in need, Jesus does not keep us out of heaven, but rather we exclude ourselves from the truest sense of our community by honoring only half the integrity of its principles.

“Keep Your Lamps” is an African American spiritual. “Keep your lamps trimmed and burning for this work’s almost done. Children, don’t grow weary for this work’s almost done.” This text is clearly derived from our gospel today. Some characteristics of African American spirituals are;

1. The author is never known. In the style of a folk song, spirituals were made up by some group of slaves that had learned a Bible story and turned it into a tool to help them achieve freedom.
2. They are very rhythmic (in African music, the primary instrument is usually the drum and other percussion)
3. They are communal (participation is expected from all present; with sometimes even a dialogue between a leader and the large group)
4. They are often simple melodies and repetitive making it easy for anyone to sing a long.
5. They usually offer an emotional component of the enslaved African American in both the text and the music.
6. They almost always carry with them a secret coded message to which the slave-owners were oblivious. (the singing of “keep your lamps trimmed and burning” on a plantation of slaves would mean that a conductor of the Underground Railroad was in the area.)

“Keep your Lamps” first appeared in print in The Atlantic Monthly, the June Issue 1867. That issue featured the lyrics and analysis of 37 African American spirituals that Thomas W.Higginson transcribed during his time as colonel of the First South Carolina Volunteers (an all-Black regiment of freed slaves) during the American Civil War. It was the first substantial published collection of African American spiritual lyrics, laying the groundwork for later compilations like “Slave Songs of the United States” published also in 1867, being the first published bound/book collection. Pro-slavery Americans believed that the African slaves were not really human beings. The publication of their songs with lyrics and music was proof that they WERE humans!

While today, we are not watching for a conductor of the Underground Railroad, we are watching for signs of God all around us. Not just for Jesus’ second coming as the end of time, but in the meantime, we proactively cultivate spiritual readiness and actively bring light into a dark world. We watch for and create these signs by keeping our own "lamps" filled, burning, and pouring that love into our communities. Ministries that move create deep, long-term support systems for the vulnerable are “Keeping Their Lamps Trimmed and Burning”. Faith communities who boldly stand for justice and truth while remaining radically compassionate and loving to outsiders are “Keeping Their Lamps Trimmed and Burning”. Let your light shine!

Peace!

Deacon Gary Butler

Adult Education Forums

11/8 – Statement of Faith and Liturgical Language, facilitating by Pastor Sarah

11/15 – Healing From Violence Through the Lifespan

Plan to join us Sunday, November 15 for a powerful forum presentation on the lasting impact of adverse childhood experiences. You will learn the definition of these types of experiences, but the focus will be on how we can help support and mitigate the harm to affected individuals and communities. The discussion will be interactive, so please bring your questions. Our presenter, Breanna Heisterkamp, is a Forensic Nurse at Hennepin Healthcare.

11/22 – Slice of Lefse – no education hour

11/29 – Intro to Mark - Pastor Sarah

Our adult education hour will be held in the Fireside Room. The planning team, including Sarah Borgeson, Linda Hildebrant, Rebecca Sauer and Pastor Sarah, is excited to offer engaging conversation throughout the year. As always, if you have ideas for speakers, topics or are interested in presenting, please contact one of us in person or email Rebecca at rjwestermeyer@gmail.com. 

Organization of Theatrical Props Room

The Odd Jobbers with Don and Carolyn Rens have constructed a framework for storing the flat theatrical props used in the VBS musicals (and other productions here at Resurrection). The prior state of that room was cluttered and a bit chaotic, with flats leaning against each other and ultimately the wall. Now a framework has been built to hold the props and one group can easily be accessed without having to move them all.

After the new unit was built the workers also put everything back into their new places! This tremendous project will make a real impact on the ease of access for future productions.

Thank you!

Connecting Across the Generations with Church Buddies! 

For the grown-ups: You are invited to sign up as a church buddy to be connected with a child or youth of the congregation. You are encouraged to talk with your buddy when you see them at church, pray for your buddy, send a birthday or baptism anniversary greeting. Gifts and time spent together outside of church activities are not encouraged. This is a simple way for us to make more and deeper connections across the generations and help our children grow in knowing that church is a place where they are cared about. Sign up here to be a church buddy:

For the kids and families: Each child and youth of the congregation, under the age of 18, will have a church buddy. This is a grown-up member of the congregation and outside of the child's family who will check in with them when at church activities. They might also send a birthday or baptism anniversary greeting. Church buddies would also pray for each other. This is a simple way for us to make more and deeper connections across the generations and help our children grow in knowing that church is a place where they are cared about.

Window Washing

We are going to wash church windows, outside and inside, on Saturday, Nov. 7 starting at 10:00 am, weather permitting. We will be finished at least by noon. If you have window washing supplies please bring them with you that morning. The more people who help the faster things will go! Please join us on Saturday, Nov. 7. Thanks!

Thanksgiving Pie Sales

Order your Thanksgiving pies now through Sunday, November 15! Resurrection youth are selling Double Crust Apple, Caramel Apple Pecan, and Pumpkin pies again this year in order to raise money for their activities.

Paper order forms on clipboards in the narthex will be available on Sundays, Oct. 25, Nov. 1, 8, and 15, or you can email Kurt at office@lcr-elca.org with your orders. Suggested donation for each pie is $30. Pies will be available for pick up on Sunday, November 22. Thank you for your support!

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Help Bake Thanksgiving pies!

Calling all youth and families and any other interested folks! We need your help on Saturday, November 21 (time to be determined), to make the Thanksgiving pies. We have the supplies and the recipes, but just need your help to execute the baking and tagging. Please consider coming to help and email Terra Swisher with any questions: terraswisher@gmail.com

Post-Election Community Worship Service

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, and Lutheran Church of the Resurrection are collaborating on a service of Evening Prayer on Friday, November 6, following the mid-term election. We will gather together regardless of those outcomes to unite our voices in prayer and song. The service will include parts of Magnificat by Antonio Vivaldi with members of each congregation in the ensemble. Offering received will benefit Global Refuge, the immigration and refugee services of the ELCA. 

Where: Pilgrim Lutheran Church, 1935 St. Clair Ave, St. Paul, MN 55105, on the northeast corner of St. Clair Ave & Prior Ave

Parking: Street parking is available. A few off-street parking spots available behind the building for those with accessibility needs.

Date: Friday, November 6, 2026 

Time: 7pm 

Connecting with Our Local Community

Thanks to all who helped feed the staff at Emmet D. Williams School during conferences last Thursday evening. The teachers were very appreciative.

Here are more opportunities to help out at EDW:

• Friday, November 6 is Fall Fest and volunteers are needed. Here’s the link to sign up:

FALL FEST VOLUNTEERS

• Monday, November 9 volunteers are needed to assist students learning games during an Indigenous games presentation. This is an active event, teachers are reaching out to parents to volunteer, but a few more adults may be needed. You can check with the school office for more information.
• On-going helpers are needed with the Every Meal program. Refer to the announcement below for the QR code to sign up to help!

Every Meal Schedule

Volunteers are needed to help with the Every Meal Program. LCR is sharing the duty with members of Roseville Covenant Church, so we will be scheduled every-other week instead of each week. The new schedule is now online at the Constant Contact site. Scan the QR code or click the link below to sign up. Thank you for helping with this project! Contact Nancy Nelson for more information. EVERY MEAL VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP