Interim Grace Notes for October 29, 2021

Quote from Timothy Lull for Reformation Day 2021

Dr. Timothy Lull is a Fremont native, born in 1943 and was the valedictorian of his 1961 Fremont Ross graduating class. Baptized and confirmed at St. John's, he went on to become a Lutheran pastor and seminary professor and president. He was a prolific author on Martin Luther and the Reformation. For more information about this amazing son of Fremont, go HERE. This quote from Dr. Lull appeared today in a post in the NWOS-Rostered Ministers Facebook Group:

The passing of Christendom is both a great danger and a great opportunity for the churches. The dangers lie in nostalgia, discouragement, self-absorption and a lack of hope for a vibrant role for the church. The opportunity is to learn again to be a church in mission and to build a true partnership between clergy, church workers, and laity. In addition, in North America many of the unchurched are the formerly churched, who had negative experiences. Others are committed to the other great world religions. Still others find no need in their life for religion. It is challenging for the church to make its witness to such people without any privileged position and without any immediate prospect for overwhelming success.

The post concludes:

And then Dr. Lull would always say - "We are still called to be faithful and bold."

LIFT meeting with Bishop Daniel and Staff

Bishop Daniel and three additional members of synod staff traveled to Fremont today to meet with representatives of LIFT. Grace was represented by Maureen, Ed, and me. A total of 14 were in attendance at this meeting in the Auditorium at St. John's.

The Bishop and staff are very interested in and supportive of LIFT. Our conversation topics included

• Welcome back to Pr. Mary Carmen and Leo
• Update on LIFT congregations
• Update on and next steps for the closing of Trinity
• Future hopes and dreams for LIFT

Ed noted during the meeting that the Grace Transition team had reached out to community leaders including Mayor Sanchez and Superintendent Detweiler, asking what are major community issues and how Grace could respond. Ed said that both were glad that they had been contacted for their input, and indicated their willingness to pursue further conversations with both Grace and with the other LIFT congregations regarding ministry possibilities in the community.

One of the takeaways of the meeting was that we all need to think beyond Sunday morning (or Saturday afternoon) and begin to think more about being the body of Christ reaching out to the community.

Second Iteration of Innovator Learning Community (ILC)

One additional agenda item of the Bishop's meeting today was to promote the second iteration of what is called the Innovator Learning Community. This is the program that Heather has been participating in as part of the inaugural group, and includes 5 two-day weekends which explore new ways of creating Christian community beyond the walls of our churches. The purpose of the Acadmy is

to equip lay and rostered innovators to plant and nurture new Christian Communities within their unique contexts throughout Northwest Ohio.

Bishop Daniel explains in greater detail about the ILC and provides a link to the registration form HERE.

Transition Team Forges Ahead on MSP

The Transition Team has been hard at work the past week answering the many essay questions on the Ministry Site Profile (MSP). Here are some examples:

• List three changes or trends within the congregation which have occurred in the last three to five years.
• List three ways the community in which you're location has been challenged by change and transition in the last three to five years.
• Describe your congregation's current programs for mission and ministry.
• What are the primary goals of your ministry site (please refer to any Strategic Plan that has been adopted).
• What is your congregation really excited about right now?
• How dows this congregaiton see itself as a member and active participant in the ELCA?

As you can see completing an MSP is hardly a walk in the park. But your Transition Team is very near completing this document that will explain Grace to a potential pastoral candidate. At last week's meeting, we assigned the many "essay" questions to Team members, who did their homework, and emailed their work to Beth, who is the Team's official compiler and chief writer for the Profile. After some initial technical gliches with the MSP website (actually losing content she had already typed in), she contacted the ELCA and got things fixed.

There are a few more elements to complete, including a Commentary section, that will "help the reader appreciate the vision, opportunities, challenges and nature of your ministry site. Use this opportunity to creatively promote and commend your ministry possibilities." We will include in this section a thorough descripton of LIFT, which could attract a candidate who would be interested in a call to a congregation working collaboratively with other congregations to reach out in ministry to the community.

Second Stewardship Letter with Intent Card

The second letter in our "Live Generously" stewardship campaign has been printed. Included with this letter is a "Statement of Intent" card which we are asking congregational members to complete and bring them to worship on November 13-14, mail them to the church in the enclosed envelope, or submit their Intent via email or an online form, info which will go directly to the church office. The Stewardship Team is meeting at 11pm on Monday, November 1, to process this mailing which should go to the Post Office in the afternoon. You can preview the letter HERE.

I hope that many of you were able to hear Pastor Henry's generosity story that he told at the beginning of worship last weekend. If you didn't, you can read the text HERE.

Nominations for Call Committee

Reminder about nominations for the Call Committee. Submit your nominatons for the Call Committee using the form in the November newsletter or use the form inserted in the bulleting on the coming three weekends. You can also submit your nominations online HERE. I'm asking that forms be returned or submitted by Monday, November 15. Council will appoint the Call Committee from the nominee list at their December 13 meeting.

Latest Osterholm Podcast

Dr. Michael Osterholm, founder and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, continues to deliver solid scientific analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic in his weekly podcasts. In this episode, posted on October 28 and entitled "Evolving Science," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss what it means to be susceptible to COVID-19, the extent of protection provided by vaccinations and natural immunity, the implications this has for breakthrough infections, and the need for booster doses and vaccinations in children. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.

Interim Grace Notes for October 22, 2021

Block Party Moves Inside

Many of you already know this, so this is for those who haven't heard yet. Maureen's email is copied below.

Hi Everyone, As most of you know, we have moved the Block Party inside. The weather forecast is for 100% chance of rain which is to begin at 2:00. Yes, it might seem early to make this decision but there is a lot of set up that has to be taken care of ahead of time and with the percentage and time expected, what they are we feel this is the right decision.

The Block Party will still go on! Please emphasize this when you talk to people and to your congregations. There will be window tours, games for the kids, free food, trick or treat and costume judging for the children. It will be a fun family event!

I wanted to also let you know that we have taken care of much of the set up. For this reason no one needs to be here before 1:00.

Thanks so much and I will see you Sunday!

Peace, Maureen Pump

Thanks, Maureen, for everything you and your committee have done these last months to make this happen, come summer storms, variant outbreaks, or fall rains. Indeed, it will be a fun family event!

Stewardship Program Continues

Our Stewardship Team (Tanya, Henry, Kathy, Kent, Maureen) met again on Tuesday for the fourth of our six Zoom meetings with Jennie Wolf Smith from GSB Fundraising in the Building a Culture of Generosity program that we are participating in. Our Zoom meeting this week focused on how to conduct a response to our campaign and how to report results. Henry will provide a generosity temple talk at the beginning of our services. You can view Week 2 Bulletin Insert HERE.

Transition Team Update

The Transition Team met on Thursday afternoon. We briefly debriefed the Small Group gatherings, noting that a total of about 80 members attended a small group. Many other comments from those unable or choosing not to attend a meeting were gathered from the paper and online survey that asked members to identify the five most critical TASKS that your new pastor will need to address, the five gifts for ministry that your next pastor MUST bring to the congregation, and five more gifts that would be HELPFUL for your next pastor to have. Team members received copies of all the responses, and we noted the obvious highlights and main concerns ("This is taking too long" and "We need to attract new members, especially families")

We reviewed a time line of what happens which includes the following items:

• Transition team completes Ministry Site Profile (MSP)
• MSP is shared with our Call Process Facilitator (one for each conference in the Synod) with possible suggestions for changes or clarifications.
• When final version of MSP is determined by Transition Team, it is submitted electronicallly to our Synod Office.
• Bishop Daniel will review the profile, and if all is well, will sign off on it and forward it to ELCA Churchwide office. When the Churchwide Office receives the written reference (for Grace it will be Pr. Matt), the profile will go live with the following information
  • Congregation name, location, region and synod
  • 75 word ministry site description
• Any candidate that wants to be considered for the call to Grace can contact the synod office for more information
• Our synod Call Process Facilitators meet weekly to interview candidates and review MSP's. Pastor Henry, one of the facilitators, has indicated that there have been no candidates for the Facilitators to interview for the past three weeks. When there are new candidates, Facilitators try to match, as much as possible, ministry sites with candidates. When possible "good fits" are found, Facilitators will send MSP's to candidates for review. Candidate then decides whether or not his or her profile should be sent to that congregation's call committee
• Call Committee reviews all candidate profiles, and decides whether or not to request an interview
• Interview may result in second interview, and eventual vote to call by congregation, or notifying candidate that call committee is continuing its search and discernment

In our meeting we then reviewed significant elements of the MSP, and assigned specific elements to individual Team members, who will work on those elements during the coming week and bring to next meeting on Thursday, October 28 at 4:30 pm.

Nominations for Call Committee

The November issue of Grace and Truth arrived in your email inbox this morning, and will arrive soon, if not already in your USPS box. On page 5 is a Call Committee Nomination Form which you can use to nominate Grace members for the Call Committee. The form will be a bulletin insert for the weekends of October 31, November 7, and November 14. I'm asking that forms be returned or submitted by Monday, November 15. Council will appoint the Call Committee from the nominee list at their December 13 meeting. You are encouraged to submit your nominations - the easiest way to do so is using the oneline version, which you can view and submit HERE.

Bridge of Hope 21 Days of Giving

I received this email from Ashley Wynn, Bridge of Hope Coordinator:

Hello LIFT Pastors,
I wanted to let you know about this 21 Days of Thanksgiving that I put together for Bridge of Hope. Attached you will find a calendar for November, with a suggested donation to Bridge of Hope for each of the first 21 days in November, as well as a Psalm reading and short prayer of thanksgiving for each day. This will be included in the November LIFT newsletter. If you choose to have your congregation participate feel free to let me know when you have items that need to be picked up, or if you would rather, you can also drop them off at Hayes Memorial UMC during office hours, Monday-Friday 10AM-4PM. Thank you for all of the support you provide for Bridge of Hope.
Grace and peace,
Ashley

You can view and/or download the calendar HERE.

Latest Osterholm Podcast

Dr. Michael Osterholm, founder and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, continues to deliver solid scientific analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic in his weekly podcasts. In this episode, posted on October 21 and entitled "Implement, Study, Learn," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the state of the pandemic in the UK, Russia, and Japan, and what this could mean for the US, as well as the rise in cases in Northern US states, the new recommendations on booster doses, and communication surrounding vaccine mandates. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.

Links for you

• ELCA Youth Gathering News
• ELCA Seeds Montly
• ELCA Worship News

Interim Grace Notes for October 15, 2021

Critical Tasks and Gifts for Ministry Survey

This is a repeat from last week, and last call. I know that some have completed the paper survey and dropped them in the box. Only 15 online responses so far, even after link in Three Things last Friday and today. Thank you all for your responses!

In addition to our Small Group Meetings, the Transition Team is asking that you complete a brief survey which will ask you to identify the most critical TASKS that our new pastor will need to address, and the GIFTS FOR MINISTRY that our new pastor will need to bring to our congregation. These are "checkbox lists" on the Ministry Site Profile, so the Transtion Team will simply check tasks and gifts that the largest number of Grace members select in the survey. Also, if you are/were unable to attend one of the Small Group Meetings, this survey will give you an opportunity to respond to the questions that were asked at the meetings.

You can complete and submit the online version of the survey online HERE. Do it right now! It will only take a few minutes! Printed blank surveys will be available in the narthex and Baker Street entrance which can be completed and placed in the survey boxes there, or returned to the church office by Monday, October 18.

First Letter for Stewardship Campaign Sent

On Tuesday, members of the Stewardship Team met to process the first mailing for our fall Stewardship Campaign, under the theme "Live Generously." Linda and Tricia ran giving statements for 2021 so far to give members an update on their generosity for 2021 to date. These were placed in window envelopes, and the Stewardship Added an introductory letter and a Generosity Story by Pastor Henry (

Living Generously T-Shirts Available

Something that I forgot to do at Monday's Council meeting was to distribute Live Generously t-shirts. We received a $250 Thrivent Action Team grant to help with expenses for our campaign (spent 100% on postage). We also received the full measure of Live Generously t-shirts, which is actually a Thrivent theme, but one which we have "borrowed" and are using as our Stewardship campaign theme. I will lay these out in the back pew, sorted by size, so Council members and Stewardship Team members, pick one up, and let's plan to wear them during the weeks of the campaign beginning this Sunday.

Wednesday Night Book Discussion Group

On Wednesday nights, following Spirit meal and Dinner Worship, I have been leading a discussion of the book Healthy Churches Faithful Pastors, a book that examines the many expectations that pastors and congregations have of each other. This, I think, is a helpful discussion to have as you will (hopefully) be soon calling a new pastor. For the past several weeks the topic has been what healthy congregations expect of faithful pastors. This past Wednesday we learned that:

Healthy congregations expect faithful pastors....

• to be preparing the congregation for their eventual successors
• not to over function such that the congregation starts to under function
• to empower other leaders in the church
• to take a sabbatical and let the congregation take a sabbatical, too
• to honor both silence and speech
• to make mistakes, to disappoint, and to practice forgiveness
• not to be too proud or insecure to ask for help

Next week we shift focus from what congregations expect of pastors to what pastors expect of congregations, and what congregations can do to help put a pastor in a position to succeed. Pastors arrive at churches equipped to serve; with the support of healthy congregations, they can develop into even better pastors. If a congregation were to set out to put the pastor in a position to succeed -- indeed to thrive -- what would it be sure to do? Our next five sessions will seek to answer this question. Consider joining us. Good supper and quiet reflective worship at 5. Our learning and discussion are from 6-7.

Sympathy to family of Wayne Lieske

We received word of the death of longtime active and faithful member of Grace Wayne Lieske, who died Wednesday, October 13, 2021. Wayne is survived by daughters, Karen (Brian) Fiske, Karol (Greg) Rippberger, Kay (Dale) Reiter, Kathy (Kenny) Franks, and Kim (Joe) Buti. A private family service has been scheduled. "Into your hands, O merciful savior, we commend your servant." You can view the obituary HERE.

Latest Osterholm Podcast

Dr. Michael Osterholm, founder and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, continues to deliver solid scientific analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic in his weekly podcasts. In this episode, posted on October 14 and entitled "Don't Think Like June," Dr. Osterholm and host Chris Dall discuss the decline in global cases, the effect of boosters on the trajectory of the pandemic, and a new CIDRAP commentary on respiratory protection. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.

Interim Grace Notes for October 8, 2021

Small Group Meetings

The first of our Small Group Meetings sponsored by the Transition Team was held Wednesday evening at 6:000 pm with a total of about 20 persons in attendance. We divided into three groups with 5-7 at each table. Two Transition Team members or staff were present at each table, one to ask the questions and one to record responses without desgnation as to who was speaking. Here are the questions we asked:

• When you think of Grace, what has Grace meant for you personally? What brought you here, and what keeps you here?
• What do you see are Grace’s strengths, and what are areas where Grace needs to grow or change?
• As Grace looks to the future, what should be our mission priorities?
• Anything else that’s on your mind that you’d like to share with the group?

The process took about an hour, and there appeared to be good discussion at each table. There are three more in-person meetings scheduled for this weekend, one after each of our weekend services, at 5:00 pm on Saturday, and at 9:00 and 11:15 am on Sunday. We will have masks available in the meeting area and encourage their use, as it is difficult to maintain recommended distancing for such a setting.

For those who would prefer to participate in a meeting via Zoom, there will be two such meetings next week - on Tuesday, October 12 at 10:00 pm and on Thursday, October 14 at 7:00 pm. The congregation has been instructed via October G&T and this week's Just Three Things to to notify the church office of your plans so that we can send a link to the Zoom meeting via email.

Critical Tasks and Gifts for Ministry Survey

In addition to our Small Group Meetings, the Transition Team is asking that you complete a brief survey which will ask you to identify the most critical TASKS that our new pastor will need to address, and the GIFTS FOR MINISTRY that our new pastor will need to bring to our congregation. These are "checkbox lists" on the Ministry Site Profile, so the Transtion Team will simply check tasks and gifts that the largest number of Grace members select in the survey. Also, if you are/were unable to attend one of the Small Group Meetings, this survey will give you an opportunity to respond to the questions that were asked at the meetings.

You can complete and submit the online version of the survey online HERE. Do it right now! It will only take a few minutes! Printed blank surveys will be available in the narthex and Baker Street entrance which can be completed and placed in the survey boxes there, or returned to the church office.

Stewardship Team Continues Plans for Fall Appeal

The Stewardship Team met on Tuesday at 11:30 am for the third Zoom meeting in GSB Fundraising's program "Beginning a Culture of Generoslty." This week's meeting focused on writing the first letter that will be sent to the congregation. GSB provides boilerplate for the letter, and then we adapt it for our own use. The first letter will be mailed out next week, and will include a statement of giving for 2021 contributions to date.

Mary Carmen and Leo Have Returned!

Mary Carmen and Leo were live in person at the LIFT Leaders Meeting on Wednesday at Grace. They arrived on Monday of this week, returning to the apartment that they had rented before they returned to Mexico, only having to remain their because of Covid-19 restrictions. They explained in great detail, which I cannot even begin to describe here, the many hoops they had to jump through in getting their visa to enter and stay in the United States renewed. But by the grace of God, they made it, and are eager to resume their ministry, Camino de Vida. Steve Hottinger, LIFT Board Chair, is collecting for a welcome back Gift Card basket that will be presented to Mary Carmen and Leo. Gifts can be delivered to Linda on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, and Steve will pick them up later in the week.

Has Your Pastor Belonged to a Service Club in the Community?

I ask that question because of my own positive experience of belonging to the Norwalk Kiwanis Club during my 16.5 years as a pastor at St. Peter in Norwalk, and continuing until 2017 when I resigned from the club because I was no longer living in Norwalk. I have great memories of my time in Kiwanis, and even served on the board for several years including a year as President. Being a member of Kiwanis introduced me to many people outside of St. Peter that I wouldn't have otherwise learned to know. The weekly programs kept me informed of things that were happening in the various sectors of the community including government and business.

A number of years ago during my time on the board, as I planned for the installation of the new officers, I wrote some adapted lyrics to the song Country Roads by John Denver, with lyrics that reflected Huron County and club activities that we sang as part of the program. It became an annual ritual on installation day to sing this song. And even after I have left the club, I'm still being invited back to lead the club in singing this song, which I did again yesterday when the new 2021-22 officers were installed.

Present at the meeting to do the installation was the local Kiwanis Division (area clubs) "Leiutenant Governor". He reported on what other area clubs were doing, including the amazing project of the Fremont Kiwanis in building an "All Inclusive Play Park." An astouding statistic was the the club had raised $600,000 toward this project. I found an article on the web that describes the recent completion of the first phase of this project, which you can read HERE.

I'm reporting this to encourage you to encourage your pastor to join one of the local service clubs. Kiwanis would be a good choice. Pay his or her dues to belong. St. Peter paid mine to belong to Kiwanis, and for Pastor Wiechers to belong to Rotary.

Meeting with Bishop and Synod Staff on October 29

Received an email from Pastor Matt -- he and Pastor Paul have exchanged emails in recent days with Synod staff members Deacon Sherry Krieger and Pastor Sarah Schaaf with respect to Trinity's decision to begin the process of disbanding in the weeks ahead, expressing excitement over Pastor Mary Carmen and Leo returning to Fremont and Camino de Vida, and discussion with Grace's transition in the call process. Pastor Matt indicated that Deacon Sherry has asked us if we might be able to gather together for conversation on Friday, October 29th, 2:00pm. Next paragraph quoted from Pastor Matt's email:

Not sure exactly where the meeting might be just yet. But I wanted to see if that date might work for you, and try to put it on our calendars if so. The rest of the nitty-gritty would come soon. The idea would be to share in conversation together, talking through LIFT ministry and possibilities ahead for the future, with Bishop Daniel present, too. We can make it as wide open of a meeting as we'd like. In addition to Steve Hottinger (chair of the LIFT Board), I'd like to invite our council president from St. John's, Brenda Hetrick, as a possibility to join us. Maybe it makes sense for each of us to do something like that.

Ed, Maureen and I have indicated that the date and time works for us.

Latest Osterholm Podcast

Dr. Michael Osterholm, founder and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, continues to deliver solid scientific analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic in his weekly podcasts. In this episode, posted on October 7 and entitled "A Surge in Optimism," Dr. Osterholm offers his perspective on COVID mitigation strategies in schools, the new antiviral drug molnupiravir, the unpredictability of the upcoming flu season, and optimism after receiving his booster shot. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.

Interim Grace Notes for October 1, 2021

First Confirmation Session

We held our first confirmation session last Sunday at St. John's, starting out with pizza lunch at 11:45 am. Heather provided the lesson for the day -- the reasons for the Reformation, and some basics of Martin Luther's life and teachings. Then I led some songs on my guitar (youth participated enthusiastically!), and Dave Shoub closed us out with some teaching on prayer, and then leading us in prayer. All in all, I thought it went very well -- we have a very good group of youth from our LIFT Congregations. Heather had set up a Zoom connections for two youth that are under Covid Quarantine.

Our next session is October 24, and I will provide the lesson on the "First Table" of the Ten Commandments (1-3), that address our relationship with God. Our remaining sessions for 2021 will be at St. John's, and then move to Grace on January 2, and to St. Mark's on March 27. If you you'd like to view our schedule of classes and the lessons we'll be teaching this year, you can do so HERE. Kudos to Heather, who has done the organizational work for our program, including creating this schedule. The Rite of Confirmation is scheduled for Pentecost Sunday, June 5.

Pastor Paul Preaching October 9-10

LIFT Pastor Paul is scheduled to preach at Grace the weekend of October 9-10. Maureen will cover for Pastor Paul at Trinity and St. Mark's.

Blessing of Animals on Sunday

LIFT is sponsoring a Blessing of the Animals for this Sunday, October 3, 1:00 pm at St. Mark's. This practice was begun by St. Francis of Assisi over 800 years ago, and is usually scheduled on a day close to the annual Commemoration of St. Francis which is on October 4. View (and SHARE!) LIFT's Facebook page announcement of this event which you can find HERE. For some intersting background information about St. Francis and this centuries old practice, you can go HERE.

First of Small Groups Meets Wednesday

The Transition Team at Grace will host six Small Group Meetings in early October. It is my hope that everyone reading this blog post will attend one of the meetings. The purpose of these meetings is for members to share their thoughts and feelings about, and hopes for future ministry at Grace. Providing this input to the Transition Team will greatly assist them in completing the Ministry Site Profile, ensuring that, as much as possible, that profile will accurately reflect the views of Grace members to pastoral candidates, one of whom will accept Grace's call to be your next pastor.

IN-PERSON MEETINGS (No need to pre-register. We will meet in the Dining Room)

• Wednesday, October 6 - 6pm (following Spirit supper at 5pm)
• Saturday, October 9 - 5pm (following 4pm worship)
• Sunday, October 10 - 9am (following 7:45am worship)
• Sunday, October 10 - 11:15am (following 10am worship)

ZOOM MEETINGS (Please call the church office to register - 419-332-1558 or email gracefremont@yahoo.com)

• Tuesday, October 12 - 10am
• Thursday, October 14 - 7pm

Spirit Numbers Increase

We had quite a few additional participants at Spirit on Sunday night, several families with children who had not yet attended this season, so that was encouraging. Both Maureen and my Bible studies will not meet next Wednesday, as we are encouraging those who would otherwise attend to participate in the Wednesday night Small Group meeting sponsored by the Transition Team.

Fireside News from LOMO

I know that Grace is not a big participant in LOMO, primarily because of the long distance the camps are from Fremont, especially since Mowana, near Mansfield, was sold. Nevertheless, I'm sharing their most recent newsletter, called "Fireside News," which you can read HERE.

Hospital visit

John W. was admitted to Memorial Hospital on Monday of this week, and is no longer listed as a patient. I was able to visit him on Thursday. Along with other Grace snowbirds, he is hoping to return to Florida for the winter months.

Heather Elected to 2022 Churchwide assembly

Grace's very own Heather Hawn was elected as a voting member to the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 8-12. For more information about what Heather will be voting on, you can go HERE for a brief summary. Next summer will be a busy one away from her family, as she will also be attending the ELCA Youth Gathering which is scheduled for July 24-28 in Minneapolis.

Latest Osterholm Podcast

Dr. Michael Osterholm, founder and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, continues to deliver solid scientific analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic in his weekly podcasts. In this episode, posted on September 30 and entitled "Boosting the Vaccination Effort," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the CDC’s new booster recommendation and international booster recommendations, the struggle to protect our children from COVID in schools, and recently published studies on respiratory protection. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.

Interim Grace Notes for September 24, 2021

Trip to Minnesota

My trip to Hendricks, Minnesota last weekend went well -- it was lots of time on the road - Google maps says 861 miles, 14.5 hours, but it was all well worth it. Eleven of my 23 high school Class of 1971 classmates were present at our 50th reunion dinner on Saturday night, along with two teachers and spouses, for a total group of about 20. We met at the Hendricks Golf Club, 9-hole course situated on the Minnesota/South Dakota border a mile west of Hendricks. Arriving a few hours early on Saturday afternoon, I was able to visit with my step-cousin Wanda and her husband Manuel. Wanda is one of the last living family members who has personal memories of my grandfather, Jay Bogen, who died in 1952, a year before I was born.

On my trip back on Sunday I made two stops. The first was in Eagle Lake, Minnesota, where I attended Sunday morning worship at Epiphany Lutheran Church, my 2015 interim assignment. The pastor whom the congregation called at the end of my interim had recently resigned to pursue another career goal. It was good to see and worship with this group of God's people again, including three youth, then in grade school but now in middle and high school.

The second stop was to visit Sue Bogen in Madison, WI. Sue was married to my cousin Jay, who died in 2015. Sue and Jay's adult children and families also came, so was a small Bogen family reunion. After a couple of hours there I got back on the road, and arrived at home in Huron at about 2:00 am Monday morning.

Stewardship Team Continues Plan for Fall Campaign

The Stewardship Team met on Tuesday for the second of six Zoom meetings led by Jennie Wolf, an associate from GSB Fundraising, who we have contracted with to provide coaching, guidance and content for our fall stewardship campaign. This program goes by the title "Building a Culture of Generosity (BCG)," and ecnourages congregation to initiate or enhance practices that inspire rather than inform. I have said in previous posts how we are encouraged to tell "outcome" or "impact" stories, which are more inspiring than simply sharing information and facts about upcoming or past events. In these stories, tellers speak of the impact a congregation activity or ministry has had on their lives. Mike Ward, one of the GSB Partners, describes these stories in a 7-minute video that you can find HERE. Would you be willing to try writing one? We will need some to include in future mailings that will form a part of our campaign. Just email it to me at mark@bogen.org.

In our Zoom meeting this week, we reported on impact stories that we had been challenged to tell. Grace was able to talk about the Thankoffering Service which celebrates the gifts that Grace women create in the form of quilts and health and nursery kits for Lutheran World Relief. We were also able to share the story of a homeless person who joined Grace for worship that day, and received one of those quilts, as well as encouragement from members of Grace.

In the next part of our Zoom meeting, we were encouraged to recruit persons who could give temple talks during one of the Sundays of our Campaign which would be a response to one or more of these prompts:

• What was the most generous thing you ever witnessed?
• Who taught you generosity?
• Describe generosity as a component in your faith journey.

These can also be recorded so that they could be posted on our Facebook page. Would any of you be willing to provide such a talk? About three minutes, no more than five. Let me know if you'd be willing to do this. Email me at mark@bogen.org.

Our campaign will be a combination of direct mail letters which will include brief outcome stories, inspirational pieces, and an Intent Card (Plan for Giving). The campaign will be carried out over six Sundays, using the schedule below:

• October 17—First Sunday/Appeal launch/Insert #1/Pastor shares personal generosity story
• October 24—Second Sunday/Insert #2/mission moment story of generosity
• October 31—Third Sunday/insert #3/mission moment story of generosity
• Novermber 7 —Fourth Sunday/insert #4/mission moment with an example of how to grow in generosity
• November 14 —Intent Sunday
• November 21—2nd intent Sunday and celebration—share results

I hope that you will all follow this campaign closely, and participate to the fullest extent of your ability. The result will be a strong affirmation of the ministry that is carried out through Grace.

I found a blog post from Breeze, a church managment software company that also provides ministry tips, that speaks about stewardship, and includes some of the ideas and methodologies that are being encouraged in our participation with GSB in the Building a Culture of Generosity program. You can read that blogpost HERE.

Visit to Joann with Jan

Jan H. is one of Grace's eucharistic ministers (visits and brings Holy Communion), and one of the persons she visits is Joann H., who lives near Green Springs with her younger sister and nephew. It is my indestanding that Joann's husband Merle was a key leader and worker at Grace until his death several years ago. It was a good visit, and I hope to make more of this kind -- it really helps to have a familiar person accompany visits like this to persons who I have never met. Thanks Jan, for your ministry, and to all who do continue to keep these members of Grace connected to the congregation.

Synod Assembly Tonight

The Northwestern Ohio Synod Assembly meets in Assembly meets tonight via Zoom, beginning at 6:00 pm, and concluding by 8:30 pm. This will primarily be a business meeting, including elections. Grace's very own Heather is a candidate for lay voting member from the Eastern Conference to the next ELCA Churchwide Assembly. Lay members from Grace are Richard and Nelda B., Maureen, Ed, and Kristen L.

Reminder about our Small Group Meetings

In last week's post I explained the plan the the Transition Team has developed to gather input from the congregation for the Ministry Site Profile. You can review that plan HERE. Review the available options, and be sure to plan to attend one of them. The first meeting will be a week from Wednesday, October 6, at 6:00 pm during Spirit time. Attending this meeting could include a tasty meal and Dinner Church worship beginning at 5:00 pm!

Links for You

• Seeds Monthly - A monthly newletter of resources for congregation leaders. September Issue
• ELCA Worship News - September issue

Latest Osterholm Podcast

Dr. Michael Osterholm, founder and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, continues to deliver solid scientific analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic in his weekly podcasts. In this episode, posted on September 23 and entitled "Corrected Science," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the uncertain future of the pandemic in the U.S. and abroad, the FDA Advisory Committee's new recommendation on booster doses, and vaccinations and cases in children. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.

Interim Grace Notes for September 17, 2021

New Plan for Congregation Input

The Transition Team met Thursday afternoon. We reviewed the results of the Congregational Vitality Survey, which if you haven't seen yet, you can do so HERE. We then moved on to our plans to receive the input from the congregation that is needed to complete the Ministry Site Profile. Initially, and as reported in the September issue of G@T, we were planning an Historical Reflection event for Sunday, October 10 after the 10:00 am worship.

It was the desire of the Team to move more expeditiously with gathering the necessary congregational input, so we have revised our plan to shift the focus from the History theme to a more general one that will seek responses to the following questions in the context of six in-person small group and two Zoom meetings :

• What has Grace meant for you personally? What brought you here, and what keeps you here?
• What do you see are Grace’s strengths, and what are areas where Grace needs to grow or change?
• As Grace looks to the future, what should be our mission priorities?
• Anything else that’s on your mind that you’d like to share with the group?

The following information will be included in the October issue of Grace and Truth:

Transition Team Plans Small Group Meetings

Reported by Pastor Mark

The Transition Team at Grace has been given the task of seeking and gathering the congregation's input as it plans to complete the Ministry Site Profile (MSP), the document that will describe Grace to potential pastoral candidates. The Team had earlier scheduled an event on Sunday, October 10, that would focus on the congregation's history, as reported in the October issue of Grace and Truth.

The Transition Team has changed their plans slightly in order to streamline the process for gathering the congregation's input, with the goal of completing the Ministry Site Profile by the end of November. This will pave the way for the eventual appointment of the Call Committee in early 2022.

During early October, the Transition Team will host six Small Group Meetings, four in-person, and two virtual via Zoom . The purpose of these meetings is for members to share their thoughts and feelings about St. John’s, and your hopes for future ministry at St. John’s. You are encouraged to choose the meeting time and format that best fits your schedule and plan to attend that meeting.

There is no need to pre-register for the in-person meetings (scheduled for the Dining Room) -- just come to the meeting at one of the days and times listed below. However, if you plan to attend one of the Zoom meeting options, you will need to register so that we can email you the link to join.

• In-Person Meetings

  • Wednesday, October 6, 6:00 pm
  • Saturday, October 9, 5:00 pm (following 4:00 pm worship)
  • Sunday, October 10, 9:00 am (following 8:45 am worship)
  • Sunday, October 10, 11:15 am (following 10:00 am worship)

• Zoom Meetings

  • Tuesday, October 12, 10:00 am
  • Thursday, October 14, 7:00 pm

If you are unable to attend any of these meetings, a member of the Transition Team will be available to contact you by phone to receive your input. To request a one-on-one interview with a member of the Transition Team, or to register for one of the Zoom meetings, contact the church office at 419-332-1558 or gracefremont@yahoo.com

Remember, your input is crucial in helping the Transition Team create an accurate and comprehensive description of the ministry of Grace in the Ministry Site Profile and will help in the selection of your next pastor.

Additional plans by Transition Team

The plans for in-person and Zoom meetings and one-to-one phone calls to receive congregational input detailed above include one additional activity -- a survey. There are three items in the Ministry Site Profile that ask for specific choices among a number of listed possibilities:

• Top Five Ministry Tasks The five most critical tasks required in this position
  • Those completing the Profile choose from a list of 40 ministry tasks, such as Administration, Teaching, Preaching/Worship, Pastoral Care and Visitation, to name a few.
• Gifts for Ministry The five gifts essential in this position
  • Some examples from the 25 gifts in this list:
    • Help people develop their spiritual life.
    • Deal effectively with conflict.
    • Help others develop their leadership abilities and skills for ministry.
• Gifts for Ministry The five gifts very helpful in this position
  • The same list of 25 gifts are offered

I have found that the best way for the Transition Team to complete these items in the profile is to simply put them into a survey to the congregation, and then choose those items which receive the highest number of votes to list in the Profile. So we will do this - after the In-Person and Zoom meetings and the personal phone calls have been completed, we will distribute (both via email and hard copy) and ask members to complete and submit (online) or return hard-copy surveys to the survey box or church office. We will also include in this survey the items listed above that were asked during the meetings and interviews, so that those who were unable to have their voices heard in one of the above mentioned ways, they would be able to offer their input on this survey.

Spirit, Week 2

Our numbers for Spirit this week were a bit better than our first session last week. I had a few more for the session that I am leading which is a discussion of the content in the book Healthy Churches Faithful Pastors. We finished Chapter One, which is an enumeration and explanation of 10 Principles for a Vibrant Church Community. If you'd like to join us, you can get caught up real quick with a summary of the Ten Principles that you can read HERE. We will continue this course by examining specific expectations that congregations have of pastors, and that pastors have of congregations.

Visits to shut-ins

Grace has faithful visitors to the congregation's shut-ins, and some of those visits have continued throughout the pandemic. I will be accompanying Jan H. to one of the Grace members that she has visited regularly. It will give me a chance to meet this member and bring Holy Communion. Jan was telling me about her time at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and her senior year roommate who became a pastor. Her father was also a pastor who was in a wheelchair -- which brought back some childhood memories for me -- this pastor preached at my church in Hendricks, Minnesota. It was in our old church, which would have been pre-1963.

Vaccine required for Youth Gathering

The Youth Gathering has issued an update regarding vaccinations for Covid-19 and attendance at the Gathering. Vaccinations, or a negative test within 72 hours of the beginning of the Gathering are going to be required for those attending the Gathering. You can read more about this HERE.

Funeral for Jim Auen

Maureen conducted the funeral for Jim Auen on Wednesday afternoon at 4pm. It was well attended. Jim and Sarah's three children all spoke, and Tom provided special music with a solo rendition of Borning Cry. Keep Sarah and all of Jim's family in your prayers.

Thankoffering Set for this Weekend

The annual Thankoffering Sunday will happen this weekend, with Grace women participating in portions of the service. The sanctuary was made ready by draping completed quilts over the pews, providing a colorful mosaic of the women's handiwork over the past year. Monday will be "Packing day," when Grace women will pack the quilts and other projects (health kits, maternity kits, school kits) into boxes ready for shipment by Lutheran World Relief.

Beds for Kids, a God's Work Our Hands Project

"God's Work Our Hands" is an annual day of service that many congregations in the ELCA particiapte in. This year, my 2013 interim, St. Peter Blackberry and St. Luke's Curtice, a two-point parish in the North Central Conference up North and west of Oak Harbor, did a very impressive project with a "Let's Build Beds" day of building beds for kids in the parking at St. Peter. You can see and read more on the St. Peter/St. Luke's project HERE.

Lift Board

The LIFT Board will meet Sunday at 12:30 at St. John's. I attended the Executive Team meeting on Sunday, and Maureen will represent Grace at the board meeting, as I will be out of town (see below). At the Exec meeting, Pastor Paul announced that Trinity has voted to begin the process that will eventually close the congregation. This process takes several months to complete, so there is nothing specific that needs to happen now, but does signal some eventual changes for LIFT.

Trip to Minnesota

I will be departing at 5pm today (Friday) for a trip to my hometown of Hendricks, Minnesota, to attend the 50th anniversary dinner of my high school class. I plan to travel to the Madison area tonight, and finish the trip tomorrow, and will return Sunday, completing the trip in the post midnight hours of Monday morning. I've been told that half my class will be attending, and two teachers from our school years. There were 24 in my graduating class. The school buildings still stand, you can see them HERE.

Latest Osterholm Podcast

Dr. Michael Osterholm, founder and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, continues to deliver solid scientific analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic in his weekly podcasts. In this episode, posted on September 16 and entitled "A Whole New Ball Game, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the various mitigation strategies that are being used across the world to fight the Delta variant, President Biden's new vaccine mandate, outbreaks in children and schools, and the potential for a third or "booster" dose. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.