December Newsletter Article

Advent, 2024

Blessings to you in the New Year! No, I am not rushing our holiday season. Not at all. I am wishing you a Blessed Liturgical New Year! Advent is about to begin, and that marks the beginning of our new church year! The First Sunday in Advent begins on December 1st; and, it will be the “Year of Luke”. 

Since the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) report many of the same episodes in Jesus’ life, one would expect much similarity in their accounts. But, not

November Newsletter Article

I love words. I love how they sound, how they look, the images they conjour up, the colors they suggest, the music they bring to mind - I could go on & on, but I will stop. I know that isn’t the reaction many people have to words, but isn’t it great that we all respond differently to our world.

Some of my favorite words evoke all kinds of responses from me. I love the word SKY: it shouts colors - SKY, SKY, SKY, SKY, SKY, SKY; it proclaims movements & shapes - sky, sky,

October Newsletter Article

The Vision Thing

The optician at COSTCO, in Duluth, straightened my new spectacles and said, “Now, open your eyes and tell me what you see.”

I looked at the small print on the laminated card and said, “I see the words, but they’re fuzzy. It’s not quite right.”

Undeterred, the technician, Crystal, was confident. “Oh, you’ll get used to it. It takes awhile for your brain to adjust.”

I thought of the blind man who, when he was asked by Jesus, “Do you see anything now?” said, “

September Newsletter Article

Grace and peace,

This is my first written greeting to all Gethsemane members and I want to thank you for your welcoming spirit to Pastor Mark and myself. Your caring and support is appreciated by both of us.

Well, it is Fall! And what happens in Fall in church congregations? We come back together to gather in worship, to share the Lord’s Supper, to join together in music, Learning, outreach into our community. We will meet with old friends and meet some new friends.

We alread

August Newsletter Article

Pastors Marion Rova and Mark Holman are enjoying being fully engaged in all that’s happening at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Virginia, MN. Gethsemane is in a time of transition as members have recently formed a Call Committee. Soon all Gethsemane members will be invited into a creative process to provide input regarding their hopes and dreams for new pastoral leadership. In the meantime, Pastors Rova and Holman are assuming all pastoral duties. “We are ‘patiently hopeful’

July Newsletter Article

NEW FACES and OLD FOUNDATIONS

There are always new faces that appear in church. Two of the most recent “new faces” to join Gethsemane are Pastors Marion Rova and Mark Holman who were installed as our Interim Pastors on Sunday, June 16, and they have already “hit the nave running”! Both have met with the Church Council, met with area clergy, led worship, conducted funerals, and visited with many Gethsemane members. Both look forward to serving within the far-reaching ministr

May Newsletter Article

By the time you read this, my last Sunday at Gethsemane will have come and gone. With the exception of helping out with the Trinity Sunday Outdoor worship Service and picnic with the three Lutheran Churches in town, my time at Gethsemane has come to a close. 

Thank you for the honor of being in your pulpit on Sunday mornings and the privilege of helping out in some small ways during this time of transition. I know your council is working hard with the Synod to secure pa

April Newsletter Article

Most people think of Easter as a day. It’s a day of church and family. A day with an Easter Egg hunt or Easter baskets for the kids. It’s a day of church and pancake breakfasts and perhaps later a meal with ham, or a meal out, or in my family, the one time a year that my mother would make leg of lamb. So if you are reading this article when the newsletter came out, you may think you only have a day or two before Easter is over and gone. And if you, like many, are busy with

March Newsletter Article

She’s Baaaack!

Like a bad penny, I just keep turning up! My name is Reverend Rebecca LeMenager, and I filled in briefly at Gethsemane right before Pastor Amy came to serve as your pastor. I am so excited and humbled to have the privilege of filling in for a few weeks while your council works with the NE Minnesota Synod on securing and interim pastor or other arrangements.

I will be with you on Sunday mornings starting on Sunday, March 17 and will be with Gethsemane throug

February Newsletter Article

As I say farewell to you, dear Gethsemane, I hold you in my heart, give thanks for the ministry we have done together, and pray for your continued ministry to one another and this community.

I pray that your joys and your struggles, your worship and your prayers, your meetings and discussions and decisions, will all be accompanied and guided by the leading of the Holy Spirit and that you will be mindful of her presence with you every step of the way. 

I pray that you will be

January Newsletter Article

Synod Christmas Letter from Bishop Odgren 2023

I told the synod staff last week that I’m having a hard time finding the “Merry” in Christmas or the “Joy” in Joy to the World this season. The emotional weight of the war in Palestine, especially Gaza, is difficult. The January trip planned by the ELCA with four synods traveling together to visit our companions in India has been postponed because of safety concerns for Christians in an unstable political environment. There see

December Newsletter Article

Away in a manger, no crib for his bed,

the little Lord, Jesus, lay down his sweet head;

the stars in the bright sky look down where he lay,

the little Lord, Jesus, asleep on the hay.

ELW 277

You can hear the tune in your head, can’t you? I know I can. What do you think of when you hear it? Perhaps standing in a church holding a hymnal open with a neighbor, or dressed up like a sheep singing in the Nativity play, Music is a great memory-holder. This time of year, we hear a lot o

November Newsletter Article

Thank. Reflect. Pause. Prepare. Praise. Ponder.

This month, we begin a special time of year in the church when we thank, reflect, pause, prepare, praise, and ponder.

We begin with Thanksgiving, which is not officially part of the Christian calendar, but has become a day when we take time to give thanks to God for our blessings. We gather with family and friends to enjoy our relationships and recognize the gift of God’s abundance.

Then comes Christ the King Sunday, which is th

October Newsletter Article

It’s October! The leaves are falling, the temperatures are dropping, and the colors of our lives are fading from bright green grasses, blue skies, and white-hot sun to the golds, browns, oranges, and reds of leaves, ciders, fall sports, and warm sweaters.

When this time of the year rolls around, I often get asked about Halloween and whether it’s “Christian” to celebrate such a macabre holiday. And my answer is yes, Halloween is just fine for Christians to enjoy. Especially

September Newsletter Article

As we welcome autumn – its cooler temperatures and colorful, falling leaves – the children in our community are returning to school along with the adults who teach, guide, protect, and care for them. This is also a time when families with young children resume their routines and often return to church after their summers of sports, family vacations, and “lake time”. Here at Gethsemane, we have recently been celebrating several baptisms and welcoming new children into the f