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 throu

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

August Newsletter Article

When Plans Change

I recently went on a continuing education trip to Arizona for the ELCA 2023 Rostered Ministers Gathering. Sheltered by the air conditioning of the Phoenix Convention Center from the 115° heat, a group of almost 700 worshiped, had small group discussions, attended workshops, and generally rejuvenate and rekindle our hearts for ministry. That gathering had been postponed 3 years from when it had originally been planned, summer 2020, and that fact was pointed

July Newsletter Article

“Have you ever stopped and wondered what God has done in your life that you aren’t aware of? Maybe God healed you before you were even sick. Perhaps God saved you from a fatal car crash that never happened. I feel like God has probably protected me more times than I can count, so I can only imagine the times I’ve been rescued when I wasn’t aware I was in danger. I thank God for watching over me, even when I didn’t realize it.”

I came across this quote recently and it made

June Newsletter Article

“There are different spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; and there are different ministries and the same Lord; and there are different activities but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good.”

~1 Corinthians 12:4-7

Summer is a great mixing time. It’s a time when we mix together with neighbors at outdoor festivals and music events in the park. It’s a time when we mix up our schedules and rout

April Newsletter Article

Dear Friends in Christ,

As April begins with Holy Week and Easter, I am reminded that Easter is not just one day. Yes, the church’s biggest celebration of the year is the Sunday of the Resurrection, but the season of Easter lasts for a whole 50 days! It is a time when we hear the stories of the disciples’ many encounters with the resurrected Christ, as he walked the earth again before he ascended into heaven. The disciples heard the promises of new life and salvation that J

March Newsletter Article

Winter is hard. It doesn’t matter if you grew up walking to school barefoot, uphill both ways, carrying your sister, through 3 feet of snow (as my dad often jokes) or if you’ve developed effective strategies for staying warm in below-zero temperatures and have sturdy boots to deal with deep snowdrifts. Even if you enjoy outdoor winter sports and snow activities, every winter at about mid-February or early March, a lot of us are DONE with it. Winter has lasted too long. Bri

February Newsletter Article

At the end of this month, with Ash Wednesday on February 22nd, we will begin the season of Lent.

Lent is one of those church seasons that people have strong opinions about. Some say it is too gloomy, too much focused on our sinfulness, too long a time to “prepare” for the joy of Easter. Others enjoy it as a time to refocus on God in their lives, give up harmful habits, or take on new practices that will help them grow personally or spiritually. Both opinions are valid and f