Gather in Grace • Grow in Faith • Go Forth to Serve
Worship Times
8:15, 9:30 & 11:00am
Altar flowers this Sunday are are given by Pamela Moe
in memory of her beloved husband, Darrell.
Pastor Ed
A VINE IN OUR BLOOD

My mother was an amazing woman. Accomplished, she returned to college and obtained her degree after raising eight children. She was caring, compassionate, sensitive and wise. She loved me, defended me, corrected me, and challenged me. Without her sacrifices, I wouldn’t be here for she gave me my very life.

Ezekiel captured the deepest, hidden role of all mothers. He incorporates genetics, but more importantly, the influence a mother has on her children, spanning their entire lives.

“Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters…”  -Ezekiel 19:10a

A vine in our blood. Shared DNA, and the ability to wind her tendrils around my very being—I came from her body!

God’s love is deeply woven into the hearts of our mothers. As in the very character of Christ, she comforts, listens intently, doesn’t grow weary of the daily cares and demands placed upon her. She is designed for this. She is our doctor, cheerleader, therapist, chef, teacher, life coach, and mentor. She is the one we run to first when injured or hungry, she is our Good Samaritan.

I can conceive of God’s unconditional love and care for me today because I had a mother who first showed me what that is.

Thank you, mom. And thank you, God, for your love first shown to me through my mother.
GOD BLESS OUR QUILTS
The TLC Quilters dressed the Sanctuary Friday with 156 of their handmade quilts.
From the left, Carol White, Alice Mae Hjelmstad, Bonnie Foley, Linda Meyer, Sharon McComb, Florence Head, Donna Hedlund, Margaret Mattson, Judy Lindman and Irene Bjerke.
Over 150 handmade quilts now adorn TLC's Sanctuary, carefully placed on each pew this Friday by the TLC Quilters. The quilts will remain throughout Sunday worship services when they will be blessed by the pastors and congregation. The quilts, crafted by the TLC Quilters, will be donated to local charities including Oasis at Oak Grove Presbyterian Church and Lutheran World Relief, providing warmth and comfort to those in need. In addition to the quilts on display, 115 more where made and already delivered to Cornerstone, Bundles of Love, Bridging and Lutheran World Relief.
 
Quilting is an important ministry at Transfiguration, reaching out to those in our community, country and around the world in need of a warm blanket. The TLC Quilters all volunteer their time and talent in designing and creating hundreds of quilts over the years. The members meet every Friday, September thru May at 9:00am. During the summer months of June, July, and August the quilters meet the first two Fridays of the month. If this is a ministry that interests you, please stop by for a visit.
SUNDAY MUSIC
8:15am
Special Music by Soloist Rob Reid and Organist Karen Daniels, along with Hymns reflecting the beautiful messages in Psalm 23, The Shepherd’s Psalm.

9:30 and 11:00am
The Praise and Worship Team will lead us in hymns and songs about Psalm 23, and will also share more of their joyful music of the Easter Season.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Who's the only one to whom you can tell everything about your kids, your life, and whatever else is going on, boring or not, and she will listen, and even ask questions?

I had my mom only until she was 55, when she died right before her 56 th birthday. It was not unexpected... she had Multiple Myeloma and back in the 60s the doctors would give the patient about two years. She was the best grandma ever, and loved reading to my kids, even as babies. She and my dad made a special room in the attic space, even added a small bathroom so they could come and visit.

What I missed the most when she died was my “sounding board” as a young and mostly inexperienced mom myself. All the weird things that can go wrong... colic, for one, and so many questions that would go unanswered about things like potty training later on.

My mom was the church organist for 37 years, so as a youngster I remember her leaving the house over and over to get to choir practice. We lived only two blocks from our church and she would sometimes have to run down the street to get there on time. I can still see her... in a dress, as she never wore slacks back in those days, leaving me with my dad to get my little sweater off... It had a tight neck and pulled my nose as it was taken off! I would plead with her to please take it off before she left!

When I was seven and she was about to leave for church again, I'd get one last hug and a kiss. Once when I reached up out of my bed to hug her, my finger mistakenly poked her in the eye! This would haunt me for years, that I'd hurt my mom. The eyeball was scratched from my little fingernail and she developed an infection and had to wear a patch over her eye.

She was also a piano teacher to so many children. I'd have to stay out of the living room but managed to sneak snacks in the kitchen, “leveling off” the chocolate cake in the 9x13 pan so it was hard to tell I had taken any. When it was time for me to be taking piano lessons, her friend from the Methodist church and she traded lessons; so my little friend, Jack, from school would come to our house and I'd go to his mom's. People who had her for a teacher still tell me about how they loved her. The fee was so small in those days... about 25 cents for a half-hour lesson. It gradually crept up a little but she put away those quarters and her “funeral money” and saved up enough to go to Europe in 1960.

Thanks for letting me tell you about my mom. I hope you have some memories like this as they are precious. And, if you still have your mom to enjoy and share your life, you are truly blessed.

-Bloomington Bird Lady
TLC’s Activities Group for Seniors and Friends

June 12 @ 2pm
ALIVE & KICKIN (see promo below) AT THE SCHNEIDER THEATER IN THE BLOOMINGTON CIVIC PLAZA (City Hall). RESERVE TICKETS AT TLC ($26) BEFORE MAY 23.

July 10 @ 2pm
BIRTHDAY BASH! COME CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTHDAY, NO MATTER WHAT THE MONTH. WE'LL HAVE CAKE AND ICE CREAM AND SOME FUN THINGS TO DO AND TALK ABOUT. NO COST.

August 14
TLC'S NEIGHBORHOOD BLOCK PARTY! COME FOR FOOD, MUSIC, FUN, CONVERSATION, AND EVEN SOME PRIZES.

Contact Renee Jefferson for further information:
952-884-2364 or RJefferson@tlcmn.com
Wednesday, June 12, 2:00pm
Schneider Theater in the Bloomington Center for the Arts
Tickets: $26
Watch them bring down the house with Lady Gaga's "Born this Way."
Repeat, repeat, repeat
View past issues of the TLC Weekly.
[CLICK HERE] to visit the TLC web page where you can choose to read from the past eight months of weekly E-newsletters from Transfiguration Lutheran Church. This is also a great way to share TLC Weekly with those that don't receive it in email. Tell them to visit tlcmn.com/tlcweekly
MEET TLC'S NEW
COMMUNITY HEALTH MINISTER
Erin Pommeranz joined TLC staff this past Tuesday, May 7.
TLC member, Erin Pommeranz, brings her nursing and personal care skills to the newly created position of TLC Community Health Minister. She will be working closely with Parish Nurse, Pat McMullen, who is semi-retiring later this year but remaining very active in several volunteer roles.
Erin will be on staff five hours per week this spring and summer, changing to 10 hours this fall.
In addition to receiving her nursing degree at Normandale Community College and Bachelors of Nursing at Mankato State, Erin has worked in Youth Ministry at Westwood Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park, long-term care at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, and is now working part-time in-home care with Allina Health Hospice.
DON'T TAP OUT
Teach children (and maybe you, too) to turn off the water while brushing their teeth. Leaving the tap running during the recommended two minutes of brushing can waste up to five gallons of water a day.
Ben Cherland
TLC Youth & Family Minister
  UPDATE - MAY 12

2019 GRADUATES – ALL AGES
If you are graduating this year (high school, college, masters or even doctoral degrees) TLC wants to celebrate you at one of the two worship services on Sunday, June 2. This is our opportunity to see what God has made of you through this community and the gifts you’ve been given!

BRING YOUR GRADUATION CAP AND GOWNS
Let us love on you!

Ben needs four things from you – He wants (to know…)
  • Which service you will be attending
  • Your graduation photo
  • Your full (first, middle and last) name
  • Where you’re heading next year (in the fall)
 
Send this info to bcherland@tlcmn.com and come to church Sunday, June 2 to be celebrated and sent by the church and God who loves you!
TAKING FAITH HOME
WEEK OF MAY 12, 2019

Use this friendly tool to enrich your family times with conversation, rituals, prayer, blessings, and service ideas. [Click Here] for this week's edition. See below for all the great things you can read and do!
Please join us for a Potluck lunch following worship on
Sunday, June 2, 11:00am – 1:00pm. 
We will enjoy food, fun and fellowship as we celebrate
TLC’s high school and college graduates!
More information coming mid-May!
SPEAKERS NEEDED ON JUNE 9
Pentecost Sunday Speakers Needed. We're looking for people willing and able to translate and read a bible verse in a language other than English for our Pentecost Sunday worship services June 9. Please email your interest to Rob Reid, Music Director: Rreid@tlcmn.com
NO KITCHEN WORK ALLOWED

TAKE MOM OUT
TO A RESTAURANT
TLC WOMEN'S RETREAT
[Click Here] for online ticket reservations to the Women's Retreat "Faith Reflections."
We also ask you to bring a purse you no longer need and/or personal items to fill them with. We'll fill the purses during the retreat and donate them to women in need.
Personal items include shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, tampons, maxi pads, pantyliners, toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, hairbrush, comb, small tissue packs, lotion, body soap, and chapstick.
Minnesota mosques and Islamic Community Centers welcome their non-Muslim neighbors for a traditional Ramadan Iftar, inviting a time of learning and encounter. Participants hear a presentation about Islam/Ramadan and the reason for fasting, participate in the breaking of the fast with water and dates, have the opportunity to observe prayer, and then join at table for wonderful food and conversation. Register here to join with Pastor Arthur and other TLC members in attending an Iftar Dinner at Dar Al Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington on May 16.
[Click Here] to register.
NEW! In an effort to be more efficient, both in terms of time and expense, quarterly statements have been sent last week via email. If you did not receive a statement, please contact Michelle Reber, 952-884-2364, ext. 15 or mreber@tlcmn.com Additionally, contact Michelle if you did receive your statement and something is inaccurate. Thank you for your generous contributions to Transfiguration Lutheran Church!
BOOK 'EM DONATION SITE AT TLC
Help Support Crime Prevention Activities
TLC is a “Book ‘Em” drop-off location for your used books, cds, dvds, records, games and puzzles for the Bloomington Crime Prevention Association annual Book ‘Em used book (etc.) sale. This year the sale will be held June 1 through June 15 at the former Toys ‘R Us store on the NE corner of Southtown Center in Bloomington (494 & Penn Ave S.).

The Book'Em used book sale has been held annually since 1992. The purpose of the sale is to generate funds that are awarded as grants to Bloomington organizations for crime prevention activities.  The sale has increased in size each year and is now one of the largest of its kind in the Upper Midwest. 
For adults, youth and children. Test your knowledge of the Bible in each issue of TLC Weekly.
Answers can be found on the last section of this issue.
MOTHERS IN THE BIBLE
Introduced by their children

1) My mother had divine intervention at my conception and was the first Bible mom to have had this phenomenal experience. She was loved dearly by my father and was known as "the mother of nations!" Do you know the name of my venerable mom?
  1. Eve
  2. Hannah
  3. Ruth
  4. Sarah

2) Our mother was a faithful follower of Christ -- even to Golgotha she followed Him. She influenced us with her Christian beliefs and we too became His followers.
We are known as James and John, sons of Zebedee, but do you know the name of our righteous mother?
  1. Zipporah
  2. Salome
  3. Rahab
  4. Anna

3) My mom was the only named woman in the Bible who died in childbirth. I was told that she was very beautiful and that my father loved her most of all. Do you know the name of my mother, for whom this joyous occasion (my birth) ended tragically?
  1. Judith
  2. Tamar
  3. Rachel
  4. Elizabeth


4) In an effort to save my life, my biological mother placed me in a basket and sent me sailing down the Nile. Along came a princess of Egypt, who drew me out of the water and adopted me. Do you know the names of these two women whom I called mother? One was a slave and the other a princess whose name is known only from tradition.
  1. Rebekah and Bilhah
  2. Eunice and Lois
  3. Jochebed and Bithiah
  4. Zilpah and Rahab

Answers in the last/bottom section of this issue.
EAGLE SCOUT SUPPLY DRIVE FOR LIGHTSHINE CANINE
~ ~ ~
MAY 1 THRU MAY 31
Guillermo Gonzalez Shelton, a Life Scout with Troop 446 at TLC, is organizing and leading a supply drive for Lightshine Canine, a non-profit organization that rescues stray, abandoned and/or injured puppies, dogs, kittens and cats from the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations in South Dakota.

During the month of May, a donation box will be placed at TLC to collect much needed, life-saving supplies for the rescue animals, such as:

Dog food, cat food, puppy pads, flea & tick medicine, used/new small crates, puppy pens, puppy milk, kitty milk, cat playpen tower, clean used or new towels, and gas cards to help cover the cost of transporting and relocating the rescues.

On Sunday May 12 and May 19, Shelton and Troop 446 will be conducting Donation Supply Days at TLC from 8:00am to 12:30pm. Please bring a donation and help save the lives of the animals and reduce the number of pets in need.
COMING SOON!
Vacation Bible School
JUNE 17 - JUNE 21
Online Registration
Now Available
Daily Themes
Ready, Set, Go—Beginnings
Hitting a roadblock—Babel
  Only one race—People
Jesus is God’s sign of love
Green light to kindness
[Click Here] to visit the webpage
[Click Here] to register online
[ Click Here] for a brochure pdf
Information brochures with registration forms
now available in the church Narthex.
TLC ELC Families – We Need Your Help!
Summer is quickly approaching, and TLC Early Learning Center has several openings. As you know, having a full center is critical to our financial health. A full center is also a straightforward way to ensure we maintain our budget.
 
How can you help?
Referrals are one of the best and easiest ways to fill openings. Talk to your co-workers, friends, family and neighbors; it would be great if you could share this information on social media or any other way you think you can help promote our nationally accredited Christian childcare and preschool program. Also, please share our web address:  www.tlcelc.com
If your referral joins TLC-ELC you earn a $200 bonus toward tuition!
 
Summer Openings
-Chipmunks (born in 2016): 2 openings
- Aardvarks (3-4 years old, born in 2015): 3 openings
- TAC (school-age Kindergarten thru 5th grade): Full-time only
 
For more information, call TLC-ELC at 952.884.7955
Website: www.tlcelc.com
 
Thanks for helping TLC-ELC by getting the word out!
ALTAR FLOWERS
ONLINE ORDERING

The TLC website has a new and easier online form to order Chancel/Altar Flowers for any Sunday in 2019.
[Click Here] to access the form now, or visit www.tlcmn.com later and look for the "Purchase Altar Flowers" button at the bottom of any page.
Free Subscriptions, sign up to be a volunteer, request care ministry and more!
Subscribe a friend to this newsletter, TLC Weekly, or subscribe yourself and others to the bi-monthly Transcripts. Interested in TLC membership? Sunday school? Our renowned TLC music program, volunteering and more are choices on this easy online TLC Request Form. Just [Click Here] or the "Sign Me Up" button on the left.

Treasures of Italy
Pastor Ed is leading an 11-day tour of Italy and Germany the summer of 2020. Sites include Rome, Assisi, Florence, Venice, Salzburg, and Munich. The trip concludes in Oberammergau, Germany, to see the longest running theatrical production in the world--the Passion Play at Oberammergau. This is a rare opportunity to see an amazing and powerful spectacle.

For more information, pick up a brochure at the welcome desk or [Click Here] to visit the special page on TLC's website.
ANSWERS FROM QUIZ EARLIER IN THIS ISSUE


1) My mother had divine intervention at my conception and was the first Bible mom to have had this phenomenal experience. She was loved dearly by my father and was known as "the mother of nations!" Do you know the name of my venerable mom?
Answer #4 Sarah.
Sarah at age ninety was told by a man of God that she would bear a son. The very thought made her to laugh: how could this be possible, she thought. Nine months later when the prediction was fulfilled, she named her son Isaac, meaning laughter! See Genesis 21:1-7 and Genesis 17:15-16.

2) Our mother was a faithful follower of Christ -- even to Golgotha she followed Him. She influenced us with her Christian beliefs and we too became His followers.
We are known as James and John, sons of Zebedee, but do you know the name of our righteous mother?
Answer #2 Salome.
Salome wished the best for her sons here on earth and in heaven. She once asked Jesus to allow her sons to sit, one at His right hand and the other at His left, in His kingdom (Matthew 20:21). Salome was one of the women who looked out for Jesus and remained faithful unto his death. When He was on the cross, He entrusted his mother into John's care and James was the first apostle to be martyred. This "not so well-known" mother is well worthy of being mentioned on Mother's Day, for the influence she had on her sons.

3) My mom was the only named woman in the Bible who died in childbirth. I was told that she was very beautiful and that my father loved her most of all. Do you know the name of my mother, for whom this joyous occasion (my birth) ended tragically?
Answer #3 Rachel.
Genesis 29:17-20; 30:20-24 and 35:16-19 state that Rachel, Jacob's second wife was beautiful and that he loved her more than Leah his first wife. Leah was fruitful and gave Jacob many sons and one daughter. Rachel, on the other hand, was barren. Finally God answered Rachel's prayer and she gave birth to a son called Joseph. Jacob loved him to death and gave him a coat of many colors, as a token of his love. She conceived again but died in childbirth. She named her son Ben-Oni, meaning son of my sorrow! But his father called him Benjamin, meaning son of my happiness. Both Rachel and Leah (along with their handmaidens Bilhah and Zilpah) deserve to be mentioned on Mothers' Day.

4) In an effort to save my life, my biological mother placed me in a basket and sent me sailing down the Nile. Along came a princess of Egypt, who drew me out of the water and adopted me. Do you know the names of these two women whom I called mother? One was a slave and the other a princess whose name is known only from tradition.
Answer #3 Jochebed and Bithiah
Pharaoh, king of Egypt, commanded the midwives to kill all Hebrew male babies. So Jochebed, the biological mother of Moses, sent him floating on the river, in the hope that someone would save him. As God would have it, the princess who rescued and adopted him was the daughter of the same king who made the decree to have him killed. Some experts believe that the princess Bithiah mentioned in 1 Chronicles 4:18 is the same person mentioned in Exodus 2:1-10. Both mothers had a great influence on him: one raised him to be a king and the other taught him to be an advocate for the needy. With such exposure to the feelings of the rich and the poor, it isn't a wonder that God chose him to lead His children, the nation of Israel, out of bondage.
MAY-JUNE 2019
TRANSCRIPTS

Now Available Online

[Click Here] to view pdf

~ ~ ~

[Click Here] to subscribe to Transcripts, our bi-monthly magazine (hard copy) mailed to your home or business.
~~LINKS~~
Visit TLC's website at www.TLCMN.com
Comments and questions: TLCMedia@tlcmn.com