A Message from

Pastor Elizabeth

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

Matthew 16:18

A few months ago I was looking at scripture to use for our 2022 stewardship appeal. I asked Pastor Peter what he thought about basing our October appeal on Matthew 16:18. The man was gleeful and said, “I love this verse! Jesus says he is building his church on me, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against me. No pressure!” He then told me that he has a photo of himself outside of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome holding keys.

As the saying goes, “Close, but no cigar.” Or maybe in this case, “Close, but no keys.” Jesus was and is building the church on not just one person, but on all of us. We are the church, the rock, and Jesus is building something mighty. We are the people Jesus has chosen to carry the gospel forward and build God’s kingdom here on earth. We are the people who are to preach good news to the poor and visit the sick. We are the people who are called to bring the gospel to a new generation. We are the people who are called to build a society where everyone has a safe place to live and enough food to eat. We are the mighty rock, the church, and God wants to use all of us and build an unshakable kingdom that nothing can stand against. (Pastor Peter is included!)

Join us this Sunday as we launch our 2022 stewardship appeal, “Faith that Rocks the World.” With God Almighty leading us, we can do great things together as God uses us to build a church that nothing can stand against.

With great hope,

Pastor Elizabeth

Sunday October 30

3 - 4:30 pm

Advent parking lot

Trunk or Treat is a great alternative (or addition) to the traditional trick or treat for Halloween. Think of trunk or treat as a Halloween tailgate party. Instead of kids going door-to-door to get candy, they walk through a parking lot and go trunk-to-trunk. The trunk of your car becomes your front porch.

Sign-up to provide a trunk here!

Participants will usually decorate their trunks or cargo areas with Halloween décor or a theme of some sort, but it can be as simple as putting a pumpkin next to your open trunk or wearing a costume as you pass out treats.

What makes this activity appealing to parents, especially with young children, is these events are geared towards younger children. Parents often feel it is safer than going door-to-door, and it can also be one more time children can wear their costumes. Questions? cindypaulson@adventlutheran.com or 763-443-2326

Sunday Church School

This year children ages 3 years old through 5th grade will begin Sunday Church School in Worship, and then, prior to the sermon, transition to a special activity with Cindy Paulson, Director of Faith Formation. After the activity children will return to worship to celebrate communion with their families. Parents are invited to attend Church School with their children if they wish to help.

Confirmation Schedule

Confirmation is meeting in-person weekly, starting with Wednesday evening worship at 6:30,  and going until 7:45 pm.

We're asking students and their families to help with service. Please review the sign-up here.

It's not too late to register!

Register for Confirmation 2022 - 2023  

Tech help needed on Sunday morning!

We need additional help on Sunday mornings.

Adults, kids, and teens ages 12 and up are encouraged to volunteer.

If you are able to help occasionally (or often!), please email Jordy Anderson.

Advent needs you!

Advent is enjoying a boost in attendance and programming and as such, we will be needing more volunteers to help our services run smoothly and our building stay beautiful.

Some of the monthly opportunities currently available are: 

• Worship Support (greeting, ushering, serving communion - your say on when you can do it, and your choice of roles!)

• Driving CROSS donations (from Advent to their facility on the east side of Rogers, approximately 15-minute drive via 81) 

• Sanctuary cleaning (wiping, dusting and vacuuming, because spiders don't take a sabbath)

Please contact Volunteer Coordinator Betsy Cardinal with any questions about these opportunities. No experience necessary!

Avenues for Youth

Gift of Love 

October through December

For 25 years, Avenues for Youth has partnered with young people experiencing homelessness to achieve their dreams. They support young people ages 16-24 in Hennepin County, whether they need a place to stay for one night or for up to a year-and-a-half. By providing a stable home, trusting relationships, and assistance in navigating education, career, health, wellness, and housing goals, Avenues empowers youth to find their way out of homelessness. Since 2013, Avenues has operated Brooklyn Avenues, a home for youth experiencing homelessness in Brooklyn Park.

Our Gift of Love project will support Avenues for Youth through giving, education, and relationship-building. Look for opportunities soon to learn more about Avenues for Youth and how you can support Avenues this fall! 

Go to their website to learn more about Avenues for Youth https://avenuesforyouth.org/

Gift of Love

Osseo Area Schools Homeless Student Program

July – September 2022

Our Gift of Love for July through September helped to bring supplemental support to this program.

As we wrap up this giving initiative, we want to THANK YOU for all your generous donations!

We held an adult forum with Sunday September 18th with Kristine Solyst, District Liaison for Homeless and Foster Students for Osseo Area Schools. She shared more about the program and needs. She answered many questions from our members. The needs are great and brought light other areas in which we can help support our school district.

We were able to help supplement the program by providing Hygiene packs. We plan to purchase gift cards to food and clothing stores.

We will know how much we raised through our program this year within a couple of weeks and will update you on your generosity to this program!

Domestic Violence Awareness

1 in 3 women and 1 in 7 men experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. People can be aware that someone in their family, at their gym, work, grocery store, book club, or faith community is suffering.

Maria’s Voice is a local nonprofit that works in honor of Maria Pew, a Maple Grove resident murdered in an act of domestic violence. The organization focuses on domestic violence education and strives to create awareness and safe actions to promote prevention.

For more information visit mariasvoice.org.

Another organization educating about domestic violence is the group Domestic Violence Awareness and Action. New members are always welcome.

Contact Jane Warren for more informaiton.

Serving our

property & grounds

A lot has changed with our property & grounds over the last few years. Our building was essentially closed for a time and projects had been postponed. Now that we are back in the building, we need to rebuild our property and grounds crew support. If you are able to help on an ongoing, one-time, or now-and-then basis, please contact Ted Wurtz

South door portico installation

Portico definition: a covered entrance to a building; porch; a covered walkway in the form of a roof supported by columns or pillars, esp one built on to the exterior of a building.

Coming soon! Our portico promises to be a beautiful and helpful addition to our welcoming church. And, the addition of heated sidewalks significantly reduces fall risks during winter months. Due to increased cost, we are not updating the vestibule. Look for updates in the ADVENTure!

Take a look at the plans HERE!

Prayer

Prayer is our personal connection with God and guides us individually and as a church. It is a vital part of our faith life, and an important way we can continue to minister to one another in this time of social distancing. We know that God hears our prayers and will empower us to see God’s will in our lives! 

Pray for educators as they navigate the needs in our schools and classrooms; for Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean nations as they recover in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian; for all of us as we work to continue to stay safe during this time in the pandemic; for our community as we seek ways to live justly and safely together, and for all people on our weekly prayer list:

Jan N., Mary B., Mark P., Pat D., Linda G., Pettie B., Sally L.,

Sherry B., Rick D., Jim S., Barb H., Tracy S., Amy J., Gary W., Joanne M., and for all to be blessed by the Holy Spirit's faith. 

Pray for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people that they may be safe and surrounded by love and prayer during this turbulent and painful time.



(Due to privacy concerns and internet safety protocol, we cannot publish last names.) For confidential prayer requests, please e-mail our Prayer Chain leaders.