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Set your clocks ahead one hour before going to bed Saturday night. |
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Sunday's Gospel: John 3:14-21 |
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Order Easter Flowers for the outdoor/indoor TLC Altar on Easter Sunday |
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The Fourth Sunday in Lent
Praise and Worship Team
Inside this Time!
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Rob Reid
Director of Music
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This coming Sunday, March 14, is the Second Sunday of the month, which, starting last Summer, had been the Sunday in the month when we had been having our Drive-In Services led by our Praise and Worship Team in the west parking lot at TLC.
The weather isn't quite cooperating with our ability to gather that way yet, but this Sunday we will still get to hear from that group, both in full-group recordings from pre-Covid times, and in several songs and hymns recorded this week by a reduced-size group, masked and socially-distanced: "I Want Jesus to Walk with Me" "Awesome God" and "For God So Loved the World." You will hear, and sing along with singers Mary George and Jill and Rob Reid, pianist Phetsamone Ekholm, drummer Tom Gunstad, and guitarist and vocalist John Rosenow, who solos on a beautiful song "Come and Taste the Goodness of God."
Pastor Melanie is joined by Pastor Eva in our our Time for Children, and Pastor Arthur will Preach and Preside.
See you online at 9:55am to watch and hear the Praise and Worship team during the stream countdown.
8:30am: In Person Worship - our first in over a year... Some of you are gathering in the Sanctuary on Sunday for our first In-Person Service at 8:30am - blessings to you as you worship together! Please note that this service will not be live-streamed.
Peace,
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COME TO WORSHIP INSIDE AT TLC THIS SUNDAY MORNING
It's not too late to signup and register to attend in-person this Sunday's 8:30am worship service at TLC. Limited seating available. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
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If you are in need of prayer or have the name of someone you would like to add, please ask permission from that person first. Then, contact Marilyn Erickson, Care Ministry at 952-884-2364 ext. 10, or merickson@tlcmn.com.
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Dave Merrill
Jane Kinyon
Joel Wigstadt
Larry Granger
Barb Halverson
Irene Johnson
Kevin Erickson
Jerry Hanson
Jean Nyberg
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Walt Thomsen
Irene Amon
Dunwiddie Family
Don Jacobson
Carol Robbins
Judy Hanson
Laurel Riippa
Kirsi Ebli
Ron Schultz
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Prayers of Sympathy to:
- Diane Lehman on the death of her aunt, Audrey Grams, and her cousin, Duane Blaska.
- The Ebli and Nelson families on the death of Bob Nelson.
- Linda Senn, Jennifer Gauwitz and family members on the death of husband, father, grandfather, Keith Senn.
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NLC Virtual Hymn Festival: Hope Lives!
Join the National Lutheran Choir and guest artists, the Keith Hampton Singers, for a FREE virtual program blending spoken reflections, songs and familiar hymns of joy and hope with new music that speaks to our present time, inviting all people of faith to sing in joy together!
This Sunday, March 14 @ 4:00pm (Central Daylight Time) @ NLCA.com
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This online presentation is FREE for all. For a Virtual Subscription to exclusive content ($10/month), visit NLCA.com
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LOOK! UP IN THE SKY!
Is it a bird? Is it a plane?
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It's Superman Keith Olson and Lois La.., no wait, Michelle Reber.
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The above photo finds the children from TLC's Early Learning Center captivated by the tall scissors lift in the Sanctuary last week. TLC's Keith Olson, a fixture among fixtures in taking care of "stuff" at the church, had a big and tall job — to replace all the floodlight bulbs that illuminate the altar area with LED's. Plus, reposition several of the existing LED lights that brighten the music areas on the north end of the sanctuary. Michelle Reber, church administrator, was actually excited to go up on the lift, volunteering to assist in repair and cleaning of the ceiling fans.
Several groups of ELC kids stopped by throughout the day to watch in complete amazement as the "workers" in the lift went back 'n forth and up 'n down from floor to ceiling.
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The View from God's Perspective |
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Live-Stream Viewer Data
Last Sunday, March 7, 2021
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370+ viewers of the 10:00am worship service.
Percent watching on specified device:
- Computer 51.6%
- Smart TV 24.7%
- Mobile phone 10.8%
- Tablet 12.9%
HOLDEN WEDNESDAY VIEWERS: 102
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$60,000 or more is our GOAL.
HOW FAR CAN WE GO?!
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Since God has sufficiently provided for TLC’s internal needs for 2021, are we called to do more for those in greatest need?
The TLC member who raised this question, John Thomson, has presented us with a challenge. John believes so strongly in the responsibility of Christians to care for those in need, that he is offering to match all funds committed to Mission and Outreach (also known as Benevolence) by April 1, 2021 up to the amount of $30,000. This could lead to an additional commitment of $60,000 or more in benevolence giving in 2021.
If you are able to join this effort, responding to Christ’s invitation to love our neighbors as ourselves, please click here to complete a Pledge Form before April 1, 2021. The form is also available as a menu selection [1plus1] at tlcmn.com. If you have any preference as to how those funds are to be allocated, there is a check-list on the form of programs that have been involved with TLC in the past. Your input will help inform the recommendations of the Mission and Outreach Team.
Thank you for your prayers and your participation in the ministry of TLC.
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Do You Know Pastor Melanie? |
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Among TLCer's and staff is Pastor Melanie Heuiser Hill, a children's book author, magazine columnist, purveyor of recipes and tabletop designs. She has a website filled with her stories, pictures, photos and more. Please visit melanieheuiserhill.com. For her latest Red Reading Boots column, click here for access.
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Deepening our Relationships with God and One Another |
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Sundays in Lent (February 21– March 21)
9:30am –
Songs and Stories with Pastor Melanie on ZOOM
10:00am –
On-Line Worship at tlcgo.live
Wednesdays in Lent (February 24 – March 24)
6:00pm –
Story Time with Pastor Melanie on Facebook Live
Club 56 with Karen Wenge on Zoom. Any 5th or 6th Grader can join.
Holden Evening Prayer On-Line Worship
6:30pm –
Messages led by TLC Staff will amplify some of the many “Pathways to Prayer” Online at tlcgo.live
7:00pm –
Confirmation
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Do you get old songs running through your head? They call it an "earworm" and it can be annoying. When the thermometer said it was approaching 50 or even 60 these past lovely days, an old song from childhood popped into my head while taking walks, several days in a row now.
Remember "I Don't Want to Play in Your Yard?"
It had some verses about two friends who were "on the outs" as we used to say. The chorus is the part that we remember fondly, and some words are almost unused today. I'll print out the chorus part only and I hope you can think of the tune.
I don't want to play in your yard. I don't like you any more.
You'll be sorry when you see me sliding down my cellar door.
You can't holler down our rain barrel, you can't climb our apple tree.
I don't want to play in your yard if you won't be good to me.
Does that bring back memories? Yesterday on my walk in the neighborhood, I was on 108th Street, and my dear friend from TLC drove by; stopped, and we had a delightful conversation for maybe 30 minutes. Those conversations...face to face and no masks, are pretty rare now, and we both hated to say goodbye, but some guys driving by kind of wished we'd move on. She said, "Ring my doorbell anytime,” and this is a little thank-you for our time spent. Many of you know her — Margaret Mattson! We were in quilting together, and then she joined choir and was an alto sitting next to me. At one rehearsal we discovered we'd purchased the very same slacks and looked down to see we were wearing them at the same time.
The above song about not wanting to play in your yard was mentioned, and she remembered singing that years ago too. She suggested I look it up on Google, and discovered there were verses telling the story of two friends who had a "falling out" so long ago. No, Margaret and I never had a "falling out," but people get busy and time flies by; she has a lake cottage up north in the summer, and so we never get together except by coincidence. With the virus and quarantines, plus no one going "anywhere" and trying to stay home as warned, lots of time gets just wasted.
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A Rain Barrel collected rain water
for your plants
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Hanging freshly laundered sheets
on the clothesline to dry.
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Those words that are scarcely used in that song are: rain barrel, and cellar door. What is a rain barrel? It was common years ago to have a large barrel to catch rainwater for your outdoor and indoor plants. I don't know where people got the barrels. The other word, "cellar door" was from the era when people could get into their basement from outside by just opening a slanted door and it made hanging out laundry much easier. Now who hangs out laundry? You must admit the sheets would smell heavenly when they'd been outside like that. I have not hung out a sheet since 1964 maybe.
Hope you are doing well, got your vaccination or are still trying for one (or two) and that friendships can finally flourish and be enjoyed just by stopping to talk for a while.
-Bloomington Bird Lady
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February 2021 Church Council Meeting Minutes and the Treasurer's Report are available here and at TLCMN.com. Please click on the images below to access the pdf documents. |
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Why was the Bible Written?
How Torah and the rest of the Hebrew scriptures came to be.
A continuing series by Pastor Al Dungan
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(Part 1)
You may recall from an earlier article that I mentioned about what evolved into the first 5 books of the Bible, came down through the centuries as Oral Tradition. That is, before a Hebrew alphabet came into existence so that certain things could be written down, they were passed from generation to generation (see the “begats”) by word of mouth.
Many of us when we were small played the party game of “Gossip”. It was always fun to hear how the message from the beginning had changed when it reach the last one in the circle.
Passing the Hebrew belief system down through the ages was not a kind of “Gossip game”. There was intense effort made to remember accurately who the Israelites were and how they, as the people of Yahweh (which is how they named God) had come to be.
The Hebrew word Torah can be translated as teaching. It was the first 5 books of the Hebrew Scriptures which “taught” them who they were and how Yahweh wanted them to live.
According to Torah, Yahweh had set aside, in a special way, this group of people as a kingdom of priests to serve the rest of the world. It was their calling as a people holy before the Lord to make sure that the world would know a God who loved and cared for all people, not just the Hebrews.
And so, in Genesis, we learn about a God who created the world and declared that it was “very good”. We also learned about how humankind rebelled against God and were ejected from the beautiful garden to live in the world with great difficulty. Then came a time when brother killed brother, a time when the world became so evil that God cleansed it with a world-wide flood saving only one family and pairs of animals. You may be interested to know that many cultures have a flood story and how creation was saved.
Finally, once again people began to think so highly of themselves that they built a huge tower so that it might reach the heavens where God dwelt. This time, instead of destroying the world, God confused their speech so that no one could understand the other; which answers the question: why are there so many languages in the world and why can’t we understand each other? It was called the Tower of Babel and we have been babbling to each other ever since.
Next time: from Abraham onward.
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TLC's
Addiction Awareness Team
Update
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Mission: “This ministry exists to provide a safe environment for those seeking hope and restoration from addiction and codependency.” |
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Step 2 - Came to believe in a power greater than myself.
This step brings me back to 2005 when I was living in a halfway house - Way 12 in Wayzata. My sponsor asked me to start praying twice a day and then he had the nerve to encourage me to pray on my knees. To this day I am boggled as to why I was so compliant looking at the lifestyle I had been living up to this point. It took me a while to come around to the idea of a 'Higher Power.' I was so stuck on being able to put my finger on it; visual proof. Stubborn as I was, I'd say the serenity prayer and omit God from the beginning, starting with 'Grant me the serenity...' As time went on I learned more about the reliability of visual proof such as the Big Book explains in Chapter 4 - We Agnostics. Bill Wilson cites an example about electricity, 'Why this ready acceptance?' Just as the Big Book states, I was handicapped by obstinacy, sensitiveness and unreasoning prejudice.
Time itself, listening to the stories of other recovering members, and the thought that this group of people was doing what I could not do on my own, was the cornerstone to my spiritual structure. It is said that as long as someone is willing to believe in the possibility of a higher power, it is enough to commence spiritual growth. Hence the far fetched examples of a coffee cup, a door or other unique ideas you may have heard of being tossed around the rooms of recovery as the beginning 'God,' for those in recovery. My first conception was the AA group itself.
Today, my relationship with God has changed drastically. We start every meal with prayer, seeing our two year old son Grey catch on to the 'Johnny Apple Seed' prayer and the names of the family members we pray for, are what it's all about. I connect with God at all times throughout the day, and I try to access the God within those I have the opportunity to interact with every day.
-Griffin Myslivecek
~ ~ ~
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- Chris Campo
- Dave Dickson
- Al Dungan
- Mary George
- Griffin Myslivecek
- Louise Olson
- Beth Rahn
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What a great kick-off for our Mission of the Month
After Taylor English built our new bins, he spurred on donations and delivered 205 lbs. of food to VEAP last week. Big thanks to Taylor and his Eagle Scout project!
Now let's fill the bins with these most needed items all month long:
- Baking essentials, flour, sugar, cake mixes, cooking oil, frostings
- Laundry detergent
- Personal care items, shampoo, toothpaste, soap, shaving cream
- Paper products, toilet paper, paper towels, napkins
- Gluten free products, whole grains, brown rice, wild rice and rice crackers (check labels for gluten free)
- Whole grain/bran cereals, shredded wheat, Kashi, Chex
- Paper bags are needed-not plastic
And remember, $10 donated equals food for 30 meals
Collection bins are in TLC's west entrance, 9:00am-3:00pm, Monday through Thursday.
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Pastor Melanie Heuiser Hill
Interim Youth & Family Support
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Pete Erickson
Interim Youth & Family Minister
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TLC Passion Story – CALLING ALL FAMILIES! Good Friday Service
We would love to include your family in the “Passion Story” video which will be at the Good Friday service .
Families can take part on the following ways:
- Dress up and present a scene from the script – Record this on your phone (horizontally)
- Read Narrator parts (scripture verses) – Record on your phone (horizontally)
Once your family decides on the scene you’d like to record, you can stop by church and pick up the props/costumes for that specific scene – props will be ready by March 8. NOTE: ALL VIDEO RECORDINGS NEED TO BE EMAILED TO PETE BY Friday, March 26th.
If you’d like to sign up, here is the link to the “TLC Passion Story”. If you have trouble with the link, feel free to reach out to Pete Erickson and indicate which role you’d like to fill. We are looking forward to the many gifts that will be shared you! If you have questions about any of this, please reach out to Pete at PErickson@tlcmn.com
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The Early Learning Center has a brand new,
innovative, motivational website.
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A Peek Inside ELC this Week |
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This week the children in ELC's KinderPlus class (4-5 year olds) made houses from sticks, straws, and bricks (pasta noodles) after reading the story "The Three Little Pigs." |
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The Church office is staffed with Marilyn Erickson and Michelle Reber, available Monday through Thursday, 9:00am - 4:00pm. Please call ahead for an appointment, wear masks, use hand sanitizer (available at the entrance to the office) and practice social distancing during your visit.
Please call: (952) 884-2364. If no answer, you may listen to a recording of staff names and phone extensions to select and leave a specific message.
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Committees - Ministries - Small Groups
WRITE YOUR OWN ARTICLE
FOR THE TLC WEEKLY
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Thanks to the Faith, Fact and Fiction Book Club, the K3P3 group, Stephen Ministry, Welcome Diversity Team, Global Health Ministry, Coffee and Conversation, the Nutty Knotters (TLC Quilters), Memory Bear Group, and Linda Meyer for submitting photos and stories to the TLC Weekly.
Other committees, groups and ministries, we want to hear from you! Share your stories with the TLC community.
Are you meeting?
How have you adapted your meetings to keep everyone safe?
What projects are you working on?
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Send a story and some photos to tlcmedia@tlcmn.com and we will share your news in the TLC Weekly. Be sure to provide names of people in your photos.
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ONLINE GIVING HELPS SUPPORT TLC
It’s important to know that we can depend on financial support from TLC members. Online giving is fast, secure, and reduces administrative costs, allowing more of every dollar to support the important work we are called to do. You can give anytime, anywhere to specific funds with our GivePlus Mobile app (free from the app store). You can also schedule and manage recurring donations by visiting our website and clicking on TLC ONLINE GIVING icon at the top of any page, or [Click Here] to start the process, or contact the church office. THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!
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Free Subscriptions, sign up to be a volunteer,
request care ministry and more!
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Subscribe a friend to this newsletter, TLC Weekly, or subscribe yourself and others to the TLC publication, 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.
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A Reconciling in Christ Congregation
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A Culture of Diversity and Inclusion |
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