Jesus said, I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent.-John 6:38 

What is God's will for Kittson County?  As Christians we believe God has put us in this county in this time for a particular purpose, to do the will of God.  However, the ever changing and challenging question we live with is what is God's will for us today in this time and place? 

One of the prayer practices our county churches have practiced to discern God's will for us is called the Examine prayer.  Naming where we have seen God's life, joy, and abundant gifts of the Spirit and also naming where we have seen death, distress, and fear.

“Examine Prayer” by Trey Everett  

*Prayer:  I ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him, endless energy, boundless strength!  Ephesians 1: 17-19 (The Message)

*Challenge: Below is our collaborative list of God faithfulness in Kittson County.  Please post what gives you life in Kittson County!

 

 

Where have you seen life, joy, faith?                    Where have you seen death, distress?                            

*Lake Bronson State Park                                       *Communication among churches, councils

*Sharing Lent Devotions, Pastors,                          *Lack of people, resources, time, lay leaders

Time, talents, gifts between churches,                      willingness to change, ownership, bible study,   

Internship                                                                   and male leadership                         

*Kate’s musical gifts & enthusiasm  

*Use of new technology                                         *Increase expenses, work, and 

*Working with different musicians                              business outside the home                       

* Summer worship                                                *Distance: having to drive 

*Teamwork                                                           *Competition amongst schools

*Farmers, cattle                                                     *Transparency

*Choir & Palm Sunday Cantata                            *Different generational needs

*Sunday School Teachers & VBS                         *Members leaving

*Confirmation youth excited & involved               *Too much too fast

*Food Pantry                                                         *Few young people in worship or leadership

*Adult Sunday School                                             *Fire in Karlstad

*Being pro-active, not sitting back anymore                                   

*Appreciation of what we have                                                         

*Fellowship                                                   

*New babies coming                                                                      

*Quilting

*Smorgasbord

*New Lancaster community center

*Celebrating the life of key members who have died

Road Trip to Ohio…."I need something with substance."

Traveling with the kids in the van by day four we were in "survival mode."  Just get there!  Trying to keep the peace no matter the cost we gave the kids books, play dough, crayons, movies, songs, candy, juice, pop….and more candy! We stopped to fuel up the van and then went to the store to stretch our legs and refuel the supplies: candy, ice cream, pop, and more and more snacks to get them by.  As the girls and I came to the counter with our arms full of sugary snacks, Eric meets us with a nice bowl of fresh fruit.  He says, "I need something with substance."  We get into the van, Anna and I quickly consume our ice cream so it doesn't melt. I offer Olivia some, but she points to Eric's bowl and says, Uh,Uh! Then Anna chimes in, "I don't want my ice cream mom, I want a strawberry."  Then I realized after four days of consuming junk, all we needed was a little substance. 

I wonder if the church gets into "survival mode" sometimes.  While traveling on the spiritual road with you I hear, "We just need to get through the summer months, then our worship attendance and offerings will pick up."  "When we get through the busy season of Christmas, Lent, Sunday School, confirmation, then….."  I personally know I have heard these words come out of my mouth when I get into survival mode, by just going through the motions.  We just keep handing out sugary coated programs, events, and dinners at people hoping and praying they will return, instead of giving them substance.  

So, as I wonder with you all about what God's is up to in Kittson County, I wonder if we are in survival mode?  I wonder what are the things we try to throw at people, that really aren't feeding people's souls?  I wonder where is the substance?  Where is the life?  Where is the joy, peace, patience, kindness, all the fruits of the spirit and how can we share that with one another? 

*Examine: I need your help is shopping in Kittson County for substance?  Please, join me in looking for signs of fruit?  Where do you see people receiving the Holy Spirit's fruit of joy, peace, patience, kindness?   Where do you see people consuming sugary treats that leave people feeling empty, stressed, dead inside?     

*Scripture reflection: Galatians 5: 16-22  God's list of sugary treats, and fruit that will sustain us in this life and in the next. 

*Prayer:  Thank you God for your fruits of the spirit that sustain us on this road trip of life.  Sorry God for choosing sugary, pre-packaged food that quickly fills the desires of our flesh and not our spirits.  Please God, crucify our wants and desires for our families and churches, and unify us to live by your Spirit.  Amen.

"You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. Ephesians 2:20 (The Message) 

WELCOME, to the blog site for ELCA churches in Kittson County.  Here, I hope we can have caring conversations about faith, hope, and the new life we see God giving us.  I am new at blogging, so please be patient with me as I learn with you all.  This is just one tool to inform you about the ministry we have done so far in Kittson County, and a place where you can join the conversation and share where you see God giving new life, and where you are seeing a decline in faith and death in our communities. 

Below, you will see a time line of the work we have done together so far.  Thank you for your positive support, enthusiasm, and prayers.  I will be going on Sabbatical July 8th-Aug. 4th.  I hope to post weekly updates about what I am hearing from Kittson County members, other ELCA churches, and God's faithfulness in our collaborative work together.  -Pastor Melodi Hagen 

Our History Together….Kittson County Internship Time Line

Summer 2011: Interim Pastor Craig Bowyer asked, “What might it look like if we shared ministry together?” at text study at Zion, Lake Bronson.  Then a county wide group of lay members from ELCA churches interested in joining the conversation about calling an intern was formed.  Then in the fall, Pastor Frank Johnson moved to Hallock and took a call to serve at Grace Lutheran.  At the text study table, he shared his future wife Kate would be joining him next year and looking for an internship.  This affirmed our discernment was going in the right direction, and a call was created for Kate. 

January 2012:  Each of the churches voted to continue to the process to call an Intern to Kittson County.  In April 2012, each of the churches voted to call Intern Kate Johnson, and to contribute to the KCI fund to support this collaboration.   

August 2012:  KCI  Kate Johnson Started her call by spending the first month rotating around to the three different parishes and then September 2012-July 2013 spending part-time at the following congregations while finishing up her schooling at  Luther Seminary.  (Rotation: Karlstad-Halma, Lake Bronson-Kennedy, Lancaster).  During this time, Intern Kate also helped to form Kittson County Youth Group activities through out the year and initiate a Kittson County summer mission trip which will be to Idaho July 6-13th. 

May-June 2013: A period of caring conversations around the Kittson county ELCA churches, and prayer together using Examine and Lexio Divina prayer practices to discern together where we see God's faithfulness and new life, and what might God be calling us to do next? 

Future dates to be aware of:  
July 2013:  Pastor Melodi taking a Sabbatical.  A time of prayer, study, and discernment for how God might be calling us to share gifts for ministry and support one another in the future?

August-September 2013:  Report Back to Kittson County Congregations

January 2014: Intern Application Due

May 2014:  Kate’s Internship complete and looking for a call