Fall Events Begin

The Philippian The Monthly Newsletter of St. Philip’s Lutheran Church of Hastings, Minnesota

Come and Worship...Come and Serve...Come and Learn...Come as you are

…Philip said to him, “Come and see” John 1:46

July 2016

Vacation Bible School

July 11-14 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Register Now

- Sanctuaries –

Churches, Homes and Gardens Tour Saturday, July 9

Lutheran Night With the Minnesota Twins

July 27 at 7:10 pm

2 THE PHILIPPIAN July 2016

Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish,

will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an

egg, will give a scorpion? “If you then, though you are evil, know

how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will

your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask

him?

Luke 11:13

from the gospel for

July 24

Well? What do you think?

Do most parents know

how to care for their

children? They must, for the

most common reluctant

commendations of even evil

people is, “He/she was a

caring father/mother.” This

phrase or something very much like it is probably the

most frequent statement found in the daily obituaries.

Even criminals and drug dealers love their children. The

police have captured some wanted men in the past by

keeping watch on their children, confident that the

criminal parent would seek to contact the child.

Jesus makes his point: If it’s true that bad folks can do

things for their sons and daughters, just imagine the great

God the author of good, the heavenly Father will do for

His!

No evil comes from God. No harm hides within our

heavenly Father’s active care. Even the worst things that

befall us, Paul testifies, are able to be worked by our loving

Lord for something good. (See Romans 8:28) Do you want

proof that that is true? Look at Calvary, on a Friday that

only children of the Father would call good.

Every one of us who is a parent knows that we have all

fallen short of loving our children perfectly. Our own

habits and idiosyncrasies that we received from our

parents become evident in each new generation and not

all of them are good. But we do our best and hope for the

best and trust that somehow, some way, our daughters

and sons will know how very much we love them.

Some how, some way, God chose to love us with a

perfect love and bestow on us his unconditional grace,

forgiveness, and salvation through Jesus Christ. As God’s

children, we are given the gift of faith to know and trust

our heavenly Father loves us and will bless us with good

gifts in this life, and with eternal salvation in the life to

come. Thanks be to God!

Your Servant in Christ, Pastor Geier

Thank You!

Thank you for allowing us to utilize your facilities for the

Memorial Day concert by the 451st USAR Band, due to

inclement weather conditions. I look forward to our

continuing in serving the community with the guidance

from God.

Dean Markuson

Beyond the Yellow Ribbon

Teen Talk

Young Teens—Camp Edition

We have 8 teens attending Green Lake Bible Camp this

year. Bible camp, Green Lake style, is a mix of freedom

and structure—a time for the youth to try new things in a

place where they have a safety net. This makes me think of

our church home—sure, there’s not much for canoeing or

high ropes at St. Philip’s, but I’ve found it to be a place

where our kids can try new things.

It’s not always easy, this thing called growth. One minute

we have a cute little Sunday school kid who sings “Jesus

Loves Me” and the next a ‘middle schooler’ emerges and

sometimes singing “Jesus Loves Me” means opening

themselves up for their voice to crack. A simple invitation

for a children’s message can be a mine field of ‘who else

will be there’ and an ordeal of their suddenly super-long

legs folding up to ‘sit nice’.

Thankfully, we’re a family. We need to be patient with one

another, bearing with one another through our changes

and growth. Finding purpose and belonging in times when

we feel the most awkward can be the bright spot in an

otherwise dark world. Loving each other and feeling loved,

whether within the church family of St. Philip’s or the

greater church family that includes Green Lake Bible

Camp, gives us the strength and courage to do God’s

work—no matter our age.

All the best,

Stephanie Becken

Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministries

ST. PHILIP’S EARLY LEARNING CENTER is

looking for a part-time Assistant Teacher. Start date

would be August 22. Position may be up to 30 hours per

week. If interested, please send your resume to

Hastingselc@yahoo.com.

THE PHILIPPIAN July 2016 3

- AMONG OUR OWN –

Sympathies to…

Camille Johnson and family as they mourn the death

of her brother Kevin Clapp

Congratulations to…

Brett and Katie Nelson (son of Darryl and Camille

Nelson) on their June 18 marriage

Ardell and Jean Semington on their 56th wedding

anniversary July 16

Dale and Kathy Wolpers on their 30th wedding

anniversary

Marc and Nancy Hampl on their 20th wedding

anniversary on July 20

Al and Patty Todnem on their 52nd wedding

anniversary on July 25

Tim and Carrie Meier on their 15th wedding

anniversary on July 28

FOODSHARE -- The Caring Ministry once again is

hosting the congregational FoodShare which takes place in

the fall when the harvest comes in. This is a great time to

share your bounty or be able to enjoy other people’s

successful gardening skills. Hopefully you have planted

extra vegetables healthy veggies. The plan is to start later

in August to share. If you would be willing to help at the

FoodShare table some Sundays please contact one of the

Caring Ministry Members; Camille Nelson, Ruth Jackson,

Pat Kohn or Judy Werner.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

Surf Shack

July 11-14

9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Vacation Bible School – AKA a 4 day extravaganza of

love, learning, and praise! Students in preschool-finishing

5th grade are invited to sign up. Registration is available

online at http://2016.cokesburyvbs.com/SPLC/ or with

forms on the Faith Formation bulletin board near the

Community Room. We’ll also be adding a special worship

Sunday morning—more to come!

HOLY LAND TRIP. Space is still available for March

2017 Holy Land Trip. Contact Dan Retka at 651-295-

7835 or the link in St. Philip’s website:

www.splchastings.org/learning/adult-spiritual-growth/trips-

and-events.html) for more info.

THE CHURCH OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED

Monday, July 4 in celebration of the Fourth of July

weekend.

Sunday School Minute What are you reading this summer? The Sparkhouse

Family Blog has a great summer reading program as well as

other resources to include God, learning, and expanding

your family’s Christian faith during your sunshiny days.

You can access the information at

htt://blog.sparkhouse.org/. Some fun things I’ve found

include a summer reading program, featuring the SPARK

Storybook Bible. A roadmap of Bible stories, including a

curriculum resource hits the big stories. Has your kiddo

already heard it? Ask them to tell you the story. Act it

out. Draw it out. Dig a little deeper. The building blocks

you set now give your child the foundation they need to

ask big questions, learn more lessons, and build a life that

not only includes God, but is built on God.

Stephanie Becken

BOOK OF JOSHUA - Thank you to the ‘test group’

families and volunteers who gave the Book of Joshua a go!

This excellent time could not be rained out—though good

golly did the rain pound June 14. The Book of Joshua was

our first attempt at live action role play. Everyone who

participated was an actor and had an important part to

play. Our scripted characters led the production, taking

the kids through the Book of Joshua—from the death of

Moses at the end of Deuteronomy to the dividing up the

land in the end of Joshua. I can’t say enough about our

leaders—Josh Tank, Raul Jackson, Kristy Lind, Dan Retka,

and Kristian Ronning who all played their parts so well.

Other leaders included Andi Barker, Annette Hanson,

Linnea Hanson, and Tanner Becken. This was ‘student led

ministry’, an idea hatched by Nato Barker and Jed Carlson.

They wanted something fun to do on the great yard of St.

Philip’s. They wanted to run around with their friends, play

nerf guns, eat food, and have more time together—the

rest that led to the Book of Joshua was a group effort of

imagination and prayer. This is not the last of live action

learning for St. Philip’s—it might just be the start of a

unique, interactive ministry we can all enjoy.

MARY FISCHER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

Applications are being taken from July 1-August 6 for the

2016-17 Mary Fischer Memorial Scholarship. A $500 one-

time scholarship gift will be awarded to a female St. Philip’s

student attending a post secondary school in the

upcoming year. The scholarship is given in Mary’s

memory by the Mary Fischer family to a student who

demonstrates a high level of academic, religious and

community-oriented commitment.

Applications are available in the church office with more

details.

4 THE PHILIPPIAN July 2016

Growing with Gordon!

As you read this article children and adults have returned

from camp and our Chicago mission team has returned

home and will be sharing with us on Sunday, July 3 in

worship.

Time flies when you’re having fun! Summer is on a crazy

spin as we drink in all there is to do and all the joy of

fabulous weather. It is a wonderful time for all of us.

We have celebrated an exciting Garage and Plant Sale with

many people giving extraordinary hours of service for

Christ and St. Philip’s. We extended a warm hand of

welcome to many people and they came and God was

present. We invited to come and worship with us

because we have Good News to share!

In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus says, All authority in heaven

and earth has been given to me. As you go into all the

world, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the

name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded

you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of

the age.

Our experiences at the Garage Sale, camp and in Chicago

give us the opportunity to share Good News, to teach and

baptize and make disciples of all nations. We have such

great, good news that we need to share with everyone! It

is about a God who calls us to love and care for his

people. The world needs what we have to share!

Don’t take a vacation from Jesus and St. Philip’s this

summer. As you go, share the Good News and Jesus

promises to be with us always to the end of the age.

Be God’s!

Gordon

BIBLE READINGS THIS MONTH.

July 3 July 10

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 Deuteronomy 30:9-14

Colossians 1:1-14

Luke 10:25-37

July 17 July 24

Genesis 18:1-10a Genesis 18:20-32

Colossians 1:15-28 Colossians 2:6-15

Luke 10:38-42 Luke 11:1-13

July 31

Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23

Colossians 3:1-11

Luke 12:13-21

DO YOU WANT TO HAVE THE BEST SUNDAY

EVER? As mid-summer hits, the planning for Sunday

school is well under way. Curriculum is ordered,

schedules are being set, binders are being put together—

all the little things that go into Christian education Sunday

mornings for the 50+ students who attend church school

at St. Philip’s. While the sun is still shining and the days

are long and warm, I hope you’ll add a prayer of

consideration for teaching Sunday School this fall. We

start in mid-September and finish in early May. We go

over curriculum together, work as teams, and support

each other as we teach our kiddos. This wouldn’t have to

be an every Sunday commitment either—team teaching

has been very successful—where teachers take turns with

their classroom and sometimes teach together (because it

is fun and powerful). There are also substitutes, willing to

pitch in when needed. Committing to teaching Sunday

school doesn’t disqualify you from doing the other things

you enjoy helping with at church. A multi-generational

approach to Sunday school—where teens, parents, single

adults, grandparents and great-grandparents work

together to impart faith knowledge and experience gives

our kiddos a huge gift—a foundation with God and a

loving safety net of people who care about their world.

Think about it. Pray about it. Ask me about it. Sunday

School…it might be your next ministry.

Stephanie Becken

ANNOUNCING NEW MEMBER SESSIONS – The

first new member session will be held Sunday, June 26 at

10:35 am. This is a short building tour and getting

acquainted. This session is one hour.

The second and final session is July 10 at 10:35 am. This

session is informational about St. Philip’s and a data form is

completed. A lunch is served. This session would

conclude at 12 noon.

New members will be received on July 24. It’s a time of

great joy to welcome new households to St. Philip’s.

Please give it heartfelt consideration. Questions may be

directed to Glenda Schnirring at 437-6246 or email

gleners@embarqmail.com.

SANCTUARIES - CHURCHES, HOMES AND

GARDENS TOUR SATURDAY, JULY 9. St. Philip's

Lutheran Church has been chosen as one of the venues

for their annual tour. It's a wonderful opportunity for us

to share our beautiful new expansion and also helps us

fulfill our mission, "Come and See." In addition, there will

be magnificent homes and stunning gardens for visitors to

enjoy. You can purchase a $20 ticket online at

www.hpaac.org or at Hastings YMCA, BreakAway Arts in

Hastings or the Orange Dragon Gallery in Prescott.

THE PHILIPPIAN July 2016 5

LUTHERAN NIGHT AT THE TWINS - Fifty seats

have been set aside for St. Philip’s members and their

friends for Wednesday, July 27 at 7:10 pm, Twins vs.

Atlanta Braves.

Field Box seats are $36 each. The deadline for signing up

on the kiosk is Sunday, July 3. Payment for the tickets is

due on July 3. Checks should be payable to Glenda

Schnirring. You receive your ticket well before game day.

Transportation is on your own plan. Questions? contact

Glenda Schnirring at 437-6246.

AN A+ IN "GREETING" IS HAPPENING HERE

FUTURE CHOIR MEMBER?!?! Ellen Diischer,

Director of

Music, is

looking for

young male

voices to

join the

church

choir this

fall. Maybe

not this

young - but

please

consider!

WELCA CRUISES THE ST. CROIX - St. Philips'

Women of the Lutheran Church of America (WELCA) did

its summer outing June 16, by boarding the St. Croix

Princess paddle wheeler and enjoying a 90 minute

narrated cruise on the upper St. Croix. A box lunch with

fun conversation became a part of the day. Marita

Legreid made all the arrangements.

Sixteen St. Philip's women enjoying their time together and learning about the region

Almost looking

like royalty are

Lenora Holtorf

and Linda

Brommer enjoying

scenery and friendship

Attending the outing were Sue Cruse, Glenda Schnirring,

Patty Todnem, Darla Kimmes, Beth Fahlstrom,

Mary Lou Christenson, Gladys Campbell, Alice McDougall,

Marge Evenson, Marita Legreid, Vonnie Olson, Gerri

Holmseth, Kathy Luedtke, Linda Brommer, Lenora Holtorf,

Sue Retka and Barb Jorenby

Worship Greeter Chelsey Retterath and son Keegan

extending a very warm welcome to

St. Philips' beloved Ione Orr.

6 THE PHILIPPIAN July 2016

MORE THAN ENOUGH

By Jerry Hoffman

Paul asks the Christians at Corinth to give an offering for

the Christian people in Jerusalem who are living in

extreme poverty. In this portion of the appeal he makes a

case for a generous response.

I invite you to read the following passage as a personal

letter from God through Paul to you and to everyone in

your congregation:

2 Corinthians 9:6-9 (CAV) "Remember that the person who

sows few seeds will have a small crop; the one who sows many

seeds will have a large crop.” You should each give, then, as

you have decided, not with regret or out of a sense of

duty; for God loves the one who gives gladly. And God is

able to give you more than you need, so that you will

always have all you need for yourselves and more than

enough for every good cause. As the scripture says: "He

gives generously to the needy; his kindness lasts forever."

When people are asked to stretch in their giving, there

are voices that cry out:

"Who me?" "Who us?"

"We are not talented enough."

"We are too poor."

"We do not have the leadership."

"We are too old or too young."

"If only we had more people."

"If only we had more youth."

"If only we had could get some rich and talented members

in our congregation."

I have heard these response and many similar ones in

congregations that worship 30 and in those who worship

5,000. These are the voices of those whose mindset has

bought into the myth of scarcity. This myth generates fear

and defines people as deficient.

Every congregation and every person is called by God to

enter into mission locally and globally. If you don't know

what that might be for your congregation, you need to

prayerfully identify it, write it down, pray about it, talk

about it and intentionally commit yourselves to meet it. In

Paul's letter to your congregation, Paul offers the

opportunity to respond to the needs of the impoverished

Christians in Jerusalem.

Second, God provides all you need to do what God calls

you to do. You have more than enough talent, leadership,

imagination and money available. Make an effort to

encourage, discover and identify the assets God has

entrusted to your care. God is extravagant with you.

You can do far more than you ask or imagine.

A more than enough perspective is biblical. It is rooted in

the confidence that God will provide. Recall what Paul

wrote:

1. The more seeds you sow the greater the harvest.

That is common sense.

2. God desires you to be a joyful giver. How do you

know the joy of giving unless you give? God who is

the ultimate giver finds great joy in giving.

3. And here is the clincher: “God is able to give you

more than you need, so that you will always have all

you need for yourselves and more than enough for

every good cause".

I invite you to live in God's promises. I invite you to

choose a ministry which calls upon the use of the gifts that

have been entrusted to your congregation. See yourselves

from God's perspective not your own.

The more you trust God and join Jesus in being the hands,

feet and voice that God employs to bring God's love,

hope, joy, peace and justice to the world, the more you

will be living into the church you are called to be.

CAMP!

GOD IS ON THE LOOSE!

Habakkuk 1:5

“Look to the nation and see. Be astonished, be astounded!

For a work is being done in your days, that you wouldn’t

believe if you were told.”

Bible Camp is a long standing tradition at St. Philip’s and

this year we had 20 campers attend Green Lake Lutheran

Ministries—8 at Green Lake Bible Camp, and 12 at Shores

of St. Andrew Bible Camp. The themes were big ones—

challenging the students to learn and reflect on what it

means to have a creative, loving God who guides and

challenges us in ways that will transform us if we open up

and embrace the relationship He offers. The world is a big

place, and our God is even bigger.

Bible camp is more than a week away and a cool gift shop.

This week of intentional Christian living can be exhausting

and exhilarating. Challenging the kiddos to the thought—

what is God doing around the world? What is God doing

in the lives of those we’ve never seen? What is God doing

in the places we are afraid to go? The answer is in the

Habakkuk verse, God is doing things beyond what we

would believe, even if we were told - astonishing,

astounding things that bring us closer to His Kingdom.

What an amazing lesson for all of us to share.

THE PHILIPPIAN July 2016 7

Joy Becken, Linnea Ronning, Rachel Fischer, Alivia Brown April Thurmes, Stephanie Becken and

Hope Fischer at Chrysalis Chapel

Roland Zietlow, Devin Hampl

Julia and Linnea Ronning

Grace Becken, Devin Hampl, Brody Anderson

Owen Glade, Brody Hampl, Tanner Becken, Ethan Berndt

Bible

Camp 2016

Daphne Akins, Alison Lindberg,

April Thurmes, Hope Fischer

Pastor Gordon and the congregation send the campers

off with a blessing

8 THE PHILIPPIAN July 2016

ST. PHILIP’S HONORED ITS HIGH SCHOOL

GRADUATES on June 5 with a brunch followed by

special acknowledgement at the second worship service.

Pictured at brunch are Travis Preston, Holden Sill and Jake Dale

Callan Geier, Josh Tank and Brittany Johnson

enjoy their brunch together

Pastor Geier presents the graduates to the congregation. Brittany, Jake, Holden, Josh, Callan, Travis and Jamie

Brittany Johnson, Jamie LaBreck and Travis Preston

having enjoyed the Power Point presentation created by Stephanie Becken

The graduates joined in the children’s message

during worship

THE PHILIPPIAN July 2016 9

THE EARLY LEARNING CENTER ended their

school year on May 26 and 27. The students put on a

good musical programs with favorite songs sung and a photo collage. Afterwards they enjoyed a picnic.

MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADUATION -

Congratulations to our middle school students that

graduated this year and will be advancing onto the high school next year.

MIDDLE SCHOOL TUG-OF-WAR – The annual

middle school tug-of-war raised over $9,000 for Hastings

Family Service.

The Tuesday-Thursday classes enjoyed good weather

for their picnic.

Miss Kim and

Pastor Geier

couldn’t help but

sing and dance

along while the

kids sang their

favorite song

Faith Forstad was this year’s

8th grade speaker at the middle school graduation

William Matzek

has his game

face on. He

means business.

Mr. (Kyle) Kreuser is ready with extra padding

in case he hits the floor

10 THE PHILIPPIAN July 2016

GARAGE AND PLANT SALE 2016 YIELDS

HAPPINESS, SATISFACTION AND RESOURCES

The June 11, Garage and Plant Sale will be remembered as

a wonderful day of people helping people and a spirit of

generosity in the air.

A profile of the 2016 Garage and Plant Sale organization

was that it began with over 60 St. Philip's members

meeting in March and once more in May to finalize the

way the sale would be conducted. Ten different "markets"

are established led by department chairs or co-chairs.

The allocation of space and furnishings is a repeat of

previous sales. On sale day 80 volunteers take their place

among the guests and extend the hospitality of St. Philip's

in the best of ways.

Numeric Results of the Sale are as follows:

$17,260 in net proceeds ($17,000 in 2015)

2400 of volunteer hours expended

102 persons donated items for the sale

35 people worked 10 hours each Monday-Friday

80 people worked 10 hours each on Sale Day

Hundreds of visitors visited the inside sale and the

beautiful plant sale. Compliments were extended by

many. Many sale visitors came from the surrounding

area.

Most expensive item purchased was $125, least

expensive items (many) were 25₵.

Neil Misegades and David

Weisser were lead players

in the grand plant sale

which had in excess of 500

plants. Geneva Weisser was

its team leader.

Romayne Garloff and Beth

Fahlstrom enjoy noon lunch in the

courtyard provided by volunteers

every day

THE PHILIPPIAN July 2016 11

VIA DE CRISTO RETREAT - Via De Cristo

(translated "The Way of Christ") is a full 3 days of retreat

for adults seeking spiritual growth. You'll enjoy many lay

and pastoral speakers, music, fellowship, and have fun - all

the while being blessed with a mountain of food-for-

thought. You'll find that the Via De Cristo experience

enhances your awareness of living in God's love and grace!

The Via De Cristo Lutheran retreat begins on a Thursday

night and runs through Sunday afternoon. Run similar to a

"church lock-in" the participants eat (special diets

accommodated) and sleep (cots provided) at the host

church. Held three times annually in the metro area at

varied locations two weekends are usually scheduled in

succession. The first weekend is scheduled for men. The

following weekend is scheduled for women. The next set

of retreats will be held at St Stevens Lutheran Church in

West St Paul: The men's retreat runs Thursday evening,

September 22 - Sunday afternoon, September 25. The

women's retreat runs Thursday evening September 29 -

Sunday afternoon, October 2.

You will value, we guarantee, what you learn and

experience through the Via De Cristo program. Our lives

and understandings of God's loving nature have grown

immensely. The Via De Cristo community looks forward

to sharing our stories with you. We know you'll be glad

you came! More information is available on the St Philip's

hallway bulletin board, by contacting Paul/Carol Hellen

(437-1702) or any member who has previously attended

the weekend retreat.

THIS MONTH’S ST. PHILIP’S V.I.V. (VERY

IMPORTANT VOLUNTEER) is Darla Kimmes.

Darla says she likes to get involved.

“Belonging to a church means being

active,” she explains. And so she has

volunteered at St. Philip’s since

joining our congregation many years

ago.

While she has volunteered in many

ways, these days Darla frequently

serves as a worship coordinator. She

appreciates the role because, she

says, “It gives me insight into all that

needs to be done.”

As she helps worship services run smoothly, Darla enjoys

greeting members and

visitors. “Once the coffee is

started, I have the

opportunity to visit with

people I might not

ordinarily see at church.”

Thank you to everyone

who volunteers in worship!

If you haven’t become a

worship volunteer and

want to get involved as a

greeter, welcome center

coordinator, lector,

communion assistant or in another area, please contact

the church office to offer your time and talents.

12 THE PHILIPPIAN July 2016

ST. PHILIP’S STAFF

Gregory Geier, Senior Pastor

pastorgeier@splchastings.org

Gordon Gathright, Ministry Associate

Pastorgordon@splchastings.org

Lista Klocow, Office Manager

listak@splchastings.org

Ellen Diischer, Music Director

ellend@splchastings.org

John Bergland, Business Manager

johnb@splchastings.org

Kim Sill, ELC Director

kims@splchastings.org

Stephanie Becken, Director of Children, Youth

and Family Ministries

stephanieb@splchastings.org

Noreen Swanson, Organist

ST. PHILIP’S LUTHERAN CHURCH

1401 West 15th Street

Hastings, Minnesota

651-437-6541

www.splchastings.org

ST. PHILIP’S EARLY LEARNING CENTER

www.spelcpreschool.com

Church Office Hours:

Monday - Thursday: 9:00 am – 4:30 pm

Friday: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm

Summer Worship Schedule:

Sundays at 9:30 am

Fellowship Time Before and After Service

Holy Communion the first three Sundays of the

month