A bien tot, with love!

Dearest New Friends in North-East South Dakota:  It was an incredible journey this summer, running around North-East South Dakota. Being a city girl, South Dakota and the sweet rural churches I visited provided me with a very different experience. I enjoyed the people I met and came to appreciate hospitality on a whole new level. My transportation, food, lodging and activities were all dependent on the hospitality and friendship of strangers. I was impressed with the warm welcome I received; people so warmly accepted me as a "Student Pastor," welcoming me into their celebrations and memorial services, into their homes and classic car parades, into their quilting groups and into their churches. This Internship is an incredible opportunity and I would encourage the Prairie Lakes Association to continue this summer position.

Every one of the Ministers I visited with was very helpful in giving me the opportunity to shadow them and experience a most of the regular duties of a Pastor. I also learned a lot about planning worship, and had the opportunity to preach 5 times, so I feel well prepared for the Field Ed/Minister in Training position I will serve in this year. I also had invaluable conversations with a wide variety of people from different congregations which helped broaden my understanding of spirituality, faith and friendship.

The UCC has a motto: "Whoever you are, and wherever you are on life's journey... you are welcome here!" Everyone I met this summer walks that talk, which is no easy task! It was a great pleasure to spend time with you this summer.

Blessings and love to you all,
Michael

Tulare & Redfield July 12-17

This week I spent my time between two churches, Tulare with Pastor Lorah Houser-Jankford, and Redfield with Rev. Tim Fugman. The Tulare church is wonderful to visit. They are a three-church congegation - UMC and 2 UCCs merged and built a new building for worship. I think that is a good idea. As with a marriage it is often the better choice to get a new home together, rather than one partner moving in with the other.

Pastor Lorah took me to a Pastor's meeting at the UMC in Huron on Tuesday. It was very interesting to meet with several different Pastors and talk Scripture and the Pastoral life. I spent time with Pastor Lorah working on the service for Sunday in Redfield. She gave me several wonderful resources - not the least of which is a lovely book published every year called "The Minister's Annual Manual." This darling little book has complete worship services for every Sunday that year! It's interdenominational too with Hymn references, call to worship verses, and even a sermon! I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It is bound to be stressful to have to produce a sermon and full worship service every week - it just makes sense that such a book would be created to aid in that process. Wonderful resource!

When I decided on Psalm 139 for the sermon, Pastor Lorah handed me a typed original of her father's 1971 sermon on the same Psalm! It was an honor to quote Rev. Houser in my sermon. He wrote a great one and it was good to be able to read his thoughts on this beautiful hymn.

Pastor Lorah also asked me to bring a  bit of creativity into their sacred space design. I was glad to be able to do a little art on a small table that sits at the entrance of the sanctuary. They were celebrating a baptism on Sunday, so I created a little river scene and hung a small butterfly quilt on the wall above it. It was a delight to create and Pastor Lorah says she's going to leave it up for a while.

In Redfield, Rev. Tim worked with me to put the service together for Sunday. The Redfield church is gorgeous, with a balcony and huge organ pipes. That puppy really helps you sing Holy Holy Holy!!! The service on Sunday went very well. The congregation is a wonderful mix of all generations and I had about 8 kids for the Children's Message (my 2nd ever!). When I stood up to give my sermon, I turned on my body mic and it put out a piercing scream! I shut it off, looked at the congregation, and said: "Thank you very much" and sat down. After the service, one of the folks congratulated me on my impression of Elvis.

They have a screen behind and above the altar and it fits beautifully there. The whole worship is projected onto the screen so folks can sing the hymns and pray the prayers without looking down. I used three images during my sermon and it worked very well.

Overall a great visit. Thank you to Pastor Lorah, Rev. Tim and Donann.

Bryant & Erwin July 5-10

Erwin and Bryant are two of the most adorable little churches I've been in so far. Ok, I'm biased because they are the churches served by my wonderful mentor Rev. Marjie, but still... Both churches are over 100 years old and just beautiful!

Erwin has little folding chairs original to the church, so they are 126 years old and still supporting the congregation! They are made of dark wood, and include a hat holder under each seat - two wires that hold the brim of the hat. The stained glass windows are all dedicated in memory of different folks and two beautiful quilts hang in on the back wall. Marilyn Jones gave me a tour of the church and told me more about it's history. She also showed me the two banners that were donated to the church by Rev. Emily who was the South Dakota Intern in 2003. Rev. Marjie painted a picture of the Erwin church on one of the banners and it hangs behind the altar. Both are beautiful banners made for Rev. Emily to celebrate her Ordination.

Bryant is also a sweet little church. The benches here are well padded and set on a bit of a slant. There are several banners on the altar wall that represent the many farm animals the church has donated through Heifer Project International.  Above the lovely light-brown wood altar is a lighted cross that helps to give the sanctuary a warm, inviting glow. The stained glass windows here are also very distinctive and just gorgeous. One of my favorite windows shows a loaf of bread, a chalice, a bunch of grapes and stocks of grain, and behind them is a big red barn. This reminds me of the Big Red Barn Rev. Marjie and Ray have remodeled to be their home and makes me think of how the wonderful talks I have had with Rev. Marjie have served as Communion for my soul.

The challenge this week was the opportunity to lead worship... twice! Erwin at 9:00a and Bryant at 10:30a. Rev. Marjie helped me adapt their regular services and plug in some good hymns. Another thing that helped a lot was sitting around one of the big tables in the church here at the retreat with Rev. Marjie and Rev. Emily and talking about the scripture for Sunday. It was Matthew 13, basically the parable of the sower of the Word and the different types of soil those seeds encounter. It's really a wonderful experience to sit with these two wonderful women, one with over 40 years experience, and discuss the various insights we find. When it came time for worship on Sunday I felt pretty prepared. I did learn a lot through that experience... the main lesson being that I have a LOT to learn about creating and leading worship! Good thing I have 2 more years of seminary! I am grateful to Rev. Marjie for giving me that opportunity and for her gentle nudges and glances during service that helped me stay on track!
I also had the opportunity to visit several folks from each congregation during the week. At Dorothy's house, several of the women came together to tie a quilt. I knit and crochet, but this is the first time I've been involved with a quilt. It is fun work and a great opportunity for conversation. Marilyn and her husband Dale hosted me for a lunch and she showed me around "the museum" which is her house. That lady loves books more than I do! What a great collection, and a beautiful home with so many wonderful mementos from trips and the lives of her family. During our Sunday service in Erwin, Marilyn's grandsons Matthew and Calvin shared some stories from camp at Placerville. This is a summer Christian youth camp which is a wonderful adventure for the youth of this conference. I hope the support for that retreat continues for many years to come.

At the close of this week, Rev. Marjie took another photo of the Prairie Retreat Post Office - the mailbox on their road and the corn field behind it. I went out and stood in the corn so we can see how it grows - and, as Rev. Marjie put it - so I could be outstanding in my field! (ha ha) Ray and I pulled some weeds today and I enjoyed the smell and feel of good earth. I'll do my wash today, pack up the car tonight, and tomorrow I'm off for Redfield and Tulare! It's being a grand summer!

Wessington Springs 6-28 to 07-04-11

07-04-11 Wessington Springs/Templeton
Rev. Sara Olson Dean serves two small churches, Wessington Springs (the Town Church) and Templeton (the Country Church). Wessington Springs is a lovely small town of about 1,200 folks. This week's experience was different for me because everyone was preparing for the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the town High School. There are six churches in town of varying denominations and they had all agreed to have Sunday service at the High School, so there would be no services at Sara's churches. Sara and I spent time visiting folks, watching little league baseball (her son Elliot is in his first year with the team) and talking about serving two churches at once.

It seems to me that Sara and her two congregations are perfectly suited to each other. Sara and Alex have two small children, Elliot 6 and Kate 3, so it is best for her to work part time. This fits with the needs of both churches, so she works 1/4 time for each, and spends the rest of her time with her growing family. They live next door to the church in the pasonage and Sara went out to her garden in the back yard to get basil and lettuce for lunch. Delightful.

Usually there are two Sunday services, 9:00 and 10:30. The two churches are about 15 minutes apart so travel is not an issue. However, having two services in a day is much like theatre when we do a matinee and evening performance. One has to retain some energy and enthusiasm for the second performance! I heard many comments over the week from congregation members who love Sara's sermons and visits, so she is doing well. As is the case with these small-town churches, people are very attached to their church home. Both Wessington Springs and Templeton are doing ok, and Sara is gently encouraging both congregations to think about the future, what they envision for their churches and to consider creative ideas for growth.

I had the honor of staying with Alex's parents, Kathy and Dr. Tom in their beautiful home on a hill. (First hill I've been on all summer!) They have a lovely view of the town and prairie. Dr. Tom has built a small waterfall and pond in their back yard, and Kathy has quite a lot of beautiful flowers. Kathy took me to visit her pride and joy: the Shakespeare Garden. Built in 1932 by Professor and Mrs. Shay, the Anne Hathaway Cottage is the only thatched roof building in South Dakota. The terraced gardens are made up of many small plots of flowers dedicated in memory of loved ones. Visit the website at: www.shakespearegarden.org  I told Kathy I would like to move to town, live in Anne Hathaway's Cottage and direct community theatre in the Opera House on Dakota Avenue. But since people frequently visit and have teas in the little cottage, this idea will remain a dream. Kathy and I hit it off well as we are both theatre people. She showed me pictures of many productions of one-act Shakespeare plays done in the Garden. Looks like there's some good talent out on the prairie!
Saturday there was a small but enthusiastic parade for the 4th of July weekend. We ate lunch on the lawn and waved at the tractors as they trundled by. I very much enjoyed my visit in Wessington Springs, the warm hospitality, good food and friendly people.

Clear Lake June 22-26

Clear Lake, SD
June 22-26, 2011

Clear Lake is a lovely little town of about 350 - more this week as it was Rodeo Week! Moving from home to home this week afforded me the opportunity to visit with four different families of this small congregation:  Avis, Bernice, Norma & Russel, and Pastor Jim and wife Diane. Avis and I visited around town and had dinner with her daughter Pam. Bernice and her granddaughter Morgan took me "saling" as there were many rummage sales taking place all over Clear Lake. Norma and Russel took me on a road trip to Brookings to see a lovely garden, a drive around the UCC Church in Brookings and to SDSU for the best ice cream I've had in a long time! We also took a side trip to get right up to the softly spinning wind turbines around the area. Pastor Jim and Diane shared their lovely home and gave me some much needed quiet time on Saturday evening - I just put my feet up an vegetated in front of the TV.

One highlight of many was the opportunity to drive in the Classic Car Parade. Doug, son of Norma and Russel, restores antique tractors. He also restores old cars and I got to drive the big white, (did I say BIG?) Chevy Impala with red leather interior. Now That's what an engine should sound like! It was a pleasure to drive slowly down main street waving and smiling from behind the wheel of this classic.

Another highlight was a "coincidence" created by God: Thursday, at Bernice's home, I sat watching TV in her very cozy and comfortable livingroom, putting the finishing fringe on a blue Prayer Shawl I have been working on since I arrived this summer. As we talked, I realized (ok, sometimes it take me a while to put 2 and 2 together!) that Alice's funeral was on Saturday. I had met Richard, her husband, on Friday and he was gracious to me though naturally he was very sad. So I had Norma and Russel take a look at the Prayer Shawl and ok it as suitable for Richard; Norma came up with a gift bag the same color of blue; I put in the Prayer for Comfort and a brochure about the Prayer Shawl Ministry at First Congregational Church of Alameda; I had a label from FCCA and one last cross in my knitting bag which I attached to the shawl. Then on Saturday, I gave the bag to Richard's son Wayne and he will give it to Richard when things settle down a bit - there were a  LOT of people who came to honor Alice. It was God's timing that I was finishing the shawl only that week, that Norma had a gift bag the right color, and I had one more cross to sew in the corner of this comforting, blue prayer shawl. I was honored to be able to gift this shawl to Richard and hope that it will help to bring him peace and comfort. I have another shawl (brown) which I will travel with from now on, just in case. (Yes, she can learn!) I have also started a Baptismal Shawl... maybe God will find a use for it before the summer is out?

Pastor Jim was kind enough to let me step into the pulpit on Sunday. This was my 2nd sermon and I offered them my Jigsaw Puzzle Theology with a few personal stories thrown in for interest. The Clear Lake church is a lovely little building. Inside, they have a photo of the church taken in 1902 and only a few changes have been made over the years. It is a sweet little church which seats maybe 80 folks. The stained-glass windows are beautiful and the chancel is small but inviting. It was an honor to serve this small community of faithful. I wish them all the very best in the future; they are a very warm, welcoming and loving group of people.

Chickens, Coots and Congregants

Today at the Prairie Retreat in South Dakota, I went out onto the back porch of the sweet little white church to throw out the water from the flower vase before putting in new flowers. The water splashed onto the bushes and all the chickens looked up. There are a lot of chickens (and two big turkeys) on this farm. With great excitment, they all started running my way! They gathered around a few steps from the back porch and I admired the different colors, sizes, the lovely red combs and feathery legs. As they clucked quietly and gazed up at me standing on the porch I felt that something wonderful was expected of me. Probably lots of chicken feed.

This image made me think of the Coots who gathered in the Spring in the waters of the marina that was home to the Robert Gray (the 120' tugboat I lived on for 2 years). I love the Coots. They are small, black water birds with the biggest green feet you've ever seen. I mean, if you look at the feet in relation to the body, those are big green feet! These funny birds cruise around the marina, generally hooting quietly at each other, diving to chase fish and bobbing up to the surface like little corks to swallow and preen. Occasionally however, something happens and they will get into a fight and start to chase each other. Sometimes, when the issue is especially sensitive, the chase almost takes flight! They flap their black wings, necks outstretched, and run across the surface of the water! It's an amazing sight! I have always wanted to get a photo of a Coot running across the water, but haven't been on deck with my camera whenever a chase ensued. I had considered trying to sneak up on them, shouting loudly to scare the heck out of them and taking a shot while they ran away. But that didn't seem kind.

One day, a friend visited, and she loved the Coots too. "Can we feed them?" she asked. Of course! So we went to the galley for stale bread. Out on the deck, she threw bread into the water and behold! The Coots basking in the sun at the far shore ran briskly over on the tops of the waves to be the first to reach the floating bread! What's that old saying? You catch more bears with honey than with vinegar?

Now we come to the point of this particular blog - which is a question: we could apply this analogy to our shrinking congregations? Instead of preaching fire and brimstone from the pulpit, instead of bemoaning our loss of young folks, instead of voicing our fear of closing our doors or pleas for larger donations from the shrinking faithful, could we maybe find the right chicken feed, the appealing bread, the music, laughter and passionate praise that would sing in their souls so they flock to our doors clamoring for more?! What speaks to their Spirits? What are their hearts hungry for? What comforts their minds exhausted from multi-tasking? What words do they need to hear, what songs do they need to sing, and how can we fill the void left by Facebook friendship? Instead of chasing after people with lives too full already, too busy to even take time to breath... can we find what attracts them like honey? Can we offer them peace that really soothes the beleaguered soul? Can we give them true hope in the face of the shameful state of our planet? Can we foster in them a love that surpasses understanding? Faith, Hope and Love... and the greatest of these is Love.

Watertown, SD

Watertown for blog
June 14-19, 2011
What a lovely town!  Willa Austin was my most gracious host. She is the 90-something author of "Homesteaders Daughter" a memoir of her family. She is a fascinating woman with a wonderful sense of humor. Her home is beautiful and she gave me not only my own room, but my own bathroom with dressing table! I felt like visiting royalty.

The church is a beautifully spacious building - white pews and walls, with blue stained glass windows and a deep red carpet. Even the baby grand piano is white. Rev. Steven told me he has long wanted to put a candelabra on that piano and have the pianist wear sequins... however, he doesn't think his congregation would see the humor in that, so he hasn't done it. The congregation is about 250 or so, people of all ages. Two of the younger members played piano and flute beautifully for Sunday's service. A lovely congregation, very warm and welcoming.

I attended the Women's Fellowship Executive Board meeting. They were planning their upcoming year of events and sponsoring of programs at the church. This is a very strong core group of about 15 members. Most of the women are retired and all have a great love of this church. I also sat in on the Church Council Meeting. This Council works well together, spreading out the responsibilities so no one person is overburdened. Also a friendly, welcoming group. John was running the meeting in the absence of the current Moderator, and he gave me a few minutes to talk about my impressions of South Dakota and to speak to what we are being taught at PSR. I appreciated the time and attention of this Council.

About a month ago, Rev. Steven had put out a sign-up sheet for lunches, dinners and tours/events, so every day I had different people to hang out with and was taken to different sites within the city. It is always good to have folks who live in the city take a visitor around. There are so many attractions in Watertown, I would have been at a loss to choose for the short time I had to visit. Thank you to Phyllis, Darla, Sue, Wendy, Audrey and the Zemlicka family who had a church potluck at their farm on Friday. Rev. Steven hosted a dinner for Willa and me at his new home. He is quite the chef and has some amazing art in his beautiful home. Thanks to these gracious new friends I had a wonderful and busy visit, and was able to meet many members of this congregation.





Thanks to Rich and the youth of the church there is a small, delightful labyrinth in a side courtyard of the church. This was of great interest to me and I met with Rich on Saturday to talk about taking a design from paper to ground. Rev. Marjie and I are batting around the idea of creating a labyrinth at her Retreat, so this gave me some ideas to go on.

The town is wonderful; population about 22,000. Lots of trees and beautiful houses. I realized why I like homes in this part of the country better than the architecture in California... pointy roofs! Of course that is because they get snow out here (and LOTS of it), but I like the shape. I guess it speaks to my childhood in Ann Arbor Michigan and Windsor Ontario.

I fell in love with the Goss Opera House and Gallery. Lovely 3-story brick building which has been receiving restoration. It was an amazing find, walking into the lovely old theatre on the second floor! I ran all over taking pictures. Check it out at www.gossoperahouse.com 

I am also now on a mission to bring the art of Meranda Turbak to the Bay Area! Her amazing paintings hang in the Goss Gallery on the third floor. I purchased a print of "Happiness" and met the artist. She is a lovely young lady who also works in the cafe of the Goss. Check out her work at www.merandaturbank.com There is also a community theatre - they call themselves the Town Players. And there's a racetrack! This is quite a creative town and I may well go back for a visit if time permits.