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the pilgrimMONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF PILGRIM LUTHERAN CHURCHfebruary 2023The Twin Cities experienced record snowfall this January, creating a beautiful winter wonderland (until it had to be shoveled, of course).PHOTO BY KRISTO SWEEN
1935 Saint Clair Ave Saint Paul, MN 55105 651-699-6886 | pilgrimstpaul.orgOce Hours: 10-3 T-Th (email and voicemail are checked regularly) pilgrim lutheran churchAn ELCA Congregation A Home for Hungry Minds and Souls A Reconciling in Christ Congregation A Caring for Creation Congregation 2Sta Pastor Jen Rome Lead Pastor pastorjenrome@pilgrimstpaul.orgPastor Russ Myers Visitation Pastor (10% time) russellnmyers@yahoo.comPaul Stever Music Director, Organist and Chancel Choir Director (75% time) steverpaul55@aol.com Anna Stolte Director of Children’s Choirs (15% time) anna.stolte411@gmail.com Dick Hensold Composer in Residence dickhensold@gmail.com Micki Nyland Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries (50% time) mickinyland@pilgrimstpaul.org Cathy Salin Business Manager (60% time) cathysalin@pilgrimstpaul.org Lisa Como Oce Coordinator (45% time) pilgrim@pilgrimstpaul.org Chuck Regal Mechanicals and Equipment Custodian (25% time) coregal@comcast.net Mike Schulze Custodian (25% time) mikeschulze@pilgrimstpaul.org Denika Anderson Communications Specialist (35% time) communications@pilgrimstpaul.org Hana Ninow Audio-Visual Tech (10% time) Members of the Congregational Council (also known as the Vestry) Matthew Anderson President/Executive Team matthewsanderson99@gmail.com Kate Tosteson VP/Executive Team kate.tosteson@gmail.comJason Hendrikson Treasurer/Executive Team jasonhendrikson@gmail.comTim Dykstal Recording Secretary/Executive Team tdykstal@gmail.com Tim Moore Past President/Executive Team tim.moore927@gmail.com Sandy Johnson At-Large Member sandjo_us@yahoo.com Karla Leitzman At-Large Member karla.leitzman@gmail.com Elizabeth Schoenknecht At-Large Member eschoenk@comcast.netOther Chairpersons/Roles Pete Newburg Financial Secretary Barbara McCauley Chair of Congregational Life and Care Tom Johnson Chair of Properties Committee Karie Johnson Wedding Coordinator
what’s in your pilgrim?3Worship ................................................................................................................ 4 February Worship Overview .....................................................................4 February Worship & Forum Schedule ...................................................4 Looking Ahead to March Worship .......................................................... 5 Holy Week 2023 ..........................................................................................5 Important Information About Holy Communion ................................6From the Pastor .................................................................................................7 February Updates ....................................................................................... 7Music Notes — February 2023 ......................................................................8 Musical Leaders for Worship ...................................................................8 Evening Worship Winter/Spring 2023 ...................................................8Giving ............................................................................................................... 10 Text to Give ............................................................................................... 10Volunteers Needed! ....................................................................................... 11 Keep the Candles Burning! .................................................................... 11 Streaming and Sound System Help Needed .................................... 11Education, Service & Fellowship ................................................................. 12 Ash Wednesday Soup Supper .............................................................. 12 Lenten Soup Suppers ............................................................................. 12 More Than Happy Hour ......................................................................... 12 Random Readers Book Club News ..................................................... 12 Classics for Pilgrims ................................................................................. 13 Men’s Breakfast February 6 .................................................................. 13Deadline for the Next Pilgrim Newsletter ................................................. 13Children, Youth, and Family Faith Formation ........................................... 14 February Fath Formation ....................................................................... 14 Families in Faith ........................................................................................ 14Prayer Corner .................................................................................................. 15Parochial Report ............................................................................................. 16 February Birthdays .................................................................................. 16 February Anniversaries .......................................................................... 16
worship4February Worship Overview The basic pattern for Sunday mornings: • 9:30 am Worship with live streaming on Facebook Live• 10:45 am Faith Formation for preK-12th grade; Sunday morning forumsMorning worship and forums are held in-person and on Facebook Live at facebook.com/PilgrimStPaul/live. Worship each Sunday morning includes “Point for Pilgrims” — an opportunity for children and their families to experience the Bible story in an engaging way. February Worship & Forum Schedule Sunday, February 5 — Fifth Sunday after Epiphany9:30 am Worship with Holy Communion. Rev. Joanne Sorenson preaching. Reading: Matthew 5:1-12. Chancel Choir singing.10:45 am Coee Time following worship. Faith Formation for preK-12th grade.6:51 pm Celtic Contemplative CommunionSunday, February 12 — Sixth Sunday after Epiphany9:30 am Pastor Jen Rome preaching. Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9. Pilgrimaires Instrumental Ensemble playing. Jubilee and Junior Choirs singing.10:45 am Forum: Super Bowl Snacks with the Pilgrim Vestry Executive Team on the 2023 Budget. Faith Formation for preK-12th grade.Sunday, February 19 — Transguration Sunday9:30 am Kristen Levorson, preaching. Reading: Matthew 17:1-9. Y’All Come Choir and Brass.10:45 am Forum: Kristen Levorson, Director of Bega Kwa Bega for Saint Paul Area Synod and Iringa Diocese of Tanzania. Faith Formation for preK-12th grade.6:51 pm Contemplative Prayer from Taize and Other Traditions featuring the Tenor-Bass Contemplative Choir
WORSHIP (CONT.)5Wednesday, February 22 — Ash Wednesday5:00 pm Soup Supper6:51 pm Worship with Imposition of Ashes. Chancel Choir singing. Word Weavings. Tending to our mortality.Sunday, February 26 — First Sunday in Lent9:30 am Pastor Jen Rome, preaching. Reading: Matthew 4:1-11. Tending to the salt and light in us. Chancel Choir singing. 10:45 am Forum: Annual Congregational Financial Meeting. Faith Formation for preK-12th grade.6:51 pm Contemplative Prayer from Nordic and Other Lands featuring Fiddles on FireLooking ahead to March WorshipWednesdays in March, 6:00 pm Holden Evening Prayer, Soup Supper at 5:00-6:00 pmMarch 5 9:30 am Rev. Russ Meyers, Visitation Pastor, preachingMarch 5 6:51 pm Celtic Contemplative CommunionMarch 19 9:30 am Karla Leitzman, preachingHoly Week 2023April 2 9:30 am Palm SundayApril 6 6:00 pm Maundy Thursday cross+generational meal, communion education, and worshipApril 7 6:51 pm Good Friday worship with Word Weavings and Passion ReadingApril 9 8:30 and 10:30 am Easter Sunday Worship
6WORSHIP (CONT.)Important Information About Holy Communion • For the distribution of Holy Communion, ushers release the worshiping assembly row by row. Communicants come forward to receive the elements. Those serving Communion will cleanse their hands immediately before serving. On rst Sundays, communicants will rst receive a piece of bread from the pastor and eat it; then communicants will take an empty ceramic individual communion cup, which will be lled by a communion assistant with either wine or grape juice and drink it. Used cups will be collected in baskets on the way back to the pews. On third Sundays, Communicants will rst receive the bread, then dip it into the red wine or the white grape juice, and then eat it.• Worshipers who do not wish to come forward or who wish to not share in the communal bread and wine/juice during the distribution of Holy Communion may request a self-contained, sealed, individual communion kit before worship begins or may bring their own elements.• ALL people are ALWAYS welcome to receive Holy Communion.
7from the pastorBY PASTOR JEN ROMEFebruary UpdatesLent when I was a kid meant purple linens at church, somber sermons, and long lines at Long John Silver’s on Friday nights (many of the Catholic families I grew up around didn’t eat meat on Fridays during Lent, though sh was okay). I had heard of people giving things up for Lent, mostly things like chocolate or pop. But that was never a practice I took part in. It was almost like Lent was mini-New-Year, when resolutions to stop doing things that were pleasurable or considered unhealthy. Lent was not a “plus sign” but a “minus sign,” the idea being that withholding something from yourself would turn your mind to God. Simplicity absolutely can draw us closer to God. God can use simplicity to draw us close. I am a fan of simplicity; but I am also a fan of simple pleasures and comforts. God can use those simple pleasures to draw us close as well—a deep breath, a delightful bite of bread and butter, a hug from a friend, a nap.This Lent, I want to set aside the idea that Lent is about indulgence and sacrice. Indulgence can hurt or help. Sacrice can hurt or help. Let’s ditch that narrow binary this year and instead tend to what is needed. Jesus tended to people throughout his life, people with dierent problems and gifts. Jesus also tended to himself. Jesus tended to the larger systems at work in the cultures around him. All of this tending was holy. Tending to what was needed. No matter if the tending felt like a plus sign or a minus sign. Both were important. Jesus’ tending was holy work. So this Lent (which begins on February 22), I invite you to tend to what you need and what is needed around you. In doing so, you can tend to God and God can tend to you.On Sundays in Lent, we will focus on the ways Jesus and the others in the stories are tending to themselves and others. On Wednesday evenings in Lent, we will hear stories from each other about times we were tended to or we tended to someone or something and the holy dierence that made, all the while letting the words and music of Holden Evening Prayer tend to us; we’ll also tend to our need for good company and good food with soup suppers Tend well, dear people of Pilgrim in these winter months. Your faith community is here to tend to you and God is too.Pastor Jen Rome
music notes8BY PAUL STEVER, MUSICAL DIRECTORMusical Leaders for Worship2/5 9:30 am Chancel Choir 6:51 pm Dick Hensold and Celtic musicians2/12 9:30 am Pilgrimaires Instrumental Ensemble, Jubilee Choir, Junior Choir2/19 9:30 am *Y’All Come Choir, Brass 6:51 pm Paul Stever and Tenor-Bass Contemplative Choir2/22 6:51 pm Chancel Choir2/26 9:30 am Chancel Choir 6:51 pm Paul Stever (piano), Rachel Jensen (ddle), and Peggy Larson (cantor)*On “Y’All Come” Choir Sundays, any singers who are vaccinated against COVID-19 may show up at 8:30 am to learn an easy anthem and help lead worship from the Chancel. You may contact Paul at SteverPaul55@aol.com if you’d like to receive music ahead of time.Evening Worship Winter/Spring 2023Evening Contemplative Communion and Contemplative Prayer services provide meditative music, readings, candle lighting, silence, and more. Join us in person or online at facebook.com/PilgrimStPaul. Note that many evening worship recordings are deleted in the week following a service, as a part of our eorts to comply with copyright. You can listen to the available past services at facebook.com/PilgrimStPaul/live.Contemplative Communion (Celtic)February 5, March 5, & April 2 at 6:51 pmEmphasizes contemplation and includes original music and texts by Dick Hensold and members of the community.Contemplative Prayer (from Taize and Similar Traditions)February 19, March 19, & April 16 at 6:51 pmIncludes a variety of short songs that are each sung many times in a mantra-like, meditative manner, with Word Weavings of scripture and poetry. Led by the Tenor-Bass Contemplative Choir.
9MUSIC NOTES (CONT.)Contemplative Prayer (from Nordic and Other Lands)February 26, March 26, & April 23 at 6:51 pmEmphasizes music from Scandinavian countries, now also featuring music and inuences from around the world. Preludes by guest musicians begin at 6:40 pm.Guest musicians for February 26: Fiddles on FireFiddles on Fire is comprised of ddle students of Zack Kline. They play at various gatherings and events around the cities, especially ones that are sh themed. Their repertoire includes American, Scandinavian and Celtic ddle tunes.
10givingText to GiveMany of us rarely have cash or a checkbook on us anymore. So when you want to put something in the oering plate at a worship service, but don’t have cash or a check, you can use a new tool available through Vanco (SimplyGiving) to support donations to Pilgrim’s ministry, GivePlus Text.You can make a contribution with a text with the easy text-to-give option. Text the 10 digit number assigned to Pilgrim, (844) 905-2734, and enter the amount you wish to give. When you receive the reply, click the registration link and enter your payment information. You will receive a text verication and an email receipt. For future giving, simply text the same number with the amount you wish to give, and the donation will process automatically. You can also text “repeat” to make it a recurring donation. Visit tinyurl.com/pilgrimtexttogive for more information and step-by-step instructions.It is super easy, especially after the rst time you use it (and that’s not dicult either)! This giving method has been thoroughly tested. Pilgrim receives donor information so oerings sent by this method will appear on your giving statements. If you have questions, please contact Pilgrim’s Business Manager, Cathy Salin at cathysalin@pilgrimstpaul.org, or call the oce at (651) 699-6886 and leave a message for her at extension 16. Email will receive a faster response.Pilgrim welcomes your donations through any method you choose. We hope you will try these new ways to give to support Pilgrim’s ministry.
11Keep the Candles Burning! Did you know that Pilgrim uses oil-lled candles up front in worship? Did you know that Don and Lois Holst have been lling the candles every week for almost 30 years! This seemingly small act of service has brightened many nights and warmed us many mornings. THANK YOU DON AND LOIS HOLST for relling the candles for so many years! What a gift you have given all of us! It’s time for them to pass the torch (ha!). We need some people to help with this job on a regular basis. We can show you how. So please consider helping out in this way. You don’t have to do this every week — we can have a schedule so the work is shared. Please contact the church oce at pilgrim@pilgrimstpaul to tell us you’d like to help, and we’ll take it from there.Streaming and Sound System Help NeededYou don’t have to be a super techy person to help with streaming and sound. I (Pastor Jen) for sure could learn both even though in early high school I used typewriters for papers and used a phone connected to a wall by a long, stretched out spiral cord. These aspects of worship have come to be important to us—it is a gift that the pandemic gave us—the push we needed to make worship accessible to those unable to come to the building for health, weather, and personal reasons. It is keeping us connected as the body of Christ in a beautiful way. AND we still need people willing to learn how to mind the soundboard and manage the streaming. We have a small sure and steady crew of tech people, but we do need more people in order to keep this up. This is a great way to serve for people who don’t like to be up front. It’s also a great way to serve for the younger people among us (middle school, high school, young adults). Hana Ninow, our Tech Specialist, a high school student herself, will train you in. You can come and sit alongside her on a Sunday morning and learn how it works. If you are curious, even if you’re not sure it’s for you but you’re willing to consider it, please email the church oce at pilgrim@pilgrimstpaul.org and we will connect you with Hana.volunteer opportunitiesTo sign up to volunteer for other roles, please visit tinyurl.com/pilgrimmsp. If you have any questions about volunteering or any of the roles available, please contact the oce at pilgrim@pilgrimstpaul.org. We value every member of this community and all the ways you help make worship happen!
12education, service, & fellowshipAsh Wednesday Soup SupperPilgrim’s Congregational Life and Care Team will provide a simple vegetarian soup supper before the service on Wednesday, February 22 from 5:00-6:30 pm. All are welcome. The Ash Wednesday service is at 6:51 pm.Lenten Soup SuppersWednesdays, March 1 through March 29, 5:00-6:00 pm. Services are at 6:00 pm.Lenten soup and bread suppers are coordinated each week by Pilgrim’s Congregational Life and Care Team. The free-will oering from the meals will be donated to Keystone Community Services. All are welcome and encouraged to come for supper.Many hands are needed to make the suppers yummy and successful. You are invited to donate a crockpot of soup or mac & cheese, loaf of bread, carton of milk or juice, dessert, or help with setup or cleanup.How to sign up to bring something or to volunteer: Contact Ann Dyellig at ann.dyellig@gmail.com or (612) 720-4403. A Google Doc will be available for online sign-up in upcoming weekly emails. Thank you!More Than Happy Hour Thursday, February 23, 6:30 pm. We will meet at Groveland Tap on St. Clair Ave in St. Paul. Pilgrim will treat you to a beverage of your choice. More Than Happy Hour is a once-a-month space for young adults to gather and talk about life, church, and the world. We focus on a discussion theme. Anyone and everyone is welcome or bring a conversation topic! Contact Claire Kaiser at kaise364@umn.edu with any questions.Random Readers Book ClubThe Random Readers Book Club will gather on Thursday, February 16, at 2:00 pm. Our book for February is If You Lived Here You’d Be Home By Now by Christopher Ingraham. We hope you’ll join us. Contact Lynda Hirschboeck at (651) 698-7399 or hirschbo@gmail.com for more information.
13EDUCATION, SERVICE, & FELLOWSHIP (CONT.)Classics for PilgrimsClassics for Pilgrims will be meet on Thursday, February 23, 7-8:30 pm to discuss The Cherry Orchard by Anton Checkov will be discussed on Thursday, February 23, 7-8:30. Classics meets in the homes of members on the fourth Thursday of each month. This is an open group of readers with diverse opinions. Come and join in the discussion. Contact Barbara Taylor at (651) 699-1095 or bstaylor50@gmail.com, or Pam Itzen at (651) 276-9198 or pjitzen@gmail.com for more information. Men’s Breakfast February 6Men’s Breakfast will convene on Monday, February 6. Please join us at the Highland Cafe & Bakery (2012 Ford Parkway) at 8:00 am. Contact Mark Hirschboeck at mhhirschboeck@gmail.com with any questions.Deadline for the Next Pilgrim Newsletter The deadline for sending in materials for the next Pilgrim newsletter is February 10. Please send items to newsletter@pilgrimstpaul.org.
14children, youth, & familiesBY MICKI NYLANDFebruary Faith Formation Hello, Pilgrim Families! February always feels like the deepest part of the long winter to me. I wish you lots of warm snuggly time with family and friends as we journey towards spring. This February, 1st-5th Graders will nish their exploration of The Flood before moving into learning about the life and ministry of Jesus during Lent. PreK-Kindergarten usually follows the lesson plans of their elementary school friends with a lot more play. Middle School Pathways will be wrapping up a study of the Apostle’s Creed and then diving into The Lord’s Prayer. High School Pathways will continue to explore dierent aspects of Jesus (such as Jesus the teacher and Jesus the Servant), and then move into questions that we have for and about God.Here are some important dates in February: February 11, 9:30-10:30 am: 9th Grade Conrmation Capstone: Hinduism: Hindu Temple of Minnesota. Parents and youth attend this together. Meet at Pilgrim at 8:30 am to carpool if you wish; you also may meet us at Hindu Temple of Minnesota, 10530 Troy Ln. N., Maple Grove, MN 55311; wear socks knowing that shoes are not allowed in the worship area. The temple also requests that we do not wear shorts or sleeveless tops. Please bring $10 per person for the tour fee. Learn more at hindutemplemn.org.February 15, 6:30-7:30 pm: Middle School Youth GroupFebruary 19, 1-3 pm: Deep Dive Conrmation: Understanding & Caring for Elders. 6th-8th grade youth will meet with residents and sta a Lyngblomsten Senior Living in St. Paul to explore what aging is like and how it is connected to faith. We’ll learn how to talk well with elders, hear stories from them, and see the housing and technologies that help support us as we age. Drop o and pick up youth at Lymgblomsten. Pastor Jen will be the lead adult, so please contact her with questions. Families in Faith Toddlers not yet in PreK: Playing Church: Sunday, February 19, 8:45-9:15 am Blessing: Sunday, February 19, 9:30 am WorshipParents/caregivers explore worshiping with a toddler and playing church at home and during worship. Receive a worship playset. All families with children younger than Preschool are invited to attend.
15prayer cornerWe pray for God’s loving presence for these Pilgrims who need healing, hope, comfort, and care: Concerns: We pray for the loved ones and community of Tyre Nichols, who died as a result of being beaten by police in Memphis, Tennessee; we pray for the loved ones of all BIPOC individuals killed by police, as well as the BIPOC community as they suer trauma in response to their deaths. We continue to keep in prayer Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, who continue to face the legacy of racism. We pray for change in systems of oppression and injustice, and that we all may learn to follow the path of anti-racism, and each become a voice for inclusion, equity, and justice. We pray for the loved ones and community of the young victim of gun violence outside of Jimmy Lee Rec Center in St. Paul, and all victims of gun violence across our country.We pray for the people of Ukraine, Ethiopia, and all other areas torn by war and violence, for peace and safety. We pray for our companion congregation, Luganga Lutheran Church, of the Iriniga Diocese of Tanzania. They specically asked that we pray for their country, for continued peace that they are experiencing now; for their plans and projects as a church, that they succeed in them. We pray for those who lost loved ones and those whose lives and communities are aected by severe weather events. We pray for the earth and all creatures, for their care and renewal, supporting the expression of Pilgrim’s statues as a Caring for Creation community of faith. We pray for those whose lives will be altered, complicated, and endangered by the decision of the Supreme Court regarding Roe v. Wade. We continue to pray for all impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Pilgrim community and beyond, to include the whole world. We also continue to pray for all in the LGBTQIA+ community who face bias, rejection, and violence. We pray that we may all grow in acceptance and each become a voice for acceptance, advocacy, and support as an expression of Pilgrim’s status as a Reconciling in Christ community of faith.Ongoing Health Concerns: Betsy, friend of Sara Wrolstad and Lee Fargo, bone marrow transplant; Lee Fargo, recovery from cancer treatments; Judy Boehm, health concerns; Meredithe, mother of Karen Hedenstrom, in memory care; Roger, father of Ann Machmeier, declining health; Dan, father of Kaydee Kirk, in hospice with cancer; Dennis, uncle of Sam Fouts, health concerns; Carolyn Olsen, health concerns; Jolee, sister of Jess Grams; Anne, grandmother of Stephen Bell-Kemp, in hospice; Lisa Berg, continued healing and recovery from serious illness; Mike, son of Chuck Regal, ongoing care as a result of a serious motorcycle accident. For those who are homebound, Don Hogquist, Jan Jacoby, Art Stolp, and Merle Strom. Christian Sympathy: Jim Boehm, on the death of his wife, Bonnie; Becky Stever and family, on the death of her grandmother, Judy; The loved ones of Tom Baker, as they grieve his death; the family of Carol Ann Olsen as they grieve her death; Steve Jameson, on the death of his father, Denis; Tracy Riekenberg, on the death of her father, Paul; Laura, friend of Karla Leitzman, on the death of her mother, Mary; Janice Hodnick, on the death of her daughter, Elina; Kim Spear, on the death of her brother, Scott; Dick Hensold, on the death of his mother, Amy, on May 6; Pam Itzin, on the death of her brother, Greg; Leslie Tunstall, on the death of her mother, Peg; Tim, cousin of Daniel Ninow, on the death of his wife, Kim; Phil Haan, on death of his father, Ray; Art Stolp and the entire family, on the death of Bev Stolp, who died on March 1, 2022; Carl Hokanson and family, on the death of his father, Harlen, on February 11, 2022.Ministry Partnership: The ministry and people of our sister congregation, Luganga Lutheran Church in Tanzania and Pastor Bimbiga; Pilgrim sta members and Pilgrim lay leaders. In and beyond the congregation: For peace in our world, for healing in our country, for the invisibly ill, for the mentally ill.You are encouraged to send greetings to those you are moved to communicate with. Let us know if you are expecting or adopting a child. If you wish to add or remove a prayer request, please call the church oce, ll out the form on our website, ll out a white prayer request form located in the pews, or contact the pastor.
16parochial reportWeek 1 Don HogquistBonnie NashSandra MaurerAlexander LyonsWeek 2 Aaron RiekenbergCarl BussianNate CaseyKaren HedenstromKaren GaidesPamela ItzinSolfrid LadsteinFreya AndersonDrew BaeseBritt MooreAndrew Jens ShurosWeek 3 Jan JacobyMeredith SamuelsonMatt O’TooleDonna DingleZachary WilsonJay OakmanWalter HeineckeAnnette TewsAbby ChapmanSamuel OakmanNancy MontgomeryDidrik PetersonAmanda KleppClaire KaiserLucille BaggettSophie JohnsonEleanor RobbinsWeek 4Amarantine NinowKirsten AndersonJohanna ShreveLynda HirschboeckElla OttoKaren EkdahlJohn LavikNaomi WeeksNancy SmithJunia MaurerElliot MaurerWeek 5Frida JohnsonMaya AdelmannZander TastadFebruary BirthdaysStacy & Todd DunnBryan & Sandra MaurerArt & Bev StolpFebruary Anniversaries