Anchoring St. Olaf

Pastor Madison here, and i t's been a hot minute since I've posted anything on this blog! I recently returned from a continuing education trip that took me to Anaheim, California.  As your pastor, you, St. Olaf, have tasked me with continuing my learning so that I can continue becoming the pastor God has called me to be, and for that I am grateful! Every year the ELCA Network for Children, Youth, and Family Ministry puts on a conference called the "Extravaganza" which gathers many of the incredible people who are fortunate enough to be living their vocation in youth ministry. Both Lyn Meany and I had the opportunity to attend; I attended in person, and Lyn attended online. This year's Extravaganza theme was "Enough." Enough of the past three years. Enough of not feeling like enough. Enough of all the bad things. But also, God's grace is enough. The love of Jesus is enough. You have everything you need for this day, enough.  You are enough. During ou...

  At education hour on February 12, I (Pastor Mark) led the first of what will likely be many sessions on what the church is up to.   My hope is that this becomes a monthly event.   The aim is to provide an opportunity for people to come and ask their questions of what is going on.   Communication in a church is always hard, and hopefully this will allow for transparency!   Here is a rundown of our conversation yesterday. ·         Salvation Army Meals!   A very excited opportunity for our church.   I was approached by a member of the community asking if SOLC would be willing to help out.   With our history of being For Our Neighbors and our Fair Diner, we have developed a pretty good reputation for our work.   I said yes right away.   My thought was to, rather than calling on the same groups of people who do much of our ministry, attempt to activate a different demographic.   I communicated ...