St.
Petri Messenger
NOVEMBER 2019
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
In composing this final newsletter article as your
pastor at St. Petri, I thought I should go back to the
first article I wrote & consider our time together as a
whole. For the July 2012 St. Petri Messenger, I wrote
about the book Christianity After Religion: The End of
Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening by
Diana Butler Bass. In that book, Butler Bass identified
a three-fold pattern that has identified Christian
community for hundreds of years:
- Belief (understanding of the basics of Christian
faith) leads to
- Behavior (living one’s life in accordance with
accepted norms of Christian societies) leads to
- Belonging (joining a Christian community
through public confession and/or baptism).
Her argument, one which I share, is that the age in
which we now live will be marked by the reversal of
that pattern:
- Belonging (experiencing a connection with
something larger than oneself) leads to
- Behavior (living one’s life for God and others,
not for the self) leads to
- Belief (confessing faith in the One who creates
and sustains the world).
The reason I thought this was important for us remains
important today: we live in a world which no longer
considers itself “Christian” as a whole, so the expect-
ations & suppositions of our former world must be set
aside. If there’s a hallmark of the ministry I’ve tried to
carry out in my 16 years as a pastor, it is this: I want us
to live our faith in the world that is, rather than trying
to resurrect the faith of a world that has long since
passed us by. This is what I’ve tried to do & be among
you as your pastor, & will continue to shape the work I
do in all the years & places ahead of me.
Dr. Bass identified three questions to go along with
her three-fold pattern, & in that first newsletter article
I expanded a bit on those questions:
* The question our belonging must answer is "Who
am I?/Whose are we?" In a world where one may
live thousands of miles from biological family, is it
not the holy task of the church to be family to those
who seek welcome & belonging?
* The question our behavior must answer is "What
should I/we do now?" It is a question of discernment
& purpose, not a question of good & evil.
* The question our belief answers descends from the
first two: "In whom do I/we trust?”
My prayer for you as you look forward to the future
starts with the last question & works backward. I pray
that the ultimate location of your trust is the God who
created, saves, & sanctifies you. The psalmist says
“Put not your trust in rulers, in mortals in whom there
is no help.” To that I would add, “Put not your trust in
pastors…” I don’t want you to mistrust your pastor, of
course. The psalmist didn’t want his listeners to mis-
trust their rulers, either. What we want is to put our
trust in God above all others. I pray that you will con-
tinue the work of discerning your purpose as a com-
munity of faith - listening to each other & discovering
what it is you believe God is up to among you &
through you for the Story City community. Finally, I
pray you will remember that God has marked & claim-
ed all of us through baptism & made us saints together
in this great community called the Church. Finishing
my time as your pastor is bittersweet, but I find com-
fort in remembering that we will always be kept in the
one true faith that lives beyond every barrier, even
death. We are a community of saints. We steward what
has been entrusted to us. We believe in a loving, grac-
ious God. With this in our hearts, nothing can separate
us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Yours in Christ, Pastor Scott
 2

OUR MISSION:
We are Disciples of Jesus Christ,
called to grow in Christ
and to invite all to follow him.

WELCA Report
November 14 2:00pm WELCA Bible Study
Hospitalized or receiving special care - October -All women are welcome!
Bob Lekwa, Charlotte Hill
November 3 Thankoffering Sunday
In Memoriam none in October
Ongoing Prayer Concerns November 26-28 9a.m.-noon Quilt Making
George Sellers (Barb Hermanson’s brother)
Luke Baade (Judith Schnurstein great nephew) WELCA Thankoffering Sunday-November 3rd
Karen Keech (Kevin & Diana’s Sister-in-law) Please use the blue envelope enclosed in this
John Satre Gloria Severson Ryan Reisetter newsletter for your donation.
Jim Phillips Kay Disbrowe Howard Reisetter St. Petri women will use these donations to
Evans Odhiambo (relative of Gossel’s) continue their mission in supporting places around
Cooper Leeman the world. Thank you for your donations!
Those in military service
SFC Jed Wright and PVT Liam Wright The Mission quilters appreciate the
Our Missionaries Patrick & Jacqueline Bencke generous support of the congregation
to help pay for shipping costs
of the quilts to LWR.

Our thanks to Larry Reisetter who delivered

quilts to Ankeny on October 19th.
We, also, appreciate your contributions of
material to make these quilts.

Pat & Jacquelyn Bencke, our Japan missionaries WHERE DID OUR QUILTS GO?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ALL SAINTS SUNDAY Our quilts went to:

November 3, 2019 February 25, 2015 Tanzania
ROLL OF THE SAINTS March 23, 2015 Mauritania
(Those who have passed away this past year) June 1, 2015 Georgia
David Severson, Don Hinderaker, January 1, 2016 Tanzania
May 16, 2016 Uganda
Dennis Sills, Carl Hermanson, Orville Carlson,
August 26, 2016 Thailand
Irene Chelsvig, Anita Johnson,
February 22, 2017 Georgia
Helen Jacobson, Donna Lande, Patricia Dale
March 21, 2018 Mali
Take a moment and say a prayer for their families. Sept. 12, 2018 Burkina Faso
Feb. 22, 2019 Syria

We will be celebrating
STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY
NOVEMBER 24TH
WITH A SPECIAL WORSHIP AND A
“THANK YOU” BRUNCH.
Please plan to join us!
Consistent monthly giving is an essential part of
our church’s budget. Online giving is safe,
quick, convenient and dependable. Please
consider adding St. Petri to your list of monthly
payments.
If you are currently a giving member of St.
Petri, please consider setting up online bill pay
to ensure that your gift is given monthly. Will
you consider increasing your support by just
3%? Even a small increase makes a big
difference.
Not currently giving? Please consider
supporting St. Petri with just $20 a month. See
how that works in your monthly budget. You
can always revise your monthly amount to find
a suitable amount, maybe even raise it.
If you are not using your banks bill pay, but
want to make automatic payments to St. Petri,
the church office has a form from Reliance
State Bank where St. Petri has their account that
will set up the payment from your bank.
God trusts us to be good stewards of what he
has given to us.
CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
DECEMBER 8TH
The congregational council of St. Petri has
approved proposed amendments to the 2013
constitution. These amendments include the 2019
ELCA synod required changes as well as changes
to the structure of the congregational council.
If you would like a copy of the proposed
constitution to review the proposed changes,
please contact the church at 515-733-4623 or via
email at Stpetri@windstream.net.
A special congregational meeting will be held
December 8th following the worship service to
approve the proposed constitution. We hope to
see you all there!
3
Dear St. Petri Congregation,
Thank you so much for the beautiful card, kind
messages, & memorial gift to Easter Lutheran
Church, in Dad’s honor. We felt uplifted in prayer &
at peace, knowing we were surrounded by so many
caring people. Our Story City years & St. Petri
memories are treasures! We were so richly blessed
by so many dear people. Your kindness & support is
much appreciated. Dad will be deeply missed!
Thanks again, Bev Aga Schmidt & Family
Pastor Rhuben Aga’s Morning Prayer
“Good morning, Lord! I love you.
What do you have planned today?
I want to be a part of it. Amen
---------------------------------
Dear Friends of St. Petri,
Greetings from Riverside! Thank you for your
continued support of the Lord’s work at His camp!
We just wrapped up another Summer of ministry
where we saw God at work in life changing,
powerful ways. This quote is just one of so many
great stories over the Summer! Thank you for
joining us in our important mission!
God bless you! Chris
From a parent of a Summer camper ~
“My child came home on Fire for God – he is a
different kid! This year he came back singing. I
haven’t heard him sing for years!”
---------------------------------
St. Petri Lutheran,
Thank you so much for letting the Carousel use the
cotton candy machine this season for our events!
Cotton candy brought a TON of smiles to people of
all ages this year! Thanks again!Megan, Shanon, Jay
-----------------------------------
Thank you for the wonderful meal for the Senior
Luncheon. I always enjoy it. Marlene Helling
 4

Are you headed south

for the winter? Please let
the church office know if
you will be gone for a few
months. This helps us
recognize why we don’t NOVEMBER
see folks in church for consecutive weeks. Thanks! BIRTHDAYS

If you want to keep up with the happenings at St.

Petri, feel free to share your email address with the
church office to get the weekly church bulletin, Nov. 1: Jennifer Doolittle, Ron Hoffman
“The Petri Dish” in your email, follow the St. Petri Nov. 2: Grant Brown
Facebook page at Nov. 6: Lillian Braucher, Jonathan Forthman
https://www.facebook.com/groups/49710534185 Nov. 9: Kim Larson, Craig Sills
or you can view the monthly newsletter at Nov. 10: Kristin Johnson
www.stpetrilutheran.weebly.com Nov. 11: Katelyn Cable, Virginia Sayre
Nov. 14: Connie Rasmusson
Please keep in touch! We will miss you.
Nov. 15: Patrick Nuetzman
Nov. 16: Gabi Henrichs
Nov. 17: Gracelynn Brown
Nov. 20: Ben Hermanson, Ron Rahfeldt
Sunday Nov. 22: Beverly Christenson, John Fevold,
November 3rd Reagan Schmitz
Nov. 23: Marcus Lamoreux, Glenda Rahfeldt
at 2 a.m. Nov. 25: Mark Mabee
Nov. 29: James Nelson
Nov. 30: Brandon Rivers, Ted Tostlebe

St. Petri members will

be volunteering at
The Households of Bethany
for the month of November. Joint Thanksgiving Eve Service
We will be assisting residents at Grace United
to chapel on Sunday mornings. Methodist Church
If you would like to help, there
on Wednesday,
is a sign-up sheet on the table outside the church
November 27th
office. We will need 4-6 people per Sunday.
at 7:00 p.m.
Please arrive at Households of Bethany by 9:20am.
Join in praising God for
His goodness!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Thank God for the
many blessings
He has given us.
 5

A big thanks to the October Care Group

for pitching in and getting
everything done this month.
Karen Munson, Mardell Christian

NOVEMBER 2019 CARE GROUP

CARE Group Leaders
Ann Healy, Mary Peterson
Eric & Vicki Anderson Martha Arends
Tim & Amy Crouch Mark & Cindy Doolittle

Prepare& Respond Carol Foss

Garrett & Sierra Healy
Mike & Ann Healy
The Northeastern Iowa Synod Disaster Response
Roger & Nancy Hermanson
Network & FEMA present the workshop:
Walt & Barbara Hermanson
Mobilizing Faith-Based Community Rev. Nancy Jewell
Organizations in Preparing for Disaster Sheldon & Mindy Kardell
Levi Keech
SATURDAY, NOV. 16, 2019 Darlene Patterson
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Steve & Mary Peterson
Nazareth Lutheran, Cedar Falls Marty & Connie Rasmusson
Charles & Jeanne Tanksley
Learn how your congregation can: Hubert & Gloria Tussey
Erick & Paige Healy
Kyle & Nicole Healy
Jeff & Callie Henrichs
Lorna Hoversten
Alan Johnson
Kevin & Diana Keech
Mary Nannenga
Margaret Peter
Ron & Glenda Rahfeldt
Chris & Angie Roling
Ryan & Katie Thorson

• Strengthen a community’s disaster

preparedness.
• Be part of the planning process.
• Reach out to help those most
vulnerable in a disaster.
• Aid in recovery.
All rostered ministers, congregational staff, &
volunteers are invited. DECEMBER 2019 CARE GROUP
No charge to attend. CARE Group Leaders
LEARN MORE AND REGISTER ONLINE: Angie Rieck-Hinz, Valaree Muhlenburg
www.neiasynod.org/disaster-response Dave & Nicole Bauman Jane Bauman
Kim Birchmier Brad & Beth Dedic
“Whether your congregation is large or small, older or Doug & Kim Finley Tom & Kris Foss
younger, this one-day class will help you and your Marlene Helling Paul Hill
congregation become more prepared and more John Hinz & Angie Rieck-Hinz Danny & Chris Hobbs
involved in making your community ready to respond Tyler & Crystal Hobbs Pastor Scott & Kristin Johnson
when disaster hits.” James & Sherri Keigan John & Jan Lekwa
— Steve O’Neil, Cerro Doris Mathre Barry & Valaree Muhlenburg
Gordo County Emergency Management Director Trent & Katelyn Muhlenburg John & Mary Pelican
Kevin & Susan Ruby Olive Sampson
“This is a rare opportunity for church leaders to learn
Sharon Sills Craig & Paula Van Brocklin
how to prepare to respond to disasters.”
Paul Wierson Tom & Mary Wynia
— Kip Ladage, Bremer
Helen Zook

Sponsor a poinsettia in honor/memory
of a loved one.
If you would like to purchase
your own poinsettia to
decorate the church, you may
bring it anytime before the
Family Advent Program which
is on December 15th.
If you are unable to get your own poinsettia and
would like to help decorate the church, we can get
one for you for $20 (red, white, pink or burgundy).
Please order by Dec. 1st by calling the church
office or leaving your order and money at the
church office. Please let the church secretary know
if you are sponsoring a poinsettia. Please take
them home after the Christmas Eve service and
ENJOY!
--------------------------------------------------
Scandinavian Coffee
Bethesda Lutheran Church (1517 Northwestern
Ave., Ames, IA)
Saturday, November 2nd from 9am-2pm
Baked Goods ~ Coffee ~ Tea ~ Cookies
Swedish Meatball Luncheon
St. Mary Catholic Church
Fall Festival
Sunday, November 3rd 4:30-7:00pm
at St. Mary Catholic Church of Williams, IA
Menu: Chicken & homemade noodles, meat loaf,
real mashed potatoes, home frozen corn, salad, St.
Mary’s Famous Pickles, pie, & beverage.
Adults: $10; Children 4-12 $4; under 3 Free
Check out the “COUNTRY STORE” A variety of
home-made crafts & baked goods!
Raffle for great prizes! EVERYONE WELCOME!
Handicap accessible; Carry-outs available
6
Affordables by Bethany Life and the Saints Peter
\
& Paul Knights of Columbus are joining together to
ask for YOUR help. We are asking anyone who has
unneeded, gently used, child or teenage sized winter
coats, to donate them to Affordables during their
open hours. These coats will be
made available to Story County
children who are in need of a
warm coat this coming winter.
Coats should be clean, free of
rips, stains or odors & in overall,
good condition. Let’s team up &
keep ALL the kids in our community warm this
winter! Affordables is located at 630 Pennsylvania
Ave. in Story City & is open
Mondays Noon-6p, Tuesday-Friday 9a-5p, and
Saturdays 9a-3p.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Damani Phillips Quartet
Monday, Nov. 18 at 7:00pm
at the Grand View University Student Center
Speed Lyceum (2811 E. 14th St., Des Moines, IA)
Tickets $15 at the door; students $5 with ID
(free for Grand View students, faculty & staff).
Through a combination of live performance,
spoken remarks and a visual presentation, this
unique program will highlight some of the more
prevalent examples of jazz music’s alignment
with the Africa-American fight for civil rights
and the backstory behind their creation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, Dec. 7 * 7:30 p.m. & Sunday, Dec. 8 * 4:00 p.m.
St. John’s Lutheran Church • 600 6th Avenue, Des Moines
Reserve your seat at www.grandview.edu/julefest
Theme: Peace and Hope and Love Abide

“This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of
our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows
in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by
the world.” James 1:27
NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH
November 2019, LSI Newsletter
November~National Adoption Month, is a time to
honor families who have opened their hearts &
homes to children in need. For LSI, it’s a time to
celebrate the families we support through Foster
Care & Adoption, & to raise awareness for hundreds
of Iowa children in need of a safe, loving home.
In 30 counties across western Iowa, LSI Foster Care
and Adoption recruits, licenses, and supports foster
and adoptive families to ensure every Iowa child
grows up in a safe, stable environment.
But more work needs to be done. According to the
most recent federal data, more than 100,000 children
in the U.S. are waiting to be adopted from foster
care, and thousands of teens age out of foster care
every year without a permanent family. To learn
more about supporting Iowa children in foster care,
visit LSIowa.org/Foster, or contact Deb Whitford,
LSI director of philanthropy and church relations, at
Deborah.Whitford@LSIowa.org or 563.676.2065.
Our Mission: Lutheran Services in Iowa responds to
the love of Jesus Christ through compassionate
service. LSI is an affiliated social ministry partner of
the Iowa congregations of the ELCA (Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America) & a member of LSA
(Lutheran Services in America). We proudly serve
people of all ages, abilities, religions, sexes, gender
identities, national origins, ethnicities, races, & sexual
orientations. Learn more at www.LSIowa.org &
www.facebook.com/LSI.iowa.
7
A Growing Family
Lindsey and Andrea were no strangers to foster
parenting. Their older brother fostered children for
10 years, and they were inspired by his drive and
passion for supporting vulnerable children. Until
recently, they hadn’t seen themselves as foster
parents. But something in their hearts told them they
were needed.
“It’s been on our hearts for a lot of years, and we
have the room and love,” Andrea says. “It’s
something we knew we could do and it’s needed.”
The two sisters decided to become licensed foster
parents earlier this year through LSI Foster Care and
Adoption. Now, they are caring for children in foster
care at the same time. Lindsey and Andrea regularly
meet up to support one another and ensure the
children can connect and feel less alone during the
most vulnerable time in their young lives.
“It’s been so important to have a connection to
another foster family,” Lindsey says. “The kids can
see they’re not different. There are other children in
their same situation.”
Meanwhile, they are busy building a strong bond
with the children’s birth families. Lindsey says
foster parenting is a way for them to give a child
stability while also nurturing their whole family.
Lindsey and Andrea have also found support from
other local foster families. They are there for each
other, offering a shoulder to lean on when anyone
needs an extra boost on the difficult days.
“There is a need for foster families in Iowa, and
there is so much good that comes out of fostering,”
Andrea says.
HEARTLAND SENIOR SERVICES
needs help to deliver “Meals on Wheels” in Story
City in the months of December thru April. If you
can help deliver meals, even
just one day, please contact
Connie at Heartland at
515.233.2906.
Thank you for your consideration! 
 8

2019 Story Festival St. Petri Evangelical

November 7 – 9, 2019 Lutheran Church
Get tickets at Bertha Bartlett Library in Story City. Approved Council
Proceeds benefit the Bertha Bartlett Public Library Meeting Minutes
Foundation for the library building expansion August 14, 2019
project. 8:00 p.m.
More info at www.storycity.lib.ia.us
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Members present: Abby Patterson, Kendra
Braucher, Ver Frohling, Willow Hill, Pat Murken,
. Jo Murken, Nicole Bauman, Carmen Peter, Karen
SHARE-A-THON! Munson, Megan Gustafson
November 12, 13, 14
Theme: Answers. Light. Hope! Based on a discussion made on the 10July19
Join us on 88.3 FM meeting, the 14Aug19 council meeting was
KJTT Christian Radio dedicated to discussion on reorganization of the
Conversation – Music – Friendship church structure.
Listen on-air or Online The council discussed the task lists that were
www.KinshipRadio.org; 1-800-810-5559 compiled by the current committees and determined
P. O. Box 325 Eagle Grove, IA 50533 if tasks were “essential” or “non-essential” tasks for
St. Petri. There was also discussion around whether
----------------------------------------------------------------------- or not a formal committee needed to complete each
RIVERSIDE RECHARGE 2019 task, or if it was something that one person could
Theme: John 10:14 lead with a network of helpers. The council went
“I am the good shepherd; I through the music/worship, outreach/fellowship,
now my sheep and my property and trustee, stewardship, spiritual life,
sheep know me.” youth education, and youth ministry lists. The
Recharge – (n): The overall determination during this discussion was that
process of reloading or a formal committee was needed for property and
refueling a power source trustees and some youth ministry functions. For all
with its proper fuel; ie: other essential tasks, the council agreed that the
your fuel tank, your batteries, your mind, your heart. work could be done by a leader with a network of
A Recharge is a super fun fall weekend event at helpers without meeting on a regular monthly basis.
Riverside that is like a whole week of camp smashed Various options on how to accomplish this were
into 40 hours! You’ll have a ton of fun! Cool music, discussed, but no formal decision was made at the
wonderful friends, great food, games, activities, free meeting.
time, small groups, carpetball, foosball, awesome Once the lists were complete, the council
counselors, fabulous skits, and a “no homework brainstormed ideas for representation at council
guarantee”!! Everything begins between 7:30pm- meetings if there were no actual committees. There
8:20 pm on Friday night and ends at noon on Sunday were four ideas given in how to structure the
(pickup at cabins). council:
Fee: $75 (A $25 deposit is required to register, 1. 5 people from the congregation elected
balance may be paid upon arrival. Deposit is non- (task leaders from property, youth,
refundable & non-transferable. Registering less than worship, stewardship, and outreach) + 4
a week before recharge, please add $5). Register at officers (president, vice-president,
www.RiversideLBC.org or 733-5271. treasurer, secretary). This would have 8
Nov. 15-17 Senior High (Grades 9-12) council votes at meetings since the
president does not vote.

2. 4 people from the congregation that are
NOT associated with the task groups + 4
officers. This would give council 7 votes.
3. The property/trustee leader + 4 officers.
This would give the council 5 votes.
4. 4 people from the congregation elected
(task leaders from property, youth,
worship, stewardship) + 4 officers. This
would give the council 7 votes.
The council unanimously felt that option #4 was the
best since it gave an odd number of council votes, it
involved eight members of the congregation to
discuss issues, and the people elected were well
aware of the tasks being completed around the
church. The council felt that there did not need to
be a 5th person for outreach as those tasks could fall
under another area.
Other items that were discussed but for which no
decisions were made included:
 Council term limits. It was first mentioned
that maybe there should be a one-year limit
for each council spot in order to share the
work of the church and continually get new
ideas (so the church does not get stuck just
doing the same things over and over again).
However, it was also brought up that if this
were the case, there would need to be a
rotation so that it is not an entirely new
council each year. It was also suggested that
our current property and trustee chair and
committee has put an enormous amount of
effort into what is currently happening in our
building and that would be very difficult to
make changes in that area. This item was
put on hold and will be discussed at a later
time.
 Karen Munson shared that the CARE groups
met and decided to try something new for
filling positions for funerals, ushers,
greeters, taxi, and fellowship. Instead of
monthly CARE leaders calling people each
month, they are going to have quartile sign-
ups for the tasks. There will have the sign-
ups available after worship. This will allow
for people that are out of town for certain
times of the year an opportunity to volunteer
for the months they are here.
9
 Church work. It was noted that there needs
to be one person in charge of an area, and
that person could delegate tasks to various
volunteers without having to meet on a
monthly basis. There could be meetings
with multiple individuals for certain events
as needed throughout the year, but other than
property and trustees, most tasks can happen
without a committee. There does, however,
need to be one contact person for each
“area” of need in the church (property,
youth, worship, stewardship, and possibly
outreach) that will write up an annual report
for the tasks that were completed that year.
Pat and Jo Murken brought a new list of items to be
voted on from the music/worship and property and
trustee committees. The main concern is that the
organ needs to be fixed. The entire cost to fix it
would be about $20,000, but the committee would
like to start with just the basic need of fixing keys
for approximately $4,000. We currently did not
have the most updated financial report available so
the council will take a closer look at our next
meeting before voting on anything.
This same council group is coming together again to
meet on Tuesday, August 20th at 5:30 p.m. to
continue the discussion of a new church structure as
well as to vote on new action items.
Submitted Larry Reisetter Secretary
St. Petri Evangelical
Lutheran Church
Approved Council
Meeting Minutes
August 20th, 2019
5:30 p.m.
Members present: Abby Patterson, Kendra
Braucher, Ver Frohling, Willow Hill, Pat Murken,
Jo Murken, Nicole Bauman, Carmen Peter, Karen
Munson, Megan Gustafson, Pastor Scott Johnson,
Deacon Kristin Johnson, Larry Reisetter
The meeting was called to order at 5:30 by Abby
Patterson.

Old business:
Property and Trustee items: The following items
were brought to the councils’ attention by Pat
Murken.
1. Pat informed the council that Jim Nelson
will be increasing the appraised value of the
organ from $250,000 to $1.25 million. It
was noted that this may increase the cost of
insurance next year – amount is unknown.
2. Pat made a motion to purchase new speakers
and an amplifier for the rear of the church in
an amount not to exceed $1,000. The
motion was seconded by Carmen Peter. The
motion passed.
3. Pat made a motion to provide a direct line
internet connection to Kristin’s office for
$400. This is needed due to the lack of wifi
in her office. Karen Munson seconded the
motion. Motion passed.
4. Pat made a motion to approve the use of
Black Hills Energy service plan for the
parsonage at a cost of $30.95/month. The
motion was seconded by Larry Reisetter.
There was discussion on the motion. It was
noted that the appliances are eight years old
which is within the expected range for
requiring repairs. The plan would be to
retain the current appliances for an
additional seven years with the service plan
in place. The total cost over seven years
would be $2,599.80. At an average service
repair cost of $400, the insurance would pay
for itself with approximately six service
calls. Motion passed.
Organ repairs: Jo Murken presented information on
the cost of the organ repairs to the council. Dobson
Pipe Organ Builders of Lake City, Iowa were
contacted for the estimate. The total cost of the
estimate for all repairs was $30,690. The estimate
was further broken down into stages with the first
stage requiring $4,540 for repair of dead notes. Jo
made a motion that the council approve the first
stage repairs for $4,540 to be paid for from
memorial funds. The motion was seconded by Larry
Reisetter. Discussion on the motion included a
request for further information on 1) end date on the
estimate and 2) an estimate on approximately how
10
long repairs would be good for. Discussion also
included whether the memorial fund committee
should assess the priority of this project in relation
to other projects already proposed by the property
and trustee committee. The motion did not pass by a
vote of four in favor and five opposed. Further
information will be collected by Jo and Karen will
discuss the use of memorial funds with the
committee.
Church restructuring: The remainder of the meeting
was a continuation of the brainstorming process for
restructuring of the church council and committees.
The council brainstormed names for the four elected
council chairs (in bold below) and assigned tasks to
be under the direction of these four leaders. The
following names and descriptions were proposed.
Property and Trustees: 1 elected chair + 4 elected
committee members; committee to meet at least
monthly. Tasks include the following:
 Establish a list of 3-5 resource people,
resident experts, or reserve workers to be
called on for consultation, project planning,
or simply an available labor pool.
 Building and grounds maintenance of church
and parsonage
o Organize congregational work days
for church maintenance and repairs
(raking leaves, painting, trimming
bushes, shrubs, trees, care of flowers
and plantings, care of outside
planters and landscaping)
o Regularly inspect church for repairs
and maintenance needs
o Make minor repairs at the church
o Review and authorize repairs and
maintenance requests
o Designate use of various parts of
church for functions
o Oversee specially designated
committees in relation to repairs and
fundraising for repairs
o Complete/oversee parsonage restore
and renew projects
 Draft and recommend policies for use of
church to be adopted by church council
including the following:

o Vehicle safety policy
o Parsonage use policy
o Electronic communication
o Custodial duties
o Usage and fees policy
o Travel expenses policy
o Employee credit card policy
 Search committee for church custodian
 Supervise legal matters including all
insurance. Review compliance and policy
annually.
 Prepare and recommend the annual budget
to Congregation Council
 Hires and supervises work of custodian
 Oversee the budget and church expenditures
 Ascertain that expenditures are within the
approved budget.
Christian Fellowship: 1 elected chair who has the
 Recommend to Congregation Council any
following responsibilities:
fiscal restraints (in consultation with the
treasurer) that may be needed for cash flow
purposes.
 Prepare a written report for the annual
meeting of the congregation.
 Chairperson will be a voting member of the
church council and meets with the council at
all meetings.
 Coordinates with the Finance Committee.
 Recommends salary changes for church
employees and professional staff to the
council.
 Work with all other committees or groups on
joint church projects.
Faith Formation: 1 elected chair + [undecided no.]
of elected committee members; committee to meet
monthly. Tasks include the following:
 Provide leadership training opportunities for
youth
 Serve as the search committee for a paid
youth worker
 Coordinate fellowship hour receptions for
both Confirmation and Graduation Sundays
 Pick adult education curriculum [needs
further discussion]
 Prepare a written report for the annual
meeting of the congregation
11
 Supervise and coordinate all
Cross+Generational Ministry
 Recommend to the Property/Trustees
Committee annual budget requests
 Coordinate youth programming with
Bergen's Youth Committee
 Grant camper-ships/scholarships for Bible
camps and other youth
leadership programming
 Prepare youth worker job description [more
discussion needed]
 Arrange adult support for all youth group
activities with Bergen Youth Committee
 Organize Vacation Bible School program
 Prepare publicity pieces (newsletter,
bulletin, temple talk) as needed
 Attend monthly council meetings to report
on progress of tasks and to make
requests/motions to the council
 Prepare a written report for the annual
meeting of the congregation
 Prepare publicity pieces (newsletter,
bulletin, temple talk) as needed
 Recommend to the Property/Trustees
Committee annual budget requests
 Establish and coordinate a network of
helpers to complete the following tasks:
o Organize a head usher list for year
o Organize senior luncheon
o Organize Turkey supper
o Quarterly sign-up for Greeters
o Quarterly sign-up for Ushers
o Quarterly sign-up for Taxi drivers
o Quarterly sign-up for Lawn Care
o Quarterly sign-up for Coffee Servers
o Funeral coordination (arrange
helpers and cake bakers)
o Coordinate ELCA events and ELCA
materials (World hunger,
refugee/immigration, advocacy)
o Publicize automatic donations
[maybe in worship community?]
o Pledge drive process and publicity
[maybe in worship community?]

Worship Community: 1 elected chair who has the
following responsibilities:
 Attend monthly council meetings to report
on progress of tasks and to make
requests/motions to the council
 Prepare a written report for the annual
meeting of the congregation
 Prepare publicity pieces (newsletter,
bulletin, temple talk) as needed
 Recommend to the Property/Trustees
Committee annual budget requests
 Establish and coordinate a network of
helpers to complete the following tasks:
o Choose hymns monthly
o Organ/piano/handbell maintenance
(line up tuners, advise & approve on
repairs)
o Decorate sanctuary seasonally (cross
drapes, advent/Christmas
decorations, Harvest theme in fall,
Lent/Easter)
o Work with Pastor on Special
Services
o Organize poinsettias/Easter lilies
o Plan special music and guest
musicians/concerts
o New member welcome baskets
o Mailing of bulletins for shut-ins
o Be actively involved in the selection
of the missionary supported by St.
Petri and keep the congregation
informed of missionary work and
their needs
o Communion assistance on
communion Sundays
o Communion visits to shut-ins
o Visits to shut-ins (non-communion
related)
o Mid-week prayer services
o Lecturn/assisting minister list
coordination
o Coordinating care for members
(illness, etc.)
Meeting was adjourned at approx. 7:00 pm.
Respectfully submitted, Abby Patterson
----------------------------------------------------------------
12
From the Desk of Kristin Johnson
I recently read an article about ‘Screenagers’, a docu-
mentary that tackles depression in teens due to social
media. I found it to be very informative. Hopefully you
will find it informative, as well. If you have any
thoughts or questions after about this topic, please
don’t hesitate to contact me.
The 2016 documentary “Screenagers” hit a nerve.
More than 4 million people trekked to schools and
community centers to watch a screening of the
documentary that chronicled the rise of kids’ addictive
behavior with digital devices. The maker of the film,
Dr. Delaney Ruston, thought she had this issue under
control in her family, but her teen daughter’s battle
with depression forced her to look harder at screens &
other forces in modern childhood that are factoring
into troubling mental health issues.
Now she’s made a second film on that related topic,
called "Screenagers: The Next Chapter." The
documentary premiered at Eckstein Middle School in
Seattle Tuesday night in front of more than 500
concerned parents & educators. It starts a run of
showings this week in community screenings
nationwide highlighting the rise of teen anxiety &
depression.
Parents in Seattle seemed perplexed about how to help
their children look away from devices & towards other
people as a way to combat isolation & social anxiety.
One mother told ABC News, “It’s a normal part of
being a middle-schooler, they talk about panic attacks
& being anxious.” Another father who was also
worried said of technology, “Their faces are always in
front of that stuff, & it’s informing how they view
themselves & what is normal & around them.”
With headlines of the teen suicide rate doubling since
1999, & sky-rocketing anxiety & depression rates,
parents are concerned. The film does not tackle the
issue of what’s causing this crisis, but it does look at

the many forms of mental health challenges that face
families, such as anxiety, stress & unresolved trauma.
The central story of the film, however, focuses on
Ruston’s 16-year-old daughter Tessa, who suddenly
dipped into depression.
While Ruston did see the signs of depression, she says
even as a practicing physician, she didn’t know what
to do. “I had no idea when to step in, what to say, &
often it felt like anything I said made it worse,” she
said. “It felt like I was just tiptoeing. If I say the wrong
thing, it’ll make her never talk to me again. It’s
emotional just thinking about it, just how stuck I was.”
Meanwhile, Tessa found little comfort in social media,
the medium for much of her communication with
friends. She posted what she thought was a raw
assessment of her deep sadness, but it didn’t evoke the
response she needed & wanted from her friends. She
said, “I said this year has been really hard & I’ve learn-
ed a lot & I’ve grown a lot, (but) I felt like the
response wasn’t acknowledging the truth that I was
really trying to put out there … crickets was almost
how it felt to me. I tried so hard to say look I'm not
perfect at all & they're like, 'Oh, we love you, we're
here for you, & it almost hurt to feel not understood in
that sense."
And when Ruston realized how serious her daughter's
depression was, this isolation scared her. “I was
amazed how many months into her depression she was,
& I assumed she was talking to a friend or something,
& she said, ‘No, I haven't told anyone.’” At that point,
Ruston realized she & her husband, along with mental
help professionals, would need to be there to talk to
Tessa, but that talking & support needed some work.
Ruston says, “I needed to learn how to be comfortable
with my feelings, but not over-respond. [I needed to]
let her know that I could handle it.”
Through trial & error, Tessa's parents found some
ways to communicate that can work for all parents and
teens. Tessa says, “Some of the things my parents said
that really helped in the moments of hardship were
you’re doing the best you can for where you’re at and
what tools you have, especially when I felt really low
and incapable. My favorite quote that my dad said that
actually really got me through the hard times that felt
like forever is ‘this too shall pass.’” She added that a
huge barrier to talking with her parents was guilt and
shame, that it was her fault that she felt so depressed.
But something Ruston said really helped. “My mom
13
especially reiterated that I wouldn’t be feeling this way
if I had the choice.”
The documentary offers specific advice for parents
who feel stonewalled from teens who won’t talk. Here
are some of them:
 Validate their feelings, accept that they truly
do feel the way they say, that it’s not just teen
drama. Ruston adds, “the most important
words you may say are ‘that sounds really
hard.”
 Take advantage of the moments when teens do
want to talk. These sometimes-rare occasions
are opportunities to prove you won’t judge
them or scold them.
 When you don’t know what to say, ask more
questions. Noted therapist John Gottman, who
is featured in the documentary, offers some
prompts like, “What did your friends say?
Were you mad? What do you want to do
now?”
 Avoid offering fixes or solutions. Tessa said,
“All the problem solving, solutions, and
enforcements feel so judgmental and stabbing
because sometimes I don't even think it’s a
 problem I just want to share it and the problem
solving itself makes it into a negative thing,
right away it’s like ‘this is wrong and you need
to make it right.’”
 Praise kids with specifics -- hold a mirror up to
them so they can’t refute what you say and just
like we do with toddlers, catch them doing
something right, and then praise the work.
 Don’t give up on finding ways to limit screen
time -- even if you think that ship has sailed.
Sleep and limiting exposure to social media
can help kids find their resilience.
 Learn how to tolerate a teen’s explosive
reaction over screen limits -- you are giving
them the gift of boundaries that adults even
struggle with.
 14

MS NEIA Synod UNI Lock-In Oct 11th-12th

36 MS youth and 5 adults joined 430 other youth and adults from around our
Synod for its annual UNI Lock In. The youth rock climbed, swam, jumped in
the bouncy houses, played racket ball and volleyball, ate pizza at 12:45am
and played hide and seek. It was a fun night!
 12

G.I.F.T Ministry
(Growing In Faith Together)

GIFT Ministry runs every Sunday morning from 8:30-9:25am

THIS MONTH we’ll be learning about the Sacrifice of Isaac and Jacob’s Ladder.
You can expect skits, puppets, hearing God’s word, learning some sign language,
and even doing projects with a purpose. There’s something for EVERYONE.
Our Cross+Generational Ministry Goal: To offer quality faith formation and
Spiritual direction for everyone together, whatever their age may be.

Faith Formation Schedule

The 'Confirmation' program at St. Petri Lutheran church actually begins in the PreK and continues
through the 10th Grade and beyond. The strength of our Faith Formation program lies in the fact
that our children and youth are learning in the presence of the generations who have gone
before them. So those in Kindergarten through 6th Grade will have a one afternoon session with
their parents or a trusted adult, led by Pastor Scott, to discuss various topics. The following will
be the schedule for 2019-2020. The sessions will be offered Sunday evenings from 4-5pm.

2nd Grade Apostles Creed Sunday, November 17th

3rd Grade Intro to the Bible Sunday, January 26th
4th Grade Worship Sunday, February 9th
5th Grade Sacraments Sunday, March 1st
6th Grade 10 Commandments Sunday, April 19th

**Please note that the Sunday following your class, the children/youth will share in worship
what they learned in their class. So mark those Sunday's down as well.
 16

Wednesday’s Youth Group Night

5th/6th 5:45-6:30pm Supper 6:15-7pm 7th/8th 6:45-7:30pm HS 7:30-9pm

Angel Tree Gifts

The MS and HS youth groups will be purchasing gifts for
Angel Tree again this Christmas. On Wednesday, Nov 13th
we’ll spend our youth group time baking cookies that we’ll
then share during fellowship hour on Sunday, Nov. 17th at
both Bergen and St. Petri. The money raised from this will be
used to purchase gifts and necessities for the children on
Wednesday, Dec 6th. If you’d be interested in helping to
either donate time, money or gifts of your own to this, please
contact Kristin.

Confirmation Reminders:
****************
10th Graders: Don’t forget to meet
with your mentors. Try and find
some time this month to go thru one
(or two) of your sessions.
…. though there WON’T be
8th-9th Graders and Parents:
Time: 6-7:30pm
Youth Group on
Nov 3rd at Bergen November 28th due to
Nov 17th at Bergen Thanksgiving Break!
 17

The Bencke Family in

Japan
November 2019- 78番
Some of the prayers of our
Typhoon season hearts…
It’s typhoon season in Japan. Probably most of you have
seen news footage of the devastation wrought upon Thanksgiving:
northeastern Japan, where Typhoon Hagibis brought
wrath. At this time, the account is 78 dead and 9 still For the team of doctors and
missing. Hagibis was the 19th typhoon of the season. specialists who provided such
When we are notified that bad weather is coming, we wonderful care for Patrick at the
prepare. We prepare for wind, rain, lightning, landslides, hospital. Dr. Kaneko even made a
and flooding. We prepare our emergency kits, buy water, special trip to the hospital on
and check batteries. Usually we have plenty of notice. Saturday morning, his only day
Sometimes not. off of the week, just to check in
We can sometimes experience metaphorical storms in our on Patrick. Dr. Okumura made
lives. Sometimes we can prepare for them, sometimes sure everything was explained
not. Our family is in the midst of a storm didn’t see thoroughly in English so both
coming. This past August, Patrick suffered another mild Patrick and I could feel assured of
strike followed several weeks later with what was the processes. Our staff and
diagnosed as pneumonia, abut was really the early stages colleagues at Kyushu Lutheran
of heart failure. A surgery was scheduled for October 16th, College made sure that Patrick’s
but because the heart failure advanced so quickly and classes would all be covered for
dramatically, was postponed until the 17th while the the unforeseeable future so that
doctor and surgeon created a new plan of action. Patrick and rest and recover
On the evening of the 17th, Patrick underwent an almost without the pressure of having to
six-hour surgery, ablating seven full areas of the heart, make-up classes. My friend and
and one partial area. As of today, he continues to be colleague Katie, who made the
monitored at the hospital, with the main complication trip to the hospital late at night
being with his lungs, which were quite full of fluid. The to hold my hand while I trembled
prognosis for recovery is good, and Patrick expects to and who held my hair out of my
make a full recovery, but the experience was terrifying for face while I dry-heaved into the
me. toilet as the stress took over my
Furthermore, as anyone who has experienced something body, even as she has two young
similar would attest to, balancing the need to be children of her own to care for.
forthcoming with information and at the same time We are thankful for our Lutheran
congnizant of my children’s ability to handle the friends at church, who have been
inforamtionwas incredibly difficult. Our family and friends steadfast in their offers to help
in the U.S. have been steadfat, and it it only now that I care for kids, provide food, drive,
have had the time and strength to share our story with and do whatever – even laundry
our wider base of suppoer among the churches we serve. – while we push through this. Our
It is not always easy to be joyful. It is not always easy to friends and family have extended
hear the Word of light and love. I have to confess my their prayers across the ocean
falterin faith at times, wondering how I coudgeel so from the very beginning,
abandoned when I need Him the most. The words of Psal interceding in prayer for us, even
130 bring peace to me. The psalms give me a vast vision of offering to travel to Japan as
who God is and how to deal with life. Patrick begins the journey of
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eJUqY_6tqo recovery.
 18

Our current mailing address:

Bencke Family
KUMAMOTO SHI And while my voice trembles too much these days, and
KITA-KU Patrick’s lungs are too weak to sing, singing reminds me of
SHIMIZU MANGOKU 5-17-17 what God has done in my life. Like asking others to pray
861-8068
for me, I invite you to sing for us.
JAPAN
Email:
jacqueline.bencke@gmail.com Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
ELCA— Global Mission There is no shadow of turning with Thee
If you are interested in learning more Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
about the Evangelical Lutheran As Thou hast been Thou forever will be
Church in America’s global mission
and/or opportunities to serve, please
visit: www.elca.org/globalmission
For more information on mission
We hold tight to the Promise of eternal life and in God’s
funding, please contact any of the bountiful mercy and grace. We cling to the hand of the
following individuals: Father who created us for His purposes. We look into the
Global Mission eyes of, searching for the comfort He promises.
8765 W. Higgins Road
Chicago IL 60631
(800) 638-3522, ext. 2769
Andrew Steele continues to lead the
major fundraising efforts on behalf of
missionary sponsorship and programs of
ELCA Global Mission. His new title is
Director, Global Mission Funding. Andrew
is often on the road, visiting with the
major donors who make much of this
work possible.
Jessica Hacker is the Director of
Stewardship, Operations and Planning.
Her work (and the larger team) includes
not only Global Mission Funding, but the
scholarship operations of the ELCA Fund Holding hands pre-surgery
for Leaders and donor relations related to
all gifts made to ELCA ministries. She
has been with the Mission Advancement And we look toward Tomorrow, even as we rejoice in the
Unit for 9 years and is a returned miracle of Now.
missionary, having served as a GM2 in
Germany.
Jenny Ackerman joins the Global
Mission Funding team as Global Mission
Operations Manager. She serves as the
main contact for any fundraising or home
assignment questions, facilitates
reporting of fundraising and best practice
trainings and leads donor relations. She
previously held a role with ELCA World
Hunger’s network engagement team.
Diane Wilk is the project assistant for
Global Mission Funding. Diane has been
a part of the Global Mission Funding
(previously the Global Church
Sponsorship) team for 8 years and
provides wonderful continuity and wisdom
for those of us who are new to this work.
She helps steward congregational
covenants and resource donors with
information about our ministry and why
their continued support is important.