Last weekend, the Southeastern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America met for its annual “assembly” at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester. Every year, representatives and leaders from every congregation in the synod gather to connect with each other, to share ideas, to learn together, to study the Bible together and to … More When God’s People Gather
Good afternoon friends! I want to begin with a few words of thanks. First, I’d like to thank Bonnie and her crew, for putting together our wonderful lunch this afternoon! Let’s show our appreciation! Second, a quick observation: Tending the vision and the mission of what is really a pretty decent-sized organization, like Trinity is, … More Pastor Todd’s Annual Report to the Congregation
Today is the day! 100 years ago this evening, a group of about 60 people gathered in the Universalist Church building in downtown Owatonna and decided that it was time to form a new church. Up until that point, the Lutheran churches in Owatonna offered worship or confirmation in only Danish, German or Norwegian. The … More Today is the Day! Happy Birthday…To Us!
One of the signs of a congregation’s healthy, vibrant ministry with young people is when its young adults serve for the summer during their college years at one of our ELCA Bible camps. There are 97 outdoor ministry or Bible camp organizations in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, that operate 126 camp sites. During … More A Summer Unlike Anything Else
I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am. Yes, I know, we’re not supposed to show pride, but I think that’s talking about pride within oneself. Pride of others? I think that’s probably ok. I am so proud of Trinity’s young people. What a fantastic group we have. The whole week that we … More A Week of Joy, Love and Challenge
As I write this, Trinity’s group of 47 youth and adult leaders are traveling to the ELCA Youth Gathering in Houston, Texas. Right now they are somewhere in Oklahoma, and are about 5 driving hours away from their destination. I’m pretty certain that they are all looking forward to getting off of the bus, getting … More This Changes Everything
This summer, a lot of us are going to load up planes, trains and automobiles and hit the road. We’ll go to the beach, to the lake, to the cabin, to a theme park, to the mountains, to a foreign land… The goal is both to recreate, and to re-create. That is, to go and … More Taking Church With You
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!” – Isaiah 6:8 The call process for Trinity’s new pastor or deacon, who will lead our faith formation ministry, is on track and moving forward! I just wanted … More A Call Committee Update
The news release begins with the words: “Lutherans from around the world and ecumenical guests gathered at the Sam Nujoma stadium, in Windhoek, Namibia for the global commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.”(1) These people have gathered for the annual meeting of the Lutheran World Federation, when leaders and representatives from all of … More A Global Reformation: Looking Forward
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the … More A Teaching Church
Test Driving Theology 