1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity
3. catholicism

Greetings from Pastor Bill –
What a month January has turned out to be. Things just don’t slow down. I once had a friend who told
me you will have plenty of time on your hands when you go to a smaller church. We haven’t talked for a
long time, but I would like to tell him that just because we don’t worship a thousand people on a Sunday
morning, doesn’t mean that great ministry isn’t happening and that numbers in worship doesn’t mean
everything. Things are happening at KLC – and they are exciting. Several examples – and opportunities:
Some of us helped to serve the meal at
Calvary Lutheran again – some youth and
adults. A great opportunity to be of service
to others! Also in January, several, led by
Ann Hanson served a meal at Ridgewater
Campus
Ministry
Center. A fantastic way to interact with college kids and other
adults who are taking classes there. Some servers are shown
here with Pastor Amy, the ELCA chaplain there.
While there are so many great things going on, we need to admit we have a ways to go.
High school kids: we need you in worship and Sunday School – even seniors and juniors. We
need you to be a witness and an example to others. You might just have a little fun as you keep learning
about your faith. No, you haven’t learned it all yet! The mindset that having been confirmed, means we
don’t come, or go to other events as part of KLC, is not something I accept. This is a critical time for you.
Our youth pastor will be looking for ways to keep you connected here – oh yes, that would be me, and
you are a priority to me!
At a recent Wednesday night, our nominating committee spent hours calling people to help
serve on boards. There are still openings! In my ideal setting, people would be calling us to volunteer!
Sunday School teachers and subs are still needed. In my ideal setting, we would have a surplus –
shared responsibility brings great joy! I know schedules are hectic as we try to be about God’s work.
All Sunday School kids: the offering goes to support a child in a foreign country and Sunday
School needs. Don’t forget to put your offering in the plate provided. (Currently the offering is about
$10, and often less than that is being received.)
We will be voting on new By-Laws at our annual meeting, February 1st. The biggest change will be the
number of people on the church council. Presently, with all positions filled, it would be 25. With the
proposed By-Laws, the number would be 10. They would include the Executive Committee (new name,
and includes: President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer), all the chairpersons of the active
boards – or designee (Worship and Witness, Outreach and Evangelism [new board], Education Board
[melding the Board of Christian Education and Board of Youth and Young Adults], Stewardship and
Finance Board [new combination of duties], and Property and Grounds), and the President or Designee
of the Women of the ELCA. If the chairperson is not able to attend the church council meeting, a
designee may be appointed. So there would normally be ten people present and no danger of not
having a quorum. If a quorum is not present, no official business of the church is able to be conducted.
I hope this helps. More explanations of changes and a comparison between current and proposed ByLaws are available on a separate sheet on the table by the office. God bless your February!
Pastor Bill
KERKHOVEN LUTHERAN CHURCH COUNCIL MINUTES
January 14, 2015
The Kerkhoven Lutheran Church Council met on Wednesday, January 14 at 7:30 p.m. President Kent Baker called
the meeting to order.
Devotions & prayer were given by Ann Hanson. Devotions for February will be given by Marlene Hauge.
The December 2014 Secretary’s report was accepted as printed. L. Meyer/A. Hanson.
The December 2014 Treasurer’s Reports was reviewed by the Council. All money borrowed from other accounts
has been paid back to those accounts. Report was accepted as printed. L. Svobodny. D. Toutge.
Board of Worship & Witness: Chair-Judy Halvorson; Secretary Karen Mellgren
*Need ushers and lectors.
*Working on special music for worship services.
Board of Properties: Chair-Barney Lilly; Secretary-Terry Yokom
*Barney Lilly presented the budget for 2015. A thank you will be placed in the bulletin and messenger for all the
financial support of the church.
Board of Education/Board of Youth and Young Adults: Chair-Theresa Smith; Secretary Beth Carlson
*Still need a couple of Sunday School teachers.
Board of Stewardship: Chair-Ann Hanson; Secretary-Lisa Svobodny
*The pig project is completed, money collected was matched by a corporation so that a total of 100 pigs were
purchased.
*Kevin Steinhaus will be speaking at Kerkhoven Lutheran Church in March.
*Walk for Water is the upcoming project, the Luther League will also be helping with this project.
*Support of the Campus Ministry is on-going. A meal at the campus will be served in the future.
Women of the ELCA
*No report
Pastor’s Report
*A complete written report can be obtained at the church office.
*Reminder to the council of the “Equipping Our Congregation workshop in Willmar on Feb. 28th.
*Pastor gave an attendance report for the last four years.
Old Business
*Annual Congregational Meeting is Sun., Feb. 1.
*The nominating committee is aware that two ballots will need to be prepared.
New Business
*Motion was made & seconded to accept the budget as presented and to present it to the congregation at the
annual meeting. J. Just/M. Hauge. Thank you to Barney for all his work on the budget.
*Smoke alarms for the church were discussed. The church needs more smoke detectors placed at various places
in the church to be discussed at a later date with Fire Chief Jesse Nelson.
*Discussed was a refresher course for the defibrillator.
A motion was made & seconded to adjourn. L. Svobodny/L. Meyer. Closed with Prayer.
Judy Baker, Secretary
Members present: Kent Baker, Jim Just, Judy Halverson, Darrell Toutge, Marlene Hauge, Richard Carlson, Barney
Lilly, Theresa Smith, Chris Wenisch, Judy Baker, Ann Hanson, Lee Meyer, Phyllis Meyer, Lisa Svobodny and Pastor
Bill.
February WELCA News
Dear Sisters in Christ,
Quilting is going well with a good turnout and the weather is cooperating nicely. Everyone enjoys Mona Doering’s
delicious noon lunches and the goodies that the ladies bring for coffee and dessert.
We had our Togetherness Meeting on January 10th. Our officers for 2015 are Carmen Maus – President; Vicepresident – open; Secretary – Kayla Kelm; Treasurer – Kim Harkema; Mission for Growth – Theresa Smith; Mission
for Action & Community – Georgia Doering, Phyllis Meyer and Faye Helms; Nominating Committee – Linda Weets
and Kim Harkema.
February brings more quilting. Come and join us.
February dates to remember:
Violet circle serves for February.
Feb. 1: Potluck dinner followed by Annual Meeting of KLC (Council serves)
Feb. 3: 1:30 WELCA Bible Study
Feb. 4: 9:00 am Quilting
Feb. 4: 6:30 WELCA General Board Meeting
Feb. 11: 9:00 Quilting
Feb. 18: 9:00 Quilting
Feb. 25: 9:00 Quilting
STEWARDSHIP UPDATE: On Tuesday January 20th, 4 members of KLC plus Pastor Bill brought a
noon meal to the Campus Ministry Center at Ridgewater College in Willmar. We served a pulled pork
lunch and visited with students who came for the free meal. We had a great time. The students come
from many different states and programs, both young traditional students and more mature non-traditional
students making career changes. Each one has a very interesting and unique story to tell. They are
engaging and most of them made a special effort to stop and thank us for bringing the meal. We have
made a commitment to serve a free meal once a month until the end of the current school year. We are
asking for volunteers that would like to be a part of this ministry to these students. We have committed to
serving on the following dates:
Tuesday, February 17th; Tuesday, March 31st; Tuesday, April 28th;
th
and Wednesday, May 13 . Serving times are from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you are interested in helping with
this project there will be a sign up sheet on the table between the offices. We can have a short meeting to
plan what to serve prior to the date of service. The Campus Ministry Center is also requesting baked
goods that they can have available for snacks during their Bible Studies and following their worship
service.
COMING SOON TO A NEIGHBORHOOD NEAR YOU!!!!!
Plans are underway to introduce the upcoming service project which will be the ELCA
World Hunger “Walk for Water”. We will be joining the ELCA youth who are joining
together to do something big in conjunction with their Youth Gathering. The goal is to
raise $500,000 for ELCA World Hunger supported water projects around the world.
Through these gifts, local communities will be equipped to provide water for drinking and growing crops,
sanitation and hygiene, as well as ongoing health education, training and maintenance. And thanks to a
generous family in the ELCA all gifts toward this goal will be matched – dollar for dollar – to until we
reach a grand total of $1 million!
KLC will be introducing a project along with the Luther League that will assist them in raising funds in
advance of the 2015 Youth Gathering and they will be able to bring these offerings to the Gathering and
take part in an unforgettable walk designed to simulate the experience of collecting water miles away
from home, while raising questions about access to water in the U.S. too.
LUTHER LEAGUE EVENTS
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2015 – BOWLING AFTER CHURCH
On Sunday, February 8, 2015 the Luther League and their families will meet in the fellowship hall after the
10:45 a.m. service to car pool to go bowling in Benson. The cost for 2 games of bowling, shoe rental, 2
pieces of pizza and pop is $10.00 which Luther League will pay for each Luther League youth. You can
bring a friend. However, they will need to pay for their own bowling and food. Any questions, contact
Loretta at 979-6959.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2015 – ELCA YOUTH GATHERING MEETING
On Sunday, February 22, 2015 all youth and chaperones going to the ELCA youth gathering are invited to
a meeting at Vinje Lutheran Church in Willmar. We will meet at 12:50 p.m. at Kerkhoven Lutheran
Church and car pool to Vinje. (Meeting starts at 1:30 p.m.) We will be eating dinner at this meeting.
There are 42 youth and adults riding on the Rustad Coach bus to the gathering. They are from Vinje
Lutheran Church, Bethel Lutheran Church, Kerkhoven Lutheran Church and Our Savior’s Lutheran
Church.
We will meet with the other youth and chaperones and talk about the gathering, etc. Any questions, call
Loretta at 979-6959.
THANK YOU!!!
Thank you to the Luther League and their families and church members who helped serve the meal and
help clean up at Calvary Lutheran Church. You are blessed for giving up your time to serve others.
Thanks again!
Luther League members will receive a copy of the Lenten Supper schedule as
well as the Easter Breakfast serving schedule in the mail.
L.L. Lenten Suppers
The Luther League will be serving hot dish suppers on
Wednesday evenings from 6-7 p.m. on the following nights:
February 25, March 4, March 11, March 18 and March 25.
Free will donations. Please join the Luther League for food and
fellowship prior to the Lenten services at 7:30 p.m.
February Sunday School News
A new “Acolyte Schedule” will be coming out shortly. This year’s third
graders will be added to the schedule, and all students in 3rd – 6th grades
will receive acolyte instructions in the upcoming months. Make sure to
mark your calendars when you get the schedule.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Feb. 22nd at 8:30 a.m.
KLC Sunday School Choir Sings
Luther League Coffee Schedule:
Feb. 1st – M. Rudningen*, M. Zvorak, J. & L. Hoefer
Feb. 8th – L. Wagner*, J. & J. Carlson, N. Klaphake
Feb. 15th – D. & E. Hauge*, E. Norton, A. Hauge
Feb. 22nd – K. & N. Meyer*, C. Kinney, B. Anderson
Acolyte Schedule:
Feb. 1st – (8:30) Julia Carlson & Katie Klaphake
(10:45) Devon Swanson & Jackson Ziehl
th
Feb 8 – (8:30) Easton Wenisch & Grace Collins
(10:45) Luke Hoefer & Matthew Zvorak
th
Feb 15 – (8:30) Matthew Molenaar & Jacob Walsh
(10:45) Christian Ziehl & Jaiden Henjum
th
Feb 18 – Ash Wednesday Service (7:30) Derrick Henry & Wylee Lottman
Feb 25th – To be announced
Sunday School Teachers Needed!
There is a sign-up sheet outside of the office for volunteers to sign up! There are
dates left for 2nd and 5th and 6th grades! Please consider teaching one Sunday and
experiencing how fun, rewarding and easy it can be! If you have questions please
contact Dana Wenisch!
The following people have birthdays in February:
Donna Baker – 1st
Jeff VandenEinde – 3rd
Brett Brendemuehl – 5th
William Doering – 6th
Travis Falk – 6th
Melissa Hauge – 6th
Brielle Torkelson – 7th
Jenna Hoefer – 8th
Sally Peterson – 12th
Steve Ruka – 15th
Michael Holtkamp – 15th
Courtney Walsh – 16th
Cindy Wenisch – 18th
Francis Ruka – 18th
Caleb Collins – 19th
Annelle Guillemard – 19th
Mary Miller – 21st
Viva Lundberg – 21st
Caroline Chan – 22nd
Tyler Lundberg – 22nd
Stella Doering – 22nd
Michael McCleary – 22nd
Eero Nelson – 23rd
Magnus Nelson – 23rd
Rex Nelson – 23rd
Payton Ruka – 24th
Stacy Anderson – 25th
David Gordon – 26th
Thomas Burns – 28th
Mary Hatlestad – 28th
Birthdays
ALTAR GUILD
FEBRUARY/MARCH
Karen Mellgren
Jane Quale
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL! If we missed your birthday, please let Evelyn Williams know.
CARDS OF THANKS
Thank you to the carolers for the songs and delicious cookies, to WELCA, Florence and Franny for the
flower, and to Pastor Bill for bringing me communion. – Elaine Bengtson
Many thanks this past year to my family, friends, Pastor Bill and my church family. Thank you to my
family and friends for all your loving care, concern, help and support with my fractured leg, cataract
surgery and continuing rehab. Thank you Pastor Bill, the Prayer Chain, and KLC congregation for all
your prayers, concern, words of encouragement and continued prayers for my healing during this time
in my life which will be okay. God Bless, Pam Johnson
Thank you to the Kerkhoven Lutheran WELCA ladies for the birthday greeting. I feel old now. Thanks
for the Christmas greeting and the beautiful poinsettia plant. I’m enjoying it every day. Sorry Florence
& Franny I wasn’t home to cook a cup of coffee. And best of all I really enjoyed the card with return
address on from: Some nice Lutheran Kids. A Blessed 2015 to all. –Marilyn Hafstad
Thanks you to the congregation for your generous contributions at the end of the year which allowed
us to pay back all money borrowed from the General Savings during the year and still have a good
amount to start the new year.
Recognition of Baptisms
We will be recognizing all of our Sunday School youth who have baptisms in February at either worship service on
February 15th. All of these children will be invited up to the front and presented with a hand-made cross or a shell in
memory of their baptism. We celebrate their baptisms because that is the day that they became a part of God’s
family and started on their journey of faith in God.
Alison Krieger – 2nd
Kennedy Klein – 2nd
Christian Ziehl – 6th
Jay Harkema – 8th
Emily Wagner – 11th
Jaiden Henjum – 13th
Corbin Nystrom – 20th
Kalilna Nichols – 28th
BAPTISMS
Many people remember people’s birthdays, but we also need to remember the day of our spiritual birth, our
baptismal day. If your baptism is not listed below, and you know you were baptized in February, please give the
office a call and we will update our church records. Also please take note of who was baptized during this month
and wish them a happy baptismal day.
Andrew Glimsdal – 1st
Alison Krieger – 2nd
Kennedy Klein – 2nd
Renee McCleary – 3rd
Craig Rhoda – 6th
Christian Ziehl – 6th
Jay Harkema – 8th
Carmen Maus – 10th
Mary Ann Holtkamp – 11th
Emily Wagner – 11th
Kay Wagner – 13th
Jaiden Henjum – 13th
Jordan Almen – 14th
Judy Baker – 15th
Tyler Carlson – 16th
Pam Johnson – 17th
Corbin Nystrom – 20th
Casandra Clasen – 21st
Kyle Baker – 26th
Kris Cortez – 26th
Corey Dokkebakken – 27th
Kalina Nichols – 28th
Karl Holtkamp – 29th
Baptisms
On January 4, 2015 Libby Grace Holtkamp, daughter of Karl & Sarah Holtkamp, was baptized at KLC with
Pastor Bill Miller officiating. Libby was born October 9, 2014 at Rice Hospital, Willmar. Her sponsors are
Casey and Jared Krieger.
On January 25, 2015 Emmet Zane Rudningen, son of Eric & Mariah Rudningen, was baptized at KLC with
Pastor Bill Miller officiating. Emmet was born December 13, 2014 at Rice Hospital, Willmar. His sponsors
are Jesse & Alison Nelson and Jim & Heather Anderson.
The full year’s treasurer’s report for 2014 can be found in the Annual Report.
Prayer Concerns
There are some of you receiving the Messenger who have been given the gift of prayer and others of
you have loved ones and friends in need of prayer. Please continue to remember the following persons
during the month.
Ryan Depew
Adeline Skogstoe
Lyle Stai
Kari Lundberg
Marilyn Hafstad
Dale Johnson
Dorothy Church
Gary Gronseth
Gen Berger
Jan Almen
Elaine Bengtson
Lucille Worden
Carol Glembin
Al Hagen
Camie Fernholz
Dick Welch
Jerry McCleary
Morgan Collins
Doris Bakken
Ann Hanson
Josh Klopp, son-in-law of Mike & Donna Swanson
Robert Carter, brother of Melissa Hauge, open chest surgery
Joby Schroder, friend of Cindy Doering Clasen
Howard & Gladys Powers, parents of Naomi Baker
Craig Johnson, friend of Lee Meyer
Jerry Nelson, grandson of Mary Lou Carlson
Andrew Ellsworth, nephew of Scott Mitteness
Lynn Moore, sister of Barb Norton
Bruce Roever, son-in-law of Adeline Skogstoe
Tenley Thompson, great niece of Naomi Baker
Gladys Arends
Carol Wamhoff
Pearl Anderson
Roger Lesteberg
Carl Just
Hans Thorson
Sam Fenstra
Lennie Vogelpohl
Rod Swanson
Donna Swanson
Chris Schmidt
Jack Swanson
Phyllis Loven
Pastor Don Block
Harsey Scott
Don VanZee
Pam Johnson
Nolan Baker
Don Thompson
Cayson Rialson, great-grandson of Bev & Don Johnson
Susan Weldon, daughter of Dorothy Church
Brad Welberg, son-in-law of Linda Weets
Arno Brendemuehl, brother of Bill Brendemuehl
Connie Edge, twin sister of Kay Brendemuehl
Pam Carlson, wife of Jeff Carlson
Cordelia Kotak, step-daughter of Carol Glembin
Lisa Welch, granddaughter of Mary Lou Carlson
Jim Lundberg, brother of Jerry Lundberg
Friends and relatives serving in our military
MISSIONARY FOR A DAY
Dec. 27: In Memory of Wendell Thorson by Clarine Beck.
Dec. 28: In Memory of Wendell Thorson by Mary Kay Austvold.
Dec. 28: In Memory of Wendell Thorson by Jerry & Vi Lundberg.
Dec. 28: In Memory of Wendell Thorson by Barney & Jean Lilly.
Dec. 28: In Memory of Wendell Thorson by Ev Williams.
Dec. 28: In Honor of Carol Glembin’s 91st birthday by Barney & Jean Lilly.
Dec. 27: In Memory of Wendell Thorson by Doris Bakken.
Dec. 27: In Memory of Wendell Thorson by Carol Toutge.
Jan. 18: In Memory of Laura Lottman’s brother, Marvin Koenen, by Barney & Jean Lilly.
--------------------------------------------------CLIP AND PLACE IN OFFERING PLATE---------------------------------------I would like to support Missionary For A Day on the date of _____________________________________
Circle one: In Honor of/ In Memory of/ In Thanks to God for____________________________________
Signed: _______________________________________________________________________________