Worship is at the center of our life together as a congregation. We trust that this is one of the central places where God meets us as we hear God’s word to us and gather around Christ’s Table to receive Holy Communion. For this reason, we strongly encourage all of our members to be regular in worship. Each time we gather as God’s people we have an opportunity to hear the good news of God’s love and forgiveness.
During the school year, from September through May, we have two services at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. We have also recently added WoW! (Worship on Wednesdays at 6:15 p.m.) Our 8:30 a.m. worship is traditional or blended in style. This means that we use liturgies from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, With One Voice and Now the Feast and Celebration. The hymns we sing at this service are mostly traditional in nature, but we include other songs from a variety of sources. Our 11:00 worship is primarily contemporary. The music and liturgy is printed in the bulletin and the worship is led by a worship team that guides the congregation through the service. Our Wednesday service is 45 minutes in length and includes Holy Communion, the sermon from the previous Sunday, and primarily contemporary music.
During the summer, we have services at 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. These services use a variety of worship styles, and we use the same order of service at both worship times.
Holy Communion
Holy Communion is offered at all of our Sunday and Wednesday services. We trust that as we receive this Sacrament, Christ is truly present and offers himself to us as we eat and drink. We practice Open Communion in our congregation, which means that all baptized Christians who trust that Christ is present in the Lord’s Supper and have been instructed in the Sacrament are welcome to commune regardless of church or denominational background.
Children who are not yet communing are welcome to come to the front for a blessing.
Once a child is in first grade, parents may decide when they believe their son or daughter is ready to attend Communion Instruction and receive their First Communion. Most children come to the Lord’s Table for the first time some time between first and fifth grade. We trust parents to decide on the age that is most appropriate for their son or daughter. Communion Instruction usually takes place during the season of Lent.
Worship Participation
You will notice that many members of the congregation participate in leadership roles in our worship. Lay people serve as Assisting Ministers, Readers, Worship Team members, ushers, greeters and musicians. We strongly encourage this participation by people of all ages.
Having children in worship is an important value in our congregation. To help make worship meaningful for them, we provide a Children’s Message each week, as well as Activity Bags and Children’s Bulletins. Because we welcome and encourage children to be in worship, we recognize that there will be activity and a certain noise level in the sanctuary during our services.
Of course, there may also be times when parents wish to use a nursery for their children. A nursery is provided during our Sunday services and is staffed during that time by paid nursery attendants. If parents use the nursery, we ask that they fill out a name tag for their child(ren) so that attendants can call them by name.
Staff
The following people are staff members at Resurrection:
Dwaine Bruns Pastor
Linda Lagergren Associate Pastor
Sandy Spiczka ...........Youth and Family Ministry Coordinator
Kathy Kuebelbeck Secretary and Volunteer Coordinator
Children’s Choir Director
Karen Bobeldyk Co-coordinator of Worship and Music (8:30 a.m. worship)
Jeanne Bruns Co-coordinator of Worship and Music (11:00 a.m. worship)
Adult Choir Director
Dale Hasch Custodian
Tiffany Korneck ..Nursery Attendant
We have Sunday School classes that meet at 9:45 a.m. on Sunday mornings from September through May. These classes are for children from three years old through sixth grade. We also have WoW! classes on Wednesday evening at 5:30 p.m. for children from 3 years old to sixth grade. In addition, we have an adult Sunday School class that meets at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings.
Confirmation Instruction
Our confirmation instruction takes place during grades 7 – 9. Students meet on Wednesday evenings from 7:10 – 8:25 p.m. from September through May. Our program includes study of the Bible and Luther’s Small Catechism, as well as fellowship and servant activities. Students affirm their baptisms in the Service of Confirmation during the fall of their 10th grade year.
Youth Activities
There are youth activities for students in grades 7 – 12. These activities include social events, opportunities for services, lock-ins, and retreats. Sr. High youth also have the opportunity to participate in a Mission Trip or National Youth Gathering during the summer months. Youth activities are directed by Pastor Linda and our Youth and Family Ministry Coordinator.
Music
We offer a variety of opportunities for people to use their musical gifts and interests. The Praise Choir is our adult choir that practices on Wednesday evenings at 7:10 p.m. The Promise Choir is our children’s choir that practices on Wednesdays at 7:10 p.m. We have worship teams made up of singers and instrumentalists that provide leadership for our 11:00 a.m. Sunday worship, as well as Our WoW! worship. Each spring, the children of our congregation prepare and present a musical to the congregation. A trumpet ensemble meets occasionally to provide music for special services. We also welcome both children and adults who are interested in providing special music for worship.
Holy Baptism
We baptize both children and adults in our congregation. When adults are baptized, they meet with the pastor over several weeks to prepare for the event. When infants or children are baptized, the parents (and sponsors if possible) meet with the pastor for pre-baptismal instruction. Except in case of an emergency, baptisms take place during a regular worship service so that the congregation may participate in the event.
If you are preparing for a wedding, it is important to contact the church as soon as possible to be sure that the building and the pastor are available on the dates you are considering. If you are being married at Resurrection, a pre-marriage class is required.
Each fall, there is a stewardship emphasis within our congregation. During this time, we invite all of our members to make a financial estimate of giving for the coming year that supports the mission and ministry of our congregation. You will be encouraged to consider committing a percentage of your income to the work that God is doing through this congregation. We will speak about tithing, which is the biblical principle of offering 10% of what you receive back to God. We do talk about money in our congregation. We do this both because we know that money is necessary to carry out our ministry, and even more importantly because financial giving is an important part of our faith as Christians.
When you become a member of Resurrection, you will be provided with offering envelopes. We encourage you to use these envelopes so that you have an accurate record of your giving. At the end of the year, you will receive a giving statement that you can use for tax purposes.
Illness or Hospitalization
Please notify the church in times of serious illness or hospitalization. We want to be able to visit you in the hospital and remember you in prayer. The hospital does not notify the church when members are hospitalized, so we need your help in this area.
If you, a loved one or friend, would like to be included in the prayers of our congregation, please contact the church office. Because of confidentiality concerns, we seek to include in public prayers only those who have given us permission to do so.
You will notice college students from the College of St. Benedict and St. Johns University involved in the ministry of our congregation. Our Associate Pastor, Linda Lagergren, leads our outreach to those campuses, and our congregation’s life is enriched by the participation of the students in our mission.
If you would like to speak with a pastor or have her or him visit you in your home, please call the church office to arrange a convenient time. In times of emergency, please feel free to contact the pastor at home.
Kathy Kuebelbeck, our church secretary, is in the office from 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday. Pastor Dwaine is usually in the office from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday, but is available at other times as well. It is best to call ahead to be sure that he is in before stopping by to visit with him. Pastor Linda is usually in on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Our office phone number is 363-4232. Our fax number is 363-1129. The church’s Email address is rlc@warpdriveonline.com. Pastor Dwaine’s Email is dbruns@warpdriveonline.com. Pastor Linda’s Email is llagergren@mywdo.com.
(Posted 1/30/2010 by JDH)
More Information:
History of Resurrection Lutheran Church
Informational meetings are periodically offered by Pastor Dwaine Bruns for anyone interested in learning more about the church and its teachings.
New member orientation packets are avalable from the church secretary, Kathy Kuebelbeck, at 320-363-4232.