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pastor  dan's  weekly  memo  for  January 29, 2015

1/29/2015

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So yesterday, somebody walks into the church office with a hot-dish container to return and says, “Will you make sure that “Debbie” Soderholm gets this back?”  I heard what she said but whom, I wondered, is “Debbie” Soderholm?   It took me a moment but I realized she meant Deb Soderholm, our Children’s Ministries Director. I work with, see and call out Deb’s name almost every day of the week.
 
I was able to hold it in for about five seconds into the staff meeting before I looked at Deb and asked, “How’s it going Debbie?”  Deb, or Debbie, whichever you know her by looked at me, laughed and then said something like, “Everybody use to call me Debbie.”  At the staff meeting we went around the table and sure enough most of us use to have a “y” or an “ie” at the end of how most people know us now.  Rick was Ricky. Don was Donnie.  Dan was Danny.  The exception was Judey, who is a Judey and not a Judith, just so you know.  

I’ve asked permission to tell this little bit of EPUMC office staff trivia. But for my part I’d like to remind you that the only people who still call me “Danny,”  are those who knew me before I went away to college and changed my name on the first day.  I will say that hearing someone call me Danny once in a while brings something back that is often buried deep within me.  Yes, it’s a bit nostalgic and fun, but it is also helpful.  It’s helpful to remember where you’ve come from, what parts of you are still down there somewhere even if they are not called out as much as they use to be.  

The other day a couple of folks were cleaning out the history cabinet in the back of the Fellowship Hall.  They uncovered a few things we needed including our “Articles of Incorporation” which among other things, like a birth certificate, tells us what our name is as a congregation.  Our church has had a few names.  We were named after the first Methodist pastor to come here and started out as Macomber Methodist Episcopal Church of Eden Prairie.  Officially, we’ve been Eden Prairie Methodist Episcopal, North, Eden Prairie Methodist and now Eden Prairie United Methodist.  

For a lot of years beginning in the mid 1980’s we had something like a nickname and called ourselves “Prairie Church.” That nickname stuck for a long while and worked very well as a way for us to see ourselves.  That by the way is the reason all of our rooms are named after prairie flowers.  “Prairie” is now also used by a lot of other churches in our community; there is Prairie Lutheran, Prairie Community to name a couple so we’ve kinda let the nickname slide even though our web address is still prairiechurch.org.  

If you look at our new logo you will see that “Eden Prairie” is a lot bigger than “United Methodist” in our name.  I learned today that there was method behind the madness of this design.  It speaks to place an emphasis in our identity.  If you ask me that identity is not so much that most of us live in EP or even that if you want to find us that you should go to 15050 Scenic Height in EP…… But if you are looking for us, you will find us out in this community; active, engaged and involved with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

Keep the Faith!
Pastor Dan

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pastor  dan's  weekly  memo - January 22, 2015

1/22/2015

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Last night was the Wednesday for our youth to serve the meal at Simpson Shelter in Minneapolis. The youth from Discovery UMC in Chanhassen were also there and it was a great time. You would be proud of our youth. We served 110 men and women. 

The way it worked out is I worked with the three guys on the far right of this picture; the ones staring off into space.  They are from Discovery and so not knowing their names,  as the adult who is not very good with remembering names, I gave them names.  I called them Stan, Chuck and Henry.  They didn’t mind, early on they started calling each other by my names for them.

My job was taking the dishes from the guests who had just finished eating.  It was busy but I try to make eye contact with most everybody and say a, “Thank you.”  What is awkward is what do you say after that?  I mean saying, “Have a good night.” to someone who is going to spend it in a homeless shelter seems insensitive. So I don’t say much more.

There was this one woman last night who stood in the serving window (which is just like ours at EPUMC) like she had to talk to somebody.  She said something into the kitchen so the three boys standing next to me could hear it like, “I’ve been coming here long enough to be able to say this, this was the best meal ever, really I mean that now.” Now the food was what we always bring; several dishes of lasagna and other tomato based pasta dishes. We did bring a whole lot of broccoli and most of the people got either a slice of roast pork or some meatloaf, but it really wasn’t anything special. 

I’ve been thinking about this woman today.  I’ve been wondering what her name is; she has a familiar name.  She reminds me of several people I’ve known one named, Bernice and the other named, Judy who often exaggerated compliments to youth. I think they did it for the same reason this woman last night did. They and she care about youth knowing that their efforts to care for others is important, that it helps to shape them and to form them at depths that it’s hard to describe.  And that even though this is a strange place; it can be a place God can help you grow up.

You see it didn’t matter if our food was the “best meal ever.”  What matters, if you ask me, is that whatever this woman’s name is, she is in some ways like Bernice and Judy (who let me assure you never spend a single night of their lives in a homeless shelter or anything close to it). You never know where or through whom you are going to hear a word that can help you grow. I hope Stan, Chuck and Henry (whatever their real names are) heard that loud and clear. I hope that woman, whatever her name is, knows how much I appreciated what she had to say.

Keep the Faith!
Pastor Dan

 

 


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pastor  dan's  weekly  memo - January 15, 2015

1/15/2015

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This Sunday following worship it’s our Annual Meeting.  It is an important day and I want to offer a little extra encouragement for you to attend.  First, it is the beginning of our four part worship series on “Sharing the Gift of Church.”  We are going to explore Church as God’s gift. What I hope you receive from this sermon series/message is how our Church, EPUMC, is a gift from God in your life and a gift to our community.  

The second encouragement really needs no encouraging. Following worship we will gather in the fellowship hall for a potluck meal.  It’s always good to eat together. The food is always great, the people are great and unless it’s your turn (or if you are so inclined) you don’t have to clean up. If your name begins with an A-I please bring a main dish/hot dish; J-M – please bring a dessert; N-Z – please bring a salad. If you’re reading this and you’ve never attended a fellowship meal, this is a good one try.  Really, don’t worry if you forget to bring food, there is always plenty and the more of you who show up the better.  Heck, if you don’t want to eat you don’t have too; just saying….And of course there will be somebody engaging the kids.  

At our Annual meeting we keep the meeting part of it very short.  Yes, we have to elect some officers but they are already recruited. The budget will be mentioned but it will be approved tonight at our CMC meeting.  The main part of the “meeting” on Sunday will be (I hope) interesting, enlightening and inspiring and no, it’s not another sermon.  Since October, Don, Deb, Andrew, our Church leaders and I have been discussing what we believe is a bit of a different slant on how we might “do” church in 2015 with the goal of engaging more of you more fully.  

It’s time for all of us, for you to be a part of this conversation.  We’ll discuss why 2015 is a crucial year for EPUMC.  We’ll hear about: What is a “life cycle,” of a congregation. Why it is important this year that we begin to act a little more like we did when we were just beginning to grow up as a church in order to grow deeper into the church God is calling us to become.   

Finally, I’ll present a worship/study/mission focus for our congregation that understands our Church as a gift from God that is meant to be shared.  Our specific gift to this community is that we are: Big Enough to Make a Difference Small Enough to Care.  How will we equip ourselves and share this gift in order to insure that this specific gift of God is passed on to the next generation in Eden Prairie, Minnesota?  

All that and all the love and fellowship and camaraderie and fun that is being a part of this community of faith awaits.  I really hope to see you this Sunday.  

Keep the Faith!

Pastor Dan

 

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pastor  Dan's  weekly  memo  for  January 8, 2015

1/8/2015

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There is something about the first full week of the New Year that is difficult.  For some of us the new year brings with it a few fears; the bills from Christmas start appearing, it’s suddenly tax season and oh by the way… you’re going to have another birthday this year, which as I approach my 6th decade of life makes me want to quit counting. For students, teachers, a lot of parents and those of us who are in some way connected to the schedule of some school (or other) it’s realizing the break you’ve really been looking forward to is over.

 

Last night was the first Wednesday night back after what we might call our Christmas break.  For much of Tuesday we were wondering if (holding out hope that) we would be extending this break one more week. We have posted a policy that says whenever Eden Prairie Public School cancels classes, we cancel our activities that evening also. This includes choir and any classes as well as youth activities. The problem last night was that we have several school districts represented in our congregation and although Eden Prairie did not cancel school a few other surrounding districts did. 

 

It was interesting to observe the moods of those who had school alongside those who did not.  You can imagine that those who did not, were a bit more shall we say upbeat and those who did were shall we say… not so much.  I don’t know if that had to do with being happy to have something to do after the end of a day or… one having more things to do after a very long day.

 

Last night reminds me that we all show up at Church from different times, spaces and places.  Some of us are just having a regular normal day.  For others we are in the middle of some important time in our life, maybe we are still grieving the death of someone we recently lost, maybe getting together with the family over Christmas has caused some sort of dysfunction to resurface.  Last night one guy told me that since he had a whole day to catch up on homework, his mother suggested coming to church was a good idea. Some of us are just happy to be here, some of us are not sure why we are here and others are just showing up because it’s our routine

 

I’ve said this many times, but at the beginning of the year it bears repeating;   We need each other. And in a church family you are showing up not only for what you are anticipating but because I am convinced, someone else needs you to show up. 

 

These days there may be a few more ways to show up. For some, Sunday morning is just not possible for you and so you stay connected through friends, our website, maybe this memo every week.  However you do it, I want to encourage and/ or challenge you to show up to be connected not just for yourself or your family but because some how some way someone else needs you to. In our consumer driven, “What is in it for me?” culture this is an important distinction for us to remember as we begin our new year together.

 

Keep the Faith!

Pastor Dan


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(952) 937-8781

15050 Scenic Heights Road
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
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