American Lutheran Church

Gaylord, Minnesota

May 2025 Newsletter

“I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

Worship Services

Worship Services will be held on Sunday mornings at 9:30 AM in May.

Holy Communion will be served each Sunday during the Season of Easter.
We will continue to stream our services life through the Facebook app and upload them to our church Facebook page for later viewing.
Thank you to our faithful worshippers and viewers. 

Schedule of Musicians

Here is the schedule of Musicians/Singers for the month of May.

Sunday, May 4-  Patty will play piano.

Sunday, May 11-  Vicki will play guitar and the Praise Team will sing. 

Sunday, May 18-  Patty will play piano.

Sunday, May 25-  Terry will play his accordion and the Men’s Group will sing.

Thank you to these people for sharing their musical talents!

Sermon Topics

Pastor Paul will preach on the Revised Common Lectionary Texts in the month of May.

Here are the dates, Gospel readings, and topics:
Sunday, May 4-  John 21:1-19  “Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples”
Sunday, May 11-  John 10:22-30  “Jesus Is Rejected By the Jews”
Sunday, May 18-  John 13:31-35 “Jesus Gives A New Commandment”
Sunday, May 25- John 14:23-29  “Jesus Will Send the Advocate”

The Confirmation Service will be on Sunday, May 4.

Mother’s Day is May 11

WELCA Bible Study

The Women of the ELCA will meet on Wednesday, May 14 at 1:00 PM. 
read and discuss a one-time Devotional called “Receiving the Spirit’s Flame” by Cara Strickland.  
The focus is spiritual gifts in the life of the church. The summer Bible Study will begin in June.

It's called "Where Two or Three are Gathered: Flourishing in Relationships". 

Prayer Shawl Ministry

The Prayer Shawl Group will meet on Wednesday, May 14 at 6:30 PM. 
Thank you to all the talented ladies who make shawls for this compassionate ministry. 
There are a number of thank you cards on the bulletin board in the narthex. 

Worship Committee Meeting

The Worship Committee will meet on Wednesday, May 14 at 7:00 PM in Pastor Paul’s office to review Lent and Easter services and to make
worship plans for the summer months. Committee Members are Pam, Todd, Terry, Connie, April, Patty, and Ann.

Adult Education Class

The Adult Education Class will meet on Sunday, May 18 after the service. 
We will continue our discussion on issues of “Death and Dying” and how this relates to our Christian faith. 

Confirmation Classes

The seventh grade Confirmation Class meets on Wednesday afternoons at 4:00 PM.  The last day of class instruction will be Wednesday, May 21.
The class is currently studying the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul and early Christian Church. 

Ninth Grade Class

The third year Confirmation Class will meet on Wednesday, April 23 and on Wednesday, April 30. 
Pastor Paul will work out times with the parents/students. 
One class will be an activity on the theme of “Connecting with God through Fellowship” and the other will be preparation for the Confirmation Service. 

Gustavus Meeting

The Gustavus Adolphus College Association of Congregations Business Meeting will be held on Saturday, April 26 in St. Peter. 
If you are interested in attending the meeting in place of Dawn (who was elected at the Annual Meeting, but is unable to attend), please talk to Pastor Paul. 
There are over 500 Lutheran congregations that are part of this association.

Church Council Meeting

The Church Council will meet on Wednesday, May 21 at 6:30 PM. Council minutes from the April meeting are in this newsletter.  
Extra copies are on the counter under the mail slots.

Bayside Manor Service

Pastor Paul will lead the Worship Service at Bayside Manor on Saturday, May 24 at 10:00 AM in the chapel. 
Members of the church who are current residents of Bayside Manor are Karen, Milton, Don & Gail, and Shirley.

Office Computers

The church recently purchased two computers- for Pastor Paul’s office and the secretary’s office.
The money was taken from the Durable Office Equipment Fund.
Thank you to Cheryl for setting up both computers and getting them hooked up to the internet. 

Synod Assembly

The 2025 SWMN Synod Assembly will take place Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7 at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. 
There will be worship, guest speakers, approval of the budget, election of church leaders, and fellowship time.
No voting member from church was elected at the Annual Meeting in January.  If you are interested in attending the assembly, please talk to Pastor Paul. 

Registration for Green Lake Bible Camp is open for summer, 2025! Brochures are under the mail slots. Talk to Pastor Paul about scholarships!

Green Lake Bible Camp

Green Lake Bible Camp is a great spiritual experience and a lot of fun.  Camp Brochures are on the counter under the mail slots. 
Due to a very generous gift from the Delores Jackson Trust all young people from American Lutheran Church who attend Green Bible Camp
will receive a $250.00 scholarship. This is in addition to the scholarships given by the church. 
This means there is no cost for members of the church to attend Bible Camp! 

Families will need to pay deposits and initial balances up front, the Jackson Trust scholarship will be applied by the camp, and the church scholarship will be
given to parents when their kids leave for camp this summer.  If you have any questions or need help getting registered for camp, please talk to Pastor Paul.

Music Under the Oaks

Volunteers from church will serve the meal for Music Under the Oaks on Wednesday,  July 9 at Oak Tree Park. 
Thank you to Dale & Kathy for coordinating the meal.

Day Camp

Day Camp will most likely be held over three evenings in August.  Pastor Paul is working on some ideas. 
Last year we had counselors from Green Lake Bible Camp with us, this year we will rely on volunteers from church. 

Eggstravaganza Service

The Eggstravaganza Service will be held on Sunday, August 10 at 10:00 AM in the Oak Tree Park Pavillion. 
The service is sponsored by American Lutheran Church, St. Paul’s and Trinity Lutheran Churches, and the United Church of Christ. 
The pastors will come up with a theme on ‘royalty’ which is the theme of Eggstravaganza this year.

Lenten Suppers

Thank you to everyone who served the five Lenten Suppers in March and April, including Women of the ELCA, Confirmation Students,
Church Council Members, Sunday School Teachers (past and present), and Dale & Kathy and Jerry & Cindy.

Lenten Services

Thank you to everyone who helped with the Lenten Services in March and April, including Patty and Terry for leading Holden Evening Prayer. 
Thank you also to Todd,  Sheila, Randy, Dawn, Doug & Connie, and Wayne for participating in the “Untie the Donkey” skits.

South Africa Partnership Meeting

Thank you to Vicky, Ann, Doris, and Linda for serving the meal for the South Africa Partnership Meeting that was held on April 3 at church. 
This partnership is a ministry of the Minnesota Valley Conference of the SWMN Synod.    

Palm Sunday Service

Thank you to the following young people for participating in the Palm Sunday Service on April 13…

Thank you to Connie Quast for coordinating the service and working with the kids. 

Maundy Thursday Service

Thank you to the men who participated in “The Last Supper” drama at the Maundy Thursday Service on April 18. 

Easter Sunday Services

Thank you to all the people who helped with the Easter Sunday Services on April 20.
Thank you to Patty for playing piano, Terry for playing trombone and leading the choir.
Thank you to Kaleb for playing trumpet, Doug and Dawn for reading the Bible lessons and assisting with Holy Communion.
Thank you to Doris for running Easy Worship, and Todd for running the sound system.   

Easter Breakfast

Thank you to the Confirmation Students (and parents) for serving the Easter Breakfast on April 20 between services. 
Thank you to Missy for making the rolls again this year.  The free will offering received… youth ministry activities...

Sunday School Service

The end of the year Sunday School Program was held on Sunday, April 27.  Our theme was “Hooked on Jesus”.
The kids participated in the service in a variety of ways.  Thank you to Connie Quast for planning the service and working with the kids. 

His By Grace Concert

Thank you to everyone who attended the His By Grace Concert on April 27. 
Thank you to Vicki for coordinating the concert and everyone who helped prepare/serve the meal.

911 Eighth Street PO Box 176

Gaylord, MN 55334

507-237-2428
amlc@rsfiber.net

www.alcgaylord.com

The mission statement of

American Lutheran Church is:

“to help people grow in their faith in Jesus

and to live out their faith in daily life.”