Each year the St. Philip the Deacon Foundation partners with the Ornburg Family to give one scholarship to a graduating high school senior. The St. Philip the Deacon Foundation Ornburg Scholarship is given in memory of Cortland and Gladys Ornburg by their children and grandchildren, one of whom was Cortland (Cork), who passed away in 2018. He was a beloved member of St. Philip the Deacon, and we are grateful to his wife Margaret for her continuing stewardship of this scholarship.

This year’s recipient is Sarah Piepkorn. Sarah is graduating from Wayzata High School and is heading to Gustavus Adolphus College to study nursing in the fall. Sarah has been an active participant in St. Philip the Deacon’s high school ministry, bringing her steady joy and excitement to our weekly gatherings. Sarah also brings her enthusiasm on Sundays, helping with Sunday School and serving in many other ways around St. Philip the Deacon. We are excited to see her continue to live out her faith. Gustavus is lucky to have her!

Through Christ our Savior we are redeemed and reconciled to God our Creator. Through God’s grace, we live as an Easter people, loving one another and God’s creation. Our joyful response to God’s grace is to care for one another and share the gift of grace. Serving our neighbors is a calling, a privilege and a joy!

SPD is offering a number of opportunities this summer for members of our faith community to enjoy the privilege of serving our neighbors.

• Plogging—Saturdays, June 7, 14, 21 at 8 a.m.
• Serve ‘n’ Sun (teens)—June 17, 26, July 24, Aug. 5
• SPD Gardening and Flower Watering
• Prayer Shawl Guild—June 26, July 24, Aug. 28 at 1 p.m.
• LWF Fabric Kits—Assembly, July 10 at 2 p.m.
• Bloodmobile at SPD—Aug. 4 from 1-6 p.m.
• Bridging Welcome Kits—Assembly, Aug. 7 from 10-11 a.m.
• Habitat for Humanity—July 28–Aug. 1
• Grocery shopping for Interfaith Outreach
• Collecting Back-to-School supplies through July

Do you know of other service opportunities, or ideas for new ones that we can share with one another? Contact Renee Putnam, at 763-475-7162 or serve@spdlc.org.

Download our Love + Serve + Grow flyer.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, March 5. Our pastoral team has chosen for our Lenten devotion a work co-written by our own Pastor Makayla Dahleen called, “Coming to Our Senses: Returning to God.” It comprises a series of daily scripture readings and prayers that will help us awaken our senses to God’s presence. These booklets will be available at the hospitality desk. Download a PDF here.

Lent, Holy Week and Easter Worship

Wednesdays in Lent

March 5—Ash Wednesday worship
   5:30 and 7* p.m.

March 12, 19, 26, April 2 and 9
5:30 p.m.—Lenten Soup Supper
7* p.m.—Holden Evening Prayer

Holy Week

April 12—Saturday, 5 p.m.
April 13—Palm Sunday Worship at
       8:15, 9:30* and 10:45 a.m.
April 17—Maundy Thursday, 7* p.m.
April 18—Good Friday Worship:
       Children’s Service 5:30 p.m.
       Veneration of the Cross, 7* p.m.

April 19—First Light of Easter, 5 p.m.

Easter Sunday, April 20
8 a.m.—Easter Worship
9:30* a.m.—Easter Worship
11 a.m.—Easter Worship

*Livestreamed services can be watched in real time at spdlc.org/livestream, and later at YouTube.com/@SPDLC.

Right Here, Right Now, by Amanda Berger

We are delighted to announce our first offering from SPD’s own Scroll & Chariot Press: Right Here, Right Now, by Amanda Berger. This collection of prayer, poems and spiritual practices invites you to spend time in the presence of God. Especially written for those who are young in their faith, it is a companion to the journey of learning to walk in the way of Jesus and live out our faith in the world. There is so much here for anyone of any age. Filled with original prayers and poems, Berger translates traditional spiritual disciplines into easily accessible practices for young people based on her experience as both a youth minister and spiritual director.

 You can pick up a copy at the hospitality desk for $20, or order a copy online for $25 and have shipped to your home. Visit spdlc.org/right-here.

Scroll & Chariot Press is the new publishing imprint of St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church.

Christmas Poinsettia Pick-up
Tuesday through Friday, 3 p.m.!
(Except New Year’s Day)

Our Christmas poinsettias are waiting for you to pick them up!

Please stop by the church (come to Door A) now through Friday at 3 p.m. (except New Year’s Day) and help yourself to some of these beautiful seasonal plants. You are welcome to take a plant whether you sponsored one or not. We always have extra!

Church Hours:

Tuesday—9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Wednesday—NEW YEAR’S DAY we will be closed.
Thursday—9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Friday—9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more than 30 years now, St. Philip the Deacon has conducted Capital Appeals every three years. As you would expect the headlines and priorities for these appeals have varied. In some cases, the emphasis has been on supporting mission partners around the world or in our own neighborhood. We have, for example, provided clean water in Malawi; raised funds for Christian micro-loans in Colombia; built dormitories for a school in India and medical clinics in Tanzania; and supported our friends at Interfaith Outreach and developers of affordable housing in Minneapolis.

In other appeals, the emphasis has been on expanding or improving our physical plant so we can better serve our members and the community. The following spaces are all the result of these past efforts: our Sanctuary; the Center for Faith & Life; the Learning Center; the Music rehearsal room; and improvements to our Middle Level, the Fellowship Hall, the Atrium, the lower-level entrance, and the office suite. All these spaces continue to bless our mission and ministry today.

Faithfully managing our mortgage has also been a part of all these appeals—important in that this allows us to be fiscally responsible and have enough margin for effective ministry.

For the upcoming three-year cycle, all of these will be a part of what we’re doing—we’ll continue to partner with Mental Health Connect and Rise Early Learning Center; we’ll make some modest repairs and improvements to our physical plant; and we’ll continue to faithfully manage our mortgage, and even pay downsome principal.

The headline for this appeal, however, is really about making what is already a healthy and vital and vibrant church even more effective at spreading God’s love in a hurting world.

As New York Times columnist David Brooks writes, “We live in a time that is weirdly dehumanizing. We’re in the middle of a social crisis.” In his recent book, How to Know a Person, he outlines statistic after statistic that confirms this. To take just two of these, one recent survey finds that 54 percent of Americans report that no one knows them well. Another finds that 36 percent of Americans report that they felt lonely frequently or almost all of the time, including 61 percent of young adults and 51 percent of young mothers.

Here’s the thing: In this time of disorientation and crisis, the church can actually do something. And, more specifically, a healthy church like St. Philip the Deacon can make an outsized impact.

And so, in this appeal—in which we ask God to help us become the salt that flavors the world, and the light that can shine God’s love and hope into a hurting world—we are investing in ways to build community, to teach and engage our young people, to expand our educational

and spiritual growth opportunities, to help people connect through service and engagement, and to engage more people through our digital outreach.

Friends, the need is great, and—as we say all the time—it turns out that your gifts really can make a difference. I invite you to join your brothers and sisters at St. Philip the Deacon in this important work and to help us become salt and light for God’s world.