Genie and I attended the Southeastern Minnesota Synod Assembly conference for the Blue Earth River Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), held Saturday, May 6, 2023 at Mankato, Minnesota in the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center. We were delegates from Central Freeborn Lutheran Church Rural Albert Lea, Minnesota.
After registering, selecting our choice of fresh fruit, breakfast roll, choice of coffee, it was on to the assembly in the Event Center.
As we entered, the Northern Jazz were our entertainment. Their music was very upbeat and lively, even danceable. I was surprised to see fellow Lion and Owner of the Crescendo’s Restaurant in Albert Lea, Bob Tewes, at the piano. Bob really surprised me when I noticed he was playing with a handicap. (The legs weren’t back to operating at 100%). Deacon Bob was elected to the nominating committee for a three year term 2023-2026. (Every Lion I have ever met has impressed me with their walk in life!)
The presenters and speakers were very good. For example:
A. Bishop Hassanally compared survival of an oak tree through the use of taproot and lateral roots to the Lutheran Church.
B. The Father and Son comparing the change in determining when to plant the same field in their ages. (I am older than the father, so I would compare when timing to plant was based on going into the field – drop your long johns, sit down and if you felt comfortable it was time to plant!!)
C. Dr. L Susan Brower, Director of the Minnesota Demographic Center, compared the changes in population (size in population of towns’ ages of population, race of the population). Very interesting.
D. Rev. Pamela Ngunjiri spoke about her experience in racial justice. Excellent and very interesting about her walks in life.
E. Lisa Dierks, Vice President of the Synod Council did an excellent job of kibitzing with Bishop Hassanally. She also used her husband as an example of having to tell the same thing at least three times before he got it. She also pulled the three times on the attendees, once was telling us lunch was 1:15. Again, about 2 statements later lunch was at 1:15 again. The third time was a question: “When is lunch?” to the attendees with a loud reply back to her of “1:15!” The point was that, in order to be sure to get your message across, repeating may be necessary.
Other comments:
A. Rev. Matthew Griggs was elected to a 1st term Nominating Committee of three years –2023-2026. Son Levi was a first time attending young adult.
B. The chairs we sat on reminded me of that old fable of The Princess and the Pea. “Every chair I tried to sit on was hard as a rock!!” Next time I’ll bring a cushion.
C. I had lunch with Rev. Richard Hegal from Pontoppidan Lutheran Church where I was confirmed and many of my relatives are buried.
D. The following is my demography of Beaver Lake, Ellendale, Minnesota:
The first white man to visit Beaver Lake was John Goodness from England. John got to be more than a friend of Omi, the only child daughter of the Indian chief of all the land for miles around Beaver Lake. The chief wanted a son.
John asked the chief for his permission to marry Omi. The chief said yes. About a year later Omi passed away trying to give birth to Siamese twin boys. (They were stillborn.) The chief summoned his medicine man to forever remember Omi. He did so by proclaiming that any person even remotely connected to Beaver Lake would utter “Omi Goodness” in expressing themselves in disgust or pleasure from that day forward.
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Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in New York. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.