The spirit rejoices in Hovland, MN!
August 9th, 2009 by Beth A. LewisThis morning, Rick & I enjoyed worship at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hovland, MN on the north shore of Lake Superior, about 18 miles north of Grand Marais. When we looked for a place to worship, I went to elca.org and found the link to the Trinity website. Other than the 8:30 a.m. worship service time (we’re on a mini-vacation, so that seemed pretty early!) it looked like a good place to worship.
We are so glad we made the effort to get up and worship with this community of faith! It’s a small community; I counted about 60 or so people this morning. But, the spirit was definitely present! From Pastor Kristin Garey’s marvelous sermon to the warm greetings of members to us as visitors during the passing of the peace to the delightful music (especially from the small choir during the offering!) to the commissioning of the walkers for this afternoon’s fellowship event (more on that below). Rick & I worship in many different congregations across the ELCA. Rarely do we feel so warmly welcomed! What a joy to be among these people of God!
Of course, it didn’t hurt that there were ELW’s in every pew, Celebrate inserts in the bulletins and Pastor Kristin read the Gospel lesson from her Lutheran Study Bible!
After the worship service, we were genuinely encouraged and invited (this was not a passive, obligatory invitation) to join the community for coffee in the fellowship hall. We especially enjoyed talking with a doctor & his wife about his ministry with a hospital in Tanzania and with the pianist and AF creative partner, Bill Beckstrand. He not only played today, but will be giving a concert at Trinity on Tuesday evening. I wish we were still going to be in the area so we could attend, but alas, back to work!
We also learned that this church is celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. In recognition of that, a group from the church will walk the 18 miles from Grand Marais to Hovland this afternoon, with the walkers being sponsored by others in the community. The walk is to commemorate the first pastor’s trek 100 years ago to serve this parish. In our day of jumping in the car and driving between the two towns in 20 minutes or so, it’s hard to imagine the fortitude of our predecessors who were so committed to proclaiming the Gospel that they would walk that distance with some frequency. We all stand on the shoulders of our predecessors.
It has been a coolish, foggy weekend here on the North Shore of Lake Superior. But, the warmth of the people of Trinity Lutheran Church of Hovland and the Holy Spirit banish any thoughts of gloom on this (and I suspect most) Sunday mornings!
As I speak around North America on “Congregational Hospitality: The Good, the Bad, and the Really, Really Ugly” it will be a joy for me to talk about these people and this place.
Blessings,
Beth
Augsburg Fortress
