Tag Archives: bethel lutheran brethren church

From anything pumpkin to something pumpkin

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My husband Jim has never cared for anything pumpkin. Finally, finally, I have found something pumpkin that has made him change his mind. Not two minutes ago he put his fork down and said, “it’s scrumptious delicious.”

That’s a giant stride for somebody whose usual comment about something he does like is, “it’s good,” or, “it’s fine.”

On my Tuesday post I suggested that you check back in a couple days for the recipe that topped off the wonderful luncheon served last Saturday at Community Church of Forest River, N.D. I was honored to be a guest at their Cluster 5 meeting. I gave the recipes for the main course and promised the dessert one as well.

I keep my promises!

I called Frances Greer for the recipe. She and Marilyn Ferguson made the dessert that day. I had a wonderful chat with Frances, jotted down the recipe and just before we hung up she said, “I’ve never had it fail. I hope it turns out good for you.”

With Jim’s endorsement I’d say it did for sure.

This is called Pumpkin Pie Filling but don’t be misled. It’s not a filling you mix up and pour into a pie shell. This goes into a 9×13-inch pan and calls for a cake mix.

Here goes:

PUMPKIN PIE FILLING (DESSERT)

  • 1 (15 oz.) can ounce pumpkin
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 cup brown sugar

Mix the above (Frances uses an egg beater. I used my electric mixer) and pour into a Pam sprayed 9×13-inch pan. Sprinkle a yellow cake (any brand) mix over the top. Drizzle two sticks of melted butter over the cake mix and then top that with one (1) cup chopped walnuts or pecans.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Test with a toothpick before you pull it out of the oven in case it needs another minute or two. Serve with a dollop of Cool Whip.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did last Saturday and again tonight. I hope it turns out good for you — as it does for Frances — and did for me.

Until Soon

The Altar of Green Meadow Township

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There may be no more beautiful altar in all the world than the one I saw last week. And I was not in some mammoth European cathedral.

I was in St. John’s Lutheran Church of Green Meadow Township, rural Ada, Minn.

When you walk into St. John’s large sanctuary, your eyes are quite powerless. Oh they do glance to the right and to the left to appreciate the beautiful stained glass windows and the inspirational banners. But, mostly they stay fixated on the exquisite white-tipped-in-gold altar whose light lavender haloed dome embraces a large statue of Jesus.

Throughout much of funeral service for Lillie Mattie Mary Hasz, my eyes didn’t leave that altar. Consequently, I felt touched by the Spirit of God.

We didn’t know Lillie. We were there because her son and daughter-in-law, Herb and Gail Hasz, Grand Forks, are dear friends of ours. Lillie lived just eight days after her 102 birthday on Nov. 19. As a lifelong member of St. John’s, she was blessed to be in the presence of this altar on Sundays for more than a century. St. John’s is where Lillie was baptized, confirmed, married and actively involved. One of her greatest joys was making quilts for Lutheran World Relief.

Lillie’s granddaughter, Patrice Gerber, sang “Come to Jesus,” ever so beautifully. After a delicious lunch served in the Fellowship Hall by the men and women of St. John’s, I heard the song again coming from somewhere.

I wandered back into the sanctuary where Patrice was doing an encore at the request of family members.

I went near to where Patrice was singing and could almost reach out to touch the altar. I had to ask about it.

Bud Berglind, another lifelong member, supplied me with a couple church history books and here’s what I learned:

St. John’s first tiny church building was completed in 1883, but by 1891, the congregation had grown so much that a larger church was built. The pastor serving at that time had a hobby of wood working so he helped design and build an ornate altar.

Not this one, though.

In 1926, lightning struck the tall spire of the second church building and it burned to the ground.

The altar was gone.

With the help of pictures and plans and patterns still in the possession of Ole Haaland and Oscar Haaland, who had worked on the first altar, an identical altar was built for the new church completed in 1927. That is the altar we see today, the one that takes my breath away.

Kim DeBruyckere, another of Lillie’s granddaughters, took the above photo and e- mailed it to me.

Bud tells me that a large foot powered jig saw was used to cut the nearly 20 delicate spires on the altar. Each is topped by an equally elegant cross.

That jigsaw remains in the Haaland family and was demonstrated by the late Milo Haaland when St. John’s celebrated its 100th anniversary.

I told Bud I could hardly take my eyes off the altar during Lillie’s service. “That’s what we hear from everyone who visits for the first time,” he said. “It’s a beautiful view. It’s a handiwork and so spectacular. It’s someone using the gifts God gave them to create this altar. When you walk into another church and then come home to this one, it’s a reassurance of your spiritual life.”

Along with her family, I’m grateful for Lillie’s life. If it hadn’t been for her I may never have experienced the altar.

Until Soon

Let me take you there

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Beth Moore has a huge following. Last Saturday, 300,000 pairs of eyes and ears watched her every move and hung on her every word.

Beth, a prolific Bible-study author and leader of Living Proof Ministries based in Houston, was live from a church in Atlanta via satellite. I was among 200 women who gathered at Bethel Lutheran Brethren Church, Grand Forks, for Beth’s “So Long, Insecurity,” simulcast. The other 299,800 were in 869 sites across the United States.
 

Wow! It was a record and even Beth was blown away by the numbers. “God is up to something huge,” she said, “when 300,000 women are meeting together in His name. Do you know the fame we could bring to His name if we can be secure in our faith life?”
 

I highly recommend Beth’s latest book also titled, “So Long, Insecurity.” She names things that cause insecurity in women: pride, instability in the home, a significant loss, rejection, dramatic change, personal limitations, personal dispositions, surrounding culture.

Both morning and afternoon sessions began and ended with music by Travis Cottrell and his terrific worship band. It was a surround sound thrill to sing with 200 other voices in Bethel’s sanctuary. Such songs as, “Victory in Jesus,” “Give Thanks,” “I Will Sing of My Redeemer,” “Your Name.”
 

You know how I feel about rubies. Well, Job 28:18b says, the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.” Beth presented many morsels of wisdom, backing them up with Scripture. Here are some:

“God knew exactly what he was doing when he created you female. He wants you to be graced by it; we will never move an inch toward security unless we are convinced we are deeply loved by the God of the universe; insecurity is not a weakness, it is unbelief; forgiveness is God’s gift to us; how much do we take God up on his grace? it does not honor God to disbelieve his grace; grace takes up space in a secure woman; we are to grace people in the same way God graces us; grace is the only thing we can give away but also keep so we get to have our cake and eat it, too.”

A few more: “There is no more powerful tool of the devil than guilt; victory or defeat resides in the mind; if we want to walk as secure women we have to forgive; we cannot out-sin God’s forgiveness; when we know we are loved, we love; when we are given second chances we give a second chance; we are never more like our Father above than when we love where we don’t need something back.”

I thank the Rev. Jeff Stephan and the women of Bethel (plus a few men helpers) for being such gracious hosts for the simulcast. There was a 90-minute noon break and we enjoyed croissants, fruit, veggies, cookies, bars, coffee, lemonade.
 

Bethel’s Sandy Horner can vouch for the fact that it takes a lot of people working together to make something like this happen. “I would do it all over again in a heartbeat,” Sandy said. “Seeing smiles on the faces makes it all worthwhile.”