August 23, 2026
Flowers on the altar for Sunday, August 23, are given to God’s glory by the Aaberg family in loving memory of their mother, Melvina Aaberg, born 100 years ago on August 20, 1926.
People We Are Praying For (We included prayers for these individuals in our recent church services)
Gary Burmeister, Scott Trautman, Gretchen Olson, Jeannette Koberg, Katie Tweit, Lorena Merseth, Pastor Glenn Smith and all who are struggling with cancer. Daniel Neubauer, Asher Graham and Pastor Sam Johnson who are facing very difficult illnesses, and all our loved ones who have been ill and facing ongoing health challenges.
Thank You! A big thank-you to Lisa Holt, Becky Bequette, Margaret Gullixson, Mary Jane Tweit, and Terri Westphal for cleaning the kitchen this last Monday and to John Baumann for getting the floor done. A job well done and much appreciated!
Upcoming Schedule Change – August 23
Starting August 23, Second Service returns to 10:45am! Sunday School and Adult Bible Study do not begin until September 13. Stay tuned for more information!
Preschool Back to School Night – August 25
Jesus’ Lambs at Peace Preschool invites you to enroll your child for the 2026-27 school year. Their Back-To-School Picnic is Tuesday, August 25, from 6-8pm. Fall classes begin Tuesday, September 8, and Wednesday, September 9. Please call or text Joselyn Moldstad at 507-594-8929 for a tour of the preschool.
Outdoor Service and Picnic – August 30
Join us on the West Lawn on August 30. Bring lawn chairs or blankets, a side dish to share, and friends and family! We can’t wait to see you there!
Pastor Jacob Kempfert Installation Service – August 30
Pastor Kempfert will be installed on Sunday, August 30, at 4pm at Peace Lutheran Church in North Mankato. The Ladies Aid will be hosting a potluck meal after the service.
Sunday School Teachers Meeting – September 1
If you volunteered to teach Sunday School, Thank you! The start is coming up quickly. The first meeting of the year is on September 1 at 6pm in the Youth Room.
Moving Assistance for Daniel Neubauer – September 30
Our member, Daniel Neubauer, is recovering well after breaking a bone in his neck and is now selling his home in St. Peter as he prepares to transition to an apartment or assisted living facility. We are assembling a crew of volunteers on the morning of Saturday, September 30th, to help move select furniture and personal items into storage. If you are able to assist, please sign up on the Narthex table, or reach out to Pastor Ulrich or Kurt Shrader with any questions.
Mount Olive Social Hall Chair Drive
So far, $3126.50 has been raised! We are looking to raise a total of $3300.00 by the start of our Bible Study season, which beings in a few weeks, for our Social Hall. Sponsor a more comfortable chair for our Bible Study Groups for $25. Drop off your donations in the church office, or please list “chairs” on your offering envelope or on the check memo line. Thank you for your contribution!
Upcoming Bible Studies
Moms On a Mission Bible Study
Fall Schedule: The Peace/Mt. Olive/Eagle Lake Moms On a Mission (M.O.M.s) bible study is getting ready to begin our Fall 2026 Session! We will be using the book, Family Vocation, by Gene Veith Jr and Mary Moerbe, during our Bible study. This book has three subsections for God’s Calling in Marriage, Parenting, and Childhood. It’s a study on how the Christian faith is lived out in our ordinary relationships. The MOMs group did this book several years ago, and liked it so well, we are doing it again! Please purchase a copy ahead of time either online or at the Bethany Book store. MOMs Bible study is for any mom, in any stage of life. Childcare is provided for little ones. Questions? Contact Jenna Londgren.
When: Thursdays, 8:30-10am (can drop children off in childcare at 8:10), Sept. 17 through Dec. 3
Where: Peace Lutheran Church, North Mankato
Study: Family Vocation: God’s Calling in Marriage, Parenting, and Childhood, by Veith and Moerbe
Contact: Jenna Londgren -507-469-9044 or Jennifer.londgren@mnsu.edu.
Childcare Workers Needed
Moms On A Mission Bible Study is looking for a couple of individuals to help with childcare at Peace Lutheran Church. This is a paid position. We meet Thursdays starting Sept. 17th-Dec. 3rd for 9 sessions. The childcare shift is from 8:00am to 10:00 am. Please contact Ellen Stark at ellen.tommerdahl@gmail.com for more information.
Cornerstone News
A School Supply Drive – Final Day August 23
Join Mt. Olive, Peace, and Eagle Lake in collecting school supplies to help kids at the REACH start the school year off prepared. Please drop off all donations of notebooks, folders, pencils and pens, markers, highlighters, backpacks, planners, etc. to church in the box located in the Narthex Hallway.
Opening Service – August 26
Cornerstone Lutheran School will begin the new school year with an opening service at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church on Wednesday, August 26 at 8:10am. You are invited to join the Cornerstone community of students, faculty, family, and friends to give thanks to God for His immeasurable blessings and to ask that He be with us through this and every year. All called faculty members will be installed during the service since each has received and accepted a Divine Call to serve at Cornerstone Lutheran.
Volunteers Needed
Are you looking for ways to volunteer at Cornerstone? Some light, general cleaning (wipe the summer dust off tops of lockers, for example), serving hot lunch (at either the Hilltop Campus or Hillside Campus), or providing general handyman fix-it projects are all appreciated. Call or email the school office to find out more (507.345.7927, office@cornerstonels.org).
MVL News
MVL Opening Service – August 30
The opening service for the MVL school year will be held on Sunday, August 30 at 2pm. Join us in asking God’s blessings on the new school year.
Bethany News
Music
The Music Department will host a Faculty Studio Recital on Tuesday, September 8 in Trinity Chapel. The recital will feature the talents of faculty and private instructors. Come hear incredible music from Evan Beier, Tom Beier, Benjamin Faugstad, Matthew Sulzle, Mark Wamma, Andrew Westberg, and Natalie Wishcop. All are invited to attend.
The B-Town Drumline and Concert Band will perform during Fall Festival Weekend with alumni and friends. The Drumline will perform on the campus green at 11am and the Concert Band, with guest director Natalie Wishcop ('19), in Trinity Chapel at 3:30pm. Come to campus and enjoy the music!
An Alumni Recital will be held in Trinity Chapel during Fall Festival Weekend. This recital will feature performances by vocalist Jenny Haugen-Hesse (’05), harpist Cynthia (Krause) Nash (’19), and organist Kaleb Schmidt (’23). The recital begins at 12:30 pm and all are invited.
Theater
The box office will open for the fall one-act play Carpe Dentum, written and directed by senior Natalie Hennig on September 4. This farcical, one-act murder mystery, set in 1927, will be performed under the tent on the campus green throughout Fall Festival Weekend. Shows are $5 for general admission seating and will be held September 25 at 7 and 9 pm, September 26 at 5:30 and 7:30 pm, and September 27 at 2 pm. Reserve tickets by visiting blc.edu/box-office or by calling (507-344-7374) or visiting the box office desk in the YFAC Monday-Friday from 1-4 pm beginning September 4.
Children’s auditions for Bethany Lutheran College’s fall play, "A Christmas Carol"
This fall, the Bethany Theatre Department will be producing A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The planned performance dates for this play are: November 13, 14, 20, 21 at 7:30pm; November 15, 21 at 2pm; and a student matinee on November 12 at 10:30am. Children are needed for this play, andauditions for children’s roles will be held in the Sigurd Lee Theater at 6:00pm on Tuesday, September 15, on the campus of Bethany Lutheran College. The age range for children being considered is approximately 7-13 years old. Both boys and girls are encouraged to try out. Practices will start the final week of September. Kids will not need to rehearse every day, but will be called for specific practice times that will be announced after the show is entirely cast. Rehearsals will generally be held at 7pm Sundays - Thursdays, with possible rehearsals on Fridays if needed. These will be “walk-on” auditions. Kids just need to arrive at 6:00pm and then will be put into an audition order that evening. Please notify Peter Bloedel at heypete@blc.edu if you have any questions.
Art
The Gallery Reception for the Centennial Art Show, celebrating a century of the visual arts at Bethany, will be held during Fall Festival Weekend at 4:30 pm in the Sig Lee Theater and the YFAC Gallery. Featuring Prof. Andy Overn and a panel of special guests from the Bethany family, the Gallery talk and reception to follow will include time to explore the Gallery and visit with any artists who are on site that weekend. Come celebrate a hundred years of creativity! The Centennial Art Show exhibit runs September 1-28.
Fall Festival Vendors
Bethany Lutheran College's annual Fall Festival weekend is September 25-27, 2026. We are currently looking for vendors interested in having a booth at the Book and Craft Fair in the Younge Gym on Saturday, September 26, 2026, from 9:30am-3:00pm. More information, as well as vendor registration, can be found at: https://blc.edu/event/bethany-book-fest-and-craft-fair/. If you have any questions, please contact Amanda Stahl (Event Coordinator) at amanda.stahl@blc.edu or 507-344-7346.
New 2 You News
New 2 You Volunteers Needed September 5
Volunteers from Mt. Olive needed on Saturday, September 5. If you can help, a sign-up sheet is on the table in the narthex, or you can call New 2 You at 507-385-1455. There are morning and afternoon shifts available, which run from 9:45am – 12:30pm and 12:30pm – 3:00pm. Main duties include ringing up sales on the cash register and bagging customer purchases. This is a great opportunity for MVL students to get some volunteer experience during the summer months. New 2 You Family Thrift Store provides 75% of its quarterly profits to MVL to help fund student busing. Your willingness to help is greatly appreciated!
Community News
St. John’s Alma City- September 13
St. John’s Ladies Aid will have their annual Ice Cream Social on Sunday, September 13 from 11:15am – 12:30pm at St. John’s Evangelical Church, Alma City. The menu will include BBQ’s, ham sandwiches, potato salad, chips, baked beans, pie, ice cream and beverages. A free will offering will be accepted. All are welcome!
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LAST WEEK’S ATTENDANCE/LORD’S SUPPER
Sunday: 8:15am, 190/140; 10am,268/196; Monday: 51/36
Live Online Viewing: Sunday: 17
WE THANK THOSE SERVING OUR LORD THIS WEEK
Greeters: Bill and Suzanne Bohning, The Krier Family
Offering Counters: Keith Anderson, Seth Tweit
Altar Guild: Joni Bode, Dawn Klebig
WEEKLY FINANCIAL UPDATE:
Given Last Week (excluding Year of Jubilee): $19,945.11
Year of Jubilee Debt Reduction Given Last Week: $885.78
Year of Jubilee Debt Reduction Total (7/1/2025 to 8/16/2026): $144,596.18
Fiscal YTD Actual Expenses vs. Budget Surplus (Deficit) as of 7/31/2026: ($9,664.18)
Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the
Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
To give your offering online, go to mtolivelutheran.org and click on the “Online Giving”.
Mount Olive Lutheran Church Mission Statement
The mission of Mount Olive Lutheran Church is to proclaim the Gospel of Christ through God’s Word, so that souls are called into and kept in the Christian faith unto eternal life.