September 20, 2026
WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS
FLOWERS ON THE ALTAR for Sunday, September 20, are given to God’s glory by Becky and Ron Bequette in memory of Our Parents; Don & Bonnie Bequette and Duane & Cynthia Pansegrau.
PEOPLE WE ARE PRAYING FOR: (We included prayers for these individuals in our recent church services) Gary Burmeister, Scott Trautman, Gretchen Olsen, Jeanette Koberg, Marsha Natvig, Katie Tweit, Lorena Merseth, Pastor Glenn Smith, Daniel Neubauer, Asher Graham, and Pastor Sam Johnson. Grant swift healing to Cindy Barlow and Emily Goetzke. In Your mercy, look upon family of Bev Meyer, who was taken to her heavenly home early Sunday morning. PRAYERS OF THANKS FOR: The start of Sunday School, Youth Group, Confirmation Classes and Bible Studies. Bless students and teachers alike with your Holy Spirit.
PASTORAL CALL NEWS
At the September 13th Special Voter's Meeting, Mt. Olive Lutheran Church issued a call to Pr. Daniel Ruiz to come and serve as Pastor. Pr. Ruiz currently serves at Faith Lutheran Church in San Antonio, Texas. He also is currently serving as the Chairman of the ELS' Board for World Outreach- which oversees our world mission program. Please keep Pr. Ruiz, his wife Katie, and their four children in your prayers as he deliberates where God would have him serve. If you would like to reach out to Pr. Ruiz you may email him at PastorRuiz@flc-sa.org.
THANK YOU
Thank you to Seminary President Tim Hartwig for leading Worship and Bible Study today.
MISSION SUPPORT BAKE SALE- SEPT. 20
Stop by the tables in the narthex today for the annual Mission Support Bake Sale. Proceeds from this sale go to ELS Foreign and Home Missions.
WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY- SEPT. 23
You are invited to join the class on Wednesday at 9:00am led by Pastor Ted Gullixson. This week the class will study Psalm 2– a psalm about the Messiah.
TEEN RETREAT- OCT. 17-18
Teens (grades 7-12) are invited to attend the ELS Fall Teen Retreat located at Living Waters Bible Camp in Westby, WI. Join us Oct. 17-18 for the opportunity to be uplifted in your faith and connect with other teens in a chance to get away for a bit in God’s beautiful creation. Enjoy 70ft Tree Climb, Giant Swing, Canoeing the Kickapoo River, Smores, Bonfires and more! Information and registration forms are located on the bulletin board.
ELS MISSON RALLY- OCT. 24
The Circuit 8 Mission Rally at Faith Lutheran Church in Clara City, MN is coming up on Oct. 24! Register here at Mt. Olive as soon as possible on the clipboard on the back table. Coffee and Treats start at 8:30am with the Programming between 9:00am-3:00pm.
CORNERSTONE NEWS
CHARGER CHALLENGE- SEPT. 25
Everyone is excited to kick off the upcoming school year under the new Cornerstone name and for another great year of Charger Challenge! Students, families, and teachers will be walking 4 miles to raise money for our school. This year, our students have a goal to raise $55,000! Funds raised will support fun and meaningful experiences for our students- including extra funding for field trips, an all-school trip to the MN Zoo, roller skating unit, and activities that continue to bring the Hilltop and Hillside campuses together! Remember your friends and family can give online using Zeffy, or give cash/checks (checks made out to Cornerstone Lutheran School) directly to your family.
Make sure to head to Facebook to watch and share our 2026 Charger Challenge video! If you have any questions, please contact co-chair Bailey Gerdes at bailey.gerdes@gmail.com.
CARE SHARE
A big thank you to everyone who has generously supported Cornerstone Lutheran School’s Care Share tuition assistance program! Approximately $58,000 was donated leading up to the 2026-2027 school year, and about $39,000 has been awarded to 15 families, helping 30 children attend Cornerstone and receive a Christ-centered education.
The remaining Care Share funds are reserved to assist students who may move into the area during the school year or current Cornerstone families who experience unforeseen financial hardship.
Care Share is a supplemental ministry designed to assist families with demonstrated financial need that may not be fully addressed through Cornerstone’s standard FACTS-based tuition assistance process. Circumstances may include medical challenges, job loss, unexpected expenses, or other extraordinary financial situations.
Cornerstone is committed to maintaining Care Share as a sustainable ministry. The annual Care Share fund drive for the 2027-2028 academic year will run from November 1 through December 15, 2026. Members of Mt. Olive, Peace and Eagle Lake churches are encouraged to prayerfully consider supporting this important ministry.
Checks may be made payable to Cornerstone Lutheran School with “Care Share” in the memo line and placed in your church’s offering plate or mailed to Cornerstone Lutheran School, 1123 Marsh Street, Mankato. Cornerstone can also accept gifts of stocks, bonds and other assets.
Those wishing to discuss Care Share giving or estate planning opportunities may contact Executive Council Chairman Mark Smith at smith@flymankato.com or Care Share Committee Chairman Bob Fosburgh at bobfosburgh@cornerstonels.org.
Please keep Cornerstone Lutheran School’s students, families, faculty and staff in your prayers as they carry out the roles and responsibilities God has given them.
BETHANY NEWS
NEIGHBORS TO THE NATIONS
Bethany International invites you to join our outreach program, Neighbors to the Nations! Welcome our international students to Mankato with simple acts of hospitality: make a care package, offer a ride, share a meal, or invite them to a church event. Help them feel at home in our community and churches. Interested? Contact Rachel Kerkow, International Student Coordinator, at rachel.kerkow@blc.edu or sign up at this link: Neighbors to the Nations.
BETHANY AUXILLARY- SEPT. 28
As we begin our 99th school year at Bethany Lutheran College, the ELS Synod looks forward to hosting the National Auxiliary Day on Monday, September 28, 2026. During the event, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from Bethany faculty and students about the exciting things happening in their programs. The group will also take part in the annual business meeting where auxiliary members vote on projects to support. Lunch will include updates from new ELS Synod President Michael Smith and Seminary President Timothy Hartwig. Looking forward to having our auxiliary members at Bethany.
IN DEPTH SPEAKER SERIES AT BETHANY- SEPT. 28
Retired police officer Ned Silber will speak at Bethany College in Meyer Hall room 101 on Monday night, Sept. 28th at 7PM. Ned will talk about the challenges and opportunities for his Christian faith while dealing with very difficult work, such as crimes against children.
Ned Silber was raised in the Twin Cities, graduated from Bethany Lutheran Jr. College in 1979. He continued on at MSU where he graduated with co-majors in Law Enforcement and Child Psychology in 1982. In 1984 he was hired as a police officer in Eau Claire, WI, where he served as patrol officer, a tactical officer, and as a detective investigating crimes involving children. He earned a master’s degree in organizational leadership in 2008. He retired from ECPD in 2011 after nearly 28 years. He and his wife of 40 yrs., Jayme, have three boys – all now married - with 6 grandchildren. He and Jayme are active members at King of Grace Luth. Church in Golden Valley, MN.
MUSIC
Each year, the Music Department hosts three Honors events for students in grades 9-12 to join us on campus for a one day music intensive and concert. The nomination window for two of these events happening this fall are approaching. If you know of students at this grade level who would like to participate in one of these events, direct them to blc.edu/honors to find all the needed information and nomination materials. Honor Choir nominations begin September 22 and Honor Band nominations begin September 29. Contact jenna.thompson@blc.edu with any questions.
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 12:30pm and all are invited.
THEATER
The box office is open for the fall one-act play Carpe Dentum, written and directed by senior Natalie Hennig. 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.
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 4:30pm 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.
REFORMATION LECTURES- OCT 29TH – 30TH
Bethany Lutheran College and Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary present: The Bjarne Wollan Teigen Reformation Lectures: Did Luther have an Agenda? Luther’s Liturgical Writings. Join us in the Ronald J. Younge Gymnasium at Bethany Lutheran College. Register online: blc.edu/reformation-lectures. For more information, contact Elsa Ferkenstad at 507-344-7354 or elsa.ferkenstad@blc.edu.
October 29th | 10:30am Luther’s Divine Services, by Dr. Joseph Herl (Concordia University Nebraska) October 29th | 2:00pm Luther’s Hymns, by Professor Dennis Marzolf (Bethany Lutheran College)
October 30th | 10:30am Luther’s Reforms and a Lutheran Theology of Worship, by Dr. Jon Vieker (Concordia Seminary)
October 30th | 2:00pm Discussion
SYNOD AND COMMUNITY NEWS
NEW 2 YOU VOLUNTEERS NEEDED- OCT. 3
We need Mount Olive volunteers on Saturday, October 3! 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 hours in. 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!
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LAST WEEK’S ATTENDANCE/LORD’S SUPPER
Sunday: 8:15am, 326; 10:45am, 146; Post-Service Communion, 34
Monday: 33/27
WE THANK THOSE SERVING OUR LORD THIS WEEK
Greeters: Keith Anderson, Steve Lussky
Offering Counters: Bruce Gratz and Isaiah Koepsell
Altar Guild: Lynette Merseth, Krista Petzel
WEEKLY FINANCIAL UPDATE:
Given Last Week (excluding Year of Jubilee): $22,857.08
Year of Jubilee Debt Reduction Given Last Week: $403.54
Year of Jubilee Debt Reduction Total (7/1/2025 to 9/13/2026): $149,475.39
Fiscal YTD Actual Expenses vs. Budget Surplus (Deficit) as of 8/31/2026: $5,566.05
Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
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.