Click here to read the June issue of The Emblem, Olivet’s monthly newsletter.

JASPER’S THEATER TRIP
We will again be traveling to Park Rapids this summer to enjoy the variety show at Jasper’s Theater.  The trip is scheduled for Thursday, August 8th.  The show is a delightful mix of comedy, magic, and many different styles of music.  Following the show we will be heading to the Logging Camp for a homestyle dinner.  The cost for transportation, ticket to the show and dinner at the Logging Camp is $55.  The sign-up sheet is in the church office.  For more information, contact Pastor Bill.

 OLIVET MISSION TRIP TO ETHIOPIA
December 26, 2013- January 6, 2014
Info Meeting: Sunday, March 3rd, 12:15pm, Fellowship Hall
Approx. Cost $3,000 – $3,500
This multi-generational trip is open to youth & adults. Youth must currently be in 8th Grade to travel without their parents. Youth who are younger than 8th grade and would like to go with their parents will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. This trip will include a lot of different experiences! We will be spending lots of time at Onesimus Center for Street Kids in Addis Ababa, as well as some time at Kolfe Boys Orphanage. We will learn about the culture of Ethiopia and how we are citizens of this world. This trip will change your life and the experience will stick with you forever. There will be many fundraising opportunities. Please don’t let the cost deter you if you are willing to work toward fundraising. Questions? Contact the church office at 235-6603.

FINANCIAL PLANNING
Develop Three Habits To Stay Out Of Debt.
Live below your means. Much of the stuff that seems so essential today will grow less desirable over time. Living below your means requires that you discover what those “means” are. For some this means tracking your income and expenses over a period of time to learn where your money comes from and how it’s spent. By spending less than your consume, you’ll be able to save for the future and develop long-term wealth. Save for emergencies. By setting aside money, you avoid racking up credit card bills when unexpected expenses occur. A reserve fund can also help you survive periods of unemployment without incurring additional debt. Use debt wisely. If you decide to incur debt, know what you are doing. Slow down and think about how valuable this item will seem in three months. Also ask yourself whether you can pay off these new charges out of next month’s income. This information is presented by the Olivet Foundation. Please keep Olivet and the Olivet Foundation in mind as you do your financial planning.

DO YOU BUY GROCERIES?
Thank you to all who have turned in Sunmart receipts. Through mid-May, our total is $38,481!!! If you haven’t participated in this program yet, please consider saving any Sunmart receipts, large or small, and turning them in at the church office in an envelope marked “Sunmart receipts.” Sunmart will give Olivet’s Youth Scholarship $1,000 after we reach the $150,000 goal. Keep those Sunmart receipts coming!

LENDING CLOSET
Our lending closet is available for parishioners for temporary needs of medical equipment.  Donations are welcome and if we have an over abundance of items they are donated to Project Hero.  Brenda can also assist in helping find resources through Project Hero for families in need. We are in need of a person(s) who would help in organizing the closet and also cleaning up used equipment.    Contact Parish Nurse Brenda if you can help in this ministry.

HOSPITALIZED?
Please notify the church office if you or your family member are hospitalized. Our pastors would like to visit you while you are in the hospital. Federal regulations have made it difficult for our pastors to have access to names of hospitalized patients. If you are admitted through the emergency room, your name isn’t always listed as an Olivet member.

THURSDAY BIBLE STUDY SERIES
On Thursdays at 10:30am, Pastor Bill Boelter will lead a Bible Study on the three texts assigned for the following Sunday. The goal of the study is two-fold: to examine the background and underlying message of each lesson and attempt to see the connections among them. All are invited. The study may be of special interest to the lectors who read the lessons at worship. Each week’s study is separate from the next which means you can benefit even if you can’t be present each week.
Questions:  Pastor Bill at 235-6603.  NOTE:  There will be NO Bible Study on July 4th or July 25th.

Olivet Library News:
The Walk series by
Richard Paul Evans
If you’re a fan of inspirational fiction, or even if you’re not, you might enjoy a series of bestselling books by author Richard Paul Evans.  As the story begins, Seattle ad executive Alan Christoffersen loses his job, his home, and the love of his life—all at the same time.  To fight his demons, he sets out on an extraordinary walk, leaving behind all that he’s known and heading for the farthest point on his map: Key West, Florida. The people he encounters along the way, and the lessons they share with him, will save his life—and inspire yours.  These hope-filled, non-preachy stories are full of geographical details, interesting characters, and plot twists that keep readers coming back for more.  There are now four books in the series: The Walk; Miles to Go; The Road to Grace; and A Step of Faith.  All are available in the Olivet Library.    

THANK YOU FROM THE QUILTERS
 206 quilts were assembled throughout the year of which 42 were distributed to five local charities in December. The remaining 163 quilts were draped over the pews on Mother’s Day before delivering 123 of these quilts, along with all the kits assembled during Operation Love, to the World Relief Truck for distribution around the world. An additional 14 baby kits were added to last months figure of 16 for a total of 30 baby kits delivered. Thirty boxes in all were dropped off at the World Relief truck.The remaining 40 quilts were divided, and delivered to The Salvation Army, New Life Center, YWCA, Churches United for the Homeless and The Dorothy Day House.
 The Silent Auction of the “Cathedral Window” quilt and accessories was a big success. The quilt with pillow shams sold for $1,600.00 and was purchased by Joy Melby Gorra from Chanhassen, MN. The top bidder for the wall hanging and throw pillow was Stan Moeckel from Wishek, ND, for a total of $280.00. Half the proceeds from the sale, ($940.00), was donated to the YWCA Women’s Shelter. Thank you so very much to everyone who participated in the auction, but especially to Joy and Stan for their generous bids.
 Donna Lewis, with some help from Carol Houglum, sewed 66 Little Dresses for Africa using gently used pillowcases and embellishing them with buttons and various trims. At least 53 baby quilts and lap quilts were sewn by Lois Larson, with help from a few other quilters, and delivered by our parish nurse to fellow church members or were donated to the YWCA Women’s Shelter.
 Special thanks to Pat Smith, who, as he has done for so many years, fixed our machines when they needed fixing, and kept them running. Some of our machines would no longer be useable if it were not for his expertise in repairing them. Our Pastors and staff have been so supportive and encouraging all year and for that we thank them, as it means so much. Last, but not least, thank you to the congregation for their donations of materials used in making the quilts and allowing us to do what we enjoy doing.
 Quilting will resume in September and welcome anyone to come and join in the fun. Quilters meet during the summer on Wednesdays at 9:30am for coffee and fellowship: June 12th, July 10th, and August 14th.

CATHEDRAL WINDOW QUILT CLASS
There were several people who showed interest in learning how the Cathedral Window quilt was made. If there is enough interest, Carol Kuss, would be happy to teach a class with follow-up help. It is not difficult, but it is precise. If interested, call Carol at 701-235-3494 before June 15th. 

THANK YOU!!!
On behalf of the Friends of Nokomis and myself I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of Olivet that bought geraniums in support of Nokomis Day Care Centers. This has been our biggest year yet, topping last year by over 100 plants! You purchased 537 plants for $2685.00. Half of that figure will go to the Nokomis daycare centers. We also received $15.00 in cash donations. The total amount from Olivet of $1357.50 goes to Nokomis. The rest pays for the flowers. Matching funds will be provided by Thrivent. What a loving and giving congregation we have!! Thank you!
Gail Palmer, Friends of Nokomis Representative.

COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
The Olivet Foundation provides scholarships to Olivet members attending any of the ELCA colleges.  Students are eligible to receive $100 per year for up to four years. The guidelines to qualify are:
• Students are eligible the 4 school years after high school graduation.
• The applicant must be a full-time student, and they must attend the qualifying school continuously during the 4 year period.
• Applications must be submitted by August 1 each year.
• Some schools offer to match these amounts – the deadlines to submit for a match are:
Augustana – June 15             Concordia – August 1
Applications are available in the church office.

LUTHERAN PARTNERS
IN GLOBAL MINISTRY
What is Mission Minute – This is a monthly series to partner congregations from LPGM to keep you informed of our ministries around the world.
 At LPGM we are fortunate that the first risk we took in 1996–what technically catapulted the organization into legitimacy–has been validated recently by sources with incredible reputation.
 Girl Rising, a groundbreaking film directed by Academy Award nominee Richard Robbins, showcases the strength of the human spirit and the power of education to change the world. It tells the stories of nine extraordinary girls from nine countries.
 An article titled “Is child sponsorship ethical?” by Emily Buchanan, a BBC world affairs correspondent, contains this quote: “Dr. Bruce Wydick, professor of Economics, was surprised at the findings (recently published in the US Journal of Political Economy): ‘As a development economist I am used to seeing very modest outcomes from aid programs, but we were amazed at the size of impacts on kids.’”
 If you would like more information about changing a life, please contact us. If you sponsor a student or students through Project Education India/LPGM, thank you for changing their life!
 Thanks be to God for leading us to worthy causes through which lives are changed!