The Abiding Savior Church Council has called two important Congregational Meetings for Sunday, October 4th at 11:00am in the Sanctuary and Sunday, November 1st at 11:00am in the Sanctuary. The meeting on October 4th was be for the sole purpose of forming a Call Committee to call a part-time ordained deacon to Abiding Savior. The meeting on November 1st will be to hear the report of the Call Committee and to vote on extending a part time call to an ordained deacon of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) here at Abiding Savior.

Brad Mills has been our Director of Youth Ministries since 2013. He recently finished his internship here at Abiding Savior and is ready to become an ordained deacon in the ELCA. Deacons are similar to pastors except they perform ministries of word and service, but not sacramental ministry. If called to Abiding Savior, Brad will continue to work with youth ministries and will take on more responsibilities with worship leadership and preaching.

Due to the nature of our church Constitution, at Congregational Meetings there can be no proxy voting, meaning you must be present in person to vote, and the extension of a call to a candidate must be done via paper ballot. Therefore, we will be holding these brief Congregational Meetings in person immediately following indoor worship. If you have any questions or concerns about this process, please contact Congregational President Andy Clausen at 763.717.7347.

Abiding Savior resumed indoor in-person worship services in the Sanctuary at 10:00 this month. These services are carried out using a number of social distancing precautions as recommended by the Abiding Savior Re-Opening Task Force using the latest guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health.

Here are a few things to know about indoor worship at Abiding Savior that will help to keep us all safe:

• Services will still be streamed on Facebook Live for anyone who does not wish to attend in person
• Masks will be required
• Anyone who has been in contact with someone who has COVID or may have been exposed as well as those exhibiting any symptoms or COVID will not be allowed to attend worship in-person
• Signing in for worship online is preferred. You can access the sign up by clicking HERE. You can also call the church office to sign in ahead of time. Although not preferred, there will be a sign in process in person on Sunday mornings. Signing in is a requirement of the Minnesota Department of Health for reasons of contact tracing
• There will be a 125 person capacity for worship which is about one quarter capacity for the Sanctuary
• Ushers will seat people and excuse people from designated socially distanced seating areas of the Sanctuary
• There will be no coffee or fellowship before or after worship
• Group singing and speaking in worship will be limited
• In-person services will be suspended if recommended by the Governor or the Minnesota Department of Health
• Services will be blended with music led by the organ, the band, or a combination of both
• Attendance at services is completely voluntary and each family will need to decide for themselves if they feel safe gathering for worship
• Communion will be offered at worship once a month

Know that we do not find this an ideal situation for worship. We are trying to provide the best possible worship experience that also recognizes the real dangers of COVID. Please be patient as together we discover the best way to move forward with worship during this pandemic. For more information about indoor worship at Abiding Savior, you’re invited to view a video about indoor worship and review a brochure with Abiding Savior’s Return to Worship Guidelines.

Cast your vote and then swing by Abiding Savior for a tasty meal from 4:30 – 6:30pm! Drive-up/ ‘Tailgate’ OR To-Go options will be available. Menu options:

• BBQ Pulled Pork Meal (Pulled Pork sandwich, Mac-n-cheese, chips, coleslaw & bottled water): $6.00
• All Beef Hot Dog Meal (Hot dog, Mac-n-cheese, chips, pickle & bottled water): $4.00
• Cotton Candy: $1.00

Invite a friend or neighbor and join us for a great evening!  All are welcome!

If you would like to help volunteer at this event, there are a few spots remaining for getting meals from the kitchen and making cotton candy.  Please click HERE to help.

In order to keep our information up-to-date and to better communicate with you, please update your contact information (phone, email, address) here.