Adult Education

Anna Marie’s Alliance reaches thousands of people in the five counties surrounding St. Cloud. Each year, their 36-bed emergency shelter houses nearly 500 individuals and their children as they flee relationship abuse. Prevention and Education initiatives reach approximately 4,000 school-age youth, teaching them valuable relationship skills and ways to create healthy boundaries. Join us to hear Charles Hempeck, Executive Director of Anna Marie’s, explain how we can each help to create a community where violence is not tolerated and where every home is a safe one.

Joe Sullivan, Regional Gift Planner with the ELCA Foundation, is assisting Atonement in sustaining and growing our General Operating Fund, Legacy Fund, and recently established Operating Endowment. Join Joe and members of the Council to learn the purpose of each fund, how they differ, and how contributing to each can strengthen Atonement’s ministry, growth, and outreach. Joe will provide written information and share information about potential tax benefits of charitable giving. Please join us!

The Mission Committee will feature Heroes K9 Odyssey Academy (HK9OA) as their August Mission of the Month. HK9OA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to giving second chances and to training/educating veterans, first responders, and rescue dogs. The academy provides professional training in dog handling, grooming, and veterinary assistance while preparing K9s for service, therapy, or companionship. Our own Amie Schwinghammer started this nonprofit venture and will share with us the organization’s successes and hopes. Please come and bring your questions!

It takes many people with varied abilities and a heart for service to keep our congregation and church property the faith home that we enjoy. Our Church Council meets monthly with Pr. Tim and Pr. John to make that happen. Committee Chairs and the Executive Council will share updates. Come with your questions and ideas! Please join us.

Companion Synod Partnership with South Africa Come hear Randall and Rev. Dr. Hollie Holt-Woehl share about their trip to South Africa! Pastor Hollie and Randall were part of a delegation from the SWMN Synod, that traveled to our companion synod (Southeastern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church) in Southern Africa. Hollie and Randall will be sharing photos, videos and stories about their experience!

March 29th Lenten Series: Worship as Drama As we enter the dramatic intensity of Holy Week, consider that you aren’t just a spectator —you are a member of the cast stepping onto a stage. Join us this Palm Sunday to explore Worship as Drama, shifting our perspective from "watching" the Passion to actively participating in it. By viewing the liturgy as a two-act play of Word and Sacrament, we’ll see how our worship serves as a vital "dress rehearsal" for the unfolding scenes of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Resurrection. Come discover your role in the greatest story ever told as we prepare to live out the Gospel script both in the sanctuary and the world.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a scion of an aristocratic German family who, prior to the rise of Naziism and the outbreak of WWII, traveled abroad to learn and teach. He eventually landed in the United States, where he could have waited out the Nazis and war in safety. Instead, he returned home to Germany and joined the resistance movement, including contributing to a planned attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler although Bonhoeffer was himself pacifist. He was arrested and eventually hanged at Flossenburg concentration camp. What can we learn from his writings about how he balanced his political commitments with his faith?

We often think making peace with ourselves requires finding a state of Zen-like wellness. But renowned Southern author Flannery O’Connor found peace by accepting disease without a shred of self-pity. Join us following worship on March 15 to explore how a devastating lupus diagnosis shaped her powerful “Theology of the Cross.” We will discuss how she viewed grace not as a warm blanket, but as a disruptor that shatters our pride, reminding us that we are all simply beggars in need of Christ's mercy.

March 8th Lenten Series: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We often view MLK as a flawless monument, forgetting he was a flesh-and-blood pastor who wrestled with profound fear, exhaustion, and personal failings. Join us following worship on March 8 to explore how Dr. King made peace with himself. We will discuss his famous "Kitchen Experience," his reality as both saint and sinner, and how resting entirely in Christ's grace allowed him to maintain a non-anxious presence amidst the intense chaos of his world.

King David is one of the best-known and most highly regarded figures in the Bible, described as "a man after [God's] own heart." (Cf 1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). His deeds are recorded or referenced in multiple books of both the Old and New Testaments and he is credited not only with major military and political accomplishments, but also with deep faith and creativity (a number of psalms are attributed to David). He also sowed the seeds of his own kingdom's downfall and was prohibited from building a temple because of the blood on his hands (see 1 Chronicles and 2 Samuel). Can such a person have peace in his heart?

St. Paul writes that “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Yet, while our peace with God is secured at the Cross, peace with ourselves often remains elusive. As both saint and sinner, we frequently ignore the promise of the Gospel, struggling to offer ourselves the same forgiveness Christ has already given. Join your pastors for a five-week series following worship during Lent as we explore the theme “Making Peace with Ourselves.” We will look to the “great cloud of witnesses”—from early church fathers to contemporary voices—to see how they navigated the tension between their own brokenness and their identity in Christ. We won't be looking at them as heroes of moral virtue, but as fellow beggars showing us where to find the Bread of Life. Come ready to listen and learn as we seek to silence the internal critic with the external Word of Christ’s mercy.

February 15th Q & A on the Street Repair Assessment Join Debbie Niemeyer and our pastors for an informational session about the scheduled street repair by the City of St. Cloud and the preliminary assessment of $371,000 to cover the costs. The project will begin this May and is expected to be completed before the snow flies. We will meet in the southeast corner of the Fellowship Hall after worship where coffee and treats will be waiting for you. Please join us and bring your questions!

Kelley Schwegel, Executive Director of the V-REC, will tell us about this valuable organization that provides dedicated advocacy and transition management to enhance the well-being of veterans and their families. It offers veterans resources for recovery, housing, jobs, veteran’s benefits, and county, state, and federal benefits. The programs aim to boost self-esteem and confidence, reduce anxiety, and empower veterans and their families. Come join us to learn about this respected resource. Come to the southeast corner of the Fellowship Hall after worship where coffee and treats will be waiting for you. Please join us!

January 18th - What does it mean to be Benedictine? For over 1,500 years, the Rule of St. Benedict has shaped the lives of monks, nuns, and lay people seeking God through community, prayer, and hospitality. But what does it really mean to be “Benedictine” today—and why might it matter for people outside the monastery walls? Join Abbot Douglas Mullin, OSB of Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, for an engaging conversation about the heart of Benedictine spirituality. He’ll discuss how Benedict’s ancient wisdom still speaks to our modern hunger for stability, balance, and hope. Come and discover how the Benedictine way of life can inspire us to live more prayerfully, more hospitably, and more deeply rooted in Christ. Come to the southeast corner of the Fellowship Hall after worship where coffee and treats will be waiting for you. Please join us!

Making the Most of Your Holidays: Tips for Caregivers Holidays can be stressful for people living with dementia as well as their caregivers. Tami Kolbinger, an experienced dementia caregiver and community educator, will offer strategies to reduce pressure and maintain meaningful traditions. Key tips include simplifying activities and meals, embracing new traditions, asking for help, practicing self-care, and focusing on what truly matters. Join us!

Christ the King Sunday Christ the King is a relatively new holy day, instituted in 1925 by Pope Pius XI. Most Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and other Protestants observe it on the last day of "ordinary time" following Pentecost. This year, on the 100th anniversary of the festival's institution, we will reflect on the significance of a festival that proclaims the kingship of Jesus Christ in a world that remains riven by human and demonic forces in rebellion against the Prince of Peace. After an introduction to this festival in worship, join us in Adult Education to learn more.

When to Give Up the Keys? Giving up driving is often a hard decision for older adults. Our own Mata Carlson will tell us why she decided to give up driving in her seventies, what people need to think about when considering the decision, and the advantages of not driving. Mata will explain Dial-A-Ride, a community transport option she has used since 2019. Do you have concerns about a family member or a friend who is driving but shouldn’t be? This session will give you tips about the conversation you need to have. Come to learn about this challenge and to discuss.

The Dream Center Pastor Michael Laidlaw founded Overcomers International Fellowship / the Dream Center, 30 years ago due to his own struggle with chemical dependency, homelessness, and criminal justice. The Dream Center provides services and housing for men who are struggling with mental health issues, chemical dependency, traumatic brain injury, learning disabilities, and physical disabilities, as well as men recently released from jail or prison. At the Dream Center they get three meals a day, services, job and education coaching, and more. They also network with social workers, probation officers, and aftercare providers. Come to learn about this bridge to the future where over 14,000 people have been housed, and 2,500 meals have been served.

Global Health Ministries Join us to hear about Global Health Ministries (GHM), a Lutheran organization located in the Twin Cities. GHM provides medical equipment and supplies to Lutheran mission hospitals and clinics in underserved countries around the world. GHM also offers community-based health care and education. Many Atonement members have volunteered at the GHM warehouse and/or assembled health kits, over the years. Come learn how we have made a difference!

BWCA Adventures Kari Dombrovski has led youth on BWCA adventures for years. She will share stories of how she and her groups have met the challenges presented in the great wilderness of the Boundary Waters, a national treasure celebrating its 50th year. Three of our youth, Hanne Gabrielson, Elsa Janni, and Charlotte Wills will also tell us about their BWCA trips. Please join us!