Adult Education

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!

The Salem Outpost Jenifer Odette, Executive Director of Greater St. Cloud Public Safety Foundation, will share her perspective on the Salem Outpost, a community center located inside Salem Lutheran Church that provides free medical services and hosts the St. Cloud Police Department’s Community Crisis Intervention Team. Come learn about this exciting new initiative!

We are Church Together! We are excited to have Pastor Dee Pederson, Bishop of our Southwestern Minnesota Synod, speak about the work of the Synod and the greater church. She will share how the SWMN Synod walks with congregations in the call process, provides resources, and strengthens ministries. The Synod also provides support to pastors and congregational leaders who work with children, youth, and families. Join us to hear how the SWMN Synod is here for you!

Update from the Council From Finance to Mission the Atonement Lutheran Church Council meets monthly with the Executive Council, Pastors Tim, and John to keep Atonement the vibrant congregation that it is. Committee Chairs including Finance, Evangelism, Property, Mission, Adult Education, and more will be available to give updates on their work and thoughts for the future.

"Goodbye." We close by taking a look at closure, with reference to Jesus' own extended "Goodbye" to his disciples, as we wrap up Lent and enter Holy Week.

"I love you." Do you remember the first time your spouse said these words to you? Do you remember the last time you said these words to a loved one who has died? How does it feel to say these words to someone else, versus hearing them addressed to you? And what's the big deal, anyway? They're just words, right?

"I forgive you." The third of Five Conversations toward making and finding Peace. Who benefits most from forgiveness? Is there a difference between forgiveness and permission? What do I do when someone wronged me and won't take responsibility/apologize? Am I required to forgive? How can I forgive something that can never be made right? Join Pr Tim and Pr John in the southeast corner of the Fellowship Hall after worship. Coffee and treats will be waiting for you at the session so please come right in. Please join us!

"Please forgive me." The second of Five Conversations toward making and finding peace. The Apostle Paul wrote that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23) but admitting that this is true of us - of ourselves in particular - can be really hard. And even if we can admit and own our fault, asking for forgiveness can seem nearly impossible. Isn't it better for everyone to just let sleeping dogs lie? Join Pr Tim and Pr John in the southeast corner of the Fellowship Hall after worship. Coffee and treats will be waiting for you at the session so please come right in. Please join us!

"Thank you." The first of Five Conversations toward making and finding peace. Gratitude is good for the soul. Everything we have comes first from God and usually does not reach us without passing through the hands of others. Take stock of all the reasons you have for gratitude and explore how and to whom you would like to give thanks for the many blessings you have received. Join Pr Tim and Pr John in the southeast corner of the Fellowship Hall after worship. Coffee and treats will be waiting for you at the session so please come right in. Please join us!

Introduction to the Lenten Series You may have heard it said that "Time heals all wounds," but if you've lived on this earth any amount of time, you also know that time isn't always enough. This session Pr Tim and Pr John will introduce five crucial conversations that can help us make and find peace: "Thank you; Please forgive me; I forgive you; I love you; Goodbye." Join us in the southeast corner of the Fellowship Hall after worship. Coffee and treats will be waiting for you at the session so please come right in. Please join us!

The St Cloud YMCA Greg Gack, Executive Director of the St. Cloud YMCA since 2009, will share his unique perspective on the mission and work of the YMCA. How has collaboration with the City of St. Cloud and CentraCare made the St. Cloud YMCA one of the leading YMCAs in Minnesota? What’s new at the Y and what’s the update on a future Outdoor Water Park? Join us in the southeast corner of the Fellowship Hall after worship. Coffee and treats will be waiting for you at the session so please come right in. Please join us!

Aging with Flourish Are you contemplating retirement or enriching the retirement you have now? Discover options and tools to make this exciting new phase of your life successful and enjoyable. Just as you once embarked on career training and employment, it's time to 'begin again' and embrace this new journey. Learn to explore new possibilities, sample different experiences, and set your priorities to become the author of your retirement story. Craft a fulfilling future by investing in yourself and your community. Please join Janette Ditlefsen, Good Shepherd Community Volunteer Coordinator and Tauna Quimby, Americorp Senior RSVP for this enlightening session.

Growing Through Volunteering into Faithful Service Kevin LaNave, a long time St. Cloud area educator, will invite us to reflect upon our experiences of "service" -- to consider the insights, the questions, the challenges, and the authentic joy service can contain. Kevin will explore the process of responding to the Gospel call to "service" -- rooted in the meaning and power of "love" -- is not just an action, but an encounter. It's not just about "doing something for . . . ", but, at its core, about "accompaniment with . . .". Please join us!

Scott Roeder will tell us how he and his wife, Reyne’s, life changed when their son, Jackson, died by suicide seven and one-half years ago. He will describe his family’s journey with Jackson and tell us how he and his wife advocate for mental health, and suicide awareness and prevention in the Central Minnesota community.

What About Advent? We can understand and appreciate Christmas, Easter and even Lent, but what about Advent? Advent (or just the month of December) is the Hurry Up and Wait Season. What does this mean for us? How can taking time out for some active waiting help us find deeper meaning and joy at Christmas? Please come and explore this together with retired Pastor Jan Nairn leading our conversation. Join us in the southeast corner of the Fellowship Hall after worship. Coffee and treats will be waiting for you at the session so please come right in. Please join us!

Laura Douvier, Volunteer, Special Events, and Red Kettle Coordinator for the Salvation Army, will give us an inside look at the Bell Ringing tradition we are all accustomed to seeing every holiday season. What does the Salvation Army do? Who benefits from Salvation Army programs and what does the organization need to continue its work and to improve the services it provides? Join us in the southeast corner of the Fellowship Hall after worship. Coffee and treats will be waiting for you at the session so please come right in. Please join us!

Suzie Rice, Program Manager, Transitional Housing with Catholic Charities, will tell us about the SHY program, share challenges the program has encountered, and the successes she has witnessed. SHY is for homeless youth ages 16 - 24. It offers opportunities for participants to learn basic life skills that enhance independence and self-sufficiency. SHY also assists youth with housing, completing education, employment, and other resources. Come join us and bring your questions!

Loving Your Neighbor Even After the Election As we come hard upon this the 2024 election, it can seem that fear, anger, resentment, and distrust are fraying the bonds that hold us together as a republic. Well-meaning, honest people can disagree about the best way to build and maintain a city, state, and national government, but some of our neighbors, friends, and relatives (to say nothing of professional propagandists operating inside and outside of our country) are not, in fact, well-meaning or honest. How do we balance our duties to both 1) interpret people’s words and deeds in the best possible light and 2) seek and speak the truth, even if doing so is costly or dangerous? How do we live with our neighbors and relatives who want and seek different political outcomes than we do in the aftermath of this year’s election? Join your pastors and fellow Christians on November 3 to talk this through.

“Threats” since 1900: Science, communism, feminism, non-Christians Is the U.S. a Christian Nation? In this last in a series of three, Adult Education will complete its review of the history of the relationship between Christianity and the state. Has American government been, or was it intended to be, officially Christian. (Hint: The answers aren’t always simple.) Dr. Mark Jaede, a retired SCSU history professor, will present. Please join us!