Food for Kidz
Join us in packing meals for Food 4 Kidz! Saturday, November 2nd. There are three shifts available, and we need 190 volunteers per shift. Adults and children ages 6 and up are welcome to help.
Food For Kidz is an international food relief campaign. Our goal is to pack 100,000 meals. 50% stay local, 50% help our international neighbors.
Packages contain seasoned rice, fortified soy and protein, 21 vitamins and minerals, dehydrated vegetables, chicken flavoring, salt, and fat. Meals will be distributed to our local Channel One which services the School Backpack Program. International distributions will go to countries in need of food through Food for Kidz.
To sign up, please follow this link: bit.ly/foodforkidz2024
Gloria Dei Meet Up
Please join us for the Gloria Dei Meetup. We’ll have some lunch and connect. Other new(ish) people to Gloria Dei will be around, staff will be there, and we’ll simply enjoy some face to face time and a meal together. We hope this is a time when some new connections can be made, others can grow deeper, and we can all enjoy a good Sunday meal!
Date: Sunday, September 29, 2024
Time: 11:45 am (after EpicOneEight Worship)
Place: Looking Within Center (downstairs from the Sanctuary)
There is no cost for this event.
Please sign up by Thursday, September 26 so we can plan for food.
Questions? Contact Kristelle Behle (kristelleb@gloria-dei.com) or call the church at 507-289-1841
Live Podcast and Book Launch for Author John Philip Newell
The Sandbox Cooperative and The Looking Within Center present a livestreamed podcast and book launch for “The Great Search: Turning to Earth and Soul in the Quest for Healing and Home”, the newest work by author John Philip Newell. Podcast hosts Dave Berg and Chris Roberts will visit with John Philip Newell, joining us from Edinburgh, Scotland, for a conversation about his exciting new book.
Date: Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Time: 10:00 am CST
Location: Participant’s Choice – In-person at Gloria Dei in the Looking Within Center – OR – Live via Zoom
Registration deadline: Sunday, September 8
Event Fee: There is no cost for this event.
Join us for a book launch event in support of “The Great Search: Turning to Earth and Soul in the Quest for Healing and Home,” the latest work by noted Celtic teacher and author of spirituality, John Philip Newell. In his new book, John Philip explores the great spiritual yearnings of humanity today in the midst of the decline of religion as we have known it. Newell argues that the urgent challenges of this moment are not only ecological, political, and economic, they are also spiritual. He writes, “...there is a quest of soul today, for new depths of wisdom to guide us into wellbeing, both individually and together.”
You don't need to have read the book before the event, but if you choose to, it is available for purchase from your favorite bookseller.
Event Sponsors:
The Looking Within Center: Located in the heart of Rochester, Minnesota within Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, The Looking Within Center's mission is to provide a lens to see the divine in all things and all people. Our center serves as a sanctuary for spiritual explorers, offering diverse opportunities to stretch the heart, mind, and spirit.
The Sandbox Cooperative Podcast: Started in 2013, The Sandbox Cooperative Podcast seeks to knock down walls of division with curiosity and conversation.
Contact Julie Stevens, The Looking Within Center Director, with questions. (julies@gloria-dei.com)
And coming in September: Be sure to check out our NEW AND EXPANDED LOOKING WITHIN CENTER WEBSITE at: lookingwithincenter.com. This can be your hub for finding upcoming in-person sessions plus helpful digital recordings and practices available 24/7 to help you on your spiritual path.
Registration Link:
Gloria Dei Grill Out
Join us for a grill out as we celebrate the start of fall activities at Gloria Dei! Meet up with friends old and new and eat some great food.
Let us know if you can come -- we love planning ahead and want to plan for enough food without having excess leftovers.
Date: Wednesday, September 4
Time: 5:30 - 7:30pm
Place: Gloria Dei Lower Level Parking Lot
Rain Plan: Move indoors
Questions? Contact Kristelle Behle (kristelleb@gloria-dei.com or 507-289-1841)
Songs and Suds
Songs and Suds - August 25, 6-8 PM, LTS Brewing Company
2001 32nd Ave NW, Rochester, MN 55901
Songs and Suds is all about having some fun, meeting new people and seeing old friends, singing some songs… AND meeting our new choir director Jason Miller-Dunbar! We’ll enjoy conversation, gather by section to learn our parts, and sing together!
Here’s what you need to know:
There is no experience necessary.
This is for fun, something to try!
If you like to sing in the shower this is for you.
If you are a vocal virtuoso, this is for you.
Join us for a night of fun as we make a joyful and potentially good noise!
Youth Band Auditions
This Fall, we are making moves to evolve our Wednesday night ministries: Confirmation, GDYG, and Water's Edge. We want our youth to be more active and empowered during Water's Edge, and one way we're seeking to do that is by inviting them to play music with us!
Here's where you come in: We are excited to announce the formation of a new youth-led band and invite students from grades 6-12 to audition! This is a fantastic opportunity for young musicians to develop their skills, perform with peers, and have a lot of fun.
Audition Details:
Date: Sunday, August 25th
Time: 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Location: Gloria Dei Sanctuary
Whether you play an instrument or sing, we would love to see your talent! Please prepare a short piece that showcases your abilities.
In addition to musicians, we are also looking for volunteers to help run slide presentations and assist with sound management. If you have an interest in these areas, please let us know!
This youth-led band will be a vital part of leading our weekly Wednesday worship service. We are excited to share that our Wednesday night worship experience is changing, and we want you to be a part of it!
To sign up for an audition slot or volunteer position, or if you have any questions, please fill out this google form.
We look forward to hearing you play and working with our volunteers!
Best regards,
Emily and Chris
Community Camp 2024
We’ll be going to Good Earth Village from August 9-11.
You can camp outside– Unlimited spots for this.
You can stay inside– Space limited, first come, first serve.
You can “day camp” and go home to your own bed at night.
In short, you’ve got options, but we hope you’ll join us along with your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and other friends as the extended Gloria Dei Community.
Looking Within Center: Art and Spirituality Session: “HeARTful Meditations”
Looking Within Center: Art and Spirituality Session: “HeARTful Meditations”
Date: Tuesday, June 18
Location: Looking Within Center and Garden Lounge at Gloria Dei
Time: 6:30 - 8:30pm
Registration deadline: Friday, June 14
Facilitator: artist Lavonne Lovstad
Welcome to our first session of HeARTful Meditations! This is a unique and enjoyable opportunity to combine Art and Spirituality as a means to deepen one's awareness with the inner, connected self and as a form of meditation if one chooses. Have no fear, no art experience necessary!! Led by our facilitator Lavonne Lovstad, join others in a safe place of guided "silent viewing", music, brief written and shared reflections, creative expression and inner spiritual discovery. You just might be back for more at a future art and spirituality event!
Lavonne Lovstad’s professional background includes Art Education, Art Therapy, Spiritual Direction and Energy Healing. Her passion is the exploration of Sacred Mystery in all of life.
There is no cost for this event.
Contact Julie Stevens with questions (julies@gloria-dei.com)
Vacation Bible Adventure
JUNE 10-13 • 9:00AM-NOON
SEND YOUR KIDS ON A SUPER COOL UNDERWATER BIBLE ADVENTURE!
At Scuba VBS, kids dive into friendship with God! Scuba is filled with fantastic Bible-learning experiences kids see, hear, and touch! Hands-on science experiments, team-building games, unforgettable Bible songs, and tasty treats are just a few of the standout activities that help faith flow into real life. (Since everything is hands-on, kids might get a little messy. Be sure to send them in play clothes and sturdy shoes.)
Forever 40 - June 2024
June 4, 2024 2-4 pm
Tour of Maynard Jones’s Toaster Museum
Gloria Dei member Maynard Jones has been collecting toasters for many years and has been active in a national toaster collector’s association as well. He’ll share his considerable knowledge about these collectibles as we tour his museum. Then we’ll enjoy a special farm style treat!
Sign up at link below or by calling the church office by June 2.
Gloria Dei at Pride Rochester
Rochester Pride Fest is coming to town May 18 and Gloria Dei Lutheran Church is proud to be a part of the celebrations!
Join us at Soldier’s Field on Saturday, May 18, from 12:00-5:00 pm to celebrate our LGBTQIA+ community. There will be food from local restaurants and food trucks, live entertainment, and plenty of local vendors to explore.
How can you show your support? GREAT QUESTION!
In addition to stopping by our booth, we have designed shirts that you can order! A portion of the proceeds will go directly towards a local LGBTQIA+ organization. Click the image to the left or click here to order shirts!
Wear your Pride shirt to Rochester PrideFest to showcase the welcome that Gloria Dei is all about!
Want to help out at our booth? GREAT!
Forever 40 Ice Cream Social
Tuesday, May 7 • 2-4pm
Looking Within Center
RSVP by May 5
Ice Cream Social with music by the RavensFire Band. (Looking Within Center)
The RavensFire Band plays and sings their unique collection of originals and fun covers of many popular varieties of music, including pop, golden oldies, soft rock, traditional blues and jazz, folk and world, vintage country, bluegrass, Irish, and more!
Mindfulness Meditation Course
Dates: Wednesdays, May 1, 8, 15, 22
Location: Looking Within Center at Gloria Dei
Time: 6:30 - 7:30pm
Registration deadline: Friday, April 26
Presenter: Winston Janusz, licensed mental health counselor
Are you curious about mindfulness and meditation? In our fast paced, constantly distracted world, mindfulness is gaining a lot of attention as a way to bring more peace and well-being into our lives. Mindfulness meditation can become a part of your spiritual practice, but has also been shown to promote mental health though countless scientific studies. In this course, participants will learn about the basics and foundations of mindfulness meditation practice, common misconceptions about meditation, how to work with difficult thoughts and emotions, how to improve focus, start a meditation practice of your own, and apply mindfulness skills in your own life and bring them to the world.
This 4 week course is taught by Winston Janusz who is a licensed mental health counselor, an ordained pastor, and is currently in training to become a certified mindfulness meditation teacher.
There is no cost for this event.
Registration Link:
Gloria Dei Meet Up
Please join us for the Gloria Dei Meetup. We’ll have some lunch and connect. Other new(ish) people to Gloria Dei will be around, staff will be there, and we’ll simply enjoy some face to face time and a meal together. We hope this is a time when some new connections can be made, others can grow deeper, and we can all enjoy a good Sunday meal!
Date: Sunday, April 21, 2024
Time: 11:45 am (after EpicOneEight Worship)
Place: Looking Within Center (downstairs from the Sanctuary)
There is no cost for this event.
Please sign up by Thursday, April 18 so we can plan for food.
Questions? Contact Kristelle Behle (kristelleb@gloria-dei.com) or call the church at 507-289-1841
Reset: Dreams As Spiritual Encounters: Navigating Divine Presence
Date: Saturday, April 13
Location: Looking Within Center
Registration deadline: Wednesday, April 10
Time: Design a Reset that best fits your needs! Register below for one, two, or all three parts of the morning:
Reset-Quiet: 8:15-9am (Fireside Room)
Alone and small group time provides a wonderful start to the morning guided by Cheri Dirksmeyer.
Reset-Breakfast: 9:00-9:30am (Garden Lounge)
Community time while enjoying a light breakfast.
Reset-Exploration: 9:30-11:00am (Looking Within Center)
Explore a topic to help you on your spiritual journey.
Exploration Presenter: Melissa Schultz
This month’s theme: “Dreams As Spiritual Encounters: Navigating Divine Presence”
In this Reset Exploration, we will delve into the mysterious realm of dreams. Discover how dreams can be a powerful medium for God to communicate with us, reveal God’s presence, and impart wisdom for your life journey. Learn the language of symbolic imagery to interpret your dreams' messages and deepen your relationship with the Divine. Participants may bring a dream to share and practice discernment.
Melissa Schultz, acupuncturist, herbalist and spiritual director, enjoys exploring the intersection of Christian mysticism and integrative medicine. With a heart devoted to Christ and a mind open to diverse wisdom traditions, Melissa draws on God’s promise of restoration and insights from the Asian healing arts to offer guidance for those seeking spiritual growth, mental clarity, and a healthier body. The Christ principles of transformation and healing, and joy and abundance, underscore her belief in the boundless possibilities that arise when faith, mindfulness, and well-being converge. (Melissa will be joining us via Zoom from Spain, where she is currently laying the foundations for establishing a holistic Christian contemplative retreat house along the Camino de Santiago.)
There is no cost for this event.
Contact Julie Stevens with questions (julies@gloria-dei.com)
One Final Run of 40 Days of Seeking "A Soft Landing after a Bumpy Ride"
Have you ever had the chance to read a book and experience its insights and practices through in person contact with the author? Now is your chance to do just that! (And if you were part of this experience last fall, this is one more opportunity to enjoy the journey with Charles and his book.)
During our 40 day journey with the daily readings in Charles’ book, we’ll have the chance to meet in person for four Wednesday evenings, providing the chance to visit with Charles and fellow book study members as we apply his insights and practices to our own spiritual journey.
From the book jacket: “Our inner life of thoughts and feelings can make life so sweet, or so challenging . . . we can be overwhelmed with feelings of anger, anxiety, or fear that just won’t go away. In this book, Charles Ortloff offers us a path through these challenging times with our inner life. He uses simple language, compelling stories, and easy to follow practices to guide us into making friends with our inner life. We all can find that soft landing after a bumpy ride.”
Dates of Book Reading (on your own): April 1 through May 10
Book Study In-Person Gatherings: Wednesdays – April 3, 10, 17, 24
Time: Choose either 9-10am – OR – 6-7pm
Location: Looking Within Center
Leader: Author Charles Ortloff Host: Looking Within Center Director Julie Stevens
Registration Deadline: Sunday, March 31
There is no cost for this experience. If you have not yet purchased the book, you can find it at your favorite bookseller for $16.99.
Contact Julie Stevens with questions (julies@gloria-dei.com)
LWC: “I Am Anxious, Now What?”: Finding Calm in Chaotic Times
Looking Within Center: “I Am Anxious, Now What?”: Finding Calm in Chaotic Times
Date: Thursday, March 21
Location: Looking Within Center at Gloria Dei
Time: 6:30-8:00pm
Presenter: Karen Ortloff, retired licensed psychologist
Anxiety disorders are among the most pervasive in our culture today. The reasons are multifaceted, and the solutions equally complicated. Crisis, speed of change, and impending doom reported daily can have an overwhelming impact on our mental and physical health. This presentation will look at the sources of our anxiety, ways to work through our worries, and also how to manage the many conflicts/polarities that affect our daily lives.
Retired licensed psychologist Karen Ortloff will lead us in a discussion of how we might respond to the epidemic of anxiety and restore some calm in these chaotic times.
Registration deadline: Monday, March 18
There is no cost for this event.
Contact Julie Stevens with questions (julies@gloria-dei.com)
Check out our other offerings on the Looking Within webpage at: gloria-dei.com/looking-within
Reset - Dreams As Spiritual Encounters: Navigating Divine Presence
Date: Saturday, April 13
Location: Looking Within Center
Registration deadline: Wednesday, April 10
Time: Design a Reset that best fits your needs! Register below for one, two, or all three parts of the morning:
Reset-Quiet: 8:15-9am (Fireside Room)
Alone and small group time provides a wonderful start to the morning guided by Cheri Dirksmeyer.
Reset-Breakfast: 9:00-9:30am (Garden Lounge)
Community time while enjoying a light breakfast.
Reset-Exploration: 9:30-11:00am (Looking Within Center)
Explore a topic to help you on your spiritual journey.
Exploration Presenter: Melissa Schultz
This month’s theme: “Dreams As Spiritual Encounters: Navigating Divine Presence”
In this Reset Exploration, we will delve into the mysterious realm of dreams. Discover how dreams can be a powerful medium for God to communicate with us, reveal God’s presence, and impart wisdom for your life journey. Learn the language of symbolic imagery to interpret your dreams' messages and deepen your relationship with the Divine. Participants may bring a dream to share and practice discernment.
Melissa Schultz, acupuncturist, herbalist and spiritual director, enjoys exploring the intersection of Christian mysticism and integrative medicine. With a heart devoted to Christ and a mind open to diverse wisdom traditions, Melissa draws on God’s promise of restoration and insights from the Asian healing arts to offer guidance for those seeking spiritual growth, mental clarity, and a healthier body. The Christ principles of transformation and healing, and joy and abundance, underscore her belief in the boundless possibilities that arise when faith, mindfulness, and well-being converge. (Melissa will be joining us via Zoom from Spain, where she is currently laying the foundations for establishing a holistic Christian contemplative retreat house along the Camino de Santiago.)
There is no cost for this event.
Contact Julie Stevens with questions (julies@gloria-dei.com)
Reset: Contemplative Self-Care
A monthly mini-retreat with topics and insights that provide a transformative lens to see the Divine in all things and all people. “Reset” your journey as you grow closer to God, others, and yourself.
Date: Saturday, March 9
Location: Looking Within Center
Registration deadline: Wednesday, March 6
Time: Design a Reset that best fits your needs! Register below for one, two, or all three parts of the morning:
Reset-Quiet: 8:15-9am in the Fireside Room
Guided by Cheri Dirksmeyer, this quieter time provides alone and small group time for remembering and reconnecting with the Divine Light and Love that we hold within ourselves.
Reset-Breakfast: 9:00-9:30am in the Looking Within Center
Community time while enjoying a light breakfast.
Reset-Exploration: 9:30-11:00am in the Looking Within Center
Explore a topic to help you on your spiritual journey.
Exploration Presenter: Dr. Dawn Jacobson, M.D.
This month’s theme: “Contemplative Self-Care”
Our bodies, minds, and souls experience an abundance of information daily. We hear stories and interact with others in ways that are of personal, community, global, and cosmic significance. Have you made time for yourself, your true Self, in this ocean of activity?
Contemplative self-care offers a body-mind-spirit approach for health and well-being. This interactive workshop provides an overview of daily self-care practices and how contemplative self-care expands these practices to include care of your spirit/soul. Through self-care practices, we can optimize physical energy, mental clarity, emotional balance, intuitive decision making, and spiritual awakenings. (Note: Please bring a journal as there are several times during the day when you are invited to reflect and write down your experiences.)
About the Presenter: Dr. Dawn Jacobson is a board-certified physician and innovative leader in Integrative, Lifestyle, and Functional Medicine. Her medical practice is located at Rochester Clinic where she offers in-person consultations and online telemedicine visits. She offers a series of Abundant Living SM programs that provide transformative experiences to support self-reflection and spiritual growth. (Dawn is also a singer/songwriter who believes music is a powerful healing force, and shares her original music through local performances and online streaming platforms.)
There is no cost for this event.
Contact Julie Stevens with questions (julies@gloria-dei.com)
Mark your calendar and watch for sign-up information for the final Reset of the season on Saturday, April 13.
Check out our other offerings on the Looking Within webpage at: gloria-dei.com/looking-within
40 Days of Seeking "A Soft Landing after a Bumpy Ride"
Looking Within Center’s Forty Days of Seeking “A Soft Landing after a Bumpy Ride”
Dates: February 14 (Ash Wednesday) through March 24
Format: 40 daily emails containing a short audio recording
Guided by: Julie Stevens, Looking Within Center Director and Charles Ortloff, Spiritual Director and retired pastor
Registration deadline: Monday, February 12
The season of Lent, the 40 days before Easter, is a special time to walk more closely with Christ. How might you plan to do just that this Lent? What are some of the practices you might try? Consider joining Julie Stevens and Charles Ortloff during the 40 days of Lent as they walk with us through the practices of Charles’ book, “A Soft Landing after a Bumpy Ride.”
Each time we walk through this book, we experience that soft landing in new ways because our lives have moved on from the last time we entered into the book’s practices. We invite you to go back, again and again, and find all that is there for you in these practices.
There is no cost for this experience.
Note: If you have not yet purchased the book, please order it online from your favorite bookseller in time so that you will be able to follow along in the book with our conversations.
Contact Julie Stevens with questions (julies@gloria-dei.com)
Reset | Getting Mad At God: The Role of Lament
Looking Within Center Reset: February 10, 2024
A monthly mini-retreat with topics and insights that provide a transformative lens to see the Divine in all things and all people. “Reset” your journey as you grow closer to God, others, and yourself.
Date: Saturday, February 10
Location: Looking Within Center
Registration deadline: Wednesday, February 7
Time: Design a Reset that best fits your needs! Register below for one, two, or all three parts of the morning:
Reset-Quiet: 8:15-9am in the Fireside Room
Guided by Cheri Dirksmeyer, this quieter time provides alone and small group time for remembering and reconnecting with the Divine Light and Love that we hold within ourselves.
Reset-Breakfast: 9:00-9:30am in the Looking Within Center
Enjoy a continental breakfast and community time.
Reset-Exploration: 9:30-11:00am in the Looking Within Center
Explore a topic to help you on your spiritual journey.
Exploration Presenter: Pastor Marla Rotman
This month’s theme: “Getting Mad At God: The Role of Lament”
Is it okay to be honest with God when we are sad, angry, or disappointed? Is it okay to be mad or disappointed with God? If these are questions you’ve asked, you are not alone. The Psalms of Lament have provided us with a blueprint for when we are sad, angry, or disappointed with life or even with God. Join us as Gloria Dei’s Pastor Marla Rotman helps us explore why it's okay to feel this way and what we can do about it.
There is no cost for this event.
Contact Julie Stevens with questions (julies@gloria-dei.com)
Mark your calendar for the upcoming Resets, all on Saturdays with separate sign ups:
March 9
April 13
Check out our other offerings on the Looking Within webpage at: gloria-dei.com/looking-within
Jars of Love
Date: Thursday, January 25
Time: 6:00-8:00 pm
Place: The Looking Within Center
Registration deadline: Friday, January 19
A Mason jar is not just for canning! A jar can provide a perfect container for a meaningful and thoughtful gift for someone you love, or someone you want to support and encourage.
In anticipation of Valentine's Day, join Jennifer Schnaedter and Julie Stevens to make a "Jar of Love" for a family member or friend. We will decorate the jars and then fill them with messages on attractive strips of paper for the recipient to read, one each day. Examples of things that can be shared include advice, compliments, Bible verses, or words of encouragement or inspiration. We will guide you through the process, and all supplies will be provided.
There is no required cost for this event.
An optional $5.00 donation for supplies is welcome.
Contact Julie Stevens with questions (julies@gloria-dei.com)5
Reset - Rhythms of Prayer with Pastor Hayden
Looking Within Center Reset: January 20, 2024
A monthly mini-retreat with topics and insights that provide a transformative lens to see the Divine in all things and all people. “Reset” your journey as you grow closer to God, others, and yourself.
Date: Saturday, January 20
Location: Looking Within Center
Registration deadline: Wednesday, January 17
Time: Design a Reset that best fits your needs! Register below for one, two, or all three parts of the morning:
Reset-Quiet: 8:15-9am in the Fireside Room
Guided by Cheri Dirksmeyer, this quieter time provides alone and small group time for remembering and reconnecting with the Divine Light and Love that we hold within ourselves.
Reset-Breakfast: 9:00-9:30am in the Looking Within Center
Enjoy a delicious breakfast and community time.
Reset-Exploration: 9:30-11:00am in the Looking Within Center
Explore a topic to help you on your spiritual journey.
Exploration Presenter: Pastor Hayden Kvamme
This month’s theme: “Rhythms of Prayer”
Interested in shaking up your own daily rhythms of prayer? Curious to explore how others have prayed through the centuries? Join Gloria Dei’s Pastor Hayden Kvamme as we consider a few of the different patterns Christians of various eras have used to pray, and how their rhythms might offer some shape to our own practices of prayer. Our time together will include presentation, group conversation, personal reflection, and prayerful experiment.
There is no cost for this event.
Contact Julie Stevens with questions (julies@gloria-dei.com)
Mark your calendar for the upcoming Resets, all on Saturdays with separate sign ups:
February 10
March 9
April 13
Check out our other offerings on the Looking Within webpage at: gloria-dei.com/looking-within
LWC November Reset
A monthly mini-retreat with topics and insights that provide a transformative lens to see the Divine in all things and all people. “Reset” your journey as you grow closer to God, others, and yourself.
Date: Saturday, November 11
Location: Looking Within Center
Time: New this year! Design a Reset that best fits your needs! Register below for one, two, or all three parts of the morning
Registration deadline: Wednesday, November 8
Time:
Reset-Quiet: 8:15-9am in the Fireside Room
Guided by Cheri Dirksmeyer, this quieter time provides alone and small group time for remembering and reconnecting with the Divine Light and Love that we hold within ourselves.
Reset-Breakfast: 9:00-9:30am in the Looking Within Center
Enjoy a delicious continental breakfast and community time.
Reset-Exploration: 9:30-11:00am in the Looking Within Center
Explore a topic to help you on your spiritual journey.
Exploration Presenter: Cheryl Dirksmeyer
This month’s theme: “Living in Light--Pathway to Joy”
“Living in Light--Pathway to Joy” is an interactive experience that reminds us of the Divine Light that each of us holds within our soul center. This place holds all we need: unconditional self-love, love for others, as well as the truth of the higher version of ourselves--our authentic self. Our presenter will offer practical techniques of Reiki and Healing Touch for physical, emotional, and spiritual self-healing. (Healing touch is an energy therapy that uses light touch or close-to-the-body touch to support and facilitate physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health.)
Cheryl Dirksmeyer holds a bachelor's degree in music from Texas Lutheran University, and served as a music teacher in both public and parochial schools. She has been providing piano and voice instruction in her home studio for the past 12 years. Cheryl also holds a master's degree in Biblical Studies from Wartburg Theological Seminary, and is a Reiki Master as well as having completed 4 levels of Healing Touch. Cheryl has been actively practicing energy healing for the past five years.
There is no cost for this event.
Contact Julie Stevens with questions (julies@gloria-dei.com)
Coming up next!
Mark your calendar for the upcoming Resets, all on Saturdays with separate sign ups:
October 14
November 11
January 20
February 10
March 9
April 13
Check out our other offerings on the Looking Within webpage at: gloria-dei.com/looking-within
Food for Kidz
November 4, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm | Bethel Lutheran Church
Food insecurity is increasing significantly both around the nation and around the world. 820 million people are hungry globally and 1 in 5 children in Olmsted County suffer from food insecurity. We are working with Food For Kidz to deliver over 200,000 meals both locally and internationally.
Come join the fun to help fight food insecurity. We need many volunteers to help pack nutritious meals!
On Nov. 4th, there will be 3, two-hour time slots; (9 am-11 am - slot full), 11 am-1 pm, 1 pm-3 pm. Click the button below to register!
Come with your family and friends. Everyone 6 years and older is encouraged to participate. This is a great way for youth to get involved in community service.
LWC October Reset
A monthly mini-retreat with topics and insights that provide a transformative lens to see the Divine in all things and all people. “Reset” your journey as you grow closer to God, others, and yourself.
Date: Saturday, October 14
Location: Looking Within Center
Time:
New this year! Design a Reset that best fits your needs! Register below for one, two, or all three parts of the morning:
Reset-Quiet: 8:15-9am in the Fireside Room
Guided by Cheri Dirksmeyer, this quieter time provides alone and small group time for remembering and reconnecting with the Divine Light and Love that we hold within ourselves.
Reset-Breakfast: 9:00-9:30am in the Looking Within Center
Enjoy a delicious continental breakfast and community time.
Reset-Exploration: 9:30-11:00am in the Looking Within Center
Explore a topic to help you on your spiritual journey.
Registration deadline: Wednesday, October 11
Exploration Presenter: Lavonne Lovstad
This month’s theme: “Mandalas for Mindful Meditation”
In the past few years, mandalas have captured the interests of all ages in coloring books and elsewhere. However, for centuries the mandala, often called “the sacred circle”, has been recognized for its deep spiritual meaning, representation of wholeness, and its beauty by many cultures. The “circle with the center” pattern is the basic structure of creation and once one is aware of this form will begin to see it in many walks of life. Today the mandala becomes a valuable tool in creating balance of the mind, body and spirit, bringing one into wholeness as the circle suggests. It becomes a beautiful reflection of the inner soul and voice of its creator.
Besides learning about mandalas, each participant will be given a preformed mandala of their choice to color during our time together, accompanied by a guided four part inner and outer process which can also be used in any visual art process as well as a foundation for daily living. Additionally, through a display of original mandalas, our presenter will share aspects of her inner spiritual journey and approaches in using mandalas.
Lavonne Lovstad has enjoyed a fulfilling career in the arts and spirituality for over 50 years. Based on her educational degrees in Art Education, Art Therapy, Spiritual Direction and Energy Healing, she has served in numerous professional positions as a teacher, workshop leader, musician, and free lance artist and reiki practitioner. Lavonne prayerfully and intentionally brings her knowledge, intuitive wisdom and compassion to encourage a spiritual and creative awakening within others.
There is no cost for this event.
Contact Julie Stevens with questions (julies@gloria-dei.com)
Coming up next!
Mark your calendar for the upcoming Resets, all on Saturdays with separate sign ups:
October 14
November 11
January 20
February 10
March 9
April 13
Check out our other offerings on the Looking Within webpage at: gloria-dei.com/looking-within
Gloria Dei Meet Up
Please join us for the Gloria Dei Meetup. We’ll have some lunch and connect. Other new(ish) people to Gloria Dei will be around, staff will be there, and we’ll simply enjoy some face to face time and a meal together. We hope this is a time when some new connections can be made, others can grow deeper, and we can all enjoy a good Sunday meal!
Date: Sunday, October 8, 2023
Time: 11:45 am (after EpicOneEight Worship)
Place: The Looking Within Center (downstairs from the Sanctuary)
There is no cost for this event.
Please sigh up by Thursday, October 5 so we can plan for food.
Questions? Contact Kristelle Behle (kristelleb@gloria-dei.com) or call the church at 507-289-1841
Ninefold Path Book Study
We want to invite you to join the Ninefold Path Learning Lab. In each session we'll explore one of the beatitudes and then try on practices that might help us begin to live in a new way. Here's a brief description of what this study is about:
Signs of haunting are all around us. Conflict rages between groups and nations. The gap widens between poor and rich. So many are displaced, left out or left behind. Due to our actions, even the future of a habitable planet is threatened. If we want change, it begins with us - with our hearts and minds, with our actions and our voices. If there is a new way to be human, let's imagine and make it so.
The beatitudes contain some keys to liberation. These ancient sayings, spoken by Jesus, offer a nine statement manifesto for a new way to live. Hidden in plain sight and often ignored, even by those who call themselves followers, the beatitudes offer a radical alternative to the broken systems we've created. In them we hear the whispers of an invitation to a living way, a ninefold path.
This is a practice based book study, each session will have group discussion, exercises and some experiments and practices to try during the week. We'll be reading through Mark Scandrette's book and we really think that this group can really connect, grow, learn and change each other. You can register by filling out this form.
We hope you'll join us and if you have any questions, contact Joshua Poencet at joshuap@gloria-dei.com
We'll begin Part 1 on October 4th at 7:15 in the Looking Within Center
Dates for Ninefold Part 1
Oct. 4
Oct. 10
Oct. 25
Nov. 1
Nov. 8