Author: Jack Busche

JUNE 2026

Windblown
Arlene and I had almost arrived at our son’s home. But the gas tank was low enough
that we needed to stop one more time, in Newell, South Dakota. Situated at the foot of
the Black Hills, Newell is a typical front-range town: rolling hills and irrigated farms
framed by the mountains beyond. When I stepped out of the car to pump gas, I was hit
with a blast of wind. I mean, a BLAST of wind, so strong it nearly blew me over. My
cap went flying and my hair—what’s left of it—stood on end. It was all I could do to
stand up straight. Later, as I walked into the gas station to use the restroom, someone
noticed our Michigan license plates, and smirked: “Welcome to South Dakota.”
On May 24, we celebrated Pentecost Sunday, entering into the prolonged season of
Pentecost in the Church Year. The texts for that day tell the story of the Holy Spirit’s
descent upon Jesus’ disciples after his resurrection and ascension. They were
gathered together in a home in Jerusalem, when suddenly, the silence was interrupted
by the sound of wind. This was not a gentle breeze, blowing softly through the pines.
Imagine the sound of a tornadic wind roaring through the building. At the same
moment, the disciples started talking all at once in a variety of languages they didn’t
know! And “tongues of fire” dancing over each of them, as if they were on fire, yet not
consumed.
As the book of Acts describes it, Pentecost was loud and chaotic. It’s no wonder
everyone in the neighborhood came running to see what was going on. When they
arrived at the house, above the noise of the roaring wind, they could make out the
disciples’ voices, proclaiming in their own languages the story of God’s goodness,
revealed in Christ Jesus.
The words translated “spirit” in both Old Testament Hebrew and New Testament Greek is identical to the world used for wind. In the beginning, God’s Spirit/Wind moved over the waters, and the world came to be. When the Spirit/Wind came at Pentecost, a new creation was birthed by God: the Church.

June

Newsletter

Grace Lutheran Church

JUNE 2026

Just as a stiff breeze displaces objects and rearranges the landscape, so the Spirit’s
arrival unsettled and changed the world, through the disciple’s witness to the risen Lord.
The Spirit continues to descend upon the Church. In baptism, first of all, to each of us,
and then, daily—to empower our witness to God’s reign of mercy and justice. The Spirit
is a disruptive force, a wind that rearranges the landscape. Through you and I.
People can’t help but notice. The early Church father Tertullian wrote that when his
Roman contemporaries noticed how Christians cared for the poor, the dying, and the
elderly, they exclaimed, “See, how they love each other!”
God empowers us, as the people of God at Grace Lutheran Church, to live in such a
way that people hear and see and notice. May it be said of us: “See, how they love
each other!” See how they love our community! See how they love the people of the
world! See how they love the rivers and lakes, the land and all its creatures! See how
they love God!
Come, Holy Spirit! Change us and through us, heal this broken world you love.
--Pastor Dave Van Kley
Preacher/Worship Leaders for the month of June
Sunday, June 7: Pastor Sharolyn Swenson
Sunday, June 14: Pastor Dave Van Kley
Sunday, June 21: Pastor Andrew Crow Roberts
Sunday, June 28: Bishop Katherine Finegan
We will celebrate communion at each worship service!

June

Newsletter

Grace Lutheran Church

News at Grace Lutheran

Are You Interested in Membership at Grace?
If you are, we would love to have you! Perhaps you’ve been coming to Grace for years, as a visitor. Or maybe you just started to attend and found here a place of welcome and an outlet for learning together and serving others. While membership may not seem all that important, it is a powerful way to express your commitment to Christ and to the life of the church.
What’s involved? Not a great deal! You would meet with the pastor and/or several of Grace’s leaders to learn a bit more about the congregation’s life and ministry. If you are a member of another congregation and would like to request a transfer, we can do that for you. But if it’s been a long time since you attended anywhere else, this can be a new beginning for you, too.
Then, at one of our regular worship services, we would welcome you and together with you, renew our commitment to faith and life. You would then be able, and encouraged, to vote in congregational matters and use your gifts, however you are called and inspired to use them, in the life and mission of Grace Lutheran Church.
If interested, please inform Pastor Dave.
Office Manager / Secretary Update
Rebecca (Majestic) Herriman has accepted this position within our church staff. Rebecca has been a long time member of Grace Lutheran Church; she was baptized here, received First Communion, and was confirmed here. Her parents were stewards of the church in the 1980s-1990s. Rebecca and Andrew have five children, two of which are still at home and attend school in the Gwinn school district. Rebecca’s office hours are Monday-Thursday from 8am - 1pm. Please stop in and introduce yourself, or join her for a cup of coffee. She always has a pot brewing!
Social Media
You may have noticed an uptick in our social media presence on Facebook. Please like, share, and comment to increase our views and hopefully encourage more of the public to come worship with us. If you have any photos, messages, or ideas you’d like to see published, please contact our office.
Thank You
Thank you to everyone who assisted with, and attended, our Daughters of Grace Banquet. It was a fun evening with a delicious meal followed by beautiful music, thanks to Bill, Tony, and Pastor Bre. Our annual women’s summer outing will be coming soon! We will be going to Marquette’s Big Boy for a meal, then attend the play “Chicago” at the Boat House. Watch for more information and a sign-up sheet!

News at Grace Lutheran

Sunday June 7th is Pollinator Sunday!
Please feel free to take home a “seed ball” or two; they’ll be located in the Narthex on the counter. These were made by local Girl Scouts, Troop #5532, from
Gilbert Elementary. They contain wildflower seeds and soil, wrapped in a paper mulch. All you need to do is toss them wherever you’d like to see a few wildflowers grow, and let Mother Nature do the rest. You can also plant them in a container or garden.

June 7 worship
With the first Sunday in June, we transition to using the Liturgy of Joy during worship for the summer months. The Liturgy of Joy was written by Pauline Kiltinen, a long -time member of St. Mark’s Lutheran and then Messiah Lutheran Church in Marquette. Pauline was also the Vice President of the Northern Great Lakes Synod/ELCA for a number of years. She died recently after a battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Her gentle, yet determined, spirit—and her deep faithfulness to God and the Church is reflected in this liturgy. If you are new to Grace’s worship, you will enjoy singing this summer.
On the 7th , we also celebrate with Kaden Ruokola and his parents, Shane and Peter, as Kaden affirms his faith in the rite of confirmation. After years of Sunday School and confirmation instruction, Kaden will share his own confession of faith as we gather in support. It’s a big step in Kaden’s ongoing faith journey. Afterward, you are invited to greet Kaden over coffee and fellowship downstairs.
Congratulations and blessings, Kaden Ruokola!
Outdoor Worship—July 12
Grace Lutheran Church will be part of a community ecumenical worship service at the Nordeen Park this summer on Sunday, July 12, at 11 AM. Please note: we will not be holding worship at the Grace campus on that day. Gwinn Methodist Church is handling the music—we are looking for people to be part of a choir for that day! If you are willing to lend yourself and your voice, please contact Catherine at 906-360-8643. Pastor Dave will be the preacher at this service. If someone would like to read a lesson or a portion of the liturgy for the day, please contact him. Following worship, there will be a potluck dinner—you are invited to bring something to share. Everyone is welcome to share this service of worship with the larger Christian community in a beautiful, outdoor, and public space.

News at Grace Lutheran

Quilters
We will meet every Tuesday (except the second Tuesday) at 1:00 in the fellowship hall downstairs. Our quilts are sent to Lutheran World Relief in October. New quilters are welcome. No previous quilting experience necessary. Join us for a cup of coffee at 1:00 and see what we do!
Naomi Circle
Naomi Circle meets the third Thursday of each month in the fellowship room downstairs at 2:00pm. We have a Bible Study from the Gather magazine followed by a coffee fellowship. All women are welcome to join us!
Community Outreach: It is a busy month for us. June 4th we are hosting Feeding America. Volunteers - please be here between 3:00-3:30 as distribution begins at 4:00pm.
June 6th will be our rummage sale from 10:00am-4:00pm. Volunteers - please be here around 9:00am for help with set up. We are in need of bakery items to sell, and tarps. Please put your name on the tarps, so we may return them to you after the sale.
June 9th is our monthly meal kit preparation and distribution.
June 19th-20th is our annual pie sale. Signup sheets are located in the narthex for slicers/packagers, bakers, sellers.
*Save the Date* Blood Drive *
There will be a blood drive here at church on Wednesday, August 19th, from 3:00pm-6:00pm. More
Information will be made public as we near this date. Donating is now easier than ever; many previous
Deferrals have changed. Please come and see if you are eligible to donate. The need is great!
Hope Circle
We will be meeting once more for a luncheon/dinner, then we will be off for the summer! Meetings will resume again in the fall.

News at Grace Lutheran

Fortune Lake Summer Camp registration is open
Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp near Crystal Falls is planning weeks of summer fun and friends, learning and activities in that lovely, wooded setting beside Fortune Lake. The theme for this summer is “Wear Love!” As generations of youth will attest, a week or a half week at Fortune Lake Camp can be life-altering, building campers’ sense of self esteem and trust in God’s grace, while teaching them how to live simply and well in community. There are many camp experiences available, ranging from one day camps for Grades K-5, to 2 overnight options for Grades 1-2, to 3 overnight options for grades 2-3, to a whole week of activity for kids who’ve completed grade 3 and up through nigh school.
Grace Lutheran Church offers camp scholarships, which cover up to ½ of the total cost per camper and additional scholarship money can be made available, through the camp and our community here. No one who wants to attend is turned away from FLLC!
Flyers are available in the church office or on line at the Fortune Lake Camp website.
You won’t regret encouraging your kids and grandkids to attend a week of camp! Please talk to Pastor Dave for help with the registration process.

News at Grace Lutheran

UPCOMING EVENTS:
June 3rd - Kids’ Café meeting at the Gwinn Inn at 5pm. If you’d like to see what we’re all about, this is a perfect time to join us!
June 4th - Feeding America Distribution - volunteers are asked to be here between 3:00-3:30 for set up; distribution will begin at 4pm.
June 6th - We will have a rummage sale here at Grace for the Gwinn, town wide rummage sale day on June 6th, from 10am-4pm. Community outreach will take any and all donations. All proceeds will go toward outreach projects. For more information please contact Lynn Marjonen at (906) 346-3727.
June 9th - Stewardship Meeting: 3:30pm
June 10th - VBS Meeting. If you’re interested in volunteering, please come! Meeting is at 5:30pm in the downstairs fellowship area. We are still in need of some volunteers - please see the signup forms located in the Narthex.
June 20th - Fun Daze Annual Pie Sale at Peter Nordeen Park
June 24th-26th - Vacation Bible School. Held at Grace Lutheran Church this year, from 9:00am-12:00PM each day. Volunteer sign-up forms are located in the Narthex.

News at Grace Lutheran

Prayer Concerns

Gerry Stille	Karen Octaluk	Sally Weingartner
Darlene Faucher	Marlys Pickett	Gloria LaFave
Alice Harbin	Paul Juidici	Edna Roberts
Roger Harbin	Donald Hakala	Bill Hatch
Louise Spickerman	Harold Zaborowski	Jackie Kangas
Sarah Johnson	Deb McNabb	Sandee Kangas
Mike Stefanski	Arlene Keskimaki	Dave Kangas
Mary Stefanski	Richard Erickson	Arlene Van Kley
Shannon McNabb	LuAnne Seger	Elanor Rose Beauchaine
Kelly Kienert	Sharon Groff	Kurt Marjonen
Mykal Foress

JUNE BIRTHDAYS

Paul Makela	6 / 12	Karen Manninen	6 / 24

News at Grace Lutheran

June Sunday Worship Volunteers
Readers:
June 7th: Daisy Banasiak
June 14th: **VACANT**
June 21th: **VACANT**
June 28th: **VACANT**
Communion Assistants:
June 7th: Ray Richard
June 14th: Pat Seger
June 21th: Kathy Keskimaki
June 28th: Jean Armatti
Fellowship Servers:
June 7th: Janie Marjonen & Dee Mattson
June 14th: Shirlee Leppaluoto & Terri Britlinger
June 21th: Vicki Winters & Maxeen Jacobson
June 28th: Deb Hurkman & Karen Beaumier
Greeters:
June 7th: Pat Seger
June 14th: **VACANT**
June 21th: Bill & Diane Koski
June 28th: Rebecca, Chase, Hazel Herriman

News at Grace Lutheran

Grace Lutheran Church
Church Council
5/19/26
Present: Interim Pastor Dave Van Kley, Paul Makela, Bill Kangas, Ruth Forgette, Bill
Koski, Jean Armatti, Karen Nelson
Meeting called to order at 10:00 a.m. by Paul Makela, President. Pastor Dave lead
with prayer.
Motion by Ruth, second by Karen, to approve the agenda. Motion carried.
Reviewed April Council minutes. Motion by Ruth, second by Bill Koski, to approve.
Motion carried.
Paul reviewed the financial reports. Pastor Dave made a motion to approve the
reports as written. Second by Jean. Motion carried.
No correspondence to review.
Pastors report reviewed. Motion by Ruth, second by Bill Koski, to accept. Motion
carried.
COMMITTEE and TEAM REPORTS
Personnel: Hired Rebecca Herriman for secretary. Reviewed personnel policy
draft, made some changes.
Finance: Meeting scheduled.
Transition Team: Recommended names of people to serve as requested.
Kid’s Café: Planning to meet soon.
VBS: Continue to meet, plan coming together.
Worship and Music: Meet regularly.
Stewardship: Meeting next week.
Next meeting: Tuesday, June 16, at 10:00 a.m.
Property: leaky toilet in women’s bathroom; everyone has been pitching in with the shoveling as we have relied on Reggie over the years; 1 light out downstairs

News at Grace Lutheran

Property: Bill Kangas reported Dave Marjonen has cleaned the van and is
bringing it in for service. Elevator contract ends in October. Reviewed info from
different company, Metro Elevator. Motion by Jean, second by Ruth, to go with
Metro when our current contract with TKE ends in October. Motion carried.
Have summer work projects, including dealing with the pop cans.
OLD BUSINESS
Local Assistance Fund: Planning to meet again.
“Worship in the Park”: Pastor Dave talked with Methodist Church about doing
this ecumenical service. He will preach and they will do the music. Will be
Sunday, July 12, at 11:00.
Bylaw changes, including Personnel and Finance Committees: Will get copies of
current bylaws and start the review process.
NEW BUSINESS
Next Feeding America: June 4
Potential Blood Drive: Agreed to have blood drive in August. Will find out
requirements and limitations and let congregation know.
GLC Website; We currently pay $148/month and there are much lower cost
options that were discussed. Motion by Jean, second by Karen, to have Pastor
Dave and Rebecca to make decision about who to go with going forward.
Security Seminar and Recommendations: Paul attended a House of Worship
security seminar presented by Range. Will have someone come through our
church from Range and do a walk-through and get recommendations.
Council Member Comments: None
All said Lord’s Prayer.
Motion by Ruth, second by Karen, to adjourn at 11:26. Motion carried.
Next meeting: Tuesday, June 16, at 10:00 a.m.
Submitted by Karen Nelson
Next meeting: Tuesday, June 16, at 10:00 a.m.

GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH - FINANCIAL SUMMARY
JANUARY - APRIL 2026
		GENERAL FUND		RECEIPTS				RECEIPTS
RECEIPTS		BUDGET		January - April				January - April
		Jan - Dec 2026		2026		Difference		2025
Loose		5,700.00		1,435.00		4,265.00		1,946.00
General Budget		134,100.00		43,018.96		91,081.04		39,706.21
General Budget - Vanco Online Giving		7,000.00		2,400.00		4,600.00		2,430.00
Ash Wednesday/Lenten Services		700.00		702.00		-2.00		631.00
Thrivent		700.00		495.00		205.00		456.00
Christmas/Advent Services		1,000.00		10.00		990.00		75.00
Miscellaneous		700.00		130.00		570.00		283.00
Interest Income - CD Edward Jones		0.00		0.00		0.00		0.00
Dividend - Honor CD		4,500.00		1,483.13		3,016.87		1,615.64
Dividend - Honor Acct 117		1,600.00		540.81		1,059.19		668.41
TOTAL RECEIPTS		156,000.00		50,214.90		105,785.10		47,811.26
		GENERAL FUND		DISBURSEMENTS				DISBURSEMENTS
DISBURSEMENTS		BUDGET		January - April				January - April
		Jan - Dec 2026		2026		REMAINING		2025
Parish Extension		7,600.00		2,492.44		5,107.56		2,516.00
Salaries		43,603.00		15,196.73		28,406.27		40,646.65
Parish Administration		19,522.00		5,804.88		13,717.12		2,571.39
Education		2,450.00		341.43		2,108.57		1,170.02
Office Operations		6,800.00		2,864.22		3,935.78		1,336.08
Property		40,525.00		11,673.49		28,851.51		12,085.45
TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS		120,500.00		38,373.19		82,126.81		60,325.59
EXCESS REVENUES (EXPENSES)		$35,500.00		$11,841.71				($12,514.33)
FUNDS ON DEPOSIT AS OF APRIL 30, 2026
GENERAL FUND								April 30, 2025
Honor CU - Checking - 001				1,735.65				1,122.93
Honor CU - Shares - 000				5.00				5.03
Honor CU - Savings - 117				69,911.82				45,388.28
Honor CU - Certificate of Deposit - 330				109,951.32				105,571.82
GENERAL FUNDS ON DEPOSIT AS OF APRIL 30, 2026				181,603.79				152,088.06
DESIGNATED FUNDS
Building Maintenance				66,586.45
Community Outreach				3,052.86
Feeding America				798.81
Fortune Lake Campership				779.54
Kitchen Fund				2,368.23
Memorial Fund				3,688.68
Van Maintenance/Replacement				3,982.87
WELCA (Naomi)				1,020.56
Youth Fund				3,922.83
Housing Allowance				7,667.08
Housing Allowance - CD - Edward Jones				128,000.00
DESIGNATED FUNDS ON DEPOSIT AS OF APRIL 30, 2026				221,867.91

JUNE 2026

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
	1	2 / Quilters 1:00pm	3 / Kids’ Café meeting 5pm / At Gwinn Inn	4 / Feeding America / 3:00pm	5	6 / Rummage Sale / 8:00am
7 / Bible Study 8:45am / Worship 10:00am / Youth Event 4-6pm	8	9 / Meal Kits 2:00pm / Stewardship Meeting / 3:30pm	10 / Personnel Committee / Meeting 10am / VBS Meeting 5:30pm	11 / Naomi Circle 2:00pm	12	13
14 / Bible Study 8:45am / Worship 10:00am / FLAG DAY	15	16 / Quilters 1:00pm	17	18 / Worship & Music Meeting 3:00pm	19 / Pie Sale Slicers and / Packagers 5pm-7pm / JUNETEENTH	20 / Annual Fun Daze Pie Sale 10am - 4pm
21 / Bible Study 8:45am / Worship 10:00am / Father’s Day	22	23 / Quilters 1:00pm	24 / Vacation Bible School / 9:00am-12:00pm	25 / Vacation Bible School / 9:00am-12:00pm	26 / Vacation Bible School / 9:00am-12:00pm	27
28 / Bible Study 8:45am / Worship 10:00am	29	30