Newsletter September 2026

“Be Encouraged!”

“We give thanks to God always for all you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Thess. 1:2-3 ESV)

     During this time of the year I do a lot of reflecting on things as the fall schedule starts in so many areas, including ministry and family life.  It is a time to reflect on the goodness of God and how He has been at work in the life of our parish and different ministries.  I want you to be encouraged that God is at work!  As Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica he thanks them for their “work of faith, labor of love and steadfastness in our Lord Jesus Christ.” I thank you in the same way as well!

     The first characteristic of the Thessalonian Christians that Paul thanks God for as he prays for them is their “work of faith.”  As I think about all of the ministries that take place in our parish and the lives that you touch that no one may know anything about, it is a beautiful gift from God.  When God saves us and grows us in love for each other the body of Christ works together by the grace of God, rooted in the gift of faith that God gives.  There are so many tasks, so many things that get done that furthers the work of sharing Jesus that no one even knows about.  It is interesting that Paul uses the word “work,” as it relates to faith.  We understand that faith is a gift from God and also understand that “faith without works is dead.”  (James 1:17)  Work involves blood, sweat and tears and is not always pleasant, but when connected to serving other and seeing the kingdom of God advance it takes on a whole new meaning.  When our work is rooted in our faith in Jesus it is an act of worship and it is simply not just getting a task done.  Thank you all for your work of faith!

     The second thing that Paul notes about this church is their “labor of love.” Paul has a burning desire to see believers abound in love for Christ and each other.  Throughout his letters he reminds his hearers that serving each other in the love of Christ is paramount to see God’s kingdom grow and be realized in a powerful way.  This “labor of love,” is also a witness to the world and those who do not know Jesus.  In John 13:35 Jesus says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” In using the word “labor,” with regards to serving in the love of Christ, he further understands that loving others is not easy sometimes and that it involves work, effort, time, trust in order to see fruit.  Thank you for your labor of love in serving each other, our churches and communities!     The last characteristic of the church at Thessalonica that Paul mentions is their “steadfastness of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ.”  The sure “hope,” in Christ, the Rock upon which the church is built was the reason why this church was so effective.  It is interesting the Paul further states, “For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.” (I Thess. 1:8)  Could this be said of us?  I pray that would be our goal, the Jesus would continue to shine from our churches, individual lives and families.  Thank you for your steadfast hope in Jesus!     As we begin the fall ministry schedule lets continue to serve the Lord together always keeping the souls of those in our care and in our communities at the forefront of all that we do!  As one of your pastors I want to continue to lead well and commit to pray more earnestly for all of you!  I thank God you and let’s continue to serve well together by the grace of God!

 Serving Together, Pastor Mark

Preaching Rotation & Worship Texts

Preaching Rotation and Texts…

September 6

9:00 a.m.         Tordenskjold (Pr. Mark) Jer. 17:13-14, Rom. 8:1-17, John 5:1-14

10:30 a.m.       Kvam (Pr. Dan) “___________________________”

10:30 a.m.       ZS (Pr. Mark) Jer. 17:13-14, Rom. 8:1-17, John 5:1-14

 September 13 (LRPTA Service)

8:00 a.m.         (Pr. Mark)

 September 20

9:00 a.m.         Tordenskjold (Pr. Dan) “What does the Bible Say About Life?”

10:30 a.m.       Kvam (Pr. Mark) (What Does the Bible Say About Death?”

10:30 a.m.       ZS (Pr. Dan)   “What does the Bible Say About Life?”

 September 27

9:00 a.m.         Tordenskjold (Pr. Mark) (What Does the Bible Say About Death?”

10:30 a.m.       Kvam (Pr. Dan) “What does the Bible Say About Life?”

10:30 a.m.       ZS (Pr. Mark) (What Does the Bible Say About Death?”

Fall Preaching Series

Pastor Dan and I are excited to start a new fall called theological and cultural topics that the Bible speaks to.  “What Does the Bible Say About________?”  God’s Word is living and active, powerful to create faith and teaches us how to live in this crazy world.  Please pray for us as we work in these messages!

                Communion

Zion-Sarpborg            September 6

Tordenskjold              September 20

Kvam                          September 20

LRPTA Community Service….Sunday, September 13

Please join us and come together as a community for the Lake Region Pioneer Threshermen’s Community Worship Service on Sunday,

September 13th at 8:00 a.m. in Dalton.  Each year the Dalton Free Lutheran Parish and Our Savior’s Ten Mile Lake Luther join together to hear God’s Word and worship as a community.  There will be no service in our churches that Sunday.

                 Parish Council Meeting…September 22

A reminder that our annual Parish Council Meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 22 at Zion-Sarpsborg at 7 p.m.  Please pray for our councils as they faithfully serve the Lord!

                 Fall Parish Midweek Bible Study…. “Living as a Christian Today”

We are very excited to be hosting a Fall Parish Bible Study each Wednesday night at Zion-Sarpsborg in Dalton at 7 p.m. called “Living as a Christian Today.”  The study will run September 16th through November 25th.  We are very thankful to have Cliff Fegert and and Jacob Zacha sharing truths from God’s Word from I Peter and other Old and New Testament passages to encourage and challenge us with our role in sharing Jesus in a world that desperately needs a Savior.  Below is an overview and scope of the study prepared by Cliff:

 Overview: The US in the 2nd Quarter of the 21st Century is not only Post-Christian, it is increasingly hostile to Christianity, Biblically illiterate, even for professing Christians, and it is moving into a post literate society. Furthermore, nominally Christian Cults and heretical belief systems, such as Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Unitarianism, and especially Islam are becoming increasingly viewed as viable alternatives to Orthodox Christianity.

However, Jesus’ command to; “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV) has not been rescinded. It remains an obligation and should be a joyful task for all the faithful. But with all these complications, how do we go about fulfilling our mission?

Description: This Mid-Week Bible Study will explore this formidable task. Using Peter’s magnificent treatise on Christian life in a non-Christian world, the Bible Study will tackle this head on. They will wrestle with topics such as; What is Orthodox Christianity?

What are some of the more popular “Christian Alternative religions?”

General Witnessing Techniques, Tactics, and Procedures;

Real-Life accounts of witnessing in the wild;

Discussions in some detail on Mormonism, and JW

Brief looks at other popular cults and heresies,

Focus on the challenges and opportunities of witnessing to Muslims.

 Each session will include an opening and closing prayer, an Old Testament and New Testament reading appropriate to the evening session, and look at a passage from 1 Peter. Classes will run Classes will run from September 9th through November 25th. There may be 2-3 weeks that will have bye. They will run from 7:00-8:00. 10 minutes of opening devotions, 40 minutes of teaching, and 10 minutes for discussion/Question and Response.

Within this framework, Cliff and Jacob will strive to adapt each session to the needs of those who attend. It should be a lot of fun. We encourage everyone that can to attend!

Parish Women’s Bible Study

Parish women are invited to join a Bible study which begins on Tuesday, September 22 at Tordenskjold Church from 4:30 p.m. until 5:45 p.m.  The study is titled Better: A Study of Hebrews by Jen Wilkin which includes a personal study book and video teaching that shows how Christ is the substance of the truths in the Old Testament and that He alone established a better covenant as we run the race set before us.  Join us for encouraging lessons, fellowship, and snacks on Tuesdays.

New Member Class….September 20th and 27th

We are thankful to offer a new member classes to all interested in membership in one of our churches.  We will meet on two Sunday nights, September 20th and September 27th at 6 p.m. at Zion-Sarpsborg in Dalton.  Please contact the Parish Office, Pastor Mark or Pastor Dan or one the deacons if you are interested. 

            Fall Faith Focus October 18th-20th

We are excited for our Parish Fall Faith Focus 2026 October 18-20 at Zion-Sarpsborg in Dalton.  Sunday, October 18th will kick off the Anchor service breakfast, followed by our Parish Worship Service at 10:30.  On Sunday Night we are bringing back the Wild Game Tasting at 5:30 p.m followed by a program with students/leaders from Ashby that went on a wild game excursion last year.  They will share pictures and stories from their hunt.  Our guest speaker, Pastor Mike Brandt will also share.  Then on Monday and Tuesday nights services will start at 7 p.m.  We are excited to have pastor/evangelist Mike Brant as our speaker this fall.  Below is part of Mike’s story to help you get to know him:

 Pastor Brandt is a native of South Dakota. He was raised in a committed Christian home where the joy and love of Christ prevailed. He is most thankful for the saving, transforming grace of Jesus Christ that enabled him to be born anew to a living hope. His present call as Director of Shepherding the Shepherds is overseen by Abiding Savior Free Lutheran in Sioux Falls, SD. Since 2008, Shepherding has been privileged to minister in 16 different evangelical denominations and 10 para-church ministries.

 Michael graduated from the Association Free Lutheran Seminary. In 1969, he was licensed as a pastor and in 1972 he was ordained into the clergy roster of the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota. He has served congregations in Minnesota, Washington, Wisconsin and South Dakota. Pastor Brandt has also served on numerous local and national ministry boards.

  Schedule of Services

 Sunday, October 18   Parish Service 10:30 a.m. (ZS)

Sunday, October 18   Wild Game Feed

Monday, October 19 Evening Service 7 p.m. (ZS)

Tuesday, October 20 Tuesday Morning Men’s Bible Study 6:45 a.m.

Tuesday, October 20 Evening Service 7 p.m. (ZS)

  Sunday Worship Times beginning Sept. 6

Kvam – 10:30 a.m.

Tordenskjold – 9:00 a.m.

     Zion-Sarpsborg – 10:30 a.m.