April, 2026
For the low, low cost of $7,500, Patrick Hutchinson purchased a cabin in a remote corner of wilderness outside of Index, Washington. Over the course of 6 years, he started to renovate and fix his little 10’x12’ shelter. His fixes ranged from adding a porch and a woodstove to replacing the entire roof and handling a rotting section of flooring. The catch? He began this undertaking while possessing no tools other than what he used to fix his bicycle and no construction experience whatsoever. Through his own research, help from friends/neighbors, conversations, and by watching copious amounts of YouTube, he marks a slow-but-growing appreciation for the satisfaction of manual labor and having more experience under his belt.
I can relate with Mr. Hutchinson. Facing a given project, I often jokingly state that I have 12% of an idea of how to fix it. Even my efforts in carpentry resemble little more than an aspirational hobby than anything else. If you were to come over to my home, you’d see wood-framed boxes hanging on one of our walls that serve two functions: primarily, they’re used to hold/display coffee mugs. Their secondary purpose is to mock my efforts from the days when I didn’t have much for tools or supplies. My many offers to fix said boxes have been declined, so there they hang as a monument of my inexperience.
Reading from Patrick’s account of building, fixing, and mending his cabin, I was struck by a few profound lessons he discovered along the way.
- First, the cabin encouraged a time to disconnect with the outside world and to enjoy nature – either by himself or with his friends. Conveniences would only serve to take away from that experience.
- Second, the pride and sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that comes when you complete a job according to your skillset.
- Third, taking time to recognize your own growth in an area. His unprofessional fix for a leak near his stovepipe is almost comical years later when he begins to replace the entire roof years later.
As Christians, it’s not difficult to find the spiritual connection between these areas and our own faith journey. We recognize that God designed us to work and to find enjoyment there. We do well to honor the Sabbath and to make a point to prioritize times to disconnect from noise and to value the relationships around us. And, when we are able, to appreciate the growth that God has been able to work in our own lives. This happens especially in the work of mentorship, when we make the effort to pour into the lives of others intentionally and intensely. Even in light of failures and mistakes, God assures us that he will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:6-8). My encouragement for us is to follow Patrick's example of celebrating and enjoying God's ongoing work in our lives.
Pastor Dan Hurner
Preaching Rotation& Worship Texts
April 5 Easter
7:00 a.m. Kvam (Pr. Dan)
9:30 a.m. Tordenskold (Pr. Dan)
9:30 a.m. ZS (Pr. Mark)
April 12
9:00 a.m. Tordenskjold (Pr. Mark) “The Gift of Encouragement”
10:30 a.m. Kvam (Pr. Mark) “The Gift of Encouragement”
10:30 a.m. ZS (Pr. Dan) “The Gift of Faith”
April 19
9:00 a.m. Tordenskjold (Pr. Dan) “The Gift of Service”
10:30 a.m. Kvam (Pr. Dan) “The Gift of Service”
10:30 a.m. ZS (Pr. Jacob) “Gifts of Apostle and Evangelist”
April 26
9:00 a.m. Tordenskjold (Pr. Mark) “Gifts of Apostle and Evangelist”
10:30 a.m. Kvam (Pr. Mark) “Gifts of Apostle and Evangelist”
10:30 a.m. ZS (Pr. Dan) “The Gift of Service”
Holy Communion…
Zion-Sarpsborg April 12
Tordenskjold April 12
Kvam April 12
Council Meetings
Tordenskjold April 14 @ 7 p.m.(Deacons 6 p.m.)
Zion-Sarps. April 20 @ 7 p.m. (Deacons 6 p.m.)
Kvam- April 21 @ 7 p.m. (Deacons 6 p.m.)
Church Libraries
We are very thankful to have resources available at each of our churches for you. Many volunteers over the years have put time and effort into making good resources available. Please be sure to us them.
Bible Study Opportunities
Tuesday Morning Men’s Bible Study
Each week at 6:45 a.m. at Underwood Quik-Stop. We are currently studying “Spiritual Gifts.”
Kvam Ladies Prayer Group
Meeting each Tueday at 3:00 p.m. at the Rock in Dalton. For more information contact Deanna Mounts 218-770-9304.
Young Adults Bible Studies
LIFT (Living in Fellowship and Truth). Meeting each Monday.
Guys at Bethel Lutheran in Fergus Falls at 6:30 p.m.
Gals at the Zacha’s each Monday at 5:30 p.m. For more information contact Jacob Zacha 219-452-8369.
Zion-Sarpsborg Ladies Bible Study
Meeting on the first Thursday of each month at 2:00 p.m. at Zion-Sarpsborg. April mtg. will be on the 9, @2:00.
Mothers with Young Children
Meeting every other Thursday at various homes. Next meeting is March 5th at 1:30 p.m. Currently studying the book of Hebrews, using N.T. Wright for Everyone Bible Study Guide. For more information contact Chris Fegert: (cmfegert@gmail.com) or text 218-671-1708.
Thursday Men’s Coffee
Conversation and Prayer- Come for fellowship each Thursday at 10 a.m. Meeting at Zion-Sarpsborg in Dalton.
AFLC Annual Conference
Our AFLC Annual Conference will be held June 10-13, 2026 at Concordia College, Moorhead, MN. The theme is “Sure Hope” (Philippians 1:6). For more information, or to register, go to www.aflc.org
Anchor News
We will be participating in the fourth annual Wheels, Tracks, and Wings event in Elbow Lake on April 25th.
Anchor is planning on another day trip to Feed My Starving Children in mid-April! More information on this outing will be shared on our social media accounts and on Anchor's texting group.
Ladies Spring Luncheon
Please Join Us On Saturday, April 18, 11:30 - Tordenskjold Church. Our guest speaker is Casey Baardson. Casey has been involved in women’s ministries for over 40 years, teaching classes and leading conference’s across the United States and in other countries. In retirement she continues to serve as a Police Chaplain with the West Fargo Police Department.
She and her husband, Vern love encouraging police and staff through ride alongs, trainings, and life connections. She also comes alongside those involved in critical incidents in their community. Casey and Vern are involved in the ministry of LEM (Lutheran Evangelistic Movement), speaking at conferences throughout the year. By God’s grace, Casey and Vern have been married almost 50 years. Theirof Unseen, a non profit accelerating the fight against human trafficking for 34 Partners Group in 27countries around the world and 10 US states.
Come and bring a friend to hear about God’s faithfulness in Casey’s life and ministries, You Will Be Blessed!
For reservations call: Becky Houge 218-205-1293 or Susan Vukonich 218-770-9443
Gideon Sunday….April 19th
We are excited to have representatives from the Gideons in our churches on Sunday, April 19th. Our churches have generously supported this ministry in many ways over the years and for that we are so grateful. Please come prepared to share in a special offering for the Gideons on this day!
Church Softball…
It is hard to believe that church softball is just around the corner. This has been a great time of fellowship a great opportunity to build and strengthen relationships. If you are interested in playing please reach out to Peter Johnson, Pastor Mark or Pastor Dan. Games are set to begin the week of May 18th.
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HAVE A BLESSED EASTER
He is not here for He is Risen, Just as He said.
Matthes 28:6