Paul James Bower, age 62, died in his Minneapolis home surrounded by his family on October 19th, 2018. He was a kind, gentle soul who deeply loved his family, friends and life. Paul was born October 25th, 1955 in Madison, Wisconsin to the late David and Phyllis Bower. He was one of seven children and falls right in the middle of the Bower line-up. Paul worked hard all his life supporting his family, and had an interesting variety of jobs. Opening Tower Real Estate fulfilled his dream of owning and managing his own business. He sold real estate in the Brainerd area for over 20 years and earned a reputation for his integrity and willingness to go the extra mile to help people find homes. Ready for a new adventure, Paul sold his business and spent time serving in the Reading Corps where the kids called him “Mr. B.” He later took an opportunity to pursue his passion for renewable energy by taking courses in solar power, and working/volunteering for the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society (MRES).

Paul married the love of his life Barb in 1982 after proposing with a fortune cookie. He was a committed and adventurous father who loved his family dearly. He was always there for countless fishing trips, practicing jump shots, hours cheering in the bleachers, late night airport pickups, and treks from coast to coast and up the Alaska Highway. Paul was immensely proud of both his children. He sang, whistled, and playfully teased to keep everyone smiling.

Paul was diagnosed with cancer in June 2017. He faced this disease exactly how he approached all of life: with incredible steadiness, selflessness, and a good sense of humor. Paul is survived by his wife, Barb; children, Matthew (Melanie Lombard), Halen; brothers, Gary (Connie), Brian (Diane), Mark (Dianna); sisters, Connie Fausett (Carl), Diane Twiton (John), Jean Bower, many nieces and nephews and his beloved dog Sugar. He is dearly missed.

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, October 27th, 2018 at Grace Lutheran Church, 1500 6th St NE, Minneapolis at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Emmy Kegler officiating. Visitation will be at the church 1 hour before the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Minnesota Renewable Energy Society (MRES), a cause near and dear to Paul’s heart.

This year the Golden Friends service project for Christmas will be gathering various items for the LSS Street Outreach Teams to support youth experiencing homelessness.

The Golden Friends will be gathering our donations over the next three Sundays, and assemble the kits at the Golden Friends meeting on November 16.

The items needed are:
– socks
– underwear
– blankets
– coats
– scarves
– winter hats and earmuffs
– gloves
– hand warmers
– face wash — sample size or small bottle
– body wash — sample size or small bottle
– deodorant — small container
– toothpaste — small tube
– toothbrushes
– feminine hygiene products, like tampons and pads

There will be a box at the back of the church for your donations.

It is with regret mixed with deep gratitude for her years of service that I share the resignation of our administrator Jennifer Schultz effective on September 9, 2018.

Jen has been a faithful servant of Grace Lutheran and of its predecessors Saint Paul’s and Emanuel for over thirteen years, and has been the coordinator of our Little Kitchen Food Shelf and developer and organizer of our many years of low-cost summer camps for kids. Her work has been invaluable and her commitment to the mission has strengthened and supported us in our call to love and serve the neighbor. There is no question that she will be deeply missed; we wish her good luck and godspeed in her new ventures.

Jen will be available to assist with managing the food shelf while we navigate the transition and enter the hiring process for a new administrator. We are fully committed to continuing the good work of the Little Kitchen Food Shelf, and we are excited to welcome a new person into its administration (whoever it turns out they may be!).

We will be celebrating Jen’s many years of service on Rally Sunday, September 16th, after morning worship. All those who have benefitted from Jen’s leadership, administration, and friendship are invited to join us at 11:15am that day.

– Pastor Emmy

Grace Alworth has been with us for many years and has served in many capacities, including teaching confirmation and supply preaching. Grace has a Master of Arts in theology from Luther Seminary, and has long felt a call to ordained ministry but was unable to pursue it…

…until now! Luther Seminary is currently offering “Jubilee scholarships” to Master of Divinity students, covering all tuition for those students. This has enabled Grace to re-start the candidacy process and pursue her ordination as a pastor.

However, that does not mean her whole seminary education is free. Grace will still have to pay for books and student life fees, along with lost income from returning to school full-time for two years.

Many congregations help their seminarians with school expenses, and our finance team and council have approved covering Grace’s tech fees, student life fee, and book costs. But especially as a small business partner (hooray for Studio 2 Ceramics!) we know that Grace is making a big sacrifice in finishing her degree. That’s why we’re making it possible to give to a special seminarian fund through Grace Lutheran Church, to help Grace meet any other financial needs she and Jim encounter during her time at seminary.

You can make a special gift to the seminarian support fund online here or by check in our Sunday morning offering. Checks can be made out to Grace Lutheran Church with “seminarian support” in the memo line.

A special congregational meeting was held on Sunday, April 6 to vote on changing our name from “Northeast Community Lutheran Church” to “Grace Lutheran Church of Northeast Minneapolis.” The name change passed unanimously. This new name orients us firmly in God’s grace and aligns our name more directly with Grace Center, the community center project that we started back in 2010. The new name will be officially introduced and begin to be used on Sunday, May 4, on the occasion of our congregation’s 7th anniversary.