Arvin Pirness | The Voice of Zion March 2023 - News and Notes --
Early in history, 40 weekdays became established as the period of preparation for Easter. The month of March contains the period of Lent. You may have heard or even observed fasting customs of Lent where individuals work to simplify their way of living or eating or forgo a particular habit in illustration of sacrifice. However, Christian fasting is primarily a spiritual endeavor and leads one to seek the forgiveness of sins and peace of conscience.
As we make our plans for Easter, may God so preciously and graciously allow us to see the treasure of faith and rejoice in the redemption work of our Lord Jesus. Have a blessed time of Lent!
Updates on LLC Activities
Facilities
Stony Lake Camp log restoration is scheduled for the last week of May.
Education
Preconfirmation camps now are planned as a part of Confirmation Schools. In the year prior to Confirmation School, preconfirmation students focus on studying Luther’s Small Catechism.
A Confirmation and Preconfirmation Directors and Teachers workshop was held on February 6. The focus of the workshop was to review the current curriculum, examine methods for conducting discussion periods and review the planning progress to date with each director of those camps.
On March 2 there is a Camp Directors and Staff Workshop hosted at the LLC office and broadcast through Zoom for remote participants.
Campwork week will be added back to the LLC’s schedule of activities this year. However, a specific week in March hasn’t been formalized. Each congregation will schedule this event at a time that best serves their congregation. The emphasis in Campwork and Youthwork will be on the joy of serving and encouragement to members to volunteer to serve at camps.
Mission Department
A webinar for the newly aligned area mission committees is planned for March 7. We will review the area mission committees’ administrative responsibilities, scheduling processes and timelines for this year. We will also set dates for fall meetings and establish a list of items to be covered at those meetings.
The LLC Ministers Camp will be held at Stony Lake Camp March 31–April 2.
Communication Department
This spring we plan in a variety of ways to promote awareness of our opisto scholarship program. For the last 40 years, the LLC has sent young people from North America to the believers’ opistos in Finland. To date many hundred North Americans have benefitted from this opportunity, and we pray that many hundred more will benefit from an opisto year in decades to come. One way we’re observing this milestone year: we’ve updated our opisto scholarship application form, now available online on our webpage.
The LLC History Project has reached a busy stage of work. As we finalize the content for the history book to be published this summer, we also prepare for festivities to be held in connection with Summer Services in Monticello, Minn. Watch for more information in The Voice of Zion later this spring.
This month our publications app Hearken celebrates its one-year mark since it launched. In actuality, the app is older than that – more than three years have passed since it was dreamed up and developed, and two years have passed since the LLC Board approved the proposal to create the app. During these years, it has become clear to us that there is a need for this means of sharing and using Christian publications. May God continue to bless this and all efforts in the work of His kingdom.