Church News

BAXTER - Pastor Thomas Barthel will celebrate his official welcome to Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Baxter with an ordination service at 4 p.m. Sunday.

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Barthel attended Wisconsin Lutheran College from 2001-02 and then transferred to Martin Lutheran College where he graduated in 2005. He attended Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, graduating in 2009, after completing a year as vicar at Gloria Dei Evangelical Lutheran in Grand Blanc, Mich.

Thomas Barthel

Joining Barthel are his wife, Bethany, two-year-old daughter Lydia, and 8-week-old son, Peter.

Thanksgiving Eve services

BAXTER - Lord of Life Lutheran Church's Thanksgiving Eve services will be noon and 7 p.m. Wednesday. There will not be any other regular Wednesday night activities.

Ecumenical Thanksgiving service

CROSSLAKE - The Crosslake Ministerial Association is sponsoring an Ecumenical Thanksgiving service at 7 p.m. Sunday at Crosslake Lutheran Church, 35960 County Road 66, Crosslake. Area churches will be participating with special music and readings, as well as a mass choir from the community. Pastor Marlys Korman of Faith Lutheran Church-Swanburg will be giving the Thanksgiving message. Bars, pie and coffee will be served in the fellowship hall following the service. The mass choir practice will be at 6:15 p.m. Contact Nancy at 838-0955 for those interested in participating in the choir. The offering received will be given to the area food shelves.

Family Thanksgiving service planned

MOTLEY - The joint parish of Swan Valley, Leader and Maple Hill Lutherans Churches, rural Pine River, will have a family Thanksgiving service on Sunday at Swan Valley Lutheran Church, located 14 miles north of Motley on State Highway 64. The service will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will replace their regular 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday worship. A potluck dinner will follow the worship service. For questions call (218) 270-2567.

Christ Community Church events

NISSWA - Christ Community Church men's breakfast will be 7:30-9 a.m. Saturday at the church, 14646 Hazelwood Dr., Nisswa.

A Thanksgiving eve worship and communion service will be 7 p.m. Wednesday at Christ Community Church.

Christ Community Church members will sing Christmas carols through the streets of Nisswa for the City of Lights on Nov. 27. Meet at the gazebo in Nisswa at 5 p.m. to join in the caroling.

Faith Lutheran Church events

STAPLES - Faith Lutheran Church, 430 12th St. NE, Staples, will have a Scandinavian ethnic bake sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

Faith Lutheran Church is hosting the fifth annual free community Thanksgiving dinner at noon Thursday.

Reservations are not necessary, however appreciated, if you know in advance you'll be dining with us. You can make reservations by calling the church office at 894-1546 or Mary at 894-2594.

Pre-Thanksgiving supper planned

BREEZY POINT - Open Door Community Church and Crossroads Church, both of Breezy Point, are hosting a free pre-Thanksgiving supper beginning at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. Three kinds of soup, along with various desserts, will be served. Northern Food King of Pequot Lakes is helping out by donating items for the event. They will serve food until 7:30 p.m. or until the soups and desserts are gone.

All area residents looking to fellowship for the Thanksgiving holiday are invited to come and enjoy a warm meal to be served at the Pelican Lakes Community Center, located one mile south of the Breezy Point Resort gates on County Road 4.

Thanksgiving eve services at Trinity

A Thanksgiving eve service is scheduled at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1420 South Sixth St., Brainerd. Pastor Hans Anderson will speak. A soup and pie meal will be served beginning at 5:30 p.m. For more information, call 829-5147.

New Song Ministries/Crossroads Music Cafe

The New Song Ministries/Crossroads Music Cafe presents Cody James in concert from 7-9 p.m. Friday with a $5 cover and Rockfish from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Sunday at Crossroads Music Cafe, 217 South Seventh St., Brainerd. For more information, call 829-0834.

UCC adult forum

Debbie Endres of the Life Care Center will be the speaker on Sunday at First Congregational United Church of Christ's adult forum beginning after the 10 a.m. service. The topic will be "De-stressing the Holidays." She will discuss how expectations impact the way we respond to the holidays and will share ways to create an environment of joy and peace during a busy season.

Weekend prophecy conference

BACKUS - Lakeside Baptist Church in Backus is conducting a weekend prophecy conference with Bruce Scott from Friends of Israel. The conference will begin Saturday with a spaghetti dinner and message at 6:30 p.m. The conference will continue with services at 9 and 10:15 a.m. Sunday followed by a Thanksgiving dinner and question and answer time. For more information, call 947-4955.

Pine River Baptist welcomes Jim Ballinger

PINE RIVER - Pine River Baptist Church and Pastor Jim St. Marie announce the acceptance of Jim Ballinger of Aitkin as assistant pastor. Ballinger was a pastor at Bible Baptist Church of Buena Park, Calif., for 28 years until resigning and moving to Aitkin in 2001 with his wife, Beverly. Sunday school meets at 9:45 a.m. with worship at 10:45 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sundays.

Prayer meetings

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - Former megachurch pastor Ted Haggard said he will continue to hold weekly prayer meetings at his home, three years after he was ousted from the church he founded amid a scandal involving a male prostitute and drug use.