Outdoor worship in Belgrade (VIDEO)

To help put a book end on the Belgrade August Fest celebration, the Big Grove-Crow River-Grace Lutheran parish held an outdoor worship at the city park on Sunday, August 13. The turnout surpassed 80 on the hazy, cool morning. After worship, a pulled pork lunch was served by the Free Spirits parish youth at the park shelter.

In this video, the community choir performs the final song of worship on August 13:


Going back a couple of weeks, you can click over to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website to see a video recorded at the BG-CR-G Vacation Bible School program held at Grace Lutheran on August 9 (short link): https://tinyurl.com/pw7rv5xv.

More to come. I'm blogging tonight from St. Mary's Hospital on the Rochester Mayo campus...over 200 miles from home!

Saturday morning update: click to follow through to an update from Rochester: https://tinyurl.com/374j8yem.

Thanksgiving Eve worship (VIDEO)

Here's the link to click on where you can watch the Thanksgiving Eve worship at Big Grove Lutheran church this past Wednesday night (short link): https://bit.ly/3ifIdqB. Deacon Brenda Handel-Johnson provided a wonderful Thanksgiving message. It is worth taking in.

Currently I'm sidetracked by watching a mind-blowing inquiry going on right now, LIVE, at this moment, in Canada. They have Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the hot seat as he is being grilled at length for what he did last winter to protesters across their country. It is fascinating: https://youtu.be/dh0Z2CioEHQ.

Time to get prepared for our trip to Melrose today. The Miss Brooten Royalty will be in their lighted Christmas parade that starts at 7:30 p.m. The whole event begins for the royalty with a Melrose royalty reception at Magnifi Financial's headquarters board room in Melrose at 3:30 p.m.

One of many wonderful upcoming events

So this is rather great! I just learned this morning that the Big Grove/Crow River/Grace Lutheran parish will resume their summer ice cream social event after a three-year hiatus. I dug into my archives and found this on the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website...a short web article after the last time they held this on August 5, 2018 (short link): https://bit.ly/3zujDHa.

The video embedded in that article lasts 52 minutes and features the outdoor worship held that night at the Shores of St. Andrew Bible Camp.

Fast forward to 2022...here's the announcement. Spread the word! This is one of numerous wonderful upcoming events in the Bonanza Valley area.

BG/CR/G Lutheran parish ice cream social and outdoor worship is August 21

The Big Grove/Crow River/Grace Lutheran parish will hold an ice cream social with outdoor worship on Sunday, August 21 at scenic Games Lake park in rural New London. The event runs from 4 to 8 p.m. and begins with recreation at the beach (games and swimming). An ice cream social will take place at 5 o’clock with burgers, hot dogs, beans, pie and ice cream; then from 6 to 7 p.m. is the worship service featuring music by the Cedar Creek Bluegrass Band. This is a Thrivent Financial fundraising event for the BG/CR/G Parish with free-will offering.

Big Grove supper/auction is tonight

Don't forget! Tonight is the soup supper and auction at Big Grove Lutheran Church. The supper begins at 5 p.m., and the auction will follow at 7 p.m. The event was advertised in the October 14 and October 21 issues of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

Here's a video from October 18, 2019 at Big Grove Lutheran:


Watch Mark Ziemer work the pie bid up to $55!

(VIDEO) God Bless America

Below is video from the tail end of outdoor worship at Big Grove Lutheran church this past Sunday (July 5)...it features the Lord's Prayer, followed by singing of the timeless song "God Bless America"


It was really wonderful to be part of their outdoor worship! This Sunday, July 12, Grace Lutheran church in Belgrade will hold outdoor worship at their church campus at 9 a.m. (weather permitting).

Other church-related items are published in this week's issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

Big Grove Lutheran church

Big Grove Lutheran church is holding a special Memorial Day dinner, silent auction and cash raffle on Monday, May 27. Below are details that were published on page one of the May 16 and May 23 issues of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

The Big Grove Lutheran church WELCA group will serve a Memorial Day dinner with Silent Auction from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, May 27 in the church basement. A silent auction will take place from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and that includes over 300 donated items from very generous families and our awesome business community.

 We will serve BBQs, salad, chips, pickles and bars with lemonade and coffee provided. The meal is free-will offering, and the big cash raffle to follow after 1:30 p.m. See more on page 10.

The Big Grove Lutheran church family and extended family gathers for a large group photo outside the church building on July 23, 2017.

You can watch a short video clip taken on July 23, 2017 at Big Grove Lutheran church during their 150th anniversary celebration worship (short link): https://bit.ly/2K3yXCt.

Here's the Bonanza Valley Voice photo gallery from that special day (short link): https://bit.ly/2K3zeW1.

Plenty of activities and a full plate

No end in sight to what the Bonanza Valley Voice has to promote! I'll update this blog post today at random times. Later today we have a full agenda with the Central Minnesota Conference track and field championships in Kimball.

Silent Auction and more with Big Grove Lutheran Memorial Day dinner and cash raffle! 

The Big Grove Lutheran church WELCA group will serve a Memorial Day dinner with Silent Auction from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, May 27 in the church basement. A silent auction will take place during that same time that includes over 300 donated items from very generous families and our awesome business community.

 We will serve BBQs, salad, chips, pickles and bars with lemonade and coffee provided. Free will offering, and cash raffle to follow at 1 o’clock.

We have a tremendous local business community who has stepped up in many ways to help shepherd the Bonanza Valley Voice through his past winter and spring. It's been hectic on the slowest of days...here's a shout out to our Belgrade Hardware Store! They have such great people there and do a fine job keeping our family and business supplied with what we need for our daily operations.

Ice cream social!

Click on this link to view extended coverage of the Big Grove/Crow River/Grace Lutheran church ice cream social and worship at the Shores of St. Andrew Bible Camp on Sunday, August 5: https://www.bonanzavalleyvoice.com/story/2018/08/09/news/terrific-night-for-bgcrg-parish-ice-cream-social/681.html.

The news room is slowly getting caught up with summer coverage, hoping to get it all wrapped up for our upcoming August 30 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice. We still have a great deal of digital media to upload, including photo galleries from the Belgrade August Fest celebration.

(HD Video) Christmas caroling

Below, a video from Christmas caroling by members of Big Grove/Crow River/Grace Lutheran churches at the Green Manor apartments in Belgrade this past Wednesday night:


You can watch another video of caroling that same night at the Belgrade Nursing Home. Click on this link at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: http://www.bonanzavalleyvoice.com/story/2017/12/14/news/video-christmas-caroling-at-belgrade-nursing-home/555.html.

MERRY Christmas to you and your family!

(Video) Youth gathering in Willmar

Below is a video clip from a Lutheran youth gathering in Willmar on Friday night, with ELCA Southwest Minnesota Bishop Jon Anderson speaking. Anderson was raised on a Belgrade-area dairy farm and graduated from Belgrade high school in the 1970s. (The exact year fails me at this time)


Here's music by Bridge 33, the feature music group at the gathering:


It's been an interesting (good) night in Willmar! Trinity Lutheran church of Brooten along with the Big Grove/Crow River/Grace Lutheran parish have sent 24 junior high kids to the synod youth gathering. The keynote speaker later in the evening gave an outstanding and amazing speech (with a one-person skit) about bullying. I have much, much more to write about it.

Busy day coming

Tomorrow is a big day for the Bonanza Valley Voice, as we are preparing to cover this exciting event at Big Grove Lutheran church:
http://www.bonanzavalleyvoice.com/story/2017/07/13/news/big-grove-lutheran-150th-is-sunday/481.html.

Much has suffered in the newspaper in the past few weeks with coverage of this church celebration and also Bonanza Valley Days has consumed the majority of the resources of the newspaper's news and sports departments. Being able to be part of a church's 150th anniversary won't come along very often in my journalism career.