This picture was taken on my first Sunday preaching at Arena Congregational Church.
December topics:
Dec. 2 Birth of a Radical (John the Baptist)
Dec. 9 Comfort my People
Dec. 16 Call his name Jesus
Dec. 23 Special service with 9 lessons and carols
Dec. 30 Read the Bible.

It's official now

After a delay caused by a lack of quorum, the Arena Congregational Church voted me in as pastor yesterday, November 18. I am grateful to be able to serve God in the church.
It came as a surprise almost 3 months ago, and I have now been preaching there for 7 weeks. I said that I wanted to help the people develop their spiritual gifts and ministries. I said I came without an agenda, and that we would seek God together for direction.
I see my role as helping to articulate that direction, and then to help to mobilize obedience to the direction.
I also said I am dispensable. It would be wonderful if God would send someone along.
In general, people claim that Arena is a difficult field to work in. I don't have great ambitions, but I do expect God to bless us with an increase in sensitivity to the Spirit and also in number.

Change at my age

Arena Congregational Church is scheduled to vote me in as pastor on November 11. It's a very small congregation, but a church that has been around since 1863. I'm looking forward to it.
Preaching for November:
4. Why pray?
11. Why give?
18. Hannah's Thanksgiving.
25. Samuel, Samuel

Somewhat surprising is that almost half the congregation is teens and 20's. I originally thought it would be much older. It gives me some hope that we can initiate some updating of traditional practices.

Back to the blog.

It's a long time since I put up a blog post, but maybe I will start again. I looked through some of the previous stuff, and thought it interesting.
I am preaching on The Prodigal Father at Arena Congregational Church this Sunday. I have all 4 Sundays in October. Next week I will preach on Abel's Sacrifice. It looks like I will be there for a while, and I am trying to put together my November sermons now.

Rosario Argentina

Ingrid and I are on the way to Argentina, with stops in Georgia (where Katrina lives) and Miami (for a couple of days in the Everglades before we leave for Argentina).
A new Bible School is starting in Rosario, and they asked me to come and help, following the advice of Nils Ivan Kastberg in Sweden. (It is Nils Ivan who opened the door to Argentina for me some 23 years ago)
I will be teaching a survey of the Gospels, but actually I will concentrate heavily on Luke.
We will also visit Mendoza. I have been there several times, and we have some close friends.
I plan to keep up on this blog, and I am hoping we get the blog set up that will appear on the Heraldoffaith.org site. It will be called villagepastor.org.
I'm trying to expand my online presence through both facebook and twitter. On facebook I am winstonmb. Twitter is @winstonmb
The picture is from our last trip, when we were in Salta and Jujuy provinces. We stopped and ate at this plac.

In February, 2013 Ingrid and I were in Russia. At the end of the journey I had a wonderful discussion with the Orthodox priest, Andrei. I asked him to pray for me, and he said he would do it. For him, praying was doing a liturgical action. He asked me to pray for him, that he would be saved. I understood what he meant. He was referring to the theosis that is part of the Orthodox teaching--becoming more Godlike.

Advent candles

Soren Rafael Mattsson-Boze

Born on Labor Day, September 3, 2012. He joins his brother Eli in Phil and Vanessa's family.

russia

http://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/andrei-loshak/kafka’s-castle-is-collapsing

This article is an interesting commentary on the Kafkaesque world that calls itself Russia.

India

Ingrid taught all these children in a small room while Joel (Mattsson-Boze) was preaching in the room next door. It was a bit hectic, but the children were very responsive.
I went in to help her play "duck duck grey duck" with the children

Annika Marie Mattsson-Boze

Here she is reading the Wall Street Journal. She was born October 17, 2009 to Karl and Kate. Ingrid and I have been taking care of her since January 11, and will continue through February, 2010. Then we will work our way back to Minnesota.

Bre'r Fox

Here is a friend we met at Itasca State Park on October 21

Joseph Mattsson-Boze

Karl and Kate

Karl and Kate are moving to the Boston area. Karl will work for Millipore and Kate will work for Welch's. Houses are very expensive, like southern California. But they love the Boston area, and will be loyal participants in the Red Sox Nation.

Back to Russia

I will return to Ekaterinburg and Perm on May 30, and will be teaching church leaders there. This has been very effective. Most of the leaders used to be drug addicts or alcoholics, but God has delivered them. Now they are becoming preachers.
I'm honored to be a part of their development in ministry.

An old picture from Marstrand

After World War II, my parents brought us kids to Sweden. I had a tendency to get lost, and they went looking in the water around the island to see if I had drowned. But I had gotten on "the streetcar" which is what the ferry to the island was called, trying to visit my uncle Erland. Some nice lady found me and put me to bed for a nap. Later she informed the authorities, and I was reunited with the family.
So this streetcar has a fond place in our family history

Ove Hagne in Honduras

 

rehab

A survey was done in Russia that determined that our program in Perm is the most effective alcohol/drug rehabilitation center in Russia. This provided them with an additional 9000 dollars to help with their expenses.
We got word of this just after we had sent 3000 dollars to help them put a heating system in the main center.

The rehab center in Krasnokamsk. The Herald of Faith helped them buy it, and now they are making major improvements.
We treat about 120 people every 3 months in the various rehab centers in Perm Oblast.