Scroll down to “Past Events” to access the many resources of past events.
WOW – Word on Wednesday
This programming is for ages Preschool through 12th grade. We start at 5:30 PM with a meal on Wednesdays and go until 7 PM. We have started to explore Pizzazz nights on Wednesday too.
Contact Sandra Nelson at sandra.nelson@k12.sd.us for more information.
GGG Family Jam
Where: PVLC
When: Every second Sunday of the month
What: Intergenerational Lutheran celebration time including Bible verses, songs, skits, games, outreach activities, fun, and FOOD!
Why: We are moved by the Holy Spirit to share God’s Good News, to love our neighbors, and do great things!
Past Events
Pizzazz Night!
Wednesday, April 12 starting at 5:30 pm at Atonement.
Everyone is invited to join!
Holy Week 2023
Together as a parish we celebrate:
Christ Has Died
Christ Is Risen
Christ Will Come Again
See the flyer with the schedule for time and place of the different services and events.
Journey Through Lent … wondering
We are doing this year’s Lenten season together as a parish again alternating churches.
The schedule for Lent is as follows:
- Ash Wednesday, Feb 22 at 12 PM noon at Atonement, service with imposing of ashes
- Ash Wednesday, Feb 22 at 6:30 PM at Piedmont Valley, service with imposing of ashes
- Wednesday, March 1, at 5:45 PM at Atonement Simple Supper, 6:30 PM Lenten Service with Holden Evening Prayer
- Wednesday, March 8, at 5:45 PM at Piedmont Valley Soup Supper, 6:30 PM Lenten Service with Holden Evening Prayer
- Wednesday, March 15, at 5:45 PM at Atonement Simple Supper, 6:30 PM Lenten Service with Holden Evening Prayer
- Wednesday, March 22, at 5:45 PM at Piedmont Valley Soup Supper, 6:30 PM Lenten Service with Holden Evening Prayer
- Wednesday, March 29, at 5:45 PM at Atonement Simple Supper, 6:30 PM Lenten Service with Holden Evening Prayer
Spring Thaw Vendor Fair
Join us for our SPRING THAW VENDOR FAIR, Saturday March 4th,
9am to 4pm where vendors from around the area will be showing and selling their latest goods.
We will also have our HOMEMADE cinnamon and frosted rolls for sale along with other tasty items.
Vendor spaces are going fast!
For more information or to be a vendor contact:
Atonement Lutheran Church at 605-343-3155 Atonement.rapidcity@gmail.com
Or
Tammy Flores call 605-390-2767
Email: tkf840@gmail.com
Annual Meetings 2023
Mark your calendars, our annual meetings are:
Piedmont Valley: Sunday, Feb 5, 2023 Aat 10 AM
Atonement: Sunday, Feb 19, 2023 at 11:30 AM
You can pick up the printed reports at the churches at least two Sundays prior to the meeting.
Love Baskets
There is a basket in the fellowship hall at Piedmont Valley Lutheran Church to collect items for love baskets. These baskets will be put together on Feb 12 at the Fam Jam after the worship service and you can bring them to someone you love. Valentine’s Day is Feb 14!
Items to donate would be:
– Prepackaged foods
– Writing paper
– Pens
– Puzzle
– Books
– other things you can think of
Pizzazz Night
Every first Saturday of the month, alternating between our Graceful Hills Churches. Join us for the first evening on Feb 4, 5:30 pm at Piedmont Valley Lutheran Church
Blessing for a Home
On the Twelfth Night (January 5), Epiphany of Our Lord (January 6), or another day during the time after Epiphany you may gather to bless your home. Someone may lead the greeting and blessing, while another person may read the scripture passage. Following an eastern European tradition, a visual blessing may be inscribed with white chalk above the main door.
Find the details and the words for the blessing here: BLESSING
Beer & Hymns
Enjoy a craft beer, cider, glass of wine, or house-made italian soda at Zymurcracy Beer Company, while we do a hymn sing with the band “Wake Up Eutychus!”
We will be supporting the Pine Ridge Reconciliation Center who are making a huge difference in the lives of their community during the cold months.
A financial offering will be collected to support their work.
We are also saying goodbye to Pastor Erik Thone who is moving to Sioux Falls. Don’t miss it!
Blue Christmas Service
You are invited to join the Graceful Hills Parish “Blue Christmas” service on Tuesday, Dec 27 at 6:30 PM at Piedmont Valley Lutheran Church.
Musicians and leaders from both of our parish churches will be involved in this special service.
Why Blue Christmas? Because the time of Christmas can be difficult for some of us. It could be many things: mourning someone who has died or who may die soon, job loss, sickness, coping with the aftermath of divorce — or any other unfortunate and tragic circumstance people experience. Joining into the Christmas Joy might not be easy then.
In the Blue Christmas service we acknowledge this reality, while still recognizing that Jesus’ birth was to bring hope and comfort and healing.
In this service, we invite you to listen and pray. We invite you to sing and meditate upon the pain you may feel.
And we trust that you find hope and comfort in knowing that you are not alone.
(This service was supposed to be on Wednesday, Dec 21 but had to be postponed due to the weather.)
Advent & Christmas 2022
Here is the whole Advent and Christmas schedule of the Graceful Hills Parish at one glance (scroll down to see the individual events):
- Sunday Advent Worship Services on Nov 27, Dec 4, 11, 18
- Tuesday Advent ZOOM evenings on Nov 29, Dec 6, 13, at 6:30pm, you find all info below or on gracefulhills.church/adventdrinks
- Growing in God’s Grace Fam Jam with Potluck + Advent Fair on Sunday, Dec 11 at Piedmont Valley
- Sunday, Dec 18, Christmas Program at both churches, Atonement has a Chili cook-off following the program
- Blue Christmas Service on Dec 21 at 6:30pm at Piedmont Valley
- Saturday, Dec 24, Candlelight Christmas Eve Service at 5:30pm at Piedmont Valley, and at 7:30pm at Atonement
- Sunday, Dec 25, Christmas Day at 9am at Piedmont Valley, with causal liturgy and lots of storytelling and 10:30am at Atonement with the old liturgy from the LBW
Advent Tuesday evenings on Zoom
We know that many of you don’t like driving in the dark. Advent is a time where it gets dark early but we follow the light of Christ.
We will do three evenings on Zoom where you can get cozy at home and hear a story and devotion, pray with us, and share your thoughts and experiences if you like. Tuesdays, Nov 29, Dec 6, Dec 13 at 6:30 PM.
You are invited to make the drink of the week for each Zoom service using the recipes here: Advent Drinks
Use this link for the Zoom meeting: ZOOM LINK password: 174872
The Advent evenings will be streamed from Piedmont Valley Lutheran Church. If you do not like Zoom, you can come to church and be there for it in the pews. Bring your weekly Advent drink in a to-go cup to enjoy!
Lock-In
Kids from the Graceful Hills Parish are invited to the free lock-in at Piedmont Valley Lutheran Church, Saturday, Nov 19 starting at 5 PM.
Bring a sleeping bag, bring a mattress if you have one, and whatever else you need for the sleepover. We will have pizza for dinner, watch a movie on a big screen, play games, tell stories, and use the fun foosball and air-hockey tables we have at the church.
Contact Pastor Sonja to sign up or for questions.
Going to WaTiki
Kids & Youth are going to the Waterpark! On Sunday, Nov 13 in the morning all kids of the Graceful Hills Parish and their friends are invited to join the group going to WaTiki waterpark.
To sign up and for more details, please contact the Atonement Education Director Sandy Nelson: sandra.nelson@k12.sd.us
Healing Service
Our Lord Jesus healed many as a sign of the reign of God come near and sent the disciples to continue this work of healing—with prayer, the laying on of hands, and anointing. In the name of Christ, the great healer and reconciler of the world, we now entrust to God all who are in need of healing.
Come to the altar during the service to have Pastor Sonja pray for you, lay on her hands, or anoint you as a sign for God’s promise of healing, forgiveness, encouragement, or whatever you need praying for. Light candles for your prayer, too.
Sunday, Nov 6 at Piedmont Valley
Sunday, Nov 13 at Atonement
Craft Fair, Bake Sale, and Bazaar
November 5th, 9-3 pm at Atonement, 602 Auburn Dr, Rapid City
Crafts, Quilts, Jams, Breads, Cookies, Silent auction, and much more.
Don’t forget homemade Lefse and Kuchen for sale!!
Independent craft and bazaar vendors welcomed!!
Call or email us to book your vendor booth space now:
Atonement.rapidcity@gmail.com or call 605-343-3155 or
Tammy Flores 605-390-2767 or tkf840@gmail.com
for booth rental Information or to learn how you can help.
Beer & Hymns
On Sunday, October 30, 2022 at 5 PM at Zymurcray. Check their website https://zymurcracybeer.com/ to see what food truck will be there.
Join the crowd who will be in the back room for the fun hymn sing!
Trunk or Treat
Put on your costume and join us for our annual Trunk and Treat. We will have treats for young and old and have some good old fun.
Saturday, October 29, 3-6 PM
at Atonement, 602 Auburn Dr, Rapid City
Blessing of the Animals
On Sunday, October 2, we will have an outdoor service with Blessing of the Animals.
9 AM at Piedmont Valley behind the church
10:30 AM at Atonement in front of the church
We celebrate the feast day of Francis of Assisi, patron saint of all animals. We love animals and all of God’s Creation!
During the service, we thank God for the creatures that gladden our lives and for the earth that we share.
The service includes a Blessing of the animals. Bring your pet to be blessed during the service. All animals are welcome! Just make sure your animal can safely be around other animals and people. The service will be about 45 minutes long.
Fiesta
Join us for a FIESTA!! Sunday September 11th after worship service as we kick off the fall W.O.W program. We will have piñatas and games for the kids and some great authentic homemade Mexican food made by
Robert Sossa and Anthony Flores. All are welcomed to this event.
Piedmont Fourth of July Parade and Celebration
This year, The Graceful Hills Parish will have a float at the annual Fourth of July Parade through downtown Piedmont. Parade begins at 11 am and travels down Highland Avenue; then, you can join a community celebration in Piedmont Park.
Help decorate the float on Saturday, July 2 starting at 10:30 AM in the parking lot at Piedmont Valley, 16155 Spring Valley Rd, Piedmont, SD 57769.
We will order pizza for lunch!
VBS 2022 – June 27-30th at Atonement
Monday, June 27 until Thursday, June 30 at Atonement
At Monumental VBS, kids celebrate God’s greatness! Monumental is filled with awesome Bible-learning experiences kids see, hear, and touch!
Sciency-Fun, team-building games, Bible songs, and tasty treats are just a few of the standout activities that help faith flow into real life.
(Since everything is hands-on, kids might get a little messy. Be sure to send them in play clothes and sturdy shoes.)
Parents, grandparents, and friends are invited to join us at Canyon Closing each day at 7:20pm, a daily celebration of God’s greatness and love!
WHEN: June 27-30, starts at 5:30pm with a meal and ends at 7:30pm.
WHERE: Atonement, 602 Auburn Dr, Rapid City
Call Sandy Nelson at 605-484-7874 or Atonement 605-343-3155 to register your child(ren) for this life-changing adventure!
Post-Confirmation Event: Adventure Park
The confirmands from last and this year are invited to take a day trip at the Tramway Adventures park to celebrate your confirmation. They can share notes on their conf experience. We will stay all day and enjoy the activities.
This event is going to be paid for by a special fund from Piedmont Valley and is of no cost for them. We will also eat lunch there that will be paid for.
WHEN: Thursday, June 30
carpool meet at Piedmont Valley at 9 AM
drive to Atonement for carpool there at 9:30 AM
We will be back for dinner
Community movie night – Sonic 2
On Friday, July 1st at 7:30pm, Atonement Lutheran Church will be having a FREE outdoor showing on the big screen of the newly released movie
Sonic 2.
Bring your lawn chair if you like, and enjoy all the free popcorn you can eat.
This is open to the community and we would love to have everyone join us!
Pulpit Exchange
On Sunday, June 19, 2022 Pastor Erik Thone from South Canyon Lutheran Church is going to preach and preside at our Graceful Hills Parish Churches. While Pastor Sonja is going to preach at South Canyon’s services, Pastor Erik is traveling both to Piedmont Valley and Atonement on June 19.
This pulpit exchange both celebrates how we are church together and gives us an opportunity to hear other ELCA pastor voices in our churches. May this be an inspiring experience led by the Holy Spirit.
Confirmation Class
The new confirmation class starts this January. We will meet every other week starting January 12, so Jan 26 next, then February 9, then Feb 23 and so on.
We will always meet at Piedmont Valley from 6-8 PM because there is Word on Wednesday at Atonement during this time and only Wednesday worked for the new confirmands.
Confirmation will then be on Pentecost 2022.
I am looking forward to this new confirmation class!
New Member Conversation
On Sunday, May 1st at 2:30 pm at Pastor Sonja’s house we will have an about 2-hour conversation on what it means to be Lutheran for all people interested in becoming new members of Piedmont Valley or Atonement.
Let Pastor Sonja know if you would like to join and to receive the address: pastorsonjapilman@gmail.com or 650 431 6693
Or email/call the church offices:
PVLC – 605 787 5588
pvlcsecretary@rushmore.com
ALC – 605 343 3155
atonement.rapidcity@gmail.com
Join us for Holy Week
Together as a parish we celebrate:
Christ Has Died
Christ Is Risen
Christ Will Come Again
Join us in person or on Zoom:
Lenten Services Schedule
We want to do this year’s Lenten season together again. You are invited to join each service whether at Piedmont Valley or Atonement.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 2, 2022 and goes for 40 days until Saturday, April 16. That is 46 days yes, but Lent does not include Sundays. On Sunday we are invited to take a break from our Lenten resolutions and focus on worshipping God.
The schedule for Lent is as follows:
- Ash Wednesday, March 2nd at 12 PM at Atonement, service with imposing of ashes
- Ash Wed, March 2nd at 6:30 PM at Piedmont Valley, service with imposing of ashes
- Wednesday, March 9th, at 5:45 PM at Atonement Simple Supper, 6:30 PM Lenten Service with Holden Evening Prayer
- Wednesday, March 16th, at 5:45 PM at Piedmont Valley Soup Supper, 6:30 PM Lenten Service with Holden Evening Prayer
- Wednesday, March 23rd, at 5:45 PM at Atonement Simple Supper, 6:30 PM Lenten Service with Holden Evening Prayer
- Wednesday, March 30th , at 5:45 PM at Piedmont Valley Soup Supper, 6:30 PM Lenten Service with Holden Evening Prayer
- Wednesday, April 6th, at 5:45 PM at Atonement Simple Supper, 6:30 PM Lenten Service with Holden Evening Prayer
- (Easter is on Sunday, April 17th, the Holy Week Schedule will be announced soon)
Espresso Yourself in Lent
Lent is a time where we prepare ourselves for Holy Week and Easter. What is something you want to talk about? What do you need to confess, ask questions about? Do you want to receive communion?
Come by at the church and visit with Pastor Sonja, have coffee and Swiss chocolate.
Ash Wednesday, March 2 to Wednesday, April 13.
She is at PVLC on Tuesdays and ALC on Wednesdays.
If you prefer a visit at your home, give her a call or text at: 650 431 6693 or email her at pastorsonjapilman@gmail.com
Prayers for Ukraine
Many of our hearts are heavy with the suffering going on in the conflict in Ukraine. Join the time of prayer this Sunday, March 6, at 2 PM at Trinity Eco Prayer Park in Rapid City
Liturgy 101 – History & Theology
At the end of February and beginning of March we will talk about liturgy. What is the Kyrie, or the Canticle of Praise? Why do we share the Peace? Repeating elements in our liturgy brings many people joy and in times of difficulty you might remember familiar words and music that bring you comfort. Let’s talk a bit about the history and theology behind our liturgy and share our own thoughts and experiences with it:
Adult education on Liturgy elements
- PVLC on February 27 right after the service.
- ALC on March 6 right after the service.
Taizé Prayer Service on Jan 30, 2022 at Atonement
Adapted from elca.org
In the south of Burgundy, France is a small village called Taizé. This village is hope to a monastic community devoted to prayer and reconciliation, founded in the 1940s by Brother Roger. The community is made up of brothers from all the continents and major denominations who gather together three times a day, seven days a week, throughout the year to pray (whether there are 7000 young people present or only twenty brothers).
While many people make pilgrimages to Taizé to experience the community and prayer life, most experience Taizé through the ways that community comes to us, namely by the characteristics it has contributed to Christian worship practices. While Taizé worship as practiced in the monastic community cannot be simply imitated, it can and has been adapted by many Christian communities in the United States.
Repetitive Sung Prayer
The characteristic of Taizé worship that is most familiar the use of a kind of repetitive prayer set to simple musical lines. Repetition is not a new phenomenon nor unique to Taizé. The use of repetitive prayers is a long attested reality in the history of Christian spirituality and liturgy (for example, in the Jesus Prayer and the Rosary). What is unique to the prayer of Taizé is the adaptation of the repetitive form to simple musical lines and core biblical texts that can be sung by a whole assembly of various nationalities, languages, and denominations. A diverse assembly is able to immerse itself in the simple but profound harmonies and let itself be carried by this sung prayer.
Silence
Another characteristic of Taizé worship that has been a welcome gift to Lutheran worship is its generous use of silence. Those simply incorporating Taizé music into regular worship services may not experience this fully, but when planning an entire worship service in the style of Taize, silence will be an important dimension. Like repetition, the use of silence in worship has a rich history that many modern Christians no longer experience. It is not necessary to fill every moment with words or music, and it can be meaningful to have time to pray silently in the presence of others, or simply to sit (or kneel) in the presence of God.
Blessing for a Home
On the Twelfth Night (January 5), Epiphany of Our Lord (January 6), or another day during the time after Epiphany you may gather to bless your home. Someone may lead the greeting and blessing, while another person may read the scripture passage. Following an eastern European tradition, a visual blessing may be inscribed with white chalk above the main door.
Find the details and the words for the blessing here:
Christmas Eve Service at the Graceful Hills Parish
Atonement: 5:30 PM with the traditional Christmas Eve Candle Light Service – 602 Auburn Dr, Rapid City, SD 57701
Piedmont Valley: 7:30 PM with a Christmas program called “The no stress, no fuss Christmas pageant”. The whole program is about telling the story, singing carols, and dressing up. The only speaking part is the narrator. During each chapter of the story, we are going to invite those who want to be Mary, Joseph, and the usual characters to come up on the chancel and put on the appropriate costume. This means that we might have only a few or many animals, angels, and shepherds, or several Mary’s and Josephs. So, everyone, adults and children, can participate at their
comfort level – whether it is wearing a costume or singing in the pews.
We want to celebrate the Christmas story together; all are welcome to be part of it! – 16155 Spring Valley Rd, Piedmont, SD 57769
Advent – From our Synod and friends in the Black Hills
SD Synod Advent Podcast – Shortage
We are surrounded by shortages. Supply shortages are threatening gift buying. Some folks are facing financial shortages due to job loss or an increase in prices on everyday items. Emotionally, we face shortages of burnout and compassion fatigue leading us to wonder if we’re even in the right vocation. During this Advent, journey with Tangled Blue and the South Dakota Synod through the season of “shortages” leading us to remember the hope and abundance that comes through a God made known to us in human form. Click here for more info.
Chapel in the Hills
The Chapel in the Hills is doing an Advent service at their beautiful chapel building. Pastor Sonja is leading and preaching on Dec 12, 5 PM. For more information go to their Facebook page.
Children’s Christmas Program
The Children’s Christmas Program is on December 12, 2021 during the Sunday worship service this year.
Following the service we will have a potluck. If you can and want to bring something that would be great! Join us for this special service:
Dec 12, 2021 at Atonement 10 AM
BEER & CAROLS
with “Wake Up Eutychus!”
On Sunday, Dec 19, 5-6:30 PM
AT ZYMURCRACY BEER CO. 4624 CREEK DR., SUITE 6, RAPID CITY
Enjoy a craft beer, cider, glass of wine, or house-made italian soda at Zymurcracy Beer Company (https://zymurcracybeer.com/) as “Wake Up Eutychus!” leads a Christmas Carols sing in support of Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota (LSSSD).
Jessica Lillebo, Director of Donor Relations for the Western Region of LSSSD, will join us to talk about LSSSD’s mission and opportunities to be involved. A financial offering will be collected to support their work in the community.
With ugly sweater contest! Win a gift card for Zymurcracy!
Christmas Cookies Baking
Rubye Smith and Pastor Sonja are offering a Christmas Cookie baking evening on December 20, starting 5:30 pm in the PVLC kitchen. By RSVP only: please sign up with either Rubye, Pastor Sonja directly, or with Madison at the office.
Bring $5 for the supplies and take home homemade cookies to eat or gift this season.
Advent Devotion
ELCA World Hunger’s Advent Study 2021
The ELCA World Hunger’s 2021 Advent study guide expands on the Advent readings for this year, includes information about ELCA World Hunger at work in the world, and is perfect for individual study or with a group. Advent starts on Sunday, Nov 28.
Call or email the offices of either church if you would like a hard copy to pick up or be mailed to you:
Piedmont Valley at 605 787 5588 or pvlcsecretary@rushmore.com
Atonement at 605 343 3155 or atonement.rapidcity@gmail.com
Community Thanksgiving Service
PVLC gathers together with the Catholics from Our Lady of the Black Hills and the Methodists for a Thanksgiving Worship Service. Pastor Sonja is going to preach. You and your family and friends are invited to join!
ON: TUESDAY, NOV 23 AT 7 PM
AT: GRACE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, 10060 FOOTHILL DR, PIEDMONT, SD 57769
Beer & Hymns
The Band: “Wake Up Eutychus!” (see Acts 20:7-12 for the reference)
Composed of Deb and Pastor Wilbur Holz (Trinity Lutheran), Pastor Jeremy Duprey (Community Lutheran), Pastor Sam Kost (St. John’s Lutheran), and Pastor Erik Thone (South Canyon Lutheran), all ELCA from the Bear Butte Conference,
invites you to a hymn-sing at Zymurcracy Beer Company (https://zymurcracybeer.com/) on Sunday, November 14, 5-7:30 PM
Enjoy a craft beer, glass of wine, homemade Italian soda while singing along to your favorite hymns!
Stewardship Campaign at PVLC
What is my giving used for? Maybe you have asked yourself in the past, what your money is used for. Just to heat the church and pay salaries? No, we have used your money and contributions for exciting things this past year!
Starting on Sunday, October 10, each week, we will present another slice of how your support fulfills PVLC’s mission to our congregation and community.
On Sunday, November 7 you can make a commitment to God with how much money you want to support your church in 2022.
Confirmation
On Sunday, October 31, 2021 at 10 AM at Atonement, 602 Auburn Dr, Rapid City we will welcome the confirmands to the Graceful Hills Parish as full members!
There will be no service at PVLC, everyone is invited to join at Atonement for Confirmation Sunday on Reformation Sunday on Halloween 🙂
With special musical guest Jake Gill
Join for a fun service and meaningful rite of passage for our youth!
Trunk or Treat
Atonement, Saturday, Oct 30, 3-6 PM
Get your candy and decorate your car trunk for the Trunk or Treat.
Please sign up in the Welcome Center if you are wanting to join the fun so we car plan parking for the event.
We are also accepting candy donations if you are unable to attend the event.
Cafe International at PVLC
Let’s talk about our Open Questions!
You are invited to stay after the worship service on Sunday, October 24, 2021 to have a gourmet coffee, cappuccino, latte macchiato, or just a coffee with half and half. We will be serving treats from a bakery and you can enjoy this all in a festively decorated entrance hall.
Around your table you can then brainstorm your thoughts and ideas to the open questions the council came up with during the last retreat:
Open Questions – Inward (now until beginning of 2022)
- What is the ministry to the people within the walls of our church?
- How do we want to be known, what is our brand?
- In a world of constant change, what in our church do you not want to do without?
If you cannot attend this event but want to share your input on the open questions, please send an email with your thoughts and ideas to Madison at the office: pvlcsecretary@rushmore.com
Cafe International at ALC
Let’s talk about our Open Questions on Sunday, Oct 3!
You are invited to stay after the worship service on Sunday, October 3, 2021 to have a gourmet coffee, cappuccino, latte macchiato, or just a coffee with half and half. We will be serving treats from a bakery and you can enjoy this all in a festively decorated entrance hall.
Around your table you can then brainstorm your thoughts and ideas to the open questions the council came up with during the last retreat:
- What steps can we take to reach out to people in our community?
- How can we nurture your faith to make it vital and sustainable?
- How can we get different generations to interact with each other?
If you cannot attend this event but want to share your input on the open questions, please send an email with your thoughts and ideas to Mike at the office: atonement.rapidcity@gmail.com
_____________
Come sit around the fire
We will have a devotion, sing songs, tell stories, eat s’mores and invite the Holy Spirit to be with us.
Wednesdays:
PVLC – JUNE 16
ALC – JULY 21
PVLC – AUG 18
ALC – SEPT 15 starts at 6 PM (because it gets dark earlier)
Free and all are welcome!
Kid’s Fair
On September 11, 2021 from 12-5pm at Atonement
602 Auburn Dr, Rapid City
Come meet firemen and police officers, meet Miss Bows, a fun clown,
do crafts, take your picture in the photo booth, and so much more!
Food and drinks are available. If you have questions, contact Mike at the Atonement office: 605 343 3155
Potluck Lunch at PVLC
On Sunday, August 15 after the worship service we will grill sausages outside and have a potluck table for everyone to share food at Piedmont Valley Lutheran Church.
All are welcome to join!
There is a sign up sheet at the church or you can email Angela at the office what you would like to bring: pvlcsecretary@rushmore.com
or call her Monday 3:30-5:30pm and Thursday 1-4pm: (605) 787 5588
Lutheran Outdoors 2021 – Spirit & Fire
Check out Lutheran Outdoors of South Dakota website: LOSD.org for camp opportunities for kids this summer!
4 kids from Atonement are attending various camps this summer! Come join for some great opportunities to meet new friends, learn about God and Jesus, and enrich your faith!
For more info contact Sandy Nelson, Director of Education at Atonement Lutheran
(605) 484 7874 or email her at sandra.nelson@k12.sd.us
Outdoor Service
Special Outdoor Service at the St Martin Monastery on July 18th 9am. PVLC will be hosting this outdoor service featuring Pastor Sonja Pilman and Pastor Herb Cleveland.
At Terra Sancta (2101 City Springs Rd, Rapid City) outdoor worship space at the monastery. It is in a beautiful setting next to their garden featuring the 7 stations of the cross walking path. Mark this on your calendar:
July 18th 9am. All are welcome! Invite your friends and neighbors.
For more information contact:
Donna Wright-Dupret (612) 308-2209
Bingo Night
Join us for the second BINGO Night Wednesday, July 7th from 6pm to 7:30 pm at Atonement, 602 Auburn Dr, Rapid City.
We will be selling Hotdogs, chips and drinks as a fundraiser for the youth. We will have prizes, fellowship and a lot of fun screaming BINGO!
Suggested donation of $2 per person.
Work Day at Piedmont Valley
Saturday June 26th we invite you to gather at the church 9am – 12 noon
We will stain the steeple and fix the roof in places where the wind has caused damage.
If you do not want to go on the roof, that is ok. We also need people on the ground to open and mix stain, clean brush, and do some fixes around the church grounds.
It will be a fun outdoor day to make our church look brighter and better.
We will order pizza for lunch and enjoy some good laughter together. Come join us.
If you have questions, call Jacques Dupret (605) 390-3317.
Piedmont Valley Lutheran Church
Location: 16155 Spring Valley Rd, Piedmont, SD 57769
New Life – After the pandemic
Tuesday, June 8th, 6:30pm, at Piedmont Valley Lutheran Church, 16155 Spring Valley Rd, Piedmont
As more and more people are vaccinated against covid, we are adjusting our guidelines as a parish.
How do you feel about moving from being cautious for a year to being able to feel safer about hugging people again without a mask?
In a class on how to approach new life after the pandemic we want to talk about our worries, hopes, and experiences. Everyone from the parish and its friends are invited to join this class at PVLC on June 8, 6:30pm.
In-person or on Zoom. You find the Zoom link here:
LSS – Hope Takes Shape in SD
Sunday, June 6, after the service at Atonement. Coffee and treats and watching the informative video of the LSS to raise funds to support LSS services right here in South Dakota. All funds raised stay local and help us care for individuals and families in our communities.
Synod Assembly – June 4 + 5
The whole assembly will take place virtually beginning at 8am for voting members and 9am for everyone else on Friday, June 4. On June 5 it is 8am for voting members again and everyone else at 8:45am. Assembly will close on Saturday, June 5 around noon MT.
The assembly planning committee and synod staff are working with a professional production company to make this a highly interactive and user-friendly event. We have a great line-up of speakers and sessions to make this year’s assembly an enriching experience. BONUS: there will be no need for travel this year! The whole assembly will be accessible to visitors via livestream at no cost and with no registration.
At this year’s Synod Assembly we are Journeying Together in Christ with our Neighbors in Solidarity. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke’s Gospel we hear the question posed by the lawyer, “and who is my neighbor?” As a participant in God’s mission here in South Dakota, you will learn of who our neighbors are and what we can do to accompany them on the journey. The learn more, click here.
PVLC will have a watch party of the whole assembly in the fellowship hall. All are welcome to join and watch!
Movie Night at Atonement
Friday, May 21, at 6:30pm
at Atonement, 602 Auburn Dr, Rapid City
Join us for the interesting movie “Calvary” (1h 40minutes long). Watch the trailer for the movie here: YouTube link
We will be spaced out in our Narthex and have popcorn.
After the movie, we will have a guided discussion on the movie and its message.
Holy Week Schedule
Join the Graceful Hills Parish for Holy Week 2021. We will have special music and meaningful liturgies!
Special Services:
April 1, 6pm – Maundy Thursday – at ALC
April 2, 6pm – Good Friday – at PVLC
Saturday, April 3, 7pm – Easter Vigil – at PVLC
April 4, 6:30am – Easter Sunrise – at ALC
Join in person with our usual guidelines of social distancing and mask wearing, or join live through our virtual connection on Zoom:
We are going to use this link for these special services.
Easter Sunday Services:
Sunday, April 4, 9am – Easter Sunday, followed by Egg Hunt + simple brunch, – at PVLC
Join in person or on GoToMeeting
Sunday, April 4, 10:30am – Easter Sunday, followed by Egg Hunt + simple brunch, – at ALC
Join in person or on Zoom
If you have questions, contact
Pastor Sonja at pastorsonjapilman@gmail.com
or 650 431 6693
Mid-Week Lenten Services 2021
Wednesdays:
02/17, ALC, 7:00pm – 02/24, PVLC, 6:30pm
03/03, ALC, 6:30pm – 03/10, PVLC, 6:30pm
03/17, ALC, 6:30pm – 03/24, PVLC, 6:30pm.
We want to do these services as a parish. You are invited to attend each service no matter which church you are a member or friend of.
The services will be in person with our usual safety guidelines and have a video telephone connection (Z.O.O.M) for you to join from home or wherever you are.
Instead of soup supper we will provide supper for our community. Pick up a Lenten Bag at ALC on Ash Wednesday, Feb 17 or at PVLC and ALC on the Sundays after that, where you will find Lenten devotions in the bag to take out and study at home.
Then fill the bag back up with what the tag on it says and bring it to church so we can give it to food pantries in our community.
Contact Pastor Sonja if you have questions:
pastorsonjapilman@gmail.com
or 650 431 6693
2021 Lent Study
Deepen your engagement throughout this season of Lent with the ELCA’s weekly study guide, where you can find impactful, motivational stories and information about how your gifts to ELCA World Hunger are at work in the world.
Click here for the study guide.
The Season of Lent starts with Ash Wednesday, February 17, 2021 and goes for 40 days until Saturday, April 3, 2021.
Podcast “Why Lutheran?”
Listen to the podcast episodes here.
Contact Pastor Sonja if you are a member of the Graceful Hills Parish who would like to have a conversation with her on why we are Lutheran.
pastorsonjapilman@gmail.com or 650 431 6693
Open House at the Church in Lent
Come by when Pastor Sonja Pilman is in the sanctuary writing her sermon or praying. 4 days in Lent.
Listen to worship music, light a candle, meditate, pray, or just sit with God.
Schedule:
PVLC, Monday, March 1st, 9am – 12pm
ALC, Thursday, March 4th, 9am – 12pm
ALC, Monday, March 8th, 9am – 12pm
PVLC, Thursday, March 11th, 9am-12pm
Grief Moves Us
Why is it important to talk about our feelings of grief and loss? To quote Margie Neugebauer, Director of Justice, WELCA: “Are you feeling tired, sad, angry, lonely, anxious, depressed? Well, the entire world is feeling all these emotions and maybe more. These can be signs of grief and loss. In reality the entire world is grieving. An article in the The American Counseling Association publication, Counseling Today, states; “The foundational emotion attached to the pandemic is grief, and grief — if not acknowledged, felt and addressed — will continue to trigger more easily identifiable emotions such as fear, anxiety, depression, and whatever other feelings and reactions typically present for people in a crisis (Grief and the COVID-19 Pandemic, Sophia Caudle.)”
So, let’s address our grief and share our experiences, insights, and talk about how to move beyond feeling this way in this adult education:
PVLC on February 28, after the service, ca. 10am
ALC on March 7, after the service, ca. 11am
Contact Pastor Sonja for feedback, ideas or questions:
pastorsonjapilman@gmail.com
or 650 431 6693
Talk on the Covid Vaccines
It is exciting to know how more and more of our members are being vaccinated against covid! So far everyone has only reported good experiences.
On Feb 14, 2021 Dr Clay Smith joined us at PVLC/The Graceful Hills Parish to answer our questions about the Covid Vaccine.
Dr Smith is an emergency physician at Spearfish Hospital and Sheridan Memorial, in WY. He is the current president of the South Dakota Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Dr Clay Smith is the son of Mike and Rubye Smith of PVLC. Clay grew up in our congregation. We are happy to hear his wisdom as he works on the frontlines of healthcare in our region.
Dr Smith was happy to answer our questions to the best of his knowledge. If you have any further questions about Covid or the vaccine, please email them to Donna Wright, MS, RN at dwright@chcm.com.
Designate January to Prayer
The ELCA has a resource for prayer ventures for each day of January. You are invited to pray each day for the many things happening in your world, find the resource here.
Christmas Video
Several different ELCA churches in the US have come together to produce a Christmas video for this year. Piedmont Valley is one of them and is featured in the video with a Christmas hymn at the church. Also in the video, Pastor Sonja does a reading at a barn.
This is for all the members and friends of the Graceful Hills Parish. Watch this Christmas service at home with your family on December 25 here.
Watch Pastor Sonja read the Christmas story and enjoy the different music contributions, children’s message and sermon.
Advent – From our Synod and friends in the Black Hills
Reluctant Hope
Joel and Aimee Pakan from Tangled Blue and the South Dakota Synod invite you into the season of Advent — a season of #ReluctantHope. Journey with them throughout Advent. Each Wednesday in Advent a new podcast episode will be released. You will hear conversations and music as we pause, breathe, and wait in the hope of Christ. Click here for more info.
Chapel in the Hills
For the season of Advent and on Christmas Eve, the Chapel in the Hills is recording services at their beautiful chapel building. Pastor Sonja is doing the one for Dec 6. Watch the videos on their Facebook page or on their Youtube channel.
Q&A with the new Pastor
A few weeks ago Pastor Sonja was asked if she grew up rural or more urban. She then realized that there might be still a lot you would like to know about her.
You might want to know who her favorite theologian is, or if she grew up Lutheran, or what her most cherished experience with God is. Or if she believes in ghosts, or even what her favorite food is.
In December you can ask your questions in a Q&A session right after Sunday service and Pastor Sonja will answer as many as she can.
Piedmont Valley on December 6, 2020
Atonement on December 13, 2020
If you attend the services online or in the parking lot, you can send your questions ahead of time directly to her at
pastorsonjapilman@gmail.com,
or for Piedmont Valley at pvlcsecretary@rushmore.com
and for Atonement at atonement.rapidcity@gmail.com
Living with Fear
This fall, Pastor Sonja will teach a course on living with fear that helps us understand where our fears serve a purpose and where we need to work on them. What does our faith offer in living with our fears?
Fear in itself is not a bad thing but it can take over our lives.
Join us every two weeks starting in October on a three part journey to explore our own fears and how to deal with them. We will have in-person sessions at both churches and record the sessions. These sessions will be posted as videos here and you can watch them at home.
You find more information on each part here.
Oct 18 – Part 1 at Atonement 11 AM
Nov 1 – Part 2 at Atonement 11 AM
Nov 15 – Part 3 at Atonement 11 AM
________
Oct 25 – Part 1 at Piedmont Valley 10 AM
Nov 8 – Part 2 at Piedmont Valley 10 AM
Nov 22 – Part 3 at Piedmont Valley 10 AM
Contact Pastor Sonja if you have questions:
pastorsonjapilman@gmail.com
or 650 431 6693
Word on Wednesday (WOW)
Our Fall programming is for ages Preschool through 12th grade. We start at 5:30 PM with a meal (in small groups and different ventilated rooms, and tables will be sanitized) on Wednesdays and go until 7 PM.
Fill out this card and bring it to the first evening you attend. Contact Sandra Nelson at sandra.nelson@k12.sd.us for more information.
Memorial Walk
Monday, October 12, 10 AM start
Each year on Native American Day (the 2nd Monday of October) the community organizes a walk of prayer in memory of the children who passed away. The walk usually begins at “Sioux Park” in the morning and ends at “Sioux San.”
In addition, this year we will have a special groundbreaking. A memorial will be built for the children near the location of their unmarked graves. Please join us to honor the children and help commence this community project decades in the making.
There is a chance the Memorial Walk permit could be cancelled by the City due to increased COVID issues. If this does occur the Walk portion will be cancelled, but the Groundbreaking will still take place.
If you would like to make a donation, click here.
You find pictures of the event here.
Monday Mindfulness
Meditation has been part of Christianity since the beginning. Monks in the first century A.D. went into the desert to meditate on bible texts and praying. They often meditated in a room too small to stand or too small to lie down so they would not fall asleep.
You can enjoy our guided meditation from the comfort of your home, or office chair, or wherever you chose to watch it.
The video is posted every Monday at noon, starting September 14th.
Watch it whenever works for you.
Click here to get to the videos.
Contact Pastor Sonja if you have questions:
pastorsonjapilman@gmail.com
or 650 431 6693
A Day of Prayer and Fasting
As a whole parish we will spend a day praying and fasting. We want to be open for God to speak to us.
We will pray for our world to overcome the challenge of the pandemic. We will also pray for our parish to hear how we can carry our ministry out into the world especially in the uncertain times we are in.
Please designate this day to praying and fasting.
September 19, 2020 and share your impressions with us
at: pastorsonjapilman@gmail.com or 650 431 6693
Pastor Sonja will gather the impressions anonymously into a letter to the congregations in October.
For more information click here.
End of Summer Picnic with following Worship Service Outside
Join us for a social distancing tailgate picnic on September 13, 2020 starting at 3 PM. Bring and eat your own food. Play games with people in your household and socialize with others maintaining at least 6 ft.
At 5 PM we will have an outside worship service. We will include a prayer station during the prayers of intercession where you can write down your prayers of lament, gratitude, and hope for the future and put them in a cardboard box which we will burn.
At the end we will fittingly sing “Let my prayer rise up like incense before you” of the Holden evening prayer hymnal and then depart in silence.
September 13, 2020 at Piedmont Valley Lutheran, 16155 Spring Valley Rd, Piedmont, SD 57769.
Contact Pastor Sonja if you have questions:
pastorsonjapilman@gmail.com
or 650 431 6693
Movie Under the Stars
Join us for the movie “Heart of a Shepherd – The Extraordinary Life of Harold E. Salem”
Bring your lawn chair and blanket, enjoy popcorn and some great fellowship. We will have the movie outside projected on a big screen for social distancing.
August 19, 2020 at 7:30 PM at Atonement Lutheran,
602 Auburn Dr, Rapid City, SD 57701.