E Pluribus Unum
Out of Many, One
September 2026
On September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention endorsed the document created during their four-month-long convention. The U.S. Constitution that they wrote lays out the framework for our federal government and delineates how its three branches, the legislative, executive, and judicial bodies should function. Not all the delegates, however, felt that the constitution had gone far enough. They felt it needed further clarification and protection. This was the purpose of the amendments, which the first ten are known as the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment addressed the issue that we have meditated on throughout the summer. E Pluribus Unum. Out of Many One. People from the various states were concerned about their differing religious practices. Could Massachusetts Puritans, Connecticut Congregationalists, New York Dutch Reformed, Delaware Lutherans, Pennsylvania Quakers, and Virginia Church of England followers, truly become one?
The First Amendment to the Constitution was to deal with this issue in two ways. The first is the so called Establishment Clause and the second is the Free Exercise Clause. The Establishment clause prohibits the federal government from “establishing” a state religion. The precise definition of “establishment” is unclear. Historically, it meant prohibiting state-sponsored churches, such as the Church of England which was the general practice in half of the original 13 colonies. While the free exercise clause allowed for the freedom of individuals to practice their faith unencumbered by the government.
George Washington was a strong advocate of religious tolerance. In 1775, he issued an order to Colonel Benedict Arnold, who was about to invade Canada. The order stated that Arnold’s army was “to avoid all Disrespect to or Contempt of the Religion of a Country by ridiculing any of its Ceremonies or affronting its ministers or Votaries.” Washington later forbade his own troops from celebrating Pope’s Day, wherein Protestants often burned effigies of the pope. He received acclaim from the Universalists when he supported the right of one of their clergy to serve as a chaplain in the Continental Army, and his respect was also extended to the Jewish community.
The complete separation of church and state may not have been as much of a priority for Washington as it was for some of the founding fathers. Washington believed that the two should coexist for the good of society. As he emphasized in his farewell address, religion was a strong support for morality, which he thought was essential to good government.
On Rally Sunday, September 13th, we will conclude our nation’s 250th anniversary celebration. I would like to think of it as our nation 250th anniversary of inter-dependence. At the end of the Revolutionary War the colonists discovered how much they needed each other to survive. We need each other today as well. We may not agree with our neighbors on the issues of religion and politics, but we need each other to face the daily challenges of life.
Join us as we celebrate this 250th anniversary in music, history and God’s Word.
Pastor, Pastor Arden Haug
LOTI End of Summer BBQ 2026—A Great Time!
On August 12th we hosted our annual BBQ with a grand turn out of 75 in attendance. Our buffet tables were laden with delicious sides and desserts alongside burgers and brats fresh off the grill! Special thanks to Diane LaMere for planning and grocery shopping; to Pierre LaMere for grilling; to everyone who contributed to the buffet, and to Bill and Kathy Fredell who helped to set up and clean up!
Children’s Ministry September 2026
Registration is open for the upcoming program year which begins on Rally Sunday, September 13th. We offer Sunday School for children ages 3 (by September 1) through 6th grade. We ask that all families register their children. Register using the button below; or on our website, under the Lifestyle/Children & Family Ministry tab.
Questions? Contact [email protected], Children’s Ministry Director
Back to School Blessing
September 13th
All children and youth will be invited to come forward during worship on September 13th for a special blessing of the new school year.
Greetings!
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41: 10
Appearances are deceiving. I smile every time I scroll past this picture on my telephone. It is a picture of me on the west coast of Norway preparing to do my very best Mary Poppin’s imitation. Of course, there was no risk to me taking this picture, nor was there any danger for the photographer. The platform may appear fragile, but was actually solidly built into the mountainside. Of course, people with a fear of heights might still be anxious peering over the railing at the valley floor, 1500 feet below, but it was completely safe. Appearances are deceiving.
There is a favorite place for our family to visit in the Pálffy Palace (Danube Art Gallery) in Bratislava, Slovakia known as Passage, by Matej Krén. It is an installation which seems to span several floors. When you enter the passage, you see a tiny bridge running between a canyon of books. The span is so small that people are afraid to walk from one side to the other. I have actually known people who have crossed the bridge on their hands and knees terrified that they will fall off the bridge into the endless ravine below, but appearances are deceiving. Everything is on solid ground on one floor. It is all a matter of mirrors and reflections.
The world is filled with illusions that can frighten us. Sometimes they are mere optical illusions, but on other occasions, they truly can be forces that would do us harm. The real challenge is knowing the difference. Sadly, there are times when our fears and perceptions get the best of us and we begin to speak of existential fears often related to death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness. Fear can paralyze us from moving forward. Scripture reminds that we need not be afraid.
The summer has been challenging for many families at Lake of the Isles. They have battled issues of health, death, sickness,
loss of work and hope for the future. Perhaps, you count yourself in that number. Remember that appearances are deceiving. There is never a moment when you are not safely held in the gentle caress of God’s loving hand.
Peace, Pastor Arden Haug
Parsonage Updates Complete
Last fall, when we held the Rebuild the Building Fund Fundraiser at the Mary Tyler Moore House, the Church Council wasn’t sure of the projects needed to be completed. We were all certain that the Parsonage, however, should be a high priority. The bathrooms, in particular, had not been touched in 50 years or more. The faucets were corroded, the enamel bathtubs were scratched and gray, and the tile was very worn. The structure of the house also limited the possibilities. We consulted with church member Jon Zachman of Ceramic Tileworks about making improvements to three bathrooms. He guided us to experienced craftsmen and provided tile for the renovation.
The renovation would have been enough of a disruption for the summer, but one afternoon as I was walking across the backyard, I noticed branches resting on the garage roof. With closer inspection, I discovered that the 100 + year old oak, which shades the parsonage and church, had split. I contacted our neighbor about what could or should be done. He immediately contacted an arborist who would try to save the tree. He began work immediately attempting to winch the tree back together. This became a multi-day operation of pruning and climbing up through the tree. The final step was to set several 5-foot metal screws through the tree and a metal cable further up in the crown. So far, the tree seems to be thriving, but there is an odd Frankenstein’s monster look to the bolts in the tree.
All projects in the parsonage are now complete.
Spain & Morocco 2027
March 29—April 11, 2027
When I was a freshman at St. Olaf College 50 years
ago, I played the role of Sancho Panza, the comic
sidekick of the legendary character Don Quixote, who
fought windmills in the musical Man of La Mancha.
The play brought us the beloved song, The Impossible Dream and is set in a prison in Seville in southern Spain during the time of the Inquisition when Jews and Muslim Moors were persecuted and forced to convert to Christianity. I didn’t know the background of the story at the time, but over the next 50 years, I recognized it was the place I wanted to visit for its beauty, its history, its architecture and art and its inspiration.
For centuries, Spain and Morocco were places where the world religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, lived, worked, prayed, and sometimes struggled alongside one another. On this tour we will walk through the Cathedral of Seville, once the site of a great mosque, and stroll through the Santa Cruz Quarter, Seville’s thriving Jewish quarter before the expulsion of 1492. We will stand beneath the horseshoe arches of the Alhambra in Granada, built by Moorish caliphs and later claimed by Catholic kings, and we will gaze upon the towering minaret of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, one of the largest houses of worship in the world.
There’s much more to this tour than historic
religious sites. We’ll experience the amazing
food and wine, and the superb hospitality of
the Kingdom of Morocco, a former French
colony, which today, though Muslim, is a
western oriented, secular state that is open to
other religions. And then there are the
tantalizing landscapes, including the brilliant
sunlight of Barcelona which inspired Pablo
Picasso and Antoni Gaudí’s iconic cathedral
Sagrada Família, the waters of the
Mediterranean Sea, the mighty and imposing
Rock of Gibraltar, and the pastel colors of
Morocco’s Marrakech against the Atlas
Mountains.
Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque, Winston Churchill, 1943
Come join us and explore Spain & Morocco in 2027. It doesn’t have to be an impossible dream.
Arden & Janna Haug
Peace, Pastor Arden Haug
Children’s Ministry August 2026
Registration is now open for the upcoming program year which begins on Rally Sunday, September 13th. Sunday School is offered for children who are age 3 (by September 1st) through 6th grade. We ask that all families register their children. Register using the button provided to the left; or on our website, under the Lifestyle/Children & Family Ministry tab.
Questions? Contact [email protected] Children’s Ministry Director.
E Pluribus Unum
Out of Many, One
May 2026
Every U.S. Passport holder knows the Great Seal of the United States and its familiar wording, E pluribus Unum Out of Many, One. Largely designed by Charles Thomson, then secretary of the Continental Congress, and William Barton, it was first used in 1782, as the seal to authenticate certain documents issued by the federal government.
The number 13 on the seal, referring to the 13 original colonies, is repeated several times on the Great Seal. The bald eagle holding the shield with 13 stripes has its wings outstretched. From the eagle’s perspective, it holds a bundle of 13 arrows in its left talon, and an olive branch in its right talon. Although not specified by law, the olive branch is usually depicted with 13 leaves and 13 olives. In its beak, the eagle clutches a scroll with the motto E pluribus unum which is 13 letters. Over its head there appears a cloud of glory with 13 stars on a blue field. The eagle has its head turned towards the olive branch, on its right side, to symbolize a preference for peace over war.
E pluribus Unum has been a motto of the United States since the earliest days of the Republic. The colonist felt it was an important way of showing their common unity. Out of the 13 colonies, came one nation. Interesting, this is also true of America’s confession of faith. Out of 13 different religious traditions came one belief in the separation of faith and power commonly referred to as the separation of church and state.
Throughout the summer, as the US celebrates its 250th anniversary as a nation, we will mark the Sundays with a focus on the religious traditions of each of the 13 colonies. The colonies differed greatly in tolerance and diversity. Some colonies were loyal to the Church of England and believed in taxation for supporting the church, other colonies rejected the church, and sought to find refuge from authority of the organized church. Some colonies welcomed diversity in religious convictions, while others were strictly opposed to it. Surprisingly, the founding fathers found a common support of the separation of church and state E pluribus Unum Out of Many, One.
Join us this summer as we celebrate this 250th anniversary in music, history, art and God’s Word.
Peace, Pastor Arden D. Haug
Memories of Sweden & Norway with the Haugs
Congratulations to Our Graduating Seniors!
Nick is graduating from Hopkins High School and will be attending Tulane University in New Orleans. Lenore is graduating from West Lutheran High School in Plymouth and will be attending the University of MN–Rochester for pre-med. Jack is graduating from The Blake School and will be attending Haverford College in Philadelphia where he will study math and physics, as well as play lacrosse. Best wishes to them!