Apprentice Woodworkers Needed

Every baptism at Our Savior's ends the same way: a child receives the water and the Word, a family smiles, and a small wooden box goes home with them.

It's a simple thing, but it's meant to hold the keepsakes of the day — the things that connect a life to the promise God made in the water. The baptismal gown. The candle. The napkin used to dry the child's head. A Bible. Photographs. Every family fills their box a little differently, but the box itself is the place where the day gets kept.

For years, Arnold Benson and Dennis Hunwardsen have built these beautiful boxes by hand, in their own shops. It's a quiet ministry — nobody sees it happen — but every family that carries one of those boxes home knows what it is: a little piece of the church going with them, to sit on a dresser or a shelf and keep.

Here's the thing: the stock is getting low, and we need someone to take this over.

We're looking for a woodworker — someone who knows their way around a shop and would be willing to take on a real craft. The boxes get made in batches, and a batch takes time; this isn't a Saturday-afternoon project. The church covers the cost of materials. The work happens in a personal woodworking shop, and we'll provide a patient teacher — someone who has made these boxes for years and can show you how it's done. We would like this craft to continue for our church's children into the future.

If that sounds like you — or you know someone with sawdust in their blood — reach out to me or call the church office at 507-847-2856. We'd love to talk about it.

This is one of those ministries that runs on gifts of time and hands. We'd love to have yours.