Resurrection Men’s Breakfast Group | Community

Resurrection Lutheran men’s breakfast recently featured the church’s lead pastor, Tim Nybroten, who presented, “What I did during my three-month sabbatical”, on Saturday, October 5. Jim Seppala opened the breakfast meeting and blessed the meal, while Mark Boyce led the group of 60 men in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, with Herman Haenert introducing the speaker, Pastor Tim.

Resurrection Men’s Breakfast Group recently enacted a formal sabbatical program for its pastors following four years of service. Pastor Tim has been leading the congregation for seven and a half years and was given a three-month sabbatical, from April 18 to July 18. During his sabbatical, Tim shared with the group a travelogue of this journeys which included some breathtaking photographs. His journey started his sabbatical with a trip to the Balkan states in eastern Europe.

• Albania, where he explored Tirana, the capital city, and visited Skanderbeg Square. He experienced Bunk’Art 2, a Cold War-era underground museum showcasing Albania’s former communist history. He also toured Fusha Kruja, known for its statue of President George W. Bush, the first president to visit post-communist Albania.
• Montenegro, where he explored the rugged landscapes and political history. He visited Moraca Monastery, famous for its Serbian medieval art and the notoriously angry monks. He then toured Plantaze vineyard, which was once a secret military base now turned wine cellar.
• Croatia, where he toured Dubrovnik, known as “The Pearl of the Adriatic,” famous for its medieval walls surrounding the city. He also explored Plitvice Lakes National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with its stunning interconnected lakes and waterfalls. While in Croatia, Tim received word of the passing of his mother, LaMay Nybroten, and later, participated in her memorial service in Wisconsin.
• Slovenia, where he explored Ljubljana, the capital city, known for its architectural beauty and vibrant markets. He also visited Bled and its medieval fortress, Bled Castle, which offers breathtaking views of Lake Bled.

From the Balkan excursion, he traveled to Puerto Rico, where he attended the Annual Large Lutheran Church Conference, allowing him to reconnect with old friends and discuss ministry trends and challenges.

Tim also had time to work in a fishing trip (postponed for many years) to Lake of the Woods, Canada, a remote area only accessible by fly-in. There, he fished on three different lakes (Arrow, Hill, and Otterskin), catching a variety of fish including walleye, smallmouth bass and lake trout.

Finally, he took a road trip from Tucson to Portland, Oregon, visiting family and friends and exploring Cannon Beach and the Tillamook Cheese Factory (which he humorously remarked is still not quite as good as Wisconsin cheese—Tim is a native of New Glarus, Wisconsin, in the heart of Wisconsin’s cheese making area).

Next month’s speaker will be Don Smith, who will share his personal experiences during the Cold War’s Berlin Airlift. Don was in the Army during that famous operation to get food and supplies to Berlin after the Soviets had blockaded the city, preventing movement of essentials by rail or road into the city. That breakfast meeting is scheduled for Saturday, November 2.

The Resurrection Lutheran Church Men’s Breakfast takes place on the first Saturday of each month from October through May, each year. Meetings are held in the Outreach Center at the main campus in Oro Valley. Breakfast starts at 7:30 a.m. (church doors open at 7 a.m. Sign up on the RLC website (orovalley.org) or call the church at (520) 575-9901. Resurrection Lutheran at SaddleBroooke holds it all denominal Sunday worship service at 9 a.m. in the HOA-2 MountainView Ballroom. All are welcome.