Sunday. Everything is as it should be. People are gathered at church to pray and sing and worship. Only it’s 1 p.m., not 9 a.m., and they aren’t just sitting in pews; they’re climbing in tractors, feeding calves, and eating hamburgers.

The event was the first annual harvest blessing, held at Concordia Lutheran Church of Pickerel Lake. Bob and Donna Nelson, who farm between Albert Lea and Alden, brought their combine and the calves. Others brought sheaves of corn or stalks of soybeans from their fields.

There was even a table loaded with consumer products containing corn and soybeans, and buckets containing samples of the different ways EXOL’s leftovers are used. EXOL is the ethanol plant near Glenville.

The purpose was to provide a spiritual &uot;boost&uot; for the farmers in the area, who are entering a busy and stressful time of year, said members of Pickerel Lake who came up with the idea. Harvest can be difficult physically, mentally and emotionally, and it’s only proper for the church to offer prayers and blessings for those who will be out in the combines and trucks this fall, they said.

Despite any disappointments with this year’s yields, the mood was light, with laughter and smiles on many faces. &uot;It’s a way to celebrate rural life,&uot; said the Rev. Karen Behling, pastor at Pickerel Lake. As if to confirm that, children and adults climbed up onto a wagon for a hayride on the gravel roads around the church.

Behling said the idea for the blessing service came out of conversations at council meetings. The congregation used the service as an opportunity to invite members of other churches to share a meal and join in the prayers. They plan on making the harvest blessing an annual event.

&uot;I hope we can do even more next fall,&uot; said Donna Nelson, as she packed up what remained of the food she had brought. She would be needing those leftovers to feed the people who help with harvest on their farm.

(David Rask Behling is a rural Albert Lea resident.)