The Luverne girls’ hockey team received the No. 2 seed in section play last week and got a first-round bye.
In the second round of sectionals, the Cardinals met Marshall Saturday afternoon in Luverne, where they won the semifinal matchup.
Luverne now advances to play section rival New Ulm Tuesday night (after press time) in New Ulm for the Section 3 championship.
With the win over Marshall, Luverne moved to 22-3 on the season.
 
Luverne 2, Marshall 1
The opening period saw Luverne throwing 14 shots on Marshall goalie Bella Deutz, but it wasn’t until under two minutes remaining in the first period that Luverne would get on the scoreboard.
Taking advantage of a Marshall penalty, Mallory Von Tersch beat Deutz with assists going to Reghan Bork and Payton Behr to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
Shots on goalie were 14-7 in favor of the Cardinals. Luverne goalie Cheyenne Schutz had seven saves in the period.
Kamryn Van Batavia gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead with a shorthanded goal midway through the second period.
Marshall got on the board just over a minute later, cutting into the Cardinals’ lead 2-1, and that’s how the second period would end.
Luverne outshot the Tigers 15-4 in the period.
In the final period the Tigers and Cardinals battled back and forth with Luverne controlling the play.
Marshall pulled their goalie late in the third period but couldn’t get the equalizer to tie the game.
Luverne held on for a 2-1 victory.
Shots on goal for the final period were in favor of the Cardinals 11-3. Schutz ended the game with 13 saves for the Cardinals.

The Hills-Beaver Creek boys’ basketball team improved their conference record to 7-5 when they defeated the Adrian-Ellsworth Dragons Feb. 10 in Adrian.
The Patriots’ record is now 9-8 overall. They hosted Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda Tuesday night (Feb. 15) after the Star Herald went to press.
The H-BC boys’ team is scheduled to host MLA-C on Friday and has an away game set for Tuesday, Feb. 22, at Southwest Christian.
 
H-BC, 72 AE 58
The Patriots used a big second half to overcome a halftime deficit Thursday night in Adrian. They found themselves trailing 32-28 as the first half came to an end.
Three H-BC scorers helped lead the comeback for the Patriots as Cole Baker (28 points), Oliver Deelstra (18 points), and Drew Leenderts (10 points) combined for 56 of their team’s 72 points on the night.
The Pates went on to outscore the Dragons 44-26 after the break to cruise to a 14-point victory.
Once again the Patriots distributed the ball well, assisting on 21 of their 25 field goals. Ty Bundesen, Deelstra, and Leenderts had five dimes each. Deelstra completed a double-double with 14 boards to go along with his 18 points. Bundesen also had six points and eight rebounds.
 
Box scores:
Baker 9 1 7-12 28, Deelstra 6 1 3-6 18, Raymon 2 0 0-0 4, Harnack 0 0 0-0 0, Page 0 0 0-0 0, Leenderts 2 1 3-4 10, Bundesen 0 2 0-4 6, Gehrke 0 0 0-0 0, Metzger 1 0 0-0 2, Taubert 0 0 0-0 0, Tatge 0 0 0-0 0,  Durst 2 0 0-0 4, Scholten 0 0 0-0 0, Harris 0 0 0-0 0, Wiersema 0 0 0-0 0
 
Team stats:
H-BC: 27 of 60 (45 percent), 13 for 26 free throws (50 percent), 43 rebounds, 9 turnovers.
AE: 20 of 63 (32 percent), 12 for 19 free throws (62 percent), 36 rebounds, 8 turnovers.

The Luverne girls’ basketball team moved its season record to 18-4 after three more wins last week.
The Cards defeated Pipestone Area 61-35 on Feb. 8, Windom Area 81-39 on Feb. 10 and Montevideo 47-45 on Saturday.
Luverne was scheduled to play in Adrian Tuesday night after this edition of the Star Herald went to press.
The Cardinals will travel to Jackson to face the Huskies in a rescheduled game on Friday night.
LHS will wrap up its regular season schedule on Tuesday (Feb. 22) when Edgerton Public comes to the Luverne Classic Gym.
Luverne and Fairmont will likely vie for the top seed of Section 3AA -South when the playoffs begin.
As of Feb. 14, the Luverne Cardinals are 10-0 against Section 3AA teams and 18-4 overall. The Fairmont Cardinals are 7-1 in section play and 19-3 overall. Luverne defeated Fairmont 45-39 on Dec. 4.
Section 3AA playoffs begin Saturday, Feb. 26. 
 
Luverne 61,
Pipestone Area 35
It wasn't the usual competitive contest between the Cardinals and the Arrows when Luverne traveled to Pipestone Tuesday, Feb. 8.
Luverne led from the start, held a commanding 28-16 lead at halftime and outscored the Arrows even more (33-19) in the second half to earn the 61-35 road victory over their rivals.
The Cardinals were led by Elizabeth Wagner with 28 points and 14 rebounds in the contest.
Kira John tallied 11 points and nine rebounds.
The Luverne defense held the Arrows to 26 percent shooting from the field, including just three of 18 two-point attempts.
The Cardinals also dominated the boards, with 40 total rebounds compared to 21 by the Arrows.
 
Box score:
C. Wagner 0 1 0-0 3, Ver Steeg 3 0 0-0 6, Sehr 0 1 1-2 4, E. Wagner 11 1 3-6 28, Stegenga 1 0 0-1 2, Jocelyn Hart 0 0 0-0 0, John 5 0 1-3 11, Smith 1 0 0-0 2, Serie 0 0 0-0 0, Hansen 0 1 0-0 3, Jadyn Hart 1 0 0-0 2
 
Team stats:
Luverne: 26 of 57 (46 percent), 5 of 12 free throws (42 percent), 40 rebounds, 10 turnovers
Pipestone Area: 10 of 39 (26 percent), 8 of 11 free throws (73 percent), 21 rebounds, 16 turnovers
 
Luverne 81,
Windom Area 39
The Cardinal girls opened up the girl/boy basketball doubleheader in Windom on Feb. 10 with a commanding 81-39 victory over the host Eagles.
Luverne’s balanced offense included 21 two-point field goals, 10 three-pointers and nine free throws with eight different players scoring.
“We started out really slow, but once we got going, we were able to get out in front by a wide margin and get everyone some playing time,” said Luverne head coach TJ Newgard.
Elizabeth Wagner led all scorers with 24 points in the game.
Sophomore Sarah Stegenga was a perfect five-for-five from behind the three-point line, scoring 15 points.
Christina Wagner scored 13 points and tallied five rebounds.
Luverne led 47-25 at halftime and outscored the Eagles 34-14 in the second half to secure the 42-point victory.
 
Box score:
C. Wagner 2 2 3-4 13, Beyer 0 0 0-0 0, Ver Steeg 3 1 0-4 9, Sehr 1 2 0-0 8, E. Wagner 9 0 6-7 24, Stegenga 0 5 0-0 15, John 3 0 0-1 6, Smith 0 0 0-0 0, Serie 0 0 0-0 0, Voorhees 0 0 0-0 0, Hansen 1 0 0-0 2, Schmuck 2 0 0-0 4, Jadyn Hart 0 0 0-0 0
 
Team stats:
Luverne: 31 of 54 (57 percent), 9 of 16 free throws (56 percent), 25 rebounds, 8 turnovers
Windom Area: 13 of 38 (34 percent), 3 of 4 free throws (75 percent), 26 rebounds, 29 turnovers
 
Luverne 47,
Montevideo 45
Luverne picked up an impressive Section 3AA win when the Cardinals defeated the Montevideo Thunder Hawks 47-45 at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall Saturday night.
The game had a playoff feel, and playoff seeding implications, when Luverne, one of the top teams in Section 3AA-South with a 17-4 record, faced one of the top teams from Section 3AA - North, Montevideo with a 17-2 record, on the neutral university court.
“Montevideo is one of the top two teams in the north part of our section so we knew it was going to be a tough game,” Newgard said.
“Anytime you play against a 6’3” D1 commit (Avery Koenen, committed to NDSU), you know you are going to have your hands full,” Newgard said. “We did an excellent job on her, holding her to seven points.”
The Thunder Hawks held a close 27-25 advantage at the half. LHS outscored Montevideo 22-18 in the second half to earn the 47-45 win.
With the victory, Luverne moved to 18-4 on the season while Montevideo went to 17-3.
The two teams were even throughout, with Luverne shooting 39 percent from the field and Montevideo shooting 38 percent.
The Cardinals outshot the Thunder Hawks at the free throw line.
Luverne was 15 of 24 from the line, while Montevideo shot five of ten.
“They were hot from the perimeter early, but the girls stuck to the game plan and made some big free throws down the stretch,” Newgard said.
Montevideo led 45-44 with about one minute remaining when junior Emma Beyer made two of two free throws to take a 46-45 Luverne lead.
Christina Wagner then made one of two free throws to move the lead to 47-45.
When the Hawks missed a last-second three-point shot and Averill Sehr got the rebound, Luverne’s close, two-point victory was sealed.
Brooklynn Ver Steeg led the scoring for the Cardinals with 15 points. Elizabeth Wagner tallied 12 points while Christina Wagner added 11 points.
 
Box score:
C.Wagner 2 2 1-4 11, Beyer 0 0 2-2 2, Ver Steeg 3 1 6-9 15, Sehr 0 0 2-2 2, E. Wagner 3 1 3-5 12, John 2 0 1-2 5
 
Team stats:
Luverne: 14 of 36 (39 percent), 15 of 24 free throws (63 percent), 24 rebounds, 8 turnovers
Montevideo: 16 of 42 (38 percent), 5 of 10 free throws (50 percent), 31 rebounds, 11 turnovers.

The Luverne boys’ hockey team picked up three more wins this week to improve to 14-9 on the year.
The Cardinals went on the road Feb. 8 to play Fairmont before playing one home and one away contest with Minnesota River Friday and Saturday.
Luverne concludes the regular season when they host New Ulm tonight (Thursday, Feb 17) at Blue Mound Ice Arena in Luverne.
Section seedings will come out this week for the boys’ Section 3A tournament that gets underway the following week.
 
Luverne 4, Fairmont 1
The Cardinals boys’ hockey team met up with the Fairmont Cardinals in Fairmont Feb. 8.
Luverne scored the only first period goal eight minutes into the matchup when Henry Hartquist put the puck into the net with assists from Owen Sudenga and Blaik Bork.
Shots on goal for the first period were 9-8 in favor of Fairmont.
Luverne goalie Tyler Arends made nine saves to keep the hometown Cardinals off the board.
In the second period, Luverne scored three goals in the first 5:06 of the period to increase their lead to 4-0.
Brock Behrend scored Luverne’s second goal with assists to Bork and Sudenga.
Tucker Dammann made it 3-0 with an unassisted goal at 2:43 into the period.
Sudenga put Luverne’s fourth and final goal in the net with assists from Behrend and Will Serie.
Arends kept Fairmont off the board again in the second period, making eight saves. Shots on goal were in favor of Luverne 10-8 in the period.
Fairmont scored in the third period to cut the lead to 4-1, but that’s all Arends would let in and Luverne picked up the win.
Shots on goal were in favor of Fairmont 16-5 for the period and 33-23 for the game. Arends finished with 32 saves.
 
Luverne 6,
Minnesota River 2
Luverne welcomed Minnesota River into the BMIA for a Friday night showdown Feb. 11.
Luverne scored two first-period goals from Brock Behrend with assists going to Owen Sudenga and Patrick Kroski to take a 2-0 lead into the period break.
Shots on goal for the first period were in favor of MN River 11-10. Luverne netminder Tyler Arends had 11 saves.
Second period saw a lot action.
Tucker Dammann gave the Cardinals a 3-0 lead three minutes into the period with assists from Zach Kruse and Kaleb Hein.
Elliot Domagala made it 4-0 with assist going to Kroski.
MN River got back-to-back goals to cut Luverne’s lead 4-2 late in the second period.
Owen Sudenga upped Luverne’s score to 5-2 with just 25 seconds remaining in the period with assists from Blaik Bork and Behrend. Shots on goal for the period were knotted at 10 each.
In the final period MN River put 14 shots on Arends, and he turned away all of them. Blaik Bork made it 6-2 in favor of Luverne midway through the third period. Assisting on the Bork goal were Kaleb Hein and Behrend.
The game ended with a Cardinal victory 6-2.
MN River held the shot advantage 14-6 in the final period and for the game 35-26. Arends ended with 33 saves in the contest.
 
Luverne 2,
Minnesota River 0
Luverne traveled to Le Sueur for a Saturday night contest — not a traditional schedule scenario as Luverne had just played the Bulldogs the night before.
Luverne scored two goals and Luverne goalie Tyler Arends blanked the Bulldogs to pick up Luverne’s sixth-straight win.

The Lady Pates improved to 10-4 in conference play and 11-11 overall this week after a win Friday night against Edgerton Public and a loss at home Tuesday (Feb.8) against Southwest Christian.
The Pates traveled to Slayton Monday (Feb. 14) to take on the Murray County Central Rebels. (See next week’s Star Herald for complete game results).
The H-BC girls will play MLA-C at Mountain Lake Thursday, Feb. 17, and Adrian-Ellsworth at Adrian Monday, Feb. 21.
 
SWC 66, H-BC 55
It was a tight contest all the way to the end Tuesday, Feb. 8, in Hills.
The Patriots found themselves trailing the Eagles by only one at 33-32 at the half as senior Kenadie Fick (17 points and 6 assists) hit a 35-foot three-pointer at the buzzer.
The three-pointer capped off an 8-0 run by the Lady Pates to end the first half.
Sophomore Brynn Rauk (16 points) hit four three-pointers on the night to help keep the Patriots within striking distance.
The rest of the game stayed mostly within single digits before the Eagles pulled away late to win 66-55.
It was an impressive battle for the Patriots considering they were down four players on the night due to illness.
Sophomore Larissa Steinhoff was able to step up for the Patriots with eight points while junior Olivia Bork added seven of her own.
 
Box score:
Fick 1 4 3-5 17, Rauk 2 4 0-0 16, L Deelstra 0 0 0-0 0, Voss 1 0 3-5 5, Bork 2 1 0-0 7, Steinhoff 4 0 0-4 8, Anderson 0 0 0-0 0, O Deelstra 0 0 0-0 0, Elbers 0 0 0-0 0, Fagerness 0 0 0-0 0, Moser 0 0 0-0 0, Spykerboer 0 0 0-0 0, Harris 0 0 2-2 2, E Deelstra 0 0 0-0 0
 
Team stats:
H-BC: 19 of 54 (35 percent), 8 for 16 free throws (50 percent), 27 rebounds, 17 turnovers
SWC: 28 of 58 (44 percent), 5 for 8 free throws (63 percent), 34 rebounds, 17 turnovers.
 
H-BC 48, Edgerton 38
The Patriots came away with a double-digit victory in the low scoring affair against the Edgerton Flying Dutchmen Friday night in Hills.
Senior Kenadie Fick managed to score 22 of her team’s 48 points to lead the Lady Pates to a 48-38 victory.
The first half was all defense for H-BC as they held a 19-14 advantage at the break.
The offense then woke up in the second half as they outscored the Dutchmen 29-24 after the break.
The Patriots assisted on 12 of their 14 field goals in the contest and also came down with 15 offensive rebounds.
Senior MacKenzie Voss completed a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Fick came down with seven rebounds, and senior Sam Moser had nine.
 
Box score:
Fick 1 6 2-3 22, Rauk 0 0 0-0 0, L Deelstra 0 0 0-0 0, Voss 2 1 5-6 12, Bork 1 1 0-1 5, Steinhoff 1 0 0-0 2, Anderson 0 0 0-0 0, O Deelstra 1 0 0-0 2, Elbers 0 0 4-6 4, Fagerness 0 0 0-0 0, Moser 0 0 0-0 0, Spykerboer 0 0 0-0 0, Harris 0 0 1-2 1, E Deelstra 0 0 0-0 0
 
Team stats:
H-BC: 14 of 58 (24 percent), 12 for 18 free throws (67 percent), 39 rebounds, 22 turnovers.
Edg: 15 of 53 (28 percent), 8 for 17 free throws (47 percent), 38 rebounds, 25 turnovers.

The Cardinal wrestling team continued its winning ways on Feb. 8 by defeating Springfield (Minnesota) 42-39 and Viborg-Hurley (South Dakota) 60-18.
The team has posted a 4-1 record the past three weeks heading into the Section 3A team tournament.
The Cardinals travel to Adrian to take on Wabasso in the first round of the section tournament Thursday, Feb. 17.
Luverne 42, Springfield 39
The Cardinals began their night with a Brody Kopp pin over Nicholas Goebner in 1:17.
Rayden Boyenga then pinned Will Schmidt in 23 seconds before Josh Stroh received a forfeit. The team had jumped out to an 18-0 lead.
Springfield rebounded with a pin at the 126-pound weight class and a decision at 132 pounds, bringing the team score closer at 18-9.
Luverne’s next three wrestlers pinned their opponents in less than two minutes combined. 
Noah Mehlhaff pinned Hunter Johnson in 36 seconds at 138 pounds and Zach Bradley bested Paytin Johnson in 18 seconds at 145. At 152, Braydon Ripka completed the trifecta, pinning Joe Jensen in 42 seconds.
The Cardinals held on to a 36-9 lead.
Between the 160 and 285-pound weight classes, Springfield won five of the remaining six individual matches by pin or forfeit, but Luverne’s Jacob Madison won a critical match to finalize the Cardinal victory. 
Wrestling at 170 pounds, he pinned Houston Johnson in 1:21, sealing the 42-39 win.
The season is turning out to be a memorable one for the Luverne wrestlers.
“It felt great getting two individual wins tonight and helping with the two team victories,” Brody Kopp said. “I’m proud of wrestling at 106 for Luverne because I’m a seventh-grader and I accomplished 14 wins this season.”
 
Luverne 60,
Viborg-Hurley 18
The Cardinals won the first seven individual matches enroute to the 60-18 win.
Beginning at 106 pounds, Brody Kopp bested Cody Kitzing by pinning him in 1:28.
Rayden Boyenga and Josh Stroh at 113 and 120 each received a forfeit.
Leif Ingebretsen secured a pin in 1:24 over Gage Skjonsberg at 126 pounds before Hudson Hough added to the team score with another forfeit at 132.
Luverne’s Noah Mehlhaff again started a trio of pins for the team by pinning Maxx Holm in 29 seconds at 138 pounds.
Zach Bradley pinned Jett Kuchta in 23 seconds at 145 before Braydon Ripka pinned Nolyn Spielman in 1:50 at 152 pounds.
The team score at that point was 48-0 in favor of the Cardinals.
After Luverne suffered their first defeat of the night at 160 pounds, Jacob Madison responded by pinning Jaksen Olson in 4:36 at 170.
After a Luverne forfeit at 182 pounds, Ayden Bonnett secured one last Cardinal pin over Jacob Johnson in 1:43.
Viborg-Hurley’s Simeon Thompson received a forfeit at 285 pounds after a double forfeit at 220. The Cardinals had their second victory of the night, 60-18.
“These guys came out and showed that we are competitive against teams even when we give up so many points to forfeits,” head coach Jordan Kopp said. “I’m proud of them, and we are headed into our postseason with a little more confidence.”

The Luverne boys’ basketball team continued their winning ways last week, defeating the Windom Area Eagles 76-57 and the Montevideo Thunder Hawks 60-54.
The two victories over section opponents were the Cardinals’ third and fourth in a row and sixth and seventh wins of the season.
“It was good to get two section wins this week,” said Luverne head coach John Sichmeller.
“After a slow start to the season, we are finally starting to see the type of team we can be.”
The Cardinals were scheduled to host the Pipestone Area Arrows Tuesday night (Feb. 15) before hosting Hills-Beaver Creek tonight (Thursday, Feb. 17) and traveling to Jackson County Central Friday night.
Luverne, now 7-11 on the season, will host the Worthington Trojans on Tuesday night in their second-to-last regular season game.
“We are playing our best basketball of the year, and if we keep playing well, we can really move up in the section standings as we approach the playoffs,” Sichmeller said.
 
Luverne 76,
Windom Area 57
The Cardinals avenged their 62-50 loss to Windom Area on Jan. 7 when they defeated the Eagles 76-57 in Windom Feb. 10.
Windom led for much of the first half before Luverne gained the lead in the final six minutes before halftime.
The Cardinals led 31-26 at the half. They held on to the lead throughout the remainder of the game, outscoring the Eagles 54-31 in the second half.
Nine LHS players scored in the contest. Gannon Ahrendt led the offense with 24 points.
Colin Schoeneman totaled 14 points including four three-pointers.
Luverne dominated the boards with 45 rebounds compared to 30 by the Eagles.
Connor Overgaard collected 16 total rebounds and Nathaniel Cole-Kraty brought in 11. 
 
Box score:
Cole-Kraty 1 0 2-6 4, Schoeneman 1 4 0-0 14, Frahm 1 0 0-0 2, Sehr 2 0 4-4 8, Radtke 0 1 6-6 9, Friedrichsen 2 0 1-1 5, De Beer 1 1 0-0 5, Ahrendt 10 0 4-4 24, Overgaard 2 0 1-2 5
 
Team stats:
Luverne: 26 of 59 (44 percent), 18 of 24 free throws (75 percent), 45 rebounds, 9 turnovers
Windom Area: 24 of 65 (37 percent), 2 of 4 free throws (50 percent), 30 rebounds, 9 turnovers
 
Luverne 60,
Montevideo 54
Both the Luverne girls’ and boys’ basketball teams had the opportunity to play on a neutral college court Saturday when they faced Montevideo at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall.
It was a Cardinals sweep after the boys followed an exciting 47-45 Luverne girls’ win with a solid 60-54 victory of their own over the Thunder Hawks.
The teams were even through the first quarter of the game before Luverne built a 31-20 halftime advantage.
The Cardinals led by as much as 18 points (49-31) with about 11 minutes remaining in the game.
Montevideo narrowed the LHS lead to six points a number of times later in the half.
A three-pointer by the Hawks with less than one minute remaining cut the lead to three (47-44).
Eli Radtke then made one of two free throws.
When Ahrendt completed a thunderous dunk with only seconds remaining, the 60-54 Cardinal victory was sealed.
Ahrendt was the leading scorer in the game with 29 points.
Schoeneman and Radtke totaled nine points each.
Overgaard collected ten rebounds in the game, while Cole-Kraty had nine.
 
Box Score:
Cole-Kraty 1 0 1-4 3, Schoeneman 0 3 0-0 9, Sehr 1 0 3-5 5, Radtke 3 0 3-6 9, Ahrendt 10 3 0-2 29, Overgaard 2 0 1-5 5
 
Team Stats:
Luverne: 23 of 42 (55 percent), 8 of 22 free throws (36 percent), 37 rebounds, 18 turnovers
Montevideo: 24 of 65 (37 percent), 1 of 1 free throws (100 percent), 28 rebounds, 10 turnovers.

February is often referred to as the “Month of Love” – a month filled with red roses, boxed chocolates, special Valentine’s dinners, and don’t forget Cupid, with his quiver of arrows. And while all of these things are associated with love, do they really express true love? They might … but then again, they might not.
There is a story that comes from the time of Oliver Cromwell in England. A young soldier had been tried in military court and was sentenced to death. He was to be shot at the “ringing of the curfew bell.”
Unbeknownst to anyone, his fiancée climbed up into the bell tower several hours before curfew and tied herself to the bell’s huge clapper. At curfew time, when only muted sounds came from the bell tower, Cromwell demanded to know why the bell was not ringing. His soldiers went to investigate and found the young woman cut and bleeding from being knocked back and forth against the great bell. They brought her down, so the story goes, and Cromwell was so impressed with her willingness to suffer in this way on behalf of someone she loved that he dismissed the condemned soldier saying, “Curfew shall not ring tonight.”
Now I don’t know if that soldier was truly guilty or not. But I do know, sadly, that we are … every one of us. God’s Word tells us, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). This applies to every human being born since Adam and Eve. Each of us has said things, purposely done things, and thought things that were sinful and not pleasing to our holy God.
But thankfully, like that soldier, you and I also know of a truly amazing love where another innocent person was willing to die for the guilty. Jesus once said, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends ...” (John 15:12-14).
And that’s exactly what our Lord Jesus did! He gave up his innocent life for the guilty – for you and me. The one who was without sin was nailed to the cross. And there, weighed down with the incredible load of the world’s sins, he became sin for us. Then as Jesus shed his holy blood, suffering the pains of hell, and giving up his life to death, he paid the debt of all those sins in full. Three days later, when he rose triumphant from the grave, his victory song declared, “Because I live, you also will live!”
Our Lord promises us that all who trust and believe in him will rise again on the last day and live forever with him in heaven. Now we know what true love is — the very love that Christ has shown to us!
But it doesn’t stop there. With faith growing in our forgiven hearts, we are called to let that faith shine brightly to others. You and I have the love of Jesus living in our hearts, a true, selfless love that will be reflected in our daily lives. Remember, it was our kind Savior who said, “Love one another. Just as I have loved you, so also you are to love one another. By this everyone will know you are My disciples …” (John 13:34-35).
As forgiven sinners and ambassadors for Christ, we know and have experienced true love beyond compare … and it’s a precious love that we WANT to share!
May our Lord bless us as we show forth his great love!

St. Catherine Catholic Church
203 E. Brown St., Luverne
St. Catherine Ph. 283-8502; www.stscl.org
Monsignor Gerald Kosse, Pastor
Sundays 8:30 a.m. Mass. Public Mass will be celebrated at FULL capacity in the church. Masses: 9 a.m. Wednesdays, 10 a.m. Friday at the nursing homes – check the bulletin. All Sunday masses will be live streamed on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pg/stccluverne/videos/. Visit www.stscl.org for more information.
 
Luverne Christian Reformed Church
605 N. Estey St., Luverne
Office Ph. 283-8482; Prayer Line Ph. 449-5982
www.luvernecrc.com — office@luvernecrc.com
Sundays 9:30 a.m. Worship service. 6:30 p.m. Evening worship service. We are streaming Sunday services live on YouTube at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Send him a friend request if you’re not connected. You may also visit our website for delayed broadcasts. Also our services are on local cable TV at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and at 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays. In all circumstances, may we joyfully declare: “Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 124:8.
 
First Baptist Church
103 N. Jackson St., P.O. Box 975, Luverne
Ph. 283-4091; email: fbcluv@iw.net — www.fbcluverne.org
Walt Moser, Pastor
Sundays, 10:30 a.m. In-person worship service. Service is also on Facebook Live at 10:30 a.m.
 
Grace Lutheran Church
500 N. Kniss Ave., Luverne
Ph. 507-283-4431; www.graceluverne.org — graceluverne@iw.net
Ann Zastrow, Pastor
Dave Christenson, Interim Pastor
Thursday, Feb. 17: 8:30 a.m. Missions in Action. Sunday, Feb. 20: 9 a.m. Worship Service—Spiritual Sunday. 10 a.m. Coffee fellowship. 10:15 a.m. New member session. NO Sunday school. NO evening worship. Worship practice. Tuesday, Feb. 22: 7 a.m. Dorcas Circle meets at The Bean. 8:30 a.m. Grace Notes assembly. 9 a.m. Staff meeting. 1:30 p.m. Worship at Mary Jane Brown. 2:15 p.m. Worship at Poplar Creek. Wednesday, Feb. 23: 7 a.m. Men’s Bible study. 3-8 p.m. Youth Pizza Ranch fundraiser. 3:15 p.m. Faithweavers. 7 p.m. Confirmation pizza party. Online, TV and Radio Worship options are available. Online: Sundays 9 a.m. on the church website www.graceluverne.org, click Worship tab or go directly to our Facebook page at Grace Lutheran ELCA, Luverne. TV: Vast Channel 3 will air our worship service Mondays at 4:30 p.m. and Fridays at 10 a.m. Radio: KQAD-AM Radio will air our worship service on Sundays at 8:15 a.m.
 
Bethany Lutheran Church
720 N. Kniss Ave., Luverne
Ph. 507-283-4571 or 605-215-9834
Sundays, 10:15 a.m. Worship service; worship online as well (at els.org). Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. Zoom Bible study. See our Facebook page, Bethany Lutheran Church (Luverne) for other classes and events.
 
American Reformed Church
304 N. Fairview Dr., Luverne
Ph. 283-8600; email: office@arcluverne.org
Thursday, Feb. 17: 12:30 p.m. Cookie Crew. 5:30 p.m. Tumbling Tykes. Friday, Feb. 18: 6:3o a.m. Community Men’s Bible study. Saturday, Feb. 19: 9 a.m. Tech Team meeting. Sunday, Feb. 20: 9:30 a.m. Worship Service with Holy Communion. 10:50 a.m. Sunday school. 1:30 p.m. Mary Jane Brown Home and Poplar Creek. Tuesday, Feb. 22: 12 p.m. Staff meeting. Wednesday, Feb. 23: 9:30 a.m. 5:30 p.m. Midweek Meal. 6:30 p.m. Pioneer Club. 6:30 p.m. Jr. and Sr. High youth groups. Thursday, Feb. 24: 5:30 p.m. Tumbling Tykes. Services are also broadcast on Vast Channel 3 on Mondays at 6 p.m. and Wednesdays at 4 p.m. DVD’s available upon request. To stay up to date on announcements, follow us on Facebook and Instagram @arcluverne.
 
Rock River Community Church (formerly First Assembly of God)
1075 110th Ave., 2 miles west of Luverne on County Rd. 4
Ph. 612-800-1255; email info@rockrivercommunity.church
Bob Junak, Pastor; Annette Junak, Assistant Pastor
Sundays, 9 a.m. Sunday school; 10 a.m. Worship service. Children’s church for ages 3-6th grade and nursery for ages 0-3 provided during our services. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. Worship service. All services are in-person and all are welcome.
 
United Methodist Church
109 N. Freeman Ave., Luverne
Ph. 283-4529
Saturday, Feb. 19: 8 p.m. AA meeting. Sunday, Feb. 20: 9 a.m. Adult Sunday school. 9:15 a.m. Coffee. 10:30 a.m. Worship service. 4:30 p.m. Genesis/Revelation Bible study. Confirmation Retreat. Monday, Feb. 21: Confirmation Retreat.  Tuesday, Feb. 22: Shut-in visits. 6 p.m. Trustees meeting. 6:30 p.m. Church council meeting. Wednesday, Feb. 23: 5:30 p.m. Free Community Meal with pick-up option available. 6:15 p.m. FUEL. 6:30 p.m. Confirmation. 8 p.m. AA meeting. Live streamed on Facebook and radio.
 
First Presbyterian Church
302 Central Lane, Luverne
Ph. 283-4787; email: Firstpc@iw.net
Sunday, Feb. 20: 9:30 a.m. Worship service. 10:30 a.m. Sunday school. Wednesday, Feb. 23: No bells. 6:15 p.m. Choir. 7:15 p.m. Deacons. In-person Worship service and live on Facebook. Our Facebook page can be found under First Presbyterian Church of Luverne. We are also on the local Luverne cable station at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and 10 a.m. on Thursdays.
 
St. John Lutheran Church
803 N. Cedar St., Luverne
Ph. 283-2316; email: stjohn@iw.net
www.stjohnlutheranluverne.org
Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, Pastor
Saturday, Feb. 19: 5:30 p.m. Worship Service. Sunday, Feb. 20: 9 a.m. Worship Service. 10:15 a.m. Adult Bible class; Sunday School. Wednesday, Feb. 23: 9:30 a.m. Bible study. 6:30 p.m. Kids for Christ; 6:30-8 p.m. Confirmation. 7:30 p.m. High School Youth Group. Services will be available on the Vast Channel 3 Sunday and online at the city website, cityofluverne.org.
 
Living Rock Church
500 E. Main St., Luverne
Ph. 449-0057; www.livingrockswmn.org
Billy Skaggs, Pastor
 
New Life Celebration Church
101 W. Maple, Luverne
Ph. (605) 368-1924; email: newlifecelebration@gmail.com
Food mission every third Thursday.
 
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
305 E. 2nd St., P.O. Box 36, Hardwick
Ph. (507) 669-2855; zionoffice@alliancecom.net
Jesse Baker, Pastor
Sunday, Feb. 20: 9 a.m. Worship service. 10:15 a.m. Sunday School. 10:30 a.m. Bible study. Worship service on Luverne cable at 3:30 p.m. every Thursday and Friday.
 
Ben Clare United Methodist Church
26762 Ben Clare Ave., Valley Springs, S.D.
igtwlb@WOW.net
Bill Bates, Pastor
 
First Lutheran Church
300 Maple St., Valley Springs, S.D.
Ph. (605) 757-6662
Mark Eliason, Pastor
Sunday, Feb. 20: 9 a.m. Worship at First Lutheran. 10 a.m. Sunday school. Masks are strongly recommended, but not required, even if fully vaccinated. Worship will be streamed live on Facebook Video worship via YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHdQwVxFcU4
 
Palisade Lutheran Church
211 121st St., Garretson, S.D.
Ph. (507) 597-6257 — firstpalisade@alliancecom.net
Mark Eliason, Pastor
Thursday, Feb. 17: 1:30 p.m. Palisade Lutheran WELCA. 7 p.m. Palisade Lutheran parish council meeting. Sunday, Feb. 20: 9:30 a.m. Sunday School. 10:30 a.m. Worship at Palisade Lutheran. Masks are strongly recommended, but not required, even if fully vaccinated. Worship will be streamed live on Facebook. Video worship via YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHdQwVxFcU4
 
First Presbyterian Church
201 S. 3rd St., P.O Box 73, Beaver Creek
Ph. 507-935-5025
email: lori.firstpres@gmail.com
Sundays, 9:30 a.m. Worship Service. Second Tuesday of each month, 7 p.m. Session meeting.
 
Magnolia United Methodist Church
501 E. Luverne St., Magnolia
Ph. 605-215-3429
email: magnoliamnumc@gmail.com
Nancy Manning, Pastor
Sunday, 9 a.m., in-person with livestream available on the church’s Facebook site.
 
Steen Reformed Church
112 W. Church Ave., Steen
Ph. 855-2336
Jeremy Wiersema, Pastor
Sunday, 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Worship service in-person with livestream available on Facebook and YouTube. Radio worship on KQAD Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
 
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
112 N. Main St., Hills
Ph. 962-3270
Sunday, Feb. 20: 9 a.m. Worship at Tuff Chapel. 10 a.m. Worship with Holy Communion. 9 a.m. Sunday School. 7-8:30 p.m. Youth group meets. Worship will be streamed live to Facebook at Bethlehem of Hills. You can find more info on our website blchills.org. Tuesday, Feb. 22: 2 p.m. Tuff Home Bible study. 3:30 p.m. Tuff Village Bible study. Wednesday, Feb. 23: 9 a.m. Quilting. 6 p.m. Confirmation. 7 p.m. Social/dessert time. 7:15 p.m. Wednesday night worship service.
 
Hills United Reformed Church
410 S. Central Ave., Hills
Office Ph. 962-3254
hillsurc@alliancecom.net
Alan Camarigg, Pastor