2017 Newsletter
2017 Newsletter Redeemer Lutheran Church Didsbury, Alberta The 150th Anniversary of confederation gives us a helpful opportunity to ponder our own place in this country and society as followers of Jesus Christ. We can begin with a big dose of gratitude to God. He has blessed us in Canada in an incredible way. Even those of modest means here are among the wealthiest people in the world, compared to countless other nations. Canada’s farms, waterways, and resources have met our needs in undeserved ways. God has blessed us with peace and security in that we’re not threatened by foreign invaders. Despite their shortcomings, our governments have functioned in an orderly way. They have not subjected us to the horrors endured by people in totalitarian dictatorships. As Christians, we have been able to organize congregations, build churches and schools, and to carry on the Lord’s work without being outlawed or imprisoned. Don’t take this for granted! Canada’s 150th birthday is the right moment to praise God for it all. (From an article by President Bugbee of Lutheran Church-Canada in “The Canadian Lutheran”)
What does the logo represent? The logo is composed of a series of diamonds, or “celebratory gems”, arranged in the shape of the iconic maple leaf. The four diamonds at the base represent the four original provinces that formed Confederation in 1867: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Additional diamonds extend out from the base to create nine more points—in total representing the 13 provinces and territories. The Canada 150 logo is an evocative symbol and will become an enduring reminder of one of Canada’s proudest moments. The maple leaf motif is recognized at home and abroad as distinctively Canadian, and it fosters feelings of pride, unity and celebration. This unique design is simple enough to be drawn by children, and versatile enough to be used in a host of applications. The possible uses of the symbol are as unlimited as the spirit and imagination of the Canadian public.
Ending with gratitude-my last vicar's report “3 I
thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace,[d] both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” When I reflect on the past year, it could have been many things, but as I look at it, month by month, day by day, I realize how spectacular it was to be placed in Didsbury, in the congregation of Redeemer, among people like you. It was a blessing of God that I cannot thank Him enough for, because He has filled my life with relationships that I would never have had, had I been placed anywhere else. You have all been so welcoming and encouraging and friendly and simply a delight to be around. Through my time around each and every one of you, I have had the chance to grow as a child of God and in my pastoral education. I have been shaped and have learned much about myself and about the area of work I am headed into. God has placed me where I was blessed in too many ways to count, and I will carry this with me forever. This leads me to my second area of gratitude—thank you to you. Yes, for being so welcoming and friendly to Becky and myself, but also for simply taking on the task of taking a vicar (many vicars, actually!) and for being a partner in the Gospel with myself and every vicar who has passed through here, and with the seminary itself. Through the hours you have spent, allowing me and every vicar before and after myself to be formed and to learn and to find our own pastoral patterns, you have given us the space to become pastors. You have been gracious when I have made mistakes, you have been encouraging when things were a little rocky, and you been a spectacular group for me to try pastoring for the first time. Thank you, each and every one of you. My last bit of gratitude is again directed at God. He has been faithful in this year, keeping us as His people, as His beloved children. Now, looking forward, I know that He will continue in this same path. He has promised to take care of you; in your baptism He promised to keep you as His daughter or son, and now that I go back to school, I will not be as integrated in your lives, seeing Him working in your daily routines and hearing how He is answering prayers and keeping you in His love. I won’t get to see it, but I know it will be true. And this isn’t because of anything your future vicar will do (though I know Michael will be a blessing to you!) and His care won’t be reliant on any future pastors. I am sure of this, His care, because He has promised. And He who has promised is faithful, to keep you in His loving arms, to provide for you from His fatherly care, and to see you through each day, walking with you in highs and lows. Though leaving is no fun, it is wonderful leaving thankful for each person I have come across in my time in Didsbury and I am sure you will remain in the ever strong, merciful, and loving hands of our God. In Christ, Vicar Scott
Elders Report – As June will soon be behind us we realize how quickly time flies. Vicar Scott and Becky are now counting their last days in service at Redeemer. His final service with us will be Sunday, July 16h. A potluck dinner and time of fellowship will follow the service where we can thank them for their work among us during this past year. Please plan to be a part of this occasion. On June 11th we had five young adults received through the Rite of Confirmation. The Elders had met with them earlier where they presented their reports on the Six Chief Parts of Luther’s Small Catechism. We were all impressed with their presentations. They were certainly ready for Confirmation. We welcome Brooke Krebs, Sydnee Doiron, Emma Ward, Jacob Fifield and Hunter Reese into Communicant Membership at Redeemer.
The Worship Schedule for July follows: July 2nd – Vicar Scott July 9th – Pastor Larry Lentz – Communion July 16th – Vicar Scott – Farewell Service with Potluck/Fellowship July 23rd – Pastor Darren Dressler – Communion – Potluck July 30th – Vicar Michael Mayer – First Service at Redeemer You will have noticed from the above schedule that Vicar Michael’s first service at Redeemer will be July 30th. With the change of Vicars there are moving needs which have to be met. We need to move Vicar Scott and Becky back to Edmonton and Vicar Michael and his family to Didsbury. This will happen during the week of July 17th to July 21st. We feel that we will need two trailers and some extra hands to load and unload. Please contact me at (403)335-3181 or on my cell at (403) 680-7044. Thanks in advance for your willingness to help. In Christ, Harry Reese
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL Tuesday – Friday July 4 – 8 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Vacation Bible School is ramping up to be a spectacular week! All of our volunteers are excited to put together a great experience for each kid who walks through the doors. We have fun songs to sing, great stories to hear about Jesus, wonderful crafts to make, and exhilarating games to play! The registration forms are underneath the big poster, and if you could have them in by July 1, that would be spectacular! (Knowing numbers even earlier than that could help us prepare for the week, so if you know your kids will be there, simply contact the church, or let Auntie Bev or Vicar Scott know!) All throughout the week, the kids will enter and explore a medieval world of battles and great victories, so it will certainly be an exciting time!
LUTHERAN WOMEN’S MISSIONARY LEAGUE - CANADA June 12, the LWMLC had their summer windup at Boston Pizza in Olds. 7 ladies enjoyed fun and fellowship. We will see you all September 11 at 9:30 a.m. in the fireside room for another year. LWMLC is a world wide society that unites Lutheran women through our faith and our projects. We all collect mites, which is a money donation, that is small in one group but gathered together is much more and does great things. Check out the bulletin board in the hallway and see some of the things we do. In the fall we have an idea that we are going to be asking your help with. Stay tuned for details. May God bless and keep you this summer.
MISSION PIZZABLE DINNER Our Mission Pizzable Dinner was held May 26, and was there ever a fantastic turnout! We had over 50 people there to celebrate what our team was able to participate in at Ehhatesaht, B.C.; to hear the stories from the team, to discuss what missions in our communities look like, and to pray for the community we visited. It was wonderful to have the team back together—Riley, Teresa, Isaac, and Lucas Milford, along with Becky and myself—as we got to share our experiences with everyone who was there! It was fun having the chance to relive it in a way, and we hope we have inspired you to continue living out your faith wherever you are! Thanks to Rhonda Kelman, the B.C. Mission Boat Executive, who had a word of thanks for Redeemer; thanks also to Macy’s who provided the delicious pizza; thank you to all who have supported our trip in one way or another, from saying prayers, providing craft supplies and funds, to showing up and demonstrating interest in what we were doing! P.S. We raised over $300 at the dinner to send back to the B.C. Mission Boat to continue supporting them!
Redeemer Lutheran Church Didsbury, Alberta
July 2017 Sun.
Mon.
Tue.
Wed.
Thu.
Fri.
Sat. 1
2
3
4
Worship 10:30 A.M.
9
5
6
7
8
Vacation Bible School 10:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.
10
11
12
13
14
15
17
18
19
20
21
22
24
25
26
27
28
29
Holy Communion 10:30 A.M. 16
Worship 10:30 A.M.
Pot Luck Lunch 23
Holy Communion 10:30 A.M.
Pot Luck Lunch 30
31
Worship 10:30 A.M.
Enjoy your Summer! Take God with you.
What does the logo represent? The logo is composed of a series of diamonds, or “celebratory gems”, arranged in the shape of the iconic maple leaf. The four diamonds at the base represent the four original provinces that formed Confederation in 1867: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Additional diamonds extend out from the base to create nine more points—in total representing the 13 provinces and territories. The Canada 150 logo is an evocative symbol and will become an enduring reminder of one of Canada’s proudest moments. The maple leaf motif is recognized at home and abroad as distinctively Canadian, and it fosters feelings of pride, unity and celebration. This unique design is simple enough to be drawn by children, and versatile enough to be used in a host of applications. The possible uses of the symbol are as unlimited as the spirit and imagination of the Canadian public.
Ending with gratitude-my last vicar's report “3 I
thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace,[d] both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” When I reflect on the past year, it could have been many things, but as I look at it, month by month, day by day, I realize how spectacular it was to be placed in Didsbury, in the congregation of Redeemer, among people like you. It was a blessing of God that I cannot thank Him enough for, because He has filled my life with relationships that I would never have had, had I been placed anywhere else. You have all been so welcoming and encouraging and friendly and simply a delight to be around. Through my time around each and every one of you, I have had the chance to grow as a child of God and in my pastoral education. I have been shaped and have learned much about myself and about the area of work I am headed into. God has placed me where I was blessed in too many ways to count, and I will carry this with me forever. This leads me to my second area of gratitude—thank you to you. Yes, for being so welcoming and friendly to Becky and myself, but also for simply taking on the task of taking a vicar (many vicars, actually!) and for being a partner in the Gospel with myself and every vicar who has passed through here, and with the seminary itself. Through the hours you have spent, allowing me and every vicar before and after myself to be formed and to learn and to find our own pastoral patterns, you have given us the space to become pastors. You have been gracious when I have made mistakes, you have been encouraging when things were a little rocky, and you been a spectacular group for me to try pastoring for the first time. Thank you, each and every one of you. My last bit of gratitude is again directed at God. He has been faithful in this year, keeping us as His people, as His beloved children. Now, looking forward, I know that He will continue in this same path. He has promised to take care of you; in your baptism He promised to keep you as His daughter or son, and now that I go back to school, I will not be as integrated in your lives, seeing Him working in your daily routines and hearing how He is answering prayers and keeping you in His love. I won’t get to see it, but I know it will be true. And this isn’t because of anything your future vicar will do (though I know Michael will be a blessing to you!) and His care won’t be reliant on any future pastors. I am sure of this, His care, because He has promised. And He who has promised is faithful, to keep you in His loving arms, to provide for you from His fatherly care, and to see you through each day, walking with you in highs and lows. Though leaving is no fun, it is wonderful leaving thankful for each person I have come across in my time in Didsbury and I am sure you will remain in the ever strong, merciful, and loving hands of our God. In Christ, Vicar Scott
Elders Report – As June will soon be behind us we realize how quickly time flies. Vicar Scott and Becky are now counting their last days in service at Redeemer. His final service with us will be Sunday, July 16h. A potluck dinner and time of fellowship will follow the service where we can thank them for their work among us during this past year. Please plan to be a part of this occasion. On June 11th we had five young adults received through the Rite of Confirmation. The Elders had met with them earlier where they presented their reports on the Six Chief Parts of Luther’s Small Catechism. We were all impressed with their presentations. They were certainly ready for Confirmation. We welcome Brooke Krebs, Sydnee Doiron, Emma Ward, Jacob Fifield and Hunter Reese into Communicant Membership at Redeemer.
The Worship Schedule for July follows: July 2nd – Vicar Scott July 9th – Pastor Larry Lentz – Communion July 16th – Vicar Scott – Farewell Service with Potluck/Fellowship July 23rd – Pastor Darren Dressler – Communion – Potluck July 30th – Vicar Michael Mayer – First Service at Redeemer You will have noticed from the above schedule that Vicar Michael’s first service at Redeemer will be July 30th. With the change of Vicars there are moving needs which have to be met. We need to move Vicar Scott and Becky back to Edmonton and Vicar Michael and his family to Didsbury. This will happen during the week of July 17th to July 21st. We feel that we will need two trailers and some extra hands to load and unload. Please contact me at (403)335-3181 or on my cell at (403) 680-7044. Thanks in advance for your willingness to help. In Christ, Harry Reese
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL Tuesday – Friday July 4 – 8 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Vacation Bible School is ramping up to be a spectacular week! All of our volunteers are excited to put together a great experience for each kid who walks through the doors. We have fun songs to sing, great stories to hear about Jesus, wonderful crafts to make, and exhilarating games to play! The registration forms are underneath the big poster, and if you could have them in by July 1, that would be spectacular! (Knowing numbers even earlier than that could help us prepare for the week, so if you know your kids will be there, simply contact the church, or let Auntie Bev or Vicar Scott know!) All throughout the week, the kids will enter and explore a medieval world of battles and great victories, so it will certainly be an exciting time!
LUTHERAN WOMEN’S MISSIONARY LEAGUE - CANADA June 12, the LWMLC had their summer windup at Boston Pizza in Olds. 7 ladies enjoyed fun and fellowship. We will see you all September 11 at 9:30 a.m. in the fireside room for another year. LWMLC is a world wide society that unites Lutheran women through our faith and our projects. We all collect mites, which is a money donation, that is small in one group but gathered together is much more and does great things. Check out the bulletin board in the hallway and see some of the things we do. In the fall we have an idea that we are going to be asking your help with. Stay tuned for details. May God bless and keep you this summer.
MISSION PIZZABLE DINNER Our Mission Pizzable Dinner was held May 26, and was there ever a fantastic turnout! We had over 50 people there to celebrate what our team was able to participate in at Ehhatesaht, B.C.; to hear the stories from the team, to discuss what missions in our communities look like, and to pray for the community we visited. It was wonderful to have the team back together—Riley, Teresa, Isaac, and Lucas Milford, along with Becky and myself—as we got to share our experiences with everyone who was there! It was fun having the chance to relive it in a way, and we hope we have inspired you to continue living out your faith wherever you are! Thanks to Rhonda Kelman, the B.C. Mission Boat Executive, who had a word of thanks for Redeemer; thanks also to Macy’s who provided the delicious pizza; thank you to all who have supported our trip in one way or another, from saying prayers, providing craft supplies and funds, to showing up and demonstrating interest in what we were doing! P.S. We raised over $300 at the dinner to send back to the B.C. Mission Boat to continue supporting them!
Redeemer Lutheran Church Didsbury, Alberta
July 2017 Sun.
Mon.
Tue.
Wed.
Thu.
Fri.
Sat. 1
2
3
4
Worship 10:30 A.M.
9
5
6
7
8
Vacation Bible School 10:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.
10
11
12
13
14
15
17
18
19
20
21
22
24
25
26
27
28
29
Holy Communion 10:30 A.M. 16
Worship 10:30 A.M.
Pot Luck Lunch 23
Holy Communion 10:30 A.M.
Pot Luck Lunch 30
31
Worship 10:30 A.M.
Enjoy your Summer! Take God with you.
