River's Edge Good News
Happy Harvest!
River’s Edge Good News Pastor Michael Nielsen Office: 1106 S. Main St. Necedah, WI. 54646 608-565-7252
St. James Lutheran Church
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
[email protected]
OCTOBER 2011
A LETTER FROM THE PASTOR October is a special month in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in several ways. Number 1 – This October on October 30 (October 31 is Reformation Day) in worship we remember the Reformation that Martin Luther led. This year will be the 494th anniversary of the Reformation. We thank God for the men who led the Reformation so that the Bible could get into the hands of the common folk, so that we could read it! We also thank God for the fact that we have this rich tradition that comes straight from Scripture: we are saved by grace through faith in Christ. Number 2 – October 25 is the 200th birthday of Rev. Dr. C.F.W. Walther.
Walther was the first president of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod and also the third president. Dr. Walther also helped found Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO. Pastor Walther is highly respected amongst the members of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, but unfortunately not many people outside the professional church work offices know who he is or what he did in his life. Pastor Walther was one of several pastors in the German Lutheran Church who wanted to come to America so that they could fulfill their ordination vows. Walther sailed to America in the 1838 at the young age of 27. He
followed a man by the name of Martin Stephan…but shortly after they arrived in Perry County, MO, Stephan was accused of financial and sexual misconduct and was exiled from the group. While in America, Walther and others wondered if they were still a church since they had left the German church and its hierarchy. Through the study of Scripture and also the study of important works of Martin Luther and other Lutheran forefathers, it was discovered that they still were a church body. In the years after the immigration, the foundations were being laid for (Cont. on page 7)
A LETTER FROM THE COUNCIL PRESIDENT
Dear Friends in Christ,
much we appreciate everything that he does for us.
Well the fall season is here, school has begun, the football season has kicked off and it is great to have everyone back from vacations etc. A few things to keep in mind for this month…. LWML Sunday, the Fall Harvest Dinner at St. Paul’s, and the Youth Retreat at the end of October. And most importantly October is Pastor appreciation month! So when you see Pastor Mike, shake his hand and let him know how
I would also like to ask that everyone keep in mind that we are trying to form a Vision Committee, as of right now we only have 4 members. The future of St. James depends on all of us, so I would hope that a few more of you would be willing to sign up for this very important committee. So until next month, have an enjoyable fall season. Yours in Christ, 1
Brian Jump,
ANNOUNCMENTS
October Needs
Servants Elder of the Month: Fred Gregar Trustee of the Month: Jeff Jump
Tomah VA-Socks and Stocking Caps Necedah Food Pantry- Any non-perishable item Please leave your items in the VA Box or the LWML Box
Fellowship
Altar Care
2nd– Fred and Missy Gregar Group 9th– Dan and Joan Rabold Group 16th– Kris and Richard Brooks Group 23rd-Terry and Linda Schmidt Group 30th– Loretta Saunders and Eric Jorgeson Group
St. James: Linda Schmidt St. Paul’s: Linda, Jaime and Debbie
Upcoming Events
ST. JAMES BIRTHDAY’S AND ANNIVERSARIES
2nd– LWML Sunday 3rd-Trustee’s Meeting 7pm 5th-Altar Guild Meeting Following Service 6th-Ladies Aid Gathering “Dessert in the Park” 6:30pm 8th-Men’s Bible Breakfast 8am Elder’s Meeting 9am 9th– St. Paul’s Harvest Dinner 15th-Discipleship Class @ St. Paul’s
Birthday’s 1st-Cloe Winters 2nd-John Oens 3rd-Emma Negaard 5th-Darrel Hardy Elmer Hornburg Tylor Kiesling 6th-Gregg Ebert 10th-Carol Timmermon 14th-Jason Jump Gunnar Mach 15th-Mark Horbinski 17th-Trey & Trip Horbinski 18th-Arias Lang 19th-Nichole & Jessica Bluell
22nd-Sharon Nokovic 24th-Nicole Burke Maribeth Stivers 25th-Debbie Belmonte 28th-Byron Anderson Anniversaries 9th-Rick and Cheryl Olson 11th-Jim and Vivian Elliott 12th-Peter and Jennie Steen 13th-Richard and Carol Braund 24th-Don and Sharon Lutz
9am-3:30pm 19th-Council Meeting 8pm
ST. PAUL’S BIRTHDAY AND ANNIVERSARIES
Birthdays
27th-Sue Bennett
2nd-Lois Leroy
31st-Charlotte Kallerud
3rd-Frances Hresil
Anniversaries
7th-Derek Huebner
1st-Chris and Nicole Reynolds
13th-Gil Skurulsky
21st-Gil and Nancy Skurulsky
25th-Donna Klein
31st-Gordon and Charlotte Kallerud
28th & 29th-Confirmation Retreat Good Shepherd in Tomah
Joseph Miller 24th-Carl Huebner 26th-Nancy Skurulsky 2
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Harvest Dinner And Bake Sale Sunday, October 9, 2011 New Miner Serving 3:30-6:30 pm Turkey & Ham Dinner Adults $8.00~Children 5-12 $4.00
St. James Lutheran Church Fall Harvest Dinner Saturday, November 5, 2011 4-7pm 1106 S. Main St.
Necedah, WI. 54646 565-7252 Swiss Steak Dinner with Beverage and Dessert. Adults…….$7.00 Children…..$3.00 There will also be a bake sale with proceeds going to the St. James Quilters. 3
LADIES AID Happy Autumn to Everyone! Our Ladies Aid is gathering donations for the Vets again this year for Veterans Day on November 11, 2011. We will be putting 62 gift bags together with many different items for the Vets. Your donation is very much appreciated! Also, new to the list is CURRENT Magazines. Please donate your magazines that are only 2-3 months old. Donation List for Veterans Winter Stocking Hats
Combs
Scarves
Dandruff Shampoo
Gloves
Chapstick
Socks (New)
Handkerchiefs
Sugar-free hot choco mix (individual bags)
Mouthwash (alcohol-free)
Christmas cards w/ envelopes
Business Envelopes
Tea Bags (individually wrapped)
Shampoo
Shower Gel
Toothbrushes
Toothpaste
Writing tablets
Pens / Pencils
Puzzle Book
Disposable Razors
Nail clippers
Hand Lotion
Polident
Shaving Cream
Current Magazines
Hard Candy (reg. & sugar-free) And don’t forget LWML Sunday, October 2nd as well as October’s Gathering on the 6th @ 6:30pm will be “Dessert in the Park”. Join us for coffee and dessert at Old Mill Park. All ladies of St. James and St. Paul’s are welcome! As we look ahead, please watch for announcements for the Cookie Walk in November. The proceeds will go to our local food pantry. Also, this is a great way to share some holiday cookies with friends and family and help a great cause. Autumn Blessings! Deb Belmonte QUILTERS CORNER
Well we are almost there!!! We should beat our record of 109 from last year and Quilts will be dropped of on November 5th. Thank you to everyone who has lent a helping hand in reaching that goal. Then we will break until after the Holidays. Hopefully we will have some pictures to share with you next month of the drop off. Also, be sure and stop by the Bake sale at the Fall Harvest Dinner. All the proceeds go to the Quilters to help replenish our stock. So Until then we hope everyone has a Happy Fall! St. James Quilters 4
Y O U T H G R O U P
For this month’s thoughts, I take a piece of Terry Dittmer’s thoughts in the September Youth E-news from the Synod. QUOTE OF THE MONTH . . .
“Our unwillingness to acknowledge the cross as well as the incarnation has deceived us into believing that we are justified in neglecting a great many adolescents who at first respond to our offers of friendship with ridicule and aggressive rejection. The incarnation has made these very children our responsibility, our beloved brothers and sisters. We must reach out to their humanity even if it means the suffering of our own humanity, for this is the way of the cross. It may be that the reason they don’t trust our offers of friendship is that they intuitively know that we are not willing to see, hear and accompany them in their deepest suffering. We have offered them trips to Disneyland, silly games and “cool” youth rooms, not companionship in their darkest nights, their scariest of hells.” Andrew Root in Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry: From a Strategy of Influence to a Theology of Incarnation FIRST THOUGHTS . . . “Neglecting a great many adolescents.” I look at that line from the above quote and find it quite an indictment. We seem to do a pretty good job with young people who are attached to our congregations. The National Study of Youth and Religion puts the LCMS in a category of retaining 86% of its young people through high school. But how are we doing with teens who are outside our church communities? Are they spiritual victims of our neglect? How are we doing reaching out to un-churched and marginally-churched youth? Is it a part of our youth ministry or do we find ourselves saying, like one youth worker I know, “Oh I really don’t have time for that. I’ve got a program to run and the elders want to see some results.” I’m not sure there are many who have a handle on reaching youth. You can’t go up to a teenager and start by asking, “If you were to die tonight would you go to heaven?” Most un-churched teenagers wouldn’t have a clue what you were talking about. We are challenged to care about people and that includes teenagers—both within and outside the church community. It takes time, energy, compassion, patience, and love—pretty much God’s approach to us.”
CONFIRMATION Confirmation is back and going strong! During these first weeks and months of the year, we will be looking at The Lord’s Prayer. The purpose of this is to see what we are praying for when we pray the Lord’s Prayer. A lot of times when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we don’t think about what we are praying, since we say it from our memory. This year we have 10 kids total and Lord willing, half of them will be confirmed in May. We are also looking forward to our Confirmation Retreat at Good Shepherd in Tomah, even though it is shortened this year and not at Camp. The pastors and DCEs of our area churches will be working with the kids on how to use the media for God’s glory. The media is at the center of these kids’ lives, frankly, it’s the center of all of our lives.
SUNDAY SCHOOL Sunday school is also under way and the children seem to love the new curriculum! Stay tuned for updates!
5
They’re back!!! It’s a wonderful start to a great new year. We have eleven children with one more coming in December and two on the waiting list. This is the first time in years that we have had such a great attendance. I feel truly blessed. September is a month to learn about falling leaves, apples and the color red. We also started to learn about the alphabet and counting. Following in line is the hardest thing to do. Our Bible stories were "When God Made the world”, “The First Sin”, “The Flood”, and “The Birth of Isaac”. We are doing very will in saying the “Pledge of Allegiance: and we say our prayer before every snack. All in all, these are fantastic little people who are anxious to learn and happy to socialize. I think they all have adjusted well to the structured atmosphere of Preschool. As I watch them play and create I think how they may be our future leaders and I hope that with God’s love and understanding that they will continue with their faith and perhaps share the bible stories they hear with their family and friends in years to come. I thank Sherry for taking our group picture. From left to right starting at the front row is Isabella, Stephanie, Mia, Annika, (next row) Adam B., Carson, Marshall, (3rd row) Dayton, Addison and Adam S. And of course that’s me at the top of the pyramid. Missing when that was taken is Tegan. He joined us September 21st. Please come to our end of the church and view our picture boards. It shows the children having a great time learning, playing, socializing and creating. I am looking forward to this new year of getting to know these little ones and having a great time teaching God’s word along with the ABC’s and 123’s. Gods Blessings to you all, Sandy~ Adam B., Adam S. , Addison, Annika, Carson, Dayton, Isabella, Marshall, Mia, Stephanie and Tegan
6
O U R M I S S I O N “To share God’s love in Jesus Christ with those around us as we continue to experience and grow in His goodness and mercy.”
OCTOBER BIBLE READINGS
PASTOR’S LETTER CONT.
a formal church body in America. The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod was born on April 26, 1847. During Walther’s time as the first President, he was instrumental in the formation of the Log Cabin College which turned into Concordia Seminary in 1850. Walther was not only a professor and president; Walther was also Pastor of several churches during his service to the church and to God’s Kingdom, most notably Historic Trinity Lutheran Church in downtown St. Louis – where he served from 1841 to the time of his death in 1887. Pastor Walther wore many hats including being instrumental in founding what is today Concordia Publishing House and wrote several books that are still being used today to help train pastors such as Church and Ministry, Pastoral Theology, and probably his most notable work, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel. These writings form us as LCMS Lutherans still today. This month, we give thanks to God for our rich heritage as Lutherans and as part of that, Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO has produced a full-length feature film entitled Walther. It will be mailed to every church in the synod sometime in the month of October. If you have any other questions about Pastor Walther and his service to the church, please see Pastor Mike. Thank you for taking time to read a brief history of the Rev. Dr. C. F. W. Walther and I hope to see you in church.
Week 39 September 26 – 2 Chronicles 34:1-35:27 September 27 – 2 Chronicles 36:1-23 September 28 – Ezra 1:1-2:70 September 29 – Ezra 3:1-4:24 September 30 – Ezra 5:1-6:22 October 1 – Ezra 7:1-8:18 October 2 – Come to the Lord’s House and Worship Him Week 40 October 3 – Ezra 9:1-10:44 October 4 – Nehemiah 1:1-11 October 5 – Nehemiah 2:1-3:32 October 6 – Nehemiah 4:1 – 6:19 October 7 – Nehemiah 7:1-8:18 October 8 – Nehemiah 9:1-10:39 October 9 – Come to the Lord’s House and Worship Him Week 41 October 10 – Nehemiah 11:1-13:31 October 11 – Esther 1:1-2:23 October 12 – Esther 3:1-4:17 October 13 – Esther 5:1-7:10 October 14 – Esther 8:1-10:3 October 15 – Job 1:1-22 October 16 – Come to the Lord’s House and Worship Him Week 42 October 17 – Job 2:1-3:26 October 18 – Job 4:1-5:27 October 19 – Job 6:1-7:21 October 20 – Job 8:1 - 10:22 October 21 – Job 11:1-12:25 October 22 – Job 13:1-14:22 October 23 – Come to the Lord’s House and Worship Him Week 43 October 24 – Job 15:1-17:16 October 25 – Job 18:1-19:29 October 26 – Job 20:1-21:34 October 27 – Job 22:1-24:25 October 28 – Job 25:1-28:28 October 29 – Job 29:1-31:40 October 30 – Come to the Lord’s House and Worship Him Week 44 October 31 – Job 32:1-34:37 November 1 – Job 35:1-37:24 November 2 – Job 38:1-41:34 November 3 – Job 42:1-17 November 4 – Psalm 1:1-6:10 November 5 - Psalm 7:1-11:7 November 6 – Come to the Lord’s House and Worship Him 7
Fellowship: 2nd-Fred and Missy Gregar Group 9th-Dan and Joan Rabold Group 16th-Kris and Richard Brooks Group 23rd-Terry and Linda Schmidt Group 30th-Loretta Saunders and Eric Jorgeson Group
Servants for October
Trustee: Jeff Jump
Elder: Fred Gregar
Altar Guild for October
St. James:Linda Schmidt
7
Preschool 9am
Fri
St. Paul’s: Linda, Jaime and Debbie
Thu 6
Wed
Quilting 9am
Tue 5 Preschool 9am
Mon
October 2011 Sun
Quilting 9am
1
8
Sat
Men’s Bible Breakfast
8am
4
Elder’s Mtg. 9am
Adult Bible Study
“Dessert in the Park”
3 Preschool 9am
Ladies Gathering
Trustee Mtg. 7pm
LWML Sunday Confirmation 3:30pm
St. P Svc. 8am Worship svc. 7pm
Quilting 9am
19 Preschool 9am
Quilting 9am
20
27
21 Preschool 9am
Pastor’s Day of Rest
Discipleship Class
@ St. Paul’s 9am 3:30pm
22
29
Confirmation Retreat
28 Preschool 9am
15
7pm
2 St. P Bible Study 9am St. J Sunday School 9am
Pastor’s Day of Rest 6:30pm
14 Preschool 9am
w/communion
13
St. J Bible Study 9am
12 Preschool 9am
Quilting 9am
Altar Guild Mtg. 11
Quilting 9am
St. J Svc. 10:30am 10 Preschool 9am Adult Bible Study
9 St. P Svc. 8am St. P Bible Study 9am
Confirmation 3:30pm
18
Worship Svc. 7pm
Adult Bible Study
26 Preschool 9am
Quilting 9am
Pastor’s Day of Rest
7pm
17 Preschool 9am
St. J Sunday School 9am St. J Bible Study 9am St. J Svc. 10:30am w/comm. St. Paul’s Harvest Dinner 16 St. P Svc. 8am St. P Bible Study 9am
Confirmation 3:30pm Worship Svc. 7pm
7pm
w/communion
St. J Sunday School 9am St. J Bible Study 9am
25
Quilting 9am
Council Mtg. 8pm
St. J Svc.10:30am
24 Preschool 9am
Adult Bible Study
Confirmation 3:30pm
23 St. Paul’s 8am St. P Bible Study 9am
7pm
Quilt Drop off
5
Good Shepherd, Tomah 4
Fall Harvest Dinner
Worship Svc.
St. J Sunday School 9am St. J Bible Study 9am St. J Svc. 10:30am w/comm.
3
Fall Harvest Set Up
2
6 pm
November 1
Ladies Aid Gathering
31 Preschool 9am
6:30 pm
30 St. P Svc. 8am St. P Bible Study 9am
4-7pm
St. J Sunday School 9am St. J Bible Study 9am St. J Svc. 10:30am w/comm.
8
River’s Edge Good News Pastor Michael Nielsen Office: 1106 S. Main St. Necedah, WI. 54646 608-565-7252
St. James Lutheran Church
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
[email protected]
OCTOBER 2011
A LETTER FROM THE PASTOR October is a special month in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in several ways. Number 1 – This October on October 30 (October 31 is Reformation Day) in worship we remember the Reformation that Martin Luther led. This year will be the 494th anniversary of the Reformation. We thank God for the men who led the Reformation so that the Bible could get into the hands of the common folk, so that we could read it! We also thank God for the fact that we have this rich tradition that comes straight from Scripture: we are saved by grace through faith in Christ. Number 2 – October 25 is the 200th birthday of Rev. Dr. C.F.W. Walther.
Walther was the first president of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod and also the third president. Dr. Walther also helped found Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO. Pastor Walther is highly respected amongst the members of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, but unfortunately not many people outside the professional church work offices know who he is or what he did in his life. Pastor Walther was one of several pastors in the German Lutheran Church who wanted to come to America so that they could fulfill their ordination vows. Walther sailed to America in the 1838 at the young age of 27. He
followed a man by the name of Martin Stephan…but shortly after they arrived in Perry County, MO, Stephan was accused of financial and sexual misconduct and was exiled from the group. While in America, Walther and others wondered if they were still a church since they had left the German church and its hierarchy. Through the study of Scripture and also the study of important works of Martin Luther and other Lutheran forefathers, it was discovered that they still were a church body. In the years after the immigration, the foundations were being laid for (Cont. on page 7)
A LETTER FROM THE COUNCIL PRESIDENT
Dear Friends in Christ,
much we appreciate everything that he does for us.
Well the fall season is here, school has begun, the football season has kicked off and it is great to have everyone back from vacations etc. A few things to keep in mind for this month…. LWML Sunday, the Fall Harvest Dinner at St. Paul’s, and the Youth Retreat at the end of October. And most importantly October is Pastor appreciation month! So when you see Pastor Mike, shake his hand and let him know how
I would also like to ask that everyone keep in mind that we are trying to form a Vision Committee, as of right now we only have 4 members. The future of St. James depends on all of us, so I would hope that a few more of you would be willing to sign up for this very important committee. So until next month, have an enjoyable fall season. Yours in Christ, 1
Brian Jump,
ANNOUNCMENTS
October Needs
Servants Elder of the Month: Fred Gregar Trustee of the Month: Jeff Jump
Tomah VA-Socks and Stocking Caps Necedah Food Pantry- Any non-perishable item Please leave your items in the VA Box or the LWML Box
Fellowship
Altar Care
2nd– Fred and Missy Gregar Group 9th– Dan and Joan Rabold Group 16th– Kris and Richard Brooks Group 23rd-Terry and Linda Schmidt Group 30th– Loretta Saunders and Eric Jorgeson Group
St. James: Linda Schmidt St. Paul’s: Linda, Jaime and Debbie
Upcoming Events
ST. JAMES BIRTHDAY’S AND ANNIVERSARIES
2nd– LWML Sunday 3rd-Trustee’s Meeting 7pm 5th-Altar Guild Meeting Following Service 6th-Ladies Aid Gathering “Dessert in the Park” 6:30pm 8th-Men’s Bible Breakfast 8am Elder’s Meeting 9am 9th– St. Paul’s Harvest Dinner 15th-Discipleship Class @ St. Paul’s
Birthday’s 1st-Cloe Winters 2nd-John Oens 3rd-Emma Negaard 5th-Darrel Hardy Elmer Hornburg Tylor Kiesling 6th-Gregg Ebert 10th-Carol Timmermon 14th-Jason Jump Gunnar Mach 15th-Mark Horbinski 17th-Trey & Trip Horbinski 18th-Arias Lang 19th-Nichole & Jessica Bluell
22nd-Sharon Nokovic 24th-Nicole Burke Maribeth Stivers 25th-Debbie Belmonte 28th-Byron Anderson Anniversaries 9th-Rick and Cheryl Olson 11th-Jim and Vivian Elliott 12th-Peter and Jennie Steen 13th-Richard and Carol Braund 24th-Don and Sharon Lutz
9am-3:30pm 19th-Council Meeting 8pm
ST. PAUL’S BIRTHDAY AND ANNIVERSARIES
Birthdays
27th-Sue Bennett
2nd-Lois Leroy
31st-Charlotte Kallerud
3rd-Frances Hresil
Anniversaries
7th-Derek Huebner
1st-Chris and Nicole Reynolds
13th-Gil Skurulsky
21st-Gil and Nancy Skurulsky
25th-Donna Klein
31st-Gordon and Charlotte Kallerud
28th & 29th-Confirmation Retreat Good Shepherd in Tomah
Joseph Miller 24th-Carl Huebner 26th-Nancy Skurulsky 2
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Harvest Dinner And Bake Sale Sunday, October 9, 2011 New Miner Serving 3:30-6:30 pm Turkey & Ham Dinner Adults $8.00~Children 5-12 $4.00
St. James Lutheran Church Fall Harvest Dinner Saturday, November 5, 2011 4-7pm 1106 S. Main St.
Necedah, WI. 54646 565-7252 Swiss Steak Dinner with Beverage and Dessert. Adults…….$7.00 Children…..$3.00 There will also be a bake sale with proceeds going to the St. James Quilters. 3
LADIES AID Happy Autumn to Everyone! Our Ladies Aid is gathering donations for the Vets again this year for Veterans Day on November 11, 2011. We will be putting 62 gift bags together with many different items for the Vets. Your donation is very much appreciated! Also, new to the list is CURRENT Magazines. Please donate your magazines that are only 2-3 months old. Donation List for Veterans Winter Stocking Hats
Combs
Scarves
Dandruff Shampoo
Gloves
Chapstick
Socks (New)
Handkerchiefs
Sugar-free hot choco mix (individual bags)
Mouthwash (alcohol-free)
Christmas cards w/ envelopes
Business Envelopes
Tea Bags (individually wrapped)
Shampoo
Shower Gel
Toothbrushes
Toothpaste
Writing tablets
Pens / Pencils
Puzzle Book
Disposable Razors
Nail clippers
Hand Lotion
Polident
Shaving Cream
Current Magazines
Hard Candy (reg. & sugar-free) And don’t forget LWML Sunday, October 2nd as well as October’s Gathering on the 6th @ 6:30pm will be “Dessert in the Park”. Join us for coffee and dessert at Old Mill Park. All ladies of St. James and St. Paul’s are welcome! As we look ahead, please watch for announcements for the Cookie Walk in November. The proceeds will go to our local food pantry. Also, this is a great way to share some holiday cookies with friends and family and help a great cause. Autumn Blessings! Deb Belmonte QUILTERS CORNER
Well we are almost there!!! We should beat our record of 109 from last year and Quilts will be dropped of on November 5th. Thank you to everyone who has lent a helping hand in reaching that goal. Then we will break until after the Holidays. Hopefully we will have some pictures to share with you next month of the drop off. Also, be sure and stop by the Bake sale at the Fall Harvest Dinner. All the proceeds go to the Quilters to help replenish our stock. So Until then we hope everyone has a Happy Fall! St. James Quilters 4
Y O U T H G R O U P
For this month’s thoughts, I take a piece of Terry Dittmer’s thoughts in the September Youth E-news from the Synod. QUOTE OF THE MONTH . . .
“Our unwillingness to acknowledge the cross as well as the incarnation has deceived us into believing that we are justified in neglecting a great many adolescents who at first respond to our offers of friendship with ridicule and aggressive rejection. The incarnation has made these very children our responsibility, our beloved brothers and sisters. We must reach out to their humanity even if it means the suffering of our own humanity, for this is the way of the cross. It may be that the reason they don’t trust our offers of friendship is that they intuitively know that we are not willing to see, hear and accompany them in their deepest suffering. We have offered them trips to Disneyland, silly games and “cool” youth rooms, not companionship in their darkest nights, their scariest of hells.” Andrew Root in Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry: From a Strategy of Influence to a Theology of Incarnation FIRST THOUGHTS . . . “Neglecting a great many adolescents.” I look at that line from the above quote and find it quite an indictment. We seem to do a pretty good job with young people who are attached to our congregations. The National Study of Youth and Religion puts the LCMS in a category of retaining 86% of its young people through high school. But how are we doing with teens who are outside our church communities? Are they spiritual victims of our neglect? How are we doing reaching out to un-churched and marginally-churched youth? Is it a part of our youth ministry or do we find ourselves saying, like one youth worker I know, “Oh I really don’t have time for that. I’ve got a program to run and the elders want to see some results.” I’m not sure there are many who have a handle on reaching youth. You can’t go up to a teenager and start by asking, “If you were to die tonight would you go to heaven?” Most un-churched teenagers wouldn’t have a clue what you were talking about. We are challenged to care about people and that includes teenagers—both within and outside the church community. It takes time, energy, compassion, patience, and love—pretty much God’s approach to us.”
CONFIRMATION Confirmation is back and going strong! During these first weeks and months of the year, we will be looking at The Lord’s Prayer. The purpose of this is to see what we are praying for when we pray the Lord’s Prayer. A lot of times when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we don’t think about what we are praying, since we say it from our memory. This year we have 10 kids total and Lord willing, half of them will be confirmed in May. We are also looking forward to our Confirmation Retreat at Good Shepherd in Tomah, even though it is shortened this year and not at Camp. The pastors and DCEs of our area churches will be working with the kids on how to use the media for God’s glory. The media is at the center of these kids’ lives, frankly, it’s the center of all of our lives.
SUNDAY SCHOOL Sunday school is also under way and the children seem to love the new curriculum! Stay tuned for updates!
5
They’re back!!! It’s a wonderful start to a great new year. We have eleven children with one more coming in December and two on the waiting list. This is the first time in years that we have had such a great attendance. I feel truly blessed. September is a month to learn about falling leaves, apples and the color red. We also started to learn about the alphabet and counting. Following in line is the hardest thing to do. Our Bible stories were "When God Made the world”, “The First Sin”, “The Flood”, and “The Birth of Isaac”. We are doing very will in saying the “Pledge of Allegiance: and we say our prayer before every snack. All in all, these are fantastic little people who are anxious to learn and happy to socialize. I think they all have adjusted well to the structured atmosphere of Preschool. As I watch them play and create I think how they may be our future leaders and I hope that with God’s love and understanding that they will continue with their faith and perhaps share the bible stories they hear with their family and friends in years to come. I thank Sherry for taking our group picture. From left to right starting at the front row is Isabella, Stephanie, Mia, Annika, (next row) Adam B., Carson, Marshall, (3rd row) Dayton, Addison and Adam S. And of course that’s me at the top of the pyramid. Missing when that was taken is Tegan. He joined us September 21st. Please come to our end of the church and view our picture boards. It shows the children having a great time learning, playing, socializing and creating. I am looking forward to this new year of getting to know these little ones and having a great time teaching God’s word along with the ABC’s and 123’s. Gods Blessings to you all, Sandy~ Adam B., Adam S. , Addison, Annika, Carson, Dayton, Isabella, Marshall, Mia, Stephanie and Tegan
6
O U R M I S S I O N “To share God’s love in Jesus Christ with those around us as we continue to experience and grow in His goodness and mercy.”
OCTOBER BIBLE READINGS
PASTOR’S LETTER CONT.
a formal church body in America. The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod was born on April 26, 1847. During Walther’s time as the first President, he was instrumental in the formation of the Log Cabin College which turned into Concordia Seminary in 1850. Walther was not only a professor and president; Walther was also Pastor of several churches during his service to the church and to God’s Kingdom, most notably Historic Trinity Lutheran Church in downtown St. Louis – where he served from 1841 to the time of his death in 1887. Pastor Walther wore many hats including being instrumental in founding what is today Concordia Publishing House and wrote several books that are still being used today to help train pastors such as Church and Ministry, Pastoral Theology, and probably his most notable work, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel. These writings form us as LCMS Lutherans still today. This month, we give thanks to God for our rich heritage as Lutherans and as part of that, Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO has produced a full-length feature film entitled Walther. It will be mailed to every church in the synod sometime in the month of October. If you have any other questions about Pastor Walther and his service to the church, please see Pastor Mike. Thank you for taking time to read a brief history of the Rev. Dr. C. F. W. Walther and I hope to see you in church.
Week 39 September 26 – 2 Chronicles 34:1-35:27 September 27 – 2 Chronicles 36:1-23 September 28 – Ezra 1:1-2:70 September 29 – Ezra 3:1-4:24 September 30 – Ezra 5:1-6:22 October 1 – Ezra 7:1-8:18 October 2 – Come to the Lord’s House and Worship Him Week 40 October 3 – Ezra 9:1-10:44 October 4 – Nehemiah 1:1-11 October 5 – Nehemiah 2:1-3:32 October 6 – Nehemiah 4:1 – 6:19 October 7 – Nehemiah 7:1-8:18 October 8 – Nehemiah 9:1-10:39 October 9 – Come to the Lord’s House and Worship Him Week 41 October 10 – Nehemiah 11:1-13:31 October 11 – Esther 1:1-2:23 October 12 – Esther 3:1-4:17 October 13 – Esther 5:1-7:10 October 14 – Esther 8:1-10:3 October 15 – Job 1:1-22 October 16 – Come to the Lord’s House and Worship Him Week 42 October 17 – Job 2:1-3:26 October 18 – Job 4:1-5:27 October 19 – Job 6:1-7:21 October 20 – Job 8:1 - 10:22 October 21 – Job 11:1-12:25 October 22 – Job 13:1-14:22 October 23 – Come to the Lord’s House and Worship Him Week 43 October 24 – Job 15:1-17:16 October 25 – Job 18:1-19:29 October 26 – Job 20:1-21:34 October 27 – Job 22:1-24:25 October 28 – Job 25:1-28:28 October 29 – Job 29:1-31:40 October 30 – Come to the Lord’s House and Worship Him Week 44 October 31 – Job 32:1-34:37 November 1 – Job 35:1-37:24 November 2 – Job 38:1-41:34 November 3 – Job 42:1-17 November 4 – Psalm 1:1-6:10 November 5 - Psalm 7:1-11:7 November 6 – Come to the Lord’s House and Worship Him 7
Fellowship: 2nd-Fred and Missy Gregar Group 9th-Dan and Joan Rabold Group 16th-Kris and Richard Brooks Group 23rd-Terry and Linda Schmidt Group 30th-Loretta Saunders and Eric Jorgeson Group
Servants for October
Trustee: Jeff Jump
Elder: Fred Gregar
Altar Guild for October
St. James:Linda Schmidt
7
Preschool 9am
Fri
St. Paul’s: Linda, Jaime and Debbie
Thu 6
Wed
Quilting 9am
Tue 5 Preschool 9am
Mon
October 2011 Sun
Quilting 9am
1
8
Sat
Men’s Bible Breakfast
8am
4
Elder’s Mtg. 9am
Adult Bible Study
“Dessert in the Park”
3 Preschool 9am
Ladies Gathering
Trustee Mtg. 7pm
LWML Sunday Confirmation 3:30pm
St. P Svc. 8am Worship svc. 7pm
Quilting 9am
19 Preschool 9am
Quilting 9am
20
27
21 Preschool 9am
Pastor’s Day of Rest
Discipleship Class
@ St. Paul’s 9am 3:30pm
22
29
Confirmation Retreat
28 Preschool 9am
15
7pm
2 St. P Bible Study 9am St. J Sunday School 9am
Pastor’s Day of Rest 6:30pm
14 Preschool 9am
w/communion
13
St. J Bible Study 9am
12 Preschool 9am
Quilting 9am
Altar Guild Mtg. 11
Quilting 9am
St. J Svc. 10:30am 10 Preschool 9am Adult Bible Study
9 St. P Svc. 8am St. P Bible Study 9am
Confirmation 3:30pm
18
Worship Svc. 7pm
Adult Bible Study
26 Preschool 9am
Quilting 9am
Pastor’s Day of Rest
7pm
17 Preschool 9am
St. J Sunday School 9am St. J Bible Study 9am St. J Svc. 10:30am w/comm. St. Paul’s Harvest Dinner 16 St. P Svc. 8am St. P Bible Study 9am
Confirmation 3:30pm Worship Svc. 7pm
7pm
w/communion
St. J Sunday School 9am St. J Bible Study 9am
25
Quilting 9am
Council Mtg. 8pm
St. J Svc.10:30am
24 Preschool 9am
Adult Bible Study
Confirmation 3:30pm
23 St. Paul’s 8am St. P Bible Study 9am
7pm
Quilt Drop off
5
Good Shepherd, Tomah 4
Fall Harvest Dinner
Worship Svc.
St. J Sunday School 9am St. J Bible Study 9am St. J Svc. 10:30am w/comm.
3
Fall Harvest Set Up
2
6 pm
November 1
Ladies Aid Gathering
31 Preschool 9am
6:30 pm
30 St. P Svc. 8am St. P Bible Study 9am
4-7pm
St. J Sunday School 9am St. J Bible Study 9am St. J Svc. 10:30am w/comm.
8
