MARCH 2006
Invite The Unchurched
In a
research project that was conducted among several hundred unchurched people,
there were some surprising results. One amazing finding was that among those
unchurched people who were surveyed, ninety-six
percent said that they are at least somewhat likely to attend church if
invited.
It is
estimated that there are as many as 160 million people in the
So be
encouraged to invite people to come with you to attend a church service or a Bible
class. These are opportunities for people to hear and learn about Jesus and the
meaning of the Christian faith and life.
Find out
the emphases for specific Sundays and use them as invitational opportunities.
You can say to a friend, "Next Sunday is going to be an 'All About Prayer Sunday.' Our pastor will answer such questions
as: What is prayer? How can I be sure God listens to my prayers? Can I change
God's mind if he seems to be saying 'no' to me?"
What
should you do if people decline an invitation or don't follow through on an
invitation? Invite again - and again - and again. There are many stories of
people finally following through and attending even after months and years of
saying "no." Be persistent in your inviting and patient with
invitees. They are likely to come eventually.
Things His Uncle
Missed
The great
architect Frank Lloyd Wright was fond of an incident that may have seemed
insignificant at the time, but had a profound influence on the rest of his
life. The winter he was 9, he went walking across a snow-covered field with his
reserved, no-nonsense uncle. As the two of them reached the far end of the
field, his uncle stopped him. He pointed out his own tracks in the snow,
straight and true as an arrow's flight, and then young Frank's tracks
meandering all over the field. "Notice how your tracks wander aimlessly
from the fence to the cattle to the woods and back again," his uncle said.
"And see how my tracks aim directly to my goal. There is an important
lesson in that."
Years
later the world-famous architect liked to tell how the experience had
contributed to his philosophy in life. "I determined right then,"
he'd say with a twinkle in his eye, "not to miss the things in life, that
my uncle had missed."
Frank
Lloyd Wright saw in those tracks what his uncle could not: It is easy to let
the demands of life keep us from the joys of living.
We all
recognize that any goal in life worth achieving demands a great deal of our
energy. If you are a doctor you must spend vast hours alone and in residency
studying the human body. The life of your patient demands it. If you are a
teacher you must live in the library researching and preparing for your
lecture. The mind of your student demands it. If you are a carpenter you must
patiently measure the building before you drive the first nail. The integrity
of the structure depends on it. If you are a mother you must sacrifice your
life for another. Your children require it.
We could
not live if we did not set goals and work to fulfill them. No sane person would
argue otherwise. But here’s what young Wright discovered at the tender age of
9, and what some don’t learn until 59: The objective in life is not the
goal but the journey on the way to the goal.
All Our Strength
The story
is told of a little boy and his father. They were walking along a road when
they came across a large stone. The boy looked at the stone and thought about
it a little. Then he asked his father, "Do you think if I use all my
strength, I can move that rock?" The father thought for a moment and said,
"I think that if you use all your strength, you can do it."
That was
all the little boy needed. He ran over to the rock and
began to push on it. He pushed and he pushed, so hard did he try that little
beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. But the rock didn’t move — not an
inch, not half an inch. After a while,
the little boy sat down on the ground. His face had fallen. His whole body
seemed to be just a lump there on the earth. "You were wrong," he
told his dad. "I can’t do it."
His
father walked over to him, knelt beside him, and put his arm around the boy’s
shoulder. "You can do it," he said. "You just didn’t use all
your strength. You didn’t ask me to help."
The
world in which we live tells us that it is all up to us. It tells us that we
have to be strong and independent. It tells us we can’t and shouldn’t count on
anyone or anything else. And yet, what faith tells us and what Christians have
known forever is that we have a ready resource in God, strength for those who
ask.
Most Common
Regrets
Cornell
University Researchers wanted to know what people most regret. After surveying
university employees, students, retired professors, and nursing home residents,
they found that twice as many people were bothered more by what they did not do
rather than what they had done. Missed opportunities were the most common of
all regrets. Most regrets were from those who were unwilling to take chances.
They feared too much the short-term consequence that failure would bring.
Missing The Meaning Of Success
When
We don't always know success when we see it.
J. Ellsworth Kalas, If Experience Is Such a Good Teacher Why Do I Keep Repeating The Course
Resources For Life’s Daily Battles
There is
a story that comes out of World War II. After the
You and I have a resource that can help us in life’s daily battles, if only we will make room for it. It is time alone with God. It is one-on-One communication with the Creator and Sustainer of life.
Solitude And Silence
A father
took his small son with him to town one day to run some errands. When lunchtime
arrived, the two of them went to a familiar diner for a sandwich. The father
sat down on one of the stools at the counter and lifted the boy up to the seat
beside him. They ordered lunch, and when the waiter brought the food, the
father said, "Son, we'll just have a silent prayer."
Dad got
through praying first and waited for the boy to finish his prayer, but he just
sat with his head bowed for an unusually long time. When he finally looked up,
his father asked him, "What in the world were you praying about all that
time?" With the innocence and honesty of a child, he replied, "How do
I know? It was a silent prayer."
Coping With
Pressure
Countless
icebergs float in the frigid waters around
Forget
The Facts!
For
centuries people believed that Aristotle was right when he said that the
heavier an object, the faster it would fall to earth. Aristotle was regarded as
the greatest thinker of all time, and surely he would not be wrong.
Anyone,
of course, could have taken two objects, one heavy and one light, and dropped
them from a great height to see whether or not the heavier object landed first.
But no one did until nearly 2,000 years after Aristotle's death.
Legend
has it that in 1589 Galileo summoned learned professors to the base of the
Leaning Tower of Pisa. Then he went to the top and pushed off a ten-pound and a
one-pound weight. Both landed at the same instant. The power of belief was so
strong, however, that the professors denied their eyesight. They continued to
say Aristotle was right.
I
believe that this illustrates perfectly what is going on in the world today.
You could show the terrible ravaging effects of AIDS and people will have
promiscuous sex anyway. You can show someone a diseased liver
and cancerous lungs and people are going to abuse alcohol and smoke
regardless of the facts.
You know
what I wish? I wish someone would just climb to the top of the tower and push
off a ten-pound argument and a one-pound argument and we’ll see which one
reaches the ground first. That would finally prove who is right and who is
wrong.
But then
I am reminded that when Galileo did that no one believed him. Even with the
authority of obvious visible proof, i.e. the two weights reached the ground at
the same time, the professors did not believe. The problem here is obvious.
Most people are going to believe what they have always believed regardless of
the facts.
Christ's Life
Changed Culture
Kenneth
Woodward writing in Newsweek magazine gives us a glimpse of what Christ’s
coming meant to the world. He writes, “Whether we like it or not, Christ’s life
radically changed human culture throughout the world. Before Jesus came, the
world was ruled by the ‘might makes right’ theory. But
Jesus’ teaching about humility and turning the other cheek redefined our views
of human character, of war, of masculinity. Jesus’ commitment to the poor, to
women and children opened the way for civil rights and equality for women.
Marriages
became more equitable. Also, it was common practice in Roman families to kill
female babies. Sociologist Rodney Stark notes that evidence exists that among
at least 600 ancient Roman families, less than a dozen had more than one
daughter. But Christians valued the life of all people, whether male or female,
and prohibited the killing of any children.”
Under New
Management
A certain
Army man had been a heavy drinker for 35 years. For all those years he had been
angry - angry at everyone and everything. Finally, he encountered Christ and
his whole life changed.
He was
speaking once before a group of medical people. He told them of his personality
change, how he was now sober as he once had been drunk; considerate as he once
had been severe; concerned for others as once he had been selfish and
self-serving.
A
psychiatrist, who believed that personalities are so firmly set in early life
that no one can change, protested to the Colonel that at his age a person could
not have such a radical transformation.
"Well,"
replied the Colonel, "that may be true. But I am under new management - I
answer to another authority - the highest and truest there is."
Time To Smile!
Cow
Buying, Car Dealer Style!
A farmer had been taken several times by the local
car dealer. One day, the car dealer informed the farmer that he was coming over
to purchase a cow. The farmer priced his unit as follows:
Basic
Cow $499.95
Shipping
and Handling 35.75
Extra
Stomach 79.25
Two-tone
Exterior 142.10
Produce
Storage Compartment 126.50
Heavy
Duty Straw Chopper 189.60
4-Spigot/High
Output Drain System 149.20
Automatic
Fly Swatter 88.50
Genuine Cowhide Upholstery 179.90
Deluxe
Dual Horns 59.25
Automatic
Fertilizer Attachment 339.40
Pre-delivery wash and
comb 69.80
FARMER’S SUGGESTED
LIST PRICE: $2843.36
Additional
Dealer Adjustments 300.00
TOTAL
LIST PRICE
(including options): $3143.36
Have you
heard the story about the bride who was extremely nervous on her wedding day?
She confided to her minister that she was not sure she could make it all the
way down the aisle without shaking or crying. So the minister, a seasoned veteran
of weddings, gave her a bit of advice.
"When
you begin your walk," he said, "just remember this three-point
formula: First, look straight down the aisle; second, when you get about
half-way, look straight up at the altar; and third, when you get near the front
of the church, look straight at your groom. First the aisle,
then the altar, then him. I think this will help relieve your
nervousness."
The
trembling bride agreed to try his advice. And it worked beautifully. She walked
with a radiant glow on her face and poise and confidence in her step, with no
sign of nervousness. However, there was on small problem. Imagine the surprise
of the congregation as they heard her rhythmically repeating three words over
and over as she preformed her bridal walk, "Aisle, altar, him!"
"Aisle, altar, him!" Well, the truth is, most
brides don't have a lot of luck in altering their husbands. But the good news
of the Christian faith is that God can alter us!
A young
second lieutenant at
The
trouble with being a leader today is that you can't be sure whether people are
following you or chasing you.
A few
years ago a teacher noticed one of her students, a shy young girl, was having
trouble working out her arithmetic assignment.
The teacher went to the child quietly and asked if she could help with
any questions knowing the girl was timid about asking for help.
When the
problem was sorted out the little girl thanked the teacher. The teacher told the little girl not to be
shy about asking questions, “that’s one of the reasons
I am here.”
The
little girl thought about that for a moment and asked quietly, “What’s the
other reason?”
A Sunday
school teacher said to her children, "We have been learning how powerful
kings and queens were in Bible times. But, there is a higher power. Can anybody
tell me what it is?"
One child
blurted out, "Aces!"
The
preacher's 5 year-old daughter noticed that her father always paused and bowed
his head, for a moment, before starting his sermon. One day, she asked him why.
"Well,
Honey," he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his
messages, "I'm asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon."
"How
come He doesn't do it?" she asked.
The Sunday
School teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar
of salt, when little Jason interrupted, "My Mummy looked back once, while
she was driving," he announced triumphantly, "and she turned into a
telephone pole!"
During the
minister's prayer, one Sunday, there was a loud whistle from one of the back pews.
A pastor
asked a little boy if he said his prayers every night. "Yes sir," the
boy replied.
"And,
do you always say them in the morning, too?" the pastor asked.
"No
sir," the boy replied. "I ain't scared in
the daytime."
Little
Johnny and his family were having Sunday dinner at his Grandmother's house.
Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served.
When
little Johnny received his plate, he started eating right away.
"Johnny
wait until we say our prayer."
"I
don't have to," The boy replied.
"Of
course, you do," his mother insisted. "We say a prayer, before
eating, at our house."
"That's
our house," Johnny explained. "But this is Grandma's house and she
knows how to cook!
Mt. Olive member, Missionary Terry Schultz, Lima,
“One does
not simply wake up one day and decide to be a con man or criminal,” a Christian
psychologist commented once, or something to that
effect. Rather, it is the culmination of a step by step process.
The devil is, of course, brilliantly subtle, luring the un-alert one small step
at a time down a path of destruction; - an indiscretion here, a compromise
there, until the individual has lost his moral compass. The following
story is a tragic one, a sobering account of a dear Amazon church leader who
lost his way. As is so often the case, the story begins innocently
enough…
In the
big river towns on the edges of the Amazon, many people dream of some day
owning a business. Who wouldn’t want to be their own boss; - set the
rules, set the schedule, answer to no one but one’s self? In Yurimaguas, among the poor who have few job prospects, a
common aspiration is to own a motortaxi. (Motortaxis are those small
three-wheel vehicles often seen in images of
There
is, of course, one major obstacle to grabbing this great life: first you
need to figure out a way to buy a motortaxi! Our dear friend Pedro (name
changed) saw his one incredible opportunity to purchase a motortaxi, and he
went for it. That opportunity came in the form of a nephew who got a job
selling Chinese motortaxis.
Careful
Pedro!! Chinese motor taxis. (Now, no doubt the Chinese make some
terrific motortaxis, but the particular brand that sells in Yurimaguas
is simply junk.) Everyone knows the best
motortaxis are made by Honda and Yamaha, or even a couple South Korean brands.
However, what choice did Pedro have? His nephew only sold the notoriously
cheap brand of motortaxis.
The
nephew offered Pedro a terrific price on a brand new taxi. Never mind
that Pedro had no steady job, just his rice fields plus pick-up jobs down at
the river docks. He had almost no money for a down payment. Never mind
that most of the people who successfully purchase motortaxis are professionals
with another source of income. Although Pedro could never secure a bank loan,
he could go to a private money lender on the street and make a deal. All
Pedro would have to do is put up his house as collateral and the cash was
his. He could simply pay back about $200 a month for 18 months. No
problem! Pedro and his best friend would each drive a 12 hour shift in
order to keep the taxi on the streets 24 hours a day to make the payments.
Everything looked fabulous! The purchase was made, and the beautiful,
dazzling chrome-trimmed taxi was soon sitting out in front of Pedro’s
house.
For
Pedro the taxista, it was great coming home with his
pockets full of coins, even if he was exhausted. Most fares around town
are 1.50 solis, (a little less than 50 cents) so
there was certainly the unrelenting, daily stress of hustling up enough
passengers. Plus, every week there seemed to be more and more motortaxis
on the streets, (a telltale sign, everyone was saying, of the rising flow of
drug money into Yurimaguas). Anyway, Pedro’s
wife was happy with more money for the food market, and the 6 kids all had new
t-shirts.
Then
slowly but surely, Pedro’s dream job started to fall apart. As predicable
as it was gut wrenching, it started with the motortaxi breaking down.
He’d bought it brand new and it was now only a few months old! Pedro had never
factored in both the cost of repairs, plus the loss of precious money-making
hours on the street.
The end
of the month was coming up, and Pedro’s financial situation was undeniably out
of control. Pedro missed his payment. He now tried to make up for
it the following month, skipping time off for breaks and leisurely lunches in a
desperate attempt to pick up more passengers. But the reality of the situation
was becoming more and more obvious: Pedro could feel he was losing his
wonderful motortaxi.
Perhaps
not so strangely, Pedro hardly mentioned his situation to Pastor Ronal or me,
as we continued our monthly church services in his house. I’m sure he
knew deep down that, had he asked for our advice, we would have strongly
counseled him not to buy the taxi. He had no one to blame for his
desperate situation but himself.
In fact,
the situation was more desperate than Pedro would have ever imagined possible
that fateful day he brought the motortaxi home. Due to constant repairs,
Pedro was about to miss his second payment. And that piece of paper Pedro
had signed with the money lender (make that loan shark) in the street?
That legal contract gave the lender the right to take Pedro’s house if the loan
was not repaid. The cold fact is the lender had played Pedro for a fool
the day Pedro came looking for a loan on a cheap motortaxi. The lender
knew all along he was simply buying a piece of property for the price of a
cheap shiny motorbike.
Pedro
received legal notification of the confiscation process and, predictably, went
into a panic. He decided to ask the
However,
Pedro could not bear the thought of losing his house in town; the house he had
inherited from his father and lived in all his life. What could he
do? What about the wife and 6 children? Thankfully, Pedro did not
take the option that more than a few men have taken in Yurimaguas:
When a debt-ridden family is about to be thrown out on the street, some dads
have actually committed suicide in order to save the house. Peruvian law
stipulates that a home with a loan against it cannot be confiscated from a
widow.
However,
what Pedro did decide to do was truly shameful. Pedro lied to Tarapoto Pastor Ronal, and claimed that church funds had
been approved by Terry in
Looking
back, it almost seems surreal. Who would have imagined such a chain of
events that evening when Pedro proudly sat on his front step with the street
light shining down on his dazzling new blue and silver motortaxi.
Pedro had reached for something that God simply had not placed within his
means. It was a startlingly-short 4 months later that the dream had
turned into a horrible nightmare.
Now as
Pedro sat on his doorstep, his mind no doubt reviewed the wreckage that
littered his life: Money gone, church leader position gone, honor gone,
trustworthiness destroyed, even the very front step he was sitting on about to
be gone as his house could be taken. And his motortaxi, sitting there before
his eyes in the front yard: Broken down; - he had no money to fix it.
Hundreds
of years ago
Pedro’s
harmful desires had indeed plunged him into ruin. We pray that with a
healing of the heart that only the Lord can work, Pedro will rise up yet again
and be restored. Until then, he will surely be missed.
Until
next time Amigos,
Terry
The Lutheran Home Association Annual
Meeting Notes
Pastors,
delegates and guests gathered for the 33rd annual meeting of The
Lutheran Home Association (TLHA) on January 17th at The Lutheran
Home Campus in Belle Plaine,
We
welcomed a new member
TLHA
experienced the second consecutive year of more revenues than expenses.
Elections
were held. Re-elected to TLHA’s Board of Directors
was Rev. Carl Henkel of
Appointed
to serve on the Board of Regents of TLHA Foundation was Pastor Dennis Schmidt
of
We
recognized and thanked
Mrs. Joy
Gostchock of
Longtime
board members, Louis (Louie) Lieske and Roger Hespenheide were recognized for their faithful volunteer
service to our ministry. Louie Lieske served for 44
consecutive years as a member of the Board of Directors, the governing body of
this ministry. Roger Hespenheide served for 20 years
on TLHA Foundation’s Board of Regents. This board oversees the property,
endowment funds, affairs and business of TLHA Foundation.
Staff
Minister Michael Hennig presented information during
the meeting about the New Friends campus ministry model and the 2005 Summer
Ministry Experience.
Architects
are diligently working on the construction drawings for senior housing and
assisted living projects at the Belle Plaine campus.
New Thrift
Store to open on Valentine’s Day
The mild
weather has enabled workers to move quickly on the construction of TLHA
Foundation’s thrift store in Belle Plaine,
Home to
Home Thrift Store will open on February 14th. We invite you to visit the 5000
square-foot store. The new location is just off of U.S. Highway 169 at
The
profits support the mission and ministry of The Lutheran Home Campus in Belle Plaine.
The mild
weather created a balmy groundbreaking day on January 4th for the
Faith Apartments in Belle Plaine. The Lutheran Home
Association received a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) to build an eight-unit apartment building across the street
from the Belle Plaine campus’ chapel. The apartments
will primarily be the home of persons with developmental disabilities. Faith
Apartments will open sometime in June of 2006.
If you
know of members with disabilities interested in learning about residency at
Faith, please contact Steve Wilson, Director of Disability Services, at (952)
873-2142 or at swilson@tlha.org
or Michael Klatt, President and CEO, at mklatt@tlha.org
or 1-888-600-TLHA (8542), Extension 121.
A health
care meeting was hosted by The Lutheran Home Campus of Belle Plaine. The discussion was led by Minnesota Representative
Ray Cox and Chairman Fran Bradley of the House Health Policy and Finance
Committee. Topics of conversation included long term care needs, services for
persons with developmental disabilities and general health care and insurance
issues.
Thank
you for your interest in and support of our ministry!
(Ted Lau
served as
6th
Annual English Tea
The
Outreach Committee would like to invite you to the 6th Annual
English Tea. It will be held on March 4th
at 2:00pm. The theme for this year’s tea
is “ANXIE-TEA or SERENI-TEA”. All women
of the congregation are invited to come and bring a friend or 2 or 3! Men are also welcome. If you have a special
teacup that you would like to use, be sure to bring it.
The tea
will be three courses of food and beverage with a program interspersed. Plan to be well fed and enjoy being pampered,
as some men of the congregation have again volunteered to help serve the tea.
It’s a special time out in the midst of winter.
Many
hands can be used to plan and prepare the tea, as well as clean up after. Please contact Jane Murray if you would like
to help with this event in any way. Her
phone number is 651.636.4733. Even if you are unable to attend or help with the
tea, please keep this event in your prayers.
It gives each of us an opportunity to invite someone to our church
family for a non-threatening event.
There will be a sign up sheet for this event on the bulletin board.
Church Ministry
Workshop
Every
year, hundreds of committed Christians gather at
A
delicious noon meal is also part of the exciting day.
Plan to
attend and bring a carload of friends with you.
See what keeps bringing people back year after year!
Special Organ
Service
Organist Charles Bonow will be
presenting a concert-service here at
Please mark this special date on
your calendar and plan to invite your friends and relatives to join you in
church that Sunday.
Sunday Morning
Prayer Time
Before each Sunday morning worship
service – at 8:45am – everyone is invited to the Fireside Room for prayer time.
We need you! We need your
prayers! We need you to pray for God’s Spirit to work through the Sunday
liturgy, the hymns, Scripture readings, and the pastor’s message. We need
you to pray for God’s blessing upon all who gather for worship.
We do need you! We need you
to pray that the Lord would bring “seekers” into His church and open their ears
to hear. We need you to pray for the “anointing” of the Holy Spirit upon
all who gather around the Word and Sacrament.
Years back, Christians would make
it a point to get to church at least a half hour early just so they could sit
and meditate. They came early to get into a “worship” mindset, to free
their minds and hearts of earthly clutter.
They also came early to pray. They knew
how powerfully God works through fervent prayers of righteous people.
Back in those days, churches
had a lot more people in them, too. Is there any connection? I
believe there is. Yes, I truly believe there is!
May I encourage you to come
early to church to pray! May I be so bold as to suggest that it will make
a BIG difference to you – and to all whom the Lord gathers into His house!
More Than Rubies
More than Rubies Bible Study (formerly known as
Young Women’s Bible study) will meet Tuesday, March 14th and
Tuesday, March 28th, at 7:00 p.m. We meet at Keri’s apartment.
Please call Keri at 651.488.2362 for directions. If you’ve never been part of a
small-group Bible study before, or if you’ve been thinking about joining a
Bible study but just haven’t, now is the time to come! You won’t regret it!
Women In The Word
Our women’s Bible study continues
to meet and to study the Judge Deborah from the book of Judges. The study is
called “Daring to be Different”.
Please join us! We are meeting on
the 2nd Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. Please consider coming
together with your sisters in Christ for an evening of Bible study, fellowship,
prayer and sharing. We have snacks too. See you Thursday, March 9th
at 7:00 p.m.
Senior
members of
More and
more
Please
note that although sponsored by the OWLS organization, all
Participants
will enjoy a variety of opportunities to enrich their lives and grow in
Christian faith and service. While renewing old friendships and making new
ones, seniors may choose to participate in a wide variety of workshops and
tours to area attractions. The devotions, worship services, ministry reports
and fellowship with other Christians will lend a distinctly spiritual flavor to
the experience.
You may
request a convention packet by writing to:
OWLS
New
Convention
information is also available online at: www.wels.net/jumpword/
OWLS
Scrap & Stamp, Etc
Scrap & Stamp, Etc. will
meet in the Fireside Room Saturday, February 18, beginning at 9:00 a.m. and
ending at around noon. Bring your project of choice and enjoy the company of
your fellow crafters.
Christian Education Sunday and
Even
though it’s still a little ways away, we want to give you the following
information.
Our Christian
Education Sunday is set for April 30th. This will include many activities
focused on all aspects of our support to the education process including both
children and adults. It’s also the
Sunday Organist Charles Bonow will be here at
We will have our congregation join the children
during Sunday School to share and participate with the
children. Following will be a potluck dinner beginning at 12:00.
One of the key events is our Mt. Olive Pinewood
Derby race. This event is open to all in the congregation who would like to
participate. Some of the key dates include:
April 2nd - Pick up cars at church and
begin building
April 20th - 6:30
April 27th - 6:30
April 30th - 1:00 Race Begins
Please plan to attend on Sunday, April 30th
and enjoy all the events of the day.
E. John Fredrich,
Chairman Child, Youth, & Family Committee
It’s that time again. Those Mission Box offerings for Lutheran
Women’s Missionary Society that you have been filling with change are due. Please give to Mae Schmidt, LWMS Reporter by
March 12th, 2006, to ensure being counted before the Spring
Rally. New boxes are available in the
narthex. Thank you very much.
Would you
like to sponsor a Sunday church bulletin?
Maybe do so in honor of a family member’s birthday or anniversary? Or maybe in memory of loved ones?
There is
a large poster in the back of church where you may sign up for a particular
Sunday or Sundays. The suggested
contribution is $20.00 per Sunday which covers the cost of the bulletin and
printing supplies.
A notice
will be printed in the bulletin noting the donor (and occasion or special
event) of that Sunday’s bulletin.
Membership Directory
Did you
pick up your copy of the Mt. Olive Member Ministries Handbook which also
includes a current membership directory and e-mail directory? Did you read it?
Not only
is the booklet a valuable tool to present to those interested in joining our
congregation, but it is also a great “refresher” for long-time members. It tells of all the ministry opportunities
open to us at
Please
pick up your copy this Sunday – and READ IT – all 25 pages!
Message from the Master radio
broadcast every
Sunday at 7:30am, 1220AM WMGT now costs $250 per week. Large gifts from individuals together with
ongoing funds from eight
Time of Grace TV broadcast (now at 6:30am, Channel 9, FOX)
began in November 2003. Listenership and donations now cover the $1,300 weekly
cost, plus helps with administration, production, and growth into new markets,
which now totals 10 TV channels and 6 cable stations. Average early Sunday morning viewership on the ten TV stations is 110,000 homes. In addition, the last four programs are being
streamed over their web site: www.timeofgrace.org. This is especially appreciated by armed
forces, college students out of area where we have a church,
and
Sunday School News & Notes
March
begins our annual observance of Lent.
There will be 6 Wednesday night services in which you and your children
can prepare your hearts to remember the suffering and death of our Lord and
Savior. There are Lenten Fellowship suppers each
Wednesday beginning at 5:30 p.m. The worship service begins at 6:30 p.m. and
ends by 7:30 p.m. so that your children can get to bed in a timely fashion.
Please come with your children and prepare together for the suffering and death
of our Lord.
We will
be singing 4 more times in March and April. We will sing for the Sunday service
on March 19th and the Lenten service on the 5th of April.
We will sing for Easter Sunday on April 16th and for Christian
Education Sunday on April 30th. Please mark these dates on your
calendar. We need all our children’s voices when we praise the Lord.
We are
entering the 3rd quarter of Sunday School
in March. We will learn about Samuel, David and Elijah and Elisha.
We will follow the Israelites to
Please
continue to help your children with their memory work and lessons each Sunday.
Your interest in what they are learning helps them to remember the importance
of learning God’s Word.
In Jesus,
Linda Henkel, Superintendent
Spring Bus Tour
Looking
for a Spring Bus Tour? The Bethesda
Lutheran Home in
Departure from
This is a
great trip and great buy. We have been
on several and enjoyed the tour each time and recommend it highly. Talk to Marcella Voss at 651.488.1662 for
information and forms. $50.00 deposit per person with the balance due by Monday, April 3,
2006.
Marcella Voss
Women’s Guild, President
Adult Discipleship
(The
following is part 5 of A Personal Stewardship Journal.)
My
Responsibilities
As you read the following verses, consider these questions: As I carry out the mission God has given me, what are some things that I can become involved in? What responsibilities can I assume? How do these responsibilities relate to my life’s mission?
II
Corinthians 5:14,15
For
Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and
therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer
live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again.
Colossians
1: 10-12
And we
pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please
him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of
God, being strengthened with all power according to is glorious might, so that
you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the
Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the
kingdom of light.
Ephesians
5:15-20
Be very
careful, then, how you live-- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of
every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but
understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to
debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with
psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the
Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
I Peter
4:7-11
The end
of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and
self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because
love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without
grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others,
faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he
should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things god may be
praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and
the power for ever and ever. Amen.
I
Corinthians 16:1,2
Now
about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian
churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set
aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I
come no collections will have to be made.
Also
read Romans 12, where Paul describes in more detail how we should live as
redeemed sinners, both among fellow Christians, and in the secular world..
Adult
Discipleship notes:
We are
still seeking one or two individuals who would be interested in joining us on
Adult Discipleship committee. Talk to me or anyone from Council if you are
interested.
Mark Sauer, Chairman, Adult Education Committee
We
thank the following for gifts in memory of John Fuller:
To the Building & Maintenance Fund from: Sally Worku, Dean Mahlke, Ed &
Marcella Voss, Lee & Linda Petersen, and Louise Vickers
For the
purchase of a new Video Camera from: Friends & Family, Harold
& Jean Brown, Marlene Struwe, Elvera
Baran, and Bill & Harriett Larkin