MAY 2007
What Can One Person Do?
A
number of years ago young Matthew LeSage, a
third-grader, wanted to do something to help the hungry in his city. So he
started a program, Hams for the Hungry. In its fourth year, Hams for the Hungry
raised $40,000 to brighten the holiday season for people with limited
resources.
Matthew's story reminds me of another young man, 13
years old at the time, who read about Dr. Albert Schweitzer's missionary work
in Africa. He wanted to help. He had enough money to buy one
bottle of aspirin. He wrote to the Air Force and asked if they could fly over
Dr. Schweitzer's hospital and drop the bottle down to him. A radio station
broadcast the story about this young fellow's concern for helping others.
Others responded as well. Eventually, he was flown by the government to
Schweitzer's hospital along with 4 1/2 tons of medical supplies worth $400,000
freely given by thousands of people. This, of course, would be the equivalent
of millions of dollars today.
When Dr. Schweitzer heard the story, he said,
"I never thought one child could do so much."
King Duncan
The
Negative Verses The Positive
Outside
a small town in New
Mexico is a
sign that reads as follows: "Welcome to Portales, New Mexico, home of 12,493 friendly folks and 8 or 10
grouches."
Isn't that the way it is everywhere? There are
always a few negative folks around to tell you that Murphy's laws will ruin
everything.
I like the story about the little boy who was
trying to raise some money by collecting old bottles, going door-to-door in his
neighborhood. When he came to the home of a woman who was the "town
grouch," the little boy asked, "Do you have any coke bottles?"
"No," she replied with a scowl. Then he said, "Do you have any
old whiskey bottles?" "Young man," the woman replied, "Do I
look like the type of person who would have old whiskey bottles?"
The little boy studied her for a moment and then
asked, "Well, do you have any old vinegar bottles?"
Isn't it tragic that some people go through life so
negative and sour and bitter? And if you don't watch out, they will infect you
with their thinking.
How can we live positively in this world where much
is discouraging? Just keep the
faith! Keep looking to Jesus!
It
Don't Add Up
Perhaps
you have heard the story of the football coach who had two quarterbacks. The
first team quarterback was gifted, aggressive, and a born leader. The second
string quarterback was, let us say, limited. Oh, he was athletic enough but
unfortunately, he lacked a mind for strategy. The championship game was in progress,
the score was tied, the home team had the ball, and the clock was ticking down.
An opposing player broke through the line of scrimmage and slammed the star
quarterback to the ground with such force that the signal-caller had to leave
the game. Time was running out. The coach had no choice but to put in the
back-up. The substitute trotted onto the field, huddled the team, and strode up
to the line of scrimmage.
Surveying the opposing team, and much to everyone's
surprise, he changed the play at the line. The ball was snapped, the
quarterback handed it off to the half-back who busted up the middle and sped
all the way into the end zone with the winning touchdown! An
amazing play. Moments later, in the ecstatic dressing room, the coach
grabbed his second-team quarterback by the shoulder pads and said, "Son,
that was great! How did you know to call that play?"
The boy said, "Uh, well coach, it weren't
easy. I got up to the line and looked across at two of the biggest players I've
ever seen and I seen their numbers. One of 'em was
wearing a six and the other one was wearing a seven, so I just added them
numbers together and got fourteen and called number fourteen." The coach
hesitated a moment and said, "But son, six and seven make 13."
The boy, quite unmoved by the correction, said,
"You know what coach? If I was as smart as you, we would have lost the
game." Things do not always add up the way they are supposed to, do they?
Traditional
Stories
Going To Church - A Waste Of Time?
A Church goer wrote a letter
to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to
church every Sunday.
"I've gone for 30
years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like
3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them.
So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving
sermons at all."
This started a real
controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the
delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:
"I've been married
for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for
the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those
meals. But I do know this. They all nourished
me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me
these meals, I would be physically dead today.
Likewise, if I had not
gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!”
received via email
The Buzzard, The Bat And The Bumblebee
BUZZARD
If you
put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet, and is entirely open at the
top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute
prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard
always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it
will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small
jail with no top.
BAT
The
ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkably nimble creature in the
air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or
flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt,
painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw
itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.
BUMBLEBEE
A
bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless
it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but
persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It
will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.
PEOPLE
In many
ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle
about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have
to do is look up. Sorrow looks back,
worry looks around, but faith looks up.
received via email
Christian
One Liners
· Don't let your worries get the best of you; remember, Moses started out as a basket case.
· Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews.
· Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors.
· It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.
· The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes come close.
· When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there.
· People are funny; they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church.
· Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever.
· Quit griping about your church; if it were perfect, you couldn't belong.
· If the church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has.
· God Himself does not propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why should you?
· Some minds are like concrete thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.
· Peace starts with a smile.
· I don't know why some people change churches; what difference does it make which one you stay home from?!
· A lot of church members who are singing "Standing on the Promises" are just sitting on the premises.
· We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.
· Be ye fishers of men. You catch them - He'll clean them.
· Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.
· Don't put a question mark where God put a period.
· Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.
· Forbidden fruits create many jams.
· God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
· God grades on the cross, not the curve.
· God loves everyone, but probably prefers "fruits of the spirit" over "religious nuts!"
· God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
· He who angers you, controls you!
· If God is your co-pilot - swap seats!
· Don't give God instructions -- just report for duty!
· The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.
· The Will of God never takes you to where the Grace of God will not protect you.
· We don't change the message, the message changes us.
· You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him.
· The best mathematical equation I have ever seen: 1 cross + 3 nails= 4 given.
received via email
Jungle
Journal
(Missionary
Terry Schultz, Lima, Peru, and member of Mt. Olive congregation)
Report on our efforts
to open a second native Lutheran Grade School in the Amazon
That’s
right amigos! You may recall my story about the Chayahuita
village of Nuevo Porvenir asking us to open a school in their village.
Virtually no one in the community, other than a couple adults, knows how to
read or write. We have a strong congregation there, led by Student Pastor
Tangoa. With a Lutheran Grade School in the village, every child could learn about
their Savior Jesus 5 days a week! The children could learn to not be
afraid of the evil spirits that may inhabit their jungle. The children
could even one day read God’s Word to their families!
I was overwhelmed by the support for a native
school that came from so many who heard of our opportunity: The Foreign
Mission Board, Faith Mission Society, and a veritable avalanche of Journal
readers immediately expressed encouragement, along with generous
donations. Incredible! So how are our efforts coming along?
Point Number One: Satan is throwing one roadblock after another at us in
our struggle to open a school! We are in a real battle!
Our most serious obstacle is getting the proposed
school registered with the regional education authorities. The 3
new politically-appointed co-directors of the education department smelled
money. Gringo money: They offered to “fast-track” the registration
process for the sum of $3,500.00!! We’re talking a good old-fashioned
shakedown here. We let the co-directors know we weren’t in that big a
hurry. They retorted that since the native’s village wasn’t even
registered with the State, we would have trouble getting anywhere.
To overcome that critical obstacle, Pastor Tangoa and his brother Cecilio
set out to the regional mayor’s office to have him sign papers to get the
native’s village registered. The regional mayor, fearing that another
registered village in his jurisdiction meant sharing his social service money
with more people, refused to sign the papers! A second meeting between
the native elders and the mayor produced the same results. Tangoa and Cecilio were
devastated!! Our school cannot open without State permission!
Meanwhile, Ronal and I were unaware of any of these
problems. The natives had assured us that there would be no legal
entanglements. We had no reason to suspect any, since our first native
school (close by in neighboring Nueva Barranquita) sailed through the registration process
virtually problem-free. However, that was with the old Education
Department directors. Things were different now. The Education
Department is no longer being managed by honest men.
Such was the situation that greeted Ronal and me as
we met the natives in the port town of Yurimaguas. We had all rendezvoused at the appointed
date. Our stated objective: Take a boat-load of newly-made little
wooden desks and tables to Nuevo Porvenir for our
future school! Imagine the despondent looks on Tangoa
and Cecilio’s faces as they shared the news of our
legal dead end. They declared that our only hope for saving the school
was for me to talk to the regional mayor to convince him to sign the papers
that would register Nuevo Porvenir with the
State. So, with heavy but determined hearts, the next morning at 5:00 we loaded up the desks in our rented motorboat.
(All the good motorboats were gone, thanks to a multi-national oil exploration
outfit that was out in the jungle! We got the last rusty old boat with no
roof!) Off we headed down river for the regional mayor’s office at Shucushuyacu. Needless to say, everyone just sat and
prayed and prayed for the future of our Christian day school. Meanwhile,
as if Satan were unleashing his fury, we got caught in one huge rainforest
downpour after another. All we could do was huddle under a large piece of
plastic sheet and ride it out.
Two hours later, we arrived in Shucushu.
Within minutes, we had scrambled up the muddy bank and arrived at the mayor’s
office. Our group was an odd sight indeed, (Tangoa,
Cecilio, two other natives, Ronal, Segundo, Jose, and
me) sitting around the mayor’s office dripping wet, caked with mud, moldy
shirts, shorts, flip-flops, while the literacy of dozens of native children,
the first generation with such an opportunity, was about to be decided. Tangoa was so stressed, he deferred to his brother to do
the talking. I must say, dear readers, that I was feeling reasonably
calm. The reason was simple: I am utterly convinced that the Lord
wants this school.
The mayor, in shorts, t-shirt, and worn Baltimore
Orioles baseball cap, strode in and sat down behind his desk. Cecilio started with the requisite flourish of flowery
salutations to El Senor Mayor and then restated the urgent need for a grade
school in the native village. Ronal got up and spoke for several
minutes. They I got up and laid onto El Senor Mayor a few serious points
regarding the children’s spiritual welfare. (The mayor’s own religious
orientation was quite obvious, what with framed paintings of the sacred heart
of Jesus and the holy virgin hanging on the wall right behind him. I
figured it was time for Reformation Day in the mayor’s office!)
After I had finished, the mayor spoke. He
didn’t look at the whole group, just directly at Cecilio.
He began with a stern rebuke of the native, stating that he had gone over all
this before: The native village did not meet the legal requirements to be
registered. Nevertheless… (he
broke into a broad smile), he would sign some other papers that would grant his
permission for us to open a private school!! Our group was
ecstatic!! Praise the Lord!! Smiles all around, handshakes between
everyone, photos with everyone’s arms around everyone, Mayor in the middle, arm
around me! Crazy! I started bracing for the impending group
hug! More discussion followed, including the point that we would still
need serious help from the mayor in our uphill battle with the regional
education authorities. Our meeting finally ended. The children’s desks
would be stored in Shucushu till all the village men
could come for them. We said goodbye to the mayor. It was now time to
head down the 4 hour muddy trail to Nuevo Porvenir
for a church service and meetings!
So, just how muddy was the jungle trail after a day
of torrential downpours? Ronal and I were told we would have to ride
HORSES in order to get to the village! After all, the mud was often over
ONE FOOT DEEP!! Am I exaggerating? Hardly: One could
sit on the horse and sink so deep you could touch the surface of the
mud with your feet! It was unbelievable! I rode Tangoa’s white horse, “Chica,”
while Ronal rode a black horse, “Negrito” which we
rented in Shucushu for $3.00 a day!
Of course, the natives were used to hiking for
hours through deep mud. Our jungle expert Segundo got so stuck he walked
right out of his boots and into the mud. Sure-footed jungle guide Jose
fell into the mud – (only the second time I’ve seen him fall in 5 years)!
Ronal and I on horses looked like we were playing
out some crazy jungle version of “City Slickers.” Yes we were saddle sore
after only a couple hours. Then again, consider the saddles: They
were these crude, homemade objects that consisted of little strips of hardwood
nailed into a crude saddle-like frame! My wood frame had three blown-out
flip-flop soles nailed to it for padding, but that didn’t make much of a
difference. There was a rope for a bridle but no stirrups!
Still, it was all outrageous fun. I will say
this: There are few heart-stopping thrills in life quite like when you
are trying to coax a horse up a sheer muddy hill and the horse’s back legs
start to slip and scramble for footing as you slide backwards!!
Four hours in the saddle. Our boots and lower
legs were caked with mud. The jungle trail, nearly disappearing at times
in the thick vegetation, was barely wide enough for the horses to pass.
Whenever the horses unexpectedly paused for a moment, your legs became
completely engulfed in the tall, thick, leafy plants. Swarms of insects
from the thick vegetation immediately settled onto your legs! Worse yet,
you couldn’t reach over to brush the crawling insects off your legs or you’d
risk falling off the horse! You started to dread any time your horse came
to a stop in the bush. We didn’t mind getting off the horses every once in a
while (to cross streams or deep crevices), except that one time…
You know something is up when Tangoa
comes over and says you need to get off the horse, while handing you a thick
cloth the size of a small bath towel. Next he says,
you need to cover your head and neck with the cloth. What?? Tangoa pointed up ahead at a tree overhanging the path.
We were about to pass right under a huge hornet’s nest!! Why didn’t
we just go around the tree with hornet’s nest you say? Because
the surrounding vegetation was so thick it was impassable. We had
no other option than to make a mad dash directly under a huge Amazon hornet’s
nest and hope for the best.
Now here’s the deal amigos:
You needed to run directly under the hornet’s nest as fast and as quietly as
possible. There were dozens of hornets already buzzing around outside
the nest!! First, our young native helper Julio would dash
across. Tangoa absolutely insisted that I go
next, heavy cloth covering head, face, and neck, followed by Ronal. The
rest of our group would cross until finally Tangoa
and Cecilio would go, each leading a horse! The
natives were emphatic about establishing this order. In fact, Tangoa and Cecilio had a quick
intense argument over who would go last. This made no sense to me.
Later, it was all too clear.
You know, Christians talk a lot about having a
servant’s attitude, and sacrificing for one other. What happened next was
one of the most extraordinary examples of putting others first that I have ever
witnessed. In turns out that, whoever passed under the hornet’s nest
first was least likely to get stung. As more and more people ran across,
the hornets would get more and more agitated. The further down your place
in the order, the more likely you were to get stung! For the last persons
in the line, (who were also leading reluctant horses!), it’s an absolute
nightmare.
The young boy Julio dashed over first, to show how
far you needed to run to be safe. I went next, followed by Ronal, Jose,
and Segundo. Astoundingly, everyone passed under the hornet’s nest
without a single sting, even Tangoa leading his
horse! Everyone that is, except the last man, Cecilio.
With his head and neck completely draped in a towel and leading a horse, Cecilio knew what was coming. That is why he had
insisted that all of us, including his younger brother Tangoa,
went first. Cecilio took the full wrath of the
agitated hornets. Swatting away furiously as he led the horse, Cecilio nevertheless got stung 8 times by the huge
Amazon hornets. The man was clearly in pain even though he tried not to
show it. An hour and a half later, we finally arrived at Nuevo Porvenir.
II.
There were excited greetings all around, followed
by a huge lunch of soup, a piece of chicken, and bananas. It was then
time to clean up from all the mud, before the evening’s church service. Cecilio led each of us down to our own quiet secluded
place, where you could wade into the cool river.
So I’m quietly sudsing up
in the cool stream without a stitch on, head full of shampoo, when all of a
sudden the faint sound of singing drifts into my ears. “Oh, how nice,
it’s the natives back in the village, singing one of my songs,” I say to
myself. “Gee, that sounds like the opening song for today’s church
service… What?!!....” THE SERVICE HAS STARTED!!!
A second later and Cecilio
appeared at the river, frantically telling me to come immediately, everyone
just decided to start church!! I stumbled around, no time to dry off,
throwing clothes on, and then rushed down the path.
Up ahead, I spot Ronal, who is also racing out of
the river like a frightened animal flushed from the bush. He too has that
scared “pastor-caught-in-the-shower-while-your-church-service-is-starting” look
on his face. We both ran as fast as we could in muddy flip-flops, soggy
t-shirts, and wet hair, straight for the packed communal hut. I staggered
up the thin ladder to the raised platform floor, nodded to Tangoa
who was wrapping up a song, kicked off my muddy flip flops so I could grip the
wood floor better, grabbed my Bible off the table and launched into a
high-powered sermon on the love of God for this village! The room was
packed and everyone was smiling broadly! Oh how I love doing mission
work!!!
After church and numerous conversations, we
retreated to our sleeping quarters in Cecilio’s pole
and thatch house. Everyone was famished. Ronal broke out tins of
grated tuna from China, envelopes of mayo, and packets of crackers for our Team. I
dived deep into my personal food bag, and was not disappointed: Three
Peruvian Slim Jims, crackers, plus a whole bag of Mike and Ike’s, (a
newly-discovered delicacy for the Lima airport). I was set for the night.
However, just as everyone was finishing, Cecilio came
up the little front door ladder to announce: “Everyone is invited to my
daughter’s house for dinner!” (!?!?)
Now what do we do? The natives hadn’t
mentioned dinner before, and we assumed the huge lunch was pretty much it from
them. I looked around our group. Ronal, who is extremely wary of
native food, gave me a stern look that said “no way.” Jose wasn’t
interested either. However, there was no way I could insult our caring
hosts. I yelled to Cecilio that I would be
right there. Segundo, bless his heart, said he would go too!
Off into the pitch black night we went with our
flashlights, following Cecilio to his daughter’s
simple home. The house had no walls, just a thatch roof on poles over a
dirt floor. We headed for the campfire in the middle of the room.
On the top edge of a two-foot high slice of hardwood tree trunk, (hollowed out
for grinding rice), sat our small greasy bowls of dinner. The entrée for the
evening: Fried eggs and fried bananas. We stood around the bowls, Cecilio gave thanks, and then we each took one.
Guided by our flashlights, we each found a log to sit on a good five yards from
the campfire. We ate and talked in near total darkness. With your
bowl perched on your lap and a flashlight in one hand, you could pick up a
fried egg or piece of banana with your fingers.
Actually, I should say I “tried” to eat. I had seen
the dirt-covered, (I-shudder-to-think-how-old) container of cooking oil that
had been poured in the banged-up skillet to cook the bananas and eggs over the
campfire. Now I don’t mind dining on a good monkey cutlet or even an
anteater tongue. But I just couldn’t deal with a bowl of bananas and eggs
thickly coated with old, horrifically-tasting oil! So I quietly got up,
went over, and discreetly threw a fistful of dripping bananas into an appreciative
Segundo’s bowl. I thought I was discreet. I looked around.
Everyone was staring right at me!! I sheepishly smiled, mumbled something
about “too many bananas” and scurried back to my log. Now, what to do
with the huge, thick, oily slab of egg?? At this moment, Pastor Terry
made a very, very bad decision.
I’m sitting there on the log thinking, I have got
to get rid of this egg! Its pitch black out save for the flashlights and,
there is nothing between me and the high jungle brush about 5 yards directly
behind me. (Remember, no walls to the hut!) What to do? You
guessed it: My troubles would be over if I quickly, silently, took the
egg in my hand and, without even turning around, pitched
it backward into the jungle! A perfect plan! It would take a very
strong underhand, backwards throw for the egg to make it all the way to the
jungle, but I was sure I could do it. I grabbed the egg, turned my
flashlight off and, without ever turning around, swung
my arm and….
My hand smashed right into a roof-support pole
directly behind me!!! The egg flew out of my hand!! Oh no!!
Where did it go?!?! I instantly realized: The egg must be
sitting somewhere on the floor right behind me! It never left the house!
I started to feel sick. Now what do I do?!
(I couldn’t start shining my flashlight around the
dirt floor, looking for my fried egg.
“What are you doing?” everyone would ask.
“I’m looking for my egg. Ah, there you are
you rotten egg, get back in the bowl!”)
No, it was hopeless. By now the only thought
that came to my tired head was:
“Lord, I just tried to toss a fried egg into the
jungle and it landed somewhere in the house. Please send a bird or small
animal in the night to drag the egg away so Cecilio’s
daughter doesn’t get up in the morning and find it and get upset. Sorry
about this.” Terry
Segundo and I were soon back
in Cecilio’s house, lying on the wood floor under
mosquito nets. It was 8:00pm as everyone quickly fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. (Our
butts weren’t just dragging that night; mine was literally bleeding, rubbed raw
from the wooden saddle!) Still, it was a night in a jungle village with
my jungle team in the home of our native brother. Nothing could be
better.
The next morning we were back in the saddle by 6:30, returning to Shucushuyacu.
Some time during the following week, all the men
from the village will make the 4-hour trek to Shucushu.
Each will grab a heavy, hardwood child’s desk, strap it to his back, and
carry it for 4 hours, sometimes through knee-high mud, all the way back to the
village. Talk about a brutal day’s work! Then again, these dads
will be on a mission! Mom and Dad can’t read and write, but by God, one
day their children will! These parents are well aware that this
extraordinary opportunity for their children to learn to read and write could
only come from God. We are all getting very excited!!
Please remember our proposed school for Nuevo Porvenir in your prayers,
Until next time Amigos,
Terry
Synod
Addressing Financial Challenges
The Synodical Council—the synod’s governing board made up of
both called workers and laymen—has recommended closing one of two prep schools
WELS operates as part of its ministerial education program. The synod’s
projected budget deficits in each of the next four years would be anywhere from
$2 million to $4 million if both schools were to stay open.
The resolution, if passed by the
synod convention this summer, would close Michigan Lutheran Seminary in Saginaw, Mich., at the end of the 2007-08
school year. The school first opened
in 1885.
WELS President Karl Gurgel
has begun discussions with Michigan Lutheran Seminary administrators about what
will happen if the school does close. Of special concern are workers and staff
who would be displaced.
“Our brothers and sisters at Michigan Lutheran
Seminary are hurting, pained by the potential upset in their lives,” says Gurgel. “We need to empathize with them, allowing our words
and actions to show Christian understanding and kindness.”
President Gurgel has also
begun the challenge of developing additional budget support for the other
schools in the synod’s ministerial education program—Luther Preparatory School in Watertown, Wis.; Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minn.; and
Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wis.
The challenge has been made more difficult by the
latest figures on commitments from individual congregations to fund synod work,
known as Congregation Mission Offerings.
Those figures show Congregation Mission Offerings
increasing only 1.4 percent over receipts for the previous calendar year, which
doesn’t even keep up with inflation.
“If challenges were always humanly achievable, we
might develop a misplaced self-confidence,” says Gurgel.
“When they seem way beyond the realm of possibility, we’re reminded to trust
nothing is impossible with our God.”
WELS
Announces Generous Gift From Donor
An anonymous WELS family has
announced its intent to donate approximately $2.5 million a year for the next
five years to support the synod’s ministry. A foundation previously set up by
the family will also contribute approximately $170,000 a year for the next two
years to support WELS worker-training
schools. The funds will be available this calendar year.
It’s not clear yet exactly what the gift means for the synod’s
budget and ministry. The Synodical Council is to
discuss the matter at its next meeting. Even so, WELS President Karl Gurgel is grateful. “We react with double gratitude,” he
said. “First, we’re surely grateful that God has lavished this unexpected gift
on us. Second, God’s goodness inspires all of us to meet the remaining
challenges before us.”
The family’s pastor said the family is truly grateful for their
own personal blessings, and in view of the gift of eternal life through Christ,
they are offering this gift to the Lord to support WELS ongoing ministry at
this critical time.
WELS
Launches Internet Media Network, Streams
On May 1, WELS will launch its Internet media network, Streams
(http://streams.wels.net). Streams is a valuable
resource for Web users, providing information in a variety of formats including
video, radio, and podcasts.
“The Web has grown out of just a textual
experience,” explains Martin Spriggs, WELS chief technology officer. “Web visitors expect
their information to be delivered through multi-media channels. The ability to
stream audio and video will add an important dimension to WELS communications.”
From live broadcasts of graduation services at
worker-training schools to videos of WELS world mission fields, Streams has programming for
the entire family. Children can learn about Jesus with Mr. Whistle videos,
teens can watch youth rally presentations, and people of all ages can listen to
Christian music, learn about WELS ministries and programs, discover volunteer
opportunities, and much more.
“We want Streams to focus on the Word by making it
applicable to your everyday life,” says Julie Duran, WELS Webmaster. “When you
go for a walk or jog, listen to a portable Streams podcast.
When you’re down and need a lift, search the site for encouragement. When
you’re at work, tune into Streams radio.”
People can also visit Streams to watch live
broadcasting of WELS events. Upcoming events include:
·
Commencement
Service at Martin Luther College, May 19 at 10am.
·
Call Service
at Martin Luther College, May 19 at 2:30pm.
·
Call Day Service
at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, May 24, 10am.
·
Graduation
Service at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, May
25, 10am.
·
and coverage of WELS’ synod convention, July 30-Aug 3.
To watch
these events live, or to check out the new programming that’s added to Streams
each week, visit http://streams.wels.net.
Online
Daily Devotions Prove Popular
Almost
10,000 people subscribe to Daily Devotions, a free devotion service provided by
WhatAboutJesus.com. Through this service, subscribers receive a brief devotion
in their e-mail Monday through Friday.
A recent
survey of the subscribers is helping the Commission on Evangelism, the provider
of WhatAboutJesus.com, understand how the devotions
are impacting the subscribers. Twenty-two percent of the Daily Devotions
recipients responded to the survey. “We were blown away by the level of
response,” says Pastor Ken Fisher, project director.
Through
this survey and its 45 pages of overwhelmingly positive feedback, Fisher and
his team discovered that the Daily Devotions service allows many recipients to,
as one respondent stated, “Start each day with a devotion—something
I never made time for before . . . but now it’s so easy.”
This
devotion service gives individuals an easy way to get a daily dose of God’s
Word. “The devotions arrive in your inbox every day; all you have to do is read
them,” says Fisher. The devotions are brief, applicable to life, and designed
with both the churched and unchurched in mind. Two
devotions each week are designated for Bible study; the others focus on general
topics.
To
subscribe, go to www.whataboutjesus.com and click on Daily Devotions.
Paustian Called To
Seminary
The Governing Board of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary called
Professor Mark Paustian to be the seminary's next Professor of Christian Education.
He currently serves at Martin Luther College teaching English and Hebrew. He is
well known to members of WELS as the author of the popular books Prepared to Answer and More Prepared to Answer. He
was Mt. Olive’s 2006 Reformation Renewal presenter.
World
Mission Photo Gallery Now Online
Sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words. A new
photo gallery of WELS world mission fields can help you better understand and
visualize the many faces and different places where WELS is sharing the good news of the Savior. A year and
a half in the making, this searchable gallery includes archived and current
pictures from many WELS world missions. These photos can be downloaded to
use in presentations, promotions, and mission festivals,
or you can just explore the gallery on your own to learn more about the
countries and the people to whom WELS is reaching out. Access the gallery online at www.wels.net/jump/wmphotos
New
Cantabile Singers CD
The Cantabile Singers, a chamber choral ensemble
made up of members of WELS
and ELS Lutheran churches in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, is cutting their
first CD! After years of requests from church members, we are excited to
provide this opportunity. The CDs are $20 each, and the proceeds will go to the
music departments at St.
Croix and West Lutheran High Schools. To pre-order your CD, please visit us online at
www.cantabilesingers.com, or call Julie Christensen at 612-558-3687.
Church News
Planning
For The Future
26 members of Mount Olive met together on Saturday, April 21, for a session on planning for the
future. Led by Dr. Scott Gostchock, the
group first reviewed four mission strategies:
1) All are working under the authority of Christ.
2) We are to go and make disciples of all nations.
3) We are to teach all things He has commanded us.
4) Christ is with us, in us, and through us. Nothing is impossible with Christ. Through faith in Christ, God’s vision becomes
our vision, and God’s plan is our plan.
The group took a look at all the things Mount Olive is doing currently. It was
surprising, given the size of our congregation, how much kingdom work is being
done by the many different groups at Mount Olive, from the Coordinating Council to the small group Bible studies, to
committees, choir, organizations, and even individuals. But there is much more to do!
Thought was given to Mount Olive’s image. Mount Olive has been known as the church with a smile, an old church with a new
vision, and most recently, a praying church.
Dividing into smaller groups, each group was given
the assignment to develop an idea into a working plan. The small groups used the idea of S.M.A.R.T. goals; that is, goals that
are specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and time driven. Four interesting and exciting goals were
developed. These included:
·
Developing the
prayer life of members
·
A welcome
basket presented to people living in the neighborhood
·
The Sunday
fellowship hour held outdoors, and
·
Expanding the
boundaries of the Mt. Olive neighborhood.
You will be hearing and seeing some of these goals
being realized in the near future.
The half day session concluded with a KFC
meal. The three hours proved to be time
well spent in thinking, dreaming, and planning, under God, for the future of Mount Olive.
Ted Lau, Chairman, Mt. Olive
congregation
The
Second Annual Great Give, Grow, and Grill Day
What is this event?
Its an opportunity for our
congregation to say to our neighbors:
We’re here! – We care! – And we’re not bad people either!
It happens on Saturday, May 19th, from 9:00am until 3:00pm.
It starts with Give: Give blood to give life
to folks who need it. This is open to
all members and to the people of our community.
The first appointment begins at 9:30am. If you are physically able and
qualify as a donor, please give blood!
Then comes Grow. Our annual Plant Exchange has been an
opportunity to meet the people of our neighborhood and provide a welcomed
service. This year, because our date
coincides with the Como area garage sale events, we anticipate even more
visitors who will take plants home to grow in their gardens.
Of course, the exciting G is Grill! From 11:00am until 2:00pm, free hot
dogs, chips, beverages, etc., will be served to all who stop by. We’ll be on hand to greet visitors with a
smile!
A large tent will be set up in our parking lot for
food and music.
This Neighborhood Awareness Event will require much
work and many hands. We need you to work
in at least one area – from putting up and taking down the tent to welcoming
and visiting with those who attend.
We will be distributing brochures door-to-door on
Saturday, May 12th, at 10:00am. Your help in getting the word
out will be greatly appreciated!
Thank you in advance for whatever help you can give.
Pray that the Lord bless our efforts!
Sunday
Worship And Picnic In Como Park
Sunday, June 3rd, is the date for our
annual Church Picnic. This year we are
also having our Worship Service in the park with a special guest, Chris Driesbach from New
Orleans, leading our 9:00am worship.
Another
change from previous years, we are having our worship and picnic in beautiful Como Park. We have rented one of the new shelters just a
few blocks from our church.
Worship
begins at the usual time, 9:00am, and the
Sunday School closing program and picnic will follow. There will be games for the children and the
adults, and plenty of good times for all.
Meat and beverages will be provided, but please bring a dish or two to
pass. Join us – and bring a carload of
friends, too!
Below is Chris’ story:
Greetings!
My name is
Chris Driesbach. I’m the musician at Crown of Life
WELS in New Orleans. I’ve
played music professionally for 30 years in casinos, lounges, RV parks, and
clubs on the west coast from Arizona to Alaska. I became a
WELS Lutheran and a Christian at the same time in 1995 while in Anchorage, Alaska. Faith
Lutheran and Pastor James Oldfield there in Anchorage were my
first church and pastor. I was given the gift of faith by the Spirit working
though God’s Word. I like to describe it as, “I got into an argument with a
Lutheran pastor, and he won the argument!” Pastor Oldfield
read to me out of the Bible when I asked him all the hard questions I could
think of about evolution, carbon dating, the big bang, fossils, etc. We went
through a 22-week Bible study course together, and I can’t explain how grateful
I am for the result!
I moved to New
Orleans in October of 2000, and have been a
member of Crown of Life Lutheran there since then. I’ve been the musician for
the church most of that time. Our gospel choir, the Voices of Victory, went on
a one-week tour in Wisconsin in June of
2004. We have since recorded a CD. I’m the secretary for our church council,
and Pastor Sternhagen and I have done a weekly
one-hour live call-in radio show called “The Word is Near”
for the last year and a half. I wrote the theme song for the show and our choir
recorded it. I’ve been writing Christian songs for the last two years, and I’ve
also recently written a song about my experiences with hurricane Katrina.
Crown of
Life was almost destroyed in late August 2005 when flooding caused by hurricane
Katrina put 5 feet of water in our church, fellowship hall, and the parsonage.
I was one of the first to get into our property after the water went down and I
have to say I really thought that as a church we were done. I was so wrong!
God’s love has poured over our church through the overwhelming kindness of individuals,
churches, and the synod. We are now enjoying our beautiful new Fellowship Hall
that was redesigned and completed by loving hands of many Builders for Christ
from all over the country. The parsonage is finished, and some of our members’
homes are being worked on by the Kingdom Workers Faith in Action group. Many
students have come here to do the dirty, dangerous work of gutting flooded
homes. Our chapel was completed August 20,
2006, and rededicated October 29, 2006. Ample funds have been generously
donated to pay for it all. I wish I could tell you what it's like for us to
have been recipients of all this care and love. Completely
amazing, awesome, and impossible to comprehend.
While they were with us, I played music for all the builders and their wives
who were camped out in our gutted church building. I loved doing it. I played
songs that I'd written about Crown of Life, the pastor, the choir, my own
faith, and Katrina. Plus some of the funny songs I used to play professionally.
I was very encouraged by the builders' response to my impromptu stuff both
times that I played for them. I wish now that I'd done it more often.
I lost all
my musical equipment in the flood following the storm, but generous WELS members
have given money to replace it, and I've got some really wonderful new gear. I
have a desire to go play for the nice people who've helped us so much, and have
touched me so wonderfully, to say thanks, to meet them. I'd like for my music
to do something nice for them, too. To encourage them, make them feel better,
maybe strengthen faith in some cases. Maybe even to help bring someone to
faith. Music can reach people in ways that words don't. Some of my songs were
written with that in mind. I often think about people who may be now as I once was
before I met Pastor Oldfield in Anchorage early 1995,
adults without faith in Jesus, without the clear conscience that only faith in
Jesus and his body and blood can give. It's a tough way to live, and I can
never forget the relief I felt when the burden of sin was lifted fro