NOVEMBER
2007
More Thoughts On Prayer
Some people pray just to pray and some people pray to know God. Andrew Murray
The Third Petition of the Lord's Prayer is repeated daily by millions
who have not the slightest intention of letting anyone's
will be done but their own. Aldous Huxley
When I pray, coincidences happen, and when I don't pray, they don't. William Temple
Faith in a prayer-hearing God will make a prayer-loving Christian. Andrew Murray
The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men.
The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come
on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men…Men of
prayer." E. M. Bounds
The Three Most
Frequent Misuses of Prayer
First of all prayer is
not telling God what to do! As the Old Testament prophet Isaiah reminds us in
Isaiah 55:8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," declares the Lord. When we tell God what to
do in a particular situation we are assuming the role of God knowing all the
details and the outcomes. This is certainly not true. More often
than not Christians have been heard to say, “I’m sure glad God didn’t answer my
prayer the way I thought it should be answered at the time. In fact, the way it
worked out is better than I could have ever imagined!”
Second of all prayer
is not a vending machine where we put in our quarter and get what we want.
The
Lord is not at our bidding or call to give us everything we have ever wanted. The
Lord does not dispense prayer answers based on what we want. He answers
prayer based on what it best for the
Thirdly prayer is not
trying to strike a bargain with God. We have nothing within us that can persuade
God to bargain with us. Therefore promising to go to
church if your child recovers from an illness is not going to work. There
is no bargain we can strike that will move God to do our bidding.
Prayer is not merely
telling the Lord our needs, He already knows them. Prayer is learning to listen to the voice of Jesus while we pray. Since most
of us don’t know how to really listen to the Lord what should we be doing?
•Clear your mind
except for God’s Word. This means that we need to memorize several
or many verses that the Holy Spirit can bring to mind. We also need to be
reading the Word on a daily basis so that we can receive new insights.
•Be still. Settle down
internally and externally.
•Let His Word speak
to your heart. Permit the words you have recently read or a scripture
verse you have memorized roam around in your heart and mind.
•Keep your heart
open. Drop
your preconceived ideas about how God is supposed to act and be prepared for
new insights.
•Expect God to speak.
Be
prepared for a small inner voice, a new understanding.
•Avoid telling God
what you want. Keep your wants at bay and instead focus on Jesus and His
mission.
•Give time each day
to listening. Continue to repeat this process day after day as you read the
Bible. Let it become a normal part of your Christian life.
selected
Reported In The Press
The city of
It's hard to believe this kind of religious
intolerance can happen in
It's time
Christians take a stand and proclaim to our communities that Christmas is not
just a winter holiday focused on materialism, but a "holy day" when
we celebrate the birth of our Savior.
selected
Fewer Friends
In a joint report put together by researchers at Duke and
the University of Arizona that appeared in The American Sociological Review,
the teams found that while in 1985, the average American had three people in
whom to confide matters that were important to them, in 2004, that number
dropped to two, and one in four had no close confidants at all.
Interesting Quotes Regarding
Loneliness
“It is strange to be known so universally and yet to be so lonely.” Albert
Einstein
“What should young people do with their lives today? Many
things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable
communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.” Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
“Loneliness is the first thing which God's eye named, not good” John Milton
"If I'm such a legend, then why am I so lonely? Let me tell you, legends
are all very well if you've got somebody around who loves you." Judy Garland
The Ultimate Separation
Mark 15: 4 - And
at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi,
Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which
means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
There is no greater
separation in the universe than being separated from the Triune God! Throughout
history both believers and unbelievers have lived in a world where the presence
of God is everywhere whether we acknowledge Him or not. On the cross
Jesus experienced the ultimate separation from God the Father which, tragically,
awaits those who refuse to believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
selected
To Make You Smile…
Replacing Valves
A mechanic was removing a cylinder-head from the motor of
a Harley motorcycle when he spotted a well-known cardiologist in his shop. The
cardiologist was there waiting for the service manager to come and take a look
at his bike when the mechanic shouted across the Garage, "Hey Doc, want to
take a look at this?"
The cardiologist, a
bit surprised, walked over to where the mechanic was working on the motorcycle.
The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked, "So Doc,
look at this engine. I open its heart, take the valves out, repair any damage,
and then put them back in, and when I finish, it works just like new. So how
come I make a pretty small salary and you get the really big bucks when you and
I are doing basically the same work?"
The cardiologist
paused, smiled and leaned over, then whispered to the mechanic..."Try
doing it with the engine running."
Where’s Ed?
Ed was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was really angry. She told him "Tomorrow morning, I expect
to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in less then 6 seconds
AND IT BETTER BE THERE!!"
The next morning Ed
got up early and left for work. When his
wife woke up she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box
gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway. Confused, the wife put on her robe,
ran out to the driveway, and brought the box back in the house. She opened it
and found a brand new bathroom scale. Ed has been missing since Friday.
Once A-Pun A Time
A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of
them goes to a family in
If Biblical Headlines
were written by
Today's Liberal Media
On
WETLANDS TRAMPLED IN
LABOR STRIKE
Pursuing Environmentalists Killed
On David vs. Goliath:
HATE CRIME KILLS
BELOVED CHAMPION
Psychologist Questions Influence of Rock
On Elijah on
FIRE SENDS RELIGIOUS
RIGHT EXTREMIST INTO FRENZY
400 Killed
On the birth of
Christ:
HOTELS FULL, ANIMALS
LEFT HOMELESS
Animal Rights Activists Enraged by Insensitive Couple
On feeding the 5,000:
PREACHER STEALS
CHILD'S LUNCH
Disciples Mystified Over Behavior
On healing the 10
lepers:
LOCAL DOCTOR'S
PRACTICE RUINED
"Faith Healer" Causes Bankruptcy
On healing of the Gadarene demoniac:
MADMAN'S FRIEND
CAUSES STAMPEDE
Local Farmer's Investment Lost
On raising Lazarus
from the dead:
FUNDAMENTALIST
PREACHER RAISES A STINK
Will Reading to be Delayed
And You Think You Had A Bad Day!
author
unknown
I am writing in response to your request for additional
information. In block number three of the accident reporting form, I put
"poor planning" as the cause of my accident. You said in your letter
that I should explain more and I trust that the following details are
sufficient:
I am a bricklayer by
trade. On the day of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of a new
six-story building. When I completed my work, I discovered that I had about 500
pounds of bricks left over. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand I decided
to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley, which fortunately was attached to
the side of the building at the sixth floor.
Securing the rope at
the ground level, I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the
bricks into it. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it
tightly to insure a slow descent of the 500 pounds of bricks. You will note in
block number 11 of the accident reporting form that I weigh 135 pounds.
Due to my surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my
presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded
at a rather rapid rate up the side of the building.
In the vicinity of
the third floor, I met the barrel coming down. This explains the fractured
scull and broken collarbone. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid
ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep
into the pulley. Fortunately, by this time I had regained my presence of
mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope in spite of my pain.
At approximately the
same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground - and the bottom fell
out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel now weighed
approximately 50 pounds. I refer you again to my weight in block number
11. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the
building.
In the vicinity of
the third floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two
fractured ankles and lacerations of my legs and lower body. The encounter
with the barrel, slowed me enough to lessen my injuries
when I fell onto the pile of bricks and fortunately, only three vertebrae were
cracked. I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the bricks in
pain, unable to move, and watching the barrel six stories above - I again lost
my presence of mind.
I let go of the rope!
Reasons Not To
(Last month’s Olive Branch had an article comparing going to church with “eating”. This article is similar but it uses “washing”
as the point of comparison.)
If you took the same excuses that people use for not
going to church and apply them to other important areas of life you'd realize
how inconsistent we can be in our logic.
For example: Reasons Not To Wash
1. I was forced to as a
child.
2. People who make soap
are only after your money.
3. I wash on special occasions
like Christmas and Easter.
4. People who wash are
hypocrites – they think they are cleaner than everyone else.
5. There are so many
different kinds of soap, I can't decide which one is
best.
6. I used to wash, but
it got boring so I stopped.
7. None of my friends
wash.
8. The bathroom is never warm enough in the winter or cool enough
in the summer.
9. I'll start washing
when I get older and dirtier.
10. I can't spare the
time.
A Little White Church
She said, "Oh dear, there's no time to
bake another cake."
So, she looked around the house for
something to build up the center of the cake.
The finished product looked beautiful, so
she rushed it to the church. Before she left the house,
When the daughter arrived at the sale, the
attractive cake had already been sold.
The next day,
After the game, a fancy lunch was served,
and to top it off, the cake in question was presented for dessert.
Friar Florists
Some friars were
behind in their belfry payments, so they opened a small florist shop to raise
the funds. Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, the
rival florist across town thought the competition was unfair.
He asked the good fathers to close down, but
they would not. He went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored
him. He asked his mother to go ask the friars to get out of business.
They ignored her. So, the rival florist hired Hugh Mac Taggart, the
roughest and most vicious thug in town to "persuade" them to
close. Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd be
back if they didn't close shop. Terrified, the friars did so.
The
Moral of the Story:
Hugh, and only Hugh, can prevent florist friars !!
Pulpit Humor
There was this
Lutheran minister who served a predominately German congregation for
years. Pastor Heinz enjoyed telling Norwegian jokes from the pulpit, much
to the delight of his flock.
One year, Heinz was transferred to a
predominately Norwegian congregation and the first Sunday, he told a typical
joke from the pulpit. After the service a deacon approached and said that
perhaps he should reconsider his choice of humor as some of the people may be
offended. Pastor Heinz apologized, saying he would break this habit.
One day, while reading his Bible, Heinz came
across a story of the Amalekites and had an
idea. He approached the Deacon and asked if he could tell an Amalekite joke.
The Deacon said "I suppose that would
be okay, I don't think we have any Amalekites in the
congregation."
Next Sunday, Pastor Heinz was getting into
his sermon and said, "This reminds me of a funny story, seems there were
these 2 Amalekites, Sven and Ole..."
Jungle Journal
Missionary Terry Schultz,
This journal is all about contrasts. Last month’s
stories from the earthquake included troubling, sad accounts of individuals who
did not know Jesus. Many people were filled with tremendous fear when the
sky lit up, the earth shook (for over two minutes!) and it appeared the Second
Coming was on. The key word here is “fear”! Why fear the coming of
our Savior King? Why try and hide in your house? Why fear being
lifted from this vale of tears and transported to paradise - a paradise where
there are no more troubles and tragedies? Obviously, the majority of people in
the earthquake zone did not know the simplest thing about the Savior:
Jesus loves them, died to save them, and has promised to come back to bring His
children home.
There were of course
a few who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, had this all figured out the night
of the quake. Some of their stories are included below. Here is
what Pastor Andres and I found when we returned to the earthquake area four weeks
after “the event.”
After dropping off
food and blankets to friends in Pisco, we headed for
Again, it’s four weeks after the quake so the first thing that hits
you is the massive piles of rubble that still stand in front of every destroyed
lot! Talk about depressing! Can you imagine getting up every
morning and looking out over the hill of rubble that used to be your dear
home? Horrible! No city dump truck has stopped to remove the daily
reminder of your destroyed house.
The people in the
hardest hit areas actually sleep away from their lots, in a row of makeshift
tents in the streets around the town plaza. “Tents” is too kind a
word. People have simply wrapped sheets of blue plastic around and over
wood poles to create enclosed space. Pieces of cardboard are laid out to
make a floor. (You’re actually sleeping right on top of an old dirt
road!) The people have their final meager possessions, (a few plastic
dishes, dirty mattress, scraps of clothes) inside
these plastic enclosures. The tents are side by side for a reason:
Gangs of marauding youths come through frequently looking for items to
steal. A hunker-down, bunker mentality takes over every night. Here the
neighbors are literally making their last stand side by side, guarding each
other and what little they have left.
(Throughout town I
saw less than a dozen beautiful Coleman 8-man tents that had been dropped off
by some relief agency. Unfortunately, these rare gifts made quite a few
people envious. With nearly everyone reduced to living in tents, there
were once again the “haves” and the “have nots.”)
Andres and I
immediately began speaking with people we encountered in the dusty,
rubble-clogged
First off, we heard
that the daily shipments of food and water, choppered
in from
President Garcia was
another target of the homeless neighbors’ bitter anger. According to
everyone in the street, Garcia had declared that the earthquake officially
reached a magnitude of 7.9. (In
And so, the people
were reduced to applying for home loans which Garcia did make available,
through the state-run Banco de la Nacion.
The process of applying for a house-building loan was downright
depressing. (Recall that over 85,000 homes were destroyed!) In Pisco we had seen the line, several blocks long, in front
of the bank. Blank-faced, still emotionally-numb victims who had lost
their homes and possessions were queuing up to apply for a loan (“Queuing up”
is also too kind a word. We never saw the line move!) That
depressing sight was topped by another sight a few blocks away, where an even
longer line had formed in front of a makeshift government office. Seems
you had to have your government-issued voter ID card before you could apply for
a loan. If over the years you had not bothered to obtain or renew your ID
card, you sure needed one now. No ID, no loan. All this government
red tape meant that you might be sleeping on “cardboard under plastic” for
months before you could start rebuilding.
“We thought we lived
in a democracy,” the neighbors all said. “We know that
We walked on, and an
interesting phenomenon began to emerge: Recall that Andres had spent his
early childhood in the barrio while his parents worked in the fields.
Amazingly, Andres started to see old neighbors and migrant workers that he
hadn’t seen in over 20 years! They had moved to different homes in the
barrio. Andres didn’t know they were still around! Imagine the surprise,
as his name passed through the area and the recognition set in!
All Andres’ old
neighbors, now middle age or seniors, did the same thing: They put one
hand down by their knee to indicate how tall Andres was when the last saw
him! The reunions were heart-wrenching. Many broke into tears, as
they stood amidst the rubble in dusty, sweaty clothes embracing the clean,
Between stories, I
gently interjected that Andres was now a pastor, (“having trained for years at
the finest seminary in
I could see that
something special was happening: Since all the homes had collapsed, the
neighbors were standing out in the open. If they had been in their
houses, they might not have seen or heard about Andres! (He normally
works clear over at the other end of the barrio.) Andres and I were in
new waters, in effect trolling through the neighborhood, catching fish every
block of the way!! Neighbor after neighbor came running over and
was soon expressing interest in attending Andres’ Bible study! Andres
filled up page after page of his pocket notepad with names, drawing little maps
in order to find each family again. It was simply extraordinary:
The people’s lives had been shattered by the loss of their homes. But
that destruction apparently paved they way for contact with Pastor
Andres! Destroyed homes led to contact with the Gospel, which, God
willing, will lead to faith and an eternal home in the heavenly mansions!
It happened in block after block: No walls, weary people standing in
rubble, they see Andres, come over, and our Gospel witness is on! So I’m
thinking:
These depressing
piles of rubble have turned into fertile soil for a Gospel harvest!!!
After several blocks
there were no more old friends. We trudged onward. We came upon a
group of neighbors standing around the front yard of a collapsed house.
There was a crudely painted cardboard sign propped up on the ground that read
“olla comunal,” (community pot). Beside the
sign, just like a scene from a hobo camp, sat a huge dented, blackened pot with
a pile of firewood under it. Every day at mid morning, each neighbor brings
whatever meager contribution they can and tosses it into the community pot for
the daily soup. It was the only meal many of the folks have all
day. We got there just as lunch was wrapping up. The couple manning
the pot apologized that the soup was all gone. No problem, we quickly
said! We introduced ourselves as pastors from
The block we stood in
was almost completely destroyed. Very few houses were left
standing. Those that were standing were in the process of being torn
down. Imagine frail grandmas and grandpas, picking up hammers to knock
down their beloved homes. The walls were all cracked, making the homes
too dangerous to live in. The emotional weight of such a painful task I
cannot imagine. And yet, these Christians wanted to talk about other
things from the night of the quake. “How have things changed?” I asked.
Kati, a middle aged woman with no house jumped right in. “You see that
corner over there?” She pointed across the street to a heavily damaged
lot. “There’s a family that lives over
there that has a father and a teenage son. Nearly every night of the
week, you could hear those two yelling at each other around dinner time.
It usually started with the dad yelling at the boy. Then the boy would
start yelling back at the dad. Practically every night we could hear the
same thing going on, the dad fighting with that boy. The
night of the quake, no different. The whole neighborhood can hear
the dad yelling at his son.
“But the moment the
earthquake started, the yelling instantly stopped. The dad grabbed the
boy in a huge bear hug to protect him. The boy held onto his dad.
Now the quake kept going for over two minutes, so the dad keeps hanging on to
his son, protecting him as things start falling down. They probably both
thought they were going to die. I guess a two minute hug can do a lot for
a relationship. No one has heard those two screaming at each other ever
since.”
Now everyone in our
group had seen the huge flashes of lightening across the Pisco
sky followed by the first tremors of the powerful quake. Hundreds and
hundreds of believers were convinced that the Second Coming had started.
However Betty, the next one to volunteer her story, had a very different take
on the cataclysmic event playing out right before her eyes.
Betty is a devout
Christian and daily Bible reader. She had long worried about the growing
ungodliness in her town. Drunkenness, violence, crime, and the most
immoral, lewd behavior right out in public! There were few who believed
in God anymore and went to church. Why, the whole place was turning into
a modern day
You guessed it:
Betty’s head-full of Bible stories hit Old Testament file, and the story of the
two towns’ total destruction came up. Betty was convinced that God was
about to rain down fire on her evil town and neighboring Pisco,
wiping them off the face of the earth. Betty was not surprised as the
powerful tremors built and built: God was not going to take
Betty ran out the
front door, her mind suddenly racing. Had God somehow overlooked
her? She was one of the faithful ones! She was supposed to be
spared while the towns got leveled.
Betty stood out to
the middle of the road (where apparently everyone thinks God can see you
better), and started yelling towards the sky: “You promised, you
promised. I’m a forgiven one! I’m a forgiven one!”
At this point in her
story Betty looked me in the eye and said: “I wasn’t scared you
know. I know I’m forgiven. But I thought I got overlooked. I’m a
child of God. I thought God was going to grab me up at any moment.”
The ground shook even harder and as Betty turned around and looked, much
of her house came crashing down, pieces of glass spraying out and splintered
wood flying everywhere!!
Apparently God had
not forgotten Betty.
My Final Earthquake Story from the Barrios of
On that hot fateful
August night, a group of evangelicals were gathered for their midweek praise
service. Sunday service wasn’t enough for this faithful band. Off
they had gone just like every Wednesday with tambourines and songbooks to offer
more praises to the Savior King.
In the middle of the
Praise Service, the earthquake started. Trembling with excitement,
everyone began shouting and hugging, convinced the Second Coming was under
way! Jesus and the angels were about to arrive in
Alas, neither did
anyone get picked up by a fiery chariot.
The earthquake tremors faded and came to a halt. So did the
shouting and the music. The dust finally cleared, and everyone looked
around. They were all still there. The group was not in
The scene out in the
dirt street was complete chaos. The churchgoers reached their homes in a
matter of seconds. In front of many a member laid a scene of absolute
horror: There was not a single
home left standing on their entire block!
For some members their next door
neighbors were dead! The neighbors had been sitting in their homes when
the quake hit, the walls and roofs of their mud brick homes falling down upon
them! Obviously, had these members been in their homes
instead of at church at that moment, they too would have died!!
Instead, they escaped with hardly a scratch.
Now I’m told that
what happened in
I’ll soon hear from
our brothers in Canete and Chincha,
and get their versions of what all happened that Wednesday night. Until
then, the stunning stories of Almighty God’s protection of Betty, believers in Pisco, and that faithful little
And closer to each
one of us than we often realize!!
Until next time
amigos, Terry
“Never will I leave you.” God in Hebrews
13:5.
The Lutheran Home Association Update
National Family Caregivers month is held in November of
every year. More than 50 million caregivers provide 80 percent, or the
majority, of our nation’s long term care services.
Being the caregiver
for a spouse, child, parent, grandparent, or sibling with special needs is
truly God-pleasing. However, many family caregivers can become extraordinarily
challenged and stressed. Pastors often witness these challenges and stressors
first hand.
The Christian
congregation has the opportunity to provide much support, care, and
encouragement for family caregivers. Please consider the following Top Ten list
to assist your ministry.
Top 10 Ways to Celebrate 2007 National Family Caregivers
Month
1. Set up a
congregational support network of members so that they may relieve family
caregivers who might in turn run errands, visit friends or relatives, or simply
relax.
2. Send a card or
bouquet of flowers from a club/group/school to the family caregiver to brighten
their day.
3. Provide a group of
members who could offer to help with home repairs, yard work, housecleaning,
etc.
4. Provide a ticket to a
local theater, and take the caregiver to the event.
5. Find 12 different
family photos and have a copy center create a 2008 calendar that the family
caregiver can use to keep track of appointments and events.
6. Offer to prepare a
Thanksgiving dinner for the caregiving family, or invite them to your own
special Thanksgiving Day dinner.
7. Create a listing of
Bible verses/readings to provide encouragement to the family caregiver.
8. Ask members to visit
regularly and provide video tapes of church services, Meditations, and other
devotional materials to the family caregiver.
9. Ask The Lutheran Home
Association to speak to your congregation or group on the impact of family
caregiving and how a congregation may develop a strong program of nurture for
those who are family caregivers.
10. Regularly pray for
the individuals who are hurting but also for the family members. Ask the Lord
to provide guidance and support to all.
TLHA Annual Meeting Set
Tuesday, January 15,
is the date of the annual meeting of The Lutheran Home Association to be held
in Belle Plaine,
Mr. Mark Schwan will serve as chairman of the nominating committee
for the annual meeting. Nominations are currently being sought for TLHA’s Board of Directors and the Board of Regents of TLHA
Foundation. More information may be provided about these positions by
contacting Michael Klatt, President and Chief
Executive Officer, at mklatt@tlha.org or by calling (952)
872-4750.
Thank you for your
interest in and support of our ministry! We ask that you keep our ministry in your
prayers.
Caring about the Care
of the Soul,
Michael R. Klatt, President and Chief Executive Officer
Thanksgiving Celebration Senior Luncheon
DATE: Tuesday, Nov. 13th
TIME: 11:30 am
WHERE:
610
Minneapolis
MENU:
Mashed Potatoes/Gravy
Sweet Potatoes
Corn
Rolls
Pumpkin Pie
COST: Freewill Offering
Entertainment provided by: Accordion to Pete
Contact Bonnie at 612-379-4296 for more
information or to sign up.
Everyone is welcome (bring a friend)!
Give your burdens
to the Lord, and He will take care of you. Psalm 55:22
Friendship Register
A reminder: Please sign the Friendship
Register in your pew each Sunday morning.
Greet those sitting near you, in front of you, and behind you.
If you attend the Lord’s Supper, please check the appropriate
box in the Friendship Register.
(Note: The Lord’s Supper is celebrated at the altar and
communion rail on the first Sunday of each month (both common cup and
individual cup), and down at the front pew on the third Sunday of each month
(individual cup only).
New Fall Class
Paraments
The Altar Guild would like to replace the paraments
in our church (the liturgically colored pulpit, lectern, and altar hangings and
the accompanying pastor’s stole) and therefore announce the formation of the “Parament Fund” to receive your contributions.
If you would like to make a special gift to this fund, checks
may be made out to the Mt. Olive Altar Guild, with “Parament
Fund” written on the memo line.
If you would like to give a gift in memory of loved ones, please
note that also. Thank you.
Video Projection System
The Worship Committee has plans to project the liturgy,
hymns, and sermon notes and illustrations on the “big screen”. They have purchased a high-power projector
and precision, wide-angle lens to project from the balcony.
Would you be willing
to partially or totally fund this new projection system? If so, please contact the church office. Thank you!
We also need a video
tech crew to put together the Sunday Power Point slides and then operate the
laptop and projector for Sunday morning worship. Please contact the church office as soon as
possible. Thanks!
Fifth Annual Reformation Renewal Seminar
The presenter for
Our format will be
somewhat different than in past years.
This year we will have only one presentation. It will be on Friday evening, November 9,
2007, from 6:30 to 9:30pm. (November 10th is Martin Luther’s birthday!)
The presentation
will include:
1) Islam-Basic
Beliefs and Chronology
2) Islam-Theology
3) Culture
4) Personal Journey
and Outreach
Refreshments will be
served. Other area congregations have
also been invited. There is no cost, but
a freewill offering will be received.
Bring Your
Appetites! Bring Your Friends!
Thanksgiving dinner at
In addition to much help needed in preparing the meal,
this is also an outreach event. Invite
and bring your friends who may not have a church home or who may have become
distant from church.
And last but not least, this is an opportunity to fellowship with our Chinese brothers and
sisters and enjoy their company.
Do plan to attend! Contact Jane Murray to volunteer.
The “Singer From
Chris Driesbach from
Be sure to make plans
to be here on Sunday, the 18th.
Bring some friends along too!
Women’s Guild Christmas Party
All are invited to attend the Women’s Guild Christmas
Party on Thursday, December 6th, at 7:00pm.
There will be food,
Christmas carols, Christmas message, and program.
Mark your calendars
early and celebrate the Advent and Christmas season together as a congregation
with us.
The Committee
Small Group
Bible Studies
Our Small Group Bible
Studies are up and running. Surely there
is one just for you! Please attend one
this week if you are not yet a part of any group.
Classes include:
“Cross-Eyed Warriors”
“Beautiful Feet”
“God For Us” (time to be announced)
“Explorers of the
Word”
“Women in the Word”
Sunday
Morning Bible Class
Our Sunday Morning
Bible Class is studying the Book of Romans.
Each week try to take
a closer look at one chapter of this amazing letter that the Holy Spirit
inspired
We hope that all our
adult members, visitors, and friends, will stay the extra 70 minutes and attend
Bible class. It is held each Sunday
morning from 10:30 to 11:40am.
Do come! You are most certainly welcome!
Book Fair At Mt. Olive We are having a Book Fair November 9th from 4:30 to 6:30.