One day a
couple by the name of Herman and Mary were riding along in their shiny new car.
Mary spoke up and said, "You know, Herman, if it weren't for my money, we
probably wouldn't have this wonderful new car." And Herman just sat there and
didn't say anything at all.
As they
pulled into the driveway, Herman turned off the motor and they quietly admired
their new home. Then Mary said, "You know, Herman, if it weren't for my
money, we probably wouldn't have this new house." And again, Herman just
sat there and didn't say anything.
They got
out of the car and walked in just as the delivery man finished setting up their
new furniture. You know, Herman, said Mary once more, "If it were not for
my money, we probably wouldn't have this new carpet and all this new
furniture." And once more, Herman didn't say a word.
It
happened again as they sat down in their new den and propped their feet up and
watched the big screen TV in their new entertainment center. "You know,
Herman," said Mary, "if it were not for my money, we probably
wouldn't have this huge entertainment center."
And with
that, poor Herman had had enough. He turned to Mary and said, "I don't
want to hurt your feelings, Honey, but you know if it weren't for your money, I
probably wouldn't be here either!"
What is
it that brings you here? Why did you choose to become a part of this church? If
you are not a member, what are you looking for in a church?
Recently,
I received an e-mail about real signs found in the real kitchens of real
people.
· "A
messy kitchen is a happy kitchen and this kitchen is delirious."
· "A
clean house is a sign of a misspent life."
· "If
we are what we eat, then I'm easy, fast, and cheap."
· "Thou
shalt not weigh more than thy refrigerator."
· "My
next house will have no kitchen, just vending machines."
· "A
balanced diet is a cookie in each hand."
These
sayings point to some of our society's attitudes about food: 'only junk food is
enjoyable', 'food is meant to satisfy us', 'if I had to cook it, it doesn't
taste good', and 'as long as it's not good for me, I should eat as much as I
want'.
We stuff
ourselves, trying to fill the hole inside of us with food, as if we could eat
something that would satisfy us. But we could stuff ourselves at every meal and
still be hungry for something deeper!
"There is
a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person, and it can never be filled by
any created thing. It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus
Christ."
In
Seattle, two 15-year-old boys and their 14-year-old girlfriends decided to skip
school and spend the day together. When they missed the bus that would have
taken them to the mall, they car-jacked an automobile parked in the school
zone. It was of no consequence to them that a 2-year-old child and an
8-month-old baby were strapped into car seats in the back seat. Ignoring the
screams of the mother who held onto the back door handle of the car until the
speeding car threw her off, they abandoned the car and the children in a
parking lot where they were not found for five hours... due to no effort of the
car-jackers, the children were saved.
When
they were found, the shocked parents of the young criminals protested that they
were really "good kids".
And last
year, in Miami, a 15-year-old and his 17-year-old brother, decided to celebrate
their parents' absence over a weekend by cruising the streets in the family
Mercedes shooting six-inch long darts into the backs of elderly black
pedestrians.
When they were found, the boys' parents wept before TV cameras, apologizing for the boys' behavior and insisting, "They're really good kids." The eldest of the boys also expressed a concern that this incident might hurt his chances of getting into a good college in the fall.
In Los
Angeles, four buddies between the ages of 14 and 17 started out an evening of
vandalism by beating mailboxes with a baseball bat. As the evening progressed,
they become bolder and started beating out the windows of parked cars and then
started hitting people. They loaded up their paintball guns and drove past
crowds, indiscriminately shooting at women, the elderly and children, squealing
with delight with every hit. How do we know so much about their evening's
escapades? They videotaped their outing themselves so that they could enjoy
their night out over and over again.
These
were not boys who were usually in trouble. They were described as "good
kids."
James
Baldwin an American author of this century, once said that "Children
have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never
failed to imitate them." I have not cited these few news-clippings
as a way of bashing teen-agers. I mention these morally empty events as a sign
of what we have taught the coming generation. We have somehow lost a sense that
we have a higher accountability.
Dr. Roger Ray
Today, in
America, many believe that there are no "moral absolutes." Many hold to a philosophy of "moral
relativism." How many times have we heard statements like these:
"What’s right for you may not be right for me."; "If it feels
good do it."; "Anything goes."; " Nothing is right or
wrong, there are just different opinions?"
All of
this is the result of the feeling that there is no absolute truth. You are
entitled to your truth and I am entitled to mine!
A recent
poll found that 67% of Americans do not believe in moral absolutes. Among
"Baby Busters", those born between 1965 and 1983, the percentage was
even higher at 78%. Even 62% of professing Christians said that there was no
absolute standard of right and wrong.
James
Madison, the 4th President of the United States said this, "We stake the
future of this country on our ability to govern ourselves under the principles
of the Ten Commandments."
I love the
story of the little boy who told his mother he had determined that he was six
feet tall. When she asked how he had arrived at this conclusion, he told her he
had used his shoe to measure and that he was six shoes tall. With a loving
smile she sweetly told him that his shoe was not twelve inches long. He
insisted, "But, Mom, it's got to be 'cause my foot's in it!"
What was
wrong with his conclusion? He was unaware of the true standard of determining
length. He knew nothing of uniform standards of weight and measurement. He was
sincere, but mistaken.
His
conclusion was innocent and makes us laugh, but often a false standard can reap
tragic consequences. God's commandments are an absolute standard against which
we should measure ourselves.
I wonder
what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phones?
· What if
we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
· What if
we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
· What if
we flipped through it several times a day?
· What if
we used it to receive messages?
· What if
we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
· What if
we gave it to kids as gifts?
· What if
we used it as we traveled?
· What if
we used it in case of an emergency?
Oh, and
one more thing. Unlike our cell phones, we don't ever have to worry about our
Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill!
Just a
little humor to help ease the pain of your next trip to the pump. Think a gallon of gas is expensive? This makes one think, and also puts things
in perspective:
· Diet
Snapple 16 oz $1.29, $10.32 per gallon
· Lipton
Ice Tea 16 oz $1.19, $9.52 per gallon
· Gatorade
20 oz $1.59, $10.17 per gallon
· Ocean
Spray 16 oz $1.25, $10.00 per gallon
· Brake
Fluid 12 oz $3.15, $33.60 per gallon
· Vick's
Nyquil 6 oz $8.35, $178.13 per gallon
· Pepto
Bismol 4 oz $3.85, $123.20 per gallon
· Whiteout
7 oz $1.39, $25.42 per gallon
· Scope
1.5 oz $0.99, $84.48 per gallon
And this is the real kicker...
· Evian
water 9 oz $1.49, $21.19 per gallon?! $21.19 for WATER - and the buyers don't
even know the source. (Evian spelled backwards is Naive.)
So, the
next time you're at the pump, be glad your car doesn't run on bottled water,
Scope, or Whiteout, or God forbid, Pepto Bismol or Nyquil.
And - If
you don't pass this along to at least one person, your muffler will fall off!
Coming
home from work, a woman stopped at the corner deli to buy a chicken for supper.
The butcher reached into a barrel grabbed the last chicken he had, flung it on
the scales behind the counter, and told the woman its weight. She thought for a
moment. "I really need a bit more chicken than that," she said.
"Do you have any larger ones?"
Without
a word, the butcher put the chicken back into the barrel, groped around as
though finding another, pulled the same chicken out, and placed it on the
scales. "This chicken weighs one pound more," he announced. The woman
pondered her options and then said, "Okay. I'll take them both."
Honesty
is still the best policy.
A woman
sued her husband for divorce. She told
the judge she had nagged and nagged, but she couldn't get him to do right. The judge wondered if she had tried using
kindness. Referring to the biblical
passage, which says that when we show kindness to our enemy it is like heaping
"burning coals on
His
head," he asked her if she had tried heaping coals on his head.
She answered, "No, but I don't think it will work. I already tried scalding water and that didn't do any good." I'm not sure this woman understood the concept of showing kindness.
George,
age 92, and Edith, age 89, had been seeing each other for two years when they
decided that life was too short and they might as well be together for the rest
of their lives. Excited about their
decision to become newlyweds, they went for a stroll to discuss the wedding and
what plans need to be made. Along their
way, they found themselves in front of a drugstore.
George
said to his bride-to-be: "Let's go in.
I have an idea." They
walked to the rear of the store and addressed the man behind the counter:
"Are you the owner?" asked George.
The
pharmacist answered: "Yes, sir.
How can I help you?"
George:
"Do you sell heart medications?
Pharmacist:
"Of course we do."
George:
"How about support hose for circulation?"
Pharmacist:
"Definitely."
George:
"What about medications for rheumatism, osteoporosis and arthritis?"
Pharmacist:
"All kinds."
George:
"How about waterproof furniture pads and Depends?
Pharmacist:
"Yes sir."
George:
"Hearing aids, denture supplies and reading glasses?"
Pharmacist:
"Yes."
George:
"What about eye drops, sleeping pills, Geritol, Preparation-H, and
ExLax?"
Pharmacist:
"Absolutely."
George:
"Do you sell wheelchairs, walkers and canes?"
Pharmacist:
"All kinds and sizes. Why all
these questions?"
George
smiled, glanced shyly at Edith and replied to the pharmacist: "We've
decided to get married and we would like to use your store as our Bridal
Registry."
"You can't
change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying over the
future."
"Some
people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave
footprints on our hearts. And we are
never, ever the same."
"A friend
is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when
you have forgotten the words."
News From Belle Plaine
(Each
week Barb Vatthauer sends out an email newsletter from our Home to Home Thrift
Store in Belle Plaine. This brand new
store right off Hwy 169 is doing a fantastic business. If you’d like to help out, just give a
call! Here’s some of her letter:)
Dear
friends of the store,
The days
seem to run head-long into the nights!
Where do they go?
It's
interesting to listen to folks tell us they stopped because they saw the
"Thrift Store" sign. "We
can't go by a thrift store!" they say.
Today a
woman from out of state (I missed that part!) is in this area of Minnesota for
two weeks to work on a book she's writing.
She parked out here with a huge self-contained rental camper she just
got down the road and discovered there was nothing in it. She saw our sign, pulled in, and $70.00
later had dishes, bedding and such to help her live at various campgrounds
along the Minnesota River. She's hoping
her mother from Arkansas will join her.
She said she'd probably be bringing it all back since she can't take it
with her! Another college student
found things as he goes off to Missouri, and then there's the excited child who
spotted Pokemon cards, ran home for money and ran back before they got
sold. It's all so much fun!
We're
processing fall clothing as quickly as possible even though we sweat doing
it! If anyone is interested in helping,
call us. We'd teach you how to tag the
clothing, iron (or use our wonderful steamer) and put it on the display
racks. We're still here on work day
Mondays when the store is closed if that suits you. Call 873-6901 around 9:00 - 9:30 am to make sure someone is
here. You could be a huge help…
I'll
leave you with this thought: "If
you're heading in the wrong direction, God allows u-turns." ..."If you repent, I will restore you
that you may serve Me.... Jeremiah 15:19.
Wishing
you joy in your service to others, Barb
It would
be just a pound of the gavel by President Sarah Malchow and the 43rd
Annual Convention of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society (LWMS) would be
declared “over”. These were my thoughts
as I viewed the Flags of WELS missions leave the convention hall following the
Closing Service and Flag Recessional.
The Rev Dan Koelpin had just urged us to not only “Shout Jesus From the Mountaintops”,
but to do it with a sense of urgency. How fast these three days of convention
had passed!
It seemed
like just hours before the convention had begun Thursday evening with the
opening ring of the gavel and welcome by Sarah, the Mission Flag Presentation
and Opening Service held in the Tacoma Convention Center. The Rev Daniel Kramer, Boise, ID told the
assembly to not be nervous, but bold about “Shouting Jesus from the
Mountaintops” based on Isaiah 40:9.
Throughout the liturgy led by Rev Peter Synder, National LWMS Spiritual
Growth Pastor, selected verses from familiar hymns were sung. “Shout Jesus”, a new hymn especially written
for the convention, was easy to sing after an introduction by the choir. Pastors from the Cascade and Evergreen LWMS
Circuits of Washington and Oregon presided at eight communion tables…there were
about 1000 at this opening service. (Two sessions of the National LWMS
Convention are open to non-registered attendees – the Opening and Closing
Services).
Throughout
Friday and Saturday, we learned much about various missions in large groups in
the ballroom. These presentations were
given by:
· Home
Missionary Joel Spaude – Muslin Outreach in Colorado
· Rev
Stephen Mueller – Hispanic Outreach in Alaska
· Rev
Jarad Oldenburg – Urban Outreach in Washington
· Rev
Peter Reid/Rev Siamet Panuji – Indonesia
· Rev Guy
Marquardt – Brazil
· Rev Doug
Weiser/ Ikpe and Ima Udofia – Nigeria
Several
times each day when all attendees were in the ballroom,– other missionaries
connected with missions in the Mission Display Area would give a “quick update”. Several time slots in the convention
agenda were set aside to visit these displays and talk to the missionaries in
more detail. We were urged to visit the
Prayer Corner of the Display Area where not only could we pray for our
missionaries, but this year we were given an opportunity to purchase a
meditation booklet for our women in missions, write a message of encouragement
to them and the LWMS would send it to the woman we selected to get it.
Attendees
could choose 3 workshops held periodically during the convention. These were selected when registering for the
convention. The workshops were held in
smaller meeting rooms thought out the Convention Center and at the Sheraton
Hotel, the official convention site.
An
important workshop is the “Business Meeting”, which can only be attended by
delegates from member congregations. To
begin the count of people in the business meeting did not match the delegates
of record and President Malchow did not proceed with the “official business”
until the discrepancy was resolved.
Officer and Committee reports were summarized as the Convention Folder contained the complete reports. Delegates voted on the constitutional change regarding where National Conventions will be held – the current restriction “to hold at least one convention every three years in the upper Midwest” was deleted. A question on classification of new/reinstated members was asked – a “new” member congregation has not held membership for at least two years and a “reinstated” member congregation is one that had not paid dues for less than two years. We were told that RM Bishop, author of the convention hymn “Shout Jesus” had given permission for it to be used; Circuit Presidents would receive a copy that could be duplicated and distributed.
Other workshops were:
· Shout
Jesus to Those Who Come from the Mountains of Vietnam – Rev Dan & Doris
Kramer
· Established
Churches - Misson Mentality - Rev Tim & Nicole Schwartz [larger established
churches envy small mission congregations as everyone knows everyone else and
someone new is really welcomed at a service. Mission congregations envy
established congregations as facilities are permanent. Mission congregations
struggle with same few people as Elders, Education Committee, Stwardship
Committee, etc. We need to bridge
these problems]
· Do I
Have to Shout? Can I Just Whisper? –
Rev Peter Synder
· Get to
the Mountaintop, Make Certain Every Woman Hears – Mrs Linda Wachholz [just as
the LWMS circuit rally is a “mini” national convention, every member
congregation should have LWMS get-togethers a few times a year, so that all
ladies of the congregation know that when their congregatin pays Natl dues, she
automatically is a member of LWMS]
· Shout
Your Faith Your Way – Rev David Witte
· Proclaiming Jesus from the Mountaintops to the Valleys – Rev Jerald and Lois PItzuweit
· Come to
the Mountain First, Before You Shout – Rev Paul Schossow
(Workshops
by Pastor Schwartz and Linda Wachholz were attended and summarized above.)
Friday morning, before a full schedule and after opening devotions, ladies from the WELS oldest World Mission (Apache Mission - Arizona) sang several hymns in their native tongue for the assembly. This has been a tradition for many years. They also showed the “love” quilt that the Apache ladies had made during their get-togethers.
On
Saturday morning, in addition to the mission presentations and workshops,
National LWMS Secretary gave a summary of the events in the business meeting.
Roll Call of member congregations was taken by circuit. This gives everyone a
chance to jump up and say “here”. It is
very interesting to note all the places people attend from and some of the responses. Our sisters from Michigan, who will host the
2007 convention, all raised their hand and pointed to the palm of their hand
when responding. The theme of their convention is “See, I have engraved you on
the palms of My hands,” Isaiah 49:16.
Next the
money from the Mission Box Offerings ($34,308.72 each to Home Mission Project – Hispanic Training and
Outreach and World Mission Project – Lutheran Seminary Rehabilitation in Zambia
) were presented to Pastor Harold Hagedorn and Pastor Dan Koelpin, Synod
Administers for Home and World Missions, respectively. Pastor Koelpin also accepted the “Kids
C.A.R.E” India Project Money ($13,464.23).
Susan Krueger, Missionary Mark Krueger’s wife, had briefed the assembly
earlier on the opportunities the funds will represent to the children in our
schools in India. Kids C.A.R.E. monies
are contributed by Sunday Schools, Pioneer groups and young people of Synod.
Results
of the officer ballot was announced:
Marlena Miller; Colorado – Vice President; Mary Jo Barnes, California – Secetary; Rev Lyle Sonntag,
California – Pastoral Advisor; Kathy Krause, South Dakota – Spiritual Growth
Woman and Rev Doug Tomhave, Wisconsin Spiritual Growth Pastor: They would be installed at the Closing
Service on Sunday.
A
special presentation was given by the Long-range Planning Committee, which has
been working several years investigating the possibility of name/logo change
for the organization. A presentation
on the new name “Women of the WELS” and its new logo was given. Bookmarks with the old/new logo were
available. The name change will be voted on by the delegates at the 2007
convention.
Another
interesting aspect of the convention is the method used for meals. People filed into the Ballroom and were
seated by Courtesy Ladies. As soon as a
table was full, attendees were to offer the meal prayer (printed and provided
at each place setting) even as others were taking places at the remaining
tables. Servers were told not to serve
the meal to the table until the prayer had been said. This is a great opportunity to meet new people as one usually ate
with different people at each meal.
However, being part of the WELS family, it did not take long to make
connections, usually knowing someone who lived in the others area, or attended
school/ taught with relatives of an acquain-tance. The fellowship gives one a
“warm” feeling…a taste of heaven.
Saturday
evening is the Convention Banquet and Entertainment. This year in addition of the humorous skits by the National
Board, and the “2007 invitation” skit by the Michigan circuits, several ladies
from St John Congregation in Antigua sang for the group. It was the “first” convention for these
ladies.
We were part
of a group that journeyed to/from Tacoma via Amtrak to Seattle. Evergreen Lutheran High transported us
to/from Tacoma. Since we arrived on
Wednesday, we had an opportunity for a five hour bus tour to “the mountain” (Mt
Rainier) Thursday mid day before Opening Service of the Convention. We enjoyed our first train ride, as did most
of the group. Some talk on the way
home was of doing the same thing next year to Detroit.
How Can You Help?
The Building and Grounds
Committee would like to see two new committees
formed.
The
first is a garden committee. These people would take care of the flowers and
shrubs on the church property. This could be done on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly
basis. Green thumbs are not required.
The second
committee is a group of strong-backed people to help shovel snow this winter.
We have been blessed to have Harold do this for so many years. We feel it’s
time to give his back a rest. We would like to set up a weekly schedule of two
names that would be responsible for snow shoveling for that particular week. We
hope to set up a similar schedule for lawn mowing next year. If you are
interested in either of these committees, let Joel Meier know.
Coming in September, a Saturday workday to prepare
the church for winter.
New Members Needed
Mt. Olive
Altar Guild is recruiting new members. In the last year we went from 9 to 6
year-round members, plus our 1 summer-only member.
We
currently perform guild duties on a monthly rotation, and we try to pair up
members as often as possible. If you would like to serve the Lord and the Mt.
Olive congregation by offering your time and talents in this area, please
contact Linda Petersen, lkp@cnaengineers.com;
651-636-1073.
We are
planning to have a kick-off meeting for current and new members on Thursday,
September 21, 2006 at 7:00pm. If we have enough members we can lighten the
duties for everyone involved. Please consider this important service. If you
have questions about what Altar Guild membership means, please feel free to ask
any of the current guild members: Linda Petersen, Marlene Struwe, Pam Folkens,
Mary Holen, Rita Kruschwitz (summer member), Karl Mueller, and Liberty
Belter. Many hands make light work!
Camp Croix Weekend
All
members and friends of Mount Olive are invited to our annual fellowship outing
at Camp Croix. This year it is from
Sept. 8-10, (the weekend after Labor Day).
The camp, located near Danbury, wisconsin,
is about a two-hour drive from the Twin Cities and has plenty of recreational
facilities. the cost per person for the weekend is $5.00 per night, and
the food expenses come to approximately $8.00.
Kids under confirmation age stay for free.
Please contact Marcia
ASAP and sign up. We need to have an
accurate count so we have enough food for everyone! this is a fun place and we wish you would all come
along! You are free to do as much or as
little as you like!
Come and spend a
weekend in the quiet woods of Northern Wisconsin along the shores of peaceful
Lake Rooney. Contact:
Marcia
Schuyler
651.748.0654
Schuylerzoo@aol.com
A Message From E. John In Antigua
(The exciting adventure of learning to live in a new
country…)
…Most of
my time is spent at school - seeing as I have less than 15 days to prepare to
teach 6th grade and get to know the faculty and all that... it takes a bit of
my time. Until this week - none of the
other teachers (except for one) have been at school all summer. That is their custom - take the summer off -
literally. A few of the teachers went
to some classes and further training - but the majority did not. Which is one reason why I am here. We are still two teachers short - 4th and
5th grade are without a teacher. We are
having a call meeting at church this Sunday to extend calls to two people. That was suppose to be taken care of in June
- but things move slowly here on the island.
I am blessed with a great school administrator - he has helped me out in
many areas already, such as my work permit.
To give
you a little taste of life here, after my diploma arrived I took it into the
Ministry of Education - the Chief Officer just needed to see my real diploma so
that she could sign a letter. I
received the diploma on Thursday, August 10th.
I took it in that day - she was too busy to look at it and I was told to
come back on Monday. I came back on
Monday with William (the School Admin.) we waited in the office for a while -
until she was ready to view my diploma.
It took all of two minutes for the secretary to take the diploma (still
in the mailing tube) into the office for the Chief to look at. When she came out - the diploma was still in
the tube - it takes me a while to roll it and place it back into the tube... I
am thinking she didn't even look at it, but anyway - then the secretary says -
"Give me until Wednesday to write the letter and have her sign
it." We tried to convince her to
have it ready by Tuesday - but no, Wed.
Today, William called - he was not going to stop in again until it was
ready - and sure enough it is not ready.
The secretary said it would be ready tomorrow morning. Now all she has to do is pull it up on her
computer and change the name and print it off and have the Chief sign it. But I suppose something that simple takes
longer.
Now the
reason I need this letter from the Ministry of Education is so I can apply for
my work permit. After I apply for my
work permit I have to go to immigration and get a visa. We have a month to do this all in before our
temporary visa runs out - which will be on August 23rd. We have been trying to get this taken care
of since we moved here. I pray that all
the other paperwork does not take this long!
In order for us to get a bank account here we need to have a visa. In order for us to get our driver's licenses
we need to have a visa. We need a bank
account and a driver's license in order to buy a car. We need a car in order to shop and get around.
Who knew
that this island was so big! We thought
that we would be able to get by without a vehicle - wrong - the island is
rather large once you are on it. We
live in the hills so many things are just down the hill from us, but the roads
are not straight shots nor are they pedestrian friendly. We have been borrowing an SUV the Synod
owns. We have been driving since the
Cherneys left and things have been going all right - a little over heating now
and again, but nothing too major. On
Sunday we drove it to a beach - which we never got to. The SUV decided to stop running - while we
were on the road it just died. I had
enough momentum to pull over into a parking lot. We waited for about 20 minutes and then started it up again. We drove it back the way we came to a Texaco
gas station - which we had passed about 2 miles back. Before we got there it died again. But by the grace of God we got it into the parking lot. We sat there for a long time and got some
help from the locals. The engine
smelled like it was burning oil - so I bought a litre and dumped that in. Another guy came by and dumped two gallons
of water on the battery and engine. After
that we called one of the pastors and asked if he could come out and follow us
home, which he did, and the vehicle died two more times (one at an intersection
- and we had a group of men help us push it off the road.) Then on Monday we
took it into the shop. The mechanic
called on Monday evening and said it was ready. Tuesday he called back and had locked the key into the car! Josh and Andrew (the two pastors) have the
extra key and took it in while they were out visiting. Later we went to pick up some things from
the car thinking it was ready - but the engine was still in pieces - most of it
laying on the ground and a few pieces inside the car. Apparently he found more problems with it and is fixing it. We have been without a vehicle now for three
days. We were supposed to go grocery
shopping on Monday. Well that turned
out to be Tuesday - one of the church's vans was returned and we borrowed that. We still have it parked at our place, since
we have no idea when the SUV will be ready or how much it will cost.
In other
news - our shipment is on the island.
It arrived Monday. We still
haven't heard anything about when it will be delivered - since they couldn't
find any paperwork to go along with our shipment. Who knows how long that will take. It worked out that our shipment and the Johnston’s (the new
pastor) were actually placed into the same container. which slowed down the process a bit. Their stuff was loaded and brought from Wisconsin to Minnesota
and then our stuff was loaded in MN.
From there it was sent to a port.
The company here asked if we knew who's stuff was in the front - but we
don't have any idea - since it was packed at a warehouse onto the container in
MN. Now the big question is - where
will it be delivered first? They live
about 20 minutes away on the north side of the island. They also have fewer things than we do - so
the company is hoping that their stuff can be unloaded first - which we have to
do ourselves - then they will move it to our house. But we have to wait for the customs officer to unseal the
container before anybody figures out where our stuff is! But one good thing about our shipment not
being here - we are having the inside of our house painted - and it is really
easy for the painter since we don't have much in there yet. We need to have the outside painted too, but
that will be another time. One thing at
a time.
Tomorrow
I have my first in-service with the teachers (at least the ones who we
have...). It will be interesting and
challenging and fun!
I may
not get a chance to write for a while - sorry about that. But I am sure Alex will keep you informed!
E. John
The Lutheran Home Association
Recent updates from the Board of Directors
The Board
of Directors met in late July. They heard the Quality First report from
the River Falls Campus which was extremely positive. Quality First is a
national quality improvement project which we are participating in at every
location in concert with the American Association of Homes and Services for the
Aging. The Board also reviewed the resident satisfaction survey results and
other trends from throughout TLHA.
Financial
trends for most locations were reported as positive. Year to date, the
ministry still has a positive financial margin.
The following resolutions were approved:
· Directed
the president to negotiate terms for a tax exempt bond issue for the financing
of a 45 unit senior housing and 36 unit assisted living at the Belle Plaine
campus and to not exceed $15,500,000.
· Directed
the president to negotiate terms for a tax exempt bond issue for a 36 unit
assisted living facility at Watertown, Wisconsin, and to not exceed $6,000,000.
· Authorized
the sale of the former Kids Care Too day care house and its removal from the
Belle Plaine campus effective September 29, 2006.
· Appointed
Mr. Brian Koch to the Investment Committee. Mr. Koch serves as a
financial investor for WELLS FARGO, in Mankato, Minnesota. His appointment
takes effect immediately. Mr. Koch is a member of Mt. Olive in Mankato.
· Appointed
the pastors on the Board to serve on a short term ad hoc committee with Rev.
Dallas Miller, Director of Spiritual Services; Therese Kaletka, Director of
Human Resources; and the president for the study of future chaplaincy and JCM
positions and Calling procedures.
In
addition, a report was given regarding goals for re-development at the River
Falls and Fountain City campuses and improvements for Mankato. The Finance
Committee also reported on the budget process and board approval timelines.
The Kids
Care Too child daycare program at The Lutheran Home Campus in Belle Plaine will
no longer be providing services effective Friday, September 29, 2006. The staff
will continue to be available for child care needs up to the effective closure
date. Families using this service are
being provided resources to assist them in finding other daycare providers.
The
campus is in a period of transition as it continues to expand its programs and
services. The land whereon the daycare is currently located (815 West Main
Street) is where the apartments for independent seniors and the assisted living
services will be built. The Lutheran Home Campus does not have plans to rebuild
the child daycare at this time. Attempts were made to move the daycare
elsewhere in the community; unfortunately, these attempts were not
successful.
Kids
Care Too has been a part of The Lutheran Home Campus since January of 2001.
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
A Big Thank You
Our
sincere thanks to Chuck and Marlene Semling for hosting the summer outing at
their lake home for our congregation and friends. The day was enjoyed by
the many who attended. A look at the
pictures on page 9 make it clear that the beauty of the lake, the sunshine, the
pontoon rides and the hospitality of our hosts, all made the day special.
It was
also a pleasure to welcome our newlyweds Nell and Dean Mahlke, by sharing a
lovely wedding cake for them.
Thanks
Marlene and Chuck Semling. We appreciate and love you!
Marcella Voss, Mt
Olive Women's Guild, and the Congregation
Sunday School
News & Notes
Sunday School begins on September
17th. We expect to have a class of 3 and 4 year olds, a 1st and 2nd grade
class, a 3rd and 4th grade class, a 5th and 6th grade class and a 7th and 8th
grade class. We are still in need of teachers for these groups.
We will be using a new curriculum
this fall called "Growing in Christ" published by Concordia. It
begins with the Old Testament lessons and switches to the New Testament in
November. This is a fresh new approach to the wonderful truths found in
Scripture so we are eager to begin to teach it.
Our theme this year is found in
Galatians 5:25 where Paul writes, "Since we live by the Spirit, let
us keep in step with the Spirit."
We will stress walking with the Spirit and demonstrating the fruits of
walking with the Spirit in our daily lives.
As our mission this year, we will
support the work being done in our names in Antigua. We have a direct
connection with this mission through Alex and E. John and hope to have the
children write to children of our mission in Antigua during the year. The offerings that we collect will go to
support the work being done in Antigua.
We look forward to seeing all of
the children and their parents on September 17th for our worship service and
the first session of Sunday School. It will be great to grow in Christ
together!
Into God’s Word
The summer is over…kids are
going back to school…activities are starting up again at church…. Septem-ber is
a great time to begin something new. How about really making an effort to get
to know what God says in the Bible? Right now is the perfect time to GET
IN THE WORD!
“How
can I get in the Word?” you might ask. Try a small-group Bible study! Mt. Olive
has several for you to choose from.
Here are two of them:
Who: Beautiful
Feet (young adults in their 20s, 30s, and 40s)
When: Every
Monday at 7:00 p.m. (these weekly meetings are a change from the previous
schedule)
Where: Mt.
Olive Fireside room
What: New
Testament overview
Who: More
than Rubies (young women in their 20s and 30s)
When: The 2nd
and 4th Tuesdays of every month
Where: Keri’s
apartment in St. Paul
What: Second
Corinthians
Contact: Keri
at 651-488-2362
Summer is over and the new fall
season has begun. I hope that we are ready for another year of
friendship, fellowship and lunch together. We will continue to have topic
studies, carry on the work of the congregation and support our charities. Our
first meeting will be Thursday, September 7, at 12:00 noon and our hostess will
be Rita K.
I
hope to see you all there!
Treasurer's Report
There is much to be thankful for in July. First, we were able to send $3,000.00 to
synod. That cut in half the amount we
pledged to give but so far were unable to accomplish. As of July 31 we still
owe $3,500.00 on our commitment to synod. We still have some catching up to do
before fall, but if August is as good a month as July, our goals can be met.
The
second bright spot is that we remitted $2,159.32 to SCLHS.
Please continue to pray and allow the Holy Spirit to encourage generous
giving to further God's work both here and to others.