FLASHLIGHT. From the President s Pen. Please share the Flashlight with others in your LWMLC society and church.

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1 PAGE 1 A B C D I S T R I C T L U T H E R A N W O M E N S MIS S I O N A R Y L E A G U E C A N A D A I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : From The President s Pen 1 Pastoral Counsellor 2 Member Development 2 Christian Growth 3 Mission Updates 5 Zone News 9 Please share the Flashlight with others in your LWMLC society and church. Submission deadline for the next edition is May 15, FLASHLIGHT V O L U M E 2 8 N O. 2 From the President s Pen J A N U A R Y Happy New Year! To Everyone as we begin 2018! Remember how at midnight of 1999 all technology was going to crash and all data and files would be lost, all those years of record keeping, gone, never to be recovered even if backed-up. Yes, everything we work so hard to obtain all that Stuff gone in a flash. We saw that happen multiple times this year with all the catastrophes around the world fires, floods etc., nothing is a sure thing and nothing lasts forever. The saying is There are only two things guaranteed in life - death and taxes. Well, I can think of a 3 rd Eternal Life by the Grace of God and our Faith in the Triune God. It is the most precious and everlasting one, no matter what the circumstances given us. In knowing that and by developing a relationship with God, gives one a peace of mind and contentment, that all that stuff cannot provide. My prayer for each of you this year is that your walk with God will become stronger each day and God would Bless each of you abundantly as you Live and Share His Good News. This past October the LWMLC ABC District Board had the privilege of being hosted by the Leduc, AB Society. We held our meetings in the church and they served us delicious foods and then members of their society and congregation very generously billeted us. THANK YOU to everyone for your kindness and generosity. During the meetings we reviewed and discussed the LWMLC New Structure Proposal, challenging the changes and cut-backs and the implications that might develop from restructuring or not restructuring. The time spent left everyone feeling better informed and I believe comfortable with the proposal. LWMLC and its membership will only be as strong as the members make it, and that has always and will always depend on the participation and contributions of each member. Excitement and commitment multiplies, and what better way than serving our Lord and Saviour and caring for his children. Cut-backs, restructuring and changes in life happen every day, from the minute we rise in the morning until our head hits the pillow at night. Let s give it to God in Prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts and minds and that we would do His Will to the best of our ability. I would like to encourage each member of the LWMLC ABC District, to prayerfully consider attending our LWML-Canada Convention in Winnipeg, July 5-8, Be checking for fight sales and stay 2-4 in a room (cuts down costs pretty fast)! Then we have a Bonus we will also be celebrating LWML-Canada s 25 th Anniversary, how exciting is that!! Remember the Anniversary Committee is encouraging and inviting everyone to wear shades of Blue and/or white to the Banquet Celebrations and even for the entire week-end if you should so wish!! The Anniversary Committee is still seeking out pictures or items of any LWML-Canada Conventions or activities (only Canada functions, not District, Zone or Society at this time) to be displayed at convention. They can be sent to myself or call me with any questions you may have is going to be a Great Year for the members of LWML-Canada, so make that commitment and be a warrior for our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. God's peace, love and joy, Linda Horton "Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together."... Psalm 34:3

2 Pastor Darren Dressler New Year New Look Backwards? PAGE 2 Whether you decide to get a gym membership, buy some exercise equipment, or just improve your diet, the New Year is often filled with optimism that things can get better. Or optimism that they will get better. Or optimism that they will simply be better than the previous year because the previous year was really bad. Optimism, however, is not the same as hope. Optimism is rooted in the confidence that the future will be better than the past. Optimism is dependent on concrete changes and improvements. As nice as that would be, we know life doesn t always work out like that. But where optimism fails, hope sees us through. For hope is the trust that God will fulfill God s promises in a way that leads and guides and directs us to freedom and joy. Things don t need to get better to maintain hope. They can even get worse without losing hope. For hope rests on faith faith in a God who enters into our lives to provide help and healing from within. That kind of faith doesn t make things work out any better necessarily, but it helps us get through the many challenges life throws our way. The philosopher Soren Kierkegaard said, Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. Yes, we can only live our lives forward into 2018 and all that it will contain. But we do so with a hope informed by the past. We Christians are a backwards-looking kind of people. We gather together to look backwards because our faith and our lives are understood as we look backwards. We see the entry of Christ into our world, his death, his resurrection, his ascension. We see the spread of the Gospel and the growth of the Church. And we see our own Baptism, our own encounters with God s word and teaching, and our own reception of Jesus body and blood. All of these events are in the past. And we do well to continue to remember them, ponder them, and reflect upon them, even as we move into the future. When we know the God who has encountered us in the past, we are given freedom and hope to live into the future. It is a future we can t fully anticipate, even if there are indicators of how things might go. It is a future where we don t fully know what we will have to face, but we might have an idea. And it is a future that will have many familiar things, but many new things, too. We might be tempted to close ourselves off from such an unknown future out of fear or worry that it won t work out well. But that would be to ditch hope. That would be to forget the God that goes with us into the future a future where we are invited to have open hearts and minds to the people and events we will encounter. And it is a future where we will continue to be invited to grow in knowing Jesus and the great and wonderful depths of his love for us. I can t think of a better future than that! I wish you a blessed 2018! VP Member Development - Penny Bobier Are You Ready to Celebrate? You may think this is a silly question since we just celebrated the birth of our Lord and Saviour. We in LWMLC have more to celebrate! Thanks be to God for the 25 years He has blessed us! Did your society celebrate LWMLC Sunday? I hope you were able to share with your congregation the wonderful ways LWMLC has been Called to Serve. Did you use one of the videos from the LWMLC website at lutheranwomen.ca/resources/other-resources/videos? Did you have a special display? Did you use your hands to work for Him, your feet to go on His errands, your voice to sing His praises, your lips to proclaim His redeeming love, your silver and your gold to extend His kingdom, your will to do His will, and every power of your life to the great task of bringing the lost and erring into eternal fellowship with Him? I hope you did and that through you others will know God s Grace and Love. On June 20, 2018, LWMLC will be 25. Have you chosen how you will celebrate this special day? If you are looking for ideas, check out the 25 ways to celebrate at ways-to-celebrate_lowres.pdf From July 5-8 you can join your Canadian Sisters in Christ in Winnipeg, MB to continue that celebration at the (Continued on page 3)

3 PAGE 3 10 th National LWMLC Convention. Details can be found at As we continue into the season of Lent we will be prepared to Celebrate our Risen Lord. Some Christians give up things for Lent, usually things that we like but really aren t good for us. Rather than give things up, why don t we prepare for the Easter celebration by taking things on? Oh, I know we are already too busy with all that we do. But are we too busy to be in God s word? Maybe extra bible readings and studies is just what we need to slow us down. Remember Jesus words to Martha in Luke 10 v41? but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better. Through our reading and studying of God s Word, we will indeed see many examples of how we can Equip, Motivate and Encourage our sisters in Christ whether they are LWMLC members or not. Have you invited women in your congregation, young or old, to join you in your LWMLC activities? Does your society: Have a prayer pal program? Have you thought about adding ladies from the congregation to your prayer pal list? Some LWMLC societies gave each member a group of prayer pals from the congregation then in September of the year they invited them to a Ladies Night where the LWMLC ladies provided food, fun and fellowship. VP Christian Growth - Irene Kaun Enjoy crafts? Host a craft day once a month or weekly where you can work on quilts or other crafts that can be used for mission projects, make sure you invite other women young and old to come; maybe they have something of their own to work on as well. The idea is to enjoy each other s company and share God s love with others. Don t forget to ask your pastor to have the items you are sending out dedicated to Gods glory! Purchase Tapestries? Have you thought about purchasing extra copies to share with the congregation or the large print edition to share with the elderly or shut in ladies? You could also pass on your Tapestry to another woman in your congregation or a society member who is not currently receiving one. No matter how you choose to answer your Call to Serve, to Encourage-Equip-Motivate the women in your congregation; have fun! Ecclesiastes 3:12 says I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. May God Grant you much joy as you celebrate all He has given you! The Christmas events have taken place, the tree and decorations have been packed away and we have again, special memories of God's goodness. There are so many special visual aids, sounds, smell and touches in our lives. God's Creation is with us all the time. There are changes but the Word tells us that He never changes. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever Hebrews 13:8. We are thankful that we can gather together in Worship Services. Mt. Zion Lutheran Church, Cranbrook has a mural on the wall in the Sanctuary of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, The artist was Enzo Fantuz. He died, and we remember him as a brother in Christ who had a gift in art! --- My father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from. me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. Matt. 26:39. Take time to read the entire chapter and it will give you a picture of what a crucial time of prayer is in this reading and hopefully, will give you the encouragement and promise of God's plan. He never forsakes us, intercedes for us and His goodness prevails. There are various ways to witness; visual aides are results of God's love and goodness. Two new resources on the internet are; The Bible - our Guide, by Roberta Nixon and Epiphany; Season of Promise, (Devotion based on Matthew 2; by Gail Mitchell. Please remember to share with those that do not have internet. Besides reference to the above references to the joys of living is laughter. It is a wonderful gift to hear laughter, to laugh with someone and to see humour in a situation. Laughter can be healing. Smiles are contagious. Tears of joy, of sadness can be healing and shared. God gives us friends to share with. It is good to sing, eat, hug, pray and fellowship with those that are in our lives. Let us be inclusive in our friendship to all those we meet. We have a relationship with Jesus who equips us with leaders, co-workers in His Kingdom to share His goodness. May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant; brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep' equip you with everything good for doing his will and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Hebrews. 13; 20, 21. In His grace, love, and joy, Thankful for His goodness, Irene Kaun

4 PAGE 4 A Prayer for the Season of Emmanuel God is With Us (Matt. 1:23) Creator of our searching souls and being, Jesus, healer of all hurts and all suffering Holy Spirit giver of all peace and believing I ask you, humbly ask you, for assurance Build up in me, faith and trust in you, For, with you, I know everything is possible I ask that you protect me, Mighty God Show me your love, forgive me, Bring me near, my Jesus, and my friend Fill me with your comfort Let me sense your presence Raise up in me your courage and your strength Restore me in my inmost being Fill me with your healing, gentle healing, So that I may be made whole and free to stand Remove the burdens from me, Lord Those I cannot carry any longer, Repentant, I give them all away, I give them up Walk with me on this road of life, beside me, Catch me if I stumble, Lift me up again, if I should fall Let my heart be filled with peace and praise Until the broken pieces of these days, Display again a picture puzzle Of all your great miraculous kind ways Thank you that you care so much for me. Thank you that you live eternally Father, Saviour, Spirit, one in three, Thank You As you reveal your works to me And I confess your constant help, from Thee As consolation comes and joy returns Let me always be Your servant May I evermore be singing of your mercy Proclaiming forgiveness, rest and joy in you, Patient hopeful waiting for each future blessing as again you truly reveal the truth to me. Submitted by Bonnie Heumann Christian Growth Committee Member News to be shared in the Flashlight, Tapestry and online Sharing news about what your society or zone are doing helps others see the fellowship and opportunities to serve our Lord that are available through LWMLC. Send news and photographs for the Flashlight to Jane Huber, your district editor and for Tapestry and online to vice-president, communication, Gail Mitchell, vpcommunication@lutheranwomen.ca.

5 Mission Updates PAGE 5 King s Kidz Christian Preschool King s Kidz Christian Preschool is a ministry of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Edmonton. We are a small non-profit preschool and run a Christian program for 3 and 4 year-old children five mornings per week. The Lord has blessed us immensely with thirty-two students registered in our program this year, and three Julie Friesen instructing children during music class or books celebrating Jesus birth encourage families to share faith at home. This enables us to not only share God s word in our classroom, but share His love with others within our preschool community. We feel truly blessed to be able to minister to these little children, and are thankful for the ongoing support of the Lutheran community and the ABC District. L to R: Jeanette Stern (Concordia Zone Rep.), presenting cheque to Julie Friesen (Preschool Administrator), and Lindsay Orrell (Classroom teacher) Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Prov. 22:6 staff members who thoroughly enjoy working with little ones and teaching them about Jesus our Saviour, the Bible and God s love. We are extremely grateful for the school grant that has been presented to our preschool by the ABC District. With these funds we have the opportunity to further expand our curriculum with Christian Sunday school resources, books, toys, crafts. These resources allow children to learn and become familiar with the Christian stories and themes we are teaching each day through their play, activities and interactions at preschool. We are also able to use these funds to send home activities with our students that children can do with their families. This supports our desire to continue our ministry beyond our classroom and into our student's homes. Activities related to advent or lent for example, Students participating in arts and crafts

6 Parkland Mission Opportunity Presentation PAGE 6 Fay Schatschneider, President of Parkland Zone LWMLC, on behalf of the ABC District LWMLC presented Melanie Kuhn on behalf of Pastor Mike Kuhn at King of Kings L.C. a check for $ from the Mission Opportunity was given towards the construction of a building to house a library in Galim. Pastor Mike & Kara Kuhn are serving with Lutheran Bible Translators. Fay Schatschneider, President of Parkland Zone LWMLC, on behalf of the ABC District LWMLC presented Bronwyn Kure a check for $ for the 2016 Post-Secondary Student Bursary at King of Kings Lutheran Church Dec. 25. L to R: Fay Schatschneider, President of Parkland Zone LWMLC, on behalf of the ABC District LWMLC presented Melanie Kuhn on behalf of Pastor Mike Kuhn at King of Kings Lutheran Church a check for $ To the LWMLC ABC District Ladies, Thank you so much for your financial support! Earning enough money to pay for school and living expenses can be stressful and distracts from school. With the money you have given me I will be able to pay for rent in February and can use all the money I make that month to pay off one of my student loans! God is so good to us. Not only has he shown us his love for us on the cross and given us freedom and joy in life and death, but he also provides for our physical needs. Thank you for your generosity. Best, Bronwyn On January 7 Amy Davis, Play School Teacher of Immanuel Lutheran Playschool Rocky Mountain House was presented a $ cheque for the Playschool from ABC LWML-Canada by Fay Schatschneider, Parkland Zone LWMLC President.

7 PAGE 7 Dear Deborah, Dec. 5, 2017 Thank you to LWMLC ABC District and the Christian Mission Committee for sending the generous grant of $2, for our Full Accessible Communication between Deaf and Hearing Mission project. This is a true blessing to our Faith growing relationship with our deaf and hearing LWMLC sisters. L to R: Dawn Loyie and Jean Gettle. Jean Gettle (LWMLC ABC District Christian Mission Committee Member) presenting the cheque to Dawn Loyie, on behalf of Deaf Interpreters, the members of Trinity L.C. of the Deaf LWMLC Richmond at St. Paul s L.C. Chilliwack, Nov Jean Gettle presented the cheque to Patti Jenkins, TLCD LWMLC Society President at our Fraser Valley Zone Fall Renewal, held Nov. 4, 2017 at St. Paul s in Chilliwack. Regretfully, due to no available Deaf Interpreters, the members of Trinity L.C. of the Deaf LWMLC were unable to attend and participate. Jean Gettle presented the cheque to me, on their behalf at the end of our Service. Rosalind Plumtree photographed the event. In the New Year, our Fraser Valley Zone Advisory (Jan 13/18) and Executive (Feb 24/18) Committees plan to meet once again regarding our Spring Renewal (Apr 14/18) at Trinity, Abbotsford, BC. Our TLCD LWMLC ladies are partnered with us in planning these events together. With grateful hearts, we acknowledge the LWMLC ABC District with making this possible. May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 115:15 Sharing the joy of Christmas and praying you re happy and blessed, Dawn Loyie Fraser Valley Zone Treasurer SPRING EVENTS Saturday April 28, 2018 Saviour Lutheran Church Society 9am - 1pm St Delta, BC P: Workshop Topic - Frauds and Scams (COSCO Senior's Health and Wellness Institute) $5 Includes muffins, refreshments and soup lunch An offering will be taken for the diaconate program. Saturday May 5, 2018 Redeemer Lutheran Church Society Ave N, Creston, BC P: PARKLAND ZONE LWMLC SPRING RETREAT 4H CENTRE, WESTEROSE April 27 29, 2018 S. O. A. R. 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:28-31 COST OF WEEKEND $ per person GUEST SPEAKER: GRACE FOX FUND RAISING AUCTION SON & FUN, SURPRISES & PRIZES, FELLOWSHIP, SINGING Contact Fay Schatschneider fcsegs@gmail.com for more information.

8 PAGE 8 Please remember to renew your Tapestry subscription in April. LWMLC National Convention July 5-8, 2018 Delta Hotel 350 St. Mary s Ave Winnipeg MB L to R: Deanna Hautz & Jean Gettle. Jean Gettle (LWMLC ABC District Christian Mission Committee Member) presenting Deanna Hautz (ABC District Ministry Wives Retreat Chair ) with a cheque in the amount of $ for the Ministry Wives Retreats in Registration forms will be available beginning in March.

9 Zone News PAGE 9 Vancouver Island Zone Fall Meeting Election of officers, delegate and alternate for the National Convention in July 2018 On November 4, 2017 the Vancouver Island Zone of LWML-Canada met in Port Alberni, B.C. at Grace Lutheran Church. Members attended from Courtenay, Port Alberni and Nanaimo. We were happy to welcome guests from Port Alberni, Williams Lake and Parksville, as well. The theme of the meeting was Faithful Women of the Word and the theme verse was from Hebrews 12:1-2...a great cloud of witnesses In closing, Pastor Platz led us in an All Saints Day Celebration Worship Service with Holy Communion. During the Communion Service each society read out the names of women of their society that have gone to be with Jesus. Societies that could not attend had sent their lists of departed members and these were also read out. We were a small group, but everyone there enjoyed the fellowship and opportunity to worship together. L to R: Joanne Phillips, Shirley Besler, and Diana Patterson shown with the ingathering that was taken After the Opening Devotion, we watched the Video: Katie Luther: The Morning Star of Wittenberg. Then, we had our business meeting to elect new officers of our zone and a delegate and alternate for the convention in July Following the business meeting we had the ingathering of hygiene items, toques, scarves, and socks for a local outreach program to the homeless. Diana Patterson, who operates the program came to have lunch with us. She shared a bit about the program and picked up the items. After lunch, we spend some time discussing the Proposed Restructuring Documents. Pastor Kevin Platz and Joanne Phillips Installation of Joanne as Secretary-Treasurer for the Zone Editorial Corrections from Flashlight October 2017 Page 5 - photo caption should have read Doris Dahl not Doris Day Page 6 - author Shirley Fast is from Hope LWMLC, Port Coquitlam not Victoria

10 PAGE 10 Fraser Valley Fall Event On November 4, 2017, thirty-nine ladies from Fraser Valley Zone were welcomed to the Fall Rally at St Paul s L.C., Chilliwack, B.C. The theme for the day was "Encouragement in our Faith, Action, Love and Living. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. The morning began with a short business meeting, delegates for 2018 National Convention were selected, Marge Temple - delegate and Linda Schiefke - alternate. Societies were encouraged to submit names for Young Women s Representatives. The guest speaker, Rev. Dr. Steven Harold was introduced. His much-welcomed message was on Who Needs Encouragement. 1. Our need for encouragement, Phil. 2: Barnabas, the Encourager, Acts 4:36-37, Acts 9:26-27: Acts 11: Jesus, our encourager. Phil. 2:5 L to R: Dawn Loyie - F.V.Treasurer and Jean Gettle - Christian Mission ABC District. Jean Gettle presented a mission grant installment of $2,500 for Full and Accessible Communication between Deaf and Hearing, enabling the LWMLC from Trinity L.C. of the Deaf to participate in Fraser Valley Zone activities. Communion service was celebrated after a lovely soup and sandwich lunch served by the ladies of St. Paul s. Cards of encouragement were prepared to accompany ingathering gifts of clothing and household goods for Cyrus Centre, Chilliwack, an outreach for young men and women at risk Rev. Dr. Steven Harold LWMLC ladies from Trinity L.C., Abbotsford, invited all to Spring Renewal to be held April 14, Summitted by Shirley Wisdahl Fraser Valley Communication

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