Mark Your Calendar* Bigger Than Me. Fall 2018 Messenger Quarterly Newsletter of Nazareth Evangelical Lutheran Church

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1 Fall 2018 Messenger Quarterly Newsletter of Nazareth Evangelical Lutheran Church Mark Your Calendar* AUGUST August 23: BASIC Kick-Off and Party on the Lawn - Lang Hall - 8:00 p.m. August 24: BASIC Freshmen Event - Lawther Field - 6:00 p.m. August 26: PreK KidzRock Orientation - Rm :00 a.m. August 26: Free College Lunch - Gallagher Bluedorn - 12:00 p.m. August 26: Nazareth Picnic from 5:00-7:00 p.m. August 29: Nazareth Choir and Carillon Ringers Fall Kick Off August 29: Confirmation Orientations (8th/9th - 6:00 p.m., 7th - 7:00 p.m.) August 29: Back to BIGhouse Bash - Orchard Hill Church - 6:30 p.m. August 30: Outdoor BASIC - Lang Hall - 8:00 p.m. SEPTEMBER September 5: Nazareth Choir and Carillon Ringer Rehearsals Begin September 5: CHAOS Kick-Off - Naz Gym/Bethel Hall - 6:30 p.m. September 9: KidzRock and Confirmation Begin - 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. September 9: Financial Peace University Begins - 6:00 p.m. September 9: Alpha Sundays Kick Off September 10-12: Okoboji Elderversity Camp September 11: Church Council Meeting September 12: Alpha Wednesdays Kick Off September 12: Family Meal, WOW and JUMP56 Begin OCTOBER October 9: Church Council Meeting October 20: CHAOS Parent/Small Group Leader Breakfast - 8:30 a.m. NOVEMBER November 9-11: Fall Recharge at Riverside Bible Camp November 13: Church Council Meeting *Check out our website for updates throughout the fall! Bigger Than Me There are many reasons why people travel to Des Moines to attend the Iowa State Fair during the month of August each year: the entertaining evening concerts, the Bill Riley Talent Search, the countless fair exhibits, and (especially) the abundance of tasty food. Recently, Tricia Welter shared with me why she and many members of her family are going to be at the State Fair this year. They will be receiving a certificate signifying that they have a Sesquicentennial (150 year) family farm! A legacy like this cannot be centered on one person. It has taken the dreams, work and sacrifice of multiple generations; and that is why many members of the family will be present when the award is given at the fair. Likewise, one s faith and church family is bigger than me. In the scriptures, Christ followers are called the body of Christ, not the church of me. I observed this truth on Marathon Monday, as over 100 volunteers (from 8 to 80+) gathered to pack school and health kits and to sew quilts. Many of the participants were parents and grandparents who were joined by children and grandchildren living into a vision that was bigger than me as we centered our minds on Christ and worked together to be Christ s compassionate expressions of care to people we will never meet. In a culture and society that seeks to segregate people into stereotypes and age groups, we at Nazareth dare to paddle upstream in the name of Jesus to affirm in word and in action the Biblical truth that we need each other. Together as Christ s body in the world, we affirm the enduring legacy that the vision the Lord has given to His people is bigger than me: it is a community (young and old) gathered around Christ, celebrating each other and serving for the sake of others. In Christ, Pastor Denny Hanson

2 CELEBRATIONS Marathon Monday: We want to thank the Nazareth congregation for your donations of time, money and items for Marathon Monday! Because of you, we were able to complete 700 school kits and 351 health kits for Lutheran World Relief in addition to numerous quilts. Thank you for helping to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the multitudes of people in need of the items you helped to assemble and pack on Marathon Monday! We also want to thank the Nazareth Mission Committee and Thrivent for their generous financial assistance to help make Marathon Monday a success! Mission Action Co-Chairs Nazareth Women of the ELCA Junior High Ministry Updates: Here are some summer highlights from our Junior High Ministry Team: Each Wednesday this summer, we hosted an Armor of God Bible Study created by Priscilla Shirer. We had a blast diving into scripture, memorizing the Beatitudes, enjoying Icees, and building community with one another! On July 18th, CHAOS hosted our Incoming 7th Grade Event. 52 seventh graders and several leaders enjoyed a fun-filled day including: Escape Rooms at Naz, Get Air, walking tacos, a movie at Marcus Theaters, spiritual devotions, and a paintball/water balloon fight to wrap up our day! Kristin Sauerbrei is Nazareth s new Co-Director of Junior High Ministries (along with Nikki Britzman). Kristin assumed this new role in June after having been a member of our Children s Ministry team. She says, As a Co-Director of Junior High Ministry, I look forward to the opportunity to help Jesus transform the lives of Junior High Students in multiple ways including Village Inn breakfast dates, Bible studies, attending sporting activities, Confirmation on Sunday mornings, and CHAOS (in partnership with Orchard Hill Church) on Wednesday nights. Welcome Kristin! Do you have a question for our Junior High Ministry staff? kristin.sauerbrei@naz.org or nikki.britzman@naz.org.

3 CELEBRATIONS VBS Update: VBS was fantastic! This year we spent the week experiencing the ride of a lifetime with God. Isaiah 43:2 says When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. The kids and volunteers found adventure, acceptance, joy, rest and peace on the river. Here are a few VBS fun facts: 370+ Preschoolers - 6th Graders attended VBS Total Volunteers participated. 90 Junior High Student Volunteers participated. 4 college students who wrote and performed the opening/ closing skits, as well as led the drama station. 11 worship team members who committed to showing the joy and love of Christ on and off stage. 6 kayaks were fundraised by the kiddos for the ministry of Riverside Bible Camp 2 continued NYAKA child sponsorships were supported, and decorations were made for residents at retirement homes. Here are a few things the VBS volunteers were saying: A child in my class who explained to me he didn t want to be at VBS later told me at the end he didn t want it to end! VBS changed his perspective on something so little as attending church for 2 hours for 5 days On Wednesday, the kids in our crew really seemed to begin to click with my co-leader and I. They were getting better at listening, but also about asking questions, and volunteering for tasks, to help out. It was cool to see them come together as a little community within the larger VBS, and invest in friendships where there hadn't been any. God helped to rebuild a lost friendship I had with someone they reached out for me to help them and now me and my friend have a better connection. Seeing all of the kids that come from other churches to take part in Naz VBS! What stuck out to me was the impact of a prayer from a 3rd grader during drama time when they thanked God for allowing us to keep going and keep trying even if we don t succeed. I started the week feeling far from God. By the end of the week I was much closer. I still need to let Him pull me closer still, but it is happening. I learned patience that even when things weren't perfect, or weren't going how I would have liked, patience and care to the kids, makes their experience of VBS and God's love that much more impacting. I had a great experience overall with the kids and it was cool that they were telling kids about Riverside and that they bought Kayaks for the camp with offering and I m going there on Sunday for Junior High week so it was awesome and that they are raising money for kids outside our borders. It was an awesome week. My grandchildren were changed from the experience.

4 CELEBRATIONS Caravan Update: This summer 118 students and 26 leaders traveled to Pensacola, FL for Caravan Each year an important part of Caravan are the relationships and friendships that are formed between students and leaders as everyone had fun on the beach and studied John 11 during our daily evening sessions. Many students took steps in their faith as they were honest and vulnerable during small groups and talked about what it means to wait on God and trust Him in the middle of hard times, to turn to Jesus with our disappointments and fight for an even now faith. The Caravan team celebrates many powerful moments experiencing God together through worship and studying scripture and wants to say a big thank you for all the prayer support that helps make this trip happen! One student shared that some highlights from the trip were Really deep small group conversations and opening up about things that I haven t shared with others, creating new relationships with people and experiencing worship in a whole new way through singing. One of the Caravan volunteer leaders shared that worship was always super powerful and there was one session where Jeff Mickey was talking about how Jesus gets angry and hates that we have to feel the hurt and pain that we do and that was a huge turning point for both me and my small group girls. Another leader shared that she appreciated the sense of community that was fostered in one week, it felt like a family and everyone belonged.

5 CELEBRATIONS BASIC/College-Age Update: This summer has been great for our College-Age community, BASIC! We hosted many opportunities for students to hang out & enjoy the summer together! First, we went to Chicago, IL to the Right Now Media Conference, and took some of our BASIC leaders and staff for a two day conference focusing on leadership in the church and beyond! We also hosted Backyard BASIC, the Decorah River Float, a Pella Day Trip (CAMPING INCLUDED), and a 3 day retreat at a cabin in Lake Hattie, Minnesota! We ve had a BUSY summer travelling all over the Midwest with students & staff, and are looking forward to another school year FULL of opportunities to meet new students, encourage our leaders, share in worship & teaching on a Thursday night, and serve beyond our walls! Worship and Music Update: Sturgis Falls: The worship team had a great time playing during the Sturgis Falls parade and spending that time with the many people who walked with us. It was a fantastic opportunity to share what God is doing in and through the people of Nazareth through the people of Nazareth. Thank you so much for your support! Ways to get involved: There are many ways to get involved on Sunday morning in our worship services. We are always looking for people who are interested in: ushering, serving Communion, reading Scripture, being instrumentalists and/or vocalists. Contact Jordan McDonald at jordan.mcdonald@naz.org or Nathaniel Parrish at nathaniel.parrish@naz.org for more information. Night of Worship: We had our first Night of Worship event last April It was a great time just to sit and rest in God s presence. This time was made up of worship through music and scripture, interactive prayer stations, and space to reflect. We hope to do the same thing this fall. Please be looking for that date to come soon.

6 FALL UPDATES CHAOS Junior High Wednesday Night Programming Drop off and pick up for CHAOS students is at Door #6. 6:15 // Door Open for Open Gym 6:30 // Welcome & Games in Gym 6:45 // Worship & Message in Bethel 7:30-8:00 // Small Groups 8:00-8:15 // Open Gym Student Registration: New this year! Registration is vital for the CHAOS team to keep track of important information regarding both parents and students. To register or find more information, please visit: cedarvalleystudents.org/chaos. Volunteers Needed! Come hang out with us! We would love for college-age folks or adults to invest in Junior High students through being small group leaders, feeding students pizza, or serving in a multitude of other ways. We would love to chat with you about how you can use your gifts to serve with us alongside these students! kristin.sauerbrei@naz.org or nikki.britzman@naz.org with questions. Make Music With Us! The Nazareth Choir and Carillon Ringers will resume rehearsals on Wednesday, September 5. Bell rehearsals are from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. in Room 207, and Choir rehearsals are from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Chapel. All singers and ringers interested in joining the teams are welcome to a fall kick-off picnic on Wednesday, August 29. Please contact Nathaniel Parrish at nathaniel.parrish@naz.org for more information. Alpha is coming to Nazareth this fall, and ALL NAZARETH COMMUNITY MEMBERS are invited to join! Alpha will be offered Sundays, September 9 to November 18 (9:20-10:30 a.m. or 5:45-7:30 p.m.) Wednesdays, September 12 to November 14 (5:45-7:30 p.m.) with a final celebration on Sunday, November 18. Please jenny.nelson@naz.org with questions or go to alpha.html to learn more or sign up. Be sure to invite others to join you! The Senior Fall Elderversity three-day retreat is set for September at Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camp in Milford, Iowa. The featured speaker will be Dave Welter, who will be giving four inspirational talks centered on the adventure he faced battling cancer and how he used God's Word as a guiding light. The camp will also include great food, fun and relaxation! Check out the brochures at the Naz Next Step counter, and invite a friend! Registration should be completed online at or by mailing in the brochure registration form. Rides will be given from Nazareth! For more information or to request a ride, please contact Pastor Denny at Financial Peace University: What if you knew where all of your money was going each month? What if you were debt-free, investing and making wise spending decisions? With Dave Ramsey s class Financial Peace University, you CAN take control of your money and start planning for your future. This class will be offered Sunday evenings, September 9 to November 4, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Register at via the Discipleship U link or stop by Naz Next Steps. The cost of this course is $109. With questions, jan.glaspie@naz.org. Fall Discipleship U classes and small groups will begin in September! At Nazareth, we desire for all people to make discipleship an ever-present part of their lives. With classes like Financial Peace University, Biblical Literacy, The Life-Giving Parent, Traveling Through Grief and more...we firmly believe there is a group that will be a great fit for you! Please take a look at the Discipleship U brochure located at Naz Next Steps or online at and get registered soon for the classes or groups God may be calling you to. You can register online or at Naz Next Steps. Be sure to invite a friend, family member, neighbor or coworker to join you! With questions, please contact Nazareth s Director of Discipleship, Jenny Nelson, at jenny.nelson@naz.org University Avenue Cedar Falls, IA info@naz.org Facebook: mynazareth Twitter: mynazchurch Instagram: mynazchurch