CALVARY LUTHERAN CHURCH

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1 TIDINGS 2015 CALVARY LUTHERAN CHURCH We are gearing up for the fall! Along with JaM and Epic starting up for our youth, we want you to know about and invite you to be a part of one or more of the studies taking place, both new and ongoing. The Women s Tuesday Noon Study meets weekly here at the Church (feel free to bring your lunch with you) and is studying the book of Exodus; the weekly Men s Study will return on September 8 th at 8:30 a.m. also here at the church. The men will be looking at the Book of Revelation from the Life Light study series. Any further questions contact Pastor Chris, at the office or (402) , or Glen Vandenberge Of course, there are also the ongoing Women s Circles which meet once a month check out the WELCA section in this newsletter for dates and times. New study opportunities are being put together as well. Nancy Steele will be leading a weekly Bible Study entitled The Complete Idiot s Guide to the Bible. This study will be on Wednesday Evenings at 6:30 p.m. starting September 9 th. On Sunday Mornings starting September 13th at 9 a.m., Pastors Chris and Sheryl will lead a study entitled Lutheran Trump Cards based on a little book by the same title. This 13 week study will look at various distinctively Lutheran ways of looking at grace, justification, vocation etc. This study will simplify big ideas and help give a sense of why we look at things the way we do as Christians from a Lutheran perspective. Also Pastor Sheryl will be starting a study on Spirituality entitled Exploring the Way: An Introduction to the Spiritual Journey on Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. beginning September 8th. This 7 week study will explore different spiritual practices that many have found helpful in deepening their faith. Each participant will be asked to not only attend the study, but to commit to daily bible reading and practice of each week s spiritual practice (approximately 30 minutes per day). If you are interested in this particular study, please sign up on the sheet in the narthex so that we can be sure to have a participant book available for you. Don t see a study that meets your needs or a time that works for you? Then feel free to talk with Pastors Sheryl or Chris about what studies you would like to see. Page 1

2 Ever watch a Maple tree drop its seeds? Back in Aurora we had two huge Maple trees. Every year they would drop their seed pods with little wings. They would twirl in the breeze until they landed somewhere on the ground below. The result was little maple trees in our lawn, our garden, all over the place. It was amazing how effective that method was in starting new little maples. The Maple produces the seeds and then lets them go, born on the whims of the wind. One wonders if Jesus could have used the Maple tree for his parable rather than the sower and the seeds, the point would be the same. AS the Maple tree casts its seed to the wind, so the sower, without regard to where the seed is sown. Like the Maple much of the seed that we sow falls close at hand and is nurtured and sustained by our protective shade if you will, but other seed goes forth without regard to where it falls. I like the Maple tree image better than the sower, because most of us relate to the modern day farmer. The modern farmer wouldn t dream of being so extravagant with his seed, that stuff costs a fortune! The modern day farmer dare not waste any of that precious seed. As Christians we are called to be extravagant with the seed that God has given us. We are called to spread the seed, cast it where ever and whenever. Why? Because the One who gives the seed says it will not return empty. So be a Maple tree! As fall approaches and we gather the seeds of harvest, remember that when we sow in God s kingdom, the world around us, let it go! What happens to that seed is not up to us, it s God s to decide and the real issue becomes do we trust God? Pastor Chris HOSPITALIZED? PLEASE LET US KNOW If you are hospitalized, please contact (or have a friend or family member contact) the church office and let us know so that we can visit and pray with you. Providing pastoral care is an important part of our ministry, however, we cannot visit if we don t know, so please don t hesitate to call or the church office, so that we can be there for you. Thanks! Pastors Sheryl and Chris Register now for the Women of the ELCA Twelfth Biennial Convention September First Lutheran Lincoln Key Note Speaker : Pastor Brigette Weier Associate Pastor of Youth and Household Ministry Lutheran Church of the Master in Lakewood, CO. Friday : Healing service with Bishop Brian Maas See Registration Form on page 5. Page 2

3 COUNCIL MINUTES SUMMARY August 10, 2015 Pastor Steve Meysing met with us to begin our Goal Setting process he stressed that we want to set no more than 3 goals with a rationale of each goal, how we will determine the progress of those goals, and a finish line for each goal. Pastor Meysing guided the council through brainstorming of some possible goals. The council will develop these goals at their August 30 th planning workshop. Financial Report was accepted as presented. Parish Ed: VBS shared expenses with First Methodist. We had 20 children plus many helpers. Angie also ran VBS the next morning with SOEC very well received. Rally Day Sunday- September 13 th. Received a thank you from the kids and sponsors for sending them to Detroit they came back changed people! Social Ministry: Habitat for Humanity last Saturday, August 8th had 12 people there to help. CROP Walk early October. God s Work-Our Hands on September 13 th trying to decide what we can do to help in the community open to suggestions. Sunday School with short service and move to the work site by 11:00 to work for a couple of hours. Trustees: Worked on the north Power Point projector (south screen). Have begun conversations about needing to replace the projectors seems like the picture quality is reduced. Condensers in the air conditioners in the Fellowship Hall may need to be replaced if it can t be repaired. They will have someone here this week to take a look at them and get an estimate. Communications: Star-Herald created a very nice ad for VBS brought in a couple of new people to VBS. Will invite them to join us for JaM in the fall. Elders: Met last Monday for Angie s evaluation she has lots of ideas for families, groups, and youth. Worship and Music: Work on updating the wedding policy. Will bring to council to be approved when completed. SOEC: July had 3 payrolls - $1,300 in the red for the month, but had enough in savings to cover the shortfall. $1,822 owed on their line of credit will be paid off out of their savings to save $50/ mo. Currently have 64 students enrolled. State guidelines require the daycare teachers have some college. Possible pay for some credit hours for the aides doing above average work to possibly get them moved up to qualify to become teachers in the daycare. Becky Jo will start attending the weekly staff meetings. Pastor Sheryl Feel like things are going well. Met last week with the Deacons, and next week with Stephen s Ministers. Next Council Meeting September 14, 2015 Devotions in September Bill Steele Meeting closed with The Lord s Prayer. Page 3

4 September Mission Project The WELCA project for September and October is the Cooperative Ministries Backpack Program. This program helps students in Scottsbluff and Gering Public Schools who might have a difficult time finding nourishing food on the weekends. Food items are sent home with children and youth over the weekends to help provide easy to fix food items for the student. Watch the Tidings each month for the food of the month needed, but the following items can be brought anytime: peanut butter (16 oz. jars) ramen noodles, Easy Mac Cups, juice boxes, canned meals with pop top lids, or pudding cups. The Women of the ELCA invite the congregation to participate in our monthly projects. NEW STUDIES BEGIN IN SEPTEMBER September through November, the women will begin a three session study called, Slow Faith. We will examine how the Kingdom of God moves slowly, yet we are asked to move with ever greater speed. Our first session is called Sabbath Keeping. Come and join one of the groups listed below for study and fellowship. Ruth Study Group Tuesday, Sept. 1st 9:00 a.m. Fellowship Hall Priscilla Study Group Tuesday, Sept.1st 7:30 p.m. Angie Hinze s home 615 Valley View Dr. Scottsbluff Hannah Study Group-Monday, Sept. 14th 7:00 p.m. Diane Vandenberge s home 1110 East 35th Street, Scottsbluff Esther Study Group Tuesday, Sept. 8th 9:00 a.m. Ruth Harris home 9 Brentwood Ct. Scottsbluff ANOTHER BIBLE STUDY OPPORTUNITY Each Tuesday at noon a group of women meet at the church to study scripture together. Currently we are studying Exodus. Each study may run anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks, depending on the study. Please consider joining us for a study and some great conversations.. All ladies are invited to join any of these groups. THE COMPLETE IDIOT S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE This study for adults will be held at Calvary beginning Wednesday, September 9th at 6:30 p.m. This study will take a look at how the Bible came to be, will take us on a chronological story-by-story and person-by-person exploration of both the Old and New Testament, and take a look at the similarities and differences between the Bible, the Torah, and the Koran and their worshippers. We will take a look at why certain Christian groups argue over the validity of different bible translations and look at material on the Apocrypha (16 books that do not appear in most Bibles) and other controversial texts. If you are interested in this study, please contact Nancy Steele at Page 4

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6 Stephen Ministers are SENT Stephen Ministers receive 50 hours of training in order to minister to people in crisis or need. With the help of the Pastors and the Stephen Leader, people are matched with a Stephen Minister. Through these relationships, the care receiver gets distinctively Christin care. For as 1 Corinthians 12:25-26 states: that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one members suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Contact Marsha Bueide ( ) or Nancy Steele ( ) to connect you with an available Stephen Minister from Calvary. If you are interested in becoming a Stephen Minister contact Marsha or Nancy. You can also go to to hear people share their stories about what it has meant to receive care from a Stephen Minister. Deadlines and Contact Information Calvary s Church Office Phone number: (308) or Contact the Office by at: Office@CalvaryELCA.org Send physical mail / offerings to: 17 E. 27 th Street, Scottsbluff, NE Pastor Chris:Kester Beyer (402) pastorchriskb@gmail.com Pastor Sheryl:Kester Beyer (402) pastorsherylkb@gmail.com Pastors home phone: (308) Youth & Family Ministry/ Dir. Angie Hinze contact info: or at the Church office. Youth@CalvaryELCA.org or Angie@CalvaryELCA.org Nancy Steele, PMA: nancylsteele@embarqmail.com Deadline for weekly announcements is Wed. at 5 PM. Deadline for monthly Tidings Newsletter content is the 20 th of each calendar month. Please send your items to Noni in the church office. Find us on Facebook. NEW WEBSITE Website Update: Did you miss worship but would still like to see the announcements for the week or use the Taking Faith Homes inserts. Both are now available on our website. Go to and click on the worship tab. Page 9

7 Pastoral Care/Prayer Requests Continued prayer for healing and a return to good health: Mary Collins, Merna Bowman, Lila Birch, Lillian Blehm, David Boettcher, Kathy Johnson, Mark Chasek, Lynn Rathburn, Rodger Arethson, Joe Keefe. Condolences to: Larry and Linda Spomer death of Larry s brother-in-law Andi Dorn death of her mother, June. Mardi Larson death of her daughter, Lori If you have Prayer Requests, please contact: Nancy Steele through her nancylsteele@embarqmail.com THANK YOU! Calvary Members, On behalf of the Parish Education committee, I would like to extend a very hearty thank you to all of the members of Calvary for helping make our Mt. Everest VBS such a success! We could not have done it without all of your help in donations, volunteering, prayers, and constant support of our youth! We reached over 75 overcome challenges in our lives. It was a terrific week! In Christ, Angie SEPTEMBER Jackson Hinze 9/1 Brian Johnston 9/1 Myron Loseke 9/2 Kierra Miller 9/4 Hunter Miller 9/4 Olivia Michael 9/5 Harvey Bartel 9/5 Kent Holub 9/7 Bonni Tillman 9/7 Ruth Sturgeon 9/10 Sydney Hinze 9/11 Jackie Gregory 9/11 Hunter Christeleit 9/12 Aaron Martin 9/13 Angie Aguallo 9/13 Thelma Dutenhoeffer 9/14 Jacob Aguallo 9/15 Clare Schlothauer 9/19 Heidi Belgum 9/21 Austin Martin 9/21 Ayden Tompkins 9/23 BJ Peters 9/24 Wanda Quinn 9/26 Angie Hinze 9/30 Spencer Blomenkamp 9/30 Our youth raised $335 during VBS week for aid in Napal! DECEMBER Food Pantry and If we missed your birthday, please let the office know. ITEMS NEEDED FOR JAM! 9/9 Hot Dogs (2 dozen), strawberries, whipped cream, popsicles (1 box) 9/13--Vanilla ice cream for Root Beer floats 9/16--Tortillas (3 dozen), cucumbers (3), brownies 9/23-Hamburger buns (2 dozen), pickle spears, Rice Krispie Treats 9/30 Hamburger (browned-5 lbs.), shredded lettuce (1 lg. bag), shredded cheese (1 lg bag), salsa, bananas We ENCOURAGE every family of Calvary to participate and support our Food Pantry. The pantries provide important services to those in need and can really help aid those families who are less fortunate. This month the Food Pantry item is: SOUPS This month s Backpack Program item SMALL CEREALS OCTOBER items will be: CANNED FRUIT SOUPS Page 8

8 CALVARY YOUTH NEWS - SEPTEMBER JAM SEPTEMBER 9 Games in the Park! Hot dogs and chips! SEPTEMBER 16 Chalk Art and Outdoor Fun! Lunch Meat/Cheese Roll-Ups and chips SEPTEMBER 23 Handprint flower! Sloppy Joes and chips SEPTEMBER 30 BIBLE Baseball! Taco Salad! JAM starts on September 9th 6:00 Fellowship Hall This is for all kids ages 4 years through 6th grade. Please join us for dinner at 6 p.m. and then we will have devotions, music, crafts and fun activities until 7:30 p.m. Livvy Michael will be directing the chime Choir again this year! Students in grades 4-6 are invited to be a part of this amazing choir. Practice is a 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays. Anyone who would like to volunteer to help with JAM, please see Angie Hinze or call her at CALVARY SUNDAY SCHOOL Begins September 13-9:00-9:45 a.m.! We are bubbling over with joy for Jesus! Rally Sunday for ALL youth of Calvary! We will have songs, devotions, treats, and of course, bubbles! Sunday school will continue every Sunday! EPIC (grades 7-12) Fall Kick Off Event! - 9/27 We will plan it in Sunday School! Feel free to invite your friends to join us! Page 7 WE NEED SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS FOR OUR JAM KIDS! Angie will be meeting with the EPIC kids during the Sunday school time, so we PLEASE SEE PAGE 8 FOR ITEMS NEEDED FOR JAM!

9 The Tidings Newsletter CALVARY LUTHERAN CHURCH ELCA NON PROFIT US POSTAGE PAID SCOTTSBLUFF, NE PERMIT # East 27th Street Scottsbluff, NE RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED