Retirement Celebration

Transcription

1 Retirement Celebration On July 8th, we had a Retirement Celebration for Pastor Gary and Kathy. Pastor Gary fully retired in March after 48 years of faithful ministry. Dan Janzen shared a recap of all the locations they ministered and then brought the morning message. Following the worship service, there was a catered meal by the Goessel Grocery Store of chicken breasts, sausage, cream corn, baked potatoes and zwieback. After the meal there was a time of sharing of what Pastor Gary & Kathy had meant to others through out his ministry. We even had guests from his past churches and was evident they had blessed many people in those congregations as well as here at Garden.

2 A Tribute to Gary and Kathy Janzen The lives of a pastor and his wife are interesting ones. In choosing to enter the ministry, you choose to life your lives in a fishbowl, visible to your congregation and to the community. You choose to have a very erratic work schedule with not only the usual office hours, but also occasional early morning Bible studies, regular evening meetings and working one day every weekend. And the people to who you serve are mostly redeemed, but also at vastly different points in their recovery of spiritual purity. (The stories that Garrison Keillor tells of Lutherans in Minnesota could easily describe many other denominations too). Spiritual maturity is a process, and the pastor is person charged with shepherding the flock to spiritual food and drink while at the same time protecting the flock and himself from dangers (both from inside and outside the flock). This has been the story of my parents, Gary and Kathy Janzen, for the last 50 years as they have led churches in the American Midwest and even jaunt in Canada. I can speak of this life because I ve both grown up in a pastoral family, and now I m raising my children in a pastoral/missionary family. There are unique stresses and joys that come from being in such a family. The joys comes from the Lord, as you see people come to faith in Christ, as you see them grow and maturity, as you see marriages mended, relationships restored and full lives celebrated as they leave this world and enter eternity with Christ. These are all blessings from the Lord and my parents have experienced blessing upon blessing. Often these blessings come in the small things and in the hidden moments, outside the purvue of large groups. They come in the conversations over coffee, in the board meetings, in the hallways at the office and even a Sunday morning Sunday school class. In those moments God whispers, Well done. Be encouraged. One of the unique stresses of a pastor is found in a phrase my Dad has used on more than one occasion. Sunday is always coming. Preparing to preach is a daunting task. Researching a passage, being sure you understand the author s intent and God purpose, and being able to preach that text in a way that is understandable, interesting and able to be applied by both men and women of all different ages and stages of life is difficult. Yet, somehow Dad has managed to preach over 2,500 morning sermons, probably another 1,000 on Sunday evenings, and countless devotions, weddings, funerals and meditations with all of them being unique. In one particularly busy time, however, he did preach the same sermon three weeks in a row in three difficult locations, and I had the unfortunate privilege to be at all three! I told him that I never wanted to hear three 3-edged sermon again! As far as I know, he s never repeated another sermon since. My Mom has filled so many roles in church that I can t begin to count them all. She worked in Sunday school classes and in Awana. She has worked with the women s groups, missionary groups and helped in the church office. We always had people over for meals, had dinner with the visiting missionaries, and hosted graduation events. She even dressed up in a clown suit once for Awana and I believe even played piano for hymn sings in the early days. Through it all, my parents did all of this and even raised two decent kids. Although Mary and I were always around church, we enjoyed it (especially the potlucks). We broke our fair share of windows and put a few holes in the walls at Zoar, especially, but we never felt that church was our enemy, keeping us away from our parents. Mom and Dad were a faithful pastoral couple that God used to do His work, but they were also faithful parents that raised their family well. In the midst of the unique joys and challenges of a pastoral ministry, that alone is something worthy to be celebrated. If I can presume to speak for the Lord, I believe Paul s phrase in I Timothy would be appropriate to speak of my parents. Well done, thou good and faithful servants. ~Dan Janzen

3 July 1 5 found 13 members of the Youth Group serving in downtown Denver, CO with City Service Mission. CSM had organized 3 days of service, learning and immersion for us within the city. The first evening on a prayer walk/drive we learned the how, what and whys of the extensive amount of homelessness in Denver. Then in the next few days we were able to engage by: serving a meal at the Denver Rescue Mission 471 meals served a low night for them! sorting clothes and labeling donation barrels for Precious Child Ministry sorting food donations at the Ministry Outreach Center engaging senior citizens by serving dinner at a drop in shelter called Senior Services playing bingo at another senior center, Silver Crest. Every evening we ate at a different ethnic restaurant. We had Vietnamese, Native American & Chinese or Indian. We also walked the streets downtown and tried to meet the need of a homeless friend with $5. We had many conversations that broadened our view of homelessness and the individuals who are experiencing it. It was challenging at times to begin those conversations. On our last day there we spent the morning walking all over downtown Denver in an immersion experience of what it might be like to be homeless and the challenges you might encounter. We were asked to get job applications, find a lunch on $2, price the cost of a bus ride across town, find places where we could find access to internet and safety such as the library and sit on the street and observe peoples' reactions to us. For a fun 4 th of July afternoon, Dan planned a scavenger hunt using the Denver Light Rail system. Matthew won the hunt for his team with his Starbucks App! Dinner was American food hamburgers - and we enjoyed some fireworks at a park. In the midst of learning and ministry, there was pranks, many card games, teasing and fun as a group. We were stretched by what we saw and experienced and some were thankful for Mom's cooking! Thank you for praying for and supporting the Youth Group! **See next page for Youth Reflections and more pictures.

4 Some Youth Reflections: I had a lot of fun and it was a great learning experience! One thing I will always remember is visiting with the elderly at the Senior Support Center! - Jared My favorite part of the Denver Trip was serving a meal to the homeless men at the Denver Rescue Mission. It was interesting to see all the different types of people that we served from business men to more of what you would expect to see. - Lexie I enjoyed all the different foods we tried in the evenings. Working with the different ministry sites that fed people or provided food for them was good and I enjoyed talking to the different staff at those ministry sites. - Lucas There was a big difference in the atmosphere from here to there. There is a hard shift between little towns and inner cities. I've always dealt more with children and this was a new experience that was an eye opener for me. - Karen I enjoyed organizing food and clothing. I was impressed by how particular they were about the clothing at Precious Child. They were trying to restore their dignity. I liked the ethnic food that we had for dinner in the evening. - Elise My favorite part of the trip was serving the meal at the Denver Rescue Mission. It felt so amazing to feed people a meal. I had so much respect and care towards the organization just to know that without them hundreds would go without a meal. - Matthew I really enjoyed hanging out with the other youth kids! - Marisa I learned that you can't stereotype what a homeless person looks like or how he'll act. They were all different, and you can't assume things based on outward appearance. - Drew J During our immersion walk we spent 10 minutes sitting on the sidewalk like a homeless person might and it was interesting to see how people treated us. They walked around us or looked down on us. Organizing clothes at Precious Child was fun. I also enjoyed the Vietnamese food that we had one evening. - Katherine I really enjoyed listening to Katherine the Great talk at Senior Services. (That is how she introduced herself!- quite a character!) - Drew H I really enjoyed the trip! It was a great experience and I learned and had a lot of fun. One of my favorite things about the trip was playing bingo with the elderly! I loved that it was a really big deal to them and it was very intense. There was lots of fun in the game as well as smack talk from the elderly! One thing that God taught me on this trip was that even doing the small things can make a big difference. - Kylee

5 McKenna Grace Friesen July 5, lbs. 6 oz. 19 in. Parents: Kevin & Krista Big Brothers & Big Sister: Wyatt, Garret, & Addison Grandparents: Larry & Jeanette Friesen Great-Grandparent: Norman Friesen New Members On June 24, we welcomed five new members to Garden Community Church, Brent & Julie Garber, Aaron & Elisabeth Smith, and Sharon Smith. They each shared a testimony of how God has worked and is working in their lives and are each excited to become apart of Garden Community Church. After the worship service we had a time of welcoming them to the Body of Christ at Garden. Baby Dedication was held on Father s Day, we had three couples have their babies dedicated to the Lord. Kyle and Katie Hanzlicek dedicated their son, Greyson Edward; Bryson and Grace Huxman dedicated their daughter, Enora Adeline; and Kevin and Kim Kohls dedicated their daughter, Karlee Rose. Continue to keep these couples in your prayers as they raise their children to follow Christ, and that by our example, our words and our prayers, we will support their parental role, in helping them raise their child to the fullness that is in Christ.

6 What are you waiting for? We are all waiting it is the nature of human existence. Some seasons of waiting are more difficult than others. Some seasons of waiting seem interminably long. Some seasons of waiting do not end on this side of eternity. So how do we do waiting well? The concepts in this post were first articulated in November of However, I have needed to look back and remind myself of what I wrote because I so easily forget what I have learned. I need to be reminded that God s providence means that God is present and active in all His creation. His eye is watching, his Hand is working to uphold and govern all creation to fulfill all His purposes. The illustration to the right, captures the hidden providence of God. The hidden providence of God means that we are not able see the full picture. Our perspective is time-bound we can see only life as it is lived. We either see life through the lens of our expectations or through an accurate view of God as revealed in Scripture. Hidden providence means that although God s providential works may be hidden from us and though we do not always see the work of God, we are called to trust Him. The life of Moses illustrates how God s hidden providence works. Moses was born into a difficult situation his family and people were enduring slavery, enforced infanticide, and uncertainty. The covenant promise of God to Abraham must have seemed hollow after nearly 4 centuries in Egypt. In Exodus 2:22-23 we read that the Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out to God. And nothing changed. They had no idea how God was working behind the scenes to orchestrate a spectacular deliverance that would bring the Israelites to the Promised Land and bring glory to God. Here s how God was working in the background: Moses was born, hidden by his mom, and found by Pharaoh s daughter. Moses was adopted by the princess, raised in the palace, educated in Egypt, and lived 40 years as royalty. As an adult, Moses murdered an Egyptian, was rejected by his people, and fled Pharaoh s wrath to the desert. In his self-imposed exile, Moses became a herdsman, married, and had 2 sons. Then suddenly, on an ordinary day, God appeared to Moses and called him to be the deliverer of Israel. Moses said, No thanks, send Aaron. God sent Moses back to Egypt as an 80-year-old man. Moses and Aaron demanded freedom for Israel from the Pharaoh (think how powerful those exchanges must have been with Moses insider knowledge of royalty, culture, and language). Things got harder, MUCH harder for the slaves, until, in God s perfect timing, the Israelites marched out of Egypt free and rich! I encourage you to re-read Exodus Make a list of God s hidden providence as you read. Then read these other faith-building verses about God s providence: God does all that he pleases. Psalm 115:3 No purpose of God s can be thwarted. Job 42:2 Nobody can hold back God s hand or question His purposes. Daniel 4:35 He will complete what he began in us Philippians 1:6 Nothing can separate us from his love for us in Christ Romans 8:39 These verses and many more remind us that nothing can distract the hardest of circumstances from hitting the target of God s purpose. His timing is always perfect. Even if we are unable to see God s designs right now, God s providence is blazing full-throttle toward our sanctification (Christlikeness) and His glory. Not only is God flawlessly at work for our good, but He will not stop working until He s finished. God s providence never misses its mark. God will always accomplish His intended aim. Everything He does is right, and it is all right until it s done. Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. Jeremiah 32:17 (NIV)

7 Prayer Calendar and Memory Verse Memory Verse: Romans 4:20-21 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in the faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that what He had promised, He was able also to perform. Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat 5 Pray family members who don't know Christ will come to know Him as Savior. 6 Pray elderly in the church are encouraged, continuing to serve & to grow in Christ. 7 Make II Timothy 1:7 a prayer for Dan & Rachel. 1 Pray as a church family we nurture, challenge & love each other. 8 Pray for anyone who serves you today - a clerk, waitress, professional, coworker Pray for safety for those working on the church construction project. 3 Pray someone you are at odds with will forgive you. 9 Pray Dan & 10 Pray for Rachel sense peace of mind & the Lord's clear good rest for leading. parents of babies. 4 Pray hearts are softened to hear Mark & Mollie share about Christ. 11 Pray we always treat people with courtesy & respect, regardless of circumstances. 12 Thank God. Be overwhelmed by His goodness & mercy to you. 13 Pray Josh & Hannah are challenged as they meet with supporters. 14 Pray for Gerhard as he heads up the construction project. 15 Pray college students have helpful relationships with supportive & wise people. 16 Pray for there to be laughter in your home. 17 Pray Josh & Hannah are refreshed & strengthened during time in the states. 18 Pray parents listen with open hearts & discernment. 19 Pray Sunday School teachers don't lose their zeal for God & His Word. 20 Pray we conduct ourselves in ways that honor Christ & point others to Him. 21 Pray students & teachers get off to a good start - good habits & good attitudes. 22 Ask God to show you someone who is hurting & pray for them, pray hard. 23 Pray Josh & Camila have patience to wait on God's perfect timing. 24 Pray workers in the church are encouraged by glimpses of what God is doing in lives. 25 Pray God prepares everything in Brazil for Josh & Camila's arrival. 26 Pray Elwyn & Linda know the joy of bringing forth fruit for our Savior. 27 Pray Pres. Trump & his cabinet talk about things like God, the Bible, and truth. 28 Pray Elwyn & Linda release all their concerns to God & sleep well. 29 Pray young people choose friends wisely - & walk away from harmful relationships. 30 Pray God's 31 Praise God help & protection for those in you, saving you, for forgiving military, police healing you, carrying & fire depts. you.

8 First date in a long time - Wichita Symphony Orchestra concert. Janzen's Journey in Rwanda June 28, 2018 We are so thankful for your thoughts, encouraging words and prayers for us these last 3 months. We have seen God's hand in every aspect of our time here in the states. Here's an update of how we are doing. Dan is continuing his every other week trips to Colorado for appointments with a counselor and psychiatrist. His depression medications have been changed, but it still takes time for the dosage to get to the right amount and for his body to adjust, so keep praying for him as he's in a difficult transition. He has enjoyed special one-on-one times with each of our boys, taking them with him to Denver on some of his trips. Rachel is seeing a local counselor each week and that has been helpful for her in learning how to communicate better. She also enjoys occasional get-togethers with other moms of young kids. Drew is still plugging away with school, but should be finished in the next few weeks. He's also enjoying playing on a college soccer league and of course, watching every World Cup match! He and Dan are looking forward to a short missions trip to Denver next week with the church youth group. Alex has discovered a real talent for baseball. He has pitched in several games and he's going to join an older group of boys tonight for a double-header. He and Drew enjoy lots of time together biking and learning how to ripstik (like a skateboard, but with only 2 wheels).

9 Hope's doing well and making some new friends. She enjoys biking outside, playing at the playground and being around other girls her age. She's also been seeing a counselor and that's been helpful in teaching her communication skills. Here's how you can pray for us: Pray for Dan to adjust well to his new medications and to get better sleep Pray for Rachel, especially when Dan's away, that she can parent well and have more patience! As Drew continues with his studies, pray for perseverance and for the mission trip he's going on next week Pray for Alex and Hope as they meet with a counselor, too, that they can learn how to communicate better Also, pray as we consider our timeline for returning to Rwanda (whether Rachel and the kids should go back earlier, or if we should travel back as a family) And please pray for our teammates who are teaching and leading with only half the team on the field Upcoming events: July 1-5 Garden Comm. Church Youth missions trip to Denver, CO (Dan and Drew are going) July 9-12 Dan's regular visit to Denver for appointments July Family trip to Minneapolis, MN to visit Rachel's sisters and parents September - tentative return date to Rwanda Current contact information: Address: Dan and Rachel Janzen, 604B Crescent Drive, Hesston, KS Dan's cell Rachel's cell