Luther League News. December, Sacred Things Summer Luther League Elects New President

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1 Luther League News December, 2017 Sacred Things Summer 2018 The 2018 district convention will be held on July in Oviedo, FL. The theme of Sacred Things, a play on the title of the hit Netflix original series Stranger Things, is based on the book of Colossians. Stay tuned for registration materials. More information will be communicated as it becomes available via our Facebook page SELC Luther League and our website: Luther League Elects New President Hello all, My name is Noah Barclay. I've recently been elected to the position of president in the SELC Luther League, and I would love to introduce myself to everyone. I have been going to league gatherings since 2011, and have loved every trip I've gone on. I'm highly dedicated to helping the youth of the SELC grow and thrive as a group, as individuals, and in their faith. I hope to see the Luther League grow and expand to reach more young people and help grow the church bodies by preparing the next generation of church leaders through our activities and our fellowship. Thank you all for this opportunity to serve in Christ.

2 Luther League Welcomes New Pastoral Advisor Greetings in the Name of our Lord, Jesus Christ! First, I would like to take a little space in this article to introduce myself. My name is Pastor Joe Weatherell and along with being the pastor of two congregations in our SELC district St. John in Bound Brook, NJ and St. Paul in Raritan, NJ I am also the new pastoral advisor for the SELC District Luther League. I have long had a passion for working with youth and helping them to better understand their faith in Jesus Christ and their involvement in His Church. It was while I was a youth group leader at my hometown congregation that the Lord called me into the pastoral ministry. For twelve years I conducted the SELC East Confirmation Retreat, an annual weekend event for confirmation students. I have also been involved with the Luther League East Winter Retreat which, until recently, was held at Camp Bernie in central New Jersey. I am married to my wife, Jennifer, and we have five children, the youngest being Bethany Cumins who is our new Luther League Secretary. Over the summer, St. John Lutheran Church in Bound Brook, NJ hosted the 90 th annual Luther League Convention under the theme Garden of Grace. While we had a relatively small turn-out at this year s gathering, the Spirit of God moved through those who were in attendance. Along with the fun stuff (day trip down the Jersey shore, dodging the rain drops at a minor league baseball game, a unique laser tag game, and the usual ice-breaker games and kangaroo kourt), we spent some time serving a local congregation by helping with their community garden. We also spent time in the Word of God through our devotional time led by various pastors and leaders, as well as gathering around Word and Sacrament at St. John s at the close of the gathering. But the presence of God was also felt among the attendees throughout the whole weekend as they gathered, worshipped, served, and fellowshipped together. This year s convention was the first time many of the group had attended a Luther League event and all were inspired by the closeness they felt with each other and the presence of God that was obvious throughout the event. Hebrews 10:24-25 states, And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Martin Luther tells us in the Large Catechism, It is not enough to teach and instruct only, but there is need also of daily exhortation, so here also there is need of continuing to

3 preach that men may not become weary and disgusted, since we know and feel how the devil always opposes this and every Christian exercise, and drives and deters therefrom as much as he can. (LC V 44) Our Lord commands us, and our Confessions encourage us, to gather together often, not just for an hour on Sunday morning (which is of utmost importance for the Christian), but also at other times for uplifting one another in the faith. As Luther tells us, the devil will do whatever he can to drive us from our faith in Christ. We need each other to help us stay strong in the faith, to stay in the Word of God, and to encourage one another. This is done through our gathering together, starting with our local congregational youth groups, to our district Luther League events, and even the National Youth Gathering of the LCMS. Do not neglect to gather with each other at Sunday worship, Bible study, and youth group meetings. Make it a regular part of your Christian walk. And, as I like to tell our youth, don t forget to BARF. (WHAT!!???!!?) Bring A Real Friend with you to youth meetings and to church. God bless, Pastor Joe Luther League 2017 Scholarship Recipient We are proud to introduce our 2017 SELC District Luther League scholarship recipient! In 1953, the Luther League - - the official youth organization of the SELC District - - began a scholarship fund to encourage higher education for SELC youth with leadership potential. Thanks to generous donations from our SELC youth groups, scholarship alumni, and friends, the Luther League has awarded over 140 scholarships in the last 64 years! Cameron Wagner Pentecost, Racine WI: Cameron graduated from Racine Lutheran High School in He will begin his Junior year at the University of Wisconsin Madison this fall with a major in Wildlife Ecology. After graduation, he plans to attend veterinarian school. He intends to exhibit Christ s love by being a good steward to God s creatures by caring for them. Cameron has been an active member of his congregation s youth group and has attended many Luther League summer gatherings and winter ski trips. He has been involved in his congregation as lay reader, usher, volunteer for grass cutting, and through youth Bible class. During the summer of 2017, Cameron was an intern with the Racine County Zoo Recipients: Noah Balla Zion, Clark NJ Alexis Linback Resurrection, Crown Pt. IN Steven Steingass Calvary, Parma OH

4 2015 Recipients: Jeannelle Condame St. Luke, Oviedo FL Dan Hasko Pentecost, Racine WI Katie Kube St. Lucas, St. Louis MO If you would like to help support more young people like those mentioned above, please consider a gift to the Luther League Scholarship Fund! Due to demographics, we are expecting a higher volume of applications this year. Special thanks to all of our donors from last year! Checks can be made out to: and mailed to: SELC District Luther League Pentecost Lutheran Church Attn: Luther League Scholarship Fund 2213 Coolidge Avenue Racine, WI or you can contribute online through the Luther League website: SELC Youth Grow at Garden of Grace The 90 th Luther League Youth Gathering brought youth from the Western and Eastern circuits to Fellowship Deaconry Camp in Liberty Corner, NJ. Since New Jersey is known as the Garden State, what better theme to gather around than Garden of Grace? Based on John 12:24, the youth journeyed from the Garden of Eden, to the Garden of Gethsemane, and ultimately to the garden tomb where Jesus was buried and rose from the dead.

5 Pastor Joe Weatherell (Bound Brook and Raritan NJ) kicked off the gathering with opening worship that focused on the Garden of Eden and the Fall of Man. Adam and Eve were banished from the beautiful garden, and now the ground would produce thorns and thistles. But God did not leave Adam and Eve without hope, as we would hear in our closing devotion. A shoot would spring up from the stump of Jesse, the Savior promised to Adam and Eve in Genesis Following the opening devotion, the youth had a chance to get to know each other better through various icebreakers, including a cheerleading competition between the Tomatoes and the Cucumbers. The Tomatoes scored points for precision and repetition, but the Cucumbers prevailed due to their stunts and choreography. On Friday morning, Pastor Nathan Grewe (Clark NJ) led our opening devotion on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Although Jesus was greatly troubled, He prayed for God s will to be done. We can take our troubles to God as well, and learn from Jesus example. Then in true New Jersey fashion the group boarded the bus to go Down the Shore. We experienced a beautiful day at the beach and boardwalk, enjoying the ocean, sun, food, and games. Back at the camp, we held our business meeting where the following new officers were elected: Noah Barclay (Racine WI) President; Bethany Cumins (Bound Brook NJ) Secretary; and Rev. Joe Weatherell (Bound Brook and Raritan NJ) Pastoral Advisor. The group affirmed their mission commitment to brothers Vitor and Joao Paulo in Brazil. After the business meeting, the group relaxed at the bonfire while enjoying tasty s mores. A closing devotion was led by Tim Hasko (Racine WI) on the death and burial of Jesus. We were reminded that God put Adam in a garden to live forever, but Adam s sin brought death. Jesus was buried in a garden tomb, and rose in a garden tomb so we can live forever with Him in heaven.

6 Saturday morning the group traveled to the community garden at Trinity Lutheran Church, Somerset NJ. The Luther Leaguers spent the morning removing weeds that were growing up the surrounding fence, and putting down mulch to prevent future weeds. We were also excited to be joined by Pastor Matt Lytikainen (Hoboken NJ), an alumnus of the Western Circuit ski trips, now serving as a mission developer in NJ. Pastor Matt led us in our morning devotion focusing on the resurrection. While we don t know exactly in what tone Jesus said Mary Magdalene s name in John 20:16, we can be assured when He says our name it is with love, affection, and forgiveness. We were also treated to a download of his wife s original song, Living Water later that afternoon. Saturday afternoon the group had free time to use the pool, basketball and volleyball courts, and play several vigorous rounds of laser tag. Catching up on sleep was an option as well! After dinner, the youth boarded our trusty bus to travel to the Somerset Patriot s baseball game. Although the game was called after four innings due to rain, the youth still enjoyed fellowship with each other, even if it meant getting a little bit wet. Arriving back at the camp early also provided the opportunity to complete a few more fines for Kangaroo Court. And what a spirited round of Kangaroo Court it was! Noah Barclay was fined for pretending to know his way around New York City (AKA the 95 Degree Death March ); Katy Wagner for telling everyone to meet at the wrong door at the M&M store; Bethany Cumins for too many up-downs ; multiple Racine leaguers for putting their noses on the subway pole; and Mason Wagner for trying to pay fines with an $.89 Culvers gift card. There were several food infractions as well, including eating someone else s food; eating a Cheezit off the floor; and eating bark off a tree. All proceeds from Kangaroo Court were split between the Mission Plan and Scholarship Fund. On Sunday morning, Pastor Andy Dzurovcik (SELC President, Clark NJ) led a devotion on our theme verse, John 12:24. As he held up a packet of seeds, he explained that the seeds weren t doing any good in the packet. Once they are planted in the ground and die, they produce fruits and vegetables with seeds many times over. The same is true with our faith; we need to let it out of the packet.

7 After morning devotions, the youth packed their belongings and took their bus over to St. John Lutheran Church in Bound Brook for Sunday worship led by Pastor Joe Weatherell on the parable of the weeds in the wheat. Following the worship service, the youth were treated to lunch in the fellowship hall of St. John. The youth of St. John entertained the group with their musical talents on guitar, violin, bass guitar, and vocals. We said good bye to our many new friends, praying that we would all grow and flourish in our faith over the next year. Plans are already underway for summer 2018 s SELC youth event in Florida! Special thanks to Pastor Joe and Jennifer Weatherell, and the youth and congregation of St. John, Bound Brook NJ for hosting our SELC Youth gathering this year! Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. John 12:24

8 A Word About Our Logo If you attended Garden of Grace in New Jersey this past summer, you probably saw this logo on our opening worship folder, devotion sheets, or promotional materials. This particular image is from the Vanderpool Window at Trinity Church, Saugerties, New York. But what made this image fitting to be our logo for the weekend has to do with what Jesus is holding in His hand: a shovel. Or more specifically, a gardening shovel. This artwork is a depiction of John 20:14-16, where Mary Magdalene mistakes Jesus for the gardener after His resurrection. It is fitting that Jesus is mistaken for the gardener. After all, God was the first gardener, creating the Garden of Eden and placing Adam there to keep it. But when Adam sinned, the ground was cursed. It would now produce thorns and thistles. And Jesus would wear those thorns as a crown as part of His humiliation and crucifixion. But Jesus was raised on the first day of the week - - a New Creation. Jesus, being the Second Adam, could do what Adam could not. For as by the one man s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man s obedience the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:19) By Jesus death and resurrection the curse is lifted. The earth still groans while we await Jesus second coming, but the victory has been won. It wasn t unusual for Jesus to be pictured with a gardening tool throughout art history. Artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Albrecht Durer, and Rembrandt van Rijn have all done so. For a modern example, check out the 2013 interpretation by Chinese artist He Qi pictured on the right.