May/June 2018 Vol. 62 No. 5,6

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1 May/June 2018 Vol. 62 No. 5,6 Obsolete? I remember the first day of class with Dr. Okamoto at the seminary. Although it may not have been that long ago according to a timeline, so many changes have happened since then it feels as though a lifetime has passed. It stands out because it made me reassess where I came from and where I am going. Dr. Okamoto began with a question: Why are you a Lutheran? This should have been simple seeing that it was a room full of future pastors, but what followed was almost painful to watch. All of them could easily answer why they were Christians. That was their bread and butter; but why a Lutheran as opposed to a Baptist or Methodist or Catholic or whatever flavor of Christianity was not something they were prepared to answer. Some said they were Lutheran because it was how they were raised. Others never thought about it before. Still others didn t understand why the question was relevant. Finally, the students turned the question back on the professor. Why are you a Lutheran? That s easy, he said. I m a Lutheran because it is the right way to worship God. The sudden, shocked intake of oxygen was audible. That old, stubborn, prejudiced way of thinking is considered obsolete in today s tolerant day and age. It was not politically correct or even nice, but he said it in such a matter-of-fact and aggressive way to make a point: if you do not believe wholeheartedly that what your church believes, teaches, and confesses to be the most faithful, honest, and true form of worshiping the Only True God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) then you should seek out the one that is. One of the greatest strengths of the Lutheran approach to Christianity is that it is highly critical of its own doctrine. Everything must be weighed and measured by the standard of Scripture. For a Lutheran, God s Word sets the rule by which all doctrine, all practices, all confessions must comply. This is why Lutherans wear descriptive words like traditional, confessional, orthodox, and even stubborn as badges of honor in a sin-filled world that is always changing with the seasons as though their beliefs and morality is carried upon the breeze. And to prevent being carried away by religious or spiritual whims, Lutherans assured that their deeply held convictions of faith would endure by declaring them formally in the Lutheran Confessions. The Lutheran Confessions, which were compiled into the Book of Concord, were careful, yet bold, expressions of the core Lutheran beliefs. By doing so they affirmed what teachings were unquestionably true according to Scripture and rejected those things that were contradictory, misguided opinion, or flat-out heresy. When they signed their name in subscription to the Confession, it was because they firmly believed it a true, accurate, and authoritative statement of faith that was undeniably and completely in accord with Scripture. They not only bet their lives on it; they entrusted their souls. Therefore, it is our intent to give witness before God and all Christendom, among those who are alive today and those who will come after us, that the explanation here set forth regarding all the controversial articles of faith which we have addressed and explained and no other explanation is our teaching, faith, and confession. In it we shall appear before the judgment throne of Jesus Christ, by God's grace, with fearless hearts and thus give account of our faith, and we will neither secretly nor publicly speak or write anything contrary to it. Instead, on the strength of God's grace we intend to abide by this confession. (FC SD, XII, 40) Continued on page 2

2 Continued from cover page To be so bold and inflexible is obsolete thinking to our modern world of personal truths. It is offensive because it declares that man is not the arbiter of truth. There is no such thing as personal truths. There is truth, and there is opinion. Similarly, there is faithful and accurate according to God s Word, and there are opinions based upon the desire of man s heart, which is always tainted since man is a sinner. Jesus said: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. It doesn t get any more inflexible and intolerant than that. Who does he think He is? God? Truth is always offensive to someone. This doesn t give us license to be mean, disrespectful, or holier-thanthou, but neither should we be ashamed of the truth. On the contrary we should proclaim it all the more in a generation that has lost hope that truth even exists. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Cor. 1:18). We confess the truth of Christ, and him crucified for our salvation, is everything. It is a matter of life and death, and to do otherwise is unthinkable. In our rite of Confirmation, the last question we, as the Church, ask those who are publicly confessing their faith is: Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it? There is no wiggle room in this question. If taken completely seriously, which it should be, it sounds fanatical to our modern culture. To them, it is offensive, outdated, a relic of a less enlightened era, but to one who has heard and believed the Gospel, who knows the truth, who trusts in God above all things, how could we do any less than submit everything, our lives and deaths, to Him. Therefore, a bold Lutheran declares: I do, by the grace of God. Our forefathers left us a legacy of boldness. Their Confession is not an obsolete relic to be discarded with the fickleness of culture; it is a firm foundation built squarely on the Word of God to hold us steadfast through the storms of time and winds of change. In the midst of persecution, the confessors presented their Confession and boldly declared Here we stand. They were confident in what they believed, taught, and confessed because it was a faithful, true, and in accordance with Scripture. They were so confident in their confession that they staked their lives and salvation on it. Are you bold enough to do the same? Pastor Jon THERE WILL BE A CONGREGATIONAL MEETING ON SUNDAY, MAY 20TH BETWEEN SERVICES REMINDER The MAY Council Meeting is on May 10th at 7:00PM in the Library Look for the LWML Mite Box the FIRST SUNDAY of the month! 2

3 INSTALLATION OF PASTOR JONATHAN CHRISTENSEN 4/8/18 Photos by Wendy Maloney 3

4 MISSION OF THE MONTH for May 2018 MEALS ON WHEELS Meals on Wheels The Meals on Wheels program provides a hot meal every weekday for homebound older adults in Henderson County. All meals are low fat/low salt and meet the one-third recommended dietary allowance set by the FDA. Diabetic, soft, and pureed meals are available. Meals are delivered by volunteer drivers between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. In addition to receiving a nutritious meal, Meals on Wheels clients receive important social interaction with caring volunteers. These visits, which also serve as a regular wellness checks, often turn into lasting friendships. No Financial Requirements In order to qualify for grant funding, you must be at least 60 years of age, homebound, and be unable to prepare a hot meal on a regular basis. If you do not meet all of the funding criteria, private pay options are available. Meals on Wheels Isn t Just Long-term Rehab, post-op, medical treatments, transition of caregiver, and other short-term scenarios are also great opportunities to take advantage of the service. We love to be able to help someone through a temporary need and to get back on their feet again. Don t Need a Meal Every Day? Have a regularly scheduled appointment each week? No problem. You can set up your meals to skip certain days of the week as needed. Where Do We Deliver? It doesn t matter whether you are in Hendersonville, Etowah, Mills River, Fletcher, Edneyville, or anywhere else, we serve all of Henderson County. Drivers for Meals on Wheels deliver a daily nutritious meal to the frail, homebound elderly. Volunteer drivers can work just one day a week, if they d like or more, if they have time available. Meals are delivered five days a week, excepting major holidays or emergencies (including bad weather). Drivers deliver a friendly smile along with a warm meal and chat with clients for several minutes. Any concerns are reported back to the Meals on Wheels office. A nonprofit organization such as the Council on Aging is only as strong as its volunteers make it. We ve been relying on folks like you people who want to help make a difference, who have some extra time available, who might know others who ve benefitted from Council on Aging services ever since we were incorporated in As an independent nongovernment agency, the Council on Aging is a nonprofit that relies on the kindness of strangers strangers who quickly become friends. 4

5 The Members of Mt. Pisgah Church & Our Preschool families are invited to celebrate together as we welcome Pastor Christensen and family! Join us for a Southern BBQ Picnic at Jackson Park Shelter #1 Sunday, June 10, :30 to 2:30 PM Music by Letters to Abigail Americana/Blue Grass Trio The Preschool is sponsoring this event and has selected two charities to feature for love offerings. The Henderson County Foster Parent Association is a non-profit public charity advocates for the needs of children is a support network for foster parents. Homes for Youth is a non-profit charity that provides stable, safe, and appropriate housing with positive models to homeless youth in Henderson County. Donations may be made thru your giving account please note picnic on your check or envelope. Thank you for your support of children and youth in Henderson County. RSVP - Please let us know if you are coming. NAME: NUMBER OF PEOPLE: PLEASE CUT THIS OUT AND PUT IT IN THE BASKET IN THE NARTHEX 5

6 5/6 Lydia Cassidy Bill Kruse SERVING IN MAY AND JUNE MAY USHERS 8:00 AM 10:45AM John Frost, Steve Kirchoefer, Laura Reinhold, Harold Zell 5/13 Tony Selius Jerry Kaufman Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. 5/20 Rick Sanborn Rudy Eidam 5/27 Jen Stickney Mike Ebanks Adell Keeney, Maureen Duemig, Jerri Creech, Bill Jaeger John Frost, Steve Leyrer, Laura Reinhold, Harold Zell Steve Kirchoefer, Kathy Kirchoefer, Ben Kirchoefer, Dan Kirchoefer MAY LECTORS 8:00 AM 10:45AM 5/6 Rick Sanborn Linda Licht 5/13 Jerry Kaufman Kathy Kirchoefer 5/20 Vickie Amato Maxine Tatreau 5/27 Paul Mincer Jerri Creech 6/3 Lydia Cassidy Bill Kruse 6/10 Tony Selius Jerry Kaufman 6/17 Rick Sanborn Rudy Eidam 6/24 Jen Stickney Mike Ebanks JUNE USHERS 8:00 AM 10:45AM John Frost, Steve Kirchoefer, Laura Reinhold, Harold Zell Adell Keeney, Maureen Duemig, Jerri Creech, Bill Jaeger John Frost, Steve Leyrer, Laura Reinhold, Harold Zell Steve Kirchoefer, Kathy Kirchoefer, Ben Kirchoefer, Dan Kirchoefer JUNE LECTORS 8:00 AM 10:45AM 6/3 Rick Sanborn Linda Licht 6/10 Jerry Kaufman Kathy Kirchoefer 6/17 Laura Reinhold Maxine Tatreau 6/24 Paul Mincer John Zagone 6

7 SUN MON TUES WED THUR FRI SAT 1 Elders Meeting 7pm 2 Prayer Shawl Ministry 1pm 3 8 am Quilter s Ministry 9am 4 5 6PRIN AHEAD Communion 8am Communion 10:45am am Church Council 7:00pm Preschool Graduation 5:30pm MOTHER S DAY Worship 8am Worship 10:45am 14 Ladies Guild 1pm am Quilter s Ministry 9am NO Pastor s Circuit Congregational Meeting Communion 8am Communion 10:45am 27 Worship 8am Worship 10:45am Memorial Day Church Office & Preschool Closed am 8 am Ben Kirchoefer 18 Jerry Kaufman 4 Larry Tharp 19 Lydia Cassidy 5 John Zagone 20 Wendy White 12 Gerry Ormsby 23 Jennifer White 14 Barbara Hotaling 26 Jan Tharp 14 Barbara Volk 29 Erica Genaw 15 Eleney Selius 30 Donna Clancy 7 Weekly Bible Studies 10:00 a.m. in the Library 8:00 a.m. at Denny s Restaurant (with breakfast). 9:15 a.m. Adult Bible Pastor McLain

8 SUN MON TUES WED THUR FRI SAT 1 2 3PRIN AHEAD Communion 8am Communion 10:45am 4 5 Elders Meeting 7pm 6 Prayer Shawl Ministry 1pm 7 8 am Quilter s Ministry 9am Worship 8am Worship 10:45am PRESCHOOL PICNIC 17 Communion 8am Communion 10:45am FATHER S DAY 24 Worship 8am Worship 10:45am 11 Ladies Guild 1pm am Church Council 7:00pm 8 am Quilter s Ministry 9am Pastor s Circuit 28 8 am Lutheran Witness & Portals of Prayer Contributions 6 Arianna Maloney 23 Jen Stickney 9 Theresa Doster 25 Dan Kirchoefer 10 Sue Glossop 26 Faith Anderson 13 Mike Ebanks 26 Betty Ude 18 Jenny Emerson 27 Janie McKinley 19 Diane Sanborn 30 Millie Freese Please consider a contribution to offset the cost of the Lutheran Witness & Portals of Prayer publications provided to the congregation. The current price for a yearly subscription for LW is $ Quarterly Portals of Prayer are $2.50 ea for the digest size and $1.25 ea for the pocket size. 8