Gloria Christi News. 9 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed

Transcription

1 Gloria Christi News Volume 13, Issue 10 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, There is peace and security, then sudden destruction will come upon them as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 2 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Dear fellow members of the Body of Christ at Gloria Christi, We often think of the approaching Reformation Day celebration at the end of October at this time of year, followed by All Saints Day and then the last Sundays of the Church Year where we hear of the end times and the last things before the revealing of the new creation and the destruction of the old. Nowadays we hear of wars and rumors of wars, but we should be reminded of the saying of Jesus in this regard: do not be alarmed the end is not yet. Wars and rumors of wars are really not the chief indicator that the end is near (see Matthew 24). Many Christians of a certain persuasion become quite enthralled at Middle Eastern politics in this regard. In fact St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church that the end will come when people are saying there is peace and security. 9 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24) These intensifying signs are more what Christians should be on the look-out for in the end times. But they are not a sign to keep on sinning so that grace may abound (see Romans 6). But rather in repentance and faith we ought to keep returning to the Lord in His means of grace to be strengthened, fed, encouraged, and forgiven for the marathon that is set before us. We ought to remain steadfast in the truth, confessing it boldly in love toward our neighbor. Also Christians live sacrificially for the sake of the church and the Lord s ministry and mission. They are to have regard for fellow members of the body of Christ and the ministry in material, financial, intercessory and verbal support of encouragement, teaching, and forgiveness. They are to engage in a mutual conversation and consolation of Christian brothers and sisters. That is a kind of loyalty for the confession of the truth, the fellowship of the church, and the care of the members that the early Christians had for each other and that is to be ours as well. Redeemed in Christ, the crucified and risen One, we are to spend eternity with one another in that family of worship before the throne of the Lamb. In Christ Jesus, Pastor Frahm

2 September 17, 2013 Pastor s Report: Pastor Frahm reminded all of the special schedule for Oct. 6th and our anniversary celebration. Thanks to all who helped tear out carpet in the Agape in preparation for new floor covering, also to John Kruger for painting the center posts. Perhaps we could host a fundraiser (after our anniversary) to help with the members of Mt. Calvary in Estes Park; they have sustained some damage from the recent flooding. Financial Secretary: No Report Treasurer: see Page 7. Church Council Highlights Elders: Randy reported that a request from the Board of Parish Education was taken to them: consider going to a single Sunday service. Tom asked everyone to think about this for discussion at next month s meeting. Trustees: There will be a workday on Sept. 21st. Christian Education (PS/DC): No report Parish Education: There will be Sunday School for the elementary grades on Oct. 6th during the Rev. Preus presentation. Evangelism: Shane Patton had spoken to Sharon recently about the possibility of Gloria Christi offering meeting space for local non-profit groups. This could become an outreach to the community for us. Stewardship: Ron reminded all of the upcoming Orphan Grain Train Fish Feed and passed around a sign-up sheet. Youth: The board has moved it s activity plan to October. They will be here to help with the work day on Saturday. Parish Fellowship: No Report (financial report attached) Finance: Galen distributed 2013 Actual & Budget worksheets. He will announce budget meetings in the next couple of weeks. Unfinished Business: 50th Anniversary: To date, $11, has been donated ; this does not include $250 from Thrivent for paper goods and publicity and the cash in the church bank. The floor covering project is 50% complete. Installation should be done on Sept New floor mats have been ordered for all entrance doorways. The musical celebration will be held on 9/29 at 3:00 PM with a pie social to follow. Volunteers are still needed. Anniversary dinner will be on 10/6 at noon; we still need volunteers to help with different aspects. There is a sign-up on the office window. Rev. Howard Patten and Rev. Darrin Kohrt will be attending the celebration Budget will be prepared and approved by Council prior to the Nov. Voters Meeting Elections/Nominating Committee is currently working to fill all open positions on the ballot. Personnel Committee - Health Plans for Committee has to meet to discuss salaries; members should remain the same as last year. New Business: Announcements/Discussion: November Voters Assembly agenda items -- A constitutional change from Synod has to be approved by each congregation. The term Circuit Counselor is being changed to Circuit Visitor. Thank you letters were shared, one from Concordia University NE for the $250 sent toward Dan Eberhard s tuition costs. The other was from the LCMS for the $340 sent to the National Offering. Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Gunnison will be hosting missionaries from Africa. Pastor announced that the Sunday morning Bible Study group will be completing its study of the liturgy and beginning a study of the book of Luke. NEXT COUNCIL MEETING: Tuesday, October 15, 2013 at 7:00 PM NEXT VOTERS MEETING: Sunday, November 24, 2013 at 1:00 PM. Please make the following changes to your church directories: Steve Neighbors: (970) Arne Pierce: (970) Our prayers & love for those who have recently had loved ones die: Gail Sweet upon the sudden death of her father, Don Geidel, in Mitchell, S.D. Cindy Kennedy upon the unexpected death of her mother in North Platte, NE. May our Father in heaven grant healing peace to you in the sure knowledge of the resurrection through Jesus Christ, our Lord & Savior. Gloria Christi News Page 2

3 (made famous in Door County, Wisconsin) Sunday, October 20th 12:00 Noon (immediately following the late service) The purpose of the Fish Feed event is to 1) introduce people to the mission of Orphan Grain Train, 2) to raise funds that will be used to pay shipping costs of donated items to the areas of need. There is no cost for the meal, but freewill donations will be accepted. Spread the word... bring a friend! Come & find out what all the excitement is about! GOOD FOOD & FELLOWSHIP FOR ALL! Add your name today to the sign-up on the office window. (Please indicate if you are able to bring rolls or a dessert.) Fish Feed Gloria Christi Financial donations will be supplemented by Weld Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Gloria Christi News Page 3

4 MAIL CALL! Registration: 8:30-9:00 AM Fee is $7.00 per person which includes lunch Please RSVP by signing up on the office window sign (We can take the church van.) Babysitting will be provided. Please include age and number of children, and bring a sack lunch for each child. In lieu of an ingathering, a collection will be taken to purchase Spanish Bibles and Portals of Prayer for the women s prison ministry at Ysleta Lutheran Mission. You are invited to join Grace Lutheran Church in Hudson, Colorado celebrate 75 years of God s Amazing Grace on Sunday, October 13, The guest speaker will be Rev. Allen Anderson, Rocky Mountain District President. Service is at 10:30 AM. Grace Lutheran is located at 4th and Cherry. Dinner will follow the service. A note from Helen Mays.... I m fine and enjoying it here. The twins had a birthday party yesterday. They are 2 so it was fun. Tell everyone Hi. My daughter is a bit better; she lost so much time that she lost the job. She still could not get around to go back to work. A tough time. We need lots of prayers. God s Blessings & love, Helen Mays Helen s address is: 4079 Timberline St. #219 Grand Island, NE helenmays2001@yahoo.com Christian Resource Center Sunday, October 13, 2013 Join us on the second Sunday of the month for our regular sale date. We will have all of our Martin Luther books, movies, and gift items out in celebration of the upcoming festival of Reformation. Now, with fall weather in full swing, check out our seasonal décor items, including napkins and table decorations. If you are looking to get a head start on your holiday shopping, we have many excellent books that might make the perfect gift. As always, if there is something in particular that you are searching for, just ask us, and we will be happy to try and help out. Thank you for your continued support! Joy Johnston & Marlene Selden We thought you d like to know that Gloria Christi raised $ for the Annual Baby Bottle Campaign. Your support helps us rescue the defenseless and serve the hurting. Thank you for your support. The Resource Center for Pregnancy & Personal Health of Greeley Gloria Christi News Page 4

5 THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! To everyone who participated in, helped prepare for, and attended the 50th Anniversary Musical Celebration, we give a heartfelt THANK-YOU! The event was conceived and planned by Leah Hellerich; she contacted everyone who participated, and in some cases maybe even beat the bushes. We are blessed to have so many musically talented individuals here in one little congregation! We had nearly 70 people in attendance, and all of them enjoyed a wonderful time of giving praise to God through His gift of music. I do believe we even heard the rafters ring! (No rafters? Hmmm..) And for those of you who decided to stay home and watch the Broncos, you missed something very special. Thank you also to everyone who supplied the multitude of pies and ice cream! We possibly overplanned with the food, but I didn t hear one person complain. There are still 2 pies in the freezer along with enough ice cream for root beer floats AND an ice cream social! Dr. John W. Kleinig is retired after teaching for 26 years at Luther Seminary in Adelaide, South Australia. In the last 20 years he has taught in many different Lutheran seminaries in North America and Asia. Dr. Kleinig is an Old Testament theologian with an M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Cambridge University in England and an honorary doctorate from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne. His published doctoral dissertation was on The Lord s Song: The Basis, Function and Significance of Choral Music in Chronicles If we have enough interest in attending this special service, we can carpool or take the church van. Contact Betty in the office for more information. For our Scandinavian family & friends... 34th Annual Sons of Norway Lutefist & Meatball Dinner Faith Church 2707 N. Wilson Avenue; Loveland Saturday, October 19, 2013 Dinner Seating: 4:00 PM & 6:00 PM with reservations (Midge Parkos ) Adults: $18.00 Children ages 5-12: $8.00 Friday, October 25, 2013 Serving from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM Presented by Zion Lutheran Women in Mission and the Good Shepherd Auxiliary *Proceeds benefit Christian Missions* Zion Lutheran Church 1400 Skeel Street Brighton, CO (303) Salad Luncheon Tickets Purchased at the door: Adults - $7.00 Children (5-12) - $3.00 Delicious Salad Luncheon Take-Out Service Available Bake Sale & Handmade Crafts Gloria Christi News Page 5

6 The Most Notable Differences Between the Three Year Lectionary And the Historic One Year Lectionary as Presented in Lutheran Service Book of the LCMS 1. What we were calling Sundays after Pentecost will be marked as, Sundays after Trinity. 2. We have the catechetical benefit of repetition year after year. 3. The Sunday readings and Introits we use will be better reflected in the traditional hymns and chorales, especially in the festival half of the Church Year. This will show a great thematic emphasis within each day by the historically received resources of the church. 4. Up until the approximately the mid-twentieth century, the western liturgical churches (especially Lutheran, Anglican/Episcopal, Roman Catholic, and some others) used basically the same historic One Year Lectionary, and so there are many theological, liturgical, and musical resources available to richly implement this ancient lectionary. 5. PRE-LENT - We have the added interlude or transitional mini-season of Pre-Lent between Epiphany season and Lent, as a bridge to enter into that solemn penitential season (sometimes referred to by their Latin name, Gesimas ). Pre-Lent is a time to decide how one will observe Lent and prepare. Pre-Lent is a period of progressive preparation and movement toward Lent and ultimately Easter. These Sundays were sometimes called the Gesima Sundays from their Latin names: Septuagesima - Seventy Days ; Sexigesima - Sixty Days ; and Quinquagesima - Fifty Days. 6. These Sundays are a kind of countdown to the forty days of Lent so we can get ready. Ash Wednesday would be Forty Days, since Lent minus the Sundays, is 40 days long. These Gesima number names do not designate exact periods of time until Easter but are rather to be considered only as general markers along the journey. The Gospel readings of Pre-Lent accent the three "solas" of the Lutheran Reformation, providing a short-course on what makes contrition and repentance a compelling time for Christians: Grace Alone! (Septuagesima), the Word Alone! (Sexagesima), and Christ Alone! (Quinquagesima). The liturgical color among Lutherans is green, and the Gloria in Excelsis is sung in order to help distinguish Pre-Lent from Lent. However, the longer Tract replaces the Alleluia and Verse through Pre-Lent and Lent until Holy Saturday, customarily. 7. The Third Sunday in Advent (Gaudete) will line up nicely with the pink candle in the Advent wreath, as the emphasis on that Sunday is rejoice from the Introit in the historic One Year Lectionary. 8. Use of the historic One Year Lectionary will give greater emphasis to our continuity with the faithful Christians who have gone before us in the history of the church and will, as we noted above, accent the continuity of rich treasures we have inherited from Lutherans before us and indeed, from Christians before the Reformation. 9. The historic One Year Lectionary has fewer skips of verses in some of the pericopes (text selections) compared to the more recent lectionaries. This reflects a less modern interpretive method and theology used in the text selection process. Hence the historic lectionary is less likely to reflect modern theological movements. It has also stood more revision over a longer period of time (many centuries). 10. Whereas the three year lectionaries favor featuring one key Gospel per year (Matthew in Year A,; Mark in Year B; and Luke in Year C with John used in all of them), the One Year Lectionary uses all four Gospels throughout the year. Gloria Christi News Page 6

7 TREASURER S REPORT AUGUST 2013 Current Month Year to Date Weekly Offerings $ 12, $ 105, Mortgage Offerings , Special Services , Non-Budgeted Income , Church Income $ 13, $129, Church Expenses 17, , Net Church Activity $ (4,635.71) $ (4,479.90) 2013 National Offering Dear Christian Friend, Your generous donation is a marvelous witness of your trust in God, and your desire to share His forgiveness with others through the Witness, Mercy, and Life Together efforts of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. Working together, we can accomplish more in the name of Jesus Christ than any of us could if we worked alone. We thank God for you and your gift of $ It will be used in support of National Offering - Unrestricted. Mark D. Hofman, Executive Director Mission Advancement PS/DC Income $ 0.00 $ 33, PSNon-budget Income , PS/DC Expenses , Net PS/DC Activity $ 0.00 $ 1, Net Activities $ (4,635.71) $ (3,170.57) District Missions $ $ 2, Direct Choice Dollars now to double their impact There are 15 million reasons to participate in the Thrivent Choice Double Direction Church Campaign! Between Oct. 1 and Nov. 30, 2013, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans will: Give up to $15 million to churches across the country through Thrivent Choice. Double all Choice Dollars directions made to eligible churches during the campaign, or until $15 million has been awarded, whichever comes first. It s easy to direct Choice Dollars The Thrivent Choice program allows eligible members of Thrivent Financial to recommend where some of the organization s charitable dollars are distributed. If you have Choice Dollars to direct, all you need to do is: Go to Thrivent.com/thriventchoice, or Call 800-THRIVENT ( ) and say, Thrivent Choice. Click or call now, and double the impact of your direction! The Thrivent Community Mountain Plains invites you to enjoy an evening at The Fritzler Corn Maze. Bring your family and friends and be our guests for lots of fun and food. 100% of your ticket price will be donated to local food banks and we encourage you to bring an additional freewill cash or food donation. Activities include a pumpkin patch, pedal go-karts, pumpkin/corn cannons, jumping pillow, and of course the corn maze! New additions include a ropes course, zip-line, and quad bungee at an extra fee. Join us at 5:30 p.m. for the final pig race, then at 6:00 p.m. at the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans fire pit for a dinner exclusively for Thrivent members and their guests. Saturday, October 12 th ~ 4:00 P.M. 8:00 P.M. The Fritzler Corn Maze ~ CR 33, La Salle COST: $10 for ages 11 to adult 10 & under are free Drawings for Prizes! Chili being catered by Valley Packing RSVP: Register you and your guests at thrivent.com/ memberevents by Oct 9 th, or call or Renata.Meusch@thrivent.com No products will be sold. For additional important disclosure information visit Thrivent.com/disclosures. Bring this invitation with you to the entrance gate as your ticket to the fun. Don t forget to register online. Gloria Christi News Page 7

8 Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift! 2 Cor 9:15 This is St. Paul s exclamation upon hearing the Corinthian church s response to the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his request for support of the Church in Jerusalem. The Christians in Corinth heard and received God s mercy in Christ, and they responded to St. Paul s call to support Christians in Jerusalem with a collection. The Corinthian s joy filled Jerusalem s need. The reality of stewardship is that because of God s generosity in the giving of His Son to die on the cross for us, we should also be generous with all that we receive from Him. What do we receive? Everything. All that we are and all that we have is the Lord s. He is the creator and the giver. We are His creatures and those who receive what He gives. It sounds easy. And it is. But then again it isn t. Stewardship is easy because it is God s work in us: through what God gives, we give to others. Through what God gives, we support the work of the church for the life of the world. He gives; we receive. And like our generous Father in Heaven, we, as His children, use what He gives to us to love and serve others. But stewardship is also difficult. That is because it goes against our natural inclination to think that what I have is mine to do what I want with. This is our sinful nature. It is our selfishness and our greed. And it convicts us. How can we who have been given everything life, food, clothing, house, home, forgiveness, divine sonship, an eternal inheritance be so stingy with what we give to the church, the place where we hear about and receive all that God gives us and does for us? We are all guilty of this kind of thinking. And the only godly response is to repent and trust in the Gospel. For if God has given you His own Son, will He not give you all things? Yes. He will. This is His sure and certain promise. God provides for His people. He provides everything we need for this body and life and for the life that is to come. The church is a mercy place. It s a place where God s mercy in the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, is given and received. For us who believe the Church is the place of forgiveness, life, and salvation in the face of sin, death, and the power of the devil. There we inhale God s mercy in Word and Sacrament, and exhale this same mercy in love and service to our neighbor, in giving what we have received from Him. And that is an enduringly joyful thing to do. Our joy fills our neighbor s need because His joy filled ours (Heb 12:2). Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift! (Following our recent flooding here in Colorado & Weld County, here are some things you may not know about our local food bank.) Weld Food Bank is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization which alleviates hunger and poverty by providing food and services to people in need. We are a private non-profit organization and are not a part of county government. We work to educate the public about the nature of hunger and poverty. We recognize the need for emergency and supplemental food programs and of other non -profit organizations that meet the critical needs of lowincome families. We strive to provide our services with compassion and respect for the dignity of the client. With that in mind, you no doubt have seen our shopping cart in the narthex, always there to accept your donations. For several years our preschool/daycare has shopped at the Weld Food Bank to help cut costs of our lunch program. However, we also have used the food bank s services when our Board of Elders puts together food baskets for those in need. Top Ten Most Wanted Donations: Canned Meat or Tuna Canned Soup or Stews Pasta or Mac & Cheese Cereal Rice Canned Fruit Canned Vegetables Peanut Butter Fruit Juice Beans The WFB also sponsors fundraisers: Monday October 7th - Dine Out! Dine at either Lucky Fins or The Chop House in Greeley and they will donate 15% of their sales to Weld Food Bank. Please help us thank them for their generosity! Gloria Christi News Page 8

9 The Gospel outreach radio broadcast of Lutheran Hour Ministries can be heard each Sunday on the following radio stations: KOA (850 AM) 6:00 am KFKA (1310 AM) 9:30 am XM Satellite - Family Talk (XM170)12:00pm Broadcast sermons for September are: October 6 ~ "Listening to God" Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Gregory Seltz God isn't ignoring you. You can wait for Him in faith. (Habakkuk 2:1-4) October 13 ~ "The Reason to Go" Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Gregory Seltz Jesus invites you to embark on a voyage of faith, trusting in His promises. (Luke 17:11-19) October 20 ~ "Absolute Grace Creates Absolute Growth Absolutely!" Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Gregory Seltz God's Word delivers absolute grace to a world of itching ears and empty promises. (2 Timothy 3:15-4:5) October 27 ~ "Absolute Truth" Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour: Rev. Ken Klaus Truth is not putty. Truth is a Person. (John 14:6) LCMS Online If you are one of the millions of people who have turned to electronic links to the world, social media like FaceBook or Twitter, or the news media, have you checked out all of the electronic links to your church body? You can start at the local level with our own website Take a look, and tell us what you think. Then on to the district level at you can keep up on what is going on right here in the Rocky Mountain District. The synod s website is and is the main portal to everything LCMS. From there you can access magazines, newsletters, devotional publications, current news in all areas of the synod, music, photos, education, current and archived documents,... The list is nearly endless! And, if you just like to browse, go to FaceBook, Twitter, Youtube, Google +, Linked In, or Intagram... See you online! Gloria Christi News October 6 ~ Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost 50th Anniversary of Gloria Christi 1 Kings 8:22-30 Hebrews 12:22-29 John 1:9-18 October 13 ~ Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost Ruth 1:1-19a 2 Timothy 2:1-13 Luke 17:11-19 October 20 ~ Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost Genesis 32: Timothy 3:14-4:5 Luke 18:1-8 October 27 ~ Reformation Day (Observed) Revelation 14:6-7 Romans 3:19-28 John 8:31-36 Please study these Scriptures each week to prepare yourself for Sunday services. You are also encouraged to read the Christian Questions and Answers for communicants in the Small Catechism to prepare to receive the Lord s body and blood faithfully in the Divine Service (p.329,330 LSB). For those who would like a daily Bible reading schedule you are encouraged to use the one listed on page 299 in our hymnal, Lutheran Service Book. The Bible, the Catechism, and our hymnal are the three key books for Lutherans to use in devotions. Besides this, it is good to be familiar with our Lutheran Confessions, the Book of Concord, which includes the Catechisms. See Joy or Marlene to get a Bible, Catechism, Lutheran Service Book or the Book of Concord. Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 Page 9

10 Deadlines for Newsletter and Sunday Bulletin Rev. John A. Frahm III Tom Johnston, President George & Berlyn Clear, Sunday School Superintendents Betty Monson, Secretary (970) (C) (970) (H) (970) (H) (970) (C) We welcome and encourage submissions for our newsletter and Sunday bulletin. Please make all submissions in writing, on disk, or by . All material is subject to editing for content, clarity, and style, as needed. The deadline for the newsletter is the 15th of every month. The deadline for the Sunday bulletin is Wednesday at Noon. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith... Galatians 6:10 Gloria Christi Lutheran Church (LC-MS) st Avenue Greeley, CO Phone: Fax: Website: Return Service Requested 50th Anniversary Celebration Sunday, October 6, :00 AM ~ Divine Service 10:30 AM ~ Presentation by Rev. Daniel Preus 12:00 Noon ~ Catered Dinner 2013