PARISH LIGHT AMERICAN LUTHERAN CHURCH. Reformation 500: A Luther Story

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1 AMERICAN LUTHERAN CHURCH PARISH LIGHT A Beacon of god s love a home for all people American Lutheran Church 401 South Flynn Drive, PO Box 287, Milbank, SD June July 2017 Reformation 500: A Luther Story story by Rev. Jim Hulberg I ve found that during the summer there always seems to be time for a little extra reading. So, in this summer newsletter, in remembrance of the 500 th anniversary of Luther s nailing of the 95 Thesis to the Wittenberg Church, I ve included a story from Martin Luther s life, a story that takes place in May of 1518, just seven months after the historic nailing of the 95 thesis. In this story, Luther had been asked to speak as a visiting priest, at the Augustinian monastery in Heidelberg, Germany, a speech that would become famously known as the Heidelberg Disputation. What you need to know about the famous discourse given in Heidelberg is, that whereas much of the northeastern part of what is today Germany was caught up in the excitement of Luther s teachings, in Heidelberg and in many areas in to the south there was an entrenched abiding loyalty to the Roman Catholic Church and to the papal doctrines. This led many in Heidelberg and the surrounding area to despise Luther and his new theological ideas, believing and in fact, promoting the idea that Luther was a heretic and deserved to be burnt at the stake. But even though there was this deep-seated anti-luther sentiment in Heidelberg, in early May, 1518, Luther and few of his friends set out from Wittenberg traveling southwest toward Heidelberg. On their way one of their planned overnight stops was at a little village called Miltenberg. When the people of Miltenberg heard that Luther was coming to their small village there was excitement. For by this time, Luther was something of a folk hero, a 16 th century rock star, and to have him in their midst was special. But not all in Miltenberg were so moved by Luther's message. One of those from Miltenburg that was infuriated by Luther and his reform message was Count Eberhard von Erbeck, a large landholder and a key political figure in the area. Count von Erbeck decided that if he ever had the opportunity to take Luther out he would do it, either by kidnapping Luther and holding him as a hostage until he received word from Rome that a trial would be set, or if necessary, by murdering Luther. Now, Count von Erbeck had also heard that Luther was coming and decided to go out with some of his men to hunt Luther down. But on that particular day Count von Erbeck should have stayed home at his estate, for his youngest child was deathly ill, and his wife had begged the Count to stay home. But the Count believed that he was called to go out and hunt down Luther. It was few hours before Luther was supposed to be in a certain area when Count von Erbeck deployed his men into a forested area near Miltenburg. The Count s plan was simple: as Luther and his party were approaching during the twilight hours, the men would spring out of the forested area, surprise Luther and take he and his associates captive, and holding them as hostages at the von Erbeck estate. But, because the Count had been up with his sick child the night before, he decided that he would bed-down at an inn in Miltenberg, while letting his men take care of the kidnapping. It was while Count von Erbeck was laying in bed, that he heard hymnody, singing, and chanting through the paper thin walls from the room next door. And he heard prayers, like nothing he had ever heard before, as

2 the words spoke to him of a deep trust and confidence in God, and faithfulness to God s calling. Then the prayer-filled man ended his intercessions by commending all in the inn to God s keeping for the night. The Count said that he was so deeply moved by all that he heard from the stranger in the next room that he got down on his knees and prayed, praying deeply for his wife and child, and then he fell asleep. Early the next morning the Count awoke to singing, hymnody, and prayer that again was coming from the neighboring room. The Count hurried to get ready and then he rushed down to the inn keeper s room to ask who it was in that adjacent room. The inn keeper said that he didn t know much about the person other than that he was a priest. But then the inn keeper pointed at the stable and told the Count that priest was over there. So the Count sprinted outside hoping to catch up with this prayerful priest. The Count met the priest as he was coming out of the stable and said to him, Father, I can see that you're in a hurry to leave, but I want to tell you that last night your songs and prayers touched my heart. Please Father, bless me for the work that I do this day will be the greatest I ve ever done in my life and I do it for the glory and honor of the church. The priest said to the Count, My good brother, and what good work for the church might that be? Today, the Count replied, I am going to capture the heretic Martin Luther and I plan to take him to Rome so that he can be burnt at the stake. The stranger then looked into the Count s eyes and said, My Friend, look no further for Martin Luther, for I am he. And the Count stood there - speechless. Then Martin Luther said, Do you really believe that I deserve to be burnt at the stake? Do you really believe that because I am persuaded by God s Word that a man is saved by faith and not works or money and because I have lifted up my voice against perversion in the church that I deserve death? If that is what you believe then here I am. At that moment the Count began to weep and then said, I came to conquer you, but last night you conquered me, with your prayers, with your songs and with your faith. Father Luther, come to my home so that my family and I might learn of your faith. I found this story a number of years ago in a book authored by former American Lutheran pastor, Jim Hulberg. Pastor Jim used to do a radio devotional and this was one of the stories that he shared. God s blessings on your summer plans. Pastor Carl American Lutheran Church Staff and Church Council PASTOR Carl Larson alcpastor@itcmilbank.com Office Cell Phone PARISH ASSISTANT Carol Kirchberg OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Gail Selgeby alcoffice@itcmilbank.com Office Phone Cell Phone CHRISTIAN EDUCATION Amy Bass Amy.Bass@americanlutheran.com PRESCHOOL Nicole Scott Teacher preschool@americanlutheran.com PARISH NURSE Diana Dirksen dirksen@tnics.com CHURCH COUNCIL President Steve Wenzl Vice President Jerry Kathman Secretary Troy Kastrup Treasurer Mary Bjordahl PROPERTY/ MANAGEMENT Craig Kirchberg Steve Street Jerry Kathman YOUTH/EDUCATION Carol Kirchberg Theresa Granquist Janet Zemlicka FINANCE/STEWARDSHIP Kevin Bjordahl Bob Biersbach Steve Wenzl WORSHIP/EVANGELISM Bryan Johnson Dell Stengel Troy Kastrup If you are unable to attend worship in person Listen LIVE on KMSD 9am Sundays (1510AM/98.3FM) FACEBOOK Like Us on Facebook Bulletins Newsletters Worship Videos Calendar and Events

3 Join us for Hartford Beach State Park Bring a dish to pass. Pork sandwiches provided. (Thank you Randy Busk) Bring lawn chairs. Outdoor Worship and Church Picnic! Sunday, June 18 at 9:00 Hartford Beach State Park In case of inclement weather worship and picnic will be moved back to the church. Knowing the Signs of Stroke Can Save Lives Four letters and three numbers can be all you need to know to save a life. Too often, we all are unfamiliar with the signs of stroke, a medical emergency. The four letters are F Face drooping A Arm weakness S Speech difficulty T Time to call 911 Even if you re uncertain, you should still call 911. Diana Dirksen Parish Nurse Blood pressures will be taken June 11. We had a great get-together with walking participants that put in over 8500 miles in 13 weeks. It has been decided to walk where Jesus walked next year. Join us! Take care of your skin by wearing sunscreen to protect yourself from cancer.

4 Pa s t o ra l A c t s i n M ay Rowen Gail Selgeby Baptism: May 7, 2017 Date of Birth: April 6, 2017 Parents: Heather Hyder and Jon Selgeby Sponsors: Neil and Laura Selgeby Emmitt Keith Welberg Baptism: May 13, 2017 Date of Birth: January 16, 2017 Parents: Jordan and Rochelle Welberg Sponsors: Derek Trapp, Rebecca Welberg, Rhianna Welberg Owen Ray Welberg Baptism: May 13, 2017 Date of Birth: January 16, 2017 Parents: Jordan and Rochelle Welberg Sponsors: Haley and Cory Harms, Taylor Welberg Cameron Lee Prisinger Baptism: May 20, 2017 Date of Birth: September 22, 2014 Parents: Nicole Eckland and Brandon Prisinger Sponsors: Dusty Prisinger, Trisha Trapp Carson Scott Myrum Baptism: May 28, 2017 Date of Birth: November 7, 2016 Parents: Scott and Sheila Myrum Sponsors: Brian Krueger, Holly Deutsch, Curt Myrum Ronald Robert Van Hoorn December 27, May 6, 2017 Funeral Service: May 11, 2017 LaVergne Hilda Hedman July 3, May 11, 2017 Funeral Service: May 20, 2017

5 VBS 2017 Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God s will FOR YOU who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-18 Hi! I'm Amy Bass, the new education coordinator at ALC and I'm very excited for this new role. First off, I want to thank Brittni Cordingley for the great job she did over the past year in this position. I also want to thank everyone who volunteered their time as a Sunday School teacher or helped in any capacity. We are currently in full swing with our VBS program and have a total of 52 children attending! NeSoDak counselors are leading Kindergarten through 6th grade and Pre-K are being led by ALC volunteers. This year, we are doing VBS over three evenings and a meal is provided. Many thanks to those who donated food or time to make this a success. The children are having a blast!

6 JUNE Bus Trip to the Minnesota Twins vs. Baltimore Orioles Baseball Game Saturday, July 8, 2017 Cost: $45 All seats are in Section 214 Charter bus loads at the church at 7:15 am. The bus will return to Milbank immediately after the game is over. Sign up at the Welcome Center. Volunteer Opportunities Your help is needed! JULY JUNE 14 JUNE 7 Grant County Christian Service Council ALC delivers Meals on Wheel in June. Sign up at the Welcome Center or call the church office. If you have never driven a route let us know and you can see how easy it is by riding along with a driver. Jack and Jill Park Work Day Wednesday, June 7 at 5 pm All are welcome and NEEDED! ALC adopted Jack and Jill Park in 2016 as a community project. Feeding South Dakota and Grant County Christian Service Council are partnering to provide another free food giveaway to families in the Milbank area in need of food. Helpers and cookies are needed for the event on June 14. If you can help, please sign up at the Welcome Center, or see Brenda Maass for more details! Grant County 4-H Exhibit Building ALC provides workers and food for the July Blood Drive. Watch for a sign up sheet at the Welcome Center. Carol Kirchberg and Sandy Kathman coordinators

7 Quilters Group The Quilters create quilts that are given to LWR and local charities plus infant quilts for every child that is baptized at ALC. Meets the 2 nd and 4 th Tuesday at 9am in the Fellowship Hall. Peace Circle Bible Study, Fellowship, and Community Service. Summer Schedule: June 20 at 12 noon July 25 at 12 noon Potluck lunch with Quilters Prayer Shawl Ministry This group crochets or knits prayer shawls (on their own time). Yarn is provided. Contact Janelle Kelly for information. Page Turners Book Club Meets the third Thursday of each month at 7pm. June: The Choice by Nicholas Sparks ALC Church Library Stop in and pick up a DVD or book for summer-time reading. There and Back Again May News (Jordan will be back in Milbank the first week of June) I just returned from my trip to China, and my time there was well spent. While in China, I got to talk to Christian students who have a heart for sharing the Gospel with their fellow classmates. I was extremely encouraged to see these students continue to take steps to share their faith, especially amidst the persecution of the Chinese government. These students also gave me hope that a similar movement of believing students could rise up in the Middle East. While in China, I also got to meet some people from an ethnic group who are closely related to the people groups of the Middle East. I got to know a friend named Bob. While talking with Bob, I spoke a little of the language I was learning from the Middle East and he could understand what I was saying! These common languages really helped me and another missionary share the Gospel with Bob, as he was able to understand spiritual concepts while hearing his native language. At the end of our conversation, we gave Bob a bible in his native language and he has been reading it! This story helped me see how God uses every little experience in our lives to help point other people to his Good News. Jordan Hins Jordan, Missionary Friend, Bob Dear American Lutheran Congregation, For the past year I have had a calling to go on a mission trip, and this coming July I have been given the opportunity to go to the Czech Republic with my Aunt Kristin s church in Sioux Falls. On July 6, I depart for Trinec, Czech Republic. During the Cold War, the Czech Republic (then Czechoslovakia) was under Communist influence and the people were not allowed to partake in organized religion. Once Communism was expelled from the country, many remained atheist. Even today, only around 20% of the population is considered as Christian. The goal of the mission trip is to put on a VBS type camp for children ages For some of the children it will be their first time experiencing God and his wonders. The camp has been functioning for many years with support from various congregations in the US. Along with teaching these kids about Christ, we will be teaching basic English, playing American sports (I don t know how well that will go in my case), and learning about their culture and lives. As I continue getting prepared for my trip, I ask for prayers and messages of support. Mission Trip God Bless, Claire Mischel And we know that in all things GOD works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

8 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!! 6/1 Tom & Joan Aho 6/2 Blaine & Pam Gomer 6/2 Duane & Pamela Prisinger 6/5 Ron & Sandra Boe 6/5 Douglas & Lavonne Fraasch 6/5 Mark & Theresa Granquist 6/10 Troy & Karla Kastrup 6/10 Dar & Barbara Prisinger 6/11 David & Doris Bergan 6/11 Dennis & June Van Asch 6/12 Jerome & Sandy Kathman 6/12 Herbert & ArlaMae Petersen 6/14 Chad & Julie Nolz 6/15 Stanley & Delores Street 6/18 Shane & Jessica Zemlicka 6/20 Carl & Carol Larson 6/20 Boyd & Kathy Sussex 6/24 Bryan & Sara Johnson 6/24 Alan & Kathy Mathiason 6/25 Doug & Gail Barlund 6/26 Kent & Kamille Knudson 7/1 David & Lisa Kolden 7/1 Dave & Rhonda Zinter 7/5 Charlie & Peggy Johnson 7/7 Jason & Amber Wellnitz 7/12 Miranda & Ryan Dunihoo 7/12 Justin & Dana Mathiason 7/13 Mark & Susan Leddy 7/19 Jason & Heidi Mischel 7/24 Steve & Gail Street 7/27 Ralph & Nancy Hansen 7/31 Harvey & Deanna Schaefer WATCH the SD Synod Assembly LIVE at sdsynod.org Look for this message: The 2017 South Dakota Synod Assembly will be live streamed June 2-3! Click here for assembly information and the schedule. Please be sure to unmute the video player below to hear audio. Follow along on Twitter with #SDSynod500. Stewardship a way of life Date 05/02/17 05/09/17 05/16/17 05/23/17 Attendance Giving $8,867 $3,557 $2,504 $4,115 Year to Date Budgeted Giving 5/31: $107,962 Year to Date Actual Giving 5/31: $103,799 HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! 6/1 Rita Hins 6/1 Clayton Olson 6/3 Ryan Magedanz 6/4 Kaci Zinter 6/5 Noah Thompson 6/7 Jody Bear 6/7 Shirley Olson 6/7 Lisa Wienk 6/8 Kathleen Jones 6/8 Lee Schumacher 6/8 Jessica Strobl 6/10 Blake Gomer 6/10 Jarod Muilenburg 6/10 Elizabeth Smith 6/10 Emery Strobl 6/11 Nathan Bass 6/13 Cole Kirchberg 6/13 Heather Storm 6/13 Lisa Torness 6/14 Steven Anderson 6/14 Madeline Foss 6/14 Kristi Seehafer 6/15 Hunter Storm 6/15 Hadley Teske 6/15 Donald Van Veen 6/16 Clint Magedanz 6/16 Debra Pierce 6/18 Jerome Kathman 6/18 Kamille Knudson 6/20 Laura Johnson 6/20 Jennifer Luepke 6/21 Haeli Teske 6/22 Nolan Foss 6/24 Caden Bjordahl 6/24 Jonathon Boerger 6/24 Dana Mathiason 6/25 Gerald Grimm 6/25 Gail Street 6/25 Taylor Thompson 6/26 Patricia Frazee 6/26 Wendy Storm 6/27 Sandra Boe 6/27 David Hystad 6/27 Jody Kramer 6/28 Mackenzie Mears 6/28 Danielle Ruhr 6/29 Zachary Pinkert 6/30 Tom Aho 6/30 Bryan Johnson 6/30 June Seehafer 6/30 Scott Torness 7/1 Karen Davis 7/2 Declan Ruppel 7/4 Michelle Bates 7/4 Samuel Femling 7/4 Tamara Wellnitz 7/5 Macy Mueller 7/6 Jerry Neuharth 7/7 Beth St. Martin 7/7 C. Torness 7/8 Kristen Ash 7/8 Diane Pillatzke 7/8 Avery Schuneman 7/9 Angela Boerger 7/9 Michael Holtquist 7/10 Kevin Kirchberg 7/10 Brenda Teske 7/11 Glenda Bohn 7/11 Cooper Mueller 7/14 Sophia Bass 7/14 Janice Boerger 7/14 Rosann Lichtsinn 7/14 Roger Pauli 7/14 Cody Seehafer 7/15 Mason Kirchberg 7/15 David Kolden 7/15 Michael Strege 7/16 Lisa Kolden 7/16 Mildred Schneck 7/17 Jordan Schlueter 7/17 Eric Strobl 7/17 Dorothy Thompson 7/18 Mel Cook 7/18 Edmund Dorneman 7/18 Beth Strobl 7/18 Steve Wenzl 7/19 Ralph Hansen 7/19 Verdell Stengel 7/21 Lisa Anderson 7/21 Eli Johnson 7/21 Mike Sipe 7/21 Ava Wienk 7/24 Nathan Loutsch 7/25 Thomas Bass 7/25 Shane Schuchard 7/25 Alexandra Scriver 7/26 Charles Mehlhaff 7/27 Tanner Robertson 7/28 Paysen Anderson 7/29 Violet Johnson 7/30 Kenneth Keller 7/30 Tammi Westfield 7/31 Candace Mohnsen

9 June 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Meals on Wheels All Month 1 VBS Synod Assembly in Sioux Falls 3 Synod Assembly in Sioux Falls am Quilting 6 7 5pm Jack & Jill Park Work Day 14 Church Council Bridal Shower < Pastor Carl on Vacation > 15 2pm Vespers 7pm Book Club 16 Office closed Friday s for the summer At Hartford Beach State Park (& Picnic) Noon Peace Circle 2pm Alzheimer s Support am Quilting July 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Grant County Bloodmobile In July Office closed Friday s for the summer Office Closed 4 Office Closed Twins Game Bus Trip < Pastor Carl attending Class -> am Quilting 12 Church Council < -Pastor Carl on Vacation ---> pm Alzheimer s Support pm Vespers 7pm Book Club am Quilting 12 noon Peace Circle Potluck with Quilters

10 Join us for Church PO Box South Flynn Drive Milbank, SD Phone: (605) Website: Outdoor Worship and Church Picnic! Sunday, June 18 at 9:00 Hartford Beach State Park