Spirit of Hope February 2016 Monthly Newsletter of Mount Hope Lutheran Church

Transcription

1 Spirit of Hope February 2016 Monthly Newsletter of Mount Hope Lutheran Church From the Pastor Mark Your Calendar Ash Wednesday Service is: February 10 6:30 pm Lent Services are: February 17 February 24 March 2 March 9 March 16 6:30 pm Special Guest Speaker at Mount Hope Lutheran Church Rev. Greg Finke will be here on Sunday, February 14 th,for worship at 8:15 am & 10:45 am and bible study time at 9:30 am. Rev. Greg Finke is the author of the book, Joining Jesus on His Mission and founder of Dwelling 1:14. Dwelling 1:14 is a nonprofit ministry which trains congregational leaders to disciple their people to join Jesus on His mission in the places they already live, work and go to school. The name Dwelling 1:14 references John 1:14 and the incarnational, missional nature both of Jesus and those who would follow him into the world. Greg and his wife Susan offer consulting, training experiences and various resources for congregations, schools, and early childhood centers who want to be more intentional and consistent about discipling, living missionally, and multiplying missional communities. Before founding Dwelling 1:14 in 2011, Greg had been the senior pastor of Messiah Lutheran in Midland, Michigan for 18 years and Gloria Dei Lutheran in Houston, Texas for three years. Susan has extensive experience as a leader of children and family ministries and in leadership development. Their new book, "Joining Jesus on His Mission has been widely recognized as a simple but powerful resource for helping ordinary people join Jesus as everyday missionaries in their communities.

2 Sunday Morning Adult Bible class is offered between the early and late worship services, starting at 9:35 a.m. in the sanctuary. Paul Hinz leads this study on the book of Revelation. In Home Bible Ladies, join us for our In-Home at Jennifer Adamek s home, at 9117 Yukon Ave S. Bloomington. Our new study Living a Chocolate Life by Deb Burma shines with love for the sweet truths of Scriptures. Through personal stories, riveting illustrations and meaningful scriptures Deb challenges us to move from looking at God through the window of our experiences to looking at our lives through the window of the heart of God. Join us on Tuesday, February 2 nd, and February 16 th, at 6:30 pm. Book Club First Friday book club meets on Friday, February 5 th, at 1:30-3:30 pm. Our book for the month of February is "Maisie Dobbs" by J. Winspeare. March s book is "Out to Pasture" by Effie Wilder. We meet at Renata Melby s home at Zenith Ave S. Call her for directions A book lover s delight! LifeLight Bible LifeLight for men and women meets each Thursday at 10 am at the church. We will be digging deep into Mark. Valentine s Tea All ladies of Mount Hope Lutheran Church are invited to a special treat! Our Valentine s Tea is on Saturday, February 13 th, at am. Professional singer and accomplished guitarist, Mary Hall, will delight you with a her songs of love and her faith story. Tea and Coffee will be hot and ready. Brunch delicacies and treats will be yours to savor! Tickets are $7 and are available for purchase at the church office or get yours after the Sunday service on February 7 th. Chase those winter s blues away with songs of love and hope. See you on the 13 th!

3 Financials Treasurer s Report from December 2015 Monthly Income $56,103 Monthly Income Budgeted $51,115 Monthly Expenses $53,251 Monthly Expenses Budgeted $44,985 (Includes Child Development Center) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Romans 8:30 February Celebration Days Stewardship In all things I have shown you that we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35) And indeed it is. Does this not strike a chord that resonates in us all? Which of us can t recall the look of surprise and thanks for the Christmas gifts that we labored to give to those whom we love? And the joy written on their face when that gift is received with thanksgiving means more than all the gifts we have received. It is more blessed to give than to receive. So also with our tithes and offerings in church. We want to give because we have received from God all that we are and all that we have. Our giving does not originate in what we must do to earn God s favor. We have God s favor because of the gift of His Son. Thus, we are made free from the compulsion of giving. Now our tithes and offerings are freely given in thanksgiving for what God has so generously given to us. Happy Birthday Baptism Anniversary Wedding Anniversary 2 Kim Woebke 3 James Froemming 16 Dave & Fran Wallin 4 Zachary Vogland 5 Kevin Woebke 9 Kathy Barnaby 9 Marilyn Nelson 9 Kate McMullen 14 Gene Roehrick 10 Candy Frein 21 Hope Berg 12 Eunice Marose 23 Luella Domras 12 Wyatt Vogland 23 Janice Elbert 13 Harriet Buelow 15 Luella Domras 18 Todd Mack 20 Karen Mack 24 Steve Schmidt 28 Caleb Mack Worship Attendance December 24 4:00=127 January 3 8:15=47 10:45=67 December 24 5:30=49 January 10 8:15=47 10:45=60 December 25 =65 January 17 8:15=49 10:45=78 December 27 8:15=42 10:45=40 January 24 8:15=50 10:45=69 December 31 6:30=35

4 Youth Ministry One Way Mission Statement of One Way We exist to bring youth into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, while encouraging them to share with one another, explore their ministry gifts, and praise God with their lives. Upcoming Events SWAG (Saved With Amazing Grace) meets every Wednesday from 6-8 pm. The evening is full of fun, games, and devotions. Your friends are always welcome. Bible and Brew is Wednesdays from 3:30-4:00 pm at Caribou Coffee on Old Shakopee Road. Youth Bible Class is Sunday mornings (expect holiday weekends) starting at 9:30 am. Melanie Appelquist is teaching the 6 th -12 th grades in the Orange CDC Classroom. We will move into the new youth room once the remodeling process is finished. Buck Hill Overnight is February 5 th 9:30 p.m.-5:30 a.m. This event is open to 6th-12th grade students and friends. The cost is $40 (which includes lift ticket, rentals, and tubing.) More information coming soon! Gertens Plant Sale order packets will be available to order in mid-february. We will be selling flowers/planets through March 20 th. All money raised will help support One Way Youth Ministry. Sunday School Biblical Truths and Football You read the title right, and I never thought I d say it. With the Super Bowl fast approaching, I found these concepts interesting and wanted to share them with you. I ve adjusted the content to fit within the allotted space for this column. The entire article can be found at False Start-Psalm 27:14-one player moves out of his position before he is allowed. We can be guilty of moving ahead of the Lord, too. God s timing is perfect and we need to wait for Him! We can teach our children the importance of waiting on the Lord and trusting God with the future. Fumble-1 John 1:9-a fumble is when a player drops the ball. It can be costly, but the player has to get back in the game. In the same way, we cannot let our mistakes define us. When we make mistakes, we must get back up again and get on with our lives. Talk about people in the Bible who fumbled in their lives. How about Moses? King David? Peter? All three made huge mistakes, but all got back up and finished strong. We ll all fumble; we need to get up and finish strong! Tackle Philippians 4:13-are there issues in your child s life that he needs to tackle today? Next time you watch an amazing tackle, talk to your child about all the effort that went into that play. Encourage him to tackle his problems the same way-go after them just like the defensive line goes after the guy with the ball! Remind him-he can do ALL thing through Christ who gives him strength. Interception-Romans 8:28-sometimes a quarterback throws the ball and a player on the other team catches it resulting in a turnover. The play does not go quite as planned. Next time you witness an interception during a game, relate that to the disappointments in our lives. Talk about a time when things do not go as planned. Encourage dependence on God. When God has the ball, great things can happen! Touchdown-Philippians 3:13-14-the ultimate goal is to score as many touchdowns as possible. As the game progresses, remind your child that we already know who wins in the game of life! We re on the winning side and it s our job to keep our heads in the game, no matter how hard it gets. One day we will receive our prize and all of our hard work will be worth it. Happy Valentine s Day! Francine Wallin, Director Children s Sunday School

5 JAM Sunday, February 21 st JAM will be going Ice Skating. Please meet in the purple room at Mount Hope starting at Noon. We will be back to Mount Hope shortly after three. We will be going to Eden Prairie Community Center. It s $5 for admission and $2.50 to rent skates. This event is open to 3rd-5th Graders. Friends are welcome to attend. If you would like to provide lunch at day please contact Melanie. If you have any questions please contact Melanie at youth@mt-hope.org or Living Lent Ash Wednesday this year is February 10 th. During the 40 days of Lent leading up to the celebration of our Lord s victory over death and the grave on Easter, we will be focusing on particular words. Each Wednesday evening at 6:30 pm we will gather for worship. We ll begin with the word Ponder as the Prophet Nathan exposed the tragic cover-up of King David. The following week will be Purpose and Jesus and Zacchaeus. Next comes the word People and Jesus as our Shepherd. Please join us each Wednesday evening from 6:30-7:00 pm with coffee and refreshments following our time of worship. Lutheran Church Extension Fund LCEF Something for Everyone When it comes to your financial needs, Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) offers investments from babies to grandparents. You can invest with LCEF knowing that your dollars are empowering ministry in Kingdom work. Here at Mount Hope your investment will assist us in getting an annual mortgage rebate once our new mortgage loan from LCEF is established upon completion of our building project this spring. Thank you to all of you who have become new investors with LCEF. We have 56 investors which is up from 27 investors in June We are still in need of at least 15 more new investors to qualify for the maximum rebate. For more details and application to become an investor with LCEF visit lecf.org or call For local assistance Glenn Thiel, our LCEF Congregation Advocate, can be contacted at Choose from these great options: 1.0% - Family Emergency and Steward Accounts: Prepare for the unexpected 2.0% or 2.5% - Partner Plus: A fixed-rate for 2 or 4 year term notes for existing Investors 3.0% - Connect Plus: A fixed-rate term note for new LCEF Investors 3.5% - Young Investors (YI Club) Steward Account: Where saving money is fun and helps others learn about Jesus

6 Child Development Center National Lutheran Schools Week was so much fun! The children had dress up days and an assembly presented by the MN Children s Museum. The staff and families truly appreciate the support and prayers given by the congregation to the Center. Registration to the general public opens the first Monday in February. Please talk to your friends and neighbors and let them know we have openings. We would love to have four morning preschool classes going next fall. Informational postcards are available on the CDC hallway countertop and full packets of info are available in the office. The preschoolers will be celebrating Special Persons Days on the Thursday and Friday before Valentine s day. The children are able to invite a special person to join them at school for a portion of the morning. The children love showing off their classroom and introducing their special person to their friends and teachers. During the month of January the children collected more than $60 for Heifer International. The families knew that for every $10 brought in, a school of fingerlings (kid fish) could be purchased and sent to a family in need. What an incredible show of generosity from our families! Kim Woebke, CDC Director 1 Feb Zech 11: Tim 4: Feb Zech 12:1 13:9 Titus 1:1 2:6 3 Feb Zech 14:1 21 Titus 2:7 3:15 4 Feb Job 1:1 22 John 1: Feb Job 2:1 3:10 John 1: Feb Job 3:11 26 John 1: Feb Job 4:1 21 John 2: Feb Job 5:1 27 John 2: Feb Job 6:1 13 John 3: Feb Job 6:14 30 John 3:22 4:6 11 Feb Job 7:1 21 John 4: Feb Job 8:1 22 John 4: Feb Job 9:1 35 John 4: Feb Job 10:1 22 John 5: Feb Job 11:1 20 John 5: Feb Job 12:1 6, John 5: Feb Job 13:1 12 John 6: Feb Gen 1:1 19 Mark 1: Feb Gen 1:20 2:3 Mark 1: Feb Gen 2:4 25 Mark 1: Feb Gen 3:1 24 Mark 2: Feb Gen 4:1 26 Mark 2: Feb Gen 6:1 7:5 Mark 3: Feb Gen 7:11 8:12 Mark 3: Feb Gen 8:13 9:17 Mark 4:1 20 Gen 9:18 11:26 26 Feb Gen 11:27 12:20 Mark 4: Feb Gen 13:1 18 Mark 5:1 20 Gen 14: Feb Gen 15:1 21 Mark 5: Feb Job 32:1 22 John 10:1 21

7 February 2016 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat :30 In-Home 8:00 AA Meets 9:00 Prayer Group 3:30 Youth Bible & Caribou 6:00-8:00 SWAG 6:30 Confirmation 7:00 Praise Team Practice LifeLight 1:30-3:30 1 st Friday Book Club Youth Buck Hill Ski Overnight Fri-Sat 9:30 pm-5:30 am Noisy Offering ASH WED :15 Worship 9:30 Sunday School & Youth 9:35 Adult Bible 10:45 Worship 8:15 Worship 9:30 Sunday School & Youth 9:35 Adult Bible 10:45 Worship 8:15 Worship 9:30 Sunday School & Youth 9:35 Adult Bible 10:45 Worship 12:00-3:00 JAM 8:15 Worship 9:30 Sunday School & Youth 9:35 Adult Bible 10:45 Worship 8:00 AA Meets 9:00 Prayer Group 3:30 Youth Bible & Caribou 6:30 Ash Wednesday Service 7:00 Confirmation 7:00 SWAG LifeLight Valentine s Tea LENT :30 In-Home 8:00 AA Meets 9:00 Prayer Group 3:30 Youth Bible & Caribou 6:30 Lent Service 7:00 Confirmation 7:00 SWAG LifeLight 6:30 Governing Board Meets 10-4 Bethesda Thrift Shop Work Day LENT :00 AA Meets 9:00 Prayer Group 3:30 Youth Bible & Caribou 6:30 Lent Service 7:00 Confirmation 7:00 SWAG LifeLight Mount Hope Lutheran Church :30-2:30 Sanctuary Use (M. Mack)

8 Sunday Worship Schedule 8:15 am Traditional Worship Service 9:30 am and Sunday School 10:45 am Praise Worship Service Phone: Website: Staff at Mount Hope Lutheran Dan Ritter Pastor Melanie Appelquist Director of Youth & Children s Ministry Kim Woebke Director of Child Development Center Heather Bielec Lead Teacher, Child Development Center Charlotte Penn Lead Teacher, Child Development Center Christina Brantner Music Director Jennifer Adamek Church Secretary Candy Frein Church Secretary Steve Sundseth Custodian Sam Killam Part-time Custodian Mount Hope Lutheran Church 3601 W Old Shakopee Rd Bloomington, MN Address Service Requested