THE PASTOR S PEN by Rev. Steve Bang

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1 12 The West Prairie Church council met on April 08, 2014 with Judy Norstrud, Lanette Branstad, Misty Juveland, Jan Reimann and Denise Holst present. Steve Reimann and Rob Jacobs were absent. Judy called the meeting to order and Denise opened with devotions. The secretary s report was given by Misty. Lanette accepted the report and Denise seconded motion was passed. Treasurer s report was read. Denise accepted and Jan seconded the motion. Pastor Steve reported that Will, Johanna, Easton and Luke will be confirmed on May 4, 2014 at 8:30 Lanette motioned and Misty seconded. Jill will be doing the photos for confirmation. We also talked about LeAnn and Roger Peterson who are moving their membership to West Prairie. We need a copy of the letter of transfer. The date to accept them in is undecided at this time. The outside light has been fixed. Denny call the REC and they came out fixed the light and trimmed trees around the lines. Jan is going to get the lights bulbs replaced and in working order. The church phone number needs to be changed in the Graphic and we will be purchasing an answering machine for the church. It will be remote so someone will be able to remotely answer from home. Lanette motioned and Misty seconded it. We also will be adding a April Church Council Minutes Communion registration location at the side entrance from the fellowship hall. New song number cards have been purchased. Lori Jacobs has resigned from treasure position. We accepted her letter. Lanette motioned and Misty seconded. We will talk to congregation about making this a paid position and filling it. Garret is going to mow the church lawn again this year. We discussed ringing of the bell. Denny says it needs to be rang 10 times, also if anyone know anything about the clapper that is missing please let one of the council members know. The Church Anniversary is coming up soon and we need money donations for some of these expenses. There will be a special giving offering on the 27 of April. Denise motioned and Lanette seconded. Steve Reimann has asked to resign from council. We need a resignation letter. For the Good Friday service we will have nothing on the Alter. Sale of the parsonage: Picture will be taken and will need 2 people to sign paper with the Realtor. A group of people are working on the furnace and the air conditioner regarding the cost and who to do this project. The next meeting will be on May 7, The meeting was adjourned and Jan motioned, Denise seconded. We closed with the Lord s Prayer. Submitted by Misty Juveland Council Secretary West Prairie Lutheran Church LCMC-Lutheran Congregations in Missions for Christ May 2014 Steven Bang, pastor THE PASTOR S PEN by Rev. Steve Bang Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (II Pet. 3:18) This is the time of the year when school winds down, spring has finally made its appearance, youth are confirmed, and graduations occur. We have four youth being confirmed on May 4: Johanna Juveland, Easton Jacobs, Luke Johnson, and Will Kirschbaum. They have been spending the last two years learning what it means to be in a relationship with Jesus. The goal of our time in confirmation is not only to have learned about God but to actually know Him better, to love Him more, and to better know just how much He loves us. To be confirmed is to confirm the faith first planted in us by the Holy Spirit at baptism. It is publicly declaring, Yes God, I believe in you. I accept your free gift of salvation offered to me through your Son Jesus Christ, and I promise to live and grow in this relationship with you for the rest of my life. Those are some pretty powerful words. No matter where you are on the spiritual journey, know that God loves you very much. Knowing that simple fact will motivate you to say thanks back to God for His love, by continuing to grow in your faith. Congratulations to our high school graduates Taila Jacobs, Kaitlyn Helfter, Garrett Fjeld, and Logan West. They have worked hard to reach this milestone in their lives and we pray God s blessing on their future plans. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. (Jer. 29:11) We re encouraged by a leader who stirs us to move ahead, who believes we can do the task He has given us and who will be with us all the way. God is that kind of Continued on page 2

2 May Ushers... Terry Durby, Ty Durby May Lesson Reader... Louise Nath May Acolyte... Paris Reimann May Altar Flowers... Shirley Schutter Communion Set Up... May 4 Betty Williams May 25 Louise Nath Coffee Servers... May 4 Helen Stohr and Judy Norstrud May 11 Louise Nath and Lana Heins May 18 Helen Finer and Rita Schutter May 25 Misty Juveland and Lisa Durby Sarah Circle Wednesday, May 7 7 p.m. with Janet Haugen Naomi Circle Thursday, May 8 7 p.m. with Lisa Durby Couples Club May 25 7 p.m. with Marlas Reimann LCMC WOW Wednesday, May 14 9 a.m. quilting; noon lunch with Shirley Schutter and Sharon Holland Pastor s Letter Cont. leader. He knows the future even though we do not. His plans for us are good and full of hope. As long as God, who knows the future, provides our agenda and goes with us as we fulfill His mission, we have hope. This doesn t mean we will be spared pain, suffering, or hardship, but that God will see us through to a glorious conclusion. One more reminder - for the next 4 months beginning in May we have worship at 8:30 a.m. instead of 11 a.m. In September we will move back to the later hour. This is a cooperative effort between West Prairie and Sion. Thanks for the cooperation during the Lenten services. It was well attended. God s blessings to you all! Pastor Steve Open House brunch reception for our confirmands: Easton Jacobs, Luke Johnson, Johanna Juveland, Will Kirschbaum will be held following 8:30 a.m. Worship Service, Sunday, May 4th! Lesser Festivals and Commemorations The following names are listed in the LBW for the month of May: May 1: St. Philip and St. James, apostles Of the four gospels, Philip is mentioned most prominently in John. It begins with John 1:43, when Jesus went into Galilee where He found Philip and said to him, Follow Me. Then he is tested by Jesus during the feeding of the 5,000 in John 6:5, 6. James was the brother of John, the apostle, and probably the eldest of the two. He was one of the first disciples to join Jesus along with his brother. James was also only one of three whom Jesus selected to witness His transfiguration. James was executed by order of Herod the king, and the only apostle whose death is recorded in the New Testament. May 2: Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, 373 May 4: Monica, mother of Augustine, 387 May 18: Erik, King of Sweden, martyr, 1160 May 19: Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, 988 May 21: John Eliot, missionary to the American Indians, 1690 Known as the apostle to the Indians, Eliot was born in England, attended college in Cambridge, then emigrated to Boston in He became minister and teaching elder at the First Church in Roxbury, Mass. Eliot donated land to support the Eliot School which is now a historic Boston neighborhood. His donation required the school to accept both Negroes and Indians without prejudice, unusual at the time. The school continues near its original location today, with admissions of all ethnicities. May 23: Ludwig Nommensen, missionary to Sumatra, 1918 May 24: Nicolaus Copernicus, 1543 May 27: John Calvin, renewer of the Church, 1564 May 29: Jiri Transovsky, hymnwriter, 1637 Son of a blacksmith, Jiri (George) was born in 1591 in Silesia (now Czech Republic). He was a student at the University of Wittenberg, ordained in 1616, and spent his life teaching and preaching in the area. He authored a hymnal containing about 400 hymns. May 31: The Visitation Both with child, Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth. The journey from Nazareth was about 100 miles to a city in Judah. The Bible tells us in Luke 1 that when Elizabeth heard Mary s greeting, the baby (John the Baptist) leaped in her womb. He was aware of the presence of his Divine Savior though He was still in His mother s womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit recognizing the presence of Jesus. 2 11

3 The month of May celebrations/observances cont. Armed Forces Day is observed the third Saturday in May. Each branch of the military had their own day of celebration, but in 1949, then Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of Armed Forces Day. All branches of the military were asked to celebrate on this day and they complied. President Harry Truman announced the holiday in a presidential proclamation in And, Memorial Day, traditionally held on May 30th. Congress changed it in 1971 to the last Monday in May in order to afford a 3-day holiday weekend. Memorial Day was first called Decoration Day, and was changed in 1882 to Memorial Day. This day is dedicated to service men and women who gave their lives for freedom and country. The roots of this day goes back to 1865 at the end of the Civil War. We also observe High School Graduation days in May. It is a day of celebration for seniors some to pursue addition education, some to enter the fulltime workforce, and some to enter the military. Most will find other living accommodations and leave their parents with an empty nest! Although Mayday has nothing to do with the month of May, it does in essence contain the word May. That s the only reason it s contained in this article on May. Mayday, spelled like this, is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice procedure radio communications. Generally used to signal life-threatening emergency primarily by mariners and aviators, it is used in some countries by policemen, firefighters and transportation organizations. The call is always given three times in a row. The Mayday procedure word originated in 1923, by a senior radio officer at Croydon Airport in London. Frederick Mockford was asked to think of a word that would indicate distress and would be easily understood by all pilots and ground crew in an emergency. Since much of the air traffic was between Paris and London, he proposed the word Mayday from the French m aider, (venez m aider meaning come help me ). SOS was the Morse Code equivalent of an emergency call prior to the Mayday voice call. It should be noted that making a false distress call in the U.S. is a federal crime carrying a sentence of up to six years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000. and restitution to the Coast Guard. Well done is better than well said. Benjamin Franklin LCMC Women of the Word (WOW) are busy piecing, assembling and sewing quilts for Lutheran World Relief. They have also made quilts for each of the WP high school graduates. Pictured above are, from left: Candy Johnson, Jonie Bang, Irene Eide, Janell Carson, Sharon Holland, Judy Norstrud, Marlas Reimann, (seated from left) Joan West and Shirley Schutter. You re Invited... A Graduation Party will be held for Taila Jacobs, Friday, May 16 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the family home: th St., Forest City (Airport Road). May Birthdays! Happy Birthday to the following: 1 Kristen Bruckhoff 4 Nicholas Etter 7 Jan Reimann 8 Denise Holst 16 Dale Zingg 23 Kylie Holst 24 Pastor Steve Bang, Joran Durby, Betty Williams, Kalen Etter 25 Brett West You re Invited... A Graduation Party will be held for Kaitlyn Helfter, Saturday, May 31 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the family home: th Ave., Leland West Prairie Lutheran Church Steven Bang, pastor th Ave., Forest City Church Council Judy Norstrud, president; Misty Juveland, secretary; Steve Reimann, vice president; Lanette Branstad, Denise Holst, Robb Jacobs, Jan Reimann Caroll Carson, church treasurer Louise Nath, office assistant Organists Ruth Sheldon, Melissa Knutson, Gene Fjeld, Janet Vinson 10 3

4 The Lost is Found! The saga of the tolling hammer began when bell rope broke. As preparations began for West Prairie s 125th celebration, a story about tolling the bell for funerals was shared. It was while the bell rope was being replaced that it was discovered that the tolling hammer and brackets were missing and that its bell rope was tied to the bell frame. In an effort to locate the missing hammer and bracket, pictures of similar items were circulated during fellowship coffee and phone calls were made to people who may have known something about it. Some folks weren t even aware that West Prairie had this extra hammer. This is the tolling hammer for the Church bell. The ending to this story? West Prairie has witnessed a miracle the lost has been found! The tolling hammer with its broken bracket was lying at the entrance to the church Sunday morning, April 6. Since then the hammer has been restored and a new bracket made which is now awaiting reinstallation. Acquire the fire Thrivent members... A new program from Thrivent, Direct Now...and add $20 is available through May 31, Thrivent members have the option of directing their Choice Dollars to their home congregations and in turn the congregation will receive an extra $20.00 grant from Thrivent Financial. If you have questions, please call the Member Connection Center at ; or you can questions to: fraternal@thrivent.com REMEMBER... 8:30 a.m. Worship Service beginning Sunday, May 4th! Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither. C.S. Lewis * * Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged. Ronald Reagan 4 9

5 Acquire the fire 2014 May Days, May Days, and more May Days The month of May is another month of many holiday and specials events traditionally occurring. May 1st is May Day, a day celebrated around the world. It is not a national holiday in the U.S., except in Hawaii where it is known as Lei Day. In many countries it is a celebration of spring and summer with flowers blooming everywhere. In communist and socialist countries, it is a celebration for the workers. May 5th is the observance in Mexico called Cinco de Mayo. On this day in 1862, the Mexican army defeated the French army at the Battle of Puebla. It signified a feat of European power and a victory for the Mexican people. This holiday celebrates the rich culture of Mexico with song, dance and partying for Mexicans and the Hispanic community in the U.S. (This is not to be confused with the Mexican Independence Day celebrated on Sept. 16.) Teacher s Day is observed the Tuesday of the first full week in May, which this year is May 6th. This day honors those hard working, patient and understanding people whom we entrust our children. From kindergarten through college, teachers help mold our youth in a positive direction that ultimately affects who and what they become. Let s give them their due if you re a teacher thank you and if you re a student say thanks to your teacher(s). May 8th Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) commemorates the end of fighting in Europe during World War II. The German Army ceased fighting on May 2, and formally surrendered May 7th. The surrender of all German forces was arranged for May 8, 1945 at 11:01 a.m. The original day planned was May 9, but journalists learned of it, so the date was moved up to the 8th for the Allied countries to celebrate victory. Mother s Day is always celebrated the second Sunday in May which is May 11th this year. The first Mother s Day was May 20, 1908 in Philadelphia, Penn. Everyone has a mother, and no one is more special than Mom. So go out and spend that special day with her, or, if you can t be there, take time to send a card or flowers, and a phone call to let her know she is loved and cherished. Just remember, your mother wants to spend time with you more than anything else. Continued on page