A time of celebration is at hand! The season of Advent

Transcription

1 8 West Prairie Church Council meeting West Prairie Lutheran Church Council met Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. with Judy Norstrud, Denise Holst, Robb Jacobs, Jan Reimann, Lanette Branstad, Caroll Carson and Louise Nath present. Absent were Misty Juveland, Pastor Steve Bang. Judy opened the meeting with devotions and prayer. Denise read the secretary s minutes; motion to approve by Robb, seconded by Jan. Treasurer s report was given by Caroll; motion to approve by Jan, seconded by Robb. A motion was made by Lanette to pay the insurance premium of $3,032.00; seconded by Robb. The West Prairie 125th Anniversary cookbook has been sent to the printing press. 200 cookbooks have been ordered for an amount of $1700. Selling price is $10.00 each. An anonymous donation of $ was received towards the cost of the cookbooks. A committee of Pastor Bang, Caroll, Carson, Lanette Branstad and Judy Norstrud met to draw up a current West Prairie Lutheran Church constitution. A second meeting was scheduled for Nov. 19th to complete it. According to the constitution, an annual meeting is scheduled for the third Sunday of every January. (2015 will be held January 18.) A letter of thanks was received from Dan Plitus for the donation to Mission Point Church. The TV, DVD player and surround sound system has been purchased. A motion was made by Lanette to hook up the TV to enable airing in the fellowship hall services/ programs that are held in the sanctuary; and to purchase a wall-mount bracket for the TV; seconded by Denise. Additional items discussed: The sign for Pastor s parking has arrived; Pastor s travel expenses; and the 2015 church budget will be discussed during the December council meeting. December 10th, 7 p.m., is the next council meeting. A motion was made by Denise Holst to adjourn, seconded by Robb. The meeting closed with the Lord s Prayer. Submitted by Lou Nath Church council members met briefly Sunday, Nov. 23rd with President Judy stating that a joint council meeting with Sion will be held Wednesday, December 3. Submitted by Misty Juveland West Prairie Lutheran Church LCMC-Lutheran Congregations in Missions for Christ December 2014 Steven Bang, pastor THE PASTOR S PEN by Rev. Steve Bang A time of celebration is at hand! The season of Advent is a season of hope, waiting, anticipation, and longing. We hope, wait, anticipate, and long for the coming of the Messiah, the righteous One of God. Take heed, watch, for you do not know when the time will come. Jesus tells us that the second coming is like a man going on a journey and that man puts his servants in charge of the house and tells each one to do their duties. He commands the doorkeeper to keep watch day and night so that the door may be opened for the master when he returns There is story about a tourist who was traveling along the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy. When he reached the castle, a friendly old gardener opened the gate and showed him the grounds which the old man kept in perfect order. The tourist asked when the owner of the castle had last been there. The old man answered, 12 years ago. Does he ever write to you? No. Who gives you your instructions? His agent in Milan. Does he come? Never! Who then, comes here? I m almost always alone. Once in a while a tourist comes, said the old man. But you keep this garden in such fine condition just as though you expected your master to come tomorrow. The old gardener replied, Today, sir, today! Without a doubt, Jesus is coming again. Are you ready to meet him? It might be tomorrow or it could be today. Whenever Jesus comes again, we need to be ready. For many in Jesus day they did not expect the Messiah. Make sure you know him. John 1:10-12 says, He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Have a blessed Christmas! See you in church. Pastor Steve

2 December Ushers... Larry West December Lectionary... Janell Carson December Acolyte... Hannah Juveland Dec. Altar Flowers... Poinsettias at Christmas Communion Set Up... December 7 and 18: Lana Heins and Joan West Coffee Servers... Dec. 7 Janell Carson, Helen Finer Dec. 14 Candy Johnson, Marlas Reimann Dec. 21 Jodi Fjeld, Misty Juveland Dec. 28 Phyllis Disque, Denise Holst Sarah Circle Wednesday, Dec. 3rd, 6 p.m. at Mitchell s in Leland Naomi Circle Thursday, Dec. 11, 7 p.m. at Shooter s in Forest City. Couples Club Friday, Dec. 5th, 6 p.m. at Mitchell s, Leland LCMC WOW Wednesday, Dec. 10 begins with a 1 p.m. program followed by packing cookies boxes for shut-ins and exchanging cookies with one another. Church Council Wednesday, Dec. 10, 7 p.m. December Birthdays! Happy Birthday to the following: 4 Julia Holland 7 Veronica Maas 8 Helen Stohr 9 Lisa Ruby 14 Jayme Charlson 15 Bryon Holst 29 Haley Schutter 30 Tracy Peterson December Anniversaries! 16th Allen and Jean Peterson 19th Merle and Blanche Durby Christmas program The Sunday School Christmas program will be held at 5 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 14. A soup supper will be served afterwards. Thanks from Food Bank The Forest City Neighborhood Food Bank sent a card of thanks for the $ donation from West Prairie. Wayne Johns reported that 78 families received food bank items on Nov. 3rd. Thanks from LWR A special signed letter of thanks by Daniel Speckhard, president and CEO, was sent to West Prairie from Lutheran World Relief for our gift of $ (Letters are posted on bulletin board.) Lesser Festivals and Commemorations The following names are listed in the LBW for the month of June: December 3: Francis Xavier, missionary to Asia, 1552 December 6: Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, c. 342 December 7: Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, 397 December 11: Lars Olsen Skrefsrud, missionary to India, 1910 Born in Norway in 1840, Lars came from a poor family and obtained minimal education in his formative years. While he was in jail for robbing a bank, he began to read religious books and had serious conversations with a visiting minister. Lars turned his life over and upon his release from jail at the age of 21, he was accepted in the Gossner Missionary Society in Berlin. He dedicated himself to become a pastor. Lars left for India in 1863 where he worked among the Santals of northern India. Anna Onsum, who had befriended and supported him during his incarceration years, joined him in 1864 where they were married. The first converts to Christianity were baptized within a year of Lars arrival. In his 45 years as a missionary, Lars gave them a written language, translated the Gospel into that language, and wrote hymnals using native tunes and textbooks. His role as missionary was also aimed at founding schools to teach them farming, care of animals, and to retain their native culture. When Lars died December 11, 1910 there were between 15,000 to 20,00 Christians. The Christian community he founded continues to flourish. (The Santals are the largest tribe in India and they retain a good language to this day. They are distantly related to the Vietnamese and Khmer. The Santhal religion worships Bonga as their supreme deity. They are an agricultural tribe, clearing forests and producing food, also domesticating cows, buffaloes and pigs. They have exceptional skills as hunters. Those adopted and educated by Christian missionaries have excelled in the professional fields.) December 14: John of the Cross, renewer of the Church, 1591 Teresa of Avila, renewer of the Church, 1582 December 21: St. Thomas, apostle December 26: St. Stephen, deacon and martyr December 27: St. John, apostle and evangelist December 28: The Holy Innocents, martyrs 2 7

3 Caleb and Joshua: Overcoming the impossible MORE ANNIVERSARY MEMORIES... God seems to delight in setting giants, Caleb and Joshua saw the up impossible situations David Lord. against the giant Goliath, Gideon That night all the people of with only 300 men going into battle the community ranted and wept against 135,000 Midianites, 11 at their predicament saying that fearful apostles taking on the Roman only if they had died in Egypt it Empire with the gospel. would have been easier. We are in the midst of a society However, Joshua and Caleb that values control, power, continued to tell the people to wealth, security and human trust in the Lord, not to rebel strength. It is no wonder that we against Him; that if the Lord is JANET HAUGEN JULIE REIMANN PASTOR WILKIE struggle to allow Christ to be central in our lives through seemingly tect them. names of deceased sis of the West former pastors and pleased with them, He will pro- Janet read off the Julie read a synop- Pastor Kirk recognized impossible situations. Because of their reluctance to members from Prairie Church noted their letters of The people of Israel had already listen to Moses and Aaron, and 1989 to present. history. congratulations. spent years as captives in their lack of faith in the promise Egypt, then journeyed through and power of God, this generation Sinai and on to Canaan of Israelites, except for Let us go back to the Bible in Joshua and Caleb, never entered Numbers 13:26-14:10 Under the Promised Land. the direction of the Lord, Moses It is noted that in the 1930s, a sent out 12 spies to explore the man riding a train in Palestine Promised Land. His instructions looked at the dry, desolate countryside were to see what the land was like, and scoffed at the Bible whether the people who lived calling this the land of milk and there were strong or weak and honey. A fellow passenger their numbers. opened his Bible to Deuteronomy 28 which predicts the devas- BRANSTAD, The oldest member BRANSTAD, TERYN DALE ZINGG, MADISON When the spies returned with their report of the land of milk tation of the land and people the youngest mem- of WP (93 yrs.) Introduced the and honey, but also well-fortified which follows disobedience. youngest and oldest cities, and large and powerful people, The land of Canaan, modern members of WP. it seemed like an impossibility Palestine, is gradually being re- to enter this land the Lord had stored to fruitfulness although it is Former pastor, promised to them. not yet the beautiful land that it David Johnson regaled the audience One of the spies, Caleb, enthusiastically suggested that the Israel- have proved that the Canaan was was in Moses day. Archeologists ites attack, but most of the other a rich land where the plains along with flashbacks! Current pastor, Steve spies were terrified by the size of the Mediterranean were wellwatered and fertile. The hills Bang, closed the af- the Canaanites and vehemently opposed Caleb s suggestion of attack. were wooded and green and ternoon program Where the others saw the crops flourished. with prayer. PASTOR JOHNSON PASTOR BANG 6 3

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