Concordia Lutheran Church

Transcription

1 Concordia Lutheran Church "The wind blows where it wills..." John 3:8 January Harwood Rd., Bedford, TX Sunday School: 10:00 a.m. Pastor: Rev Mark Lasch Office Phone: Sunday 9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m It is hard to believe the title to this submission is 2018 my how the years fly by! The year 2018 holds before us many beautiful things, many challenges, and many opportunities for Concordia. Yet one doesn t get where they are going without first knowing where they ve been was a great year for Concordia. We celebrated our 50 th anniversary and thanked God for where we ve been. We planned for our future by forming, launching, and seeing the fruits of the Future Needs Committee (FNC) who, even now, are in the process of selecting an architectural firm to create a master plan for our campus and help us to elevate the space crunch we have been experiencing for the last few years. We ve added staff to better serve the people of Concordia by creating a full time Director of Administration and Student Ministries position, and a part time Minister of Music position. We ve grown together in the Word, and we ve loved well in the name of Jesus was a good year! Yet 2017 was also a year where we saw several years of numerical growth plateau. As we confess, it is God, who by the power of the Holy Spirit, calls, gathers and equips His Church on earth for His glory and our good, so there must be a reason why He has gathered us together to contemplate, study, and understand what He is doing in us as a congregation for such a time as this. Who is God calling Concordia to be in the year 2018? His. Wholly His. Holy. His. God is calling us to be His bride to glorify Him in every decision, every opportunity, and every moment. We are called to be His. Concordia is in a unique position. Last month the LC-MS published its annual statistical report. There it was reported that only 11% of LC-MS Lutherans are in the child rearing years. That is very different than our reality! My guess is that we are probably closer to 30%. What that means for us is that God in His grace has seen fit to entrust His children to us to nurture and love, to train and to teach. I see 2018 as another year to focus much of our ministry in Children also saw a change in the seasons of life for many of our senior members. Living in a broken and fallen world brings about many challenges, including those of health, longevity, and mobility. I see 2018 as a year where we give special emphasis to Elder Care. In the same way that our children are not here by chance or by accident, our Senior members are here to glorify God in the way that they love, and in the way that they are loved by the younger members of our Church. I will be working closely with the Board of Lay Ministry to identify and meet the needs of those who have given so much to our congregation. Finally, the pressures and stresses of life have a way of stacking up on us. Whether you find yourself in the child rearing years, well past them, or in the midst of them, we all have good and bad days. Two years ago Church Council approved our congregations participation in a program called Stephen Ministry. Stephen Ministry is an intentional care giving system that will enable trained Care Givers, and Care Receivers to walk together through the ups and downs of the year. Regrettably 2017 just didn t provide me with the time necessary to rightly implement this fantastic resource is the year! Be looking for more information about what Stephen Ministry is and how you can participate. God be praised for all He is doing in us! I am honored to be your pastor. May Christ be all in all for 2018 and throughout eternity.

2 - Lay Ministers 26th annual Chili Cook-off Join us for Concordia Lutheran s 26th Annual Lay Ministers Chili Cook-off on Sunday January 28. We will gather in fellowship hall immediately following the 11:000 a.m. blended worship service. Feast on bowls of delicious chili prepared by our own Lay Ministers for your enjoyment and judging. After you have tried them all cast your vote for your favorite. The Lay Minister whose chili is voted the best will receive a trophy and bragging rights. He must also share his winning recipe with the congregation. There will also be a congregation cook off so make plans now to bring your best pot of chili and join the competition. More details will be presented in the coming weeks. So please worship with us on January 28 and then join us for lots of fellowship, fun and chili. All you need to bring is your appetite. Hope to see you there!! 4th annual Congregation Dessert Cook-Off Join us for a new and exciting event the 4th annual congregation dessert cook-off. All members of the congregation are invited to join in the competition. This event will take place together with our annual lay minister s chili cook-off. Bring your best homemade dessert on January 28. More detailed rules will be announced. After everyone has sampled the many delicious desserts they will vote for their favorite. At the end of the event the votes will be tallied, the winner will be announced and a Prize Basket will be awarded. The winner must share their winning recipe with the congregation. So please worship with us on January 28 and join us for lots of chili, delicious desserts, and great fellowship! From the Board of Christian Education... December has been a busy month for the Sunday School kids here at Concordia. The month started-off with a visit to the Concordia Corner Store. After tithing, each used their remaining Concordia Cash to select from a variety of items. Most chose to buy and wrap Christmas gifts for others. From all accounts, the kids enjoyed the experience and are looking forward to the next time the store is open. We are discovering that using Concordia Cash helps encourage our kids to demonstrate Christ-like behavior supported through recognition by others. In addition, the kids are learning the meaning of tithing and gifting. The kid s tithes are used to help support specific needs in our community. Their tithes from their Concordia cash this quarter totaled 76 mouse bucks. The actual dollars used to support community needs come directly from the sale of Concordia Cash to the congregation. REMINDER: The sale of Concordia Cash occurs between services on the first Sunday of each month. The next opportunity to buy Concordia Cash is Sunday, January 7, As is tradition at Concordia, the kids presented a Christmas pageant during a blended service December 17. They practiced and prepared for three Saturday s leading up to the 17th. As usual, the kids did a FANTASTIC job!! Thanks to all the kids who participated. We are so proud of them!! Thanks also to Mele, Ulana, and JoAnn for their hard work in helping to produce the pageant. Thanks to our teachers, Crystal and Katie, for helping their Sunday school kids learn their lines. Thanks to Ruth for providing the music. Thanks to our teens for helping the younger kids and lending a hand where needed. Thanks to Mase and his crew for our beautiful new back drop. Thanks to all who helped set-up and takedown the wonderful stage background and props. Finally, thanks to the many more who were there supporting the production. Lastly, thanks to everyone who donated items for the kid s Christmas Eve goodie bags. This year we were able to prepare 60 bags for distribution to our kids Christmas Eve. Happy New Year to all and may the Lord continue to look upon us with favor. ~The Board of Christian Education

3 Financial Peace University At Concordia Class Begins February 5th, 2018 at 7PM Class will be coordinated by John & Heather Finder. To register for the go to: If you have questions please reach out to John or Heather. Hope to see you there! With Grateful Hearts from the Jacobys Herb and Ima Ruth Jacoby would like to thank all of their Concordia Family for all the love and support they have been shown during this difficult time. They are so very grtateful for all the prayers, support, and generouse donations and would like to say Thank You to All! Chili Cook-Off BoLM Winners 2018???? 2017 Russel Andrews 2016 Mase Masalsalo 2015 Mase Masalosalo 2014 Mase Masalosalo 2013 Mase Masalosalo 2012 Bruce Nelson 2011 Bruce Nelson 2010 Mase Masalosalo 2009 Michael McWithey 2008 Paul Moeller 2007 Kelly Westphal 2006 Robert Holley 2005 Bruce Nelson 2004 Robert Holley 2003 Robert Holley 2002 Bruce Nelson 2001 Bruce Nelson 2000 Bruce Nelson 1999 Bruce Nelson 1998 Paul Moeller 1997 ( no contest ) 1996 Bruce Nelson 1995 David Fojtasek 1994 Bruce Nelson 1993 Bruce Nelson 1992 Bruce Nelson THANK YOU TO ALL Dear Concordia Family, My family and I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone for all the love and support you have given us throughout this past year and for the generous gifts given this Christmas season. The incredible love and support of this congregation continues to be such a wonderful blessing in our lives. With grateful hearts, Heather Finder and Family

4 Serving Concordia in January LAY MINISTERS: John Finder, Bruce Nelson and Justin Randermann LAY READERS January 7 Gail Shepperd January 14 Kathy Nelson January 21 Jeanice Gerlikovski January 28 Joann Truelock JANUARY USHERS Traditional Contemporary JoAnn Truelock Monica Lindquist Usher Needed Edzel Gattoc N.E.E.D. Needs January 7: Canned meat (tuna, spam, etc.), Hamburger Helper, and Canned Vegetables. January 14: Peanut Butter & Jelly, Rotel, and Refried Beans January 21: Canned Vegetables & Fruits January 28: Canned Tomatoes, Pasta, Rice, and Beans. JANUARY ANNIVERSARIES JANUARY BIRTHDAYS 1 Patrick Foeday 6 Michael Smeltzer 10 Shirley Brady 11 Linda Provence 14 Lorene Bush 18 Melissa Gattoc 20 Walt Zeller 21 Katy Rosar 22 Brendon Carroll 22 Joel Lozzi 23 Aaliyah Hoffmann 28 Dewitt Weaver If we missed your important date please let us know so we can publish it next year

5 Christmas at Concordia 2017

6 January 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Important January Sundays 21 Lay Ministers Meeting 28 26th annual Lay Minsters Chili Cook-Off and 4th annual Congregation Dessert Cook-Off :30pm :00am FNC Meeting 3:30pm Prayer Pal Reveal Party :30pm :00 am Traditional 10:00 am Sunday School 11:00 am Contemporary :30pm :00 am Traditional 10:00 am Sunday School 11:00 am Contemporary :30pm :00 am Traditional 10:00 am Sunday School 11:00 am Contemporary 7:00 pm Board of Christian Education Sunday School 11:00am Blended Service 12:00pm Chili Cook-Off 7:00 pm Board of Property 6:30pm 7:00PM Church Council

7 Concordia Lutheran Church 3705 Harwood Road Bedford, Texas RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED The Windsock is a monthly publication of Concordia Lutheran Church, 3705 Harwood Road, Bedford, Texas entered as third mail at the Bedford, Texas post office under permit number 37 as a non-profit organization. Staff Editor: Rev. Mark Lasch Publication Manager: Heather Finder Director of Distribution: Bruce Nelson Internet Webmaster: Jim Wilson Cartoonist: Richard Hlad Concordia Lutheran Church 3705 Harwood Road Bedford, Texas Phone: (817) Sunday School - 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 & 11:00 a.m. OUR MISSION AT CONCORDIA Living joyfully in friendship, love and ministry Openly reaching out with the Gospel Visibly sharing the life of Christ through Word & Sacrament Encouraging spiritual growth and development SHARING GOD S LOVE & TOUCHING PEOPLE S LIVES