Voice of Victory WORSHIP AT CHRISTUS VICTOR. Sunday Worship & Education Worship at 8:30am & 11:00am Fellowship at 9:30am Education at 9:45am

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1 Christus Victor Lutheran Church 7510 Palomino Drive Apple Valley, MN P: Voice of Victory VOLUME 20 ISSUE 4 APRIL 2017 Holy Week and Easter What are you looking for? While they were perplexed about this [the empty tomb], suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their heads to the ground, but the men said to them, Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. (Luke 24: 4-5) WORSHIP AT CHRISTUS VICTOR Sunday Worship & Education Worship at 8:30am & 11:00am Fellowship at 9:30am Education at 9:45am Wednesday Education & Recharge Worship * JIFY (music & drama) at 6:00pm - grades 2-5 * CONFIRMATION at 6:00pm - Middle School Youth, grades 6-8 * ADULT EDUCATION at 6:30pm * RECHARGE WORSHIP at 7:30pm * HS YOUTH GROUP at 8:00pm High School Youth, grades 9-12 * SENIOR CHOIR at 8:00pm Weekly practice sessions, all singers welcome Dear Friends in Christ, I was listening to the radio while driving up to the men s retreat at Camp WAPO. And the song by U2, I Still Haven t Found What I m Looking for, has been stuck in my head ever since, because every day I hear from people who still haven t found what they are looking for. People are looking for comfort, peace, and hope after the death of a loved one. People are looking for reconciliation with a spouse, a family member, a friend, or their co-worker. People are looking for a sign and a place where they are loved, accepted, and truly forgiven. People are looking for meaning and purpose in life. And they still haven t found what they are looking for. I invite you to open yourselves up to being perplexed, surprised, and yes, even terrified in wonder and awe this Holy Week and Easter at what Christ has gone through and done for us through his suffering, death, and resurrection, because God has been and is still searching for you! Christ is searching for you to give you comfort, peace, and hope. Christ is searching for you to give you reconciliation and new life. Christ is searching for you to give you love, acceptance, and forgiveness. Christ is searching for you to give you meaning and purpose in life. Continued on page two.

2 HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE Join us Palm Sunday, April 9, for the Palm Procession and Story of Christ s Passion. Join us on Maundy Thursday, April 13 at 7:00pm, for a symbolic foot washing and the 1 st Communion for our 5 th graders, celebrating what it means to live in holy communion with Christ and one another. Join us for Good Friday, April 14 at 7:00pm, to reflect on Christ s sacrifice for each of us. Join us for the Easter Prayer Vigil that starts after the Good Friday service, to reflect on God s search for us and our search for God. Join us for Easter Sunday, April 16 at 8:30am and 11:00am, to celebrate again Christ s resurrection and victory over sin and death! There will be an Easter Breakfast between services, served by the kids and families going to Camp WAPO and the Mission Trip this summer. There will also be an Easter Egg Hunt between services for children and their parents. Holy Week and Easter is a Great Time to Invite Your Peeps! Who do you know that is searching for comfort, peace, hope, reconciliation, acceptance, love, forgiveness, and purpose in life? Invite them to come with you to church this Holy Week and Easter to experience the grace that Christ offers to everyone! Easter is the only day of the year many people in our community will consider attending church. Therefore, we have a great opportunity to reach out and invite family, friends, neighbors, classmates, coworkers - everyone! Invitation cards will be available before Holy Week. These can be used as an easy non-threatening tool to invite people to come and hear the Good News! What a glorious life the Gospel offers to those who are searching for purpose and meaning... Billy Graham

3 Synod Assembly - May 19 & 20! 2 Lay Delegates Needed! The Church Council is looking for 2 members who would be willing to serve as Lay Delegates to this year s Synod Assembly. On Friday, May 19 & Saturday, May 20, we will gather at Prince of Peace Lutheran in Burnsville for 2017 Synod Assembly, highlighting the theme "We Are Lutheran: Among Our Neighbors". The two-day event will welcome special guests including Archbishop Hebda of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul & Minneapolis, and Bishop Guy Erwin of the Southwest California Synod. Inspiring worship and breakout discussion groups will help us to learn more about the many neighbors whose lives enrich our own, and whom we are called to love and serve. If you are interested in serving as a Lay Delegate, please contact Pastor Steve at pastor.steve@christusvictor.org or (952) MILESTONES at CHRISTUS VICTOR New Members: Jacob, Rachael, Olivia & Hannah Rylander Sponsors: Will, Karri, Josie & Hallie Holman 50 th Anniversary Planning Team Forming! It is our 50 th Anniversary this year and we need an energetic, creative, committed team of people to help plan and organize our celebration(s). If you are interested in being part of this fun team, join us on Sunday, April 30, at 12:15pm in Youth Room for our initial meeting. If you d like to participate please contact Stacey Klein at dskleinfamily@gmail.com. Easter Prayer Vigil Come and be watchful... Jesus often went off to pray. "Stay awake with me", Jesus asked His disciples when he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. To keep vigil is to engage in purposeful sleeplessness or devotional watching. It comes from the Latin vigilia, meaning wakefulness. Keeping vigil is one of a number of spiritual disciplines that are practiced. The prayer vigil at Christus Victor will take place starting after Good Friday service on April 14 th at 8:30 and go until 12 a.m. on Easter morning. The prayer team would like to invite all of you, adult and youth, couples and groups, like bible study groups or small groups, men and women and families to be a part of this ancient practice. Whether you are a very experienced prayer or have never prayed before in your life, this prayer vigil is for you. So maybe you are uncomfortable trying to think of prayers to say or maybe you feel you don t know how to pray. There will be stations and resources to assist you in prayer, meditation and reading. You can use them or not. It s up to you. You can also bring your own favorites. One thing we wanted to highlight is the daytime hours would be perfect for families. Kids copy what they see. Parents think of what an awesome example you would be setting for your kids. There will be volunteers there at all times during the vigil so you will not be alone at the church. Join us in this intimate and hope-filled practice. Sign-up sheets can be found in the narthex. You can sign up for one or more time slots. Please ask Jody McDermott-Baty if you have any questions. Come and be watchful...

4 Adult Learning and Discipleship Cross+Gen Mini-Conference on Saturday, May 6!! 8:30am-Noon at Mt. Calvary in Eagan! *Experience Cross+Gen Worship, Circle of Blessing, and FAITH5 with people from other generations and other churches! *Learn what other churches have tried and are experimenting with to bring the generations together to share and grow in the faith. *Come away with some ideas to share with your family and friends, and try out here at Christus Victor. Thursday Morning Adult Bible Study 10:00am at the Apple Valley Villas in the basement meeting room. We are learning through the Gospel of Luke. Come whenever you can. No experience necessary!! Bring your Bible, coffee provided! Bible & Brew A gathering for men to share life s highs and lows as we grow in faith and knowledge of God s Word together. Thursday, April 6, :00pm at the Angry Inch Brewery in Lakeville! Bring a friend! Items for the month of April are: Canned Fruit, Cereal Peer Ministry Conference Saturday, April 29, 8:30am - 4:30pm at St. Andrew Lutheran in Mahtomedi, MN Youth are already leading, or they are leaving! Cheer our youth and adults on who are headed to the Youth ARE Leading conference April 29th. This is about learning how to raise the bar for our church as we strive to include more youth as a leadership. We are not only going to learn; we are going to share what our youth do here at Christus Victor to lead the ministries of the church and outside of the church. Our youth are going to be part of a panel discussion on youth ministry, help lead the music and worship sessions, and share their stories of being leaders and ministers in the church! Girls of All Ages Tea with Princesses May 6 th 1:00 2:30pm For ALL Girls, Ladies, Women The Annual Girls of All Ages PRINCESS Tea Party. Cost is $3.00 per person. Tickets will be on sale Sundays April 16 th through April 30 th. Invite all the girls in your life. Donations for the B. Robert Lewis House are requested. LILY of the VALLEY invites Christus Victor to a special Women s Day Celebration on Mother s Day, May 14 th at 5:00pm. Theme: Women Kingdom Building for Christ Matthew 6:33.

5 BLOOD DRIVE Facility Improvement Teams Forming After thoroughly studying the results of the Feasibility Study, the Church Council is beginning to form a number of Facility Improvement Teams to help us explore and take the next steps in developing a plan, scope, and resources needed for improving our facilities for the future of our ministry and mission. Those teams are: - Facility Planning focus on architects and contractors - Facility Finance focus on capital fundraisers and financial oversight - Facility Communications focus on communicating with the teams, council, and congregation - Facility Prayer focus on surrounding the whole process and all the teams in prayer These teams will bring their recommendations to the Church Council, and then the Church Council will bring those recommendations to the Congregation, at a Congregational Meeting yet to be determined. A lot of work has to be done before anything can be brought to the council and congregation for input, feedback, and support. If you are interested in serving on one of these teams, please contact Pastor Kent at pastor.kent@christusvictor.org or (952) He will help connect you with the various teams being formed. The Dwelling Place - Women from Lily of the Valley, Casa de Oracion and Christus Victor gather in the fellowship hall on the 4 th Saturday of each month for Fellowship and Bible Study. The April Dwelling Place will be April 22 nd, which is also Earth Day. The Environmental Committee is planning an Earth Day Hike so The Dwelling Place will begin at 8:30am with coffee and a light breakfast and invites everyone to join us at 8:30 and then either go on the Earth Day Hike or join The Dwelling Place for bible study men & women are invited to join us this month. The Social Ministries Committee will host a blood drive on Thursday, April 20 th 12:00pm to 7:00pm Sign up is available at the Welcome Desk or online. To find out about the donation process and eligibility requirements, go to then click on Donate Blood Donating blood is giving the gift of life. GET GREEN AT CV It s official the Environmental Committee is up and running! This is a completely incredible and fantastic new group of folks who are bringing their passion for the outdoors and caring for God s creation to do something COMPLETELY NEW! You read that correctly Lutherans doing something new! We already have a ton of great ideas on the table, from joining our fellow churches in investigating ways to mitigate rainwater runoff to hosting guest speakers, family friendly hikes and camp outings to getting extreme in the wilderness. But there s room for more! Do you want to brainstorm ways to make our community more sustainable? Are you interested in getting outside and doing something awesome? Do you have a better name than Environmental Committee? If so, please join us at our next meeting on Tuesday, April 11 at 7:00 PM. Did you know that a beautiful federally protected wildlife refuge is right in our backyard, underneath the Cedar Avenue bridge? Mark your calendars on EARTH DAY, April 22, 2017, for a hike in the Minnesota Valley Wildlife Refuge and check it out with us!

6 CROSS-GEN April 30, May 7, and May 14 You may or may not have heard about this new buzzword Cross-Gen. This is a certain ministry concept that the pastors and key leaders in the church are dreaming and getting excited about. What is Cross-Gen? Basically, it is intentionally getting a bunch of people of all different ages all together in the same room to talk about their life and faith together. What do they do when they get together? What do they talk about? They would practice something called Faith 5. Faith 5 is doing the following: Sharing our highs and lows -- getting to know each other, connecting and making new friends through sharing the best and worst parts of our weeks), Reading the Bible together -- possibly through the Spark story Bible, or finding ways to draw, create, act, engage in scripture in fun/meaningful ways together. Praying for each other We don t forget about your highs and lows. We want to pray with you and your neighbors and family. Bless each other Send each other on the way with a meaningful holy gesture On behalf on the CVLC Council we want to say THANK YOU!! To all who serve on a committee, task team, as a ministry leader or helper in any way! In honor of National Volunteer Appreciation month, the Council would like to treat you to an ICE CREAM SOCIAL on Sunday April 23, between services. Stop by, get some ice cream and let us serve you and tell you face to face THANK YOU!! Your willingness to use your gifts and abilities has strengthened the mission and ministry of this church. We are grateful for all your time, effort, hard work, and prayers. This is pretty simple stuff, but I have already seen it work to deepen people s relationships with each other and with God. Cross-Gen is a chance to sit down and connect with people of all ages. People of all ages may see from time to time on Sunday, but you don t really know much about what is going on in their lives. Then you listen and share and do something creative/meaningful together as you grow in your faith. And then you can take it home. We will be teaching families how to do Faith 5 so that they can do something similar at home. Is this replacing Faith Trek/Sunday School? Maybe we ll see. Aren t you just asking adults to join Faith Trek/Sunday School? Ha-ha. Kind of. Yes, there will be kids there. Yes, we expect if kids are coming that their parents should join us too. Yes, we want people of every age to join us. I think that kids and adults have a lot to learn from each other. Yes, there will be kids there, but there will also be adults hanging out and drinking coffee too. I think there is space for both. When are we doing this? We are going to try this after Easter. You are invited to join us April 30, May 7, and May 14 between services. The pastors will be there to guide and facilitate along with other key volunteers. We will figure this out together as we learn how to be the church together. Personally, I m excited just to sit down and get to know other people in the church better in a designated time and space to build relationships and deepen our faith together. Newborn Kits Join us in honoring mothers around the world! The Social Ministries Committee is once again partnering with Global Health Ministries to provide nearly 250 Newborn Kits to mothers in developing countries. Global Health Ministries has shipped almost 250,000 kits to partners in Tanzania, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Liberia and other countries where infant and maternal mortality rates are still high. Healthcare workers who distribute these kits also use them to encourage women to seek prenatal care at a clinic. Between now and May 12th, collect Bars of white Ivory soap for Newborn Kits: Assembly on Saturday, May 13 th, 9:00 am

7 MESSAGE FROM MLOWA Christus Victor recently received a message from our Brothers and Sisters in the Mlowa parish in Tanzania. Following are exerts and pictures they sent us of activities happening in Mlowa. Hope you are well as we move further into this Lenten season. The rains have yet to arrive today, but I imagine by 3 they will be rolling in. We've gotten so much rain this March! I'm hoping that it indeed will be a good harvest. View of the outside & inside of the church at Mlowa Last October Christus Victor released $1750 / 3.7 million Tsh to support the construction of the hostel. Those funds contributed to plastering, laying pipes, wiring, purchasing blankets and other major work as well as the tiles in the church and work on the church toilets. The plan for 2017 is to purchase doors, finish the windows and add a fan in every room of the hostel (this is a very good idea because Mlowa is sooo hot). The Hostel being built with our support dollars. Below is some basic information about the pastor: Pastor Godamu Mhosole and his wife Vumilia (she is a very good seamstress and has a sewing machine inside the pastor's house) 4 children: Two Form 4 & Form 1 and two in Standard 5 and Standard 1 Total membership of Mlowa parish is 1,189 with 11 Preaching points. The congregation has taken good care of its motorbicycle which is 2003, but still is in good shape. Secretary: Ayubu Mlowe Head of partnership Committee: Juliana Msilu Evangelist: Shadrack Tolage Pastor Mhosole said, "Having guests is like God has come." They were very excited to have us and prepared a huge amount of food including roasted peanuts and fresh mangoes from the area. I am not sure if Christus Victor has plans to visit anytime soon, if not a BKB ambassador visit might be something you all could be interested in. I think they would love to hear any news about how you all are at Christus Victor (myself and Pastor Msigwa are always happy to pass along information as well.) Pastor Mhosole also shared that the parents of those supported with BKB scholarships "offer their sincere thanks and gratitude, it makes a huge difference." Christus Victor is planning the next visit to Mlowa in If you have any interest in becoming an Ambassador to Mlowa or have any questions, please contact Pastor Steve or any member of the Missions Committee.

8 Church Council Commitment to Faithful Leadership Serving on the Church Council is an honor and privilege, along with challenges and hard work on behalf of the ministries and members of this congregation. In order to grow in our understanding and skills of leadership and team work, we have been blessed with the excellent training and guidance of Alana Thureen. Over the past three years, she has lead us through a number of thought-provoking exercises to help us grow and improve, both as individuals and as a team, in our leadership and work together. We want to share with you what we are working on improving as your Church Council, and invite you to reflect on how you can put these agreements and practices to work in your ministry areas, committees, teams, and small groups. CHRISTUS VICTOR LUTHERAN CHURCH 2017 LEADERSHIP TEAM OUR MISSION ~ What we do Serving Christ and Community with Faith, Love and Open Arms OUR VISION ~ What we are becoming We are people working toward putting Christ first in our life OUR VALUES ~ What we believe The Bible is the inspired Word of God We are called to: Live with integrity according to biblical principles Reach outside our four walls speaking Christ s word of welcome to all people Follow Jesus as both Savior and Lord Practice biblical hospitality, meeting the real life needs of others Grow in faith and encourage each other in living lives of faith Use our God given gifts as participants in the ministry of the church Carefully use personal and congregational resources entrusted to the church Success is people doing ministry, teamwork and accountability, leaders who develop other leaders, and faithfulness to our mission. TEAM WORKING AGREEMENTS - As the CVLC Church Council Leadership Team Purpose: We are committed and passionate about our service, shared goals, and growing as disciples of Jesus Christ, leaders in God s mission of serving Christ and community. We strive to tell the story so that future generations will know God s love. Respect: We will behave and communicate in ways that grow trust with each other; by listening with an open mind to allow flexible thinking and alternative views. We will be honest with each other, encourage/allow for respectful disagreements, and encourage all to speak. Self-Awareness: We will seek to have clear perceptions of ourselves, be mentally and emotionally present during meetings and in our communities, and strive to understand how our attitudes and actions affect other people. Personal accountability: We will come prepared, ask for what we need and do our best to follow through with our commitments. We will hold ourselves and each other accountable through healthy dialogue. Relationships: We value our relationships and believe that it is a gift to get to know each other and serve together. We will hold each other up, ask for and extend forgiveness to each other, re-charge each other, show empathy, and teach and help each other grow in our leadership roles. We will pray for and with each other and for the church. We will have fun together as we act with integrity and maintain a positive reputation as leaders in our community. Agreement on holding each other accountable to these working agreements: We will humbly lead, aiming to live the CVLC mission and vision. We will use these agreements as we work together as well as in our interactions with others. We will use our best judgement to address behaviors in a timely manner when necessary and in a manner that aligns with our working agreements and with Christian love CVLC Church Council Team Members Sarah Thomson, president Dawn Glewwe Mike Radke Shane Colin, vice president Stacey Klein Pastor Steve Biedermann Barb Damlo, secretary Karl Dobberman Pastor Kent Claussen Gubrud Stephen Nierengarten, treasurer Aaron Nyquist Heidi Horgen, financial secretary Kristin Schulz

9 Got news to share? Weekly bulletin announcement page: Items due on Wednesday (submit to Monthly Newsletter: items due on the 3rd Thursday of each month (submit to For daily devotions click on the Christus Victor website! When you click on you will see the Daily Devotion God Pause. Click on the link that will take you to the full devotion on the Luther Seminary website, where you will find a place to SUBSCRIBE to this devotion, which will then be ed to you every day! You can join hundreds of people from CV and across the nation sharing in the same daily devotions and growing deeper in faith together! FULL CHURCH CALENDAR: Are you receiving the church Announcements and Newsletter? You can sign up on the church website: Has your contact information changed, switched to cell phones? Please notify the church office so we can update the church database. office@christusvictor.org Thank you. Are you on Facebook? Then check out and friend our Christus Victor Facebook page! This Social Networking site allows members and friends of CV to post ministry updates, special events, pictures, and other items of interest for everyone to consider. CHRISTUS VICTOR LUTHERAN CHURCH 7510 PALOMINO DRIVE APPLE VALLEY, MN Christus Victor Staff Ministers. ALL MEMBERS OF CV Pastor. KENT CLAUSSEN GUBRUD Associate Pastor STEVE BIEDERMANN Office Manager..... DEANNA LUKE Administrative Assistant.. DEB GORCZYCKI Director of Music & Traditional Worship.. Anne Nyquist Contemporary Worship & Music Director COURTNIE DEGRAND Children s Music NANCY ERLER Traditional Worship Accompanist.. JULIE MCDONALD Contemporary Worship Accompanist JULIE MCDONALD Senior Choir Accompanist JULIE MCDONALD Nursery Attendant EMILY YOUNGNER PASTOR.KENT@CHRISTUSVICTOR.ORG PASTOR.STEVE@CHRISTUSVICTOR.ORG DLUKE@CHRISTUSVICTOR.ORG DEB@CHRISTUSVICTOR.ORG Pastor Steve Biedermann Barb Damlo Heidi Horgen Mike Radke CHRISTUS VICTOR COUNCIL MEMBERS Pastor Kent Claussen Gubrud Karl Dobberman Stacey Klein Kristin Schulz Shane Colin Dawn Glewwe Aaron Nyquist Sarah Thomson