The Grapevine June 2018 Zion Lutheran Church 700 Main St., Clyman, WI 53016-0220 Cell (920) 342-1578 Grapevine June 2018 In this issue: Pastor s Message 1 And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24,25 Pastor s Report Secretary s Report Financial Report Kid s Pages Stewardship Birthday & Anniversary June Calendar 2 3 & 4 5 thru 8 9 & 10 11 12 13 Yes! We made it!! The long winter that refused to die has finally given up the ghost. Hallelujah! Don t you love the color green? Come spring, it s all about green and more green. Springtime is awesome not only because the earth explodes with a riot of floral hues and lush vegetation, but your mind tingles as you contemplate the balmy sunshine and delightful summer days just ahead. HALLELUJAH in capital letters! Springtime also brings the church s joy to a crescendo. We celebrate Easter, Ascension, Confirmation and Trinity Sunday in quick succession. But it s no secret that savoring summer days typically puts a dent in coming together to worship God. Consider the straightforward exhortation above from Hebrews 10. Do not forsake our own assembling together, as is the habit of some. Summertime often brings the opportunity for travel to locations both near and far. Absence from your brothers and sisters in Christ during those times in inevitable. But consider this. Even when you are away from home, worshipping with other Christians provides a multi-faceted blessing for you. Faith comes by hearing. Your relationship with God is strengthened wherever you hear God s Word faithfully proclaimed. An added bonus is hearing God s Word from the fresh perspective of a different preacher. Your presence in worship also has an effect on those who worship with you. Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds When our son Andrew prepared special music at the worship service that recognized my 35 years in the ministry his task was to encourage the congregation to praise God through the music he had prepared. Guess what. It worked the other way around too. He didn t just give; he received. He said the amazing sound of voices coming from the pews below seemed to waft right up into the rafters as he soaked it all in from Zion s balcony. He was there to encourage good singing and ended up BEING encouraged by Zion s great hymn singing. When you are away from home this summer, use your smart phone like you do for everything else. Look up the nearest Lutheran church and join them for worship. Your presence, your voice lifted in praise, your conversation before and after the service with Christians you ve never met will make a powerful impact both on you and on those with whom you are visiting. You will stimulate and you will be stimulated to good works as you join others in worship. Summer is green. Summer is awesome. Summer is never long enough. Make the most of your summer as you worship regularly with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Don t forsake the assembling of yourselves together. You will receive much, even as you have much to give. Friends in Christ. It s summertime. HALLELUJAH!!! Let s join our Hallelujah s together in worship every Sunday. God bless your summer. Pastor Schempf
Thank You, Dad Anonymous If your father deserves a heartfelt thank you, this short poem may contain just the right words of gratitude he needs to hear from you. Thank you for the laughter, For the good times that we share, Thanks for always listening, For trying to be fair. Thank you for your comfort, When things are going bad, Thank you for the shoulder, To cry on when I'm sad. This poem's a reminder that All my life through, I'll be thanking heaven For a special dad like you.
Mission Trip to St. Louis-July 28-August 4, 2018. Confirmation, high school, college students and adults are all encouraged to serve as mentors at the Intersect Arts-Summer Camp. It is an exciting time at Intersect as this organization has moved into a beautiful, newly renovated space. Our past mission teams helped to prepare the buildings for this next exciting chapter of service. Volunteers will work with inner city children ages 8-14 assisting with a broad arts program including visual arts, drama, and music. We will also work with Holy Cross Lutheran Church and our son-in-law, Pastor Bob Bernhardt on a week long VBS. looking at conflict resolution from a biblical perspective. No experience or expertise needed...just a heart for encouraging kids to build a relationship with Jesus, the people of God and the local church. We have room for 20 people on this team. Please contact Pastor or Karen Schempf for more complete details and information. An organizational meeting will take place on Wed. April 4th at 7:00pm after Confirmation class.
The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod LCMS Stewardship Ministry June 2018: Newsletter Article By Rev. Jason Braaten Immanuel Lutheran Church Tuscola, Ill. There are three conversions necessary to every man: the head, the heart, and the purse. Attributed to Luther, though yet to be located in his vast writings, this statement echoes what Jesus taught about hearts and treasures. He said, For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:21; Luke 12:34). But which conversion comes first? I submit that the order is this: first the head, then the purse, then the heart. Let me explain. Our Lord Jesus Christ dwelt among us to save us. He took on our flesh, fulfilled the demands of the law in our place, became sin for us, and suffered torture and death on our behalf, in order that we would be free from sin, death, and hell. He gives us what He accomplished through Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord s Supper. And so, He doesn t just do it for us but gives it to us, makes what He did ours by making us His. Thus, we are called by His name: Christians. We have a new life in Him. Through the preaching of Law and Gospel, God grants us repentance, a changing of our minds. It is a conversion of the mind. We are called to turn away from our sins and turn toward Him for forgiveness, life, and salvation. For when God calls us away from something, He is, at the same time, calling us to something. And thus, He calls us to a new life, with new deeds. This is the conversion of the purse. Jesus said that it is easier for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24). For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Notice that our hearts follow our treasures, not the other way around. As Christians, God calls us to invest our treasures in His Kingdom to ensure that the gospel is preached and the sacraments are administered. He calls us to share all good things with the one who teaches us the doctrines of Christ. He calls us to be generous in giving to the church, for it is more blessed to give than to receive. So where is your treasure? If it is not invested in the kingdom of God, then the only response is repentance a conversion of the heart and to begin doing just that. And as our Lord promised, where your treasure is there your heart will be also. This is not to say that you earn your way into heaven. It is simply to say that as Christians, those who have been made to be temples of the Holy Spirit, who have been given a new life in Christ, who are dead to sin and now alive in Him, we are, actually, to live think (conversion of the mind), do (conversion of the purse), and be (conversion of the heart) a new life in Him. And when you fail, know that God in Christ loves and forgives you and still calls you away from that and to Himself.
Annaliese C 6/2 Paul P 6/3 T.J. B 6/5 Tye B 6/8 Neal K 6/14 Tracy S 6/18 Ellie R 6/20 Daniel & Lori S 6/6 Erik & Jessica A 6/10 Martin & Dawn P 6/11 Jason & Lisa J 6/13 Lane S 6/20 Alan M 6/21 Greg S 6/24 Marilyn S 6/25 Owen C 6/27 MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR VBS 2018 AT GOOD SHEPHERD, WATERTOWN SHIPWRECKED RESCUED BY JESUS! Will be held the week of June 11-15, 2018 9am to noon Forms are available in the narthex
2018 Altar Guild: Dana Lamp 920-253-6642 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 8:30am Divine Service Semi-Annual Meeting Elder: Scott Usher Team # 2 Food Shelf Sunday 4 Mid-Week Service 7pm Acting Elder: Ralph Pray, Praise and Give Thanks 7pm 5 6 7 Quilting 10am to 2pm 8 9 10 8:30am Divine Service Adult Bible Class Elder: Gary Usher Team # 3 11 Mid-Week Service 7pm Acting Elder: Ralph Pray, Praise and Give Thanks 7pm 12 13 14 15 16 17 8:30am Divine Service Adult Bible Class Elder: Neal Usher Team # 4 18 Mid-Week Service 7pm Acting Elder: Ralph Pray, Praise and Give Thanks 7pm 19 20 GRAPEVINE ARTICLES ARE DUE 21 22 23 24 8:30am Divine Service Adult Bible Class Elder: Jason Usher Team # 1 25 Mid-Week Service 7pm Acting Elder: Ralph Pray, Praise and Give Thanks 7pm 26 27 28 29 30