Alma Newsletter November 2016 From Pastor: Thank Offering Sunday You and I are so blessed. As I ve said before, thankfulness is a fruit of our faith a response to the blessings we receive. Praise and thanksgiving are not reserved for the rich or wealthy, but are instead marks of the faithful, who understand that it is by the grace of God alone that we have all that we call our own. I must confess I have not always been so faithful in this regard. I have been given much for which I ought to give thanks and praise to God. When I stop and truly give thought to my life, I am overwhelmed with joy by how much I have been graciously given. My faith, health, wife and son, extended family and friends, possessions, the parsonage we reside in, the cars we drive, knowledge and means to serve others are just but a few in the multitude of gifts I have received from God s amazing abundance. With each day that I wake up, each opportunity I have to kiss my wife and son, each breath I take, and each word I speak, God s gifts overflow exceedingly beyond what I acknowledge and affirm. One of the core reasons we gather together for worship at the beginning of each week is to set aside time, in part, for the purpose of praising and thanking Christ Jesus, through whom all gifts are created and given. Stewardship is far more than just giving money to the church. As stewards those whom God has entrusted with gifts to use our work begins first in acknowledging God s faithfulness and generosity in giving thanks and praise. With this, we are called as disciples of Christ to evaluate our lives, consider what all we have been given, and return a portion of what we have received to God in thankfulness and for the service of Jesus work throughout the world. This is not always an easy task. We have been conditioned over time to look at the world and our resources through the lens of scarcity. There s just not enough. If only we had a little more to work with right now. It ll be tight yet again. With bills never ending, grain prices continually dropping, overhead ever rising, student debt exceeding, and the cost of living increasing well above the wages of most it makes sense how we struggle to see and praise God for the bounty before us. This struggle of remaining faithful in thanksgiving amidst finances and daily needs continues to be a wrestling even for my family and me. We know we are
managing quite well, yet still we find the damper of despair too easy to accept. Daily we need to confess to Christ our sinfulness in conceding to scarcity, and daily we need to be renewed in the gracious generosity of God who showers us all with bountiful blessings. How can we live out our faith in the world when we hoard our blessings in fear of lose? How is the church to be a beacon of hope for others when we, ourselves, refuse to leap forward in generosity with such hope in Christ? How will our children and future generations learn to love and serve God when we do not offer them firsthand examples to mimic? This year the church council and I have decided that we as a congregation need to take a firm step forward in faith and hope amidst all of our thoughts and fears of scarcity. You and I are so blessed, and the opportunity to give thanks and praise and share our blessings is now before us. It s not about shame, guilt, or judgment but instead, joy, trust, and thanksgiving. On Sunday, November 13 th (the second Sunday of the month), our weekly worship service will include a special opportunity for all of us to bring forward gifts of our abundance gifts received in grace, and returned in joy in a Thank Offering. Following worship, we will gather together for a meal to celebrate the abundance of God s blessings for which we are thankful. My hope and prayer is that you each will seriously look at what God has given you and prayerfully bring a gift of generosity to give in thanksgiving for all that God has done and entrusted to you. Gifts are not measured in dollars and cents, but in the faith that we offer them. As a community of faith that has proven again and again to be faithful and generous with our blessings, I look forward to this opportunity for us all to give thanks and praise and share God s bounty for Christ s work through this church in the world. Thank you all! Alma Evangelical Lutheran Church www.almalutheran.com 219 West 5 th St. P.O. Box 88 Mead, NE 68041 Phone (402) 624-3015 God Bless, Pastor Andrew Alma s Statement of Mission: Disciples by grace, Growing in faith, Living our hope, Sharing God s love.
Luther and Lutheranism Martin Luther (1483-1546) Martin Luther was eight years old when Christopher Columbus set sail from Europe and landed in the Western Hemisphere. Luther was a young monk and priest when Michaelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel in Rome. A few years later, he was a junior faculty member at a new university in small-town Germany, intently studying the Scriptures, captivated with an extraordinary ardor for understanding Paul in the Epistle to the Romans. In these days Luther was tormented by the demand for righteousness before God. I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners, and secretly, if not blasphemously, certainly murmuring greatly, I was angry with God. Then, in the midst of that struggle with God, the message of the Scriptures became clear, like a longshut door opening wide. When he realized that a merciful God justifies us by faith I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates. What Luther discovered is the freedom of Christians trusting God s mercy in Christ. As he later wrote, Faith is God s work in us. It changes us and makes us to be born anew of God. This faith is a living, busy, active, mighty thing. It is impossible for it not to be doing good works incessantly. Faith is a living, daring confidence in God s grace, so sure and certain that believers would stake their lives on it a thousand times. This discovery set Luther s life on a new course both his own life and his public service as a preacher and teacher. When a church-endorsed sales team came to the Wittenberg area in October, 1517, Luther was concerned that the promotion and sale of indulgences undermined the promise of God s unreserved mercy in Jesus and the faith that trusts that promise. His 95 Thesesor Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences became the first of a life-long stream of books, sermons, letters, essays, even hymns in which he expressed his confidence in this life-giving promise from God, the Gospel, and its liberating implications for all of life in church and society. Spiritual Growth Opportunities Women of the ELCA Circles - Hope Circle meets the fourth Tuesday mornings of the month at 9:30am. Location varies. Contact Jess Miller for more information. - Faith Circle (MGM) will meets the fourth Thursday at 1:30pm @ Bethlehem in Wahoo. Chat & Sew meets the 1 st Tuesday at 8:30am. Contact Sharon Hollst or Lana Krumpus for more information. Prayer Shawls meet the second and fourth Saturday mornings from 9-11am. Contact Viki Miller for more information. Tuesday Night Book Club Location and date varies. Contact Viki Miller for more information. Movie Night Meets on the 4 th Saturday of the month at 6:30pm in the church basement. Contact Julie Erickson for more information. Couples Club Contact Angie Johnson for more information. Pastor's Cell Phone (402) 607-9096. Please feel free to call, text, or email me anytime on this number-- either in case of an emergency or just to chat. - Pastor Andrew Pastor s Email revdrew@me.com Secretary Email almalutheran@gmail.com Website Almalutheran.com Facebook Search for Alma Lutheran Church
Thank Offering is Sunday, November 13th. We will have a roast Turkey dinner following worship that day. Everyone is invited to bring a dish to accompany the turkey! Treasurer's Report 24-OCT-26 Income $78,728.19 Expenses $94,940.20 Balance -$16,212.01 Garage Replacement We did it! All of the money has been raised for the Garage Replacement Project. Thank you for your support in making this happen. As building begins here soon, we hope to have an open-house, or open-garage for everyone to see the new building. Thank you again for your generous giving toward this long-needed building. Thank you! Movie Night - will be Saturday, Nov. 19th, at 6:30pm. Bring a lawn chair and your favorite beverage. Popcorn will be provided. Movie will be announced! School Supply Kits At their regular meeting on Nov. 1st, Chat N' Sew members will assemble school kits and place the finished quilts on display on the pews for blessing on Sunday, Nov. 6th. On Nov. 7th at 9 AM, they will pack the quilts and kits for shipping. If anyone would like to assist with these projects, we would be happy to have your help. Upcoming events 10/30 - Soup at Noon, 12pm-2pm 11/6 - All Saints Day 11/6-8th graders visit Urban Abbey, 5:30pm 11/13 - Thank Offering Sunday 11/23 M&M Thanksgiving Eve Service @ Edensburg (Malmo), 7pm As we approach the 500 th anniversary of the reformation, the ELCA is holding many very interesting events. There is a Facebook page that has been created to help keep us up to date. Please like https://www.facebook.com/elca500/ if you are interested! You may also visit http://www.elca500.org/ to learn more. Book Club will meet Monday, Nov. 28 at 6:30. We will read "Notes from the Midnight Driver" by Jordan Sonnenblick 16-yearold Alex decides to get even. His parents are separated, his father is dating his former third-grade teacher, and being 16 isn't easy, especially when it comes to girls. Instead of revenge though, Alex ends up in trouble with the law and is ordered to do community service at a senior center where he is assigned to Solomon Lewis, a "difficult" senior with a lot of gusto, advice for Alex, and a puzzling (yet colorful) Yiddish vocabulary. Eventually, the pair learn to deal with their past and each other in ways that are humorous, entertaining, and life changing. Contact Viki Miller for your copy and come and join the discussion!! Small Catechism app You can have Luther s Small Catechism with you everywhere with the new Luther s Small Catechism app put out by Augsburg Fortress. Great for confirmation and adult faith classes, the app contains the central sections of the Small Catechism and is available in English and Spanish. The app is a free download in the Apple Store and Google Play. For an upgrade ($1.99), you can also download the study version of the app.
... to those celebrating in November! 2 Jerome Moline 4 JoAnn Treptow 7 Rick Miller 9 Wayne Thorson 13 Lisa Taylor 15 Sharon Hollst 17 Anthony Rowe 22 Leland Nygren 22 - Isaac Couch 23 Moriah Nygren 30 Lauren Taylor * Please help us keep this list current by notifying the secretary of any corrections or additions. Thank you. Who s Serving in November? November 6, 2016 November 13, 2016 November 20, 2016 November 27, 2016 December 4, 2016 Ushers Adam Miller and Vern Taylor Glen Treptow and Jeff Hanson Jay Hanson Family Dale Nygren and Doug Gustafson Dale Nygren and Dale Johnson Acolyte Matt and Chris Sean and Anthony Kelly and Meghan Blaine and Jack Janie and Kaityln Lectors Lana Krumpus Janie Munter Julie Nygren Moriah Wellman Doug Gustafson Greeters Lana Krumpus Tyler and Tracy Munter Tom and Julie Erickson Leland and Lynn Nygren Morris and Jean Erickson Assistant Adam Miller Doug Gustafson Dale Nygren Mary Hanson Jess Miller Communion June Moline June Johnson Kristin Nygren Moriah Wellman Ethan Wellman Flowers First Sunday Fellowship