Christus Victor Lutheran Church 7510 Palomino Drive Apple Valley, MN 55124 P: 952-454-6927 www.christusvictor.org Voice of Victory VOLUME 20 ISSUE 6 JUNE 2017 Remember, Christ is always with you wherever you go! Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. Psalm 139: 7-10 WORSHIP AT CHRISTUS VICTOR Summer Worship Schedule One service at 9:30am Fellowship before and after worship Our goal is to provide an enthusiastic and friendly welcome to every person entering our church. We are committed to help make every worship experience positive and spiritually uplifting for everyone by welcoming and supporting them in any way possible. Our hope is that we would greet visitors as well as any unfamiliar faces of fellow members. Most everyone I know is looking forward to the summer. A different pace. A break from the busy routine of work and the school year. A time to breathe deep and find refreshment for our bodies, minds, and souls. While some ministries take a break for the summer, others are just getting started! Summer Stretch, Camp WAPO, Pine Ridge Mission Trip, CAVE QUEST VBS, and of course the Garage Sale. That doesn t include weekly Sunday worship with lots of individuals and groups sharing their musical gifts every week. Nor does it include the GOD SQUAD Softball games on Monday nights and the Bible & Brew on the first Thursday of the month. To help us all keep connected and paying attention to God s presence in our lives and to each other as we travel here and there and everywhere, we invite you to participate in the FLAT JESUS Project. You can make a Flat Jesus at church, or get the materials online. Take Flat Jesus with you wherever you go and take a picture to share with your friends at CV. There is a helpful reminder to do FAITH 5 on the back, plus Pastor Steve and Pastor Kent will be posting weekly scriptures and discussion starters to help you and those you are with, to take some time to pay attention to Christ, who is always with you wherever you go! Yours in Christ, Pastor Kent
50 th Anniversary Planning Team Is Underway! It is our 50 th Anniversary this year and we have an energetic, creative, committed team of people to help plan and organize our celebration(s). Stay tuned as we roll out plans and events to celebrate what God has done among us, in us, and through us! If you d like to participate in helping with our 50 th Anniversary Celebration, please contact Stacey Klein at dskleinfamily@gmail.com. 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, June 1, 2017 7:00pm at the Angry Inch Brewery in Lakeville! Bring a friend! MILESTONES at CHRISTUS VICTOR BAPTISM: 5-14-17: Logan Christine Welch Parents: Mary & Forrest Welch Sponsors: John Christianson, Shane Hallow, Kelly Ford Say Hi to Flat Jesus! What is a flat Jesus? It's a small travel-sized Jesus that can go with you and your family wherever you go this summer. We invite you to have fun sharing your adventures by posting pictures with #flatjesuscv to share where you took Jesus with you this summer! Or you can send us your picture to post and share pastor.steve@christusvictor.org or pastor.kent@christusvictor.org In case you did not get a chance to make a Flat Jesus at church, check out the church website and Facebook page for resources and directions to make yours at home. Our Pastors have been working with parents and the worship committee to make our church more kid-friendly. We recognize that small children are often more engaged when they can see what s going on, therefore, a space in the front of the sanctuary is being created especially for children, aged birth to preschool and their families. If you have children this age, please don t hesitate to sit near this area and help them participate in the service through playing with the quiet toys and books. If you do not normally interact with young children during worship, here are a few tips for engaging with young children and their families: Greet and learn the names of children who sit near you. Offer to read or color with a child during worship, especially if another child in the family is having a hard day. Help children navigate the liturgy and invite them to participate in worship. Invite kids to serve alongside you in worship as greeters, ushers, etc Recognize that certain conditions or disabilities don t present physically and some children (and adults) may make noises or act in ways that seem strange or upsetting, but are perfectly normal for their situation. Celebrate that God put the wiggle in children and have understanding for young children s vocal and physical modes of worship. Feel free to give us more feedback this summer as we work to make our space welcoming and meaningful for "children of all ages."
Facility Improvement Teams Updates Four different Facility Improvement Teams are up and running! Those teams are: - Facility Planning Claudia Glinski and Lois Stark are serving as co-chairs, along with Bob Erler, Jay Johnston, Doug Klein, Sally Montesinos, Anne Nyquist, Ed Odden, and Scott Thureen. They are focusing on architects and contractors - Facility Finance Tom Iaria and Tom McDonald are serving as co-chairs, along with Al DeGrand, Brenda Fischer, Paul Fischer, Mike Radke, and Jennie Rice. They are focusing on capital fundraisers and financial oversight - Facility Communications Barb Damlo, Janice Johnston, and Jason Sprenger are looking for more members to help them focus on communicating with the teams, council, and congregation - Facility Prayer Jody McDermott-Baty, Sharilyn DeGrand, Nancy Erler, and Mike Montesinos are focusing on surrounding the whole process and all the teams in prayer through weekly prayer petitions and prayer requests. These teams will be coordinating their work through an Oversight Team made up of a representative from each team, along with Karl Dobberman, from Church Council, and Pastor Kent. All teams will be bringing 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 must be done before anything can be brought to the council and congregation for input, feedback, and support. Please keep them all in your prayers and stay tuned for more updates this summer. The Dwelling Place Summer Schedule The Dwelling Place is a gathering of women from Lily of the Valley, Casa de Oracion and Christus Victor to share fellowship and bible study. Over the summer months the schedule will be: Monday June 26 6:30pm light potluck dinner Monday July 31 6:30pm light potluck dinner SKIP AUGUST CV Green Team OPT OUTSIDE WITH THE CV GREEN TEAM SUMMER 2017 The CV Green Team has been hard at work coming up with a slate of unbelievable programming for the summer months and beyond. Check out all these awesome things that we want you to be a part of! Green Team Hike, Sunday, June 11 - Join us on June 11 for a fabulous hike through Lebanon Hills Regional Park! We'll meet right after church, coordinate our strategy, and carpool all the way over to the mystical land of Eagan to hit the trails. All abilities are welcome, but please be sure to wear appropriate footwear, and bring your water receptacle and a sense of adventure! Save the Boundary Waters, Wednesday, July 12 - We are incredibly excited to host the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters at CV for what is going to be an unreal presentation on Minnesota's own Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness! Chris Donato from Save the Boundary Waters will be on hand to screen a short film about two adventurers who spent a year living in the BWCAW, and will then drop some knowledge on us about why it is critical to preserve this splendid part of God's creation for future generations. Who knows, perhaps this will inspire you to get up to the BWCAW in the near future! More fantastic details to come, but save the date for the evening of July 12! CV Camping Trip, August 18-20 - You read that correct - we're hard at work finding a Minnesota state park for the freshest Lutheran camping trip this side of 40 days spent in the wilderness, no locust eating required (but you can if you want). Come with your tents, your RV's, your camping gear you haven't pulled out in 30 years, we've got your back and are ready to have a great time. Stay tuned for the extremely rad particulars! Items for the month of June are: Peanut butter & Jelly
Come cheer on the God Squad Softball Team! Games are on Monday Nights at Aronson Field, Lakeville! June 5 6:15pm and 7:15pm June 12 8:15pm and 9:15pm June 19 6:15pm and 7:15pm June 26 6:15pm and 7:15pm July 10 7:15pm and 9:15pm Stay tuned for the playoff schedule! Where: Aronson Park, FIELD 2 8250 202 nd Street West, Lakeville Thank you for honoring mothers around the world! The Social Ministries Committee once again thanks everyone who donated to or participated in the assembly of Newborn Kits for mothers in developing countries. On Mothers Day weekend 228 kits were assembled and delivered to Global Health Ministries. Global Health Ministries has shipped 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. After 16 years and more than 3,500 kits, this was Social Ministries Committee s final year participating in this mission. Thank you to all those who provided time and funding for this project over the years! Thank you, members of Christus Victor for your awesome participation in the Green Mill fundraiser in support of the Pine Ridge Mission team! The total amount raised for the mission team on May 15 th was $279.60. Pine Ridge/CV supporters spent $1398 in food and drink at Green Mill that day. The general manager indicated our event was the best attended fundraising event they ever had, and will invite us back when we would like to do this again. Thanks again for all your support! Exciting musical news for the end of June!!!! Sunday, June 25 th, 2017, the morning worship service at Christus Victor will include singing by the 30-year reunion singers from Spirit Bound. For those of you who don t know the group Spirit Bound, it was the very first Cross+Gen ministry of this church, probably in most any church, beginning in the fall of 1986 and running through the spring of 2010. We were a musical outreach ministry, including singers, instrumentalists, and actors from grade 9 adult. We traveled the country for 10 days in mid-june, singing for congregations, staying in homes and churches, and spending a few days with a hotel stay somewhere fun in the country (and even in Canada) seeing the sights together. Some notable performances were at the base area stage of the Washington Monument and at Disney World at least 3 times. We like to claim that the President waved to us from his helicopter as he flew over with his entourage while we were singing! We traveled by bus (coaches) far and wide in our 24-year run and have tons of memories to share, which will be a large part of our reunion weekend spent at church June 23 25. Our Sunday part of our weekend will simply be sharing some of the music we sang during worship on our tours many years ago. Over 100 former members (ages 20 s all the way up to 80), many traveling from different parts of the country, will be spending the weekend from Fri. Sun. sharing memories, practicing music, and enjoying connecting our families together! We are very excited to share some music with our congregation Sun AM at worship! Please mark your calendars so you can be there at worship, Sunday, June 25 th. Any questions, or if you are a former member and we have missed contacting you, please talk to Anne Nyquist, the resident SB guru at CV. CV GALAXY GARAGE SALE More Great Deals Than There Are Stars in the SKY! Aug 11 th & 12 th More details coming
Celebrating Nancy 30 years of love Written by Carrie Peterson On Wednesday May 10 th, we celebrated Nancy Erler. Nancy has been leading the second through fifth graders, on Wednesday nights for over thirty years! Nancy told me that she is, still pretty much on high, from the celebration. There was lots of love, and it was a very exciting night for me. As I sat and listened to the many songs performed and stories shared that night, I felt the love and appreciation that flowed through everyone in attendance. It is clear to me, and all of those who know her, that Nancy has left a legacy of love in the lives of each child she has had contact with. There were laughter and tears as adults struggled to explain just how much Nancy s time and teaching of their children has meant to them. How do you thank someone enough for being a strong and faithful influence on the life of your child; knowing that it helped to strengthen their character and set them on the right path for the future? As that child, how do you say thank you for the love and support you were given? The patience and smiles always present, even on the toughest days? Knowing Nancy, she would wave this off as no big deal. She has been graciously giving of her time and talents over the years, but is so modest about it. When asked how she began this journey with the children at CV, she said, It s just something that I have always done. She went on to say, I love kids. They are my heart, and God knows that. To Nancy, she was always where she was meant to be; with her kids. Nancy began this ministry with the elementary school aged children a little over thirty years ago, way before JIFY was even a thought. She started to come on Wednesday nights and spend time with some of the younger children while their siblings or other family were involved in the Confirmation activities. According to Nancy, she just sat and talked to them, and asked about how their weeks were going. She would hear some of their highs and lows and they would have a place to be during that time that was just for them. She was also involved in the children s Christmas program each year, which included the younger children in the congregation. She helped with the plays and music that were part of the programs; working to bring forth leadership and confidence in the children that performed. After some years, this time with Nancy grew into the development of a group called Good News Bearers. This added more songs and acting into worship throughout the year at church; giving the children more opportunities to perform, and to Continued on next page
share their faith with the congregation. I remember Good News Bearers, as that was about the time that I started coming to CV with my family. I was not a part of the group each week, as a lot of the other kids were, but I have great memories of being part of the Christmas programs. Music was something that kept me coming back to worship, and gave me a way to stay involved at church. Even then I realized how special this time was, and how much fun everyone had. As Nancy smiled and spoke to me about the children in her groups and the activities she has been a part of through the years, I could see that she has gotten as much out of the time as they have. I could feel her love. JIFY has been a wonderful ministry that includes games, music, plays, food, and fellowship for the kids on Wednesday nights. It gives them something to look forward to, a place to meet new friends, and a safe environment to be themselves each week. Nancy likes that it gave them a chance to stand out and be on stage. Kids need people to back them up; support them. I know that from what I have seen on Wednesday nights over the years, these opportunities have built confidence and excitement in the JIFY kids. They are motivated to learn the songs and various roles involved, and it seems that everyone wants a part to play. It warms my heart to see children so eager to be a part of worship, especially at such a young age. Nancy has always been encouraging and patient with children. This has helped them to realize their gifts, and let God s love shine through them as they remain involved in worship and ministry when they are older. Nancy feels blessed to have had such great helpers over the years as JIFY has grown, especially from the SWAT team. The SWAT teamers are high school students who volunteer to help with JIFY each week. They lead games and activities, help to keep the kids involved, and support Nancy and the other adults. The SWAT kids hold a special place in Nancy s heart. Most of them were in JIFY when they were younger, or have been involved somehow, so she has been able to watch them grow into leaders themselves. She loves to see them using the gifts God gave them, and sharing their faith with the JIFY kids. Even though the SWAT teamers are busy teenagers with many activities of their own, they are so eager to come early on Wednesdays to lead JIFY. They make the time because it is important to them. Nancy said that she has always had so many SWAT team volunteers, that she has had to cap off the number needed each year! What Nancy might not realize, is that the main reason she has so many SWAT volunteers back to lead, is her. She has instilled her love of teaching, shared her faith, and opened her heart to many groups of kids over the years. This has a lasting, positive influence, and those kids now want to share God s love with the next generation. Nancy, thank so much for sharing with and loving the kids of CV over the years. Thank you for your time, planning, energy, and patience. Thank you for offering your gifts and letting God s love shine through you in all that you do. Thank you Nancy for the never ending legacy of love!
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 OUR VISION ~ What we are becoming OUR VALUES ~ What we believe Serving Christ and Community with Faith, Love and Open Arms We are people working toward putting Christ first in our life 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. 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. TEAM WORKING AGREEMENTS - As the CVLC Church Council Leadership Team 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. 2017 CVLC Church Council Team Members: Pastor Steve Biedermann, Stacey Klein, Shane Colin, Steve Nierengarten, Barb Damlo, Aaron Nyquist, Karl Dobberman, Mike Radke, Dawn Glewwe, Kristin Schulz, Pastor Kent Clausen-Gubrud, Sarah Thomson, Heidi Horgen
Got news to share? Weekly bulletin announcement page: Items due on Wednesday (submit to deb@christusvictor.org) Monthly Newsletter: items due on the 3rd Thursday of each month (submit to dluke@christusvictor.org) For daily devotions click on the Christus Victor website! When you click on www.christusvictor.org 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 emailed 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: www.christusvictor.org Are you receiving the church Email Announcements and Newsletter? You can sign up on the church website: www.christusvictor.org 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 55124 952-454-6927 www.christusvictor.org 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