APRIL NEWSLETTER 2016 GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH 3234 Mishicot Road Two Rivers, WI 54241 (920) 793-1716 www.goodshepherdlcms.com
"NOT RETIRED BUT STILL IN CHARGE" "He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all," (Ephesians 1:20-23). Here Paul tells us what it means that Jesus has ascended to God's right hand. The Savior has not gone into isolation to rest on His laurels or to relax forever with His angels, He is still present and active, always and everywhere exercising the almighty power that was His from eternity. That God raised Jesus from the dead is evidence that He approved the perfect life of love which Jesus lived in our place. It means He has accepted Jesus' sacrifice for the sins of the world. It is the assurance that all our covetous thoughts, unkind words, self-serving actions and acts of disloyalty are forgiven. Jesus is above everything in heaven or earth or hell that might still accuse us. He is superior to any threatening power, visible or invisible. In Him our eternity is secure, because He reigns "not only in this age but also in that which is to come." "And He put all things under His feet." Every creature will at last acknowledge His authority, willing or
not. When you and I must choose between serving the crowd or serving Him there really can't be any hesitation or doubt. It is to Him we owe our loyalty and our willing service. You and I are members of "the Church, which is His body." We are His visible representatives on earth. We are on the earth to act in His name. Remembering the price He paid for our forgiveness, let us serve Him by being forgiving people, by sharing His message of forgiveness with others. It does not always look as though Christ has triumphed. It does not always look as though He is in charge. We know our foibles and follies and sins and we do not feel confident on the basis of what we see. But what does our Lord's ascension tell us? It says that no one and nothing is above the authority and will of Jesus Christ. Everything serves His purpose, which is to gather and shepherd His church. His Gospel is still the power to save, even when His Law is being laughed at, when the forgiveness of sins is dismissed as irrelevant, when the testimony of His Church is muted by the double mindedness of Christians. In Luther's words: "We are, after all, not the sort of people who could sustain the Church...But the Lord has done it, is doing it now, and will do it." Jesus reigns to all eternity, not retired, but in charge. The Lord be with you, Pastor David W. Hintz
MEALS ON WHEELS We have been asked to help deliver meals to the homebound and your continued support is important to the Meals on Wheels program. Without your dedication it would be impossible for this program to exist. The following weeks have been assigned to Good Shepherd. April 4-8 July 25-29 September 19-23 November 14-18 December 27-30 (no 26 th ) We ask that you arrive at the Senior Center by 11:00 am. Delivery takes approximately 1 hour. Many thanks to all of our volunteers for their help during the upcoming year! KNIT ONE PRAY TOO Attention knitters and crocheters: we will be making caps for chemo patients sent to a Madison hospital for the LWML convention. If interested, contact Glenna Gauthier for details at (920) 755-2074. Thank you for your servant hearts and hands. CHURCH PICTORIAL In commemoration of our churches 50 th anniversary, we are having a 50 th Anniversary Church Directory done by Lifetouch Studios. Thank you to everyone who took the time to be part of our newest directory. There is still one more day in which to participate and that is Tuesday, April 19 th. If you haven t signed up, please call the church office at 793-1716 for assistance.
LWML Zone 9 SPRING RALLY Tuesday, April 19 th at Good Shepherd. Begins with refreshments at 5:30 pm; registration/opening Devotion is at 6:00 pm. Guest Speaker: Jackie Drewry from New Hope Pregnancy Center of Sheboygan. Ingathering: Items for New Hope, Baby clothing: seasonal outfits in size newborn to 2T, Onesies, short or long sleeve, warm sleepers, shoes, socks, footies, baby toiletry items: Lotions, oils, diaper creams, shampoo, body wash, pacifiers, combs, brushes, diapers- size 1-5, diaper wipes, infant formularegular and gentle, bottles- 4 oz. and 9 oz. baby food and cereal. LADIES BIBLE CLASS Spirituality is a common term today, but what does it mean? What is Lutheran spirituality? Come explore the depths of Lutheran spirituality as we gain a better understanding of God s Word, Prayer, the Cross, Community, Vocation, and Witness. Ladies Bible class will continue to meet each Monday at 6:00. All women are invited. CONFERENCES Pastor Kilps will be attending the following conferences in the month of April: SWD Spring Pastors Conference, April 10 th April 13 th ACELC Free Conference in Nashville, TN April 26 th May 1st LAWN TRACTOR The new tractor has been purchased for the church! We bought a 22.5 hp Husqvarna with a mower deck. Thank you to Jim Wilsmann for taking the time to research the best options for our needs.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church 3234 Mishicot Road, Two Rivers, WI is pleased to host the Executive Director of Luther Academy Rev. Dr. Robert H. Bennett Saturday, April 16 & Sunday April 17 On Saturday, from 1:00-3:00 PM Doctor Bennett will be offering a presentation on the topic of Spiritual Warfare and Demon Possession. Dr. Bennett has authored two books on the subject: I Am Not Afraid: Demon and Spiritual Warfare & Afraid: Demon Possession and Spiritual Warfare in America On Sunday, Dr. Bennett will be preaching for the Divine Service at Good Shepherd at 9:15 AM. Following the service, he will be speaking about the work of Luther Academy. Luther Academy promotes genuine, confessional Lutheran theology and research through conferences, scholarly exchanges, and publications that assist the church both to preserve and to proclaim to the world the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the only saving faith. The Academy also conducts theological conferences for pastors overseas and is now holding annual conferences in West Africa, Uganda, Togo, India, Indonesia, South America and Central America. The presentation is open to the public without charge. For more information call (920) 793-1716
APRIL BIRTHDAYS Gleason, Diana 4/9 Kirchenberg, Jane 4/12 Wochos, Deborah 4/12 Hintz, Aaron 4/13 Gagnon, Eveyln 4/15 Juul, Jalen 4/15 Rehrauer, Brayden 4/21 Wilkey, Ken 4/21 Berg, Todd 4/23 Eiden, Sarah 4/26 Miske, Patricia 4/26 Schug, Ryan 4/26 Staff, LeRoy 4/26 Blazer, Delmore 4/27 Juul, Linda 4/30 Rieck, Gerry 4/30 NEXT NEWSLETTER DEADLINE: Monday, April 25, 2016
USHERS APRIL SCHEDULES ALTAR GUILD 3 rd - Team #2 RuthAnn Hearley 10 th - Team #3 Carol Schwantes 17 th - Team #4 24 th - Team #1 GREETERS 3 rd - Hearley 10 th - Klimesh 17 th - Mielke 24 th - O Neill FLOWERS 3 rd - 10 th - 17 th - 24 th - Miske