Lord of Life Lutheran Church ELCA Lifelines A monthly newsletter for August 2017
We don t have enough to give Matthew 14:13-21 When Jesus told the disciples to feed the crowd, a crowd of 5000 people, not including women and children, they said that what they had wasn t enough. In fact what Jesus wanted them to do was impossible (or so they thought). Among them, the disciples had two hundred denarii. The denarius was a silver Roman coin equivalent to the standard daily wage of a working man. So for Jesus to tell the disciples to feed the crowd, the disciples would need thousands of denarii. An impossible feat, to be sure! They said to Jesus, We could not earn enough money in six months to feed so many people. In response, Jesus asked them, What have you got? To this they replied, Five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they among so many people? The five loaves they spoke of were the size of today's American rolls and the fish were small, like sardines. Such were the snacks people carried with them when they traveled. None the less, Jesus said to them, Bring to me what you have. Then he took the rolls and fish, blessed them, and told the disciples to pass them around to the crowd. Can you imagine what the disciples were thinking to themselves? Has Jesus gone mad? What we learn from this story is that in the hands of the Lord, little is always much. Moses had only a stick in his hand, but with the power of God he was able to divide the sea which made it possible for the Israelites to cross on dry land. And the shepherd boy, David, as he stood before the giant Goliath, had as a weapon only a slingshot with a few stones. Yet by the strength of the Lord he was able to slay the giant and create confusion in the Philistine army. And remember Joshua had only three hundred men in his army, but with God on his side he was able to cause the walls of Jericho to fall down and capture the city. And let us not forget that Jesus started with twelve ordinary men as his disciples, but today his followers number in the tens of millions around the world. The point is this: we may think that we have little ability or talent or other resources to give to the work of God. But if we give Him what we have, there is no telling what He can do with us and through us. As one biblical scholar said, Jesus is not merely in the business of addition. He specializes in multiplication. Amen. Pastor Bruce 2
For the month of August, we will be donating to WAVI...the Working Against Violence Shelter. We will be donating supplies for babies that stay at the shelter. Baby Shampoo Baby Wash Baby Lotion Baby Powder Diaper Rash Cream Diapers (sizes 4, 5 and 6) Please bring items to church by Sunday August 27th. Once our receipts total $150,000, we will receive a check for $1,000 from Family Thrift Center. There is a wooden box in the narthex where you can put your receipts. Thank you! REVISED Personal Care Kits Ministry *Lightweight, Dark Colored Bath Towel Two bars of Soap (3.5 to 4 ounce) A **Sturdy Comb (flimsy ones can t be used) Tooth brush in original packaging Nail Clipper *Lighter weight towels are cheaper to ship **Sturdy combs will accommodate all hair types 3
Check out the usher s table for the new Equal Exchange Fair Trade Coffees. Buying fair trade coffee ensures that coffee farmers get fair prices for their harvest. All varieties are $7.50. Please help support this important mission of Lutheran World Relief. Taking Off Pounds Sensibly meets Saturday mornings at 8:00 to 8:15 for weigh in and 8:15 to 8:45 for meetings. All meetings take place at Lord of Life Church. Low cost and high support! The first meeting is free. For more information, please contact Shelly Labine @ 484-0354. If you have someone in your life who needs some extra comfort and prayers, please take a Prayer Shawl from the display in the narthex to give to them. Everyone is welcome to do so at anytime. There will be no Bible Study in August. The next Bible study will be on Thursday, September 7th at 1:00 p.m. Betty Woodden, Secretary Check us out at www.lordoflifelutheranrc.org We are also on Facebook as Rapid City Lord of Life Lutheran Church 4
by Dennis Green T H E T H RASHING MACHIN E Near the end of summer, when the grain turned gold, it was time to harvest. The grain binder was the first machine used for harvest. It would cut the stalks and tie them together into bundles with twine and drop them in piles on the ground. After this was done, the family would walk through the field, and stand several bundles up into a shock. This would let it dry out, so it was easier for the thrashing machine to separate the grain from the stalks. The grain was put into wagons and the straw was blown into a big straw pile. There was one person who would have a thrashing machine in the area. It had a belt pulley and was run with a long belt from a tractor belt pulley. The farmers would hire him to thrash their grain. The neighbors would work together and move from farm to farm until everyone had their grain done. This would be done for several days in a row. Hay racks were used to haul the bundles to the machine. Pitch forks were used to load the hay racks and throw the bundles into the machine. The neighbor ladies would come to the farm and bring food and help cook, to provide dinner for everyone. (lunch time) It was always a big feast! Some of the ladies would also bring a lunch out to the field about mid morning and mid afternoon. It was also a fun play day for the younger children. The stalks, straw, was hollow and sometimes we would use them to drink water. It added flavor to the water. Was good. Grain harvesting brought the community closer together and demonstrated how everyone could work together when it was needed. 5 Dennis Green - July 2017
Congratulations to our Women s Softball Team who got 2nd Place in the Women s Division A Church League Softball Tournament. On Wednesday night, they played 1 game and won. On Thursday night they ended up playing 4 games back to back. In the championship game we lost to St. Therese Catholic Church after we both had a loss against each other in this double elimination tournament. Great job ladies on a well played tournament and season!! Lord of Life Team: Back Row L-R: Marlys, Christie, Angi, Jessica, Kelli, Rachel, and Janyce Front Row L-R: Shirley, Kay, Sabrina, Sarah, and Bailey 6
All across South Dakota there are children in need of a loving and safe foster home. They need someone to open their hearts and their homes to them. Will you be the one? Please take a moment to commit to learn more about becoming a foster parent. Visit www.fosteronesd.org or call 605.343.2598. Some Words to Think About "It is hard to destroy a relationship if you continually forgive every offense." John MacAuthur "Walking by faith should be a daily matter, not a final destination." Kim Ransleben 7
Join Bishop Zellmer and synod staff at one of the upcoming pie and ice cream events this summer. August 15 - South Canyon, Rapid City August 20 - Bethlehem, Aberdeen August 21 - Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, Watertown August 22 - Trinity, Mitchell August 24 - First Lutheran, Volga August 27 - Peace Lutheran, Sioux Falls September 12 - Trinity, Vermillion All events will start at 6:30 PM local time and end by 8 PM. We will have specific breakout sessions for pastors, council presidents, youth leaders, and stewardship leaders. 8
First Baptist Church of Rapid City would like to invite your ladies to a community event! The Beth Moore Simulcast kicks off on Saturday, September 16th at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. Registration will start at 8:30 a.m. Tickets are $21.50 until July 31 st then will go up to $26.50. This price will be covering one full day of music and worship; sessions led by Beth Moore; lunch (pulled pork with the fixins), free drawings, and opportunities for fellowship with other women from the Rapid City community. Women may go purchase tickets online at rcfbc.org or they can contact Angela at 431-3681 or firstbaptistrc@gmail.com. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. Early bird tickets for the Beth Moore Simulcast are on sale now! Event is 9-4 on September 16th at First Baptist Church. Tickets are $21.50 until July 31, $26.50 after July 31. This will cover one full day of music and worship; sessions led by Beth Moore;lunch and opportunities for fellowship with other women from the Rapid City community. To purchase your tickets call Angela or go online to https://tix.extremetix.com/webtix/4460/event/71539. 9
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Serving This Month Date Usher Greeter Acolyte Communion Assistants 9:00 a.m. Worship Reader Aug 6 Tom Woodden Carl Hellekson Candy Wehrle Sara Brainard Leah Luebke Tom & Betty Woodden Matt Luebke Aug 13 Brad Johnson Bailey Johnson Roger Soucy Laurie Lepel Emily Luebke Allen Olson Aug 20 Bruce & Virginia Conlee Carl & Nancy Hellekson Sam Biberdorf Rachel Hellekson Bailey Johnson Emily Luebke Aug 27 Betty Schindler Carla Jakeway Jeff & Jen Schumacher Carl Walz Carla Jakeway If you are unable to make your assignment, please call someone to trade dates. Thank you! Lord of Life Lutheran Church 2000 Lancer Drive Rapid City SD 57703 Bruce Baum - Pastor Brenda Johnson - Secretary Church Office 393-0700 Office Hours: M-Th 8:30 am - 12:30 pm Church Email: lordofliferc@gmail.com Website: www.lordoflifelutheranrc.org This is a monthly publication of Lord of Life Lutheran Church. 11
LORD OF LIFE LUTHERAN CHURCH 2000 Lancer Drive Rapid City SD 57703 Return Service Requested Sunday Worship Schedule 9:00 a.m. Worship Service Non-Profit Org US Postage Paid Rapid City SD Permit No. 223 12