Reaching Out With the Good News of Jesus Christ to all Generations October 2014 October is Pastor Appreciation Month! Christ Lutheran Church Yuma Lutheran School Martin Luther calls pastors, “Angels of God” and “Princes of the King of Kings”.[1] Since October is Pastor Appreciation Month, I thought it would be good to check up on ourselves to see how we are doing caring for our pastors! Romans 10:14, 15 tells us, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!’” 2555 S Engler Avenue Yuma, AZ 85365 (928)726-0773 Church (928)726-6674 Church Fax (928)726-8410 School (928)726-5330 School Fax www.ChristYuma.org www.YumaLutheranSchool.org [email protected] Rev. Vincent Harman, Senior Pastor [email protected] Rev. Mark Johnson, Associate Pastor [email protected] Angie Schiller, YLS Principal [email protected] David Toensing, Director of Music Inside this Issue: Pastor Appreciation Month 1 Pastor’s Letter 2 YLS News 3-4 CARE Ministry 5-6 Evangelism 7 Around the Congregation 8 Youth Ministry 9 Those Who Serve 10 Celebrations 11 Calendar of Events 12 severely condemns those who despise it. He says, ‘He that despiseth you despiseth Me’” Luke 10:16[2] PASTORS SHOULD BE CARED FOR Paul said of his role as a pastor: “Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn’t the law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain’. Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely He says this for us, doesn’t He? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and PASTORS ARE CALLED OF the thresher threshes, they ought to do so GOD in the hope of sharing in the harvest. If “It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material evangelists, and some to be pastors and harvest from you? If others have this teachers, to prepare God’s people for from you, shouldn’t works of service, so that the body of Christ right of support all the more?” I may be built up.” Ephesians 4:11-13 we have it Corinthians 9:7— “For we do not preach ourselves, but 12 And, “In the Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as same way, the Lord your servants, for Jesus sake.” II has commended that Corinthians 4:15 those who preach the Luther said, “I certainly gospel should receive their hope you will have enough living from Christian understanding to the gospel.” know that the ministry of I Corinthians the Gospel is neither our 9:14 property nor the And again, property of any Luther says: “It human being, not is necessary to even of an angel. It impress on people belongs to God, our at large that all who Lord, who has would be called purchased it with Christians owe it to His blood, has given God to consider those and instituted it for our Continued on page 13... salvation. Therefore He The Good News October 2014 Pastor Vince Harman Pastor Mark Johnson Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, With the arrival of October comes the beginning of fall and, hopefully, cooler temperatures. And if the displays in many stores were your only guide, you might be led to believe that Halloween is the focus of this time of year, or at least one of the most important things to think about. But, while Halloween may be fun and a huge source of revenue for stores and other retailers, its true importance is minimal at best. However, there is another event that gives us another, more important reason to remember October 31st. As Christians, and especially as Lutheran Christians, October 31st is remembered as the day in 1517 that a thirty-three year old university professor named Martin Luther wrote ninety-five theses as a challenge, or invitation to debate the practice of indulgences, and posted them publicly on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Then, due to the relatively recent invention of the movable type printing press, relatively good postal and road systems, the theses were carried to all parts of the Christian world within weeks. Because of the storm of controversy and feelings of independence that Luther set off by this invitation to debate, and all that came after, we remember this date as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation and often call it Reformation Day. Although there had been several attempts to reform the church before Luther came along, God gave him exceptional abilities and raised him up at the right time to attempt true reform in the church; an attempt that eventually resulted in a breaking away from what became known as the Catholic Church by the reformers who later were known as Protestants. Many things led to Luther posting the ninety-five theses in 1517. After a narrow escape from death during a lightning storm, Luther had changed from studying law to first becoming an Augustinian monk in 1505 and then a priest in 1507. His superiors at The Good News the monastery soon recognized his academic abilities and directed him to begin studying for his doctorate at Wittenberg University the next year. In 1510 he went to Rome and was disillusioned by what he saw there, especially the mechanical faith and the corruption he witnessed. This experience added to the spiritual restlessness that Luther had been experiencing for some time. He was deeply aware of his own sin and his absolute inability to earn God’s favor on his own, though many in the Church taught that a person could be saved, with the help of God’s grace, by doing things that would be right in God’s sight. Even when forgiveness was pronounced to him, Luther wasn’t calmed because the church’s stance was that a person had to be truly sorry for their sins to be forgiven. Luther contended that it was difficult, if not impossible, for a person to be sure that they were truly sorry and not just fearful of hell. After earning his doctorate in theology, Luther taught at Wittenberg. In 1515 he began teaching on Paul’s letter to the Romans and it affected him deeply. He wrote, “My situation was that, although an impeccable monk, I stood before God as a sinner troubled in conscience, and I had no confidence that my merit would assuage Him. Night and day I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement ‘the just shall live by his faith.’ Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which, through grace and sheer mercy, God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning...This passage of Paul became to me a gate to heaven.” Then, with the support of several colleagues, Luther began to speak out against corruption in the church. He criticized the worship of relics and the supposed blessing or reduced time in Continued on page 13... October 2014 2 What’s Your Plan? ‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future’. ~ Jeremiah 29:11 Last month in chapel we talked about trusting God’s plans for our future. It’s not always easy to see the plans He has for us, so it is important that we trust that He will help guide us and put people in our lives to show us His way. Following God isn’t always easy, but He has given us His word, the Bible, to help lead us back to Him. I pray that the Holy Spirit guides you to read His word and follow Him; He has great plans for you! The year is flying by! We are almost through the first quarter. Report cards will be sent home the week of October 13th and Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held October 23rd and 24th. Also in October we will be testing the students using the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). Our students have always performed well on these tests and we look forward to seeing the results. A Ministry of Christ Lutheran Church Principal Angie Schiller The Fall Festival is coming up! It takes place on October 31st and is held on campus. Please plan to join us for fun activities and great fellowship. Our PTO spends countless hours preparing to make it an enjoyable evening for everyone! Invite friends and family as this is a community event. Contact the school office if you need more information or are looking for a way to help. Thank you for keeping Yuma Lutheran School, the staff and the students in your prayers. We know that He has a great plan for this place and thank Him for a congregation that shows us so much support! SCHOOL BOARD CORNER At this point in the year, God has blessed our school and church community with 358 students! We welcome each family into the Christ Lutheran Church and Yuma Lutheran School community. The School Board has reviewed the budget and found that we are right on track with our budget and expenses. Our fiscal year begins on July 1st and ends on June 30, so we are 1/4 of the way through our budget year. The School Board also reviewed our entire School Improvement Plan in accordance with the accreditation requirements. Principal Schiller presented all the items that the visiting Accreditation Team determined needed attention. These items are very important to our continuing accreditation for the upcoming 5 years. YLS will also send a progress report to the Accreditation Team with dates of completion of each item and keep them apprised of our progress in addressing the issues. The YLS Board also approved the school’s Tuition Payment Policy which was presented by Angie Schiller. God’s Blessings Dave Cummins YLS School Board Chairman The Good News October 2014 3 A Ministry of Christ Lutheran Church In Mrs. Kist’s and Mrs. Mullins Pre K classes were jumping feet first into fall! We’ll be taking our first field trip to the pumpkin patch, learning about how pumpkins grow and what happens in fall. The kids are all talking about Halloween and what costumes they’ll be wearing. We’ll also be learning all about fire safety and prevention, as October is Fire Safety & Awareness month. We’ll look forward to seeing you all at our Pre K fall festival booth, Crazy Ball Toss. Be sure to stop by and say hello! Mrs. Stuebs’ 5th grade class made a goal of answering 10,000 math problems in IXL and would receive a popcorn party. Just after three short weeks we have accomplished our goal! Great job 5th graders! 8th grade has begun their weekly trek to the Yuma Community Food bank to fill back packs for students throughout Yuma County who are not always sure where their next meal is coming from. The class fills several hundred backpacks each week. Please join the 8th grade pray for the students who receive these backpacks – pray for jobs and security for their families, and that they will know the peace and security that only a relationship with Jesus Christ can offer. We give because we have received so much! The YLS PTO meets every 2nd Wednesday of the month at 3:30pm in the school office. Surround Care for those who attend is offered free of charge! Join us as we plan events and fundraisers for our school! The annual PTO sponsored Red Apple and Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Dough Fall Fundraiser was another huge success! The students raised over $8000 for our school! Thank you to the PTO for all your time and effort to make this happen and to the all the students who worked hard to raise the money! Crusaders’ Cook’s Night Off Each month the PTO of YLS will be sponsoring a restaurant takeover, where a portion of the proceeds will be donated to YLS. This month we will be heading to LUTE’S CASINO Wednesday, October 15th 4-closing (around 8pm) Patrons must provide a coupon to benefit YLS (will be provided as the date approaches) They are donating 10% of sales under $1500.00, but once we reach $1500.00 in sales they will donate 15%. The Good News October 2014 4 “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.” ~ Psalms 34:1-5 What is your face covered with? What do people see when they look at you? When you walk down the street, and people catch your eye, what do they think of you afterwards? Do they see someone who is sad… happy… worried… relaxed… smiling… grumpy… friendly… etc? You might say it depends on what kind of a day you are having…and that may be true. But if we carry our relationship with the Lord with us we will have a radiance to our appearance. This is not a ‘look’ what we can do on our own or with make-up but through God we can show people that we have Jesus in our life. The good thing about having this radiance from God is that we can give this sunshine to others as we CARE for them sharing our faith. We should each strive to have that relationship with the Lord that allows us to turn our lives over to Him TOTALLY… trusting that no matter what we are facing, we know that He is with us…and the look of radiance and peace in our lives is ours to share! Have you ever visited someone and when you leave your life has been changed? You were the one that was taking the time to stop by, and then you are the one to be blessed! As I visit people from CLC, this happens a lot! (It is the best way to spend an hour…we should all do it regularly!) Whenever I stop by Joyce’s she is always so enthusiastic about everything, especially the Lord. I feel like we both are radiant! She can just have been in for more tests on her back, had to sleep sitting up that night, and yet she will exclaim, “I am so blessed! God is so good!” She just glows the love she has for the Lord and often shares her faith with others. Helen is someone else who has the light of God shining from within. Her health doesn’t allow her to be away from home very much so she spends her time studying the Bible, digging deep into scripture and thick books! When you visit her you can’t help having The Good News CARE Ministry Leaders: CARE Ministry Coordinator Twylah Wahl—343-2724, [email protected] Church Service CD Ministry Dorothy Doyle—819-0445 Funeral Luncheon Ministry Nancy Pendleton—257-6257 Greeting Card Ministry Lillian Furrow—750-2491 Health Services Ministry Penny Esmeier—580-2341 Meals Ministry Shelly Pensky—344-4694 CARE Baskets Kay Krahling—562-743-6898 Military Ministry Mona Kaczmarczyk—341-0253 Prayer Shawl Ministry Carrie Petersen—210-3138 Flo Humann—726-8001 Prayer Network Ministry Church Office 726-0773 [email protected] Helen Norris—341-1927 your faith strengthened—because of her knowledge, but also because of her trust in the Lord for everything in her life. She has the radiance that is talked about in Psalms 34:5 and is an example of God’s peace. At the ladies brunch on the 20th Joan shared the projects that are being worked on at CLC… the making of the coin bags for the students at YLS and the dresses that are being sown for underprivileged girls. As she shared this information with us in attendance she had the radiance of the Lord shining brightly through her reflecting her faith. You could tell she loved doing these projects and using the talents that God had given her! Dottie Brewer recently was given a new heart valve at the young age of 80 plus. Amazing! When I visited her in the hospital as she laid in the bed, with tubes abounding and a large mask on her face, you could not miss the fact that she had that same radiance shining! Her trust in the Lord and His will gave her this Continued on page 6... October 2014 5 opportunity to add years to her life…and she went for it! WOW! Each of these women have had different faith journeys including personal losses, health issues, and other challenges…but their love of the Lord shines brightly through them for others to see their spiritual happiness. The New Kings James version of the Bible states as a subtitle for Psalm 34 the following words ‘The Happiness of Those Who Trust in God’ how true of those who shine for the Lord…as they get their ‘fuel’ from God above as it is proclaimed in the scriptures for all to read! Taking a walk today you might encounter someone with a face filled with shame. With guilt. With self-absorption. With selfcenteredness. With anger. With get-outtamy way looks. With hurt. There is a lot of pain in the world…a lot of loneliness and depression. We need to reach out to the people afflicted with these challenges. Society needs to be more accepting of these individuals and make it a priority to provide more services for them. We as Christians can pray to God for his CARE-ing in their lives. God does see their faces too. He says, “Look to me. Only with Me living inside your heart can your facial expression change. It can shine. It can beam. It can radiate my love.” These thoughts were written in a book, “Words of Life,” by Linda Winter-Hodgson, as she explored Psalms 34. Do you have someone in your life that wears a face like this? Never give up on praying for them… sharing your faith. CARE. Let your radiance for the Lord shine continually on them. CARE. Ask other Christians to pray and shine their sunbeam on them. CARE. When you meet someone with a hurting face…look into their eyes. Make contact. Show them Jesus in you. If you have an opportunity… witness to them, trusting that God will provide you with the right words to say. You could be the person that can help their ‘game face’ in life. CARE. May the radiance in your faith shine through…as the words of the children’s song goes… Mona and Dave Kaczmarczyk and the Military Ministry committee have been very busy planning upcoming events for this ministry. On Sat. Oct. 25 a church picnic honoring the military/border patrol families at CLC and YLS will be held from 3-6 pm… with fun and activities planned for all ages. There will be a jump house, adult and children games, crafts, face painting, live music, door prizes…and the main event will be a dunk tank! Hamburgers and hot dogs will be grilled, beverages provided, and the CLC members attending are asked to bring a dish to share. On Sun. Nov. 9th the annual Veteran’s Day luncheon will be held in the Activity Center after the 3rd service. We will be honoring all Armed Service Veterans. It is always a privilege to honor our veterans. It is all about the CARE-ing! The Good News This little light of mine I’m going to let it shine This little light of mine I’m going to let it shine This little light of mine I’m going to let it shine Let it shine…let it shine…let it shine! AMEN! To God Be the Glory! CARE Coordinator Shawls and prayer bears are available to anyone who could use a “hug” from CLC! They have been made and prayed over by a variety of women that meet in the winter months as a gift of love and comfort, coordinated by Flo Humann. Just contact the church office if you would like pick a shawl/bear for someone. Watch for the startup date for this ministry to begin again this fall. Recently a thank you was received for a prayer shawl that had been delivered…and the message said, “Thank you so much for the beautiful wrap...and for your prayers -they are really needed. It is all about the CARE-ing! October 2014 6 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, As we welcome October and cooling evening temperatures, we are also welcoming our winter residents back from their summer journeys. We hope your summer months were filled with fun times spent with family and friends, and travels to new and exciting places along the way. We welcome you “home” and look forward to hearing of where and how you spent your time away from your Yuma “family.” One of the church’s summer excitements happens every July when several members of our church including youth take a trip to Canada to spend a week teaching children about God’s love for all people of the eternal life we have because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, our Savior. For many of these children it is their first time to hear of God and His love for everyone. Each year, upon their return, they are excited tot alk about the children they have spent seven days with and how eatger these children are to hear of Jesus. I wonder if these teenagers reliazed that they spent that week as missionaries? As Christians, we are all evangelists, and as such, Jesus gave us The Great Commission: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father The Good News and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20 For the majority of us, our “world” is our everyday environment: home, school, workplace, and recreational activities. We are actually witnessing everyday of our lives, in the way we speak and act in everyday circumstances. If we are observed praying before eating, or even just a kind word and a smile to someone when it’s not expected, all these little things that we probably wouldn’t give a thought to, may be seen by an unbeliever to what God’s love can do to give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to work in saving another soul. So often we are known by actions even more than words. I remember the first time we attended Christ Lutheran Church— the warm welcome we felt made us want to come back ;that this would be our “new home.” Then, as we were walking to our car, we saw the sign by the gate that read “You are now entering the mission field.” It had such an impact on me from that day to this! My prayer is that my eyes will always be open to see an opportunity and to have a voice to speak from my heart. October 2014 7 “Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.” ~ Psalm 108:12-13 All church and school families are invited to come and honor our current and past military families and thank them for their service. The cost for both events is a dish to share! WHAT: FREE MILITARY FAMILY PICNIC WHEN: Saturday 25October2014, 1500-1800 hours (3pm-6pm for the civilian folk) WHERE: Activity Center area at Christ Lutheran Church WHO: EVERYONE! Military families are the guests-of-honor. EVENTS: Jump house, adult and child games, door prizes for everyone, crafts, face-painting, live music, lots of food and drinks, and the main event—The Dunk Tank! WHAT: VETERAN’S APPRECIATION LUNCHEON WHEN: Sunday 9November2014, 1230 WHERE: Activity Center at Christ Lutheran Church WHO: EVERYONE! Armed Service Veterans are the guests-of-honor. EVENTS: Posting of the Colors by the Boy Scouts, Potluck-style food, slide show, P-O-W/ M-I-A Remembrance Table, Flag Retirement by the Boy Scouts Bring your friends and family to the Annual YLS PTO Sponsored New Day: Tuesday New Time: 7:30pm New Location: AWC Starbucks Young Adult Small Group, for the “college age group”, meets every Tuesday night. Our weekly study is titled, “10 Pressures Facing Young Adults”, which generates excellent conversation every meeting. Hope to see you there! We appreciate everyone’s patience as we continue to develop the picture directory for the church. We expect the book will be ready after the first of the year. There will be games sponsored by each class, food will be sold for a nominal fee, and lots and lots of candy to go around! Friday, October 31st Watch for times to be announced! Tickets will go on sale in October. Watch announcements for more details! Candy donations: bags of candy are needed for prizes. Please bring your donation to the church or school office. The Good News October 2014 8 Sunday Morning Bible Study at 9:30am. We welcome high school students to the Church Conference Room to continue our discussions about “Young People in the Bible”. High School Youth Group meets every Sunday night from 6-8pm in the Church. All those in 9th through 12th grades are encouraged to attend as we continue our lesson on “Open Doors-The Best is Yet to Come”, and enjoy God-pleasing activities too! Invite your friends to join us! Matt Dusek Our October Act of Service will be taking down tables and chairs from the Military Picnic!!! Liz Thompson DO YOU LIKE TO COOK? In addition, this Group LOVES home-cooked meals so if you would be willing to provide dinner for a Sunday night for these hungry young men and women, please call/text Liz Thompson or Matt Dusek. 1 Tim 4:12 ***Follow Christ Lutheran-Team Youth Ministry on facebook, twitter, and instagram now*** Any questions, comments, concerns, problems, answers, solutions, or confessions please call Matt Dusek (928-304-8336) or Liz Thompson (928-581-7237). The Good News Junior High Youth Group meets every Friday night from 6:30 to 8:30pm in the Activity Center. All those in 7th and 8th grades are encouraged to attend for activities and the lesson titled “A Year with Jesus.” Bring your Bible, snack-type food (due to later meeting times), and gym shoes! Invite your friends! Our October Act of Service will be setting up tables and chairs for the Military Picnic held on October 25th!!! Please note…this Group will not meet on Friday, October 31st due to the Fall Festival. October 2014 9 Bert Morgan Harry, Susanna, and Dean Hitchcock; Gary Wahl; Alex and Max Schiller; Matthew Bell Patty Larson Ray & Sheila Thompson Keith & Brenda Dennis Dottie Doyle and Pat Boddy Pew Cards Michelle Morgan Shelly Hook, Brenda Dennis, MarySue DePuy, Lois Korth, Vicki Freund Scripture Readers Offering Counters Elders 8 Isaiah Schlechte and Gregory Harbolt 8 Kelly Keithly 11 Amanda Rubida 11 Dan Geszvain Rex Pope, Mona & Dave Kaczmarczyk 8 Kelly Keithly 9:30 Keith Dennis 11 Dan Geszvain Acolytes Oct 5 Oct 12 Oct 19 Oct 26 9:30 Rex Pope 8 Karsten Hanson 8 Jim Hanson 8 Hannah Knutson and Wyatt Knutson 8 Bill Esmeier, Sr. 8 Al Schutt Bill Esmeier, Jr., 9:30 Bruce Paulsen 11 Lilly Lammel and 9:30 Bill Esmeier, Jr. Ann Tennant, Dan Geszvain Grace Torok 11 Lloyd Sunderman 11 Dave Cummins Dave & Sharon Cummins, 11 Elend Hudson and 11 Lloyd Sunderman Kathy Ray Jacob Gettings 8 Elyse Sheppard and Dallas Wilson 11 Eden Newbold and Emma Singer The Good News 9:39 Mark Hutsell 8 Randy Reynoldson 9:30 Richard Campbell Patty Larson, Barb Shank, Dwylia Hamilton 8 Bill Esmeier, Sr. 9:30 Steve Watkins 11 Lloyd Sunderman 8 Al Schutt 9:30 Bruce Paulsen 11 Dan Geszvain 11 Jason Geszvain October 2014 10 1 2 3 5 6 7 10 11 12 13 Gregory Harbolt Jennifer Gump Romie Koopman Ruth Kukuk Chris Schiller Brittany Chavez Matthew Hansen David Toensing Lily Wait John Lemon Bev Beyeler Ryan Hinrichs Barb shank Dylan Simms-Andrade Jasmyne Brown Sue Hanson Thomas Wilson Grace Hepburn Victoria Mendivil Bailey Pope Lois Sunderman Jason Geszvain Curt Weber Sarah Grosskreutz Ian Hanson 14 Claude Charrois Daniel Padilla Dylan Wilson 15 Jay McMullen 17 Wyatt Knutson Clarice Leas Judy Toensing Dave Winters 18 Peyton Ahlstrom 19 Danny Winters 20 Blake DeWitt Laurina Larson 21 Jeanette Arce Judi Hipp Dale Huska Janett Hutsell Thomas Schultz Corey Teigen 23 Faith Bailey Carter Gettings Kyle Gettings Helen Norris 24 Robert Wright 25 Susan Sanno 27 Laura Aldridge 27 Billy Morgan Joseph Nelson 28 Frank Dowden Connie Wedemeyer 29 Doyle McCurley Alex Wilson Andy Wilson 30 Gerry But Linda Nelson Jaxson Schiller 31 Lloyd Sunderman Baptismal Birthdays 1 Richard & Joyce Campbell ~ 26 years!! 6 Joseph & Judy Amoral ~ 55 years!! Rick & Corrine Sellers ~ 41 years!! 13 Bob & Alice Leuty ~ 13 years!! 20 Andy & Marilyn Lammel ~ 13 years!! 26 Bill & Grace Hepburn ~ 7 years!! 27 Kevin & Rebecca Gettings ~ 13 years!! Ron & Nicki Werner ~ 7 years!! Brittany Chavez Shelly Hook Victoria Mendivil Norma Mohr Emma Nelson David Toensing Trinity Echols Joseph Nelson Jade Nelson Danielle Szloboda Tommy Greenhoe Papo Giangreco Caden Alvarez Marisa Garcia Lilly Lammel Brietta Noble Franky Perricone Amanda Rubida Maddyn Alvarez Mats Peterson Matt Ratcliff Shara Roberts Kim Furrow Melissa Brown Lily Wait Kyle Gettings Carter Gettings John Simms Ruth Kukuk Linda nelson Stella Perricone 29 Henry & Alice Steinly ~ 54 years!! Gene Clark September 11th The Good News October 2014 11 Colossians 4:3--4 “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” Ephesians Continued from page 1... worthy of double honor who minister to their souls, to do good to them, and to provide for them. Moreover, God will give you sufficient means for the purpose.[3] PASTORS SHOULD BE HONORED AND ENCOURAGED “Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with them.” I Thessalonians 5:12—13 “remember your leaders who spoke the work of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. . . .Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” Hebrews 13:7 & 17 PASTORS NEED TO BE PRAYED FOR “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it as I should.” Continued from page 2... purgatory given. He also opposed the sale of indulgences. In this practice the popes, who claimed to have authority over a “spiritual treasury” containing the merits of all the saints of the past, could direct that some of these merits could be applied to individuals in order to reduce their time in purgatory. Some people thought that their indulgences also involved the forgiveness of their sins. In 1517 a Dominican monk named Tetzel was indirectly authorized by Pope Leo X to raise money to help fund the rebuilding of the basilica of St. Peter by granting indulgences to everyone who contributed to the project. Tetzel even had a catchy jingle to help the fundraising: “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, another soul from purgatory springs.” The sale of indulgences was popular in Luther’s region and he saw how easily people were misled by the claims of quick and easy paths to salvation. And so Luther came out with the ninety-five theses as a challenge to The Good News 6:19—20 LUTHER’S TEN VIRTUES A PREACHER SHOULD HAVE (Shared in the circle of his friends—a little tongue in cheek humor.) “To begin with, (1) he must be apt to teach; (2) he should have a good head; (3) be eloquent; (4) should have a good voice; (5) a good memory; (6) should know how to stop; (7) should be industrious in his work; (8) should hazard life and limb in his work; (9) should let himself be plagued by everybody; and finally, (10) he should patiently bear the fact that nothing is seen more easily and quickly in preachers than their faults. A preacher who has a hundred virtues obscures all with one fault.”[4] Scripture quoted from the NIV Luther’s quotations from “What Luther Says” [1] Volume II, pp 923 & 924 [3] Volume II, p 939 [2] Volume II, p 926 [4] Volume III, pp 1109 & 1110 debate the practice of indulgences. Among the theses he held that the true treasure of the church is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not the merits of saints, and that no pope had the power to release souls from purgatory. Luther said that God’s forgiveness could not be bought or sold since He offers it freely through faith in Jesus Christ. Luther’s protest against Rome, in an effort to reform the church, was the spark that touched off a multifaceted religious and political explosion that no one could control and that took decades to calm. It is Luther’s commitment to, and his wholehearted emphasis on, the full and complete forgiveness of a person’s sin and their reconciliation with God by God’s grace through faith in Christ alone that sparked the Reformation and what we remember this October 31st. Your partner in ministry, October 2014 12 NONPROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID YUMA, ARIZONA PERMIT NO. 18 2555 S Engler Avenue Yuma, AZ 85365 www.ChristYuma.org www.YumaLutheranSchool.org 928-726-0773 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED PERMIT # 95034000 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: The Good News October 2014 13
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