Lord of Life Lutheran Church—ELCA Lifelines A monthly newsletter for November 2014 “Women In the Church” Matthew 27: 55-66 A few years before I went to seminary to prepare for the ministry, the role of women in the church was beginning to change in a dramatic way. It was during my second year that the first woman who wanted to study for the ministry and be ordained enrolled for classes. I also remember my first parish and the role women played in the congregation. They were the people working behind the scenes who received little recognition or thanks. Women did not serve on the church council, but they were “expected” to teach Sunday School. At church functions where a meal was served, the women ate last, after the men and children were served. Women cleaned the inside of the church while the men went to the local pub for coffee and discussion. In fact at a time earlier than my ministry, women and young girls were required to sit with their children on one side of the church and men with sons older than 10 years of age sat on the opposite side. At one time women were not allowed to vote at church meetings. And most certainly women were not ordained. Women, like the children, were to be “seen and not heard.” How archaic and how unfortunate. Thankfully that way of thinking has changed in the ELCA and other denominations. When you look closely at the ministry of Jesus, you will see that women played a very important part. God chose Mary, a young peasant girl to give birth to His Son and Savior of the world. During his public ministry there were several women, maybe many more, who followed Jesus and lovingly ministered to his comforts and welfare (read Mark 15:41). Among these were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna (Luke 8:3). Two sisters, Mary and Martha, opened their home in Bethany to Jesus, where he often took refuge from the crowds of people who followed and “pestered” him. It was Mary who anointed Jesus’ feet with very expensive ointment and was chastised by some of the disciples for being wasteful. But remember how Jesus commended her for her sacrifice and devotion. And then we see the loyalty and courage of these women in the last days of Jesus’ earthly life. When all the men fled in fear these women followed Jesus to Golgotha and stood at the foot of his cross as he suffered and died there. When Joseph of Arimathea placed Christ’s body in the tomb the women were there with him, grieving. And though they were the last ones to stand at Jesus’ cross, they were the first ones at the tomb on Easter Sunday morning. Matthew tells us this fact in the very first verse of chapter 28 verse 1. Women were the first witnesses of the resurrection and the first people to bear the good news that Jesus was alive. Down through the history of the church, women have continued to demonstrate their devotion and loyalty to the Lord. They have faithfully supported the church with their attendance, their gifts, and their service. They have gone as missionaries to far places of the world and to every continent, nation, and island. There is a lot we men can learn from women. Thank God for the women in our church! Amen. 2 Pastor Bruce Greetings, We welcomed Phyllis Weaver as a new member on Sunday, October 26th; and, we will be welcoming more new members in the near future. A BIG thank you to those providing their “trunks and treats” for all the children who attended our “5th Annual Trunk or Treat” on Sunday afternoon. The weather was wonderful and it was great fun to see all the children in their costumes participating in games and filling their bags. Betty Schindler won the “best trunk” prize! Fun & Fellowship - November 2nd, beginning at 4:30 p.m., Fall Festival! The menu includes homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, Chili, Cinnamon Rolls and Caramel Rolls. Many items have already been donated for the auction and more will be coming up through November 2. A salute to our Military (past and present) on November 11! Your service to our Country is truly honorable and appreciated. Our Annual meeting will be held on November 16, 2014, following the worship service. Karl Seeley, Bruce Conlee and Janyce Luebke are on the Nominating Committee and will be looking for candidates to fill 4 positions expiring in December: Alice McCoy, Nancy Hellekson, Matt Luebke and Terry Biberdorf. Alice McCoy and Nancy Hellekson have served 2 consecutive terms and are ineligible to serve next year. (You do not have to wait to be asked, you can volunteer to me or one of the Committee members to have your name placed on the ballot!) Please consider serving on the Lord of Life Council. Meetings are held once a month and normally 1 – 1 ½ hours long. Thank you to Saturday’s Church & Property Clean-up participants: Tom & Betty Woodden, Jerry & Delores Schreter, Allen Olson, Matt, Janyce, Emily, Leah & Kurt Luebke, Brad Johnson, Carl & Nancy Hellekson, Betty Schindler, Tyson & Sarah Steiger, Jeff Glanzer, Bruce and Virginia Conlee. Loads of tree remains and unwanted large items were hauled to the dump. Fire wood was hauled out of the tree area, unloaded and stacked behind the fire pit; and, cleaning was completed inside the church. We are ready for the Holiday season! To all Volunteers – you remain the backbone of Lord of Life! Happy Thanksgiving – to God be the Glory Blessings and God’s Peace to all, Vicki Glanzer, Council President “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm3118:24 For the month of November we will donate to Church Response Food Pantry. The following items will help provide a Thanksgiving dinner for needy families. Stuffing Mix Instant Potatoes Gravy Mix Canned Vegetables Canned Yams Marshmallows Canned Cranberry Sauce Graham Cracker Crumbs Shell Pumpkin Pie Filling Please bring your donations to the church by Sunday, November 23rd. Please continue to save your Family Thrift Center receipts. 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! “Personal Care Kits” Ministry Please remember to donate the following items for this ongoing ministry sponsored by Lutheran World Relief. Dark Colored Bath Towel Bar Soap (4-5 ounce bar) Toothbrush (in original packaging) Large Wide-toothed Comb Nail Clipper All these items are rolled up in the towel and sent to a Lutheran World Relief warehouse to then be delivered to people who are survivors of disasters all over the world. Please help keep this ministry going. Thank you! 4 Fair Trade Coffee Coffee is the most widely traded commodity in the world yet most coffee growers live below poverty levels because the middleman gives them next to nothing for their crops. That’s why Lutheran World Relief has set up cooperatives with the coffee growers around the world to help them earn more money for themselves and their communities. Please consider purchasing your coffee here at church and you will feel better knowing you are doing your part helping people live better lives. Coffee is for sale on the Usher’s Table every Sunday. The Fall Festival at Lord of Life has been scheduled for Sunday, November 2nd starting at 4:30 pm. There will be chili, chicken noodle soup and caramel/ cinnamon rolls served followed by the auction. Be thinking about your auction donations and/or just come prepared to enjoy some great fun and fellowship. Operation Christmas Child Please help support this worldwide outreach mission project. Filled shoeboxes go to children all over the world living in desperate situations. All information on how to fill your shoebox is provided on the display table in the church entrance. Please follow all the guidelines for filling your shoebox. You can also go online to print a shipping label that will “track” your box for you. Deadline for turning your filled shoeboxes is Sunday, November 23rd. Any boxes turned in after that date will not ship out this year. Please pray for all the children who receive these boxes. 5 by Dennis Green TIME Time keeps passing by, WE CAN”T STOP IT No matter how hard we try! The busier our schedules, the faster it goes! To try to catch up, keeps us on our toes! We need to slow down and take a time out, Maybe just to watch the clouds, as they float about. Let your imagination run free, You may see one that looks like a tree! Look at a stream flowing by, And see the reflection of the sky! Think of memories of good times past, It may help to make time last! So when the clock starts spinning around, Slow down a bit and keep your feet on the ground! Dennis Green 6 October 2014 On October 26th, we welcomed Phyllis Weaver into Lord of Life Church as our newest member. She was raised on a ranch in Rapid Valley. Her father got her into the sheep business, so after school she had to take care of feeding and watering them. She graduated from Black Hills Teacher’s College and taught school for 30 years in different states and towns as her husband was in the newspaper business and they moved around. She has one son who lives in Colorado and her other son resides in Texas with his wife and stepson. Other immediate family members live in Rapid City. She enjoys reading and caring for her 18 year old cat. She is a former member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Rapid City. Lord of Life Church’s Annual Meeting will be held November 16th after Worship Service. The afternoon bible study met October 2nd at 1:00 p.m. Those present were Marilyn Mulz, Joyce Swenumson, Nancy Hellekson, Lorraine Neumiller, Kay Wehrle and Betty Woodden. One visitor, Emma Hellekson. Lorraine served dessert. The next bible study will be November 6th at 1:00 p.m. Betty Woodden, Secretary There will be a Parent’s Night Out held at Lord of Life Church on Friday, November 14th from 6-9:00 p.m. Pizza and a movie will be provided. Ages 5 and up are invited to come during that time. The cost is $5.00 a child. To register, you can email Janyce Luebke at [email protected] or text/call her at 605-393-4339 so she knows how much pizza to order. 7 Youth Group News Yum! Butter Braid Sales: Youth Group will be taking orders for Butter Braided Breads until Sunday, November 16th. The loaves are $13 and come frozen. They are great to thaw overnight and bake for breakfast! If you are interested please let us know. Mitten Tree: The youth group is accepting donations of hats, scarves and mittens during the month of November to donate to local elementary schools. Mark your calendars: Saturday, November 15th Extreme Bowling Drop off and pick up at Meadowbrook Lanes 9:45-11:45pm Please RSVP Youth Group is open to grades 6-12. Feel free to drop in anytime to check us out! Friends are always welcome. Blessings, Kristina Good Pictures from Funucopia Night 8 Treasurer’s Report After the first three quarters of 2014, our church continues to improve financially. At this point in time, all of our bills are paid, we have raised money to send youth to summer camp, we continue to pay down our mortgage, and we made a benevolence payment of $1,500 to the South Dakota Synod. That is a lot for our congregation to celebrate. We currently have $7,069.40 in our savings account as a rainy day fund. There is also $6,524.13 in our memorial fund. The amount we owe on our mortgage is $59,719.05. Below is a summary of the income and expenses for 2014: Jan-14 Feb-14 Mar-14 Apr-14 May-14 Jun-14 Jul-14 Aug-14 Sep-14 Yearly Totals Amount Behind 2014 Income $9,104.32 $7,060.35 $9,760.07 $7,958.32 $6,795.32 $10,423.98 $8,005.01 $8,705.98 $8,018.36 $75,831.71 -$4,131.53 Expenses $9,048.41 $6,982.89 $7,357.91 $10,875.81 $9,310.62 $7,996.43 $9,548.13 $7,956.13 $10,886.91 $79,963.24 With one more challenge campaign, we should have our mortgage paid off by the end of 2015. Please pray for our church as we attempt to use the resources we are blessed with wisely. Joe Hauge, Treasurer The Outreach Committee will be holding its monthly meeting after the November 2nd church service. The meeting will take place in the class rooms by the church entry way. Everyone is invited to come and help plan fun things for our church to do! 9 Some pictures of our Fall Clean-up Day on Saturday, October 25th. Thank you to everyone who helped on this day! The Church and Church grounds look great!! Photos submitted by Tyson & Sarah Steiger Steiger 10 Trunk or Treat at Lord of Life Thank you to everyone who participated in our annual Trunk or Treat on Sunday, October 26th. We had roughly 70 kids that came through and eight cars that were decorated. Betty Schindler won “Best Trunk” which actually should have been “Best Car”! Check out the photos! And also a BIG thank you to everyone who donated bags of candy this year. It was very much appreciated. And thank you to the Steiger’s for blessing everyone with a coupon for a free car wash. The day was beautiful which made it more fun! Thank you God!! 11 12 Photos submitted by: Virginia Conlee and Tyson & Sarah Steiger 13 14 Serving This Month Date Usher Greeter Acolyte Comm Asst. Reader 10:00 a.m. Worship Jeff Glanzer Nov 2 Del Swenumson Carl & Nancy Emily Tom & Betty Roger Hellekson Luebke Woodden Soucy Don Sims Jerry & Jan Colton Carla Roger Soucy Bullis Jung Jakeway Nov 16 Mark & Marlys Ray & Lorraine Leah Blumhardt Neumiller Luebke Nov 23 Jeff & Jen Crosswait Sadi Brad Schumacher Family Curtis Johnson Brad Johnson Seeley Henry Allen Bailey Johnson Family Walz Olson Nov 9 Nov 30 Jeff Glanzer Marlys Vicky Williams Blumhardt 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 8:00 am - 12:00 pm Church Email: [email protected] Website: www.lordoflifelutheranrc.org This is a monthly publication of Lord of Life Lutheran Church. 15 16 9:00 a.m. Sunday School 9:00 a.m. Adult Bible Study 9:00 a.m. Confirmation Class 10:00 a.m. Worship Service Sunday Worship Schedule Return Service Requested 2000 Lancer Drive Rapid City SD 57703 LORD OF LIFE LUTHERAN CHURCH Non-Profit Org US Postage Paid Rapid City SD Permit No. 223
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