Join Us Sundays at 10:00 am
Join Us Sundays at 10:00 am
NEWS LETTER JANUARY 2012
FROM THE PASTOR
Sunday, January 1: The events of Luke 2:21-38 take place 8 days after the birth
of Jesus at his circumcision. Here we have a foreshadowing of baptism and
remember how God has provided a way to bring us into his family from the Old
Testament in Num.6:22-27 into the New Testament in Gal.3:23-29
Sunday, January 8: The baptism of Christ in Mark 1:4-11 reminds us of our own.
Rom.6:1-11 describes how our lives are to look once Christ has claimed us.
Gen.1:1-5 describes the original creation; in baptism, God restores us to the
original condition.
Sunday, January 15: “What Will I Do With This Body” we ask after the holidays.
Our struggle with sin continues even after we become children of God. Paul shares
that struggle with the old man in Rom.7. God has given his law to show us our sin
and to guide us in our lives. Samuel was open to the guidance of God in I
Sam.3:1-21. Paul is guided by God’s law in I Cor.6:12-20 and Jesus comes that we
might live for him now and with him eternally.
Sunday, January 22: “Repentant People Discover a Relenting God!” Jonah was called
to call the people of Nineveh to repent but first he had to repent. In Jonah 3:1
-5 & 10 we see how God used a reluctant prophet as he will us if we only repent.
It’s all about mercy! Lessons include I Cor.7:29-31 warning against becoming too
attached to this world and Mk.1:14-20 where the disciples left all to follow
Jesus. What prevents you from following? Repent and discover a forgiving God!
Sunday, January 29: Be ready to be surprised! This is the year of St. Mark. His
Gospel is brief and to the point. But what is the point? The point is that Mark's
Gospel is not finished. . .until it is finished in you! The people were
astonished and surprised at Jesus' demonstration of power even over the demons.
But the ones who were most surprised were the demons themselves. It is not
surprising that the devil and his cohorts must bow in obedience to almighty God.
What is surprising is that almighty God now stands before them in this seemingly
weak, mortal human being named Jesus! When we hear, receive and believe this
Gospel, we are surprised that, by means of our Holy Baptism, we are now empowered
to battle the devil and all his works and all his ways. More than that, we look
forward to the surprise of the resurrection of the body and the life of the world
to come. Our lessons are found in Deut.18:15-20, I Cor.8:1-13 & Mk.1:21-28
ANNUAL VOTERS MEETING- Sunday, January 15, 1:30 p.m.
As the Lord has blessed the mission and ministry of Christ Lutheran, He calls
upon us to be good stewards of those blessings. The topics to be discussed
include voting on new officers, setting up a building committee, a tuition
proposal by the school board and the budget, to name a few. All members are
welcome and encouraged to attend.
CHRIST LUTHERAN BUILDING FUND LOAN- has a balance of $11,983.00. This fund paid for the heating and cooling units updated this spring in the church. Greg Krueger… Treasurer
MISSION TREASURER REPORT- as of December 1, 2011, $12.267.06 has been sent to the district.
Brad Augustin… Treasurer
RETIRE THE DEBT- The Stewardship Committee has placed visuals in the foyer to
encourage us in our stewardship of God’s gifts by eliminating the bank-note and
Building Fund debt by the end of January. We ask that you prayerfully consider a
gift toward this goal and watch, together, as the body of Christ, the Lord works
among us. Two tubes will be filled with grain to mark our progress. One
represents the bank-note that stood at $57,000 in November. The other represents
the Building Fund debt that stood at $14,000 in November. We chose these dates
because significant progress has already been made that will encourage us all the
more.
STEWARDSHIP LETTERS- The whole congregation will be receiving a letter from the
Stewardship Committee asking that we plan for 2012. Scripture urges that we “set
aside something on the first day of the month, as the Lord has prospered us” for
the Lord’s work. This includes not only money, but also our service and our time
in the Word. There is a small worksheet for you to fill out and keep as a
reminder of God’s gifts and your promised response. Please take time to work
through this sheet and remember the blessings of the Lord.
PARENT/ KIDS MONEY MATTERS FREE THRIVENT WORKSHOP
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 7:00 P.M.
What did your parents teach you about managing your money? What wrong turns
have you taken in your financial decisions? Would you like your children to have
a better start? Join us for a free financial workshop for parents and kids Wed.
Jan.25 at 7:00 at Christ Lutheran. Baby sitting will be provided for those with
smaller children. Please pre-register by Wed. Jan.11 so that materials and activity books might be
ordered for the children. They will receive a bank and workbooks to reinforce
the learning with doing. The session will be over around 8:30. Pre-register by Jan. 11 by calling the office at 402-744-4971 or 4991
ADULT BIBLE CLASS- Sunday, 9:00 a.m.
We continue our look at the prophets & kings, with another in the Ray Vander Laan video series from Focus on the Family “That the World May Know”.
LYF- LYF meets Wednesday at 6:45 for praise and for Bible study. We will try to develop a list of attributes of God that cover every letter of the alphabet. Get out your Bible concordance and find words that describe God. Remember God does not have a name! All of the names we use for God are actually descriptions of
him.
FATHER/SON DART-BALL- FRIDAY JANUARY 20, 7:00
It’s too cold to play baseball but dart-ball is a cross of darts and baseball that is played indoors. Dads and sons can be on the same team and a can win valuable prizes. (Well maybe just prizes.) Join us for the first annual Father/Son dart-ball tournament.
MEN’S STEAK NIGHT AND DARTBALL-The LLL is hosting a steak night and dart-ball
competition Tuesday, January 10 at 7:00 p.m. in the Church basement. BYO steak and the LLL will provide the side dishes and drinks. We will share a devotion and have some friendly competition in dart-ball.
STOP PLANNED PARENTHOOD-Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in
the U.S. They have plans to open six new offices in Nebraska, including Hastings and the tri-cities. P.P. provides abortions to over 90% of the women who enter their doors. Seventy percent of these women are under 25 and 25% are teens. P.P. prevents parents of these teens from being involved in this decision. P.P. also
provides sex education materials to our schools that promote sexual activity among unmarried teens. Please sign the petition in the foyer and let our elected officials know that we do not want planned parenthood near our children.
THANK YOU- We would like to thank everyone for the beautiful cards and the gifts we received for our 50th wedding anniversary. You helped to make our special day one we will always treasure.
God’s Blessings to all of you…David and Janet Burr
THERE WILL BE NO LADIES GUILD THIS WINTER (JANUARY-MARCH)
Giving Christ First Place Bible Study
Are you thinking that you would like to shed a few of those holiday pounds or even just tone up the waist? Then consider joining the “Giving Christ First Place Bible Study/Workout group.” This 13- week study focuses on "seeking first the Kingdom of God" and bringing balance back into our lives. It uses His Word to help us learn to maintain our physical well being, equip us mentally to make right choices, provide emotional stability to handle everyday circumstances, as well as, crisis situations and to grow spiritually as we deepen our relationship with Him. The program also includes menu plans and helps for eating out.
The Bible Study/Workout group will be held each Thursday evening 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. in the school gym. We will have a half hour of exercise, followed by an hour of Bible study. We will begin our study on Thursday, January 26th.
The cost of the guide book is $10, if you are interested in joining; please call Peg at 402-469-0308 or email her @ pegvolzke@rocketmail.com. by January 9th, so I have time to get the book ordered. If you need child care let me know that as well.