CHURCH NEWSLETTER.pdf

Holy Trinity Ambassador October 2011

PreSchool Nut Sale
It’s that time again! The annual PreSchool Nut sale has begun. Please fill out the form with your order located in this month’s newsletter and return it to the church office no later than noon on Friday, October 7th. Additional forms are located in the church office and on the stage. Please call the church office with any questions.

Youth Fall Fling
Youth Fall Fling will be held in Trinity Park on Sunday, October 2, 2011 from 4-6:30 p.m. All youth and parents are invited to attend, please bring a dish to pass. We will have a hayride, bonfire, and pumpkin carving. Dress weather appropriate.

Voter’s Meeting
The Voter’s Meeting will follow the 9 a.m. service on Sunday, October 16th. The 2012 budget will be presented.

Quilting Circle
The Quilting Circle led by Susie Bedeker will resume on Thursday, October 6th from
9 -11 am. Every quilt we make we donate as a blessing to others. Both members and non members who are interested in sewing or quilting are welcome. There is one portable sewing machine available. For more information please call Susie at 672-0114.

Continental Breakfast
The Board of Parish Activates will be hosting a Continental Breakfast on Sunday, October 30th following the 9 a.m. service.

Ponderings in the Pasture – Pastor Gutz
The Final Judgment

(taken from Preaching from the Whole Bible by Bo Giertz, 1967, Augsburg, p.122)

There will be a day of judgment, “because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed.”(Acts 17:31) It will come for ALL of us, for on that day the Son of Man “will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations.” And “all who are in their graves” will arise and be gathered before him. (John 5:28)
And judgment will be according to the deeds we have done. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body.” (Rev. 20:12) And it is just as clearly written that judgment shall be given according to our faith in Jesus. “. . . he who believes in him shall have eternal life.” (John 3:16) He that believes in the Son shall not perish and will not be brought into judgment.
So which is it? Are we saved by our works or by Christ? There is no contradiction in this. Our deeds are such deeds as we do by faith. They reveal whether there is faith or not. And among those things that God seeks of us and expects of us is that we should believe in him and in his Son. When we ask what we shall do to work the works of God? Jesus answers, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him who he has sent.” (John 6:28) And to love God above all according to the chief commandment, this is His will. The deeds by which we will be judged are not only the ones that pertain to our neighbor but also the ones that pertain to God.
Neither our love for God nor our love for those around us will ever be such that we can stand guiltless before the judgment of God. Therefore in Christ God has atoned for all our sins and has made it possible for us in faith to be partakers of both forgiveness and life eternal. To have a portion with Christ through faith is first and most important. Then life and good deeds follow. The thief on the cross could no longer do good, yet he was saved. But he who has opportunity to serve his neighbor for the sake of Christ will also do just that. He does not think highly of his own deeds, and will not bring them up in the day of judgment. Rather he sees his own sin and clings to Jesus for mercy. And for those who are in Christ there is no condemnation – neither now nor on the day of the final judgment.

Church Council Meeting
August 30th, 2011

Present: T. Quick, K. Downey, J. Arrington, J. Bedeker, W. Peck, L. Gore, S. Bedeker, Pastor Gutz

Committee Reports:
Parish Activities:
-Mailed 4 cradle roll during August meeting
-Budget was reviewed and approved for 2012.
Education:
-Enrollment is at 81students.
-Carol ordered playground equipment and bikes which was paid out of the preschool savings account.
-Parent orientation was August 22nd and open house is scheduled for September 29th.
– Preschool 30th anniversary plans – special t-shirts, calendar sale, balloon launch, still working on plans.
-Carol is reviewing the preschool portion of the Web-site.
-Nut fund raiser is underway, being coordinated by Megan Black.
-Board is looking for ideas for Shepard family memorial.
-Sunday school – Cissy Quick has agreed to be Superintendent, with Lori Welch as her assistance. Music will be Lori and Pastor. Christmas program still looking for a director, Becky Brandenburg will play the piano. Sandy Gutz will be VBS coordinator.
-All parents will assist in teaching or helping at least once/month for Sunday school classes.
Church Properties:
-Parsonage bathroom is complete.
-Light tower has been removed.
-Sidewalk between church and heritage complete. -Reviewed the budget for next year, keeping the same numbers as last year.
-Pea gravel in the park is complete and new play ground equipment has been installed.
-Rock was added to the alley. Pastor informed CC that a neighbor made a $200 donation to thank the church in appreciation for use of our alley.
-Newer roof is complete.
Youth:
-Budget was reviewed and approved.
-Shawn Peck and Adam Gore will lead youth nights with Pastor 6th – 12th grade.
-Susan Bliss and Winter Peck will lead mini youth night with Pastor K- 5th, starting in November.
-Fall Fling – October 2nd
Pastor’s report:
-Sunday school resumed. Adult information class will start the week after Labor Day.
-We will be starting a “Hymn of the Month”, singing a specific hymn every Sunday for each month. Our hymnal has a lot of beautiful hymns and this is one way to have everyone become familiar with new hymns.
-Confirmation class will resume September 11th at
8 a.m. with 6th and 7th graders; Wednesday school will resume September 7th.
Old business:
-Web site – Work in progress
-Insurance update – work in progress
New Business:
-Lana stated the 2010 financial audit has been completed, but a formal report hasn’t been presented.
-Audit for 2011 will start in January of 2012.
-2012 Budget has been submitted to our accountant.

Next meeting – September 27th at 7 p.m.

Wednesday School
Wednesday school for 2nd – 5th graders from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Please join us. Call the church office if you have any questions.

Some websites to check out:

Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod www.lcms.org
Concordia Pub.House – www.cph.org
Pirate Christian Radio www.piratechristianradio.com
For singles, widowed, divorced: www.inspiration-for-singles.com
Some good blogs:
www.wmltblog.org
www.internetmonk.com
www.incarnatusest.blogspot.com
www.geneveith.com

Book Looks-by Winter Peck
Deadly Pursuit by Irene Hannon
–Christian Romantic Suspense

Alison Taylor has put herself in the line of fire in her quest to keep women with their children. And now her job has put her directly in the sights of someone desperate enough to kill. Mitch Morgan returned to St. Louis with the intent of being there for his father. Mitch has fallen in love with Alison and she’s in danger. It’s a race to see who can out wit who in Irene Hannon’s new romantic suspense, Deadly Pursuit.
My suspense-writing-loving heart enjoyed this book. It had all the elements I love seeing in a romantic suspense. Though privy to the antagonists POV, we’re lead through his turmoil and indecision’s, leading him to his desperate conclusion. The quickly budding relationship between Alison and Mitch moved too fast for me, but that’s me, it fits with the storyline. And who doesn’t love a few meddling bothers now and then?
Overall, a fast-paced read and plot line with a few nice hairpin twists you won’t see coming. I look forward the the final book in this series.
A Heart Revealed by Julie Lessman –Christian Historical Romance
Finally, finally, finally, the readership got to see Sean’s story! From the moment he returned from WWI in a Passion Most Pure, I wanted to know what happened to Faith, Charity, Lizzie, and Katie Rose’s big brother. And now we can. I’ve faithfully followed this series from book one, but I do have to say, A Heart Revealed is one of my favorites in the series. Full of Julie’s passionate scenes, whether human in nature, or God nature, this one is chock full of them with a bit more snap than the previous books. It also delves deep into Emma Malloy’s story, one we’ve been wondering about since she stepped onto the scene as Charity’s faithful friend. They’re all there, the entire O’Connor clan. And needless to say, I can’t wait to read Steven’s story. And if I know Julie, it’s gonna be a good, heartwrenching story.

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
Projected Budget for 2012
Adopted by Church Council for presentation to the Voters Assembly on October 16th.

Category 2011 2012 +/ (-)

Elders 137,335 136,770 (565)
Education 4,250 3,500 (750)
Youth 2,600 2,600 —-
Parish Act. 1,400 1,350 (50)
Church Prop. 79,000 79,000 —–
Missions 23,000 23,000 —–
(incl.preschool)

Total 247,585 246,220 $(1,365)

PreSchool
In October our Bible memory verse is
1 Peter 5:7, “He cares for you.” Our Bible Stories are: “Jacob’s Ladder,” “Crossing the Red Sea,” “Traveling in the Desert” and “God’s Battle Plan for Gideon.”
Our theme for the month of October will be Dinosaurs and Autumn. In Math we will learn about matching and same & different. In Science we will compare leaves and do some fun projects with them. In Language we will use descriptive words and learn about fire safety. In Social Studies we will learn about recycling and talk about Forests and what animals may live there.
Fall Celebration will be held on October 26th and 27th during class times. This will be a fun day for us with games and a special treat.
October is Fire Prevention Month. We will be taking the students to the Fire Station for a field trip.

Date to Remember:
October 14th- No school, Teacher Institute

Better Health
Sleep and Weight Gain
Poor sleep has been linked to weight gain. Scientists have found that sleep loss affects two important hormones that regulate metabolism and control appetite. Lack of sleep decreases Leptin (a hormone that signals the brain that the body has had enough to eat) and increases ghrelin (a hormone that triggers hunger), causing sleep-deprived people to have more food cravings.

In a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, participants who slept only four hours a night for two nights had an 18 percent decrease in leptin and a 28 percent increase in ghrelin compared with those who got more rest. The result: the sleep-deprived volunteers reported a 24 percent boost in appetite.

To prevent food cravings, try to make sleep a priority-and get at least 7 or 8 hours of sleep each night. Here are some tips to help you sleep better:

Remove mental stimulants. Make your bedroom a calming, comfortable place. Remove computers, paperwork, exercise equipment – anything that might remind you of other things you could or should be doing.
Eliminate time cues. You may need to remove clocks from your bedroom. Noticing the clock in the middle of the night can make you feel anxious and keep you awake. If you need an alarm, cover it or put it on the floor, out of sight.
No pets in the bedroom. Researchers found that 53 percent of pet owners reported disturbed sleep on a nightly basis, many of them from sharing a bed with a pet.
Limit afternoon caffeine. As soon as the clock strikes noon avoid caffeine in food and drinks. Also be aware of less obvious sources of caffeine, such as chocolate, tea, and decaffeinated coffee (which still contains caffeine).
Limit all liquids close to bedtime. Try not to drink anything within two hours of going to bed. That will help prevent those middle-of-the-night bathroom visits that can wake you and then make it difficult to get back to sleep.
Release your mind. “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7. Having your mind jump from one worry to the next is not conducive to falling asleep. Routinely praying to God and turning all of your problems over to Him (who is much more capable of dealing with them) helps to relax your mind and shut down for the day.

Taken from – Better Health, Fall 2011, Volume 27 / Number 3, Concordia Plan Services