family life swim event sunday july 16 from 7-9 p.m.files.stpaulsconcordia.org/july 2017...
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July 2017 St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
Concordia, MO
Family Life Swim Event
Sunday July 16 from 7-9 p.m. Please join us for an evening of free fun and
fellowship at the Concordia Aquatic Center. All ages welcome. We hope that you have been enjoying a little more flexible schedule
this summer and that you have made some time to reconnect with each other as a
family. Please take this event as an opportunity to spend some family time
together. Grandparents and others who would like to just come and watch (or swim) are more than welcome. The
concession stand will be open for you to purchase snacks if you so choose.
Can’t wait to see you there!
“I will bless you …, so that you will be a blessing” (Gen. 12:2). The Lord blessed Abraham so that he would be a blessing. How did He bless Abraham? He promised that from His seed would come the savior of the nations. And Abraham believed that promise, trusted that the Lord would provide it just as He had promised. Thus, everything Abraham did was colored by that promise. He willingly gave of himself and his household in service to the Lord in view of that promise.
Our Father in heaven has richly blessed us. Not only has He given us everything that we need to support this body and life, but He has also provided, that promised seed in His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is the savior of the nations. He is the redeemer of the world. He is the one who has conquered sin, death, and the power of the devil by His death, resurrection, and ascension.
Just as we are richly blessed, we are also thereby freed to be a blessing. Since God has endowed us with His gifts, we are set to endow others. Thus, we give of the blessings we have received so that others may be blessed. We do this in our homes, our communities, and our churches. We press the blessings God has lavished upon us in service to those around us. We use our time, our talents, and our treasures to be a blessing even as they have been a blessing to us. The Lord blesses us. And He enlists us to be a blessing to others. So, whenever you put that envelope in the collection plate, when you set out to serve at the local food pantry, when you sit down to help your kids with homework, think of this: The Lord has blessed you, so that you will be a blessing. ~Submitted by the Stewardship Team
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Preaching...Teaching...Reaching A Message from Pastor Lange
The Call Process: Disconnected? Have you ever gotten that message when trying to make a call? “If you
feel you have reached this recording in error, please check the number and dial
again.” Is that what’s happening in our call process? Have we made an
error? Is there something wrong with us?
The only question we really need to ask is this. Are we following God to the best of our ability? If so, then we should be right where he wants
us to be. The fact that we have sent calls to seven different pastors and two different teachers and all nine have decided to stay where they are could mean any number of things.
Maybe one of those pastors was supposed to accept our call, and they didn’t quite get the message!
Pastors are trying to follow God’s leading to the best of their ability too, and there are some times
when comfort, life situations, proximity to family, or who knows what else goes to the top of the list of priorities instead of what should be there: What does God want me to do?
Perhaps these pastors needed some encouragement. There is nothing quite like a call to make a
pastor feel wanted. When I would receive a call, it meant a congregation must think pretty highly of me. In response, many times members of my current congregation took the time to say those
things they might have wanted to say but just hadn’t gotten around to it. It would be nice if we pastors were all machines who ran solely on God fuel, with no need for feedback from our churches. But we’re people, and receiving a call can help lift the spirits.
The person God has in mind may not be ready just yet. In my first church, I received 7 calls in
about two years’ time. I was one of three pastors at our church, so I guess other churches thought
I was expendable. (I also found out later that I had accidentally indicated on an Indiana District form that I was looking for a call!) For whatever reason, a call came my way every few months.
Each one helped mature and mold me. I can honestly say I wouldn’t have been ready to accept the eighth call that came around if it weren’t for those others. I prayed and struggled through them, and in the process came face to face with some personal weaknesses and unfinished
business that needed to be taken care of before I was ready for God to move me somewhere else!
To whom much has been given, much will be expected. I feel St. Paul’s is a congregation to which
much has been given. We have beautiful buildings, a strong membership, many dedicated lay people, a number of pastors in the community who are ready to pitch in and help, Pre-K – 12
Lutheran education in the community, and the list could go on. Perhaps it is our turn to contribute to the larger body of Christ by helping pastors go through some prayerful searching of God’s will. Over the years, I have received 11 calls and accepted 1. What about those other ten?
Were they all failures? Not at all. Each time I met some great people and was encouraged by them. Sometimes they shared resources with me that proved to be very helpful. Without fail, I
prayed more than usual. I thought about God’s will more than usual and how I needed to align myself to His will. I emerged from those times with a new energy for ministry.
Sometime in the month of July, I plan to share some specifics of the call process from the recipient’s point
of view and how I clearly saw God’s hand working to guide it, even the calls that I returned. The intent of this article and that upcoming sermon is to remind us at St. Paul’s to trust God and this process.
There’s an often quoted sentiment from the Bible that God doesn’t give you more than you can handle. The
verse, from 1 Corinthians 10:13, is talking about temptation, and includes one very, very important detail.
God himself will provide the way escape. So I prefer to say that God doesn’t give you more than HE can
handle. So applying that to our congregation. Is it hard to wait for a full time pastor (and teacher)? Sure
it is. Can God handle it? I think we all know the answer to that!
In Christ, Pastor Lange
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Preaching...Teaching...Reaching
Keeping Up With the Joneses You know the Joneses? They are those neighbors that
we are always comparing ourselves to. They are the ones that seem to have everything in order, beautiful
house, good jobs, nice vehicles, organized, always happy…or so it seems. Then you ask yourself, “Why can’t I be like the Joneses? Why can’t I have what they
have?” It used to be that you might only bump into the Joneses a couple of times a week, but in today’s world,
we meet up with the Joneses many times a day. They are paraded in front of us on our newsfeeds, our smart
phones, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. The “look at me” picture perfect life leads us to be
discontent and jealous. I had a relative recently tell me that she rarely gets on Facebook because it makes her feel so inadequate. I can see why. It is so easy to fall into this trap. I have to admit that when I get on Facebook and look at the posted pictures of all
of the wonderful meals that moms have prepared for their families as I am ordering pizza or feeding my family ham sandwiches for the third night in a row, I feel a little inadequate. “Look what everyone
else has and I don’t.” “Look what everyone else can do and I can’t.” And this, my friends, is danger-ous territory! Comparisons. They rob us of contentment. Don’t misunderstand me. I am not slam-
ming those who post wonderful accomplishments and home cooked meals. It is how I choose to react
to others successes and accomplishments. Am I jealous, or am I content with what the Lord has given me and what He has blessed me with? Am I able to celebrate with them and be happy for them? I
must shamefully admit, not always. This is when I need an attitude adjustment and a new perspective.
God has already prepared a place of contentment for us even when the car’s air conditioner goes out and we don’t know where the money is going to come from to fix it, or when our child throws a major
temper tantrum and we think that we must be the most incompetent parent ever. We find that place of contentment when we take our eyes off of those around us (or off of the computer screen) and focus solely on God alone. Whenever I start feeling sorry for myself, I look to St. Paul for guidance. “I am
not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being
content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength” Philippians 4:11-13. Paul knew the secret.
When we truly embrace our circumstances and stop pleading with God to get us out of them, that’s when we start to ask, “Why have you brought me here, Lord? What are you trying to teach me in this situation right now that I would not learn if you delivered me from it? What godly character are you
trying to grow in me? Compassion? Faith? Trust? Patience?” When we reach the point where we can accept our current situation and stop comparing ourselves with others; that is when we can open our
hearts to God and welcome all that He has to teach us through our current set of circumstances. That is not easy stuff. It’s hard. We have to be willing to take on a different perspective that so goes against
how the world would have us think. Let me clue you in on a little secret…the Joneses are overrated. Stop looking at the Joneses and start
focusing on God. How will He continue to grow you in your current situation? True contentment comes when we can accept our current set of circumstances and find a peace within them. Christian
author, Elisabeth Elliot, sums it up this way, “The difference is Christ in me. Not me in a different set of circumstances.”
~Gina Martens, Family Life Director
Family Life Ministry
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Preaching...Teaching...Reaching
Congregation News
Tails From Jessy the Comfort Dog Ah, summer! Things are a little more relaxed, the sun is shining and I am enjoying being outside in God’s creation. But I have been working
also.
My biggest outing of the month was Operation Stand Down. I headed to Kansas City early in the morning to participate in Heart of America Stand
Down. It is a wonderful event where veterans can go receive help, free services such as dental check-ups, eye exams, and physicals, and they receive
free items such as clothing, toiletries, and sleeping bags. They even gave everyone there a delicious BBQ lunch. There were many amazing volunteers including a third grader named Libby who
started an organization called kids4vets.com. She collects toiletries from
schools in her area and donations to be handed out at this event! I think she is
pawsome!! During the event I was able to
meet Mayor Sly James who shook my paw!
Holy Cross Lutheran Church had a “Cross Camp.” There were about twenty kids who learned about
“olden times,” back in the days of the pioneers. They visited their cemetery to see the tombstones of those who lived back then. They cooked food that people of those times might have eaten. I had not
met several of those kids yet. I think I made new friends who loved petting me after they ate.
I spent a little time at my friend, Tricia’s house. She took me to see three children who had lost their
home to an explosion. They lost everything and are living with their grandparents. When they each eceived one of my stuffed dogs, the littlest girl said excitedly, “I lost all my stuffed animals. This is my first new one and I love it.”
Special events are great, but I also meet some of the nicest people when I am just “out and about.” My handlers like
to shop, so I go to grocery stores, department stores, home improvement stores, and of course, Walmart. We
don’t get too far into the store before people come up to say to my handlers, “You have a beautiful dog.” Of
course, that makes me sit up taller and be a little friendlier. I can spot dog lovers from a long way away. They just have a sparkle in their eyes when they look at
me. Most of those people have stories to tell about their own dogs. I like listening to those stories.
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Preaching...Teaching...Reaching
One day when we were out shopping in Warrensburg, we happened to see a gathering around the square. It was
Public Safety Day. Fire fighters, police officers, and EMTs were showing people their vehicles and equipment. I met
many of those people and told them that I was available if they needed me in an emergency. One little boy let me wear his plastic fire hat. It was not quite the right size, but
at least I tried.
My friend, Marcile, in the nursing home, was so sad one day
when I went to visit her. She didn’t want me to leave her room,
but I had to visit with the other people. And then I got the idea
that I could give her a mini Jessy dog so she could have me with her even after I left. She loved it and hugged it for a long time. I hope she is happier the next time I visit her.
My handler, Renee, got a new little dachshund named “Punkin.” She is my age, so we like to go outside and play. She has lots of
energy, and we sometimes do zoomies. When we do them in the house, we get in trouble. I guess you could say that we are
“partners in crime.” Sometimes she is not a good influence on me. She really likes to bark, and I’m not supposed to do that. I
guess since I’m bigger, I should show her how she should be-have.
I hope you are enjoying your summer and staying cool and drinking lots of water. My handlers always say I need to drink more water and lately they have been
right!!
Stay pawsome!!
Jessy Comfort Dog
Congregation News
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Preaching...Teaching...Reaching
Lutheran Women in Mission Ladies Aid #1 will meet July 11th at 7PM in the Parish Office. The Bible
Study is “God, I Just Speak of You! : The Gift of Prophecy” to be led by Deb Mourey. The following business meeting will highlight information from the
National Convention of the LWML. This will include the exciting news regarding the Mission Grant recipients chosen for 2017-2019! LWML mites at
work!!
Ladies Aid #3 will not meet in July.
1912 Ladies Aid will meet July 11 at 1:30 p.m. in the Parish Office. Connie Crowder will lead the
Bible study. Members are asked to bring their Summer 2017 copies of the Quarterly. Roll call will be
answered with a Bible verse containing the word “king” or “kingdom.” Judy Loeber and Sandy Oetting will serve as hostesses.
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML), also known as Lutheran Women in Mission, is
holding its 37th Biennial Convention June 22-25, 2017, in Albuquerque, NM. The convention theme is
“Jesus Christ above all” from Philippians 2:9. National officers are to be elected, and mission grants for the next two years will be chosen. Jennifer Huecker of Bunceton, MO (formerly of St. Paul’s) is a
candidate for Vice President of Christian Life. A new logo for the organization will also be introduced.
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Bringing Christ to the Nations
This Is the Life: Because Good Stories Matter Well-done drama never goes out of season.
In nine popular episodes from This is the Life, you'll see several stars doing some very early work. If
you're new to the show, check out Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek), Mike Farrell (M*A*S*H), Daniel Travanti (Hill Street Blues), Angie Dickinson (Police Woman), and Jack Nicholson (A Few Good
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You can get these excellent television programs from Lutheran Hour Ministries in two ways: one is This is the Life: Classics on DVD for $34.95. This includes nine episodes and features stories of God's
extraordinary love in action in the lives of ordinary people.
For those who want it all, there's the This is the Life: Classics Deluxe DVD Set for $39.95. This option features the nine episodes, along with a bonus disc containing discussion material for each episode, a dozen behind-the-scenes photos, and video extras.
You can get the details on these two offers by going to lhm.org.
Congregation News
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Preaching...Teaching...Reaching
St. Paul’s Summer Program is off to a good start!
St. Paul’s Summer Program opened up on May 30! We have a great group of kids this summer!
The ladies working for the program this summer are Rachelle Cross, Staci Schlueter, Emily Kollbaum, Katlin Murray, Marah Luetjen, Jordan Jostes,
Laurie Eckhoff, Lori Brunkhorst and Beth Hoppmann. These ladies have worked hard planning activities for the kids!
The first few weeks have been very busy! We have had so much fun with all of the kids! We have had so many activities going on.
We have had a teddy bear picnic, went on a teddy bear hunt and made honey bear necklaces! The nature scavenger hunt was a big
hit and then we painted a nature collage from our nature collec-tion!
The school age kids have enjoyed bowling and swimming! The school age kids visited the Hemme Brother’s Creamery
and were given a tour of the dairy and also got to see how cheese is made! After visiting the creamery all of the kids made their own little pizzas with mozzarella cheese as a topping!
For one of our cooking days all of the kids created their own Rice Krispy monsters!
We had Science week and watched a volcano made of diet coke and mentos erupt! We also made elephant toothpaste! To
conclude our science week the school age kids went to the community center and watched the Mad Scientist do several
experiments.
The preschool kids have had fun
with their water days! They are anxiously awaiting for their next water fun day!!
Thank you to everyone who has supported the Summer Program.
Summer Program News
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Preaching...Teaching...Reaching
Youth News
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Preaching...Teaching...Reaching
Youth News
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Serving this Month - July
Elders - Terry Kammeyer;
Eric Ritzma; Don Schlesselman
Sound System - Luther Schmidt 8:00am
Darin Woodall 10:30am
Ushers - Andy Oetting;
Darl Fuhrman; Tim Bauer
8:00 AM - Jordan Murray, Capt.;
Mark Heins, Jim Mills, Donald Fiene, Kyle Fiene, Ronald Stuenkel, Chris Heins, Paul Heins, Wess Murray, Steve Beerman,
Paul Cowherd, Ron Cordes, Clint Stuenkel, Tyler Tolias, Cody Knight, Luke Stuenkel
Altar Guild - Norine Block;
Linda Strobel
Dial-A-Devotion - Harold Block
10:30 AM - Richard Strobel, Capt.;
Joe Blackburn, Jim Ebers, Lyle Freund, Dale Dieckhoff, David Strobel,
Alan Luebbert, Harland Mieser, Jon Lange, Mark Kusel, Peyton Kusel, Kevin Schemmer, Eric Ritzma, Johnathan Self, Matthew Rose,
Andrew Self
Preaching...Teaching...Reaching
Communion Assistants -
7/2/17 1st Early (CF) Heimsoth, Beerman, Laubenstein, Pitsch, Bobzin + Elder 7/9/17 2nd Late Block, Kirchoff, Strobel, Self, Kollbaum
7/16/17 3rd Early Schlesselman, Kruse, Kammeyer, Heins, Poese 7/23/17 4rd Late Snider, Larsen, Ritzma, Colwell, Rudowske
7/30/17 5th Neither No Communion
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Linda Meineka
Ann Wolters
14 Colleen Gerdts
Madison Lilleman
LaVern Meyer
Mary Nierman
Lloyd Tebbenkamp
Gail Tieman
Nathan & Ann Beissenherz
Charles & Betty Bishop
15 Linda Anderson
Julie Bickle
Joshua Brown
Barb Eckhoff
Truman Eckhoff
Carolyn Flandermeyer
Jennifer Goucher
Thomas Kirchhoff
Gordon & June Durand
Todd & Annette Kanoy
16 Chloe Brown
Hope Colwell
Abigayle Hartwig
Marta Pitsch
Rustin Strobel
Jake Tagtmeyer
Dennis Tieman
Walter & Judy Loeber
17 Barbara Alewel
Luther Mieser
Wilbert Schlesselman
Carl & Julie Bonar
Mark & Melissa Grass
Brad & Judy Roepe
18 Donna Deterding
Larry McGinnis
Craig Poese
19 Joanna Peuster
Stacy Ratliff
Braylon Wiskur
Adam & Ashley Faulstich
20 Kelly Frerking
Nathan McCaslin
Phyllis Mieser
David Rehmsmeyer
Larry & Grace Grass
21 Ruth Becker
Ora Borgelt
Kayla Brackman
Susan Jaster
Faith Moore
Kaleb Virus
Randy & Sandra Hinck
William & Angela Ivie
Brad & Sarah Meineka
Dennis & Susan Petty
22 Jessica Borgstadt
Karen Fiene
Violet Kirchhoff
Todd Martens
Miley Oberg
Beverly Prentzler
Samuel Schmidt
Roger & Vicki Kirchhoff
Tracey & Pamela Werths
23 Karen Bauer
Madison Childress
Sarah (Jeff) Heins
Norma Iserman
Jennifer McCaslin
Eric Ritzma
David Schelp
Mark & Susan Oetting
24 Arleen Fiene
Brayden Frerking
Curtis Meyer
Marie Meyer
Haley Schemmer
Wilma Storck
Harland & Phyllis Mieser
25 Kari Beck
Kristi Bredehoeft
Brenda Frerking
Matthew Harris
Jameson Oetting
Jennifer Oetting
Rose Sortore
26 Robin Kerksiek
Darlene Meyer
Bentley Morrison
Jeffrey Schlueter
Nathan & Madison Childress
27 Laura Blankenship
Ava Denton
Jesse Flandermeyer
Nathan Gerdts
Debra Kirchhoff
Noah Rankin
Charles Snider
Darl & Geri Fuhrman
Ronald & Karen Heins
28 Melanie Dittmer
Karrah Rehkop
Krista Rehkop
Stephen & Tina Bredehoeft
29 Rose Becker
Thomas Bennett
Lyle Freund
Marlene Lange
Tiffanie Schuette
Connie Tebbenkamp
30 Robin Graves
Mark Heins
Gladys Landwehr
Tami Thornton
Breawna Woods
31 Emily Blankenship
Von Cile Heermann
Judy Krause
Kenneth Meyer
Matthew Rankin
1 Rachel Lange
Roman Strobel
Omar & Gracie Bredehoeft
Mark & Patty Schnakenberg
2 Betty Bishop
Gina Butler
Ruby Dean Frerking
Rebecca Heath
Steven Kirchhoff
Donna Maddox
Rod McCaslin
Wallace & Barbara Kueck
Rick & Diana Stumbaugh
3 Linda Kammeyer
Ryan Lovercamp
Christine Murray
Daniel Reith
Shannon Wienberg
Brett & Debra Brackman
Chris & Amy Gerdts
John & JoAn Jacobsen
4 Herbert Aversman
Steven Knight
Mary Krause
Kim Roepe
Collin Werths
5 Breana Rolf
6 Hayden Brandt
Julia Peuster
David & Alyssa Pfannkuch
7 Carolyn Graham
Rebekah Grass
Jesse Palmer
Todd & Rachel Martens
8 Kyana Huseynov
Russell Kruse
Sara Nierman
Kim Strobel
9 Loetta Flandermeyer
Kailyn Kearney
Leticia Kruse
John Kuecker
10 Omar Bredehoeft
Lester Dierking
Chisum Edwards
David Meyer
Harry Rehkop IV
Adam Roepe
Chris & Abbie Wasson
11 Alicia Heimsoth
Johnie Meyer
James Peuster
Andrew Self
Rebekah Self
Cynthia Stuenkel
Kathy Tebbenkamp
John & Jan Beerman
Paul & Jean Frerking
Andrew & Jennifer Jones
12 Beth Maggert
Lily Petty
Steve & Christy Frerking
13 Bradley Meineka
Preaching...Teaching...Reaching July Birthdays and Anniversaries
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