JUL 2014

UPCOMING EVENTS!UPCOMING EVENTS!UPCOMING EVENTS!UPCOMING EVENTS!

Midweek ServicesMidweek ServicesMidweek ServicesMidweek Services July 2, 23, 30

Midweek Meal 6 pm Service 6:30 pm

Annual SS PicnicAnnual SS PicnicAnnual SS PicnicAnnual SS Picnic

July 4th at the church park 12:00 noon

VBSVBSVBSVBS

July 14—18 9:30 am to noon

VBS Closing ProgramVBS Closing ProgramVBS Closing ProgramVBS Closing Program

July 18th 7:00 pm

Quilting AdventuresQuilting AdventuresQuilting AdventuresQuilting Adventures DayDayDayDay July 8th

1:00—8:00 pm

Clint’s Corner:Clint’s Corner:Clint’s Corner:Clint’s Corner: Loving Your Neighbors.

The great, over-arching commandment that King Jesus gave to us is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27 ESV) It seems like it is two separate commandments, but it really isn’t. It’s one and the same. If you really love God you will also love your neighbor, they go hand in hand. Love is a defining mark of true Christianity as Francis Shaeffer as well as many others have said. Our understanding of what it means to love somebody can be a little warped, so when we hear this command we often justify ourselves by thinking, “yes, I wish my neighbor well. I have no ill feelings against them. Therefore I am loving my neighbor.” But are we really? This month, Oakdale’s elders and pastors would like to encourage you to practically obey this commandment. Love God by loving your neighbors. Find some practical way that you can love the members of your community or neighborhood or the people just down the road from you. We’d encourage you to not do this alone, but help to organize your small group, or a few friends from church and find a way to serve your community. Maybe you are already serving the community in some way. Great! Why not invite a few others to join you in what you are doing? Maybe you don’t know where to even begin to serve? Just ask other Oakdale folks that live in your community what ideas they might have. Or talk to your school district leaders, or community leaders for ideas. The possibilities to bless your neighbors in your community are limitless. But, we would encourage you to especially try to find some way to bless your community where you will have the opportunity to meet and get to know other people in your community. After all, it’s hard to love someone else Biblically if you don’t even know their names. Ask ques-tions, get to know them. Get to know their needs. Tell them that you are serving them because of your love and devotion to the Lord Jesus. When should you do this? Well of course anytime that works best for you and your group. But we are setting aside the weeks of July 12-26. This will give you three weekends and with VBS going on July 14-18, that is a great way to serve that is already set up for you. Offer to drive your neighborhood kids to VBS or to pick them up or both. Encourage families in your community to send their children to Oakdale’s VBS. I’m looking forward to hearing stories about how you were able to love your neighbors this summer. May the Lord bless and help you and may the Name of Jesus be honored among our neighbors. - Pastor Clint

Annual Sunday School

Picnic

Come spend July 4th with the Oakdale church family!

Noon potluck picnic in the church park.

Bring food to share! Drink is provided.

Congratulations!Congratulations!Congratulations!Congratulations!

To Faye Wilson and Matt Dengler who were united in marriage on June 20th.

The 80th Annual Okoboji Lakes Bible & Missionary Conference

BIG TENT...BIG TENT...BIG TENT...BIG TENT... BIG OPPORTUNITY

August 2—August 10, 2014 The Okoboji Lakes Bible & Missionary

Conference exists to encourage Christian growth and global vision for God’s people of all ages.

Opening Night—Jason Gray in concert—Aug 2 Closing Night: Denver & The Mile High Orchestra

For more information visit their Web site at www.okobojiconference.org

Update from the General Board June 2014. The Oakdale General Board met on the evening of

June 17, noticeably absent was our chairman, Mark Hecox as he had practice for the Cherokee Community Theater’s Les Miserables. Therefore this report is from another member of the board.

We were encouraged to hear of the progress of the Valley View Youth Center. The Gen. Board greatly appreciates all those who have served in the remodeling project, particularly the many hours that Joel Orthmann has put in. Valley View will be ready for the 4th of July picnic during which we will have a dedication service for the remodel of the building.

The Gen. Board voted to implement the Ministry Volunteer Expectations Policy that was developed by the elders. The elders spent over a year developing the policy and the Gen. Board were able to discuss and provide helpful adjustments to the policy the past five months. Oakdale members will soon be receiving more information about the policy and the elders and Gen. Board are planning on hosting forums with church members to discuss the new policy.

The nominating committee was appointed for helping to recruit potential leaders to serve in the open leadership positions for the coming year.

First off I just want to thank all of

you at Oakdale for being supportive and

kind over this last year to both my wife

and I. Laura always says that this was the

best way we could have spent our first

year of marriage and I would not

disagree. We are really going to miss this

place and you as a church.

I have certainly had the chance to

do a little bit of everything when it comes

to ministry, which is part of why this was

such an appealing internship. It has

convinced me that I know more that I

thought, but also that I could probably

use more knowledge too.

Between observing the youth

group and sitting in on “One” on Sunday

nights I have realized that I have to figure

out how to grow up without losing my

ability to have fun and relate to young

people. (though I am not that old, 25 as

of writing this, it has been 5 to 10 years

since I was in their shoes). But it has also

reminded me that no one is too young to

grasp hold of the message of life found in

Jesus Christ. Tim has been a great

example of what a good youth teacher

should be and I am glad to have been

able to pick his brain so much.

Pastoral ministry is a lot more than

preaching; something that I was taught in

school. But I think this reality set in as I

watch Clint week in and out thinking

about the broader task at hand, trying to

balance sermon prep and shepherding

opportunities. It has given me a lot to

chew over as I anticipate being in the

same shoes one day.

Along with the act of being a

pastor I have also been able to see that

the pastoral leadership role is not one of

force. Often times I think that the

business mindset gets into my head,

where someone is giving orders and

people are just following. But as I have

seen the role of pastoral leadership is a

more tender task, where you feed the

people and slowly but surely that good

diet of the Word preached and taught

starts to lead the people, as they hear

and enjoy the Word. It has been good to

see how this works over the course of

the year, and has reminded me of how

many of the big changes in my Christian

life happened over time with good men

teaching, and teaching again.

The most important thing I think I

have learned is that all of this is about

people. There are no faceless

congregations without members just

waiting to be preached at. Every place is

going to be a little different because the

people in the pews are going to vary

from church to church. I have had the

privilege of attending and being part of a

very great one this year and could only

hope to pastor such a group in the

future. Pray for us in this next season of

life as we will be praying for you. Editor’s note: We will be recognizing

Troy’s year of service and learning this Sunday,

June 29 with a potluck meal. Troy and Laura

plan to move to Louisville, KY on July 8 which

Troy will be enrolled at Southern Seminary and

Laura serving at a Christian elementary school.

My Time As An Iowa

Pastoral Intern. By Troy Mattson,

Pastoral Ministry Intern

Basic Principles to Follow in

Evangelism Opportunities.

From the book, Evangelism. by J. Mack Stiles (Crossway, 2014)

This summer one of our Sunday School classes has been studying how to develop a culture of evangelism within our church. We have been learning from two books, Evangelism by Mack Stiles, and The Gospel by Ray Ortlund. It has been so good for us to focus on this prior-ity of the Christian life and the mission of the church. We all acknowledge that evangelistic oppor-tunities can be uncomfortable for us, even scary. One of the reasons for why this is would be that we often feel ill-equipped for these opportuni-ties. What should we say? How should we re-spond? What about . . . .? In Stiles’ book he provides several of what he calls, “basic principles that (he) acts on in con-versations with people about faith.” (p. 104) I thought as we continue to focus on evangelism and especially as we look to ways we can inten-tionally love our neighbors and make relation-ships with them in July, that it would be an en-couragement for us to learn from Stiles’ basic principles in evangelism. Each of the following points is from Stiles’ book Evangelism p. 104-105. • Give yourself grace when you share your

faith. I’ve noticed that I often fear evangel-ism because there are so many ways to go wrong. I can flub the message. I can keep silent when I need to speak. I can say things that later I think were stupid. But it’s good to remind yourself that even your mistakes can help you become a better ambassador.

• Meet people where they are.

• Look for open doors. A culture of evangel-

ism is really helpful here. When church members share about the open doors they

have seen around them, other members might hear opportunities with which to get involved.

• Be compassionate and maintain a tender heart toward others. Be careful to remember that you are a sinner. Humility commends

the gospel.

• Remember that we have the answers to

life’s biggest questions. That’s something you can offer. When the reality of life pierces through the superficial barriers that keep people from God, that’s where you can shine the light of the gospel. Don’t hide it under a basket.

• Focus on people’s separation from God,

not on being morally upright. • Be intentional in your conversation. Plan

out what you will say. This helps you to say things that are helpful, and not say things that are awkward or offensive.

• Acknowledge what we know and what we

don’t. (The) phrase “sin-sick world,” ac-knowledges the truth we see around us. the Christian does well in that environment be-cause he or she knows how it got that way. I also find it helpful to tell people that I don’t always know the whys of what God does, but that I trust him as the one who makes sense in a broken world.

• It’s good (though not required) to ask per-

mission to share the message of the gospel. • Ask lots of questions. Be a good listener. • Finally, if you anticipate a certain issue in a

person’s life, it’s good to be acquainted

with it by reading a book or talking with someone who knows about the issue.

(emphasis on bold words and bullet points were

each inserted by me– Pastor Clint)

Tim’s Thinking Again Two Days !I am so thankful for our church family at Oakdale. We have

been here just a little over a year, and we are enjoying the rhythm of life and the good friends we have made. While we have had our ups and downs in transition, God has been so faithful and we are filled with joy.

We have met many students here and have hopefully have a positive impact not only on our own church students but students in the area as well. It is difficult in youth ministry to gauge the amount of impact that you're having at any given moment, but a good measure is time spent together. Figuring in vacation and other events, if a student comes only on Wednesday night for an hour of youth group, we have any impact of about 48 hours in a year. While this represents 48 unique opportunities to share the love of Jesus with them, when we boil it down to sheer time spent it only represents two days. Two days out of 365 days per year does not seem like very much.

Given that youth ministry involves contact outside of youth group, this is not the total impact that we are able to have with students. But similar to youth ministry, many people only attend church or are involved with spiritual things for one hour a week. This means that while they are being impacted on a regular basis, the spiritual impact time-wise is less then 1% of the time God has given them for a year.

While church attendance is not a requirement for salvation, it is also not a substitute for a growing faith in Christ. When we considered the Cross Centered Life in our June Sunday school class, one of the indicators as to the centrality of the cross in our life was the amount of time that we spend dedicating our thoughts, words, and actions to the Gospel. And while getting together for a church service is a great idea and biblically encouraged, what are we to do with the remaining 167 hours in our week?

When Jesus left his disciples, he told them to go and make disciples of all nations. This is also our response and responsibility in light of the gospel. We've become salt and light to the world because of what Christ has done in us. So whether it is getting together with other believers to serve our brothers and sisters or communities in the name of Christ, or investing time in our own spiritual growth during the week, or writing a word of encouragement to a missionary, or helping a neighbor fight temptation through accountability, we all can do more than ½ percent.

Throughout the month of July and August, I would encourage you to come alongside one other person for the purpose of helping them (and yourself) to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.

Would you be willing to spend two days this year - one hour a week for 48 weeks - to help someone less mature in their faith to grow? We have been given much in Christ. Would you be willing to give ½% of your time to change the life of another brother or sister in Christ?

Wednesday Nights !

Our Wednesday Night group is a great place for students to

connect and find out more about God’s ways. All students in

grades 7-12 are invited and can bring friends!

This Summer:

LIFE  IN  6  WORDS  God.Our. Sins. Paying. Everyone. Life

We will learn what the gospel is and how

we live and share it with others

ONE Sunday Nights at 6pm

for grade 7 through college age

July 6 - No ONE (Challenge) July 13 - VBS Setup July 20 - D. Stout

July 27 - T. Hunter !We share food, fun and discuss

questions that you bring.

If you would like to host ONE, please see Stacey Hunter to schedule your time.

CHALLENGE ’14 July 5-10

Kansas City, MO

Please pray for our 8 students attending

Challenge this summer

!Kirk Carlson Megan Bush Meg Gregg

Jake Hunter Will Hunter Levi Murphy

Daniel Wester Andrew Cullison

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL JULY 14TH -18TH

9AM-NOON !AGENCY D3 IS RECRUITING CADETS AGES 3 YRS OLD THROUGH 6TH GRADE

(COMPLETED) TO DISCOVER, DECIDE AND DEFEND THE TRUTH ABOUT JESUS. SIGN UP AT OAKDALECHURCH.COM!

GOD DEPENDENT PARENTING ALLIANCE !We are meeting as a monthly growth and support

group for parenting. All parents of any age are invited to join us.

Our next gathering will be July 13th from 12:00-1:30pm

We will be looking at 1 Corinthians 13

Ray Ortlund on the Christian Hope in The Gospel.

“People who believe this big gospel show it. We still suffer, like others. But

we are ‘sorrowful, yet always rejoicing’ (2 Cor. 6:10). We ‘rejoice in hope of the glory of God’ (Rom. 5:2). Each of us is like a homeless man who sleeps under a bridge and eats out of dumpsters. One day a limousine pulls up and out steps an attorney who hands him a letter. A long-lost uncle has died and left him a fortune. The check will arrive in a few days. Suddenly, the cardboard shelter doesn’t feel so hopeless. He can live with it for a while longer. A vast fortune is coming.

“In the same way, a gospel-rich church rejoices in hope. We are poor sinners who can look beyond present circumstances and enjoy our future by faith right now.” (Ortlund, The Gospel. p. 54)

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

Women’s Bible Study

7:00 pm

2

Midweek Meal 6 pm

Service 6:30 pm

3 4

Annual SS Picnic

Noon

5

6 Communion

Off: Missions/

Deacon

7

Prayer time 9:30 am

Staff Mfg 10:30 am

8

Quilting Adventures

Day 1:00—8:00 pm

Women’s Bible Study

7:00 pm

9

No Midweek

10

Helping Hands

10:00 am

11 12

13

Offg: General Fund

14

—————————

15 Women’s Bible

Study 7:00 pm

General Board Mtg

7:00 pm

—————————

16 No Midweek

Small Group Lead-

ers

Training 6:30 pm

17

————————

18

VBS Closing

Program 7:00 pm

—————————

19

20

Offg: General Fund

21

Prayer time 9:30 am

Staff Mfg 10:30 am

22

Women’s Bible Study

7:00 pm

23

Midweek Meal 6 pm

Service 6:30 pm

24 25 26

27

Offg: General Fund

28

Prayer time 9:30 am

Staff Mfg 10:30 am

29

Women’s Bible Study

7:00 pm

30

Midweek Meal 6 pm

Service 6:30 pm

31

July 2014

3 Greg Geerdes 5 Doris Shafer Megan Gregg

Allison Gregg Brandie Dublinske 6 Charity Harper

7 Faye Ehmcke 10 Shirley Capps Cael Schipper Tynan Schipper 13 Lloyd Peterson 14 Bob James Robin Wilson 15 Roger Tewes 17 Tim Daniels 18 Jim Anderson 19 Cindy Mogensen 20 Georgia Axiotis Garrett Patterson 21 Torray Wilson 23 Jordon Wester 24 Kent Lundquist

Alan Halstrom Donna Beier Gunnar Durkee Chrysta VanderPloeg 25 Rhonda Mangold 27 Jon Vander Ploeg

Daniel Wester Jon Zupke Melinda Wester 28 Joshua Gnade

29 Arta Gregg Jeff Patterson

Happy Birthday! Women’s MinistryWomen’s MinistryWomen’s MinistryWomen’s Ministry

Women’s Bible StudyWomen’s Bible StudyWomen’s Bible StudyWomen’s Bible Study The Power of a Praying Wife

June 17 – July 29 from 7-8 pm meets at Laura Lundquist’s home

Quilting Adventures DayQuilting Adventures DayQuilting Adventures DayQuilting Adventures Day July 8th 1:00—8:00 pm

Helping HandsHelping HandsHelping HandsHelping Hands Thursday July 10th at 10:00 am

Bring a sack lunch.

Coming Events:Coming Events:Coming Events:Coming Events:

Women’s Luncheon at Okoboji Bible Conference August 6th, tickets still available

The Oakdale Women’s Quilt Show September 20, 9:30 a.m.

Attendance for May

AM SS Midweek 5/4 172 105 77 5/11 197 96 59 5/18 207 95 77 5/25 181 96 61

General Fund for may Giving: YTD Expenses: YTD $21,931.75 $118,681.45 $26,725.60 $133,780.64

Mission Fund Giving: Expenses: Year to date: $125,068.34 $97,508.28

July Birthdays

Nursery Schedule:Nursery Schedule:Nursery Schedule:Nursery Schedule:

Sunday School Worship Service 7/6—Brandie Dublinske Jon & Pam VanderPloeg Shirley Skadeland Karen Mugge

7/13– Kent Lundquist Lloyd & Nancy Peterson Laura Lundquist Debbie Kelley

7/20– Vernon Tjossem Dave Wester, Kristen De Tjossem Peterson, Joleen Stout

7/27– Dean Rohwer Christi Patterson, Terri Val Rohwer Cullison, Deb Zupke

Family Night—

7/2—Brandie Dlublinske, Erin Wilson 7/23—Brandie Dublinske, De Tjossem 7/30—Brandie Dublinske, Deb Zupke

July Greeters

Head Greeter—Kay Jipp

Prayer Room Schedule:

7/6—Dan & Dee Murphy 7/27—Tim & Georgia Axiotis 7/13– Torray & Erin Wilson 7/20—Dan & Lorna Wilson