Shepherd of the Pines

Shepherd of the Pines Lutheran Church

1950 125th Street NW

Rice, MN 56367

Phone: 393-4295Pastors Home/Study Phone: 320-363-1323Email: sotpministries@jetup.net2015 Church Website: sotpministries.comGreetings,

This month we celebrate the blessings of being a citizen of the USA. I want to share some thoughts with you that Dave Meyer has shared that spoke to my heart:Although many people are unaware of it, Satan has a plan for America. He wants us to forget our godly heritage and slowly erase our rich, biblical foundation. We see the signs everywhere. God and prayer have been removed from schools and history books. God has been removed from our government except during times of emergency like September 11. Our Constitution has also been reinterpreted and re-written to change our Founders original intent.To take our moral temperature, all you have to do is turn on the television. Our society

celebrates doing whatever they think is right, and sin is no longer called sin.

The good news is God also has a plan and His plan is always greater. What is it?

Gods Four-Step Recovery Plan

In 2 Chronicles 7:14, the Lord says, If my people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, THEN will I heal their land.

God gives us four specific things to do: humble, pray, seek, and turn. This is our part of the process. As we do these things, then God will do His part to hear, forgive and heal. But until we do our part, God will not do His part. The key word in this entire verse is then. It makes it clear that our part must be fulfilled before Gods part can be initiated.

Our part involves true humility and repentance. We can pray for restoration, however, restoration cant come until there is revival; revival cant come until there is responsibility; responsibility cant come until there is repentance; and repentance cant come until we remember

We must remember who we are, where we come fromand why its important to be accountable for what Gods given us through our Founding Fathers. We must discover things like:

How was our government formed?

What price was paid for our libertyand who paid it?

What role did God play in the lives of our Founding Fathers?

What responsibilities did our Founders give us?

The Bible says wisdom comes from two sources: the Word of God and lifes experiences (history). If we choose to forget the past, then we lose the wisdom of the past wisdom that came at a great price. If we forget, then history will inevitably repeat itself and well once again pay a tremendous price.Evil doesnt just happen overnight it happens slowly over time as we fail to fulfill our responsibilities. Not doing what needs to be done in the face of evil encourages

its existence and growth. Evil is only denied existence by wise actionand wise action is our responsibility!As Christians, the choice is up to us: We can either stand up and fight or lay down entirely.

But we cant stay the same and expect the direction of our country to change.Worth Fighting For

God is waiting for the body of Christ in America to become a courageous bodya group

who will stand up and do what He is asking us to do. This is the true meaning of a

patriot. It involves becoming educated about our past, then taking action for our future.

The Lord wants to use our nation, our resources, and our people to once again become

a beacon of light, to shine brightly for Jesus Christ all around the world. God has given us

plan. One by one, we can do our part to take a stand for America. As we are faithful to

do what we can do, the Lord will be faithful to do what we cant

and bring healing to our land.

Blessings, Pastor Bob (Board of Lay Ministry

Pending Approval Minutes

June 25, 2015

BOLM members present: Brent Betker, Deb Erdmann, Curt Kvamme, Keith Peterson, Keith Hackett, Sarah Anderson, Tim Neutz, Wayne Johnson and Pastor Bob.

Absent: Tom Ollman

Meeting was called to order by President Brent Betker at 6:31pm. Pastor Bob opened the meeting with prayer.

Mission statement was read by Wayne Johnson.

Acts Chapter 12 was read and discussed.

Treasurers report was reviewed. Motion made to accept the report by Keith Hackett, seconded by Deb Erdmann. Motion passed.

Properties Report: Keith Peterson reported that the team met last week. Dennis is working on a blueprint for the kitchen expansion project which will be used to get bids. This will come to the BOLM at a future meeting. Speakers for the sanctuary were also discussed. Concrete work is planned for July. Parking lot work will happen in the next couple of weeks. The team will ask some landscapers to look at the front of the church for ideas for improvement. They are also looking at getting the fire extinguishers checked and recharged if needed.

Secretarys report was read. Motion made to accept the report by Keith Peterson, seconded by Wayne Johnson. Motion carried.

Old Business:

The SOTP sponsored day on Spirit 92.9 will be August 6th. Listen and enjoy!

The Service team is wondering when the idea of a Contractual DCO can be presented to the congregation. A quorum of the congregation is necessary to make a decision and the Board would like to see this come before the congregation at the annual meeting in November. This will also give the Properties team time to organize the plans for a kitchen remodel to be discussed at the same meeting.

The service team also mentioned the possibility of this months noisy offering being taken up for the Rice Community Parade.

Service team would like to do a prayer walk and have local interaction with community members. They asked if the Momentum team had a flyer ready for handing out during this type of activity. This will be discussed at the team meeting next week.

KCFB sent a letter regarding sponsoring a day of programming and 5 minute mission moment, Bruce is looking into this.

New Business:

Worship Shepherd Schedule was reviewed through July 19th. There will be a baptism on August 2nd.

Next BOLM meeting will be on July 16th at 6:30pm. It will be a joint BOLM & EMT meeting.

Pastor Bob will be on vacation July 9th-24th to go to Florida for his moms 90th birthday celebration. On July 12th Pastor Jake Gillard will be conducting services along with Holy Communion. Craig Collins will lead services on July 19th. Pastor Don Kirsch will be available for emergencies while Pastor Bob is away.

Financial support for Outpost Ministries was discussed. Pastor receives a monthly newsletter from this group that ministers to those wanting freedom from same-sex attractions. Sarah made a motion to send $300 to Outpost Ministries, Deb Erdmann seconded. Motion carried.

Pastor Bob shared a mailing with the group regarding Salem Christian Fellowship which is a ministry that shares Christ with Muslims and others from the Middle East and North Africa. The board was interested in having a speaker or video from the group during fellowship or announcement time. Pastor Bob will see what is available for an upcoming Sunday morning.

The church office has been experiencing computer problems. The secretarys computer was replaced following the crash of the motherboard. Pastor Bobs computer hard drive was replaced; the processor may last a few more months. The computers have been updated with 2013 Microsoft office to correct file sharing problems within the church. This will be a major expense in the computer & maintenance line of the Office Managers budget.

The BOLM reviewed the copier information supplied by Karen. Our lease is coming due and she had researched different options for our copy needs. The BOLM plans to meet with Karen on Sunday to clarify some parts of the different options.

The Pastoral Call committee met on June 24th. The nomination box will remain on the counter in the narthex until July 19th. The congregation is encouraged to fill out nomination forms for Pastors they feel would be a good fit for SOTP who are in the LCMS. The committee spent time in corporate prayer. The next call committee meeting will be on July 29th.

Pastor shared that we will need a delegate for the District Electoral Circuit meeting in September. Bruce Resch has attended District meetings as a delegate in the past. Pastor will talk to Bruce regarding this meeting. The BOLM will talk about this at next months meeting.

Motion was made by Deb Erdmann to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Wayne Johnson. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:28pm.

Closed with prayer.

Respectfully submitted by Sarah Anderson, BOLM Secretary

We have been praying for our church family each week as we go through our church directory from A to Z. As you go about your daily tasks lift a prayer for the family of the week as the Lord brings them to mind. In July we will be praying for:

July 5 - Josh & Sarah AndersonJuly 12 - Steve & Emme Anderson

Children: Zach, Dustin, Devon & Destiny

July 19 -Wayne & Judy Anderson

July 26 -Josh & Sara Arickx

Children: Darby, Nolan & GavinThere is a tote in the fellowship hall for you year-round shoppers. If you wish to fill your own box (wrapped or unwrapped) please bring that also. We received some generous cash donations so we're up and running for 2015. Thank you for all of the support!

RICE AREA FOOD SHELF

July distribution is

Thursday, July 9th,

3:00-5:30pm at the Old Village HallWe will be quilting at the church July 9th, 23rd and 30th Everyone is welcome to stop in and join us!Jubilee is coming to Shepherd of the Pines this Fall!This year of 2015 is Shepherd of the Pines year of Jubilee. Come experience financial freedom Gods way. We are excited that god has led us to this journey and that He is touching the lives of those who have gone through the 9 week course with His hand of blessing.

Over 65 people have been through the 9 week course and we are experiencing gods help and guidance to financial freedom. We are learning to be blessed to be a blessing. In September of this year we will kick off our church wide Jubilee experience of Enjoying Financial Freedom gods Way, as we go on a 9 week journey in our Sunday School, Youth Group, Sunday morning worship services and adult study groups. This is based on Dave Ramsey materials. What we are learning gives us the ability to pass on a Godly heritage to our children concerning money. Here is this months info from Dave Ramsey and his daughter Rachel Cruze:

Steer Away From Credit CardsRACHEL: Too many college students see getting their own credit card as a rite of passage into adulthood. Its not. It just starts the vicious cycle of being in debt and taking part of your paycheck each month to pay credit card bills. A debit card is much better because it means you have the cash to pay for what youre buying.DAVE: Sometimes parents tell me theyre getting their teen a credit card to teach them to be responsible. Are you joking? Credit cards dont teach responsibility. They teach that you can buy something you cant afford today but hope to pay for tomorrow. When you teach a child to lean on a plastic crutch, you are teaching him that he doesnt have to delay pleasure, that he shouldnt sacrifice or save up.On Sunday, July 12th, Pastor Jake Gillard will be our guest preacher and delivering the message. Remember to bring your Bible!

Have you ever wondered what makes Christianity unusual when compared to the other religions of the world? It comes right down to a unique teaching called THE GOSPEL. I am excited to share a message July 12th which will clarify THE GOSPEL in a poignant way by unpacking a familiar text: The Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. This will be GREAT Sunday to invite a friend or relative to worship especially if they are open to seeking Gods Truth in a fun and engaging way. The sermon title will be Jesus the Jokester. Dont miss it!

Pastor Bob & Carol will be away on vacation July 9th 24th. If you need pastoral care during this time please call Pastor Don Kirsch (320) 251-1951 or his cell phone (320) 291-1221 or call the SOTP office at 393-4295.JUNE NOISY OFFERING! We will be taking up our noisy offering on Sunday, July 19th, for the team building the SOTP Rice Days Parade Float. Thank you for your support and your generous donations!ATTENTION ALL!!We will be putting together a parade float for Rice Family Fun Day on August 15, 2015. Michelle Motschke and Karen Ellefson are working on some wonderful ideas and will need all kinds of helping hands little ones too! If you are able to help out with this, please give Karen a call in the church office at

393-4295. We will need riders on the float as well as walkers to help pass out items. Its important for SOTP to have a presence within our own community celebration so come join the fun!!

We have reached an important stage in the call process; the nomination of names for the pastors role. Please join us in praying for our new pastor. We encourage you to please share any names for a new pastor that might be on your heart by filling out one of the pastor nomination forms we have available next to the call committee box in the entrance of church. We will be collecting names through mid-July to be sent into the District Office and added to the names they have chosen for us

We also have a bulletin board set-up in the fellowship hall that outlines the process of calling a pastor, if youd like to see what step we are on in this journey you may check that resource for updates. Youll find a list of the call committees names also posted so that if you have any questions you may easily contact anyone of the committee members for answers.

Worship ShepherdsJuly 5Sarah Anderson

July 12Keith Peterson

July 19Tim Neutz

July 26Keith Hackett

July 5

8:00am Ron & Barb McKeever 10:30am Wayne & Colleen PetersonJuly 12

8:00am Steve & Roxann Ree 10:30am Bryon & Michelle MotschkeJuly 19

8:00am Brad & Holly Jasmer 10:30am Beth & Shawn RichterJuly 26

8:00am Brent & Jennifer Betker 10:30am Bruce & Sandie Resch

July 5 8:00am Janet Maleska

10:30am Howard ForerJuly 12 8:00am Jeff Ramey 10:30am Sandie ReschJuly 19 8:00am Jordie Stay 10:30am Judy HackettJuly 26 8:00am Roxann Ree 10:30am Pam Fuchs

July 5

Ron & Mary Bulthuis July 12Sarah & Josh AndersonJuly 19 Scott & Peg ManeaJuly 26Shelley Pintok

JULY COUNTERSErnie Oltz, Milt PoppJerry Nelson, Barb McKeever

If it is your turn to serve fellowship, please bring some treats to share and arrive early to help set up. If your name is first on the list, please arrive 30 minutes prior to the 8:00am service to make coffee. The directions for making coffee are posted on the bulletin board in the kitchen. When you serve fellowship, please plan on serving coffee and treats and cleaning up the kitchen after the first service. The others serving with you would appreciate it!

July 5 - VOLUNTEERS

July 12 -K. Kirchner, R. Brutcher, B. Betker,

J. Hendrickson, S. Douvier/J. Johnson

July 19 - K. Peterson, R. Weinand, C. Kvamme, S. Manea, K. WarzechaJuly 26 -DJ Janski, D. Perleberg, M. Popp,

S. Arickx, Hanebuth/GundersonJuly 5 - Psalm 46

Matthew 22:15-21July 12 -Ephesians 1:3-14

Luke 10:25-37July 19 -Ephesians 2:11-22

Mark 6:30-44July 26 -Kings 19:9-12

John 8:42-47

JULY

Joan Ramey, Pam Fuchs, Sandie Resch, Nancy Anderson PROJECTIONISTJuly 5 8:00am Donovan Elyea

10:30am Matthew NeutzJuly 12 8:00am Samantha Dubbin 10:30am Noah EllefsonJuly 19 8:00am Craig Collins 10:30am Craig CollinsJuly 26 8:00am Dennis Arntson 10:30am Donovan Elyea

RETURN SERVICES REQUESTED

Jesus Empowers...

Bob Trinklein, Pastor

Church Phone: 393-4295Pastors Home Study: 320-363-1323

Email: sotpministries@jetup.net

Church Website: sotpministries.comSOTP BOARD OF LAY MINISTRY/ELDERS

Brent Betker, President 584-8170, Deb Erdmann, 393-4279, Keith Hackett, 393-4531, Keith Peterson, Vice-President 292-4007, Curt Kvamme, Treas. 393-3353, Sarah Anderson, Secretary 267-2628, Tim Neutz, 393-3386, Wayne Johnson 253-9020Tom Ollman, Church Properties 253-4623EXECUTIVE MINISTRY TEAM

Brenda Hackett - Small Group Team Leader, Michelle Motschke - Worship Team Leader, Maria Traut - Service Team Leader

In case of church cancellation due to bad weather listen to, 98 COUNTRY 98.1, SPIRIT 92.9, KCLD 104.7, WJON 1240,

or call the church office and listen to the message.

Shepherd of the Pines Mission Statement: Connecting People to GodTo Othersand To Service

The purpose of this congregation is mandated for us by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as found in the words of the Great Commission (Matthew 28), namely first of all to Go. To leave our walls of refuge, going into all the world, comprising of our families and neighbors. We plan to achieve our purpose by identifying persons with whom we are particularly well-equipped to serve and reach with the challenge of becoming Disciples of Christ.

Second, to Make Disciples or in the words of St Paul, To equip the saints (Ephesians 4:12). This is to be understood as helping people to live the Christian life here on earth. Preparing and encouraging young and old alike to find and to use their God given gifts and abilities for the extension of His Kingdom, and to grow in fervent love for God and for others.

Thirdly, to Baptize as commanded by Jesus Himself. As God reaches down to mankind with His means of grace, He would have us baptize His people, bringing them into His family and Kingdom, granting to them life, forgiveness of sins, and eternal salvation.

And lastly, to continue steadfast in His Word, Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. A continued zeal for the study of His Word, the Bible, is necessary for the growth of any Christian congregation. Thus, the Word of God will be taught and studied in full measure and His Word shall be the rule and norm of this congregations faith and life.

To that end, our every effort and energy will be used in motivating, training, and putting to use our time, and talents and treasures to Make Disciples.NONPROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

RICE, MN

PERMIT NO. 32