May 2019

Volume 65, Issue 5 The Voice of Hope Lutheran Church

• The Rev. David M. Oddi, Pastor and LCC Director

(816) 351-0744 pastordave59@gmail.com

• Church Secretary Jean Memken (309) 825-5326 • Elder on Duty Dean Biermann Altar Guild on Duty

Beth Goudge Kim Hullinger

Hope Lutheran Church, 931 S. Main Street, Maryville, Mo 64468 Phone: 660-582-3262 Website: www.maryvillehopelcc.org E-mail: hopelutheranlcms@gmail.com

and play music or podcasts over

the cars stereo system. We

have the ability to travel

thousands of miles in relative

safety and comfort faster than

anyone had ever thought

possible many years ago. We

now have turn by turn

navigation at our fingertips, no

more dealing with an awkward

paper map. Another seeming

miracle.

Then, of course, we have

medical technology that is

nothing short of miraculous!

Cancers that were a death

sentence 30 years ago now have

effective treatments. We have

access to medications that give

relief from pain, which years

ago you would have just had to

deal with. We have not only x-

ray machines, which have

actually been around for a long

time, but we have Magnetic

Resonance Imaging (MRI)

machines and the ability to take

three dimensional images that

allow for surgeries that were

once impossible.

I am the beneficiary of this

technology. The surgeon used a

3-D image of my brain and

implanted wires deep within.

He implanted a small device

(neuro-stimulator) in my chest

and ran the wires to it. A

neurologist used an I-Pad to

program this device to send

electrical impulses into the

hypo-thalamus of my brain to

eliminate tremors in my hands

that were getting worse over the

years. Again, this could appear

to be quite miraculous couldn’t

it?

(continued on page 2)

Sunday School 9:00 am Adult Bible Class 9:00 am Worship 10:00 am (Holy Communion on 1st and 3rd Sundays)

Sunday Morning Worship Service

with Pastor Oddi

KNIM 1580 AM or 95.9 FM

10:00 am to 10:30 am

My recent surgery and

recovery period has caused

me to think a great deal

about the many gifts from

God that we enjoy here in

the 21st century. God has

allowed us to have

technology which is like

having a computer with us

wherever we go. Of course,

I’m talking about cell

phones. When I was

growing up the very idea of

something like this was the

stuff of science fiction

writers. Back in the mid-

seventies I read a sci-fi

novel by Larry Niven

called, A Gift from Earth,

in which every person on

this fictional planet owned

a device that they wore on

their wrists, which allowed

them to communicate with

anyone else on the planet,

but also to ask the planetary

computer for whatever

information they needed.

Today we have that access.

To someone a hundred

years ago this would appear

to be a miracle.

Now, think about what

your car can do. Cars now

come with backup cameras

and ability to synchronize

your phone with the cars

system, and then make calls

“Miracles”

The Voice Page 2

S

5/5 – Pam Shannon 5/12 – Pam Shannon 5/19 – Nancy Jenkins 5/26 – Nancy Jenkins

5/5 – The Droegemuellers 5/12 – Dean Biermann 5/19 – Pam Myers 5/26 – Dean Biermann

5/5 – Michael Mandrick Dottie Biermann 5/12 – Todd & Karla Roush 5/19 – To Be Announced 5/26 – Dean Biermann Deanna Mandrick

Pastor Oddi will do all the readings this month.

Our Sunday Servants

Miracles (continued from page 1)

I praise and thank God for all of you as I have been told numerous times of all who are praying

for me. Isn’t that a true miracle? We go to God in prayer and He promises to answer! We, His

creatures can ask our loving creator for something in prayer and He will answer. You notice I did

not say He would give you what you ask for. As people who still are fighting with the Old Adam,

we sometimes ask for things that God does not promise to give, or are in fact harmful to

ourselves, or to others. But what a promise we have from our heavenly Father.

James 5:14-16 tells us, “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and

let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith

will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will

be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may

be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

Of course, the first few examples of worldly technology, no matter how wonderful or awe

inspiring, are not really miracles. They are, as I wrote gifts to us from a gracious and loving

Father. God did do something for us that is miraculous. He raised us from death to life. He

sent Jesus, His Son, to suffer, die, and rise again (which we joyfully continue to celebrate) to heal

us from the disease of sin. You see sin, without the healing that Jesus bought with His blood, has

a 100% mortality rate.

Paul writes in Romans 6:4, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order

that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in

newness of life.” We, who once were dead are now alive in Christ! That is a true miracle!

God’s Blessings - Pastor Dave & Lesley

The Joys of Motherhood

• A hug for no reason.

• Belly laughs.

• The light-bulb moment when your child understands something you’ve been trying to

teach them.

• Smiles and giggles.

• Mud pies.

• Arms raised in the air after a big accomplishment.

• Hearing Scripture and prayer from your child’s lips.

• Quiet moments on the couch.

• Reading aloud together.

• A family meal filled with conversation and laughter.

• Watching your child be kind to another.

• Recognizing a moment you’d like to freeze in time.

• A child’s look of surprise and joy.

• A quiet conversation that heals a wounded heart.

• The words “I love you” — and a sticky kiss.

—Unknown

The Voice Page 3

5/6 - Kristy Grimm

5/7 - Kallie Gaarder

5/9 - Cullen Jenkins

5/13 - Ashley Riley

5/16 - Jarret Cronin

5/17 - Clifford McNair

5/21 - Jim Cronin

5/22 - Kamryn Gastler

5/24 - Jared Mason

5/24 - Felicia Sheil

5/25 - Rob Chinberg

5/26 - Dean Biermann

5/27 - Richard (Smiley) Oltman

May 9, 2019, 5:00 pm

- Beth Goudge

- Lesley Oddi

Love Gift and Rummage Sale Discussed by LWML

The LWML met on Tuesday, April 2, 2019 at 7:00 pm for our monthly meeting. We began

by enjoying refreshments provided by hostess Phyllis Abbott. She served a yummy cherry

dessert, peach tea, nuts and M & M's.

The ingathering was for our active missionaries.

At 7:15 pm, President, Lesley Oddi called the meeting to order. Members present included

Liz Mandrick, Mary Ann Zanzie, Marie Walsh, Jean Memken, Phyllis Abbott, Virginia

McNair, Lesley Oddi, Pam Myers, Marcia Droegemueller and Twyla Hazen.

Twyla Hazen led the devotion “Nameless Women of the Bible.” Names are important. They

identify who we are and they also reveal much about us like our ancestry or family status. Far

more important than our own name is the fact that God has put His name upon us in Holy

Baptism. Isaiah 43:1 says - “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name,

you are mine!” More important than our names is the impact we make on others around us,

living our lives to show God’s love and sacrifice for all mankind. We recognize the names of

many women in the Bible such as Mary, Eve, Ruth, Esther, and others, but what about the

women in the Bible who aren’t given names? One women who comes to mind is the woman

who had been bleeding for years and touched the hem of Jesus robe as he passed and was

cured. The woman featured in this devotion appears just after Jesus had cast out a demon from

a mute man and was answering accusations that He used the power of the devil to do it.

Immediately following this, a woman calls out to Him from the crowd gathered around. Luke

is the only Gospel that records her one sentence - “As Jesus was saying these things, a woman

in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” He

replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” Jesus did not reject

her praise but rather redirected the attention of the crowd to focus on God instead. He was

emphasizing the blessing of receiving the Gospel.

We had no guests or new members.

Birthday greetings were extended to Dottie Biermann (April 7) and Twyla Hazen (April 10).

Secretary’s report - Twyla Hazen presented the minutes from March 16, 2019 which were

recorded by Liz Mandrick. There were a couple of corrections. Beth Goudge was the hostess

and served Pineapple Lime Jello cake dessert. Pam Myers birthday was March 12. Minutes

were approved as corrected.

Correspondence - None

Treasurer’s report – Virginia McNair presented her report which was then filed for review. See

her report at the end of the minutes.

(continued on page 4)

5/13 – Jim & Joyce Cronin

5/14 – Ralph & Marie Walsh

5/21 – Tim & Jeri Laubsher

5/22 – Jim & Twyla Hazen

5/27 – Sean & Paula Sheil

The Voice Page 2

Love Gift and Rummage Sale Discussed by LWMO (continued from page 3)

Unfinished Business

1) Love Gift ideas

a. Activity bags for children to use during the worship service need new items such as puzzles and coloring books.

These could possibly be purchased through Oriental Trade. Liz Mandrick will donate crayons. Jean Memken made a

motion to spend $50 from the Love Gift on items for the children's activity bags. Pam Myers made the second.

Motion passed. It was also suggested to ask Smiley Oltman about making a container to hold the activity bags.

b. We also discussed the need for a new white altar cloth. Marcia Droegemueller made a motion to spend up to $225 for

a new white altar cloth from the Love Gift monies. Phyllis Abbott made the second. Motion passed.

2) Spring Rally on March 16, 2019 – All aces were in their places! Thanks to everyone for a wonderful Rally!

3) Rummage Sale – April 5-6, 2019

a. Because we have so much furniture from Art White, it was suggested that we have an auction for those items but no

motion was made.

b. In the future, we will no longer be able to handle “downsizing” homes. We will refer such requests to the K-9 or other

organizations that hold large garage sales for fundraisers.

c. We will begin working on the Rummage Sale Monday, April 1 at 9 am and in the evening at 6 pm. We will continue

to work each day and evening as needed.

d. We will need 2 cash boxes as we will set up 2 check out spots.

4) Easter Lily update – we have 14 lilies at this time.

New Business

1) Spring Celebrations

a. Northwest Missouri State University graduation celebration – April 28, 2019. Our graduates are Stephanie Borgmann,

Megan Clasen, and Jarret Cronin.

b. High school graduation reception – May 19, 2019. Vanessa Pappert and Ashley Riley.

c. Confirmation – Andrea Riley. May 5, 2019.

d. Something to think about for next year – should we have a combined celebration Sunday for both of the graduations?

We could keep confirmation separate as it is a special church celebration.

2) Nominating committee for officers for 2019-2020 – Liz Mandrick and Lesley Oddi.

Lesley thanked everyone for keeping things going here at Hope while she was occupied with Pastor Oddi and his surgery and recovery. Marilyn Bettis has a new phone number - 573-808-5608

Mite Box devotion led by Jean Memken. The featured grant this month is Education Loan Repayment Assistance Grants 2017–2019

— $100,000. Twenty called church workers, each year during the biennium, will each receive a grant of $2,500 through MinistryFocus,

an LCMS Recognized Service Organization (RSO), to assist in repayment of educational loans accrued in preparing for service to the

Lord through the church. Repayment of educational debt is often made more difficult by the very modest salaries of church workers.

This problem may affect recruitment, performance, and retention of church workers. Jean closed the mite box devotion with a prayer.

Next Meeting:

1) Tuesday, May 7 at 7:00 pm

2) Hostess is Pam Myers

3) Devotion leader is Liz Mandrick

4) Ingathering is for the Ministry Center

5) Shepherd’s kitchen April 11 - Jean Memken and Pam Myers

6) Shepherd’s kitchen May 9 - Beth Goudge and Lesley Oddi

Meeting adjourned at 8:25 pm.

Respectfully submitted, Twyla Hazen, Secretary

The Voice Page 5

Celebrate a Glimpse of Heaven

I dropped by the church

around 7:15 pm last

Saturday, the day before

Easter, just to make sure

everything was ready for

Sunday morning, and as I

made my way up the steps

by the church office, I could

see through the window in

the door to the sanctuary,

and it looked like someone

had left the lights on. “Good

thing I stopped by,” I

thought to myself.

But when I went into the

sanctuary, there were no

lights on. The sun was

blazing through the back

windows with such brilliance

that the whole altar area was

bathed in golden light. With

the beautiful Easter banners

and the Easter lilies

surrounding the altar, it was

a glorious sight, like a

glimpse of heaven. It was as

if God was reminding me,

the night is over and now it

is time to celebrate!

And Easter at Hope was a

grand celebration. It was

wonderful to see so many

people in church, and it was

really lovely to welcome

quite a few guests that day.

The breakfast between

services was delicious

(Thank you, elders and

helpers), and the kids

certainly seemed to enjoy all

the Sunday school activities,

especially the egg hunt. It

was terrific to have the choir

sing and to join in singing all

those beautiful Easter

hymns. Yes, it was quite a

celebration. Another

glimpse of heaven.

I call this the season of

celebration in our church,

and it is one of my favorite

times of the year. We have

just begun our Easter

celebration, and that will

continue for seven more

weeks. But we will soon be

celebrating the graduation of

our college and high school

seniors. And confirmation is

coming up next week, and that

is such a great reason to

celebrate!

In between the graduations,

we celebrate our Mothers on

Mother’s Day. Personally, I

have a lot to celebrate in the

weeks ahead as my son

Jonathan graduates from

Truman State in just a few

weeks, and then my oldest son

Benjamin is getting married

on June 1. So for me, it is

going to be one celebration

after another during the next

month.

I know we have a lot of

parties at church during this

time of the year, some might

think too many, but I love it. I

was reminded of how much I

enjoy this time of year during

our weekly Bible Study,

where we have just started a

unit on spiritual gifts. We

were looking at the early

church when the idea of

spiritual gifts originated. One

thing that struck me about

those first Christians was that

they seemed to be constantly

celebrating.

It says in Acts 2: 42-47:

“They devoted themselves to

the apostles’ teaching and to

fellowship, to the breaking of

bread and to prayer.

Everyone was filled with awe

at the many wonders and

signs performed by the

apostles. All the believers

were together and had

everything in common. They

sold property and

possessions to give to anyone

who had need. Every day

they continued to meet

together in the temple courts.

They broke bread in their

homes and ate together with

glad and sincere hearts,

praising God and enjoying

the favor of all the people.

And the Lord added to their

number daily those who were

being saved.”

And why wouldn’t they want

to celebrate? They were first

generation Christians. Many

of them had seen the

Messiah. They knew, or they

actually saw, what Jesus had

done for them. Some had

experienced His crucifixion

and resurrection first hand.

Their eyes were opened and

they understood that they no

longer needed to fear death.

Jesus had paid the price for

their sins. So they

celebrated. All. The. Time.

It has been documented that

originally, these early

Christians would share a

meal before celebrating Holy

Communion. This “table

fellowship” was a chance to

gather together as God’s

family and celebrate God’s

goodness. In fact their

celebrating and subsequent joy

grated on the Romans and

Jews of the time, and was one

of the reasons early Christians

were persecuted. That,

however, did not stop their

celebratory mood.

The celebrations of the early

Christians didn’t just start

after Jesus rose from the

dead. Jesus showed them how

to rejoice and celebrate as He

shared the Passover with His

disciples on that first Maundy

Thursday. That would have

been a very festive time as

throngs of people made their

way to Jerusalem for the

Passover.

And what did Jesus do? Well,

first he showed his disciples

His love by washing their

feet. He gave them the

example of what true love is -

not just a feeling or an

emotion, but a conscious

decision to treat people like

Jesus would treat them. Jesus

showed them (and us) that if

you really love people you

have to be willing to serve

them and show them respect.

Continued on page 6)

The Voice Page 2

Celebrate a Glimpse of Heaven (continued from page 5)

But more than that, Jesus not only showed his disciples how to love, but also the importance of humility and service. Jesus humbled

himself before His disciples that night. He would not have had to, since His father had truly given him absolute power, but he did so to

show that those who humble themselves will be exalted and those who serve will one day be served. And that is something that His

disciples continued to celebrate as they served God every day after Jesus’ ascension into heaven. It is something we should celebrate as

well as we serve God by serving others.

But Jesus’ love didn’t stop there. He showed them even more love in the gift of his very body and blood during the Passover meal. I love

the way one of our Maundy Thursday hymns describe that:

What was there that You could give them

That would never be outspent,

What great gift that would outlive them,

What last will and testament?

“Show Me and the world you love Me,

Know Me as the Lamb of God:

Do this in remembrance of Me,

Eat this body, drink this blood.”—LSB #445

Because of that amazing gift of love, we partake, no, more than that, we celebrate, the Lord’s Supper. And every time we do, we truly are

celebrating the death and resurrection that Christ Jesus experienced for us. And no matter what happens to us in the week ahead, isn’t it

nice to remember that time at the Lord’s Table, celebrating with Him, and again, experiencing a glimpse of heaven as we commune with

our Lord.

So as we embark on this season of celebration, I hope your hearts are full of joy. They should be. As we celebrate the milestones in our

young people’s lives, let’s also remember Christ’s example of celebrating with His disciples and the early Christians’ total joy at the

thought of loving each other and serving each other in humility. Let’s keep that Easter joy in our hearts the whole year through as we

celebrate our Savior each and every day. Jesus offers us a glimpse of heaven each time we meet him at the Lord’s Supper. What a

celebration we will experience when we enjoy that feast in heaven. That is something we can celebrate each and every time we gather as a

Christian family here at Hope. Easter Blessings to All!—jm

Floating on Faith

As a man and his young daughter were boating one day, their vessel sprang a leak. The father knew he’d have to swim to shore but

couldn’t with the child in tow. She hadn’t gotten far in swimming lessons but could float on her back, so he told her to do so and

promised to return.

Coast Guard personnel were skeptical that a child could survive so long in the water. But hours later, as the sun set and they considered

halting the search, someone spied a red dress amid the waves. The girl, still floating, was singing a hymn. Astounded, rescuers asked

how she held on so long. “My daddy said he’d come back for me,” she said, “and he never breaks his promises.”

Prayer rests on just such trust. We can’t know when God will answer or act, but we know he promises never to abandon us and that

God keeps his promises. So we can lie back and float — on faith.

The Voice Page 7

Here are some of the things that were discussed at the last Church Council Meeting.

Trustees: Larry Abbott reported that regular maintenance issues had been completed. Recent electrical work was also completed this past

month.

Finance: Mike Mandrick once again reported the Time and Talent sheets had been compiled and the results distributed to church officers

and organizations.

No additional information from Elders, Education, Evangelism, LCC Board or Long Range planning.

Old Business: We received some correspondence from Lutheran Church Extension Fund. We have invested with them in the past, and

will consider doing so again at the next Council meeting.

New Business: We received an advertising offer from stamps.com, but it was decided we don’t do enough mailings to make using them

worthwhile.

The women in the Wednesday afternoon Bible Study discussed having the communion table close to the steps where people gather rather

than having all the communion ware up on the altar. Pastor Voelker did this one Sunday while he was filling in for Pastor Oddi. Several

of the women thought we might want to consider that practice permanently. The council will consider this in consultation with Pastor

Oddi and the Elders.

Scenes from a Move

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, some of our Hope family made their way to Tarkio to help Art White move some furniture out of his

house and back to the church to be sold at our annual LWML Rummage Sale. It turned out to be a monumental task, but after several

hours, we had one large livestock trailer (from Matt Strauch’s parents), one small trailer (thank you, Ralph and Marie Walsh), Royce

Duncan’s pickup truck, and Jean Memken’s minivan full of furniture, housewares, and books for the sale. Take a look at the pictures

below to see some of our crew hard at work.

Royce, Matt, and Joe try to

figure out how they are going

to fit everything in the trailer.

First in was the grand piano!

Pam Myers is smiling in

this picture, but she is

really thinking about

how she is going to get

that desk down that

staircase.

Joe Pappert helps Matt Strauch back the

trailer up to Art White’s house.

Many thanks to Joe, Matt, Royce,

Ralph, Marie, Pam and Jean for

helping move so much furniture.

Also, thanks to Larry Abbott and

Karl Ritterbusch for heading over to

Art’s the next day to pick up more

furniture from his home and office.

The Voice Page 2

What Happened to the Quilts?

On a bright Saturday morning, while many of our congregation members were busy downstairs managing the annual rummage sale,

Lesley Oddi and I packed up the quilts made by our “Knots” of Love quilt tying group into my minivan. I then set off to Kansas City for

a weekend with my daughter, Sarah. But bright and early on Monday morning, I made my way to Concordia, Missouri, to the Missouri

West Branch of the Orphan Grain Train (OGT). There I was met by Ken Nierman, Branch Manager, who coordinates the volunteer

efforts for Orphan Grain Train in Concordia.

Ken and I unloaded the quilts and got them laid out on the packing tables, and then Ken gave me a tour of the facilities. They are located

on the bottom level of a walkout building that is owned by an eye clinic. The clinic has their practice on the top level and the bottom

level is used exclusively by Orphan Grain Train. Since it is a walkout, it was very easy to unload the quilts, and I’m sure that helps when

they are loading up deliveries.

There are several small rooms where items can be sorted at this branch of OGT. On the day I visited, one of the rooms had baby items

and another held stacks of health kit supplies. Then there is the big room where we put the quilts (see photo below). The local

McDonald’s donates their empty boxes to OGT and there were quite a few of them in this big room. After items are packed in the boxes,

they are taken to the back of the building which is unfinished and serves as a warehouse of the goods. There are palates there where the

boxes are stacked and shrink-wrapped together. Once the palates are filled, they load them in the semi that is parked in the front of the

building and deliver them to wherever they are needed. With the recent floods in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas, I am sure much

of what they are collecting now will not have to go too far.

Ken mentioned that there is a dedicated group of volunteers that come each week to work at this branch of OGT. But they also get youth

groups from the local churches as well as other service organizations that come and help on a regular basis. He mentioned that just the

weekend prior, a group of students from the Lutheran Campus Center in Warrensburg at the University of Central Missouri had been

there, putting together school kits.

In all, this was a very enlightening trip, and I was happy I got to deliver the quilts to Concordia. Visiting with Ken about what they do

for Orphan Grain Train there made me all the more thrilled that we can support this wonderful organization. Many thanks to our

“Knots” of Love quilt tying group for their wonderful service to our Lord and for giving me the opportunity to deliver their

handiwork.—Jean Memken

The quilts are loaded and

Ready to go!

And here are the quilts upon arrival in the packing room

At OGT with Ken Nierman, Branch Manager.

Below is the semi that will be used to ship them out.

Here are some palates

ready to be shipped out.

The Voice Page 9

-- Some of our Bethesda Residents participated in Special Olympics this month and were pictured in the Nodaway News Leader. Congratulations to Trenton Kistler, Don Richter, and David Winter! -- Vanessa Pappert was named “Student of the Month in April. She is active in sports, FCA, FFA, FBLA, Student Council, and National Honor Society at Jefferson High. Congratulations, Vanessa! -- Ashley Riley was named a Missouri Top 100 Scholar by the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals. She was honored with 99 other students at a luncheon in Columbia on April 28. What a great honor, Ashley! -- Twyla Hazen was recognized for her 45 years of service at St. Francis Hospital. Twyla retired from SSM St. Francis on March 31. All the best, Twyla! -- Kamryn Gastler, daughter of member Chad Gastler, was signed to play tennis for the William Woods College Owls in the fall. Kamryn will graduate from Maryville High this spring. Congratulations, Kamryn!