October 2013

Coming Events

The Scroll

Rev’n Up!

During the month of October we walk into the local grocery store, corner drug

store or even the mall and we can’t help but notice the colorful displays of

Ghouls, Ghosts and Gobblins. (WhoooooOOOOOooooooo) But as Christians,

we know we don’t fear this goofy stuff. Although satan, evil, and the forces of

darkness are real indeed, they are not to be feared...at least, not if you are in

Christ. Without Christ, be very afraid. But in Christ, you have victory!

While our culture focuses on Halloween later this month, we Lutheran Christians

celebrate with a different focus. We celebrate the Reformation where nearly 500

years ago, a Roman Catholic monk named Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis on

the doors of the Wittenberg Castle Church seeking a debate over doctrine and

practice with the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church.

Fear and Trembling!Fear and Trembling!Fear and Trembling!Fear and Trembling! 1 All Boards Meet 4-5 Camp Lone Star Retreat 5 Craft Bazaar & Rummage Sale 13 Secret Sponsor Luncheon 18-20 Men’s Longshot Retreat 25 Trunk ’N Treat/Concert/ Movie Night 27 Quarterly Voter’s Meeting/Taco Breakfast

Continued on the next page...

Confirmation

Retreat Camp Lone Star

Oct. 4-5

Secret Sponsor

Luncheon Sunday, Oct. 13

Although he was argued with and threatened, Luther stood his ground on the Truth of God’s Word, faith and sound reason. His stance wasn’t without fear and trembling, though. He struggled, indeed. As a man, he struggled against the forces of this world, but he also struggled against the forces of darkness. Yet God was his strength...his peace...his salvation. Luther went on to write that wondrous hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” telling how the powers of satan and his devils, his “ghouls, ghosts and goblins”, wage war against the Church, the people of God, yet God gives us victory in Christ Jesus. Yes, satan is defeated...satan is a loser, cheat, and deceiver...a breaker of promises and distorter of truth and the lord of lies. But the One who is victorious, Jesus the Christ, well now...He is the Way, the Truth and the Life! He is our salvation! He is our hope! He is our joy! He is our source of strength, today and forever more! In Him is life and life eternal! May we enjoy our Christian freedom this month and celebrate in fun-filled, godly ways for we are given the victory over fear and trembling in Jesus Christ. Come, learn more about this at our worship services on Sunday, October 27th, Reformation Sunday. Victorious in Christ,

Pastor Jeff

Fear and Trembling! Fear and Trembling! Fear and Trembling! Fear and Trembling! Continued... LWML News and Events

The members of LWML are currently working on

Christmas Boxes for our deployed military

members. These servants are stationed outside the

United States and are separated from their families.

Boxes will be mailed in mid-November to reach

them before Christmas.

Please consider donating

beef jerky, singles drink

mixes, gum, and nuts.

Personal toiletries like

razors, soap, deodorant,

chap stick, etc. are also

needed. We have plenty of popcorn and hard candy

on hand. Homemade cookies and the like are

greatly appreciated by our service members. All

donations are needed by November 10, 2013.

We know of Travis Gossett, Tim Krauss, and Jason

Ward. If there are any others outside the United

States, please provide their information to Shawn

Fechner.

Koinonia The Lutheran Confessions represent the result of more

than 50 years of earnest endeavor by Martin Luther

and his followers to give Biblical and clear expression

to their religious convictions. The important word in

that definition is the word “convictions.” This word

reveals the spirit in which the Lutheran Confessions

were written, not a spirit of hesitation or doubt, but of

deepest confidence that Lutherans, when they were

writing and subscribing the Confessions and creeds,

because their content was all drawn from the Word of

God, Scripture, were affirming the truth, the saving

truth.

Listen to what the Lutheran confessors say in the very

last paragraph of the Book of Concord (FC SD, XII,

40), a statement that describes their assurance and

their doctrinal certainty:

Therefore, it is our intent to give witness before God

and all Christendom, among those who are alive today

and those who will come after us, that the explanation

here set forth regarding all the controversial articles of

faith which we have addressed and explained—and no

other explanation—is our teaching,

faith, and confession. In it we shall

appear before the judgment throne of

Jesus Christ, by God’s grace, with

fearless hearts and thus give account of

our faith, and we will neither secretly

nor publicly speak or write anything

contrary to it. Instead, on the strength of

God’s grace we intend to abide by this

confession.

Here we observe that those who wrote

and signed the Lutheran Confessions

were not merely settling controversies, or expressing

opinions, or devising new and clever doctrinal

formulations. They were confessing their faith and

expressing their determination never to depart from

that confession. They take their stand as in the

presence of God and stake their very salvation on the

doctrine they confess. So confident are they of their

I am sure that such a profession seems like an

impossible anachronism today, a mark of inflexible

pride which can no longer be respected or emulated

by enlightened people. But certainly with such

expressions of certainty the Confessions have

captured the spirit of Christ and the New Testament.

Our Lord taught with authority and promised His

disciples that they would “know the truth.” And how

often does the inspired apostle Paul dogmatically

affirm, “I know,” “I speak the truth ... .. I am

persuaded”!

The Lutheran confessors are convinced that

Christians, basing their doctrine on Scripture

and the promises of God, can be certain of

their salvation and can formulate and

confess true statements about God and all

the articles of the Christian faith. It is this

spirit in which all our Confessions were

written and in which they so eloquently give

witness to the Gospel of Christ.

Join us as we study The Book of Concord:

The Lutheran Confessions. Our current

study is on the Augsburg Confession and the

Apology. We meet each Thursday, taking the third

Thursday of month off, at 7:00 P.M. in the

Undercroft.

Article taken from the bookofconcord.org

Stewardship “Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift” (2 Cor. 9:15)! This is St. Paul’s exclamation upon hearing the Corinthian church’s response to the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his request for support of the Church in Jerusalem. The Christians in Corinth heard and received God’s mercy in Christ, and they responded to St. Paul’s call to support Christians in Jerusalem with a collection. The Corinthians’ joy filled Jerusalem’s need. The reality of stewardship is that because of God’s generosity in the giving of His Son to die on the cross for us, we should also be generous with all that we receive from Him. What do we receive? Everything. All that we are and all that we have is the Lord’s. He is the creator and the giver. We are His creatures and those who receive what He gives. It sounds easy. And it is. But then again it isn’t. Stewardship is easy because it is God’s work in us: through what God gives, we give to others. Through what God gives, we support the work of the church for the life of the world. He gives; we receive. And like our generous Father in Heaven, we, as His children, use what He gives us to love and serve others. Stewardship is also difficult; it goes against our natural inclination to think “what I have is mine and I can do what I want with it.” These thoughts are

our sinful nature coming through, our selfishness and our greed. They convict us. How can we, who have been given everything—life, food, clothing, house, home, forgiveness, divine sonship, an eternal inheritance—be so stingy with what we give to the church, the place where we hear about and receive all that God gives us and does for us? We are all guilty of this kind of thinking, and the only godly response is to repent and trust in the Gospel. If God has given you His own Son, will He not give you all things? Of course, He will. This is His sure and certain promise. God provides for His people. He provides everything we need for this body and life and for the life that is to come. The church is a mercy place, a place where God’s mercy in the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, is given and received. For us who believe, the Church is the place of forgiveness, life, and salvation in the face of sin, death and the power of the devil. It is where we inhale God’s mercy in Word and Sacrament, and then exhale this same mercy in love and service to our neighbor, in giving what we have received from Him, an enduringly joyful thing to do. Our joy fills our neighbor’s need because His joy filled ours (Heb 12:2). Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!

--Adapted from LCMS Resources for Stewardship Sent from Windows Mail

Get ready to tee up hope! Lutheran Social Services

is hosting the 9th annual Tomorrow’s Child Golf

benefit on Monday,

October 28, at Fair

Oaks Ranch Golf &

Country Club in Fair

Oaks, TX, benefitting

New Life Children’s

Center. Swing your hearts out FORE the

kids. Enjoy a beautiful day of golf, prizes and

fellowship on a championship course... all while

you make a difference in the lives of abused and

neglected children in Central Texas! Register

online at www.NewLifeChildrensCenter.org/

golfsa or by phone at (800) 938-5777.

9th Annual Tomorrow’s Child Golf Tournament

Gift Card Update

Holiday Craft

Bazaar &

Rummage Sale

King of Kings Lutheran ChurchKing of Kings Lutheran ChurchKing of Kings Lutheran ChurchKing of Kings Lutheran Church

Saturday 10/5/2013Saturday 10/5/2013Saturday 10/5/2013Saturday 10/5/2013

9 am to 3 pm9 am to 3 pm9 am to 3 pm9 am to 3 pm

Do your holiday shopping early!

In the ECDC building, a table set up for gift card

sales. It is located across from Craig’s office.

This will allow the ECDC teachers and families to

participate in the fundraiser. On Sunday

mornings, the gift cards will still be available in

the Undercroft between services. The table in the

ECDC building has order forms, envelopes and a

wall lock box for you to leave your order. This is

checked during the week. The envelopes are

printed with instructions designed for the parents.

Church members can also use these envelopes.

Make sure your name is on the envelope so we can

get the order to you.

The holidays are just around the corner. We

encourage everyone to take advantage of the gift

card fundraiser. Use for yourself or as gifts.

Every card sold makes a difference and helps the

Fellowship board provide fun events!

Note about the lockbox: If you need to leave

money for the church, please utilize the wall

lockbox. It is not limited to the gift card sales.

Use this lockbox if you miss the offering plate or

take up a collection for fundraisers, t-shirts, etc.

The money counters will be checking

the box before making the weekly deposit.

ourfundraisers

Thrivent Choice

Thrivent Choice Dollars...don’t forget to direct your donations by phone or e-mail. Phone 1-800-THRIVENT (1-800-847-4836), then say “Choice Dollars”. Online go to Thrivent.com. Fall Picnic and elections: Sunday, Oct. 20 from 2-5 P.M. at MacArthur Park. This is for all Thrivent members (anyone who has insurance or investments with them). It is free! There will be many door prizes, including $50 gift cards and two grand prizes of one adult and one child

Kindle Fire! RSVP by Oct. 15 to Linda Wenck 210-532-9561 or e-mail lrwenck@satx.rr.com. For information on your local chapter go to Thrivent.com, click on Locate a Chapter, enter zip code, then click on your chapter name. Your congregation contacts for questions are Lois Claridge, Dee Eisenbraun, Judie Jones, or Diedre Neill.

Dear Friends, On March 10-19, 2014, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church San Antonio will host an inspiring visit to the Holy Land, and we are inviting you to join us! This journey will provide a spiritual pilgrimage opportunity for the Bible to come alive as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus. We’ll visit awe-inspiring points of spiritual interest: Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane,

Mt. Zion, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the Shepherd’s Field, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, the

site of the Sermon on the Mount, the location where Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes, the Caves of Qumran, Bethany, the Dead Sea …and much more! Sharing this spiritual experience with other Christians will make for an even more enriching event; it will be a journey that will be treasured forever. Travel and tour arrangements are being handled by NAWAS International, pioneers in Christian Tours to the far corners of the world for over 64 years.

This tour will be co-hosted by Pastor Doug Bielefeldt and wife Nancy, and tour experts Bruce and Sharon Dicey of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church. The price of the tour is $3,499 per person and includes round trip air fare from San Antonio and the land tour as described in the brochure, two meals a day while in Israel and first class, centrally located hotels. For additional information, tour brochure or registration packet, please contact:

Mr. Bruce Dicey 210-497-7287 (home) or 210-454-6716 (cell) BDicey@satx.rr.com —or—

Pastor Doug Bielefeldt 210-614-3742, ext. 205 (office) dbielefeldt@shlutheran.org

Reservations and deposits are being accepted now. Full and final payment is due in November. Please contact us as soon as possible to secure your place on this tour.

A VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND, MARCH 10-19, 2014 More than a tour -- a chance to walk in the footsteps of Jesus!

Music Director’s Notes

“For where two or three gather in my name, there I

am in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20

I’ve been coming back to this quote for about the

past month now. Over the past month, we’ve had

lesser numbers of people at rehearsals for Chancel

Choir and King’s Ringers.

I am thankful for those

who made the time to be

there, as when you

volunteer to do something,

you make a choice to not

do something else.

In conversations with other Lutheran Music

Directors, as well as friends who are Methodist,

Presbyterian, so on and so forth, this is a struggle

facing many churches of all sizes. People have

busier schedules, and for whatever their reasons,

aren’t participating in the activities of the church,

including musical activities. This is comforting and

frustrating all at the same time. The comfort lies in

the fact that we are not alone in our struggles. The

frustrating part is that we are not alone in our

struggles. There has to be an answer! And I know

that in conversations with others, there’s a search

to find answers, but they’ve been difficult to find.

In the short-term, for both Chancel Choir and

King’s Ringers, changes have been made not only

to the music that the groups are learning, but even

the schedule, so that if people end up being hit and

miss for rehearsals, we’ll be spending a little extra

time on each piece, so that it can be the best it can

be. But the bigger question lies in the longer term.

And that is where my roadblocks seem to lie.

This is why I am sharing this. Not to say “woe is

me” or that things are bleak. That’s not the case.

God is in control. He has a plan. I’m hoping and

praying this is a short-term step back, to refocus

and strengthen us not only as a Music Ministry, but

for us as a congregation, to figure out where God is

leading us, getting our bearings, and following that

direction with all of our strength and effort. This is

where I am finding myself. At this point, the only

thing that I am thinking about past Christmas is

one question. How do we encourage more people

to use the talents given to them by God to glorify

Him and praise Him in worship?

I ask for your prayers and input as we seek God’s

direction and leadership.

In Christ’s Service,

Craig Harmann

Director of Music

Donations Needed

Woodstone Elementary needs children’s clothing donations

for Kindergarten through 5th grade. If you have clothing

you can donate, please leave it in the church office. We

will deliver to the school. Woodstone has a few families

who need the children’s clothes as well as the nurse’s

office for accidents (underwear too). If you do not have

children’s clothes, but still would like to help, resale shops

are a good option. We will collect clothing through

October. Thank you for your assistance.

Generosity...what a simple, splendid word. And how

special it is to know that generosity is a gift to us from

the first and ultimate giver, God. From the very

beginning, He has unfolded His sovereign plan of

creation, love, grace, and salvation as an expression of

His abundant generosity, and He invites each one of

us to participate in this with Him as He continues to

move through history.

Inside the soul of every Christian is a God-inspired

desire for the generous life, for a life tailored around

His example of selflessness and sacrifice. We are all

on a spiritual journey, and we are all on a giving

journey. Both are filled with growth and movement.

We encounter times of expansion. We transition away

from the old to the new. We move forward in our

generosity, learning to give more and give more

sacrificially.

But as with any journey, we get caught in periods of

stagnation and decline. The pull of culture and our

own flesh

often conspire

against us to

stifle our

attempts at

living truly generous lives. We need the power of

God’s Word, His Spirit, and fellow believers to

emerge into a new time of flourishing progression that

Paul described in 1 Timothy 6:19 as “life that is truly

life.”

In 1938, in a Russian prison, about 250 miserable men

were herded together in one small cell. Among them

was David Braun.

Soon David became aware of a Greek Orthodox priest

in their midst. The old man had been thrown into

prison because of his faith. His peaceful, radiant face

made him stand out in that awful place like a candle in

the dark. You couldn’t miss him.

It was probably because of this that he became the

target for the sarcastic and blasphemous remarks of

two of the prisoners. They were continually harassing

him. They bumped into him. The mistreated him.

They mocked everything that was holy to

him. But always the priest was gentle and patient.

One day David received a food parcel from his wife.

When people are constantly hungry, receiving a food

parcel is something that can't be described; it has to be

experienced. David opened the parcel. As he looked

up, he saw the old priest looking at his bread with

longing eyes.

David broke off a piece and gave it to him. To his

amazement the priest took the bread, broke it, and

gave it to his two tormentors.

“My friend,” said David, “you are hungry. Why did

you not eat the bread yourself?”

“Let me be, brother,” he answered. “They need it

more than I. Soon I will go home to my Lord. Don’t

be angry with me.”

Soon after that he died. But never again in this cell did

David hear mockery and blasphemy. The old priest, a

true servant of the Lord, had fulfilled his commission.

Cornelia Lehn, Peace Be With You

(Faith and Life Press, 1980), p. 91

“You can always give without loving, but you can

never love without giving.” ~ Amy

Carmichael

Generosity The Secret to True Life,

this fall at King of Kings Lutheran Church.

Generosity

ECDC News

Tri-County Church Athletic Association Fall 2013 Game Schedule in Universal City

Sept. 30: First Baptist UC vs. King of Kings (Softball field)

Oct. 7: St. Paul vs. King of Kings (Baseball field)

Oct. 14: Cibolo Valley/Schertz Baptist vs. King of Kings (Softball field)

Oct. 21: King of Kings vs. Calvary Temple (Baseball field)

Oct. 28: Calvary Chapel vs. King of Kings (Softball field)

*Contact Ron Gray for details, 557-4181.

What’s happening in October: The ECDC wants to wish you a happy Fall. We have started a fun new school year and things have been going really well. We have the awesome opportunity to enrich children spiritually, academically and socially each and every day. God is so good and we are so thankful to Him for how he has blessed this ministry. Thank you for allowing us to continue to reach out to the community and offer quality childcare. If you ever have thoughts or ideas of how we can better serve the church, community, and the children we serve, please e-mail me at smendoza@sakingofkings.com, or call me at 210-656-6509. We want to hear from you!

We have welcomed several new staff to our center this month: Ms. Shannon in Pre-K One, Ms. Jennifer in School Age and Ms. Claire as a substitute teacher.

Fire Station 40 will be coming for a visit on Thursday October 10th for Fire Safety Week.

Three of our classes (Three’s, Pre-K One, and Pre-K Two) will be visiting the Bracken Pumpkin Patch on Wednesday, October 16th. Church members interested in volunteering their time and tagging along on this field trip are welcome to join us. We just need help holding little ones hands.

Upcoming Fundraisers: The ECDC will be selling Cookie Dough beginning October 15th through October 29th. Order your Holiday cookies and cakes and help support our Ministry.

We will also be selling concessions at the Fall Fun Fest!

Volunteers are always welcome. Do you like to organize? We need some help organizing our bulletin border and border cut outs. If this is something that interests you, you can volunteer anytime that your schedule allows.

Do you have that baby itch sometimes and want to hold a baby. Well the ECDC is a wonderful place to look into a little ones eyes, and hold them. It will not only warm their little hearts but yours too. We are looking for loving church members willing to come between the hours of 10 A.M.-12 P.M. and 2 P.M.-5 P.M. to hold little ones. We are all about one on one care and what better way to do that than allowing the wonderful members of King of Kings help us with that. Contact the ECDC office so we can get you set up to come as your schedule allows.

If your child needs school community service hours, we have plenty of fun activities they can do to help us here at the school.

Redneck Church

You know You’re in a Redneck Church if .... 1. The finance committee refuses to provide funds for the purchase of a chandelier because none of the members knows how to play one. 2. You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if .... People ask, when they learn that Jesus fed the 5000, whether the two fish were bass or catfish, and what bait was used to catch ’em. 3. You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if .... When the pastor says, “I’d like to ask Bubba to help take up the offering” and five guys and two women stand up. 4. You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if .... Opening day of deer season is recognized as an official church holiday. 5. You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if... A member of the church requests to be buried in his 4-wheel-drive truck because “It ain’t never been in a hole it couldn’t get out of” 6. You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if .... The choir is known as the “OK Chorale”. 7. You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if .... In a congregation of 500 members, there are only seven last names in the church directory. 8. You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if .... People think “rapture” is what you get when you lift something too heavy. 9. You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if .... The baptismal pool is a #2 galvanized “Wheeling” washtub. 10. You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if .... The choir robes were donated by (and embroidered with the logo from) Billy Bob’s Barbecue.

11. You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if .... The collection plates are really hubcaps from a ’56 Chevy. 12. You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if ... Instead of a bell you are called to service by a duck call. 13. You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if .... The minister and his wife drive matching pickup trucks. 14. You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if .... The communion wine is Boone’s Farm “Tickled Pink”. 15. You know You’re in a Redneck Church if .... The final words of the benediction are, “Y’all come back now, Ya hear”.

Al Cook 10/3

Paul Nielson 10/6

Betty Schmidt 10/7

Celia Espinoza 10/8

Gracie Nielson 10/8

Angie Seley 10/8

Ninette Heinrich 10/9

Ron Riffel 10/10

Diedre Neill 10/12

Carl Duelm 10/14

Sandra Guitron 10/15

Fred Rung 10/16

Becky Domel 10/17

Mindy Best 10/18

Brittnee Bastemeyer 10/19

Travis Kersten 10/19

Evan Lodge 10/20

John Sadlon 10/21

Samantha Gray 10/22

Dean Claridge 10/23

Ezekiel Johnson 10/23

Bruce Grant 10/24

Mike Mozakis 10/27

Judi Reimer 10/27

Avery Foster 10/28

Heidi Langston 10/28

Berta Woelfel 10/28

Anniversaries John & Debbie Kast 10/19

Curtis & Chelsea Seevers 10/23

Travis & Kathy Kersten 10/23

Wes & Shirley Becken 10/28

Birthdays

Acolytes 8:00 A.M. 10:45 A.M. Oct. 6 Megan Lehmann Cordelia Reagan Sarah Mozakis Victoria Ledum Ashley Langston Julianna Ledum

Oct. 13 Cassidy Denson Mackenzie Bias Ashley Langston Ethan Schweninger

Oct. 20 Megan Lehmann McKenna Mosmeyer Sarah Mozakis Katelyn Gambrel Ashley Langston Hannah Campbell

Oct. 27 Megan Lehmann Cody Bennett Cassidy Denson Joshua Lerma

Ushers 8:00 A.M.

Dean Claridge*, Matthew

Collins, Larry Woelfel,

Mike Alder

10:45 A.M.

Bob Anderson*, Lana Anderson, Chris DiOrio, Ron Gray

Altar Guild Trish Megan*, Mary Butler, Jan Hadley, Karin Megan,

Dianna Powell, Ruth Tuller

Flowers: Karin Megan

Elders 8:00 A.M. 10:45 A.M. Oct. 6 Chuck Lundquist Travis Kersten Tracey Lehmann Ed Schweninger

Oct. 13 Charles Leschber Homer Guitron

Oct. 20 TBA TBA

Oct. 27 Tracey Lehmann Dave Cox