[DistUpd] September 10
District Updates
distupd at lists.ndlcms.org
Wed Sep 10 09:29:47 CDT 2008
Update for September 10
A publication of the Nebraska District, a District ABLAZE!
Greetings in the name of our loving heavenly Father. A special welcome to the new workers in the Nebraska District who are receiving this electronic newsletter for the first time this week. It was a pleasure meeting you all and spending time together at the New Worker Orientation in Seward at the beginning of this week. It was a great time to get to know the new pastors, vicars, and DCEs who are beginning or continuing their ministry in Nebraska. If there is a new pastor, vicar, DCE, or teacher in your circuit, please take some time to introduce yourself and get to know him or her. The Lord has led a wonderful group of men and women to Nebraska to be about His work, and we thank Him for the opportunity to partner with them and with all of you.
* Prayer Requests
* Update on Southern Hurricanes
* Fan into Flame Congregation Update
* National Family Day Coming Up
* Mission Central Featured in Lutheran Witness
* Concordia's Center for Liturgical Art Finishes Two Projects
* Nebraska Lutherans for Confessional Study to Meet
* Concordia Plan Services Offers "Reward" to Complete Assessment
* Expect Respect Resource Available from Parish Health Library
* District Youth Participate in Seminary Visitation Event
PRAYER REQUESTS
The Family of Dr. O.H. Cloeter - Please remember in prayer the family of Dr. Cloeter, who served as president of the Synod's Minnesota South District for 13 years, and who died Aug. 30 in Minneapolis. He was 88.
A funeral service was held Sept. 3 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Faribault, Minn.
Dr. Cloeter served as Minnesota South District president from 1978 until his retirement in 1991. He was a vice president of the district from 1966 to 1974, and also served on the district's Evangelism Committee, Mission Administration Committee, and Campus Committee. Outside the district, Dr. Cloeter's service included chairman of the Board of Regents of Concordia University (then College) in St. Paul, Minn., and secretary of the LCMS Council of Presidents.
A 1945 graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Dr. Cloeter served as pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Bristol, Conn. (1945-50); St. James Lutheran Church in Northrup, Minn. (1950-57); and Trinity, Faribault (1957-78).
Dr. Lane Seitz, president of the Minnesota South District, said he thanked God for Dr. Cloeter -- "for his faith in Jesus as his only Savior from sin, for how he used the gifts God had given him to share that precious message of forgiveness and life with so many others down through the years, and for the leadership he provided to our district and the Synod."
Survivors include Dr. Cloeter's wife, Elsie; seven children -- Renata (Gary) Brand, Richard (Christine), Paul (Nancy), Carl (Judy), Roberta (Scott) Wiesehan, Robert (Marilyn), and Anita; 18 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
(reprinted with permission from Reporter Online, http://www.lcms.org/pages/reporter.asp?NavID=2155.)
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UPDATE ON SOUTHERN HURRICANES (from LCMS World Mission Mission News, September 5)
Volunteers are needed as soon as possible or even today to help serve in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Hurricane Gustav battered the city of Baton Rouge with heavy winds and rain. The wind brought down trees and left debris all over the city. Volunteers are needed to serve on chainsaw and debris removal gangs. Rev. David Buss, LCMS Southern District Disaster Relief Coordinator, stated that "it may take three months or longer to clean up the city."
Volunteers will stay at a property owned by Trinity Lutheran Church, Baton Rouge. The property has showers, cots, and power provided by a generator. They will attempt to provide food for volunteers, but it may be helpful to bring food with you. Volunteers will also need to bring work clothes, towels, and bedding. Tools, chainsaws, and other equipment are available, although volunteers are welcome to bring their own.
If you are able to respond to this call for volunteers, please contact Recovery Assistance Incorporated at one of its two locations. Both camps are helping organize volunteers for Baton Rouge.
Camp Biloxi:
1996 Pass Rd.
Biloxi, MS 39531
www.campbiloxi.org<http://www.campbiloxi.org>
Phone: (228) 594-0008
Camp Restore:
9301 Chef Menteur Hwy
New Orleans, LA 70127
www.camprestore.org<http://www.camprestore.org>
Toll-Free: (888) 248-2636
Phone: (504) 242-2636
As members of the LCMS respond to the needs of current disasters, we would also like to remind our faithful servants that the need in New Orleans and Biloxi, Miss., from Hurricane Katrina are still great. The LCMS, its partners, and LCMS members are making a difference in the disaster area and now, more than ever, we need your help to serve those who lost so much.
Learn more about hurricane disaster relief efforts through the LCMS, visit www.lcms.org?8800<http://www.lcms.org/?8800> or www.camprestore.org<http://www.camprestore.org/>.
To subscribe to receive Mission News or many other electronic newsletters from The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, please visit LCMS e-News at www.lcms.org/enews<http://www.lcms.org/enews>.
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FAN INTO FLAME CONGREGATION UPDATE
There are some incredible stories of what the Holy Spirit has already accomplished in Nebraska congregations where pastors and people have prayed and participated in Fan into Flame. God can do great things anywhere and in every congregation through this mission effort. Fan into Flame is an opportunity for your congregation to witness once again the power of the Spirit in the lives of God's people.
Following is an example, written by the pastor and leadership, of how one congregation in the Nebraska District implemented Fan into Flame. Full congregational summaries are available on the District website at http://www.ndlcms.org/news/FIF/summaries.html.
Peace, Grand Island - Peace was asked to consider being a pilot congregation for the Nebraska District campaign. It seemed like good timing, as we were just going into the LCEF Strategic Ministry Planning program. We knew there would be outcomes from SMP that could impact the outreach focus for our church, and participating in the Fan into Flame campaign would help focus on outreach ministry, as well as provide some funds for future outreach efforts of the congregation.
As we considered which Fan into Flame appeal plan to use, it became evident that we could modify the cottage meeting approach to take place on Sunday mornings. Over a period of four weeks, we focused on sharing the Gospel message in the areas of our own Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth during Sunday worship.
Our Jerusalem focus was the VBS outreach in a Hispanic trailer court that would be held in June, as well as the local Heartland Lutheran High School. Our Judea focus was on the Nebraska District mission opportunities. Our Samaria focus was a group of members who worked at Camp Restore in New Orleans this year. Our Ends of the Earth focus was a member who went on a mission trip with LCMS World Mission to Kenya, Africa. Each of these groups presented a short presentation during our Sunday morning worship services and then shared their outreach ministry with the adult Bible class.
Our pastors focused on Fan into Flame through each sermon, and a Fan into Flame focused letter was sent to the congregation prior to our Commitment Sundays. We held two Commitment Sundays, and followed up several weeks after the completion of these with people who had indicated on the pledge card a desire to pray about their pledge/gift.
The Holy Spirit moved the hearts of God's people to recognize the outreach need and opportunity through Ablaze! and the Fan into Flame campaign to reach the Ablaze! goals. Peace Lutheran Church surpassed its $70,000 goal and to date has received pledges/gifts of $72,586!
Fan into Flame gave Peace an opportunity to intentionally highlight the Mission of the entire Church over an extended period of time. This helped expand both our mission awareness and motivation to be about this mission. It also generated resources for us to use in our local mission field, as well as to the ends of the earth. Fan into Flame has become an extra-ordinary opportunity for the people of Peace to grow in their own mission commitment and to be part of an extra-ordinary mission effort within the LCMS. Now we are praying that this movement will bring extraordinary numbers of people into a saving relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. I would encourage your congregation to prayerfully consider how you could benefit from participating in this unique mission opportunity.
Every congregation of the Nebraska District is encouraged to prayerfully consider how they can be involved in Fan into Flame. It doesn't take much to participate - just a dedicated core of lay people, a mission-minded pastor, and the materials provided by Fan into Flame. Once the opportunity to be personally involved in mission work is shared with the members of your congregation, the Spirit can move hearts to respond.
For more information on how to get started, or to report how your congregation plans to be involved, contact Andrea Essling at the Nebraska District Office, Andrea.Essling at ndlcms.org<mailto:Andrea.Essling at ndlcms.org> or 888-643-2961.
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NATIONAL FAMILY DAY COMING UP
The Nebraska District Family Life Ministry Action Team encourages families not only to worship together, but to spend meal time together. For more information on the work of the Family Life Ministry Action Team, contact the District Office at 888-643-2961.
National Family Day is Monday, September 22, 2008! Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner with Your ChildrenTM is a national movement to inform parents that the parental engagement fostered during frequent family dinners is an effective tool to help keep America's kids substance free. Family Day reminds parents that Dinner Makes A Difference! Visit http://casafamilyday.org/familyday/ for more information, mealtime activity ideas, and a menu planner.
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MISSION CENTRAL FEATURED IN LUTHERAN WITNESS
"In the middle of a cornfield in western Iowa, God is using ordinary people and an old set of farm buildings to accomplish His work."
So starts "Mission Central: Ablaze for Missions and Missionaries," an article in the September 2008 issue of The Lutheran Witness. The article highlights the work God is doing through Gary Thies, the staff, and the volunteers at Mission Central near Mapleton, Iowa.
This issue of The Lutheran Witness is available online, as well as an archive of past issues. To read this article and others, visit http://www.lcms.org/pages/witness.asp and follow the "Mission Central" link in the center.
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CONCORDIA'S CENTER FOR LITURGICAL ART FINISHES TWO PROJECTS
The Center for Liturgical Art at Concordia University, Nebraska recently delivered and installed a collection of 19 pieces of art to Alleluia! Lutheran Church in Naperville, Ill. The project took most of the summer to complete and involved five faculty members, several other professional artists and a half-dozen students. Michael Strand, chair of the art department and director of the center, served as the designer and project leader.
The commission for the pieces came about as Alleluia! Lutheran Church was constructing a new sanctuary. Strand worked with Senior Pastor Michael Nelson to develop the overall aesthetic and individual design of each piece.
The largest piece is a 16-foot by 12-foot ceramic mosaic of the Tree of Life. It fills the wall behind the altar and appears to be coming up from the ground. It echoes the trees in a nature preserve near the church as it reminds worshippers of the tree mentioned in Genesis and Revelation. Thousands of pieces of clay were shaped, fired, glazed and placed within the mosaic. The mosaic also incorporates pieces of burned or sandblasted wood for the particular form, texture and color they would add.
Additional pieces included a three-dimensional banner, an abstract sculpture of an exclamation point, a processional cross and baptismal candle stand, a wooden tree sculpture, and baptismal font.
Meanwhile, this spring and summer the Center for Liturgical Art took on a project of more than a dozen pieces for Christ Lutheran Church in Zionsville, Ind. Theme-wise, it all started with the cross.
"My approach was to first design the central cross inasmuch as the message of the cross is the focal doctrine of the Christian church," said William Wolfram, professor emeritus of art. "The cross became the source of shapes, colors and textures for the other liturgical art forms, down to the details of the flower stands." Wolfram designed the altar, ambo, baptismal base, flower stands, and multiple crosses. He was joined on the project by fellow Concordia faculty members, area artists and students.
Thomas Mackie, pastor at St. Paul, Shelton, and furniture fabricator, built the pieces that Wolfram designed out of maple. Jon Conklin, a metalwork artist from Kansas City, Kan., fabricated the bowl of the baptismal from bronze.
Wolfram also designed and fabricated a series of inlayed mosaics for the center panel of the altar. Made of opaque, colored glass from Italy, the mosaics reflect the seasons of the church year through their shapes and colors.
Two large stained glass windows, 10 feet across each, were the product of Mark Anschutz, artist in residence of the center. With their placement on either side of the main cross at the front the sanctuary, Anschutz focused the design of the right window on images representing God from the Old Testament and the left window represents the Holy Spirit in the New Testament.
Amy Smith, a ceramic artist in Lincoln, worked with the center as the designer and sculptor of the communion ware for the church.
To see some of these pieces, or for more information on the Center for Liturgical Art, visit http://bibelot.squarespace.com/church-projects/ or http://www.cune.edu/finearts/liturgicalart/.
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NEBRASKA LUTHERANS FOR CONFESSIONAL STUDY TO MEET
The September gathering of the Nebraska Lutherans for Confessional Study (NLCS) is Thursday, September 11, at Good Shepherd, 3825 Wildbriar Lane in Lincoln. Refreshments will be served in the Fellowship Hall at 9:30 a.m., followed by Matins at 10. Presenter for the morning session will be Rev. Lance Berndt, pastor at Good Shepherd. His topic, starting at 10:30, will be "Image of God; How are Lutherans to Understand Theosis." Following lunch, Rev. Brent Kuhlman, pastor of Trinity, Murdock, will lead the afternoon topic on "Luther's Lectures on Galatians." The meeting will conclude by 2:30 p.m. Everyone is invited, both clergy and laity. A free will offering will be taken to help defray expenses.
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CONCORDIA PLAN SERVICES OFFERS "REWARD" TO COMPLETE ASSESSMENT
Concordia Plan Services (CPS) is rewarding Concordia Health Plan (CHP) members who complete the online CareAllies Health Assessment between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31 with a $75 "Be Well ... Serve Well" Rewards Visa Debit Card.
This new incentive is part of "a continuing effort to encourage healthier behavior among ... members and in support of LCMS ministries," said Steve Gruenwald, CPS's health and wellness educator.
The offer is available to all members currently enrolled in the Concordia Health Plan (CHP), including Medicare members. Although covered dependents may take the assessment, they are not eligible for the card. CHP members who complete the online assessment can expect to receive the card within three to four weeks. It can be used anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted.
"We want our church workers to enjoy the benefits of good health," Gruenwald said. "We're happy to reward people for taking the initiative to understand their health, because that's the first step in maintaining it. Research shows incentives lead people to action and action leads people to better health."
To take the CareAllies Health Assessment, visit www.concordiaplans.org<http://www.concordiaplans.org> and look for the "Be Well ... Serve Well Health Assessment" link at the bottom left side of the screen. Information about the Reward Card and other CareAllies programs can be found in the "Health and Wellness" section of the website.
To read the complete article, as well as many others, visit the Reporter Online at http://www.lcms.org/pages/reporter.asp?NavID=2155 and click on the "CPS Offers. . ." article. This portion of the article is reprinted with permission from the September 2008 Reporter, the official newspaper of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod."
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EXPECT RESPECT RESOURCE AVAILABLE FROM PARISH HEALTH LIBRARY
Expect Respect: A School-Based Program for Preventing Teen Dating Violence and Promoting Safe and Healthy Relationships.
According to its program brochure, this program is a comprehensive prevention program designed to raise awareness of dating violence, teach skills for healthy relationships, develop youth leadership, and increase safety and respect on school campuses. The program can be implemented by advocates, counselors, and educators in middle and high schools, and youth-serving organizations.
Four manuals are included:
Expect Respect - Program Overview
The manual summarizes research on teen dating violence prevention and describes the Expect Respect program. To see more about this, go to www.SafePlace.org<http://www.SafePlace.org>
Part I: Expect Respect Support Group Curriculum and Facilitator Guide (24 sessions)
Expect Respect groups serve vulnerable youth who have experienced violence in their homes or dating relationships. Support groups help teens heal from past abuse, learn skills for healthy relationships, and prevent future victimization and perpetration.
Part II: SafeTeens Youth Leadership Curriculum and Facilitator Guide (8 sessions)
The SafeTeens curriculum empowers youth to become role models and leaders in preventing dating violence, sexual harassment, and bullying.
Part III: School-Wide Prevention Strategies
Strategies include developing school policy concerning dating violence; assessing school climate; and engaging students, teachers, and parents in school-wide prevention activities. Materials from Choose Respect, a primary prevention initiative developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are featured in this section.
These materials were purchased for the Nebraska District Office by the Parish Health Committee through a grant from the Family Violence Council and Interchurch Ministries of Nebraska. To borrow this curriculum for use within your church or school, contact Julie Roebke at 888-643-2961 or julier at ndlcms.org<mailto:julier at ndlcms.org>.
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DISTRICT YOUTH PARTICIPATE IN SEMINARY VISITATION EVENT
Four high school youth from the Nebraska District participated in the Exploring Church Careers Event (ECCE), held July 19-22, 2008, and at ECCE Amplified on July 22-25 at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. The participants were:
Trevor Freudenburg, Christ, Norfolk
Daniel Miller, St. Paul, West Point
LeAnn Miller, St. John's, Battle Creek
Preston Sunderman, St. John's, Battle Creek
A total of 33 youth attended the ECCE, and a total of 23 youth attended ECCE Amplified. They participated in Bible studies, worship, prayer and discussion, and visited various ministry sites in the St. Louis area to hear presentations by people currently serving in church vocations.
The 2009 Vocatio and Vocatio Amplified (formerly ECCE and ECCE Amplified) are scheduled for July 27 - July 2, 2009. Nomination forms will be mailed to all LCMS pastors, high school principals, teachers, and guidance counselors in February 2009. Prior to this, nominations forms may be printed from the Concordia Seminary website at www.csl.edu<http://www.csl.edu/>. Registration will begin on March 1, 2009, and no registrations will be accepted prior to this date.
For more information, contact the admissions office at Concordia Seminary, 801 Seminary Place, St. Louis, MO 63105.
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Thanks to all who contributed information for this week's Update. If you have something you would like included in a future Update, please send it to communications at ndlcms.org<mailto:communications at ndlcms.org>.
Blessings,
Nichole Hetz
Nebraska District LCMS
Director of Communications
1-888-643-2961
nicholeh at ndlcms.org<mailto:nicholeh at ndlcms.org>
www.ndlcms.org<http://www.ndlcms.org/>
* Please Note: The inclusion of items in the Update from outside sources is for informational purposes only. Inclusion of such items does not constitute District endorsement.
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