[DistUpd] January 28

Thu Jan 28 15:24:50 CST 2010

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January 28, 2010

In this issue:

Greetings in the name of Jesus. This week's Update is a day late because I was out of the office unexpectedly earlier this week. Thanks to all who shared information for this week's newsletter.

 *   Prayer Requests
 *   Find Information on LCMS Haiti Relief in One Place
 *   Still Time to Register for Stewardship Workshop in Omaha
 *   Lutheran Hour Lenten Devotions Available
 *   Rev. John Nunes Challenges Audience at Concordia University
 *   Confirmation Retreat at Camp Luther
 *   New Lenten Series Offered by Concordia Seminary
 *   Worship is Lifted Up at 2010 Lutheran Summer Music Academy

PRAYER REQUESTS
Olivia Anson - We join with Harlan and Crissy Anson in prayers of thanksgiving for the gift of a baby daughter born on January 21. We thank God for this precious new life and for the gift of eternal life given to her through Holy Baptism. Harlan serves Our Redeemer, Staplehurst, as teacher/principal.

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FIND INFORMATION ON LCMS HAITI RELIEF IN ONE PLACE
The LCMS has created a link from the LCMS home page where visitors can go to find all the latest news about the response to the Haiti earthquake.  Visitors to www.lcms.org<http://www.lcms.org> just need to click on the "Haiti Update" banner near the top of the home page. This will take them to a collection of links to World Relief/Human Care, World Mission, Reporter, secular news coverage, photos, video, etc. Those who wish to bookmark this page can visit directly at www.lcms.org/help<http://www.lcms.org/help>.

Some of the news articles available from this site include:

 *   Next steps begin with relief shipments to Haitian cities
 *   Additional missionaries deploy to Dominican Republic to assist with ongoing work in Haiti
 *   Images seen by the LCMS assessment team in Haiti
 *   IRS extends tax break deadline for Haiti donations
 *   Messages from the Directors of LCMS World Mission, World Relief/Human Care, and others who have been to Haiti
 *   Much, much more!

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STILL TIME TO REGISTER FOR STEWARDSHIP WORKSHOP IN OMAHA
Congregational leaders are invited to attend the Turning Donors Into Disciples: FAITH-RAISING, NOT FUND-RAISING workshop hosted by Beautiful Savior (7706 South 96th Street), La Vista, on Saturday, February 6, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

This workshop will:
*        Change the "stewardship of giving" culture in your church
*        Send you home with the "Stewardship of Giving Toolbox"
*        Teach you how "Consecrated Stewards" can help increase giving
*        Teach about "Heart In Focus" - a personal, faith-focused money management plan

Facilitators include nationally known leaders such as: Dr. Waldo Werning, author of "Turning Donors into Disciples;" Mr. Lloyd Probasco on effective leadership; Rev. Walt Waddell of Neibauer Press; and Rev. Eugene Gierke about Consecrated Stewards.

Start planning today and get your congregation leaders registered. The cost is $25 per person or $100 for groups of five.

Note the new registration contact! Please register with Joyce Gierke at cjgierke at cox.net<mailto:cjgierke at cox.net> or 402-697-8215.

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LUTHERAN HOUR LENTEN DEVOTIONS AVAILABLE
Download and customize Lutheran Hour Ministries' Lenten Devotions now at www.lentendevotions.net. Two versions of the devotions are available to help your church or school minister to both the believers and the seekers in your community. Both sets of devotions help readers focus on the magnitude of Christ's resurrection and its impact on mankind.

>From The Mount of Transfiguration to Mount Calvary - A Lenten Journey renders in a style familiar to long-time readers the salient events in Christ's life inaugurated by His transfiguration and accomplished by His atoning work on Calvary. Walking With Jesus follows the Lord in a contemporary voice as He ministers to those around Him, befriending and encouraging those who would follow Him, all the time displaying compassion for a sinful and renegade world.

Both versions capture how the gift of God's pure love-a love that is simply beyond our comprehension-found its full expression in the life, death, and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.

>From The Mount of Transfiguration to Mount Calvary
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Pastor and Chaplain Vern Gundermann takes the reader alongside Jesus as He completes His earthly mission in His Father's service. Everywhere Jesus went-whether along a dusty back road or a paved city street-what stood front and center for Him was the cross. And it was against those rough timbers that He-the Christ, God's "anointed one"-would ultimately find Himself nailed.

Walking With Jesus
During the Lenten season, the Church acknowledges Christ's passion and celebrates His victory over the forces of darkness. The consequences of misapprehending the significance of Christ's atoning work on the cross and what His resurrection from the dead means for each of us cannot be overstated. In Walking With Jesus, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod educator Chuck Strohacker puts the reader on an inside track showing what that victory means in the life of a believer.

>From The Mount of Transfiguration to Mount Calvary and Walking With Jesus have been created in a PDF format making them easily customizable when adding church information for distribution throughout your community.

Find printable files of these devotions for your congregation, as well as outreach ideas and more at www.lentendevotions.net<http://www.lentendevotions.net/>.

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REV. JOHN NUNES CHALLENGES AUDIENCE AT CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY
Concordia University, Nebraska welcomed Rev. John Nunes, president of Lutheran World Relief and prominent Lutheran leader, thinker, and speaker, as the first presenter in its spring speaker series. Nunes gave Concordia's Martin Luther King Day presentation.

Rev. Nunes focused his message on the idea of being subversive while maintaining a servant's heart to all people of the world. According to Nunes, "We've been lulled into complacency in the West. We don't understand what service means. So much injustice needs challenging, and so much suffering needs comforting. I encourage you to have a subversive spirit of service."

Nunes also tackled the difficult issue of racial identity, saying there is no scientific proof that race is a classification system for human beings. He encouraged the Concordia community to remember this as it goes out into the world to serve as Christ's body.

When asked what he really wanted Concordia's reaction to be, Nunes stated, "I want some people to be disturbed, some to question their apathy and others to be encouraged and motivated to go into the world. I want the entire community as a whole, through this message, to take time to engage in critical and self-critical reflection on the big questions of how we relate to one another as members of the body of Christ."

In reference to the current situation in Haiti, Nunes discussed the challenges facing relief groups, including Lutheran World Relief. He was looking forward to returning to his team at LWR and preparing for those challenges in Haiti.

Senior Zach Baedke enjoyed the message.  "I really enjoyed his [Nunes'] ability to connect with the audience. He was so engaging. I learned a lot."

Rev. Nunes agreed to speak at Concordia because he believes the university has "a core value to engage the world and make a difference. It is refreshing to be in a place that shares a common Lutheran identity- that cares about the poorest of the poor and allows for a forum to address difficult and challenging questions like race, justice and social action. I commend Concordia on tackling a tough set of questions."

Concordia will continue its speaker series with Rev. Mitri Rahab giving the Maehr talk on March 8, and 1989 Concordia alumnus Philip Droege, director of White House records, speaking on April 13.  The public is welcome to attend.

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CONFIRMATION RETREAT AT CAMP LUTHER
Camp Luther will host a Confirmation Retreat for small congregations on Friday and Saturday, February 26 and 27. The program involves three group-teaching sessions by Rev. Keith Christiansen. Following each group session, time will be set aside for individual pastors to meet with their confirmation class. Other activities, games, and campfires will be led by camp staff members. Email Camp Luther for a registration form at campluther at campluther.org<mailto:campluther at campluther.org>. Overnight accommodations, Friday night snack, and two meals on Saturday are included with the $42.00 per person registration fee.

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NEW LENTEN SERIES OFFERED BY CONCORDIA SEMINARY
Dr. Dale A. Meyer, president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, recently released a Lenten series for use in the parish. Below are his comments:

"Do you need a Lenten series? I'm teaching a class on preaching in our postmodern times, these times when an authoritative word from God is rejected out of hand by many people. 'You have your opinion; I have mine. Don't impose your views on me.' So how do we get into their heads and hearts? 'Why should I listen to sermons if there's nothing in them for me?' So for a class project we're working on a Lenten series that tries to get listeners to sit up and think, 'He's talking about my life! I need to hear this.' If you want, we'll make available to you the results of our efforts."

Here is what's included in the series, free of charge:

 1.  Announcements for each upcoming Wednesday sermon to put in a bulletin or on a website. The Seminary's goal for the announcements is to catch the interest of people. In broadcasting it's called the "tease."
 2.  Two or three weeks before the Lenten date we'll send you by e-mail...
a.      A sermon outline
b.      Manuscript
c.       Short notes about the sermon
d.      A responsive prayer
e.      Suggestions for the service's Bible reading
f.        One or two hymn suggestions

 1.  This series does not include a whole order of service. The LSB has basic service orders or each church may create its own.

The series is titled "Life Together"-based upon Dietrich Bonhoeffer's classic book, Life Together-that describes in challenging ways what it means to be the body of Christ in community. Bonhoeffer wrote the book about seminary life, and Concordia Seminary has been studying it as a campus community, but his insights apply to congregational life in both modern and postmodern times. Hopefully these offerings will speak to older people, "moderns," and to younger people, "postmoderns." Dr. Meyer adds, "As a 60-something, I've been stimulated by the discussions we're having in this class where the average age is 20-something." Here is an overview.

Life Together

 1.  February 17 (Ash Wednesday):
    *   Title: Life's Better in My Hands!
    *   Attention getter: Jesus said, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit." Hand over your life to someone else? No way!
    *   Text: 1 Peter 2:20-25
 2.  February 24:
    *   Title: I'm Being True to Myself!
    *   Attention getter: Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." But of course, you do know what you are doing!
    *   Text: 1 Peter 1:22-25
 3.  March 3:
    *   Title: This Is It???
    *   Attention getter: Jesus said, "Today you will be with Me in paradise." Huh? Life is short; get the most out of it here-and-now!
    *   Text: 1 Peter 1:3-5
 4.  March 10:
    *   Title: How Do You Know Who I Am?
    *   Attention getter: Jesus said to Mary, "Woman, here is your son," and to John, "Here is your mother." Do you bristle when people make claims on your life?
    *   Text: 1 Peter 2:9-12
 5.  March 17:
    *   Title: How Can I Believe in a God Who Would...
    *   Attention getter: Jesus cried, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me." Is there vindication for believing in God?
    *   Text: 1 Peter 4:12-25
 6.  March 24:
    *   Title: I Need This...and This...and This...
    *   Attention getter: Jesus said, "I thirst." What do you need? Why do you need it?
    *   Text: 1 Peter 4:1-6

These are for Wednesdays. Also provided will be similar resources for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter.

If your church is interested in these materials, please go to http://preaching.csl.edu<http://preaching.csl.edu/> and complete the form. Only those who sign up will receive the materials.

Please contact the Seminary's Technology Services department at 314-505-7231 with any questions.

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WORSHIP IS LIFTED UP AT 2010 LUTHERAN SUMMER MUSIC ACADEMY
Lutheran Music Program recently announced its worship theme for the 2010 Lutheran Summer Music (LSM) Academy to be held June 20 to July 18, 2010, at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. "Sing with All the Saints in Glory" will remember and celebrate the lives of the saints in all times and places. With the aid of texts and music, both ancient and new, the LSM community of 150 students and 50 faculty and staff will explore the calling of our baptism and what it means for us, too, to be called saints and children of God.

The LSM worship team will be led by Michael D. Costello, an alum of the program and the first time one has served as the Academy's chaplain. "I knew I loved music before I attended LSM," says Michael, "but it was my years at LSM that really guided me to a career in the church and as a church musician."  Michael is now an ordained Lutheran minister and cantor at Grace Lutheran Church in River Forest, Illinois.

This past summer, one third of the 150-student community came from congregations who were enrolled in the Young Musicians Partnership (YMP). The YMP program is a unique opportunity for congregations to join with Lutheran Music Program in a core commitment to transform lives and connect people through faith and music.

To enroll, congregations need only to establish a local scholarship toward attendance at LSM, which has proven in many current YMP-enrolled congregations to ignite the spark in their young people. This has led to more refined musical skills, more conscious connection between music and worship, and more motivation for youth to share their gifts within the church. Lutheran Music Program extends a 10% tuition discount to all YMP youth and a 33% match to the congregational scholarship, completing the circle of support for gifted musicians to grow both musically and spiritually. Through the YMP, students are-in a very real way-called to LSM through the support of their church, equipped and empowered in their musical gifts, and sent to serve in their church and community.

If your congregation has a youth musician who would like to apply to LSM or if your church seeks more information about joining the YMP, contact Admissions Director Susan Olstad toll free at 888-635-6583 or via email at solstad at lutheransummermusic.org<mailto:solstad at lutheransummermusic.org>.  Visit us online at www.lutheransummermusic.org<http://www.lutheransummermusic.org/>.

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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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