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PASTOR'S PAGE It is difficult to believe that in just a few days, we will be writing 2008 on our documents. As I reflect on 2007, I give thanks to God for all the blessings He has provided and I am reminded of His constant and never failing love. As I wonder what will occur in 2008, I think of resolutions for the upcoming year. 1) GIVE THANKS “Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done.” I Chronicles 16:8 I invite us to give thanks daily to God for all of our blessings. Also, I invite us to take time and give thanks to one another for all the community’s God-given talents and gifts that are shared. It requires all of us for God’s mission and ministry to be fulfilled. I thank each and every one of you for seeing God’s vision for your life and for this faith community and for answering God’s call. In 2007, we were richly blessed with many opportunities to answer God’s call to mission and ministry. Just a few of these opportunities included:
I am anxious to see how God will continue to call us to mission and ministry in 2008. 2) PRAY UNCEASINGLY “Pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 In response to a problem with which I was dealing, I said to a friend, “I guess all I can do is pray.” After I said that, I realized I made that statement as if prayer was just a small thing. Our faith community has witnessed the power of prayer among us and we know that it certainly is not small but instead powerful and mighty. I pray that for 2008, our faith community will daily lift up LOL’s call to God’s mission and ministry and ask for God’s strength and wisdom to fulfill this call. 3) LAUGH AND THEN LAUGH SOME MORE “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:30 I received a picture of Jesus laughing and it is very special to me. I look at it at times when I start to take myself too seriously. Indeed God has called us to an important mission and ministry. However, He has also equipped us for this mission and ministry. Resting in that knowledge and promise, we can give ourselves permission to laugh while trusting in our incredible God. My prayer is in 2008, as we continue to be about God’s mission and ministry, we take time together to smile, laugh, pray and give thanks. God’s blessings and my thanks,
WELCA NEWS January 6th, 2008, Installation of officers January 8th, 2008, Love Day at 9:30 a.m. Hostess, Carol Watson; Bible Study Leader Connie Teigen. Covered dish luncheon. We need to start now to save coffee cans for MLM for next year. This year we took over 80 decorated cans of cookies to the Christmas Store. Thanks to all who baked and helped pack cookies. We also want to collect items needed for Hospice patients. These items may be placed in the green felt basket near the coat rack. Listed here are some of the items; please find complete list on bulletin board in the Narthex. We will collect these all year long. Thank you! Cards (new or used, any and every holiday) Cloth (material for sewing, any kind) Thread, sewing machine needles, scissors New nightgowns (all sizes) Check Thrift Stores, etc. New pajamas for men Lap Robes Slippers (any size) Stuffed animals Magazines Thanks to the generosity of our Lord of Love congregation, we collected $397 for our Thankoffering. This will be sent to the national Women of the ELCA to be used for projects around the world. Locally, we were able to give $860 to West Central and $860 to Metropolitan Lutheran Ministries Christmas Store from our Fall Craft Sale and matching funds of $800 from Thrivent. Your delicious cookies filled 81 coffee cans and were taken to the Christmas Store on Monday, when six members from Lord of Love helped set up the Christmas Store. We also took 14 blankets and numerous caps and gloves. Thanks to all who helped in any way. Prayer Chain and Circle of Concern If you would like to be on the prayer chain or would like to join the group of ladies that provide food for funerals and other needs (which is called the circle of concern) please sign up on the sheet posted on the Kiosk. If you were already on the list last year, you are automatically on the 2008 list unless you mark your name off. Any questions, contact LaVerne Mills. CORRECTIONS FOR DIRECTORY Please check your new phone directory for accuracy & report needed changes to the office. Please change the 913 prefix to 816 for Emma Blankenship Pastor Lesley’s home number is 816-331-5910; her cell is still 500-1090 Kari Eagan’s email address is keagan4@kc.rr.com Change phone number for Donna Linn to 816-210-0283 Change phone number for Doug Salmon to 816-804-9227. WINTERIZING TEAM Need help winterizing your home, e.g. caulking windows (or know someone who does)? Contact David Salmon at 331-5465 and he will arrange a “Winterizing Team” to help you. ALTAR FLOWERS The Flower Chart for 2008 is on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall. If you have a person or event you would like to commemorate with altar flowers, please sign on the date and put the reason: birthday, in memory of, anniversary, etc. There is still lots of room CLEAN OUT THAT CLOSET!
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Prayer Concerns For The Past Month 
Clothing Donation Bin has been placed at the north end of our parking lot. Men’s, women’s and children’s clothing and shoes, and useable household goods are accepted. The Profits from these donations go to support the work of Metropolitan Lutheran Ministries and Good Shepherd Mission. Did you get new things for Christmas? Need to get rid of some gently used stuff? (In useable condition.)
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Mission Interpreters
God’s Work. Our Hands. Stories of Faith in Action Discovering What God Wants Us to Be About |
Is your congregation ready to move from doing missions to begin missional in everything it does, says, and is?
The Partnership for Missional Church (PMC) is a journey of spiritual discernment that has empowered congregations worldwide to respond to God’s call, so that their outreach and life together as a church are witnesses for Jesus Christ, in their context today. PMC is a new initiative Bishop Mansholt has begun at the synodical and congregational level of the Central States Synod in conjunction with Church Innovations.
Wrestling with questions such as: “Where are we?” “Whose are we?” “What is God doing?” “How is God sending us?” and “How is our church living now according to the pattern of God’s future?” is part of the process that will help congregations strengthen their apostolic community and respond to their call to be sent into the world.
Conversations about PMC began with the leadership of Central States Synod in 2006. These conversations began with individuals, moved to congregations, and led to the formation of Central States Synod’s first cluster of 9 congregations who are committed to working together through this process.
For a cluster, their journey will last 3-5 years and will engage both synod and congregational leadership in new ways as they seek together to discover their unique gifts and how they can be used to participate in God’s kingdom. The entire PMC process consists of clusters of congregations, walking the journey together and learning from one another all the way.
In September, 2007, the first congregational cluster began their journey towards becoming a more missional church. Pastors and lay leaders from these congregations joined together for two days for their first event. They were given a good foundation to continue this journey.
Rev. Robin Morgan of Peace Lutheran Church, Washington, MO shared that: “As a pastor, I got the theological understanding of the process that I needed to shape my preaching and teaching. We all got an overview of what the next three years will look like. And the lay leaders who attended got very concrete, specific directions about what needs to be done by our second cluster event in February.” To read more about Peace Lutheran Church’s story, visit www.css-elca.org/missioninterpreter.html.
During the first year the cluster will focus on leadership development and the cultivation of spiritual practices among the leaders. They will be in a period of discovery: learning about tools and processes, how to share about themselves, and ways to act as a community. As part of this discovery, the congregations will enter into a period of discernment. They will discern how they function, how they might look to the surrounding community and how they might want to respond to all they have learned with a new understanding of what God has in mind. Through this process, congregations will walk their own unique journey of spiritual discernment as participant in God’s mission in the world.
We celebrate the new ways we are called to walk into God’s presence and thank you for your support of Christ’s mission in Central States Synod.
“In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me.” Jeremiah 29:12
CSSMI#17 01/08
- IPraise will Begin Again
- January 6, 2007
- Sundays at 11:00 am
- A contemporary worship service
- with relevant preaching
- casual and welcoming community.
Join us for our January sermon series as we examine how some of the unlikely heroes of the Bible teach us lessons for our lives today.
Jan 6…Were the Wise Guys so wise?
- January 6, 2007
What can the Three Kings teach us about listening and following directions?
Jan 13…Lessons from the Wilderness
John the Baptist ate bugs and dressed in Camel hair clothes. What can he teach us about
sharing a message that is not easy to understand?
Jan 20..Lessons from Jesus
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What can Jesus teach us about love and acceptance of all?
Jan 27…Lessons for Peter, Andrew and Us
What does accepting God’s call in our lives mean for how we live our lives everyday?
