|
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus!
Welcome to "IN TOUCH", the new CNH District e-newsletter.
| In This Issue |
 |
|
Newt's Notes
Why Do I Say, "forward this e-newsletter?
St Louis Grads, Vicars, and Deaconesses Coming to CNH
Ft. Wayne Grads and Vicars, Deaconnesses and DCE Interns Coming to CNH
Something to do This Summer
Meyer Called to Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Presidency
Youth/Young Adult Happenings in the District
Small Groups Multiply Leadership at River of Life Mission
Global Day of Prayer
5th Annual Outreach Leadership Institute - July 14-16
Prayer Highlights
District Calendar |
| Why Do I Say, "forward this e-newsletter? |
|
At a recent meeting of one of the Mission Action Councils, a layperson remarked, "I don't have any idea what is going on in the CNH District."
It seems that pastors and, to a lesser extent, other rostered workers receive plenty of mail, email, and opportuntiies in Winkels and gatherings to learn and discuss the new vision that President Newton is casting.
Seemingly, this is less so for our laypeople.
In the past an attempt was made to send sufficient quantities of IN TOUCH, a printed journal, to be inserted in bulletins. In many congregations the inserts just sat in a pile in the narthex.
Yet the advantages are enormous in having a laity whose vision encompasses more than the four walls of your church.
That is why e-news is an effortless way to get synod and especially CNH District news (including news about your church) into the brains and hearts of thousands.
Effortless. Well, almost. Just click on the bottom of this e-newsletter where it says "Forward email." Add to the screen that comes up a listing of the email addresses of your membership or friends. With it, you can send a short personal note indicating that, if they would enjoy a subscription to the CNH District e-news, they can subscribe by adding their email to the box "Join our mailing list" in the lower right of the e-newsletter.
If you want to send to more than 10 addresses, I suggest you invite them to link to the CNH District website where they can join the mailing list.
And, don't forget, send me an article with a photo. Your congregation and its ministry needs to be highlighted in the CNH District e-news.
In service to Him,
Ed Krueger
CNH District e-news editor
|
| St Louis Grads, Vicars, and Deaconesses Coming to CNH |
|
They are, from left, front row,
Ross Shaver who will be the vicar at Light of the Hills, Cameron Park, CA;
Keith Dusheke with his wife, Janica , who will serve his vicarage at Peace, Fresno, CA;
Nathan Hartke with his wife, Laura, who will serive as associate pastor at Mt. Olive, Milipitas, CA;
Dr. Robert Newton;
Back row,
Susan Predoehl, deaconess intern, who will serve at Zion, Piedmont, CA;
Jason Moreno, who will serve his vicarage at Lutheran Church of Arcata, Arcata, CA;
Jon Palmer, with his wife, Lani, who will serve his vicarage at Bethany, Vacaville; and
Daniel Buringrud with his wife, Cheryl, who will serve his vicarage at Greenhaven Lutheran, Sacramento, CA.
|
| Ft. Wayne Grads and Vicars, Deaconnesses and DCE Interns Coming to CNH |
|
From Left to right:
Thaine Kister who will be serving his vicarage at Corning and Red Bluff, CA.
To the left of President Newton are
John and Rachel Bestul. John will serve as pastor at Rollingwood Lutheran in San Pablo, CA.
Also serving in the district will be
Gregory Peter, vicar at Trinity Lutheran, Palo Alto, CA;
Nicole Larsen, deaconness intern, who will serve at Grace, San Mateo; and DCE Interns. . .
Elliott Lutz and
Betsy Jenks who will serve at Prince of Peace, Fremont, CA and Holy Cross, Los Gatos, CA.
Keith Dusheke, Peter Gregory, Thane Kister, John Bestul, and Nicole Larsen have sent us additional greetings and/or photos of themselves.
|
| Something to do This Summer |
|
The 2005 Institute on Liturgy, Preaching, and Church Music, to be held at Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisconsin, is designed for pastors, musicians, and others who regularly plan and lead worship, as well as interested lay people. A team of over 50 lecturers, clinicians, preachers, organists, and choir directors will join forces.
The conference will consist of several components.
- Worship. Central to our time together will be regular worship. In the course of the conference, we will gather 11 times to be nourished by Christ's life-giving gifts.
- Plenary addresses.
- "Steeple Chase." Participants will tour the greater Milwaukee area, visiting architecturally significant worship spaces, culminating with a hymn festival and conference banquet.
- Honor choir. Forty high school students will be chosen by taped audition to participate in the Bach Vespers and Hymn Festival.
- Free time. Opportunities will be provided for making music in one of the conference choirs, browsing through music and other worship resources on display by our exhibitors, and making new acquaintances.
|
| Meyer Called to Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Presidency |
|
St. Louis - Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, has extended a call to Dr. Dale A. Meyer, interim president, to serve as its 10th president. The call was extended on May 11, after a series of interviews with the final nominees.
Meyer has served as interim president of Concordia Seminary since November 2004. He served as speaker of the Lutheran Hour radio program from 1989-2001. He joined the Seminary faculty in from 1981 to 1984 and again in 2001. His also has served the church-at-large as in various administrative positions, including service as third vice president of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod from 1995 to 1998. He has hosted the television program "On Main Street" since 1994.
"I want to thank and express my deep appreciation and respect for all those who were nominated for the position," commented Meyer. "Concordia Seminary is about to conclude its 166th year, but this is about the future. We have at the Seminary a burning passion, personally and corporately, to seek God and to be known by Him. This inspires us to pursue the work we do together in this community and to do it with a love and a delight in people."
|
| Youth/Young Adult Happenings in the District |
|
|
Church Careers Event Sunday, May 22, 4-6 p.m. Light of the Hills, Cameron Park, CA. For anyone in Junior High or older who has ever wondered about the different church worker careers. Representatives from the differenct Concordia Universities will be present. Pizza and fellowship afterwards. Contact Jill Allen, 530-677- 9536 for more information.
Junior High Youth Day at Water World, Sacramento. Wednesday, July 6, 10:30- 6:00. Contact Melissa Scheer for special priced tickets ($14.99) at 209-333-2223 or yout h.family@stpeterlodi.org.
"Light the Fire" Christian Concert at the Napa Valley Expo in Napa, CA, on June 5. Performing will be Skillet, Kutless, The OC Supertones (one of their last performances) Roper, and Number One Gun. The cost is $10 presale in advance or $13 at the gate. For more information, contact Extreme Faith Productions at 408-812-1100 or go online at: www.ligh tthefirenapa.org and listen to the bands.
Young Adults First Annual Spring Boutique. Light of the Valley, 9270 Bruceville Road, Elk Grove, CA. The funds raised will be used for a variety of outreach programs the young adults sponsor. More info: Jennifer Caruso, 916-690-5634 or lovyadul tseg@yahoo.com.
|
| Small Groups Multiply Leadership at River of Life Mission |
|
This photo (click picture for larger view) is of a small group training session at the mission plant in Dayton, Nevada, called "River of Life." Dayton is about 15 miles east of Carson City.
Rev. Everett Garwood, ROL's missionary, says, "I'm presently working with senior's group on discovering their ministry profile and where they fit. They are learning about spiritual gifts, where their passion is, how their natural abilities can be used in ministry, how their personality determines where they serve, and the unique experiences that God has allowed them so that they can fit into their own ministry niche and be fulfilled as they in turn help others."
|
| Global Day of Prayer |
|
On May 15, millions of people will gather around the world for the Global Day of Prayer - a time to humble themselves, repent and pray for the transformation of the world.
We invite you to join us via telephone to be part of this first ever event that will impact our world.
Simply call the following number and enter the participant code anytime from May 14 at 5 p.m. through May 15 at 5 p.m. (24 hours): (641) 985- 1051, pincode: 777#.
For more information visit us at www.great ercalling.org or www.gdop-usa.com or contact Rev. Clint Lutz at 707-433-3835.
|
| 5th Annual Outreach Leadership Institute - July 14-16 |
|
The Annual Outreach Leadership Institute (OLI), an outreach training event coordinated by the Oswald Hoffmann School of Christian Outreach, LCMS North America Mission, and Lutheran Education Association-REACHnet is ramping up for its 5th institute on the campus of Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota. The institute was originally developed to train and equip outreach minded individuals to serve more effectively in their ministries and congregations. As a result, over 500 people have participated in the first four OLIs and have taken back to their ministries plans which were developed during the module sessions.
|
| Prayer Highlights |
|
|
New Prayer Requests:
Rev. John Standley, Cordova, Rancho Cordova CA has a call to Shepherd of the Hills, Yuma, AZ.
Rev. B. R. Mireles, pastor emeritus, who will have knee surgery.
Rev. Dr. Dennis Tegtmeier, Lutheran Church of Prayer, Bakersfield, CA, upon his retirement.
If you have a specific "district" prayer request that you wish to add, please let us know (rita@cnh- lcms.org)
|
| District Calendar |
|
Upcoming events:
- Demographic Workshop for Interim Ministers, Ministry Center, Livermore, CA-- May 18
- Large Church Meeting, Ministry Center -- May 26
- Board of Directors, Ministry Center -- June 11
- Evangelism Committee, Ministry Center -- June 13
- Hispanic Task Force, Ministry Center -- June 16
- Board of Directors, Ministry Center -- September 10
- Fall Pastors' Conference, Fresno -- October 11-13
|
|
|
Newt's Notes |
|
|
|
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The Sunday of Pentecost will have come and gone by the time you read this note. However, the effects of the day remain with us. In fact, they remain with us until our Lord returns to take His Church on earth home on the last day.
On the first Christian Pentecost Sunday the Holy Spirit was poured out upon all of the believers, men and women alike, empowering each of them to testify boldly about their Lord and Savior Jesus. Their witness was clear.
As Peter proclaimed, Jesus was the promised Messiah, sent by God the Father to rescue all people of every land from the curses of sin and the power of Satan. Though it was obvious through the many miracles Jesus performed that He was the promised Messiah, most had rejected Him, handing Him over to the Romans to be crucified. None understood that Jesus' suffering and death were according to the plan determined by God from the beginning of time.
It was God's way to satisfy His wrath justly incurred by our sins and to reconcile all humanity to Himself. Indeed, God was satisfied by the death of His Son. So much so that He raised Jesus from the dead and established Him as Lord over all the heavens and the earth. All peoples of every nation will appear before His judgment seat on the last day and He will grant to all who believe in Him eternal life.
No one could miss the fact that this message of life was for them as each heard it spoken in his own native tongue. The Holy Spirit not only empowered Jesus' disciples to speak but enabled them to speak fluently in a multitude of foreign languages so that all would hear the good news and all could receive the salvation promised in Jesus. Thousands heard and thousands believed that day as they were baptized in Jesus' name for the forgiveness of sins.
What is remarkable about that Pentecost Day is that it was not the product of long years of planning by the early Christians. The first believers were literally swept along by the Holy Spirit as He moved into all of the world with the Gospel. God was on a mission and the early Christians had all they could do to keep up with Him.
Thousands of Christian Pentecosts have taken place since that day, and not just the once a year celebration the Church has enjoyed for the past 20 centuries. Pentecost comes with every baptism into the Triune God. The Holy Spirit is poured out upon each new believer enabling him both to embrace Jesus as his Lord and to testify boldly and clearly to His resurrection and the new life we have in Him. Pentecost comes every time the Gospel is proclaimed for the first time to people groups whose languages and ways are very different from ours. Pentecost comes every time the Holy Spirit moves Christ's people beyond the boundaries of their congregations into a world where Christ is yet unknown. Pentecost is just as much a reality today as it was 2000 years ago.
We give thanks to the Lord that CNH is a district of congregations swept along by the Holy Spirit. The Word has been proclaimed boldly and faithfully from the earliest days when Lutheran missionaries were first sent to the wild and wooly west. The Word from our congregations has spilled over into other languages and cultures and under the influence of the Holy Spirit will continue to do so.
This month we are privileged to celebrate Pentecost again and again as a junior confirmands pledge to be a faithful witnesses of the Gospel for all of their lives, as young pastors, teachers, DCE's and deaconesses pledge to proclaim God's salvation faithfully in season and out of season; as we send families into the mission field here and abroad, and as each of our congregations seeks the Lord's direction for them as His missionary people.
. God is on a mission and we are privileged to try to keep up with Him. By His grace we will. One of the key lessons to be learned from the first Pentecost is that it was God's day. God came, God empowered, God equipped, God spoke, God moved hearts to repent and believe, God blessed, and the Church grew. It's the same today.
Thanks be to God.
In His name,
Robert Newton, CNH District President |
|
