Living as a Witness

WITNESS

F Faith ellowship

Church of the Lutheran Brethren • January/February 2011 • Vol. 78, No. 1

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LIVING AS A

What does it look like?

In This Issue

FAITH & FELLOWSHIP Volume 78 - Number 1

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright ©1973. 1978. 1984. International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

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Director of Communications:Tim [email protected] | twitter: @ffmag

Editor: Brent [email protected]

Publisher/Graphic Designer: Troy [email protected]

Photos: Katie Tysdal: Cover, p.4, p.6, p.9, p.14

4 Gossiping the Good NewsJoel C.

6 Living as a WitnessHarland Helland

8 The Next Move Might Be YoursRuth Vallevik

10 Snap ShotJoel Nordtvedt

11 Do You Innovate?Victor Kraakmo

13 Monday Morning LiftRaymond Seaver, Sr.

12 The Changing Face of MinistryKeith Luna

14 A Moving ExperienceDavid Veum

17 Hot Tubs,Hot Chocolate,and PedicuresCheryl Olsen

18 Church & Synod News

Contribution Update

2 Faith & Fellowship

16 One in Heart and MindCraig Jennings

20 re:ThinkBrent Juliot

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Actual Accumulated DifferenceAnticipated vs. Actual

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We invite you to participate in broadcasting the Gospel of Jesus Christ through our joint Church of the Lutheran Breth-ren ministries.

As you know, the CLB contributions support the evangelis-tic church planting work in Islamic villages of sub-Sahara, the Hakka people of Taiwan, and the native people of Japan. You, through your gifts, are also preparing pastors and mis-sionaries at the Lutheran Brethren Seminary, sending Faith and Fellowship Magazine and supporting our North Ameri-can congregations and pastors through Regional Pastors.

Rev. Joel Egge is President of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren.

GlimpseThe Kingdom is NearTROY TYSDAL

JOHN 1:29-34

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There are moments in our lives when we are confronted with information that changes things. Information that changes the way we see the world, the way we live our lives, and the way we interact with one another. Coming to faith in Jesus Christ is just such a moment. The truth of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is information that can’t be ignored. It’s in-formation that brings light into darkness, and from that moment forward your life is changed. Some of you were raised in a Christian home, and truth is all you’ve ever known. You can’t pinpoint a moment when it was revealed, but it was revealed nonetheless. John the Baptist would fall into this cat-egory. His father Zechariah was a priest, and his mother was a descendant of Aar-on the brother of Moses. The Bible tells us that both of his parents were upright in the sight of God (Luke 1:6). They raised John to know the Lord, and he grew and became strong in spirit (Luke 1:80). John’s life had a purpose. He was to know the truth, and to testify to that truth. At his birth John’s father prophesied, “You, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on be-fore the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of sal-vation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace” (Luke 1:76-79). John was to be a witness to what God was about to do, and he did that faithfully.

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 1:29-34John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has

the gospel. He simply lived with hope, and waited, and prayed. When the opportunity came he was ready. Through his testimo-ny, and friendship, I found myself reading Scripture, and in Scripture I found myself believing in Jesus Christ. God used this man, this witness, to point me towards the horizon, and in Scripture I saw the sun rise in the valley of death. As believers we share many gifts, but we share only one mission. We have been set aside to testify that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ, “God’s Chosen One,” and that truth can do more than change the life of the one who hears it, it can change their eternity. Troy Tysdal is Church Resource Coordinator for the CLB and serves as associate pastor at Stavanger Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls, MN.

surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and re-main on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

John had information he could not ignore, and that day at the Jordan River he saw the sun rise on a world that walks in darkness. The Bible tells us that John was set apart to be a witness at birth. Would you be surprised to learn that you have also been set apart—that Jesus prophesied about you before you were born? Jesus said to those who believe, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). As John was set apart to point forward to the cross, we are set apart to point back. Our Lord works through us, to bring en-couragement to one another, and to bring light to those in darkness. We may not be called to baptize in the Jordan, or to shout from street corners, but we are called to be witnesses in our community and to the ends of the earth. A few years ago, a Christian who took this call very seriously reached out to me. He lived before my eyes as a witness to the Kingdom. As a witness he did not ham-mer me with the law, or shower me with

Gossiping the Good NewsJOEL C.

he Lord has a wonderful sense of humor.I was attending an international

conference on world evangelization a few months ago and was squirming in my seat. A well-known Christian leader, concluding his powerful keynote address on “Bearing witness to people of other faiths,” chal-lenged the 4,000 conference participants to commit personally to reach out to “some-one from the Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist faith” in the near future. It sounded very spiritual and good, but the problem was that I (like most Americans) just don’t like mak-ing an open-ended commitment. (Hence the squirming.) But I had to mark something on my com-mitment card before leaving for a lunch appointment with a former missionary colleague (a Muslim-background believer

who lived in the city where the conference was being held). So I reluctantly ticked the “yes” box and turned my card in at the door. My former colleague had brought with her to our lunch a friend named Shanaaz, whom I assumed was also a Muslim-back-ground believer. They both had many ques-tions about the international conference, so that topic naturally dominated our conver-sation. Halfway through lunch it suddenly hit me smack between the eyes, after lis-tening to yet another odd-sounding remark from Shanaaz about religion, that she was in fact not a Christian sister at all but a nominal Muslim—and that I was “bearing witness” to someone from another faith less than 30 minutes after reluctantly ticking a little square box committing myself to do just that. O ye of little faith! I tossed up a silent prayer (part confession and part inter-

cession) and started recounting to Shanaaz some of the amazing stories of God at work across the globe that I’d heard in the confer-ence, gossiping the good news to her. And (like most of us when the gossip gets going) she was all ears. I’ve been involved in international out-reach for almost three decades now: short-term mission trips, ministry to international students in the US, studying overseas, teaching overseas, and now serving over-seas as the director of an international mission organization. Along the way, I’ve come to realize that whether we are reach-ing out to seekers from other faiths or to seekers within our own close circle of fam-ily and friends, the same basic principles of “bearing witness” generally apply—and that witnessing rarely, if ever, has anything to do with learning the right “techniques” or


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“methods” of evangelism. Here are a few of the things that I’ve learned:

1) Be yourself – We need to be careful here! This may seem simplistic, trite, or even “post-modern” at first glance, but it captures a profoundly important theologi-cal truth at the very core of God’s sublime plan for gathering a lost and dying world of rebellious loved ones back to himself. As Christians, bearing witness to Christ always involves being ourselves because we by faith literally have “Christ in us, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). What non-believ-ers (or believers of other faiths) need above all else is Jesus, and that is precisely what (or rather who!) we as Christians have with us at all times and in every circumstance. I don’t fully comprehend what it means for the living God, the ruler of the universe, to be living in me, but I do know that because of this profound mystery, I essentially have everything that I will ever need to be per-sonally and intimately involved in what he is doing in our world to woo the lost back to himself. When we are truly ourselves as Christians, when we are truly at ease with and in our new identity in Christ, we can-not help but bring Christ into contact with everyone we meet. As Paul puts it, “We are the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perish-ing.” Every true child of God, regardless of spiritual gifting, has already got what it takes to “spread everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him” (2 Corinthians 2:14-15). We’ve got Christ. So relax! Let the Christ-life exude from you.

2) Tell your story – While driving along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, my oldest brother and I pulled up to a tollbooth just outside of Philadelphia. As he was collecting our road toll, the tollbooth attendant casually asked us if we were Christians. Yes, we said. In two minutes flat (with no other cars behind us), the man shared with us the remarkable story of how God had rescued him and his marriage, restoring his wife to him. It was a joyful (albeit brief) time of fellowship and communion with another brother in Christ. Before we left, my brother mentioned to this newfound brother in Christ that I was a missionary in Asia. “Praise the Lord!” said

the attendant. “This is my mission field,” he added wryly, pointing to his tiny tollbooth. Indeed it was! We all have compelling stories that speak of God’s faithfulness and redemption. We might not all be equally adept when it comes to reasoning with nonbelievers about the faith, but we all have personally encoun-tered God’s redemptive love and can speak about it from the heart. “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you,” said Jesus to the Ger-asene man after casting a legion of demons out of him (Mark 5:19). “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did,” said the Samaritan woman to the people of her vil-lage (John 4:29). We, too, can tell our own stories. And as we do, others will listen.

3) Pray, pray, pray – Julian, my college roommate during my final year as an un-dergraduate, was a professing atheist. De-spite our differing religious outlooks, we got along remarkably well and had many frank talks that year about what I believed and what he believed. As a going-away gift, I presented Julian with a Bible. He prom-ised that he would try to read it. Then we said our farewells. And while he was read-ing the Bible, I was praying. After a year or so of intense prayer for Julian to become a believer, I noticed a subtle change in my prayers for him. I was now thanking God each day for the day when Julian would finally become a believer. Sure enough, a few months later Julian wrote to me and said that he had just been baptized into the faith in a small pond a stone’s throw away from our old dorm room. Years later I suddenly realized, while read-ing through the Gospel of John, that Jesus had been praying for Julian to come to faith long before I ever did. On the night before he died, after praying first for his disciples, Jesus added, “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message… May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:20-21). Jesus had Julian in mind—and you and me—when he prayed that prayer. The Apostle Paul asked other believers to pray for him so that he might present the gospel both clearly (Colossians 4:4) and fearlessly (Ephesians 6:19-20) to non-be-

lievers. Prayer, then, is an essential part of the larger spiritual process by which non-believers are brought to faith in Christ. Do you want to see others around you trust in Christ, but dread sharing your faith? Then start praying!

4) Spread the Word – I love the emphasis that Luke places on “the word of the Lord” in the Book of Acts. For example, “The whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord” (13:44); “The word of the Lord spread through the whole region” (13:48); “all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (19:10); “the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power” (19:20). In this way, Luke gives God’s Word its proper place of honor at the cutting edge of both evangelism and missions, where God’s kingdom of grace and truth is continually coming into sharp contrast with the king-dom of darkness. Whenever and wherever unbelievers are encountering God’s Word, the power of God unto salvation is present.

Shanaaz, toward the end of lunch, men-tioned that she was reading the Quran through for the fourth time. I knew exactly what to do. Pulling my worn Bible out of my backpack, I removed my personal notes and bookmarks and handed it to her, asking if she would commit to reading it through as well in her search for truth. She agreed. Saying good-bye outside the convention center, Shanaaz said wistfully, “I wish I could go in to see and hear everything that is going on in your conference.” I wish she could have too. Maybe, just maybe, the next time this particular international con-ference on world evangelism rolls around, Shanaaz will be on the inside looking out instead of on the outside looking in. That is my hope and my prayer. (And I invite you who read this article to pray for Shanaaz as well. She will make a wonderful sister in Christ one day!)

Joel C. is executive director of a non-profit organization that places and supports stu-dents and professionals in cross-cultural ministry con-texts within East Asia

LBS J-Term Speaker - See p.18 for details.


You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. Matthew 5:13

iving! We spend an entire lifetime exploring it. In my younger years, living consisted of an abundance of

cookies, riding my pony and listening to Bi-ble Stories. I especially loved to hear about the greatness of God. But this list changed during my teenage years. Then I thought living would be about material things—es-pecially plenty of money. There was also a real interest in fun and anything that made me happy. No doubt about it, that which pertained to Harland Helland became more important all the time. Then I had a sudden testing of my phi-losophy of life. Out in the field one day my dad and I came across two bodies. We knew this couple. They seemed to have everything that a person would strive to obtain in this life. But as the man wrote in the later-discovered note, he felt life was

L no longer worth living. For the first time in my life I asked myself, “What am I liv-ing for? What is the greatest joy in my life? What difference has my life made for the good of others?” How I thank God for Christian family, friends and church that brought me into the Word of God. How thankful I am to God for the Holy Spirit who opened my eyes to 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will for-give us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” As an 18-year-old, I acknowledged my sin and was thrilled to know, on the basis of God’s Word, that I was a child of God and it was my privi-lege to have him guide and direct my life. The only problem was that it seemed God was calling me to enter the ministry. I took a quick inventory of my gifts for this

calling and reasoned that I could plant corn but I lacked the qualifications to be a pastor. I had been so busy farming with my dad that I only had an eighth-grade education, and I was almost 19 years old. Again God made it clear to me that he never called people into the ministry without equipping them. Ten years later, after going to high school and college, I graduated from Lutheran Brethren Seminary. Ten years in the books had been good for me. But most important of all, I had seen time and time again the value of knowing other disciples for Jesus Christ. They helped me so much to trust in God. They taught me as a young person the importance of living a life directed by the Holy Spirit. In my 55 years in the ministry I saw how important it was for congregations, fami-


Living as a WitnessHARLAND HELLAND

coming to Sunday school and worship services. They came searching for an-swers—the wife was very depressed. They joined a Bible class and the Holy Spirit brought them to a place of commitment to the Lord. The woman’s first concern was that she could not witness. She had heard about this and did not feel she could do it. We shared with her that she could just ask the Lord to use her and make her will-ing as the opportunity arose, and she came to rest in this. One day, as we stopped by her house, she was very excited to tell us that the neighbors had noticed that she had such new-found peace. They were coming by and wondering what was going on. She proceeded to tell them about her commit-ment to the Lord and the peace he had given her As she told us about the third neighbor, we couldn’t help but smile. We pointed out to her that she had been witnessing. She in-vited all three neighbors to attend church, and they came. God asks us to be faithful as he places situations before us. We have the wonderful privilege of sharing the message. The Holy Spirit does the calling. God has not promised that being a wit-ness for him is always an easy road. Sometimes he leads us on roads that are difficult, but we have the assurance that he is always with us. One of our pastors had invited his neigh-bors to visit his newly established church, but the young couple had ignored his in-vitation. One cold, rainy Saturday the pastor came home about nine o’clock. It was the kind of evening when it would feel so good to sit down in a warm house and relax. As the pastor got out of his car to open the garage door, his neighbor—who shared the same driveway—crawled out from under his parked car. This man was having trouble installing a new muf-fler. He was very limited in his car repair skills and was learning that what is eas-ily taken apart does not always go back

lies and individuals to live their lives as witnesses and disciples of Jesus Christ. A witness is one who has seen or knows something and is therefore competent to give evidence concerning it. A disciple is a person who accepts and follows a teacher or a doctrine. What a perfect out-line for a fruitful and happy life! Let me share with you a few stories of the joy of witnessing for Christ. Theses stories are true but the names and places have been changed for reasons of confi-dentiality. John was a boy eight years of age. A family who were charter members of a new home mission church had invited him to church and Sunday school. He at-tended faithfully along with his younger brother and sister. They were so excited about the gospel and were so concerned for their parents—wonderful people, but not interested in living for the Lord. John would always ask for prayer for his par-ents. Those prayers were answered and his parents became the first of three gen-erations who have been actively involved in the work of the Kingdom of God. Witnessing is for all ages. Grandma John-son was a widow in her seventies living on a very meager income. She had very few earthly possessions but she was so happy and thankful for God’s great plan of salvation. Her yard was often filled with little wagons, tricycles and scooters belonging to little children. They came to Grandma Johnson’s and sat on her living room floor listening to Bible stories that she made so living and real. Grandma would also bring a plate of cookies and a meaningful Bible verse to anyone sick in the neighborhood. God used Grandma’s evangelistic program to bless young and old alike. What a wonderful recipe for a happy and worthwhile retirement! As the result of an invitation to church, a young couple and their daughter started


together so easily. In fact he was com-pletely stumped. The pastor had knowl-edge of mechanics sufficient to take care of this situation. After putting on his work clothes he crawled under the neighbor’s car and completed the muffler installa-tion. The pastor and congregation were more than delighted when the second-rate mechanic and his family were in church the next day. As time went on this family not only experienced the mighty power of the gospel but they also became involved in the ministries of the church. We can make witnessing so complicated. We don’t get started because we feel we lack the talent and gifts to share the good news with others. Why not share your burden with other disciples? Perhaps you can find strength in a team effort? God alone can save people, but we have the privilege of being a part of his great work by being his disciples and witnesses. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Rev. Harland Helland served as CLB director of Home Missions from 1968 - 1985. He now lives with his wife Mabel in Fergus Falls, MN.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. Matthew 5:14-15

ground. So, muttering a few words about what Jesus means to me, I left in defeat, but determined to be better prepared next time! I asked my friends, “How do you share Jesus with urban pagans?” Then I talked to my Father, opened the Word, and came to Matthew 5:16: “Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Sometimes Christians use this as an ex-cuse: people will see your good behav-ior, ask you why—and then you can tell them! But how many people have asked you that in the last year, even if you’ve been on your Very Best Behavior? Per-haps they just think you are naturally even-tempered, kind, pain-free, incred-ibly successful and virtuous. But the Scripture says they should respond to you by praising your FATHER, and not you. How could they do that if you never told them of him?

It seems obvious God wants me to speak my faith.

A harried businessman was caught in a long line of restless passengers at an air-port in Indonesia. Nearby he observed someone who seemed patient and cour-teous in the middle of the stress around him. Recognizing him from the news

as Chuck Colson, the businessman de-cided to buy Colson’s book, Born Again. Through the book, he came to faith in the Christ who had radically changed Col-son, this powerful and profane politician, into a patient, kind, follower of Christ. Colson’s behavior validated his words. I began to realize that I needed to be a better listener to the voice of my Mas-ter, and then to intentionally daily yield my body—my feet and hands, my mind and my mouth—for his purposes. Some-times this year his voice has been the still, small voice of the Spirit, cutting through the jangle of background noise, “Say nothing. Lend a hand and a silent prayer…” And sometimes it has been the loud thunder of the Lord God Almighty saying “Now! Tell her I love her and want to forgive her!” I also was reminded, through reading Lee Strobel’s new book, The Unexpected Adventure, that I’m not responsible to lead someone completely to the “sinner’s

he billboard said, “Give the gift of confidence!” I’d recently had a crisis in confidence. Maybe here

was my solution! Turned out to be an ad-vertisement for Botox, vein repair and liposuction surgery. Nice. “Happy birth-day, sweetheart. Go get a new face…” Not quite what I had in mind. My crisis of confidence had occurred almost one year back. Needing a new haircut for the holidays, I had settled into the salon chair and was carrying on po-lite banter with the stylist. Because I’m a Christian and am conscious that at any time I may be on a divine appointment, I mentally scrolled for a way to share Jesus with her. “Are you planning to attend any special Christmas services next week?”“No, I’ve never been to church. My par-ents didn’t go, and I wasn’t raised that way.” What? Never been to church? Don’t know that Christmas is about the birth of the Savior of the World? I was totally stuck. I make my living telling people about Jesus, but they are almost always people who already know him, or at least know about him. I’d attended studies on strategies for personal witness, had heard countless sermons, and knew how urgent it is that people receive the gift of salvation while the offer is still available. But now I didn’t even know where to start, where to find common

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The Next Move Might Be YoursRUTH VALLEVIK


little different for me. I’ve prayed with a sobbing actress, my seatmate on a plane; talked about Jesus to a distressed busi-nessman; and kept my mouth shut and my Bible open when confronted by a sa-tanist (but that’s another story…). Last

month my seatmate was a pilot who, after a long discus-sion about Islam and politics, be-littled Christianity and questioned the

reality of Jesus. But he ended up saying he wished he had my faith. So maybe the next witness can lead him a step closer to Jesus. Maybe it will be you.

Ruth Vallevik is CLB Director of Women’s Min-istries.

prayer” in a single conversation! I may be only a tiny link in a chain of events and words in another’s journey to faith. Strobel tells of meeting a fellow camper named Dan on a hiking trip in Montana’s Beartooth Mountains. He writes:It was a beauti-ful morning. We walked along, chat-ting and enjoying the alpine scenery, and the higher we climbed the more mountain flower variations we noticed. After we had all commented about how amazing they were, it struck me that I might be able to bridge the conversation to more significant topics. So I decided to throw out a line and see what happened.“You know, God must have quite an imagination to create such beauty,” I be-gan. “We keep seeing all these incredible shapes and colors of flowers. The Creator must really be creative.” ….Dan glanced

back at me and said, “Well, I guess that would be true if you believed in God, but I don’t.” Dan, however, didn’t know that Lee Strobel—an ex-atheist himself—had been looking to witness to just such a

person. After several days of discussion, Strobel’s party broke camp and said their farewells. But God was not finished with Dan. Coming up the trail was a group of five big, athletic, friendly guys—who turned out to be Christians, leaders in the Navigators ministry! Strobel told them about Dan, made a map to his campsite, and sent them off on the next stage of the mission! So, these last few months have been a


I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Matthew 10:16

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nesota. Mark spends an average of about five hours per week on this ministry. Pastor Mark has already done a remark-able job. He has helped to keep the ever-changing list of youth leaders current through his constant communication. The website is kept updated, and there is a con-stant flow of resource information via his CLB youth ministry Facebook page. Mark has also hosted telephone conference calls where youth leaders join a teleconference discussion on youth ministry issues. His

work has been very effective, standing in the youth ministry gap and meeting the needs envisioned by the Regional Pastors.

Rev. Joel Nordtvedt is Regional Pastor for the CLB Central Region.

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w w w . c l b y o u t h w o r k e r s . o r gCLB Youth Workers - Resource Information

Resourcing Youth Workers

JOEL NORDTVEDTsnap shot

nder the Church of the Lutheran Brethren’s new structure adopted in 2008, the ministries of North

American Mission are led by the five Re-gional Pastors. Their responsibilities in-clude shepherding synodical and regional youth ministry. As important as youth min-istry is to our church family, they wanted to be sure that this aspect of our church received due attention. At a regional level, youth ministry is actually enhanced by the care and connections that the Regional Pas-tors bring. Much of our youth ministry is done regionally and among clusters of churches. However, as the Regional Pastors evalu-ated youth ministry within the larger CLB, they realized the need to more intentionally communicate with youth leaders across Re-gions and to provide resources for this cru-cial group of leaders who guide our youth. Many of our church youth leaders are solo pastors or volunteers who do not necessari-ly have youth resources for their ministries. The Regional Pastors decided to find someone with a passion for youth ministry, knowledge of the youth ministry scene, and communication gifts. They needed some-one who would regularly communicate with and resource youth leaders across all CLB Regions through the clbyouthwork-ers.org website, Facebook, emails, and tele-phone calls. The Regional Pastors put together a proposal and arranged to contract with Pastor Mark Johannesen, currently serving as Associate Pastor at Word of Life LBC in Le Sueur, Min-

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VICTOR KRAAKMO

Lights, Camera, Christmas!

kraakmo.blogspot.com. Check it out!) So we thought we could get him to be Herod and maybe get some of his students or guys from the church to be the Wisemen from the East... perfect! He was on board with that; so using the applicable technology he sent us some footage, along with some Japanese shepherd scenes for good measure. Mind you, this is no award winning pro-duction (it’s only about 20 minutes long). But it has been fun. Maybe more work than the memorizing of lines, practicing scenes, dress rehearsal, lighting and sound that are a part of the traditional Christmas Program. But we’ve learned that there are possibili-ties that could not have happened even five years ago.

We have a talented webmaster in our church, Bill Abella, who has put together a pretty fun movie trailer. We invite you to visit our website, and hopefully by the time you read this, the whole movie will be there... or a link... YouTube... something. Find it at www.gracelbc.net. May God bless the work you do in your church this New Year!

Victor Kraakmo serves as an elder of Grace LBC, Lynnwood, WA.

race Lutheran Brethren Church in Lynnwood, Washington recently engaged in a unique Sunday

School Christmas project. As the fall sea-son approached, and the necessary planning began for the Sunday School Christmas Program, we realized that not all of our kids could be present at either of the two pos-sible dates. As we considered what to do, the thought came… maybe we could make a movie! The movie approach would allow us to plug the kids into certain scenes many weeks beforehand, with the added bonus of not having the annual challenge of the multitude of microphone stands up on stage (and often to no avail). Now we are not a large church (averaging 70 in attendance), so we had about ten elementary age kids—and four of those were in pre-school. We started with Leanna Kraakmo writ-ing a script (including the adaptation of part of “PuzzleTown”) that looked like it could work, and allowed us to have some kids play two characters. So the filming be-gan. Various home scenes, a street scene, a neighborhood park for the nighttime angels scene, and even an “on location” shoot at a country farm with a barn about an hour out of town. We have a sophomore college student, Mindy Kim, who is taking some videogra-phy courses, and was willing (even excited) to take on this challenge. We’re thankful that she has taken the time to fit this “Ad-venture” into her busy study and work schedule. Did I mention the word “International”? We needed the Wisemen and Herod scene. Who could we get for that…? Well we live in 2010, a new world when it comes to communication, images, video, YouTube, Skype, twitter, Google... but I’m getting carried away… it’s a new world! My son Kristopher is on staff with the seminary church in Sendai, Japan where he teaches English and helps with other min-istries. (By the way he has a very informa-tive and entertaining website: kristopher-

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KEITH LUNA

The Changing Face of Ministry

he face of a ministry changes as time moves on. It was now two years since New Life @ The Well

of Mount Vernon, Washington first began serving end-of-the-month meals to help the working poor in our community. Those first meals were sparsely attended. Strangers cautiously came in; quietly ate their food and quickly left. Two years later, everything had changed. The room was full of familiar faces; fami-lies were coming with their children, most stayed long after their food was gone. As I stood in the midst of the room I noticed another change. The children were running and playing. They moved around the room like energetic bees. Then it hit me: parents were bringing their children to our neigh-borhood meals. Our goal at New Life @ The Well has been to plant seeds of God’s love in prac-tical ways in our community. Our hope is that through acts of compassion the love of Jesus would be known and would change lives. Compassion evangelism has given New Life @ The Well the reputation in our com-munity as a church that cares about people and provides real and meaningful help. We’ve known for some time that the next phase of our ministry must center on build-ing deeper relationships with our neighbors. We have been a visible demonstration of the love of God, but how do we go beyond that? Interestingly, our neighbors have already been going deeper, but we were slow to no-tice; they were bringing their children to us —and that is a big deal. It’s time for the face of our ministry to change. This past week-end we began a program for the children who come to our community meals. As the months roll on we don’t know how God will shape us or this ministry, but it will be built on a foundation God’s love, and con-sistent caring and acceptance of the children who come. Two years ago we began with a Thanks-giving Day community meal aimed at the

working poor. Since that time God has made it possible for us to serve monthly meals to hundreds of our neighbors, invite the homeless into our church to find shel-ter from the cold, convert two rooms to a community clothing closet, provide over a thousand kids with back-to-school clothing and more. Those being served through min-istries of compassion far exceed the number attending our worship services. Now God has opened the door to a deeper relationship

with the families and children of our neigh-borhood. It is with great joy that we follow where he leads.

Rev. Keith Luna is pastor of New Life @ The Well, Mount Vernon, WA.

Learn how it all started. ‘New Life @ The Well.’ F&F Volume 76, No.3 - April 2009.

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UPDATE

FF MAGAZINE

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n the early 1930s, just a few years before my birth, the Church of the Lutheran Brethren was instrumental

in my parents grounding and continuing lifetime of nourishment in the Christian faith. “Aline,” my grandmother insisted to my mother, “when you and Raymond get married and move to Minneapolis, I want you to look up the church that is associ-ated with this newspaper” (showing Mom an issue of Broderbaandent, forerunner to Faith & Fellowship, to which she ap-parently subscribed). “They have the right slant on spiritual things,” she said. My folks did just that. They discov-ered Ebenezer Lutheran Brethren church. There they came alive in Christ under the ministry of Rev. Clarence Walstad. It was there that my four siblings and I were baptized, confirmed, and where Ardy and I were married fifty-five years ago. Throughout our marriage the Church of the Lutheran Brethren has been a part of our lives, and remains so to this day. In 2007, as I was coordinating the men’s ministries function at Bethel Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls, MN, I started distributing a weekly devotional reading titled the Monday Morning Lift. Though I had long since retired from salaried work, I recalled how on Sunday evenings I would often find the thought of heading off to work in the morning a foreboding prospect. My wife and I would regularly arrange to be in the com-pany of friends on Sunday evenings, in part as a means of taking the edge off those anticipated Monday morning blues. I imagined there were perhaps other men in the church who dealt with a similar malady. It then occurred to me that a quick-read devotional thought centered in the truths of God’s Word and arriving in one’s office or home email late Sunday evening may be welcomed as a useful Monday Morning Lift. As the Lift’s availability became known,

the number of requests for inclusion in its distribution grew to include several hundred additional readers nationwide. Those who know me well will attest to the fact that I’m one who “wears his life on his sleeve.” These types tend to believe that whatever they are about and have experienced in life are things everybody should have the benefit of hearing. Combine those traits with a huge appetite for God’s Word and an incurable mother-hen instinct, and you end up with a guy that simply has a need to do things like writing the Monday Morning Lift, and derives great pleasure in doing so. I make no claim to being a seasoned theologian. I am, however, a grateful recipient of the gifts of God’s grace, principally the gift of faith to believe that the historical Jesus of Nazareth is in fact precisely who he claimed to be: God in human flesh coming as the Savior of the world. I’m humbled that God has used the Monday Morning Lift to encourage believers and proclaim salvation in Jesus Christ. I live with an awareness of God’s abiding presence in my life as the Holy Spirit af-firms within my spirit that it is in him “I live, move, and have my being.” Hence, I view the world, order my life, interact with others, and continue to witness from within this Christ-centered orientation.

Raymond Seaver, Sr. served as Executive Director of the Minneapolis Heart Institute & Founda-tion until his retirement in 1994. In 2001 he became the oldest M.Div. recipient on record at the Lutheran Brethren Seminary when he graduated at the age of 67.

RAYMOND SEAVER, SR.

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Monday Morning Lift

“The ‘Monday Morning Lift’ I receive from the devotional thoughts of Ray Seaver carries me through the whole week. In spite of the challenges he faces, Ray tells how hopeful life in the Lord is regardless of its circumstances. When he shares his faith journey story, Ray beckons me to walk with him and experience the same hope, trust, and peace in the Lord that he experiences. I have been privileged to read his weekly devotionals for several years and have been inspired by his courage in the face of his adversities and blessed by his testimony of his trust in the Lord. Ray is truly a “hero of faith” to me.”

“Ray Seaver is a long time friend and one summer he rode horseback with me in New Mexico along the Continental Divide. Many were our discussions about our relationships with Jesus Christ. Over the years I have been challenged and nurtured by his Monday Morning Lifts reprinted in this book. Your mind will be fed and your spirit quickened as you read.”

“For two years I have been thoroughly enjoying Ray Seaver’s Monday Morning Lift devotional e-mails which now comprise the corpus of his new book by the same name. I was not at all surprised to find the devotionals Christ-centered, well-written, wonderfully interesting and supremely practical. This is only in keeping with what I have known about Ray for now over three decades. He is a man of remarkable insight, great wisdom, keen intellect and who has modeled for all these years what a biblically-centered life actually looks like. You will find his book personally motivating, deeply encouraging and more than well worth the read!”

Gaylord T. Gunhus*�Chaplain (Major General) USA RET,� Former Chief of Chaplains,� U.S. Army

Jeff Siemon*� Minnesota Division Director of Search Ministries,� Former Minnesota Viking,�

four-time Pro Bowl Honoree

*See full citations under Acknowledgements, page X.

Al Quie*� Member of United States House of Representative

in eleven succeeding Congresses

Over the past several years readers have suggested that the weekly “Lifts” be compiled and put in book form. The outcome of those urgings has now been published as “Monday Morning Lift - Personal Reflections on Biblical Themes” and is available at www.ffbooks.org.

FF BUY THE BOOK

w w w . f f b o o k s . o r g Toll Free: 800-332-9232

If you would like to receive the weekly email titled “Monday Morning Lift” please email Raymond Seaver, Sr. at [email protected].

Now more than ever it is crucial that we teach students the right attitude toward the Word. This article of faith—the authority and inerrancy of the Word—can keep us on track. That’s why we exist as a seminary: to teach

our future pastors and missionar-ies to trust the Word,

to preach and teach the Word, and to submit themselves to the Word. And we exist to instruct them how to teach and preach the grace of God in Christ cruci-fied and risen. Lost people everywhere need this grace. Mature Christians need this grace. These are the reasons why the Board of the Lutheran Brethren Seminary set the follow-

ing first Strategic Direction:“Prepare pastors, missionaries, and other ministry leaders within the context of our CLB Statement of Faith and our CLB Core Values for their task of making disciples.”

Dr. David Veum is President of Lutheran Brethren Seminary in Fergus Falls, MN.

Visit Lutheran Brethren Seminary online at www.lbs.edu.

e’re moving to Fergus Falls!” Well, I wasn’t quite that blunt, but almost. I had been commut-

ing for most of the school year to an evan-gelical seminary. Since I had to spend a year at Lutheran Brethren Seminary anyway in order to be ordained as a pastor in the Church of the Lutheran Brethren, my plan was to stay where I was for a second year and then move to Fergus. Only, I was tired of the drive and being away from my fam-ily a couple nights a week. So we changed the plan. That’s not all that changed. I changed my mind. I honestly had not expected that the quality of any of the education at LBS would compare with that of a major semi-nary. I was wrong. I met faculty who were true scholars in their fields. More importantly, I had a change of heart about the Word of God. I had not been aware of an attitude toward the Bible that was developing in me at the first school. One professor in particular used a mild form of what is called “higher criticism” for exam-ining the Scriptures. In the process I subtly began to put myself above the Word. When I came to LBS, Dr. Boe began the class in interpreting the Scripture with the Bible on the lectern and with these words: “Students, our task in this class is to learn how to correctly examine the Scriptures.” Then he got down on his hands and knees, put his face to the floor, and said, “But we will first learn to always let the Scriptures examine us.” I was stunned, not by the sight of my dear professor with his face on the floor, but by the attitude I discovered in my heart.

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I met faculty who were true scholars in their fields. More importantly, I had a change of heart about the Word of God.

DAVID VEUM

A Moving ExperiencePREPARING PASTORS

IS GOD TRYING TO GET YOUR ATTENTION?

ANSWER THE CALL!

God is calling people into the ministry.Is He calling you?

Lutheran Brethren Seminary: 218-739-3375 • www.lbs.eduPreparing Lutheran pastors, chaplains, and missionaries.

orthern North Dakota? Can any good thing happen there? Well, yes. Read on!

On Saturday November 13, the combined elder and trustee boards from Ebenezer Lu-theran Brethren Church (Rolette), Bethel Lutheran Brethren Church (Antler) and Grace Lutheran Brethren Church (Bottin-eau) met together for the first time ever! Before telling you more about the meet-ing, let me give a little background. As many of you know, our synod is divided into five regions, and within each region our congregations are grouped into clusters of churches for mutual fellowship and en-couragement. And so over the last number of months the pastors in our cluster from the frozen north—Antler, Bottineau, and Rolette—have been gathering on a regular basis. And as we’ve met together we’ve raised several questions among ourselves: How might our congregations fellowship more closely? How might we create a greater sense of Lutheran Brethren iden-tity? How might we encourage greater mis-sion awareness and involvement? Well, we started rather simply by planning a com-b i n e d worship service. This past summer our three churches gathered on the first Sunday in August for an outdoor worship service and dinner on the shores of beautiful Lake Me-tigoshe (located on the North Dakota/Mani-toba border). The gathering was a success, but what next? What was next for us as pastors was to ask our respective church councils if they would be interested in gathering to-gether sometime in the fall to discuss a significant joint ministry venture right in our own backyard—namely, the new Lu-theran Brethren church plant in Watford City, North Dakota. We presented our vi-

sion in September, and our councils read-ily agreed to the proposal. On November 13 we met at Grace Lutheran in Bottineau for three hours, joined by our Regional Pastor, Gary Witkop. The oneness of heart and spirit was amazing. Out of our discussions we voted

to recommend to our individ-ual congrega-tions that we join together in 2011 to gather funds

every month to support the work of Liv-ing Faith Church in Watford City. The funds are to go specifically toward help-ing pay Pastor Bob Lawson’s salary. Here’s how it will work: every month we will gather funds from our three churches, but rather than sending individual checks, we will combine the dollars into one check. We voted to do this because our three churches are not interested in competition or comparison. Our three churches are in this mission enterprise together, and we want even the way we handle our funds to be for the glory of God.

CRAIG JENNINGS

But that’s not all. We also voted that when we send our combined monthly check we will send along a regular note of encourage-ment to our brothers and sisters in Watford City (we will rotate writing the note each month among our three churches). In addi-tion, we agreed that when other needs arise at Living Faith in the days to come, we will prayerfully consider how we might be of additional help. There is no greater joy than giving and sacrificing for the cause of Christ. Every spiritual blessing is ours in the Savior. Every grace and gift is from his hand. Our plea to all of you across our synod is that in the light of the cross, you would give away your life for what matters—to in-vest your time and energy and resources in the Great Commission. We challenge other clusters of churches to find ways to support and encourage our various shared ministries. “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

Dr. Craig Jennings is pastor of Grace LBC, Bot-tineau, ND.

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One in Heart and Mind


All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.

Acts 4:32


aughter floated through the dark-ened skies at the California Hot Springs last spring, as women tried

to wring every drop of time from the night to carry it home for another year! Drip-ping wet, they left damp footprints on the flashlight-lit paths leading to the South-west-style lodgings. Five months later, a group of Midwest women were late-night hot-tubbing at a wooded southern Minne-sota retreat center unaware that they were mirroring their California sisters in Christ! What did these women have in com-mon, besides being able to go swimming when it wasn’t summer? They were form-ing relationships, finding common ground in Christ, the giver of the water of life. In a respite from their busy work-world or hectic home life, they were refreshed and gained strength from hearing speakers who encouraged and uplifted them. They were challenged to continue following in the footsteps of Jesus. Later in the fall near the Canadian border, an intimate group of North Dakota pas-tors’ wives gathered to spend a weekend together. Savoring coffee, chocolate, and conversations with each other, they ap-preciated the topic of “Savoring Moments with God.” Back in northern Minnesota a group of Seminary wives had also been enjoying hot chocolate, snacks and other warm drinks to the accompaniment of crisp outdoor smells. The rainy weekend didn’t dampen their spirits, as they played games and visited “into the wee hours, kind of re-living life as it was when we were teenagers!” Their theme, “He is the Potter, I am the Clay,” brought both freedom and food for thought. Both groups experienced the sweetness of our God who creates us, wraps us in the warmth of his love, and envelops us with the fellow-ship of his family. It was raining as the Washington and Or-egon women arrived at their retreat too, but safe in one building, they were soon as pampered as their theme, “Daughters of the King,” had proclaimed! East Coast women

had pampering available at their Tuscarora, Pennsylvania retreat too, through foot spas, massages, manicures and pedicures. What a concrete example of the value and worth God places on us. We are special to the King of Kings! Yet both groups learned that as we grow in him, he desires and enables us to be vulnerable with our sisters, to remove masks, to reach out and help those around us. Many responded to God’s call on their lives. Some began to make specific plans to partner with other churches in mission. An intimate gathering, an auditorium, a banquet room, or a conference room—the size didn’t matter. Themes like “Come Grow in Me,” “Wardrobe of Joy,” and “Living Inside Out” perhaps drew some. But what I saw and heard from coast to coast this past year was a desire for time away from daily routine. Some were weary of work and ready to play, others were bur-dened by responsibility and craving a rest. They were refreshed. Many were thirsty for time to develop connections with females in their local church family in a larger re-treat setting; others hungry for time to di-gest meat from God’s Word. They were fed. But is all the work and preparation you

CHERYL OLSEN

have to do in order to leave home worth it? One working mom said, “Yes! It totally is! More than you can ask or imagine!” These women were valued. They returned home satisfied, with burdens lifted and a greater sense of purpose. Jesus, with only three years to complete his immense work, still called his own dis-ciples away from daily routine at times. Women today are also finding rest, refresh-ment, and rejuvenation as they join others to meet with him!

Cheryl Olsen is Information Coordinator for Women’s Ministries of the CLB.

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Hot Tubs, Hot Chocolate, and Pedicures

VISIT WMCLB ONLINE

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Inside A Global Crisis!

Jan 17th 1:30-5:00 David Kinnaman President of Barna Group

Jan 18th 8:30-12:00 Joel C. Executive Director for a Christian non-profit organization in East Asia 1:30-5:00 Breakout Groups Christianity Explored

Jan 19th 8:30-10:00 Dr. Eugene Boe Professor of Systematic Theology at Lutheran Brethren Seminary 10:30-12:00 Dr. Joel Christenson

I can’t think of any picture that could better rep-resent the 40th anniversary celebration that took place at Inspiration LBC, Breckenridge, MN on October 31, 2010 than this one. Mr. Paul Ru-groden is installed by the congregation as its new-est Elder and joining in the ceremony are synod leaders, former pastors and Elders. This singular part of the service captures the spirit and reality of a congregation that has gone through an awful lot in the past year. The reality is, Inspiration’s moving forward, its leadership is rebuilding and all who worship and serve here are committed to doing just that: worshiping and serving. Joy. Prayer. Songs. Praise. Grace. Memories. Tears. Peace. Work. Rest. All parts of a day spent celebrating the One who is truly faithful and al-ways worthy of praise. Our thanks to all who have been in prayer over the ministry of Inspiration Lu-theran Brethren Church. By God’s grace, we look forward to the next forty years!

Rev. Bruce Stumbo serves Inspiration LBC as Interim Pastor.

Celebrating God’s Faithfulness

Regional Conventions

Seminary J-TermMinistry in a Post-Christian World

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011

Over the past ten years, Pastor Jim Folz and his wife Cheryl have been involved in ministry with Pastor François Delange of Pignon, Haiti. They help support his church and orphanage in Pignon.

Recently a crisis has occurred.

Pastor François and his wife have been renting a house for their fam-ily and the 18 orphans that they care for. Because of the earthquake in Haiti last year, people from Port au Prince have moved to Pignon, and the value of the home they were renting has increased substantially. As a result the landlord has tried to kick them out. Fortunately Pastor François has paid rent through January 2011.

Last October (2009), before the earthquake, Pastor Jim Folz and Rog-er Rowe visited Pignon and felt a need to help purchase a piece of land, with the goal of eventually building an orphanage. Little did they know what the following year would bring.

As a result of the current crisis, plans to build the orphanage have been put in motion ahead of schedule. Pastor François and Pastor Folz are partnering with the Haiti Orphanage Rescue Program (HORP), a charitable organization started by US contractors to provide shelter for orphans displaced by the earthquake.

The HORP will oversee the project to insure the orphanage is built safe. In addition they will match any financial contribution to the project.

For more information regarding this project please contact:

Pastor Jim & Cheryl Folz2517 Heffron St • Stevens Point, WI 54481Phone: 715-344-8419 • Email: [email protected]

1 John 1:7

Walk in the light

The blood of Jesus

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LBS • 815 W. Vernon Ave. • Fergus Falls, MN

Pacific Region - South ............................February 25-26Canadian Region .........................................March 18-20Eastern Region ...............................................June 24-26Central Region ...............................................June 24-26Pacific Region - North ............................. June 28-July 3Western Region ..............................................August 3-6

Women’s Ministries Annual Convention .......June 24-26


Faith & Fellowship is the official publication of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren, 1020 W. Alcott Ave., P.O. Box 655, Fergus Falls, MN 56538-0655, issued six times a year (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/December) by Faith and Fellowship Publishing, 1020 W. Alcott Ave., P.O. Box 655, Fergus Falls, MN 56538-0655. Phone (218)736-7357. The viewpoints expressed in the articles are those of the authors and may or may not necessarily reflect the official position of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America (CLBA). Periodicals Postage Paid at Fergus Falls, Minnesota 56538.

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Feb. 7, 2010

t was dusk on a Monday evening after a long Fourth of July weekend and I had a five-hour drive ahead of me. Due to some last-minute errand, I approached the interstate

by County Highway 1, not my usual route. At the end of the on-ramp stood a man in his early twenties. I almost drove by, hesitated, then stopped—exactly what I tell my children not to do! I didn’t know it, the young man didn’t know it, but we had a scheduled appointment. As he entered the car, I noted his appearance to be more haggard and scruffy than I’d anticipated, causing me a bit more apprehension. Where was he headed? He described a suburban Minneapolis neighborhood. I was going his way. I didn’t offer it immediately, but I realized I could take him all the way home without taking much of a detour myself. We were complete strangers with seemingly nothing in common, but we were faced with three uninterrupted hours together. Might as well talk. He was very grateful for the ride, as he’d feared not being picked up at all. What was he doing there? He’d been on his way to visit some friends for a weekend party, but was stopped and arrested for drunk driving—not his first offense. His car was impounded and he was jailed. Unable to reach his lawyer, too ashamed and too afraid to call his parents, he’d spent the long holiday weekend in jail. Released that evening with no car and no money, he’d walked the several miles out to the interstate. If he didn’t make it to work the next morning, he feared he’d lose his job. He had “a history” with his parents, with his boss, and with the law. He felt that his whole life was falling apart. There can a sense of safety in opening ourselves up to strangers whom we’ll never meet again. So he did, and I did. I realized we had some things in common, and I shared them with him. I talked about the heavenly Father who at great personal cost paid the price for the failures of people like us who had disappointed him, failed him, even betrayed him. We talked about the young man’s life. He raised some questions about the Bible and expressed an interest in joining a Bible study group. As we finally neared his parents’ house, I asked if I could pray for him. He seemed to appreciate it. Before saying good-bye, I encouraged him to walk into the office of the church down the block and ask if there was a Bible study he could join. This was not normal behavior for me. Just walking up to a

stranger and talking about Christ? No way. But engaging a person in conversation, showing interest in them and seeing where the Lord takes us? Yes, maybe I could do that. Divine appointments? I’m sure I’ve missed way too many. But I believe they are scheduled for us, probably less often with strangers and more often with people we already know, maybe even loved ones. How may we see and grasp these opportunities? Ask the Lord for awareness, courage, and love—to view people through his eyes, to initiate a friendly conversation, and then just go where he takes us.

Rev. Brent Juliot is Editor of Faith & Fellowship Magazine, teaches math at Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, and serves as senior pastor at Stavanger Luther-an Church in Fergus Falls, MN.

Brent Juliot

www.ffmagazine.org | www.ffblog.org | www.ffbooks.org | @ffmag

The Appointment

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Rev. Randy Mortenson, who has regularly written the “reThink” column is taking a break. We at Faith & Fellowship would like to thank him for his faithful service. Thanks, Randy! Your contribution has been appreciated.

Living as a Witness

Documents

Transcript of Living as a Witness