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The Lamb's Pen, November 2012
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Transcript of The Lamb's Pen, November 2012
NOVEMBER 2012
The Lamb’s Pen
A monthly publication of Abiding Shepherd Lutheran Church
“BRING them in...LIFT them up...SEND them out”
MISSION UPDATE (Ruthann Mickelson)
On a gorgeous Saturday, October 20th, 100
ladies and gentlemen from the area gathered for
the Fall Rally of our ELS Women’s Missionary
Society at Western Koshkonong Lutheran Church
in rural Cottage Grove. We learned from Bill and Faith Krug about the Czech
Republic and their experiences at the Martin Luther School in the city of Plzen.
The Krugs volunteered there from March through May of this year. We also
visited Chile via modern media and heard about how Chelsea Dietsche
teaches English as a Second Language there. Pastor Paul Fries brought us up
to date on ELS foreign missions. We voted to disburse $6,550 to various mission
endeavors. Our luncheon was delicious, the Holy Spirit lifted our hearts and
we came away with new enthusiasm to spread the Gospel here in the U.S.
and throughout the world!
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” Matt. 28:19
Visit our website at
www.AbidingShepherd.org
The Lamb’s Pen - 2
Abiding Shepherd Lutheran Church
406 W. Cottage Grove Road
Cottage Grove, WI 53527
(608) 839-3770
Pastor Nathan Krause
Pastor Nathanael Abrahamson
“When you have THE SHEPHERD…
...you have everything you need.”
NEWS AND EVENTS
3 - November 2012
Blake Ole Hougan was baptized on
Sunday, September 23. We
celebrate with his family as he is
adopted into God’s Christian family.
Violet Johanna Lee Marty was born
on Sunday, October 14 and
welcomed into God’s family through
baptism on Monday, October 15.
Stephanie Schilling and son,
Preston, recently joined Abiding
Shepherd! Please take a moment
to welcome her!
Several members of Abiding Shepherd
pitched in to help
Kids Around the World
pack over 400,000 meals for students
in Haiti on Wednesday, October 10.
The Lamb’s Pen - 4
FYI… (Pastor Krause)
Spiritual information… My Turn. Last Month Pastor Abrahamson offered up
some great answers concerning worship. You may recall as the result of our
first Trinity study this year we had a good list of questions. This month it’s my
turn to tackle a few more...
WHAT ABOUT WORSHIP LEADERS OTHER THAN THE PASTOR? That’s a great
question and it has been asked many times throughout the history of the
church. At the time of the Reformation, the church fathers, in our Lutheran
Confessions, made sure to answer it. In the Augsburg Confession, article XIV,
the answer is given: “Of Ecclesiastical Order they teach that no one should
publicly teach in the Church or administer the Sacraments unless he is
regularly called.”
The Reformers recognized that while many people are willing, and many
others would be capable of leading worship, God has established an order
and specifications as to who can lead worship. The main passages in which
God outlines the answer are: 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 1 Timothy 2:11-15; and 1
Corinthians 14:34-36. Titus 1:5-9 also reiterates some of the qualifications for a
called worker and worship leader.
HOW TO LEAD NON-CHRISTIANS TO CHRISTIANS IN WORSHIP? This question is a
little more complex than the previous because it has to do with what we
can, and what we cannot do, as humans. First, we should realize that
worship is an activity for believers. Non-Christians have no desire or reason to
worship God. Second, worship is for believers to express their thanks and give
glory to God while at the same time to be nourished and fed by God.
Neither of these purposes for worship apply to a non-Christian.
So the best answer is that first we must reach out to and evangelize to non-
Christians. This is not the purpose of the worship service, but rather the goal of
our personal and our corporate sharing of faith. In witnessing, our first task is
to use the Law appropriately to show the need for a Savior. Once that need
is realized, then we apply the Gospel and share the amazing truth that God
Himself has provided salvation through Jesus. Whether or not someone else
believes this truth is not our job or our goal. Witnessing is our goal. But faith is
the gift of the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit then gives His gift of faith and the
non-Christian becomes Christian, then we can teach and mentor them in
worship of the true God.
WHAT IS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN PRAYER AND WORSHIP? Both prayer and
worship are fruits of our faith, each serving a different purpose. We should
remember that prayer can be a form of worship, but not always. Two of the
four reasons we pray are to adore/glorify God and to give Him thanks for His
goodness. These are acts of worship whether done privately or in a public
worship service. But there are two other reasons to pray: to confess our sins to
God and to ask for His help (for ourselves or for others). These may be part of
a worship service, but not necessarily worship in and of themselves.
On the other hand, parts of our worship service can be prayer, such as, the
general prayer after the sermon, the unified praying of the Lord’s Prayer, or
offering up special petitions to God. But not all parts of worship are prayer:
the reading of the Scripture lessons, the sermon, the blessing - these are
moments in worship when God speaks to us. It is by God’s grace, whether in
public worship or the private practice of our faith, that when He speaks to us
we are then led to speak to God in our prayers.
CHILDREN IN WORSHIP? This question is a little more difficult because it is not
defined. If it is asked to see whether or not children should be able to have a
part in the service where they lead others in worship, that is answered in the
first section. If the question is asked wondering if it is right and proper for
children to be part of the congregation during worship, then the answer is
“by all means, yes!”
This answer is not to condemn churches which have a separate children’s
sermon or even a separate children’s service, but such activities often work
at cross-purposes to God’s desire for our worship. Some might object and
raise the point that children can be distracted or distracting in worship. The
idea of some is to provide age appropriate worship opportunities as a benefit
to all age groups.
God speaks indirectly to the concept of segregating ages and people
when it comes to worship and the study of His word. While all children need
to be taught how to worship, God tells parents to be involved with and
provide for the Christian education and worship of our children. Consider
such passages as Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Deuteronomy 11:16-21; and Mark
10:13-16. One last thought, if children seem distracting during worship there
are a few things one can do - sit in the front of the church or even offer to
help so that the child’s parents might be able to worship occasionally without
distraction.
5 - November 2012
ABIDING SHEPHERD TRAVELS TO STOUGHTON (Tammy Niedfeldt)
Thank you to the Abiding Shepherd crew who spent
Saturday, October 13 working on a Thrivent Builds with
Habitat for Humanity home in Stoughton. The crew
worked on hanging drywall. The leader said that the
team did well and that they normally spend about eight
full days hanging drywall. Our team was “day three” and
accomplished much. We had fun and even learned a
new trick or two with cutting out boxes! Thanks to
everyone for their dedication and hard work, Valerie and
her two children will be "home" in time for Christmas!
The Lamb’s Pen - 6
DIRECT MINISTRY AND MISSION SUPPORT FOR 2013 (Pastor Abrahamson)
This past year we put into place an exciting new Direct
Ministry and Mission Support policy. With this program, we
as a congregation choose four different ministries or
missions outside of Abiding Shepherd to sponsor. In
addition to a certain portion of our church budget being
set towards those ministries and missions, individuals also
have the opportunity to support them as well. Each
quarter of the year we focus on one of the four missions chosen and support
them through prayer and through our financial blessings. The four ministries
that we have sponsored this year are:
Ukraine VBS Program
Salty Earth Pictures
Friends of China
India Orphanage Fund
The time has come for us to start thinking about what missions and ministries
God would have us support this next year. Please prayerfully consider
ministries you’ve heard about and e-mail your suggestions to me at
[email protected]. Our Coordination Team will
choose four organizations from those suggestions and submit them for
approval at the Annual Congregational Meeting.
CHRISTMAS FOR KIDS (Pastor Abrahamson)
Can you believe that we’re already talking
about Christmas? It seems like there is no way
we could be to that part of the year already
but just look at the calendar - the Christmas
season will be soon upon us! With the holiday
season quickly approaching, that means that
CHRISTMAS FOR KIDS will also be here before
you know it!
Our annual Christmas for Kids is our BIGGEST OUTREACH EVENT of the year
and is perhaps what we are most known for in the Cottage Grove
community! The first three Saturdays in December, 70 to 80 kids, ages two
through eleven, fill Abiding Shepherd from 9:00 am to noon for a morning of
stories, songs, and crafts all centered on the real reason for the season! After
three Saturdays of learning the Christmas story and
learning Christmas songs, parents, family, and friends
are invited to join the kids on Sunday December 16,
for the annual Christmas for Kids Pageant! This
program will include energetic kids Christmas songs
performed by the kids themselves, classic Christmas
carols sung by everyone, as well as a message from
Pastor Abrahamson.
Something new this year, instead of having the oldest group of kids perform
a play, this group will put together props and artwork that will visually show us
the Christmas story while those great classic Christmas Bible passages are
read, telling the Christmas story both straight from God’s Word and through
visuals created by the kids themselves. You are not going to want to miss this!
As you can imagine, an incredible undertaking of
this magnitude takes many hands at work to pull
off. Soon you will see information not only on how
to sign your children up to attend, but also how
you can help make this a wonderful success by
volunteering to help. If you have any questions
please contact:
Claire Doelger at (608) 839-4567 or
Pastor Abrahamson at the office (608) 839-3770.
7 - November 2012
The Lamb’s Pen - 8
E.P.I.C. RETREAT
October 19 - 21 was truly an “EPIC”
weekend at the Great Wolf Lodge in
Wisconsin Dells, as around 80 youth
and chaperones came together for a
“Storylines” Fall Youth Retreat! In
addition to our own E.P.I.C. youth,
there were youth there from Connect
Youth Ministry in the Twin Cities,
E.D.G.E. Youth Ministry in Weyauwega, Wisconsin, Salem Lutheran in Stillwater,
Minnesota, Holy Cross Lutheran, and several other churches in southern
Wisconsin and the Twin Cities area!
The theme for the weekend was “Storylines,” talking about how God’s story
has collided with our story, making our story His story. We began the weekend
Friday night by telling fun stories from our lives.
Saturday morning we turned the storytelling to God’s Word, acting out and
re-telling incredible Bible stories. The
afternoon was spent in the Great
Wolf Lodge’s massive indoor water
park and making use of their arcade.
Saturday evening we “sculpted”
through acting and posing several
situations that are common in families
today. Then after some free time we watched several videos where people
told their real life stories of how God had changed their stories. These videos
jump-started a very intense nighttime discussion where we role played some
of life’s toughest situations and talked about how God is writing our story in a
positive way in even the toughest of times. Also, Saturday evening a couple
musicians from Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel joined us and added a very
special worship element to the retreat.
The retreat wrapped up Sunday morning with a closing session based on a
video called “God’s Chisel” where we talked about how difficult repentance
is and yet, how beneficial as it’s at the cross where we are forgiven and
made right, and it’s through the cross that now God is writing our story.
All praise and thanks and glory to God for such an incredible retreat and
providing both the youth and the adult volunteers to make the retreat what
it was!
9 - November 2012
FOR YOUR NOVEMBER CALENDAR!
FALL CLEAN-UP DAY (Dale Fredenberg)
Saturday, November 3, 8:30 - Noon
There is quite a list of projects in the works for fall clean-up
this year! On the top of that list is the usual leaf raking (we
are blessed to have a LOT of trees). Also scheduled is
cutting back perennials, weeding throughout the drainage
field, clearing brush behind the church, preparing stumps
for removal and, finally, trenching for a new downspout.
Round up the family for a morning of working together to complete these
projects. Please bring rakes, gloves, shovels, wheelbarrows, gas powered
weed eaters and pruning shears.
PROGRESSIVE DINNER (Leslie Wren)
Saturday, November 3, 5:00 pm
It is progressive dinner time again — an evening of great food
and interesting conversations! Not familiar with progressive
dinners? Everyone will meet at the home of Rick and Kathy
Bondow for appetizers, then travel to church for the main course
and finish with dessert at the home of Steve and Sheryl Albers.
Please sign up on the bulletin board in the church lobby if you
would like to help or attend this fun evening. Maps will be
available at church.
TIME CHANGE Sunday, November 4
Daylight Savings Time ends at 2:00 am on Sunday,
November 4. Please be reminded that clocks should be
turned back one hour before retiring on Saturday night.
Of course, if you forget and show up an hour early for
church, there are always chores and jobs waiting for you
to tackle.
(November calendar items continue on page 10…)
The Lamb’s Pen - 10
BETHANY AUXILIARY Western Koshkonong Church, Cottage Grove
Tuesday, November 6, 1:00 pm
Come for a fabulous luncheon at 1:00 pm and then
stay for the presentation. The guest speak will be our
very own Pastor Abrahamson! He will be talking
about the Christ in Media Conference he attended in
October. Please sign up at church if you would like to attend.
PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY (Bonnie Anderson and Sue Bethke)
Thursday, November 8, 6:00 pm
The prayer shawl ministry group met for the second time Thursday,
October 11. We started with a yummy dessert and enjoyed fun
conversation while we each worked on individual projects. We started to
teach one of our members to crochet. By the end of the evening she was
ready to start a small project.
We have had many hands at work this past
month. We have six lap robes, three shawls and
a baby blanket completed. God has blessed our
church with many talented ladies. Our next
meeting will be Thursday, November 8. We meet
at church from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. We would love to
have you join us.
EUCHRE NIGHT AT ABIDING SHEPHERD (Sue O’Kroley)
Friday, November 16, 6:30 pm
You do NOT need to be an experienced player!
You do NOT need a partner to come - many singles play.
You do NOT need to commit to a full season of cards
You DO need to be willing to have some fun!
Most folks bring a snack to share. If you would like to join or find out more,
please contact Sue at 332-3622 or [email protected].
(November calendar items continue on page 11…)
11 - November 2012
ADVENT BY CANDLELIGHT (Kathryn Banbury and Ruthann Mickelson)
Who? Women (family and friends!) of Abiding Shepherd
What? An evening of Advent readings, singing and dessert
When? Sunday, November 18, 6:00 pm
Where? Abiding Shepherd Worship Area
Why? To prepare our hearts and minds to focus on the birth of our Savior
prior to the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations
Six women have volunteered to be hostesses for this
event. Each woman will adorn her table with
personal Christmas decorations including many
candles and prepare a dessert for her five guests.
The program that evening will include Advent Bible
readings and hymns as well as an object lesson on
the gifts believers receive. Please join us for an
evening of being pampered - there is nothing for
you to bring or do, just enjoy a relaxing evening
bathed in the soft glow of candlelight with other
sisters of faith!
THANKSGIVING EVE WORSHIP SERVICE Wednesday, November 21, 7:00 pm
“I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will
sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.” Psalm 7:17
This Thanksgiving Eve bring your family for an evening of praise and
thanksgiving as we celebrate all that the Lord has accomplished in our
personal lives and in our congregation this past year! Please plan to come a
few minutes early to view a pre-service PowerPoint of a year’s worth of
blessings the Lord has poured out on Abiding Shepherd. The choir is already
preparing an anthem to sing that evening. And finally, enjoy a slice of fresh
pumpkin or apple pie before heading home to finish your family’s
Thanksgiving Day preparations. Please join us!
The Lamb’s Pen - 12
Cartoons used by permission...
Copyright © 2011 The Zondervan Corporation.