A U G U S T 2 0 1 2
Checklists
T aking a vacation on a motorcycle might not sound like much fun to some people, but the
picture of a long, winding road through the wild west has been pulling on me for a long
time. So when the opportunity came to ride with the Christian Motorcycle Association to the
Black Hills of South Dakota, I jumped at the invitation.
With little experience at long-distance touring, I’ve been preoccupied with what to pack.
I’m not sure how to pack for heat and cold, rain or sun, riding and walking and all the
variations that we will encounter. With the checklist of necessities growing, the saddlebags on
the bike are looking pretty small! In addition, there will be preparations for getting the bike ready so there
aren’t any mechanical surprises in the middle of nowhere. A good checklist is critical to getting the most
out of this vacation.
Checklists have also come up in other circumstances these days. I have found myself in discussions related
to the passing of loved ones into eternity. Some of these losses have been expected while others are tragic
and unexpected.
No matter the circumstances, they always involve a checklist. For example, in a recent conversation I
wondered aloud what the spiritual condition of the person was. The response was a checklist that included
church involvement, community presence and being a nice person. Our usual checklist at the end of life.
We all use checklists to guide our lives. It is not simply an end of life appraisal process, but an on-going
review process. But my fear is that we come to a final review of our lives and realize that we have been
using the wrong checklist. That first morning in eternity is not the place to discover that my checklist
doesn’t line up with God’s checklist! It would be like using a Martha Stewart catalogue to plan my
motorcycle trip – it just wouldn’t be of much use on a lonely stretch of road in South Dakota.
God’s checklist is radically different than ours. His is based on grace. It’s based on His work not ours. It
aligns with His identity and not our self-image. His checklist has more to do with faith and trust than on any
good works we can offer up. Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16-17 and Romans 8:1 are examples of God’s truth
and checklist bullet points. We do well to take these with us on this road called life. With His Truth as our
checklist, our lives will become a seamless passage between our present reality and God’s
eternal life.
Looking ahead to the fall season of ministry, I’m excited for what we have planned. The reason for the
enthusiasm is that we are passionate about helping as many as we can to base their lives on the things that
matter most to God. For our kids, our marriages, our lives and the lives of those all around us, we want to
see everyone working off of God’s checklist!
Pastor Mike will be on vacation during August. Please call the church office with any needs you may have.
By Pastor Mike Sindelar
P A G E 2
W ow, summer has been going by so quickly. Even though it is
taboo to talk about school approaching, we are nearly half
way there. There have been many exciting things planned for the
summer, and still more come. My first youth outing, where I had the
opportunity to facilitate, was a blessing. I took a trip with seven
young men from Valley along with Andi Custer’s gang from
Oakwood Community Church of Waconia, to Noah’s Ark Water Park
in Wisconsin Dells. It was a great time of building friendships
between all the guys that came along. God truly blessed us on this
trip. There was supposed to be a 60% chance of rain in Wisconsin
Dells during the time we were going to be there. Through much
prayer and God’s blessing the downpour of rain we drove through
to get there stayed 60 miles away from us. There was not a drop
before we camped, while we were camping, or at the park. The day
at the park was filled with sun, fun, and shenanigans. Although the
90+ degree weather gave most quite the sunburn. Thank you to Jan
Schmit for her prayers that the rain would stay at bay, and to the
Horner’s for sacrificially allowing us to use their van to travel there.
Sunday CruX nights have been going very well also. We have on
average about 12-15 people each night, which is very good during
the summer, knowing that many people are busy during these fun
months. As a group, we have been taking our time going through
2 Peter chapter 1, which highlights the importance of Christ and His
“precious and very great promises”. On July 8th, we focused on
verses 5-7. Our faith is only in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and how
no amount of work we can do can save us, although we are called to
supplement to our faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control,
perseverance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. The next
verse continues, “ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing,
they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Fearfully though, if you lack these
qualities, Peter states that we risk forgetting we are even cleansed
from sins. Jesus is Savior and Lord in our lives, and through growing
in these areas Christ is Lord in our life even more.
At the end of July, a group of us headed north to Camp of the
Master. The camp was started by our very own Pete Tornquist’s
Uncle “Shell” years ago. We studied through the book of Acts
looking at different characters like Stephen, Paul, and Barnabas.
Pastor Mike and Pete’s Dad wonderfully contributed to the bible
studies. The whole weekend was Olympic themed and filled with
competitions ranging from minnow racing, to volleyball, to even
treading water with a rock on the forehead. The camp staff was
immensely generous with their portions of food, and it tasted
extremely delicious. By the end no one wanted to leave and all were
agreeing that they wanted to come back next year. Even some of
the seniors said the same. Overall it was a great trip, and the staff
commented many times on how amazing the group of students we
had are. Here is a little testimony from Joel Larson.
“The weekend of June 28, I went to Camp of the Master. It was a
blast and definitely a great way to end my trips with the youth
group in my senior year. We went through the book of Acts over the
weekend and Ananias's story really challenged me for starting a new
chapter in my life. To actually be able to listen to where God wants
me no matter where I am or what God is asking me to do-I will go.
For me, it’s heading off to plumbing school in St Cloud, but God
could be pulling me somewhere else right before I get out or right
before I have a job. This is what God has been putting in my heart
over my weekend at Camp of the Master.”
happenings
by Jared Carpentier, Interim Youth Director
By Linda Stone
P A G E 3
I am overjoyed to be able to share that the Jesus film, Magdalena and the Story of Jesus for
Children, three films that we have been working on translating, are completed and being
distributed in the country this very moment!
While technically not a miracle, it sure feels like it to me! This project has taken 3+ years to complete, but I am happy to say we have great
films to use as resources in help exposure the 40 million Firelands* people of the world to the life of Jesus! Magdalena is the story of Jesus
seen through the eyes Mary of Magdalene. The strategic nature of this film is that is speaks specifically to women in Muslim cultures.
The Jesus Film Ministry office tells me that the Firelands* has a reputation of being one of the most challenging countries to work in. Yet,
the Lord is Victor! Please stop for a minute, shout “Hallelujah” and do a little dance in thanksgiving! This is seriously worth celebrating!
This last month, I was able to travel to visit some national friends from the Firelands*
where I served. This dear couple helped with the translation/recording of the three films.
Their story is featured in the Voice of the Martyrs April 2012 issue.
Nearly two years ago, they were forced to seek religious asylum outside their country. With
their two children in tow, they left with only a couple suitcases, not sure when they would
see their families again, trusting the Lord to provide for them. After a night in a hotel, they
walked into a police station, surrendered their passports, and explained the threats they
had received for their ministry.
After six weeks in temporary housing, they were moved to semi-permanent refugee housing, essentially a two room tenement with a
shared kitchen and bathroom stacked upon other refugees from various countries. Connecting with a small Turkish fellowship, they have
picked up household items to furnish this apartment. Living on a very small refugee stipend, they are facing potentially a 5-year process in
the court system to get residency. Yet they are at peace.
It is interesting to think that while leaving their homeland never crossed their minds until they were forced out, the Lord is now using them
to reach people from all over the Muslim world. They have asked me to get them multi-languages copies of the three films to use among
other refugees. They long to worship again in their native language and are asking God to use them to establish a Firelands* fellowship.
Perhaps even launch an internet Christian radio station to help reach their people with the Gospel globally. I am asking the Lord how I can
help resource them.
During our time together, they asked me for nothing, put on a wonderful spread of national food, prayed over me and put a song in my
heart as I drove off. I left wondering if I would receive someone as well if the tables were turned.
Supported by your gifts to the Missions Outreach Fund, Linda Stone reaches out to Muslims in the Turkish world.
She is currently stateside, planning to go back to the Firelands* this fall.
*For security reasons we have referred to the country where Linda serves, as Firelands.
by Linda Stone, VEFC Missionary
P A G E 4
O n July 22-26, seventy-seven children came through the
doors each evening ready to have fun at VBS! Each evening
began with us singing and dancing like crazy people to the music
of Go Fish, and praising Jesus while doing it. Then the four groups
of children (called the Cymbals, Drums, Guitars and Keyboards)
spent the next two hours playing games, making crafts, learning
about Bible translation in Africa for the Lughulu people, eating
delicious snacks and learning about God’s greatness, authority,
providence, power and love. The evening ended with more danc-
ing and singing. The gospel message was clearly shared on
Wednesday night and the children given an opportunity to re-
spond to that message. I do not know of any specific decisions for
Christ, but I do know that God’s Word will not return void. Seeds
were planted this week that will be watered and tended by us or
others, but God will give the increase.
Out of the 77 children that came this week, only 27 of them were
Valley kids. Fifty children were from other churches and sur-
rounding communities. There were a few children here who do
not attend church on a regular basis. Several children came be-
cause they were invited by members of Valley. A few came be-
cause of the sign on the corner. The postcards, emails and Face-
book advertising were effective in letting people know about our
program. But, ultimately, they were here because God wanted
them here.
Our mission’s project for the week was collecting money to send
to OneVerse.org to help them translate the Bible into the Lughulu
language for the Lughulu people. This tribe of 800,000 from the
mountainous region of Tanzania will have the New Testament in
their own language by the end of this year. It will take another 5
or 6 years to finish the Old Testament. The children were so very
by Mary Lou Menning, VBS Coordinator
generous and we collected $338, enough to translate 13 verses. We
even found out that the verses we helped to translate were 1 Chroni-
cles 12:24-36. Look it up!
We tried some new things this year at VBS. A Parent Night was held
on Monday evening. Parents were invited to stay for the evening
and be a part of VBS. Pastor Mike and Jan spoke to them for a while
and then they joined the 4th- 6th graders downstairs during their craft
time to help make sandwiches for a ministry called 363days. This
Twin Cities ministry distributes sandwiches made by volunteers to
the homeless through various shelters and food shelves. The kids
and the parents made 150 sandwiches in about 15 minutes. IT WAS
AWESOME! Another service project for the week included deco-
rating placemats, birthday cards and lunch bags for Meals on
Wheels. One 6-year old boy told Connie Phillips to make sure that
his bag he was decorating got an extra big sandwich in it. We also
wrote messages and drew pictures on pieces of cardboard that will
attached to pallets of food that Feed My Starving Children will be
sending to either Zimbabwe or North Korea.
What can I say about our amazing volunteers? Fifty-nine volunteers
gave unselfishly of themselves, their time and their energy to make
VBS happen. They worked tirelessly in their respective areas, making
this one of the best, most well-run programs ever. THANK YOU just
seems so inadequate when it comes to trying to express how grateful
I am for their help and participation. VBS would NOT have happened
without them. If you volunteered or donated supplies or prayed for
us, THANK YOU. To God alone be the glory, great things HE has
done!
P A G E 5
A s the truck turned to go west on Highway 212 last week, we
said good-bye to 150 of our church chairs. They were headed
to Rock Haven Church, an Evangelical Free Church in Granite Falls.
Their departure for a new season of ‘chair ministry’ opens the door
for a new season in our ministry facility here at Valley Free.
As a first step in our renovation process, we plan to receive our or-
der of new chairs during the first week of September. On September
9th, for the Great Valley Get Together, we’ll have a worship center
full of new chairs!
As our planning currently stands, we plan to begin the renovation of
the bathrooms in September. Following that will come the renova-
tion of the worship center and foyer in October and November. The
fall should be a time of renewal in our facility that will be exciting
for all of us to watch.
As the project unfolds this fall, there will be opportunities for you to
help with various work projects. Get your work gloves ready!
What can you do now? It is important that we all complete our fi-
nancial commitments to the Light on the Hill campaign. As you make
your contributions between now and the early fall season, we will
be able to complete the work.
Let us rejoice in this much needed upgrade to our facilities! May it
lead to more families joining us in worship of our Lord Jesus!
I t all starts on September 9th with The Great Valley Get-
Together. It will be a day marked by great worship in the Lord’s
presence, catching up with friends, good food and lots of fun for
the kids. It will be an enthusiastic start to what is shaping up to be
full year of growing in Christ in every way.
So what is scheduled for the fall?
A focus for three Sundays on Worship, Grow, Serve and the
practical ways that you can flourish in faith and family here at
Valley
A three-week series on God’s Definition of Marriage – a timely
topic for Minnesota this fall
A seven-week disciple-
ship series called r12.
This series will help us
all to grow deeper in our spirituality using Romans 12 as our
guide. This series will include involvement by the whole church
from preaching to LifeGroups to youth to Sunday School.
Sunday School for adults, students and children will begin on
Sunday, September 16th.
LifeGroups
Men’s Bible Study
Women’s Bible Study
Crux Student Ministry
New Worship Schedule for Fall Season
New possibilities for families are coming your way this fall as we
add another worship service to Sunday morning.
9:00 to 10:15 - Worship, Sunday School for all ages, Nursery 10:30 to 11:45—Worship, Children’s Church, Nursery Both worship services will be identical in style and format.
Together with our building renovation this fall, this new schedule
will give Valley Free a new look with more worship options for
our community.
It will also provide us with more opportunities for ministry as we
seek additional volunteers to welcome our visitors and to care for
their children.
P A G E 6
by Pastor Mike Sindelar
by Pastor Mike Sindelar
P A G E 7
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Salvation Army through donations to their truck and also financially. Cash donations totaling $731.32 were sent to them for future ministry! Praise God!
by Pastor Mike Sindelar
P A G E 8
Kid’s Corner By Jan Schmit
MacLaurinCSF Furniture Giveaway Your gently used furniture can bless international students at the Uni-versity of Minnesota! These students arrive from all over the world and have no furnishings for their homes. MacLaurinCSF can begin a relation-ship with these students by distributing your donated items on
Saturday, September 1, 11am-5pm.
We are asking partner churches to collect furniture during the week of August 26th and deliver it to us.
When: Saturday, September 1, 8am-11am.
Where: MacLaurinCSF Study Center
1337 Cleveland Avenue N., St. Paul, 55108.
Useful Items:
Beds / Mattresses, Sofas, Chairs, Loveseats, Desks, Tables & Chairs, Chests of drawers / dressers, Microwave Ovens, Kitchen Utensils, Lamps, Bookshelves
We Do Not Accept:
Clothing (we can accept winter coats, hats, and gloves), Hide-a-beds, TV’s, Electronics, 4-Drawer filing cabinets
We are also in need of people to help move and deliver furniture on September 1. If you have a truck or trailer, or just a willingness to help out, we need you! We’ll provide lunch for our volunteers.
For more information, questions, or to volunteer, please contact Brad Dewing at [email protected] or 612-378-1935.
N ow that we're enjoying this beautiful summer
weather it's hard to believe that it's time to kick into gear for fall and Sunday morning programming at
Valley. But in just a few weeks we will be excited to begin another year of Children's Sunday School with our Valley
kids. September 16 will be our start date. Valley's S.S. program begins with children who reach the age of two
before the school year starts and goes through the fifth
grade. Nursery is also available on Sunday mornings for children under the age of two. Our mission in children's
ministries at Valley is to show God's love to our kids and serve as vital partners with parents to teach biblical
truths to our children so they may know, follow and serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
Kids. . .we hope you're excited about starting another
great year of Sunday School! What an awesome privilege we have of meeting together each week, with special
friends and teachers, to study God's word and come to understand all of the wonderful plans and promises He
has for our lives! Parents------registration forms can be picked up in the foyer or can be done online through the
Valley Free website-----one form per family. Please
complete your registration by September 1 so we can determine our staffing and be prepared to greet your
children.
There are always opportunities to be involved in this
ministry as a teacher or substitute teacher. Teaching our children is at the heart of God's great commission
and a work that is of eternal importance! Please
contact Audrey Bentson (952-448-4697) if you are interested in receiving more information about this
important ministry to children.
By Audrey Bentson, Sunday School Coordinator
Doing Good Together is a nonprofit organization established in
2004 and based out of Minneapolis that inspires and helps fami-
lies volunteer. DGT believes that when parents and grandpar-
ents engage in community service with their children and grand-
children, they pass on the spirit of giving, strengthen their fami-
lies, and create a new generation of humanitarians that will pos-
itively impact their communities now and in the future.
Whether you have five minutes or five hours to give, whether
you have an infant or a teen, whether you are doing well or
working hard to get by — your family can make a contribution.
And in the process, you’ll be teaching your children that giving
back is a natural part of growing up.
By working side-by-side with schools, parent groups, faith
groups, businesses and other organizations, Doing Good Togeth-
er makes the volunteer process accessible and easy so families
can participate together. Explore their website to learn how they
can help your family make a difference.
http://www.doinggoodtogether.org/
W 1 9:30 AM LADIES SUMMER BIBLE STUDY
TH 2 7:00 PM 7:00 PM
WORSHIP TEAM REHEARSAL CRUX NIGHT ON THE LARSON FARM
SU 5 9:00 AM 6:00 PM
WORSHIP SERVICE—Tim Johnson CRUX
M 6 7:00 PM MEN’S BIBLE STUDY
TU 7 7:00 PM BEAUTY FOR ASHES DIVORCE CARE
W 8 9:30 AM LADIES SUMMER BIBLE STUDY
TH 9 7:00 PM WORSHIP TEAM REHEARSAL
SA 11 7:30 AM MEN’S MONTHLY BREAKFAST
SU 12 9:00 AM 6:00 PM
WORSHIP SERVICE—Bryan Bademan CRUX
M 13 7:00 PM MEN’S BIBLE STUDY
TU 14 7:00 PM BEAUTY FOR ASHES DIVORCE CARE
W 15 9:30 AM LADIES SUMMER BIBLE STUDY
TH 16 7:00 PM WORSHIP TEAM REHEARSAL
SU 19 9:00 AM 6:00 PM
WORSHIP SERVICE—Dustin Veldkamp CRUX
M 20 7:00 PM MEN’S BIBLE STUDY
TU 21 7:00 PM BEAUTY FOR ASHES DIVORCE CARE
W 22 9:30 AM 12:30 pm
LADIES SUMMER BIBLE STUDY WHITE CROSS PLANNING MEETING
TH 23 7:00 PM WORSHIP TEAM REHEARSAL
S 26 9:00 AM 6:00 PM
WORSHIP SERVICE CRUX
M 27 7:00 PM MEN’S BIBLE STUDY
T 28 7:00 PM BEAUTY FOR ASHES DIVORCE CARE
TH 30 7:00 PM WORSHIP TEAM REHEARSAL
See bulletins for weekly updates/changes to this calendar
P A G E 9
M y wonderful husband Dan and I will
celebrate 26 years of marriage this
September. We have two grown sons, James
(23) and Sean (18). James is currently seeking
employment in his field of Chemistry, having
recently graduated from Minnesota State
University - Moorhead, and Sean has just
made us empty nesters by heading to Moody
Bible Institute in Spokane, Washington, for his
freshman year. He will be majoring in Biblical Exposition. Dan and I are
blessed by the lives of our sons, and amazed at how God has molded
and shaped them to become strong in their Christian faith. Now, Dan
and I are looking forward to becoming "just the two of us" again, and
discovering what the Lord has in store in this new chapter of our
marriage.
Our family first came to Valley in March 2007. That was the Sunday
when the band "Heart of the City" was here to lead worship. Never
having heard of this band before, we were pleasantly surprised at the
quality of the worship leaders and decided to come back the following
week for a second look. Although the worship leaders on that Sunday
differed in style, decibel intensity and numbers from the previous
Sunday, this team proved just as inspired, and we knew we had found
our new church home. God also impressed upon us the spiritual
maturity of many couples, the emphasis on missions and the kindness
of Pastor Dave Sletten. The adult Sunday school classes met our thirst
to grow and fellowship with other Christians our age, and the young
youth pastor (Mr. "Skins" Peterson) was passionate about the spiritual
growth of young people that we felt confident of God's leading our
whole family to VEFC.
I have been involved in several ministries at Valley, but mostly
teaching both adults and children. I have taught the LifeKeys class,
which is the study of how God has uniquely designed each one of us to
fit into His plan, at Valley as well as other venues. Lately, God has me
teaching Sunday School for the 4th and 5th graders, which has been
loads of fun. This age group is on the verge of adolescence, still young
enough to pretend, but old enough to be asking serious questions
about how to apply Bible lessons to their lives. I am excited to be
team teaching with this fall with Lisa Nkhata.
If you like to travel, explore our metropolitan area’s museums, zoos
and theaters, learn about what God is doing in our city, and delve into
the mind of God over coffee, please call me. I'd love to get to know
you better.
952-448-6144
Fax: 952-448-5119
150 Engler Blvd
Chaska, MN 55318
August means SCHOOL SUPPLIES SALES!
CHECK OUT THE SALES each week and pick up items
you can include in your shoebox come November...such as markers, pencils, sharpeners, colored pencils, small notebooks,
scissors, glue sticks (not liquid glue).
SAVING MONEY means you can put together
an EXTRA BOX! Questions? Contact Candace Wisely at [email protected]
or 952-401-7994.