Lewiston Church of the Brethren Lifestyle January 2005

Our vision: Bound together on a journey of faith, we are a Christ-centered community, prayerfully discovering and sharing God’s love.

Our Mission: Knowing Christ and making Him known, through worship, growing in faith, community building and service.

Let Jesus be born in your heart

There is a bit of wisdom I appreciate from a 14^th century German priest and mystic that speaks to this time following the Advent and Christmas seasons:

“What good is it to me if this eternal birth of the divine Son takes place unceasingly but does not take place within myself? And, what good is it to me if Mary is full of grace and if I am not also full of grace? What good is it to me for the Creator to give birth to a Son if I do not also give birth to Him in my time and culture? This, then is the fullness of time: When the Son of God is begotten in us.” --Meister Eckhart

We have celebrated Jesus coming into this world in the form of a vulnerable infant—to join with our own vulnerability. We have celebrated the prophecies from Isaiah and others coming true, not just two thousand years ago in the land of Israel, but also in our own time and place. We continue to celebrate the life-saving power of Immanuel, “God with us.”

And yet, Meister Eckhart reminds us to not keep Jesus at a distance—a figure in a pretty picture on a wall or found only in church. We must allow Jesus to come to birth in our hearts and minds, changing and directing our actions and words. We need to study and keep in our minds Jesus’ parables and teachings. We should always ask ourselves the questions, “What did Jesus do—and what must I do?”

Another pastor recently wrote, “The truth is that Jesus always, always turns our world upside down and challenges us to look beyond our comfortable knowledge to find the uncomfortable reality of God’s overwhelming, all-inclusive love.”

Let us begin this New Year by learning more about our Savior and Master. Let us allow God to show us the purpose and plan He has for our lives by imitating the work of Jesus in our own communities—feeding the hungry, giving a word of encouragement to those struggling to get through life, helping to build homes for the homeless, reaching out with an overwhelming, all-inclusive love. May this be a year in which we live out the old Brethren saying: “For the glory of God and our neighbor’s good.” --Sister Cara

January Scripture

1/2 Eph. 1:3-14, John 1:10:18

1/9 Is. 42:1-9, Matt. 3:13-17

1/16 Is. 49:1-7, John 1:29-42

1/23 Is. 9:1-4, Matt. 4:12-23

1/30 Micah 6:1-8, Matt. 5:1-12

Commissioning
 Our worship service on January 9th will include a time of commissioning for our deacons and church board. Please hold our leaders in prayer as we begin a new year of ministry together.

Serving us in January

Ushers: M/R Haggard

Greeters: J/L Risser

Jr. Ushers: 2 Daniel Dahl

9 Parker Cage

16 Bethany Dahl

23 Elizabeth Lee

30 Daniel Dahl

Tape Ministry: Brent Risser

Worship Leader: Roger Peckover

Worship Team: 2^nd Diane, Linda, Roger

9^th Cliff, Sue, Karen

16^th Cliff, Sue, Karen

23^rd Uli, Jess, Cleeson, Judy

30^th Uli, Jess, Cleeson, Judy

Special Music: 2^nd Todd Cage

9^th Jess Hoffert

16^th Diane, Uli, Sue

23^rd Dee Prudoehl

30^th Bethany Dahl

Children’s Story: 2^nd Millie Bollinger

16^th Sara Laqua

30^th Uli Schorn-Hoffert

Children’s Church:

2^nd , 16^th, 30^th No Children’s Church 9^th & 23^rd Gordon Hoffert

Nursery: 2^nd Linda Risser

9^th Fran Bockenhauer

16^th Penny Wilson

23^rd Mary Lee

30^th Beth Cage

Fellowship Meal: D/J Mill, R/M Lee

January Birthdays & Anniversaries

1 Cliff Bollinger

Earl Duncanson

3 Betty Sanders

5 Jess Hoffert

6 Lynn Mundt

8 Robert & Elizabeth Reps

12 David Heublein

19 Layton Mundt

21 Michael Hunter

Brenda Kirby

24 Elijah Mill

25 Andrea Bollinger

27 Gladys Schossow

29 Donn & Dee Prudoehl

Deacons Lunch Meeting

Deacons will meet on Sunday, January 9^th following worship for a potluck lunch meeting. This meeting will include present deacons and those who are coming on in 2005.

DECEMBER ATTENDANCE AND OFFERING

Date S.School SS offering Worship *Worship

Attendance Offering Attendance Offering

5th………. 21…………$23.50……..49..…….$1,175.00

12^th …....…22……….….65.00……..42…………968.00

19^th ………25………….19.75……..59……….1,153.60

26^th ………13…………..41.00……..40……….1,265.00

Ave………20………….$37.31…….48………$1,140.40

*$1,560.00—projected need for our ministries each week.

God is able to do exceedingly abundantly—above what we can imagine.

SPECIAL BLESSINGS OFFERINGS

November ………………………………………$ 470.00

December 12^th…………………………………….180.00

December 19^th……………………………………. 95.00

December 26^th…………………………………….258.00

Total ………………………………………….$1,003.00

Hold in prayer.......

….Our fresh New Year—that we may listen for God’s voice, be obedient to His “nudgings,” and do His will daily.
.....Cliff Bollinger and Dale Mill who will travel to south Texas to participate in building houses with "Hands of Service for the Lord" in Mexico.   Please pray for travel safety and favorable working conditions for the project and for all those who will be participating, as well as for all recipients -- that God would be honored and His love made real.

….All the victims and families of the disaster in South Asia.

….Jack Carlin who is hospitalized, receiving dialysis. His address is:

Via Christi Regional Medical Center

St. Francis Campus

Room 6047-2

929 N. St. Francis

Wichita, KS 67214

….National and world leaders that they seek God’s wisdom in their leadership and work for peace and justice for all people.

Because we have different ways of expressing our prayer requests and different needs for expression, we ask that you submit any prayer requests you wish to have listed in the bulletin and in the Lifestyle newsletter to the office in writing or via phone. Also notify the office when you wish to have that request removed or moved to “Thanks be to God” as we celebrate answered prayer. Let us continue to make prayer a priority in our congregational life!

Faith Ramblin’s

I have always had a difficult time controlling my anger.  Sometimes I felt overwhelmed by the challenges of parenting when my children felt the need to rebel and not listen.  There were many times when I would lose my temper and yell or say things I later regretted.  During the cooling down period that followed many times the words of John 13:34 would pierce my heart.  “Love one another; as I have loved you.”
How miserably I had just failed to love my children or my spouse as God first loved me. God is always so patient with my shortcomings, holding back His anger, understanding and giving constant help.  He always loves me unconditionally, but somehow I cannot always do the same.   I find myself apologizing for my quick temper.
The years have mellowed my quick temper a little bit, but I still struggle with silent anger that burns within my heart.  My lips are silent, but my heart is far from loving.  When I find myself in that spot I pray, Dear God, when I’ve done something to break a relationship, help me to admit my mistakes and ask for forgiveness.  Only by admitting my part of the situation can I come back to humility and love.
Lord help us as we pray:  I’m never quite sure whether it’s You talking to me, dear Lord, or me talking to me.  Keep me from hearing my own voice when all I want is to listen to You and only You.  Your plan, Your purpose, Your will, not mine, in everything I do. Amen

–Linda Risser

January Mission Outreach
 When disaster strikes, Church of the Brethren Disaster Response provides volunteers to clean up debris and to repair or rebuild homes for disaster survivors who lack sufficient resources to hire a contractor or other paid labor. The presence of these volunteer work teams helps to ease the trauma that is felt in the aftermath of a disaster.

Scripture tells us to “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Challenged by this biblical mandate, the Church of the Brethren traditionally has been involved in the relief of suffering, whether caused by war, strife or natural disaster.

Our mission offering this month will support the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Response/Service Ministries. Offering will be received on January 16^th.

Strengthening Marriage relationships

Two local opportunities for you and your spouse to strengthen your relationship and improve your marriage are available this month!

“Love and Respect” Marriage Conference will be held at Pleasant Valley Church, Winona, Friday & Saturday, Jan. 14-15. Dr Emerson and Sarah Eggerichs will be presenting the conference.

What do you want from your marriage? Want to feel understood? Want to experience marriage the way God intended? Then why not try some Love and Respect.

“Becoming Soul Mates” will be held Saturday, January 22^nd, 9am-3pm, at Apache Best Western in Rochester. Conference speakers are Les and Leslie Parrot, best-selling, highly-regarded authors and educators.

Ready to go beyond the surface and cultivate a deeper connection? Consider this highly acclaimed seminar as your road map to doing just that. Everyone will benefit from this seminar – newlyweds, “oldyweds”, seriously dating, engaged couples, those wanting to make a bad relationship better or a good relationship great. No one will be manipulated or put on the spot. This is a fun-filled day with humor, fresh insight and new strategies for lifelong love.

See bulletin board in narthex or request further information from the church office or Pastor Cara.

What a blessing to have these local opportunities to help us strengthen our marriage relationships. Take advantage of one or both of them to build a better relationship in the year/s ahead.

COB supports tsunami relief

Effort of Church World Service

Church of the Brethren disaster relief is supporting Church World Service (CWS) relief work in Asia following the earthquake and tsunami of Dec. 26. Enormous tidal waves swept across the Indian ocean striking coastal regions of Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Burma, Malaysia, low-lying islands that make up the Maldives, and areas of east Africa

CWS is focusing initial support in at least three of the hardest-hit areas in Indonesia, India, and Sri Lanka, and is sending initial emergency material assistance shipments with a value of more than $900,000. It deployed an emergency assistance team Dec. 27 from its Indonesia office to aid in recovery efforts in Aceh, Indonesia, the hardest-hit area of Sumatra’s northernmost tip. CWS also deployed an emergency response team to Sri Lanka. In India, CWS is supporting regional response by longtime partner Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action. The material assistance as of Dec. 29 included 500 family shelter kits; 75 Emergency Medicine boxes that will provide basic medicines and antibiotics to 75,000 people for three months; 44,000 Gift of the Heart Health Kits; and 5,000 light-weight blankets. CWS also is undertaking regional deployment of rapid response support and emergency material airlifts of additional shelter and hygiene materials.

Acknowledging the personal struggle to face such a disaster during a time of celebration of the Savior’s birth, general secretary Stan Noffsinger urged Brethren to remember that “all who perished and all who survive are created in the mind of God, as we all have been. We feel so helpless,” he added. “We can’t all jet off (to Asia), yet what an opportunity to show our goodwill. The appropriate people will be there. Our presence is not the gift, our unselfishness is our gift.”
The Emergency Response/Service Ministries program of the denomination’s General Board is requesting an initial grant of $30,000 from the board’s Emergency Disaster Fund to support the CWS effort, and expects to send more funds in the near future, Winter said. Staff at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, MD—which warehouses relief supplies for CWS and other agencies—will be shipping light-weight blankets, health kids, and IMA medicine boxes as part of the response.

“We need churches to respond by shipping more health kits and financial support,” Winter said. “Our focus will be to purchase relief supplies closer to south Asia because of all the shipping costs when sending the U.S. A good example is the family shelter kits which Church of the Brethren funding will support,” he added.

Contributions to the tsunami relief effort can be sent to the Emergency Disaster Fund, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120. for information about how to assemble Gift of the Heart Health Kits go to www.churchworldservice.org/kits. For more information about the disaster and for situation reports from Church World Service, see www.cwserp.org.

--Newsline - produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board.

Southern Gospel Concert

Tickets are on sale for the “Legacy Five” concert at North High School, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Feb. 13, 2005. This has become a favorite annual outing for some of us; and we encourage and invite others to join the fun and fellowship. “Legacy Five” is a nationally known southern gospel group, who succeeded the Cathedral Quartet after several member retired.

See information in the narthex for ticket prices and to sign up to attend. Tickets are in great demand, so get your order in early!

Stover COB plans Musical Festival

Stover Church of the Brethren, Des Moines, is planning their Annual Music Festival for February 13, 4pm.  2005 Annual Conference Moderator, Jim Hardenbrook, will be speaking at the event.
     Each congregation is invited to provide one brief selection of special music.  There will also be congregational singing, followed by a fellowship meal.  Those attending are asked to bring sandwiches or salads.
     Please notify the church office if you plan to attend and/of if you wish to provide special music.