Glory of Christ Lutheran Church Lutheran Church Missouri Synod

4040 County Road 101 No.

Plymouth, MN 55446

Office phone763-478-6031 www.gloryofchrist.org Pastor: Rev. Klemet Preus Asst: Jo Ellen Braun

Assistant Pastor for Missions: Rev. John Fehrmann Visitation Pastor: Rev. Dean Weibel

Organists: Carla Claussen, Zelda Malo, Maddie Marshall & Sarah Miller, Adult Choir Director: Carla Claussen

Bell Choir Director: Brenda Richards, Music Coordinator: Zelda Malo, Children’s Bell Director: Ellie Leimer

January 2012

Christian Giving

What does the Bible say?

Pastor Preus Cell Phone: (763) 438-2375 (Pastor can be reached anytime on his Cell phone)

Church Office Telephone: (763) 478-6031 Church Fax: (763) 478-3970

Church e-mail: joellen@gloryofchrist.org

Pastor’s Home Telephone: (763) 519-0459

“Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in

heaven”

Church Elders: Church Elders: Church Elders: Church Elders:

Bill Anderson Josh Christian Carl Hartness Dave Koosman Peter Krenzke Bruce Paradis Ben Rolf Mark Swenson ******************* President of Congregation:President of Congregation:President of Congregation:President of Congregation: Travis Dorweiler Treasurer: Treasurer: Treasurer: Treasurer: Jesse Huber Secretary: Secretary: Secretary: Secretary: Brenda Richards Church Council: Church Council: Church Council: Church Council: Lori Beck Jeremy Eickhoff Mari Houck Mike Lindh Chuck McGriff Craig Smith *******************

Every once in a while someone asks me how much money they should give to support the

ministry of the gospel in our congregation. Here is my typical answer.

II Corinthians 8 and 9 tell almost everything we need to know about Christian Giving.

Here’s a summary.

God does not tax his people. He doesn’t fine us if we don’t pay and he does not think less

of us if we don’t give as much as others. He thinks highly of us because of Christ who

forgives both our tendency toward greed and our temptation to want to be noticed by

everyone for our generosity.

So there is no amount that I, or anyone, could suggest as a proper gift for you. There are,

however, some basic principles of giving that will help you as you think about what you

want to give to God.

Give generously. In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians he commended the church

in Macedonia because they pleaded for the chance to give and outgave almost all

the other churches of their day even though they were a pretty poor church. God

wants the same from us both as a congregation and as individuals. He wants us to

beg for the opportunity to give and to give as much as we can. Those give

generously who have received from God his forgiveness and have given

themselves to Christ. Paul says, “We want you to know about the grace of God hat

has been given among the churches of Macedonia. For in a severe test of affliction,

their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of

generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify

and beyond their means, of their own accord.” (8:1-3)

Give cheerfully. God does not want anyone to give begrudgingly. That’s why it is

always wrong for a church to exact gifts from the members of the congregation or

to levy taxes. God wants you to give freely what you want and not what others say

you should give. Some people say that you should give until it hurts. But that is

wrong. God wants your giving to be cheerful and to give you pleasure. If you are

giving so much you lose your cheerful disposition then give a little less. Get happy about

giving and then increase your gift according to your ability and your level of cheerfulness.

Balance generosity with cheerfulness. Paul says, “God loves a cheerful giver.” (9:7)

Give deliberatively. You should plan your gift just like you do other lines on your personal

budget. You know what your house payment is and what your insurance bills are. You know

what your food bills are. So plan your giving to the church and other Christian ministries.

Don’t come to church and frantically rifle through your wallet right before the offering hoping

you have something bigger than a one but smaller than a twenty. Paul says, “Each one must

give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion.” (9:7)

Give proportionately. God measures a gift by what you have and not but you do not have. Jesus

commended a widow who gave a very small gift because she had very little and gave it all. So

the smallest of gifts is wonderful to God if it is given from the store of that person who has

very little to give. At the same time God values also large gifts from those to whom he has

given a lot. Paul says, "If the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person

has, not according to what a person does not have.” (8:12)

Give carefully. God does not expect his people to give carelessly, blindly entrusting our hard

earned resources to unscrupulous or reckless people who will waste our gifts or use them in

irresponsible ways. Paul spends half of II Corinthians 8 telling the people about the integrity

of those who will be in charge of transporting their gift and how it will be used. He assures

them that those responsible are very trustworthy. “We aim at what is honorable not only in the

Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man.” (8:21) You need to be assured that what you give

will be spent the way promised and handled in way you approve. This applies to the offerings

you make to church and to other causes and it applies to the dollars our congregation gives to

various mission endeavors.

Give trustingly. You cannot out give God. He does not promise that you will realize a financial

gain from your investment in the work of the church. But he does promise that he will always

care for our needs. He promises that if we give cheerfully and generously we will not starve

and we will not be destitute. The blessings of joy which accompany generous Christian giving

far outweigh the money we go without. Paul says, “He who supplies seed to the sower and

bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your

righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through

us will produce thanksgiving to God.” (9:10-11)

Give in faith. Most importantly, all giving springs from the knowledge that God has sent His Son

to save us. Any giving that does not spring from this faith is not desired by God. All gifts

which spring from this faith are precious in the eyes of our Lord. “You know the grace of our

Lord Jesus Christ. Though He was Rich, yet He became poor, so that we, through His poverty

might become rich.” (8:9).

Glory of Christ Lutheran Church is a very generous church. We give a lot to the church and we give a

lot as a church. I am, in fact, amazed at the generosity of the people of our congregation. And I expect

that our habit of generous giving will increase both in 2012 and in the years to come.

As you plan your gift for 2012, think about these things.

Klemet Preus

The Compassion Circle would like to thank all those who helped contribute towards the needs and wishes,

by bringing gifts and placing them under the Angel tree. The items will be brought over to "Home Free", a

shelter for battered women, on Dec. 19th. We also brought them cookies from our Cookie pack this

month. How wonderful it was to see a smile on the young mothers face with a Black and blue eye. This is

one example of how the Compassion circle strives to continue our Lords work of helping the unfortunate in

the world today! A big thanks to all! Compassion Circle will meet on Monday, February 6 at 1:00 pm.

Silent Auction Whether you've resolved to volunteer more this year, or are just

looking for a way to get involved, please consider donating

your time to help with the Silent Auction. The Silent Auction is

April 28, 2012, but the planning is already underway. Just

contact Mari Houck at 612.201.4365 or

marihouck@comcast.net to volunteer!

Year end Statements and Pledge packets are now available in

the Narthex for Pickup. Save us a stamp pick yours up over the

next two weeks. Those not picked up will be put in the mail on

January 23rd.

Services in the month of

January/February

January 15, 2012. The second Sunday after Epiphany. The story of Christ changing water into wine (John

2:1-11) should be one of your favorite Bible stories not because it is a strong text which shows that Christ

blesses marriage and the consumption of wine but more importantly because through this miracle Christ

gave a clear proof that he is the promised Christ who has come to shower all of God’s blessings on his

people.

January 22, 2012. The third Sunday after Epiphany. Christ worked two impressive healing miracles as told

in this Sunday’s gospel lesson, Matthew 8:1-13. In each he shows what He wants our faith in Him to be

like. He wants us to believe that he is willing and that he is able to save and forgive us. He shows, further,

that he came for all people.

January 29, 2012. Transfiguration. Two times God spoke from heaven concerning his son. Once was at his

Baptism and the second at his transfiguration. At this second occasion only three of the disciples were

there. Peter was one of them and in his first letter also explains the meaning of the transfiguration to us.

He uses the story to show the importance of the revelation of God to us in the Scriptures.

February 5, 2012. Septuagesima Sunday. This Sunday (which means seventy indicating seventy days until

Easter) stresses the importance of perseverance as we run the race of faith. This perseverance entails

taking advantage of the strength which is our in the word and Sacrament. Laborers go into a vineyard and

are entitled to no reward save the knowledge that they are working for the Lord.

February 12 2012. Sexagesima Sunday. The theme of this Sunday is the power and spread of God’s word.

The Gospel lesson is the parable of the sower who sowed the seed. It’s not so much that we need to try to

be a certain type of ground. It’s that God needs to overcome all sorts of obstacles which could kill our

faith. And His church needs to preach the word no matter what type of people might hear.

OUR MUSIC STAFF:

Church Organists: Carla Claussen, Zelda Malo, Maddie Marshall, & Sarah Miller

Music Coordinator: Zelda Malo 763-972-3710

Adult Choir Director: Carla Claussen 651-697-1117 (practice Wednesday’s at 7:45 Advent)

Bell Choir Director: Brenda Richards 763-476-6981 (practice Wednesday’s at 6:15 Advent)

Children’s Bell Choir Director: Ellie Leimer 952-294-4200

8-Jan 15-Jan 22-Jan 29-Jan 5-Feb 12-Feb 19-Feb 26-Feb

COFFEE

SERVERS: R. Decker D. Weibel J. Braun D. Weibel B Larson M. Swenson G. McCreary M. Scharlau

P. Hemingway D. Weible J. Koosman D. Weibel J. Larson K. Swenson C. McCreary P. Hemingway

ACOLYTES:

9:00 AM A. Corey C. Sikorski

CRUCIFER

9:00 AM D. Corey

ELDERS:

9:00 AM C. Hartness C. Hartness C. Hartness C. Hartness J. Christian J. Christian J. Christian J. Christian

B. Rolf B. Rolf B. Rolf B. Rolf D. Koosman D. Koosman D. Koosman D. Koosman

USHERS:

9:00 AM T. Lavanger T. Beach J. Fahnhorst C. Olson

M. Olson C. Houck R. Olson

Altar P. Hemingway J. Koosman C. Kuenzel S. Karius J. Diemand C. McCreary J. Lasrson J. Koosman

Guild M. Scharlau K. Swenson D. Kuenzel K. Skau B. Schoolman S. Torkelson G. McGriff S. Swenson

OFFERING T. Lavanger L. Beck C. Smith B. Strom C. Kuenzel J. Eickhoff D. Teske

COUNTERS: R. McBroom C. Hartness C. Smith A. Strom D. Kuenzel J. Eickhoff N. Teske

BREAD BAKER S. Edenborg

B.

Gruenhagen E. Esget E. McBroom C. McCreary K. Dorweiler C. Smith S. Edenborg

BREAD

DELIVERER B. Schoolman B. Gruenhagen E. Esget R. Decker C. Hartness L. Beck C. Smith B. Schoolman

1/03/000 Janel Koosman Birthday

1/03/000 Jim and Amy Durand Anniversary

1/06/000 Robbie Zitzlsperger Birthday

1/06/000 Marv Bimberg Birthday

1/08/000 Mike Swenson Birthday

1/08/000 Tom Richards Birthday

1/08/000 Rhonda Berry Birthday

1/09/000 Leo and Eileen Esget Anniversary

1/09/000 Christopher Corey Birthday

1/12/000 Linda Thompson Birthday

1/14/000 Max Gruenhagen Birthday

1/17/000 Michelle Nelson Birthday

1/17/000 Jesse & Darcie Mathwig Anniversary

1/20/000 Heather Knea Birthday

1/20/000 Edwin and Arta Walter Anniversary

1/22/000 Ryan Koosman Birthday

1/30/000 Amy Durand Birthday

2/03/000 Lou Ann Jespersen Birthday

2/05/000 Leo Esget Birthday

2/10/000 Alexander Schaumburg Birthday

2/13/000 Arlin Hitchcock Birthday

2/19/000 Jan Diemand Birthday

2/21/000 Bill Thompson Birthday

2/21/000 Lea Connealy Birthday

2/23/000 Lia Edson Birthday

2/23/000 Chelsie Zitzlsperger Birthday

2/24/000 LeRoy Reinke Birthday

2/26/000 Janie Tesch-Cassady Birthday

2/28/000 Elizabeth Madson Birthday

2/29/000 Betty Reinke Birthday

Upcoming Event Dates

January Book Selection, with discussion February 11th

, 8:00 am – Dunn Bros Coffee, On

Vicksburg Ln just south of Highway 55 near Lowe's.

The Constantine Codex (Skeleton Series) by Paul L. Maier

With The Constantine Codex, Paul Maier has officially joined the ranks of

other writers whose books are poised to expand the Christian fiction

category. Amazon says: “Harvard Professor Jonathan Weber is finally enjoying a season of peace when a shocking discovery thrusts him into the

national spotlight once again. While touring monasteries in Greece, Jon and his wife Shannon—a seasoned archaeologist—uncover an ancient biblical

manuscript containing the lost ending of Mark and an additional book of the Bible. If proven authentic, the codex could forever change the way the world

views the holy Word of God. As Jon and Shannon work to validate their find, it soon becomes clear that there are powerful forces who don’t want the

codex to go public. When it’s stolen en route to America, Jon and Shannon are swept into a deadly race to find the manuscript and confirm its

authenticity before it’s lost forever.”

You’ll find this book on the Narthex Table. Cost is $20.00

Event Date Time

Pasta Dinner February 19th 6:00 PM

Liturgy Workshop March 3rd 9:00AM– 3:00 PM

Silent Auction April 28th 5:00PM-10:00PM

Vacation Bible School June 18-21, 2011 9:00AM–5:00PM

Workshops on Lutheran Liturgy for Lay-People

March 3, 2012

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Glory of Christ Lutheran Church

4040 State Hwy 101 N.

Plymouth, MN 55446

763-478-6031

www.gloryofchrist.org

Registration fee: $25. Advance registration is recommended.

Steve Starke

“Why we Love Hymns"

Hymns have been used by the church since before the New Testament was written and

all Christians have learned to love them. But we do not always understand precisely

what a hymn is, the purpose of hymns in the life of the church, where our hymns have

come from, why some hymns are cherished by the church and others not and a host of

other questions about hymns. Rev. Steve Starke will lead us as we discover the answers

to these and many other questions we might have as to why the church has learned to

love hymns. “Workshops of Lutheran Liturgy” are intended primarily for lay-people of the Lutheran

church. The Christian in the pew is most affected by the worship forms and liturgies employed in the chancel. These Christians would be well served to attend these stimulating

and informative workshops.

REGISTRATION

Name: ___________________________________________

Phone: ___________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________

Name and address of Home Congregation

Registration costs are $25. This covers coffee and morning

snack, an Honorarium for the speaker, and lunch.

Directions to Glory of Christ Lutheran Church:

From the West: Take Hwy. 55 East to County Road 101 South (turn right) then go to the church entrance which is about

100 feet, turn left off 101.

From the East: Take Hwy. 55 West to County Road 101 South (turn left) then go to the church entrance which is about

100 feet, turn left off 101.

Philippines

This is an update on our trip to the Philippines this month.

Five of us will leave on January 27. At this point the plans are to travel to the province of

Isabela in the far northeast corner of the country. I will teach the pastors and, apparently,

also the “local pastors” who are lesser trained pastors who help in the smaller parishes.

The course I will teach is “Paul’s doctrine of the ministry.” We will look at I Timothy, II

Timothy and Titus as well as certain speeches of Paul in the book of Acts as well as

segments of II Corinthians. We anticipate 55 men in attendance.

Pastor Fehrmann will continue his work on the “Lutheran Hymnal Project.” The LHP is a

plan to provide a common hymnal to as many countries in the world as possible with a

core of Lutheran hymns as well as a number of indigenous hymns unique to each county.

This way the Lutheran Church throughout the world will be united not only by a common

confession but actually by common practices based on this confession.

Pastor Fehrmann will also work hand in hand with our other three travelers: Josh

Christian, Travis Dorweiler and Barry Fuchs, who will rebuild a dilapidated church

building.

We are still negotiating where we will stay. We must have internet access but will

probably not be available by phone.

Josh will return after a week. The rest will return on February ninth or tenth and be in

church February 12. We expect to have a report for the congregation on February 19 or

26.

Each of the travelers will bring a suitcase loaded with clothes and stuff and another

suitcase loaded with study Bibles. These were purchased with gifts made by the VBS last

summer and will be given to the pastors of the Philippines. They will be very excited

because almost none of them can afford even this modest pastoral tool.

Returning with us will be Rev. Abel Villos. He will be attending the Ft. Wayne Seminary

beginning in March of this year. He way and his tuition will be paid by Glory of Christ

with matching funds from the Schwan foundation. This gift from us to the Lutheran

Church of the Philippines will have lasting effects since after two years he will return to

their seminary and continue his teaching. God willing, he will be able to teach the pastors

of that country for decades to come.

God is using us to bless the Lutheran Church of the Philippines and the wonderful people

of that church in ways we could not have imagined when we made this commitment five

years ago.

Pray for those who travel and thank God for all that He accomplishes through us.

Pastor Preus

Below is a Christmas Card Glory of Christ received from Rev.

Abel Villos and his wife Honey. This is the Pastor from the

Philippines Pastor Preus mentioned in the previous article which

we are supporting as he attends the seminary in Ft. Wayne.

Glory of Christ Lutheran Church Lutheran Church Missouri Synod

4040 State Hwy. 101 No. Plymouth, MN 55446 Office: (763) 478-6031 www.gloryofchrist.org

Rev. Klemet Preus – Pastor Jo Ellen Braun– Admin Asst.

Service Schedule

Sunday Service 9:00 am

Adult Bible Class 10:20 am

Sunday School 10:20 am

Saturday Service 5:00 pm