September 2012

The Lamb’s Pen

A monthly publication of Abiding Shepherd Lutheran Church

“BRING them in...LIFT them up...SEND them out”

Abiding Shepherd Lutheran Church

406 W. Cottage Grove Road

Cottage Grove, WI 53527

(608) 839-3770

Pastor Nathan Krause

Pastor Nathanael Abrahamson

MISSION UPDATE (Ruthann Mickelson)

Fall is “Mission Rally” time in the Evangelical Lutheran

Synod (ELS). Local mission societies will meet across

the country to learn and grow in zeal for spreading

the “Good News” to all nations. Our rally this year will

be held from 9 am to 3 pm on Saturday, October 20

at Western Koshkonong Lutheran Church, a 15-minute drive from Abiding

Shepherd. The theme will be LORD OF THE HARVEST. Ladies and gentlemen,

mark your calendars!! Watch for further details next month.

Another exciting October event is the “Media Outreach in World Missions

Conference” at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota on

October 12-14. Missionaries from around the world (ELS and WELS) will attend.

Experts in media and innovation will present and help gather ideas of how to

use mass media to spread the Gospel. Our former vicar, now Pastor Brian

Klebig’s parents will both be presenters. To find additional information, check

out www.christianmedia.org.

“When you have THE SHEPHERD…

...you have everything you need.”

Visit our website at www.AbidingShepherd.org The Lamb’s Pen - 2

NEWS AND EVENTS

3 - September 2012

Cristeen (Carpenter) and

Theodore “Teddy” Taylor were

married on July 28. God’s

blessings to the newlyweds!

Thank you to everyone who contributed

items for or worked at this year’s Rummage

Sale. A total of $2,534.19 was raised. This

amount is divided between Christian

education and missions.

Michael & Matthew Priebusch were happy

to help Pastor Abrahamson with a

shipment of new tables. Thanks guys!

Pastor Abrahamson relaxes in his

“Pastor Cave” (his office in the

lower level) with new

bookshelves in the background!

The Lamb’s Pen - 4

FYI… (Pastor Krause)

Spiritual information…

Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose

name is Jealous, is a jealous God. (Exodus 34:14).

Having just learned in a recent sermon from Pastor

Abrahamson that this is a good kind of jealousy which

God has for us and our relationship with Him, I will be true to my word (as

promised last month) and begin answering my half of the worship questions

in earnest. The plan is to give quick responses here and then direct you to

more complete resources on our website www.abidingshepherd.org. There

you will find PDF documents under the Adult Ministries tab of our homepage.

Go to the page entitled “Worship Questions” to find these documents.

1> Worship fellowship - what are the principles God has established for who,

or who we are not, to join with in worship? Many people believe it doesn’t

matter. But God has set down several principles about worship fellowship.

He does so to protect our relationship with Him and with each other.

Please refer to document “Fellowship Sermon”.

2> Someone asked about fasting as a practice

among Lutherans. We should note there are no

Biblical rules about fasting. The closest thing to

fasting rules are the dietary laws God gave to

Israel in the Old Testament. However, even the

nation of Israel never had a law making fasting

a part of worship. That said, there are some

benefits to regular fasting, both physical and spiritual. More information is

provided on the webpage (same location as above). Check out the

information from a Bible study we did on Holy Habits. It is the document

entitled “Fasting”.

3> During our June topic of worship, I had discussed how our own synod had

recently formed an ad hoc committee to look at some questions that

came up about worship. The main question came from a by-law in our

synod’s constitution having to do with establishing forms of liturgical

worship within our synod. There was a question as to

what exactly the by-law was saying so our synod

president formed a committee to study the matter. I

served on that committee along with five other ELS

pastors and we came back with an answer that was

presented to the synod at last summer’s convention.

This statement is also in the Worship Questions file on the website. To see

what the report says go to the file entitled: “Report of the Committee on Evangelical Lutheran Synod Worship”.

4> One more for this month… someone asked about speaking in tongues.

We’ve studied this topic in the past, so let me give a brief and simple

answer here by reviewing a few key points about spiritual gifts: there are

three kinds of spiritual gifts - speaking gifts, serving gifts and sign gifts. Each

were given for a specific purpose. Speaking

gifts are for teaching and preaching of

God’s word to His people. Serving gifts are a

means to display our Christian love to each

other in the body of Christ and to those

outside the body. Sign gifts were given to

provide important information to the early

churches which they did not otherwise have. Sign gifts also were used to

validate God’s messengers were actually delivering His message.

The needs for speaking and serving gifts still exist so the Holy Spirit

continues to provide us with those gifts today. But the need for sign gifts is

long over. By the end of the first century the writing of the entire Bible was

finished. In the completed Bible text God gives His church all the answers

they need. The Bible has also replaced the sign gifts as the means to

prove and verify God’s messengers. So by the end of the first century the

need for the sign gifts came to an end and are no longer given.

Some religions claim sign gifts are still given today, or that they can teach

people how to get them, or that the sign gifts are a necessary part of

one’s faith. But a thoughtful study of the appropriate passages makes it

clear such claims are not true. For a review of gifts cf. Romans 12:6-8; 1

Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4:11.

5 - September 2012

DIRECT MINISTRY AND MISSION SUPPORT

The focus of our third quarter (July through

September) Direct Ministry and Mission Support

program is Friends of China (FOC). This program

sends American workers to China to teach English as

a second language. This year there are 61 teachers

in seven cities. The teachers meet about 1,000

Chinese friends a week for Bible Studies and events

to develop friendships.

Micah Ricke (seen in the picture to the left in the red

shirt) visited Abiding Shepherd last August to tell us

firsthand about the amazing work being done in

China through FOC.

Please consider how you might support this program with a gift over and

above your regular offerings. Gifts up to $500 per month will be matched by

an anonymous donor. Please use the special envelopes located on the

table in the lobby for your donations.

The Lamb’s Pen - 6

BETHANY LUTHERAN COLLEGE

Bethany Auxiliary Supper & Program

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church

Tuesday, September 4, 6:30 pm

Men and women are invited to this meeting of the Bethany Auxiliary at Our

Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Madison. The evening begins with a salad

supper at 6:30 pm followed by a musical program of chimes, piano and

organ. Please call Our Saviour’s to reserve your spot (222-5151)!

Bethany National Auxiliary Day

Mankato, Minnesota

Monday, September 24, 9:30 am - 5:00 pm

This is a wonderful opportunity to become better acquainted with the work

Bethany is doing. There will be interesting presentations, their annual business

meeting as well as a program of musical selections from fine arts students.

Contact Abiding Shepherd’s office (839-3770) for further details.

E.P.I.C. YOUTH MINISTRY (Pastor Abrahamson)

Here we are, starting September, and another summer is

in the books. At Abiding Shepherd, this was definitely an

E.P.I.C. one! Even though we did not have many regular

Sunday meetings this past month, many youth took part in

church-wide Sunday events like the Mallards game and

the racing at Angell Park.

The highlight E.P.I.C. event of the month, even the

summer, was the summer bash at the Freund pond. That

night we rode the zip line, took the paddle boat for a

stroll, did a little fishing, played some water basketball,

worked on our volleyball skills, enjoyed food cooked over

the campfire, and discussed our faith. The only negative

to the night was that it had to end. Thank you so much to

Holly and Richard for having us at their pond. Check out

the pictures of the event on this page.

As we move ahead into September, we will not have

E.P.I.C. on September 2 as it is Labor Day weekend, but

we’ll meet every Sunday the rest of the month. Clear your

Sunday nights and be to church at 6:00 pm for E.P.I.C.

Looking ahead, plans are

in the works for a youth

retreat the weekend of

October 19 - 21. Watch

the weekly worship folders

and our Facebook page

(facebook.com/

epicyouthwi) for all the

information!

7 - September 2012

The Lamb’s Pen - 8

SHAWL MINISTRY (Sue Bethke and Bonnie Anderson)

Thursday, September 13, 6:00 pm

Do you knit or crochet? Would you like to learn? If so, please join us on

Thursday, September 13 at 6:00 pm

at church for a barbecue dinner

and an organizational/

informational meeting for the

Prayer Shawl Ministry.

The purpose of the group is to

make prayer shawls for those in our

congregation who are shut-in or

hospitalized. It will also give us the

opportunity to get to know each other better.

If you have any questions regarding this endeavor, please call Bonnie

Anderson at 221-0661 or Sue Bethke at 244-9011.

We hope to see you there!

SAVE THE DATE! (Kathryn Banbury and Ruthann Mickelson)

Sunday, November 18, 6:00 pm

On Sunday, November 18 at 6:00 pm, WINGS

(Women In God’s Service) of Abiding Shepherd

will host an event especially for women - our first

ever “Advent By Candlelight”. Details will follow

in October. Please plan to join us!

UNDER HIS WINGS: ABUNDANCE/EMPTINESS BIBLE STUDY

WINGS (Women In God’s Service) offers a morning Bible study

each Wednesday at 10 am. A new study begins on

Wednesday, September 5 - Under His Wings: Abundance/

Emptiness. Join them as they study “David’s Dry and Weary

Time”, “Naomi’s Times of Emptiness” as well as “Hannah,

Remembered by God” and other Biblical examples of God

meeting the needs of those He loves.

9 - September 2012

UPCOMING EVENTS!!

FALL PICNIC (Shawna Jobke)

Sunday, September 9, 12:00 pm

To celebrate the start of Sunday School, as well as many

of the other Christian education programs, a fall picnic

has been planned. Chef Ed has offered to prepare a

pig roast! The church will provide the dessert as well as

beverages. If you would like to join us, please sign up.

(You do NOT need to have children in the Sunday

School program to attend!). If you would like to bring a

side dish to share, please add that when you sign up.

DINNER TOUR (Shawna Jobke)

Saturday, September 15, 5:30 pm Plans have been made to visit the Essen Haus in Madison for

some great German food on Saturday, September 15.

Please sign up at church. The church makes a group

reservation and each person is responsible for the cost of his

or her own meal.

EUCHRE NIGHT AT ABIDING SHEPHERD (Sue O’Kroley)

Friday, September 21, 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 sueprep1@yahoo.com.

The Lamb’s Pen - 10

FAMILY EDUCATION NIGHT (F.E.N.) STUDY (Pastor Krause)

As summer winds down we are in the planning stages for our fall programs,

including the Family Education Nights (FEN). Besides confirmation class being

conducted during FEN, we offer an adult study. Supper begins at 6 pm

(provided by church) and the study begins about 6:30 pm and lasts for

approximately one hour.

This year we will be tackling two

subjects. The first four nights of our

adult study will be led by Mr. Jon

Meier who will be taking the class through the book of Jonah. When the

Jonah study is complete then twelve sessions will be dedicated to going

through DOING THE RIGHT THING. This study is summarized as follows…

“Doing the Right Thing explores the ethical and moral breakdown that is

assaulting culture from all sides. Through panel discussions, interviews, and

student questions, this video study hosted by Brit Hume raises ethical issues in

a compelling and fresh way, stimulating thought, discussion and action. The

study encourages participants to examine how ethical and character issues

relate to their lives at home, school and the workplace.”

DOING THE RIGHT THING has six sessions. We will do half a session each FEN

night. The schedule is as follows:

Date Study Date Study Date Study

September 19 Jonah 1

November 7 Doing the

Right Thing 3

December 26 No Class

September 26 Jonah 2 November 14 Doing the

Right Thing 4

January 2 No Class

October 3 No Class

November 21 No Class

January 9 Doing the

Right Thing 8

October 10 Jonah 3

November 28 Doing the

Right Thing 5

January 16 Doing the

Right Thing 9

October 17 Jonah 4

December 5 Doing the

Right Thing 6

January 23 Doing the

Right Thing 10

October 24 Doing the

Right Thing 1

December 12 Doing the

Right Thing 7

January 30 Doing the

Right Thing 11

October 31 Doing the

Right Thing 2

December 19 Supper &

Christmas

Decorating

February 6 Doing the

Right Thing 12

11 - September 2012

SMALL GROUP STUDY BEGINS (Eileen Karow)

Starting in September, our Small Group Bible Study will look at the Gospel of

Mark. There are several options for days, times and locations so members

can find a group that fits their schedule.

Please consider joining a small group and learn more

about Jesus, the fulfillment of God the Father’s plan of

salvation. We’d love to have you join! What a

wonderful opportunity to fellowship with each other

and grow deeper in God’s word. You are invited to sign

up on the sheets that are posted at church and online.

BIBLE STUDY RESOURCES ON OUR

WEBSITE! (Pastor Abrahamson)

On the homepage of our website

(www.abidingshepherd.org) there is a new tab

called “Bible Study Resources.” On that page

you’ll find Bible studies written by Pastor Krause

and myself, like the Daniel and Revelation Bible

studies, as well as other study resources. The

materials are there so you can review a study

you’ve gone through, share one with others, or

use a study for your personal devotions. While

you’re there, please take a tour through the

rest of our recently remodeled website!

The Lamb’s Pen - 12

AN OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE (Pastor Krause)

Last year a number of our members helped pack meals for

Kids Around the World (KATW). If you did not hear about this

event, or are unaware of what this program is about, you can

visit their website at www.kidsaroundtheworld.com. There you

will learn that Kids Around the World, Inc. is a faith-based 501

(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping children

and families who have been affected by war, poverty, illness and natural

disasters. The goal of KATW is to reach children with the Gospel of Jesus Christ

and to help those who work with children.

Our members, Mark and Karen Erdmann, are our local contacts for KATW

and are involved in planning this year’s meal-packing event. I’m providing

information in the hope that you will consider getting involved. We will be

posting sign-up sheets here at church and via the e-newsletter, but for more

information now, please can contact Mark at mark@mkcellular.com.

Here are the details for this year’s event…

Setup: Monday, October 8 - unloading and setup

Tuesday, October 9 - setup and stage material

(Need 20+ people each day for a couple of hours)

Pre-Event: Tuesday, October 9 4 - 8 pm

(Meal building opportunity for people who are unable to

attend on October 10, also helps organizers make sure all

sealers and scales are working.

Event: Wednesday, October 10, 10 am – 6 pm

This Year’s Goal: 500,000 meals for students at a Haitian school

Place: Former APV Crepaco building (now Saljen Tool)

105 Industrial Drive, Lake Mills, Wisconsin

What you can do…

Watch for sign-up sheets or contact Mark directly to

find out how you can be involved. Anything will be

helpful (time or donations) as the cost for this year’s

project is $125,000. They are hoping to gather 700

total volunteers to complete this project in the

allotted time.