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The Star
Bethlehem Lutheran Church • Wahoo, Nebraska
A community gathered so God’s message is scattered.
Altar Flowers For August:
Are given by Ret & Patti Inbody. In Praise to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Bethlehem Garage Sale - Saturday, August 9th
We have accumulated a large amount of STUFF here at church. (Many of the no-longer-needed items are a result of our recent remodel project) Storage areas (unused old Sunday School rooms) have been cleaned out, painted, and will be used for our expanded numbers in Sunday School this fall!!! WE ARE G-R-O-W-I-N-G! The garage sale will be held Saturday, August 9th in the old fellowship hall from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.
Thank You
Mary & Rob Miller, Michaela, and Lisa Marie Cuda!
They have been busy painting and cleaning the old, previously unused, Sunday School rooms in the old fellowship hall. Because of larger enrollment this fall in our classes, the space is now needed!
Also thank you to Colter Mattson for hauling couches upstairs from the basement up to the pine room!!!
Middle School Ministry - Mark Your Sept. Calendar
On Wednesday evening at 6:30 P.M. there will be a meeting of all 6th, 7th and 8th Graders and Parents to start off the Middle School Ministry year. This is an important meeting! We will go over all the requirements and what will be taking place for this year. We will meet in the Middle School Area which is the Old Church Basement. Much work has been done in this area. All Sunday and Wednesday evening classes for Middle School will be held in this area and the classrooms that are adjacent.
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW FOR THIS IMPORTANT MEETING: Wed., September 3rd – 6:30 P.M.
The Pastor’s Ponderings…
Last month I shared some thoughts from the main speaker at The Nebraska ELCA Synod Assembly. I would like to continue with that theme and share some more thoughts from Rev. Powell’s presentations. He emphasized Jesus makes a close link between Stewardship and Spirituality and between Gratitude for what God has done and our Giving. Jesus said in Matthew 6:21:
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “ In Psalm 116:12 the worshipper asks:
“What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?”
God’s answer to this question is found in II Corinthians 9:7:“Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Jesus tells us that our attitude about giving is very important, he tells us this in Mark 12:41-44:“Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. [42] A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. [43] Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. [44] For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."
The more we are blessed, Jesus tells us, the more is expected of us. Jesus
illustrates this with the Rich man in Mark 10:21-22:“Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." [22] When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”
Jesus throughout his earthly ministry encouraged people to grow in their spirituality and in their giving. Jesus talks much about this idea of growing in many different ways. He spoke much about money but also illustrates growth in many parables
from nature. Our speaker at Synod Assembly gave us a way to remember how to grow our faith and grow in spirituality. He used the word G R O W to illustrate this
for us. To grow spiritually and grow in faith 4 elements need to be present in our lives. Each is represented by a letter of grow. G – Give Generously
R – Read You Bible Regularly
O – Offer Prayer Daily
W – Worship Faithfully and Regularly
I would encourage all of you to consider looking at how you are growing in faith and spirituality. I would encourage and challenge you to take the word GROW above and implement that in your life. If you do, you will discover something new and wonderful in your life as you walk more closely with Jesus and his will for you. Take the GROW Challenge and you will find a new Joy in life.
In Christ’s Grace,
Pastor Carl
Lutheran World Relief Kits:
School Kits: This year Joy Circle will be assembling and sending school kits. A school kit may provide the only supplies for children returning to school after disruption of war. School kits also help parents continue their children's education, even while living in a refugee camp.
The following items are included in each kit:
Spiral notebook, 8“x101/2”, ruled paper, Blunt scissors, 30– centimeter ruler or ruler with centimeters on one side and inches on other side
Pencil sharpener
6 new, unsharpened #2 pencils with erasers
Eraser approximately 2 1/2 inches long
Assorted colors of construction paper
Box of 16 or 24 crayons
There will be a box in the lobby marked School Kits items. The circle would appreciate donations of any of the items during the next month and will be assembling the kits in October.
Sunday School Update:
For the Fall. If you are interested in teaching Sunday school for the upcoming school year please let Mary Miller know as soon as possible. Also if you taught Sunday school last year and would like to teach again this year please let Mary know as well. Contact Mary at 402-443-4241 or email her at rmiller@binary.net.
We need:
Three teaches for our 3 yr old class
Two Teachers for our 4 yr old class
Two Teachers for our 4th grade class
One Teacher for our 6th grade class
One Teacher for our 7th & 8th grade class.
We have several special activities planned this year for the families of our congregation but we need help to make the events possible. We will be having family events on Sunday, November 2nd and Sunday December 28th in the evening. I need about 5-6 volunteers to help with these events if you are willing to help please let me know. Also we will again be having the Special Sundays once a month during the Sunday school hour. We need several volunteers to help with these events as well. So please check your calendars before you come on Sunday, September 7th for Rally Sunday, I will be passing around a sign up sheet for volunteers for these events or you can contact me, Mary Miller, at 443-4241.
Day Camp & Vacation Bible School:
We had a great turn out for both. The children had a wonderful time. Thanks again to everyone who helped make it a success. We look forward to next year.
Ice Cream Social:
We had some bad weather just before the event on Thursday July 17th. So, we set up in the basement and everything turned out great. We had a wonderful crowed. We look forward to seeing you again next year.
Bethlehem Women (& Men & Children):
I returned to the plains of Nebraska on Sunday, July 13th after spending five days at the mountaintop. My mountain top experience was attending the 7th Triennial Convention of the Women of the ELCA in Salt Lake City. The first two days I was a delegate for the business part of the convention and the last three days were the gathering or celebration part. The theme for the entire week was “Come to the Waters” with the emphasis on baptism. We heard three inspiring Bible Studies (that were also in the summer issues of Lutheran Woman Today Magazine) given by the author, Rev. Karen Bockelman.
We elected new officers during the business sessions. President: Beth Wrenn, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina; Vice President: Charlene Spillmann, Kyle, Texas (our region); Treasurer: Anjanette Hodges, Christiansburg, Virginia; and Secretary: Betty Brandt, Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Diane Brauer of Lincoln, Ne. was re-elected to the board for a three-year term from our Region 4.
There were about 2,000 women in attendance including 50 from Nebraska. We all wore red collars to identify ourselves and it really helped when we needed to find someone.
All of you, along with many other women were very generous with their money offerings. The Friday evening Thankoffering service alone gathered in $31,617.00. And here is a listing of the In Kind or Tangible offerings for the week: Health Kits – 241, School Kits- 364, Knitted/Preemie Caps- 899, Fleece Blankets-89, Heart Pillows-90, Phone Cards-55,470 minutes, Gift & grocery cards-$13,284.84, and Quilts (made during the gathering)-84. There are still great needs all over the world!
On Thursday evening we were able to attend the rehearsal of the 360 member Mormon Tabernacle Choir in their 21,000 seat Conference Center because the tabernacle isn’t air-conditioned. On Sunday morning our own choir of 600 women inspired us with their singing for our closing worship with Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, Bishop of the NE Ohio Synod preaching.
Our keynote speaker, Sister Joan Chittister gave some shocking statistics on women and children as casualties of war: in WWII it was 17%, now in Iraq and Africa it’s 90%! Women and children are the most affected by war but have the least say in any decision-making. Her final quote is one for All of US: If you wonder whether your life’s work is done, and you’re still alive – it’s not!”
I will be giving a more detailed report of the Triennial at our meeting on Thursday, September 4th at 2 p.m. in the fellowship hall.
Join us then to hear more about the inspirational speakers and events that took place.
Arlene Johnson
Finance Committee Report:
The Church Finance Committee met for its regular monthly meeting July 13th following morning worship. Attending were Bill Reece (Chairperson) Jerry Johnson, Eldred Torrison, Al Grandgenett, and Pastor Kramer. Absent were Cheryl Dunbar, Sue Krejci, Colette Rathke, and Stuart Oden. The Finance Committee meets in the summer on the second Sunday, following the worship service.
The meeting opened by reviewing the June 30, 2008 General Fund Financial Report. The summary page of that report is printed within this newsletter. This was followed by a report on the status of the Term Loans. Those being the Capital Improvement Loan which included the former Building Fund and the 2007 Parsonage Garage. (1999 Fellowship Hall/Sunday School/Office Addition and the 2007 Parsonage Garage Addition) plus a Construction Loan which covered the expenses of the Sanctuary Remodeling Project.
The 2008 Numbers:
Capital Improvement Loan (beginning balances) 1999 Fellowship Hall Addition $48,974.00
2007 Parsonage Garage Addition $19,650.00
Loan Balance at the beginning of the year $68,624.00
6 -Loan Payments from the General Fund ($16,716.00)
Interest costs $ 2,195.94
Net Principal Applied $ 14,520.06
Loan Balance $ 54,103.94
May Special Appeal Funds Applied in June ($27,179.00)
Loan Balance June 30, 2008 $26,924.94
May Appeal Funds Applied in July ($ 6,146.78)
Projected Loan Balance July 31, 2008 $20,778.16
1999 Building Fund $ 119.51 June/July Interest)
2007 Garage Addition $20,668.65 (Includes $1,018.65 Accrued Interest)
Construction Loan (Sanctuary Remodeling)
Total Project Costs $141,381.47
Added Improvements $ 3,730.00
Loan Pay-down from Offerings/Gifts $ -34,267.00
Checking Account Balance at Close ($ 14.47)
Loan Balance June 30, 2008 $110,830.00
At the June Church Council meeting, they voted to discontinue the monthly payments from the General Fund of $2,786.00 per month because of the May Special Appeal and the fact that the General Fund offerings are below budget. With that action, since the Construction Loan had applied for a loan of $125,000.00 and had available funds of $14,170.00, $13,670.00 was applied to the Capital Improvement Loan paying that ahead and suspending the monthly payments. This leaves a balance of $7,118.18 due on the Capital Improvement Loan and $124,500.00 due on the Construction Loan. Offerings earmarked in the Sunday offerings toward the Improvement Fund will beapplied to the Construction Loan. $1,750.00 was received in June and applied in July toward the Construction loan which brought that loan balance down to $122,750.00. The 2008 Pledges toward the Building Fund will remain in the General Fund as offerings toward that line item through June are $12,741.00 and the budget pledges for the year to be $34,000.00.
This report includes a lot of figures and if you are into numbers I hope you can follow through the process. In real terms, we have done a great job of paying down our Long Term Debts but it has affected the offerings toward the General Fund and 2008 Budget. With the Sanctuary Remodeling Project and the Capital Improvement Debt we could have had a debt of $218,624. Our total debt as of June 30th and funds applied in July we have Long Term Debt of $129,868 and a General Fund loan of $18,000.00, or total debt of $147,868.
The offerings during the summer months usually fall short of expenses and we need to now focus on the General Fund loan of $18,000.00 Committee members will be keeping you up to date with “Temple Talks” throughout the remaining part of the year. If you have any questions about the numbers or the process feel free to contact
Jerry Johnson, Long Term Loan Treasurer and reporter to the Finance Committee and Church Council.
Jerry Johnson
Lost & Found:
If your son or daughter went to day camp. We have some items that the children made that were left at the park. Your child should have had a cup, book bag, picture frame. Please check to see that your child has his or hers. The items that were left are in the church office.
Happy Birthday
Chad Fox 8/1 Lois Fick 8/16
Dennis Groff 8/1 Minnie Trawny 8/16
Sean Kohl 8/1 Dennis Chmelka 8/17
Kelli Matson 8/1 Zachary Luben 8/17
Vickie Pearson 8/2 Angela Luben 8/18
Rod Mattson 8/2 Emily Reimer 8/18
Paul Skovgaard 8/3 Bernard Inbody 8/20
Tara Burkey 8/6 Patrick Hancock 8/21
Aja Henderson 8/6 Annette Ruzicka 8/21
Kim Homes 8/6 Rachel Steele 8/21
Leone Liliedahl 8/6 Chris Arduser 8/22
Dave Pearson 8/6 Stuart Krejci 8/22
Darcy Barry 8/7 A.J. Divis 8/23
E.J Hancock 8/7 Paige Peterson 8/23
Stuart Oden 8/7 Michelle Hall 8/24
Alison Brodahl 8/8 Ashlee Miller 8/24
Sarah Christian 8/10 Kent Pearson 8/24
Jason Libal 8/10 Sienna Inbody 8/25
Grant Rubesh 8/10 Sloan Inbody 8/25
Susan Gottschalk 8/11 Shannon Zara 8/25
Alyssa Chvatal 8/12 Thomas Waido 8/27
Amanda Anderson 8/13 Aunbrea Zeleny 8/27
Jacob Barry 8/13 Joyce Breunig 8/28
Kim Christian 8/13 Dwaine Heiser 8/28
Sean Forbes 8/13 Charlotte Kolterman 8/28
Cheryl Dunbar 8/14 Nicholas Oden 8/28
Josh Anderson 8/15 Tracy Buch 8/29
Madilyn Buch 8/15 Lawrence Lindquist 8/30
Matt Nutzman 8/15 Meagan Mensik 8/30
James Simons 8/15 Brian Lowther 8/31
Christy Brazil 8/16 RoiAnn Lubker 8/31