Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church (BLC), AFLC
BLC TEMP
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July/August 2007 Phone: 815-942-1145
Dispelling the Darkness Bethlehem Lutheran Church is affiliated with the Association of Free Lutheran Churches. Sunday Morning Service 9 am WJDK 95.7 FM "But these are written From the Pastor’s Desk A lesson in church discipline. There are many examples of proper discipline in the Bible. The problem is many times we don't want to consider those examples because we don't want to consider Godly discipline. We don't like to be disciplined and we don't want to be called upon to do the disciplining. And so all too often church discipline goes undone because no one wants to step up to the plate. But as Christians we are called to it and we can not escape the truth of God's word. We don't like confrontation. We don't want to be the ones who have to do the confronting. But we need to be, and we are called to do it in love. 2'nd Timothy 4:2 says, "to reprove or correct, rebuke, and exhort or encourage with great patience and instruction". 2'nd Timothy 3:16 says, "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness". God desires to lead us in Godly teaching and correction and confrontation because He loves us and He wants us to love each other. If we really love each other we will be willing to confront in love as God leads us. If we do not love each other as God intends us to, then we will not care enough about each other to confront when necessary. Many times then, what happens is gossip. If we are not willing to confront in love, the temptation is to gossip instead. Confrontation is talking to the person. Gossip is talking to everybody else about the person. Gossip is a terrible sin. Confrontation is to love, gossip is to destroy. Are we people who care enough and love enough to confront, or would we rather just gossip about each other. 150 years ago when a prairie fire would sweep across the prairie there was a sense of urgency to warn those in the path of the oncoming fire. It didn't matter if you knew the people, it didn't matter if it was night or day. Bust the door down if you have to, but warn the people, wake them up, do whatever you have to do to let the people know in order that they might flee to safety. Whether we realize it or not, there is a far greater sense of urgency today. Time is short, time is so very short. Oh that we would see the command of our Lord to love as He first loved us. If we will live under God's commands we will cease to be gossips. In 2'nd Samuel 12 we see a wonderful example of Godly confrontation. God called Nathan the prophet to confront David about his sin. Nathan tells David a story for David to consider. In verse 7 of chapter 12 Nathan speaks to David with holy boldness when he tells David, " You are the man", you are the one who has sinned. It took great courage to confront the king and speak these words to him. But Nathan cared enough about David to confront him, and God loved David enough to forgive him and restore him. God loved David enough to confront him about his sin through the prophet Nathan. God's whole objective in confrontation is that we would see our sin and that we would seek forgiveness in order that we could be restored to Him and to each other. Discipline and confrontation is no fun whether we are being corrected or we are called upon to be a Nathan. But, may God have his way with us and may we be willing to be Nathans in His church to bring about forgiveness, and repentance, and restoration, and healing in His way and in His time according to His plan, for His honor and His glory. Philippians 2:1-2 says, "Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. May God bless you all. Please note. Any letters being addressed to the church council or the pastor must be signed. If anyone sending a letter is not also willing to sign their name, that letter will be disregarded and discarded. Thank you, YOUTH NEWS
Summer is here and that means camp time for our youth. June was the month for Family Bible camp this year. Several of our youth and adults attended for a week of renewing their commitment and being drawn closer to their Savior. We enjoyed their testimonies that they shared during worship service. Praise God for their boldness to speak confidently of their faith! The first week of July will see the youth loading up a bus for their trip to the F.L.Y. convention in Estes Park, Colorado. Although the bus ride seems a little intimidating, the prize at the end of the trip is most rewarding. Everyone is looking forward to seeing old friends and experiencing God at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Please keep them in your prayers for a safe journey and that the Holy Spirit will do a mighty work in all of the young people attending.
Sunday School News Praise God for blessing us with another year of Sunday school at Bethlehem. We concluded this school year with a drawing that was won by Kelsey Odom. Throughout the year, every child who brought their Bibles to class that Sunday had their name put into a drawing for a prize on the last day of class. Thank you to Kelsey and all the other students who regularly brought the most important lesson book each and every Sunday to class. Before leaving for Chapin park for our annual picnic, we had a Bible lesson about the number forty and how many times it comes up in the text of the bible. Many of the children remembered a story that included the number, Noah and the flood, Jesus in the desert, and Moses leading the Israelites La the desert. We talked about the Israelites being afraid to take what God was promising them and how they would not see their promise land for forty more years. Thank you to all the teachers who encouraged and taught the young ones of our church over the past school year and for all the prayers and support from our congregation. We are looking forward to an exciting week of Vacation Bible School the last week of June. Everything is new and different for those involved this year, We are having a joint VBS with Grace Lutheran Church and the Timothy team from the AFLC Bible College in Minnesota. The team of 4 young adults will lead each days program of songs, Bible lessons, games, crafts and snacks from CEF's "Knowing Christ" curriculum. Keep this time lifted in prayer that many from our community might come to know Christ for the first time and know Him even more. Birthdays and Anniversaries July 1 Florence Whyte 2Teagan Sandvick 5 Samantha Cherrone Anna VandenBos 9 Marge Scaman Pastor Steve Lombardo Hope Lombardo 10 Federico Duarte IV 11 Gordon Vaksdal 12 Eric Egeland Gene Timmons 15 Gwen Willmington 16 Manley Jorstad Tiffany Narwick 17 Marta Nelson
Avery Kneller
22 Hope Brown Robert Knutson Judy Ness Veda Crawford
24 James Hoge Jean LeFevers
August 1 Janet Anderson 2 Bernice Rogers Linda Granstrom 3 Jay Pilch Dick & Merle McTague Alan & Shirley Love 4 Nancy Firn
James & Jeanne Taylor
Eric Leach Tom & Germaine Mickelson
7 Nancy Marchesi Jonathan Phillips 8 Russel Grieff Barb Vaksdal R. H. Coleman
Allan Lunde Beverly Kneller Marsha & Tom Bednarik 11 Suzanne Irvin
15 Allison Gipes
20 Judy Stump 21 Ruby Hauge Evelyn Helgeson Dianna Larson Leslie Coleman Mark & Diana Daggett Gerry Steele 23 Helen Hexdall Jason Lanning Jonathan Lanning Steve & Angie Lombardo Millie & Dave Henderson 26 A. James Narwick
27 Jean Gilbertson Michael Doss Christine Narwick 28 Joshua Kjellesvik Cheryl Coop Robert Micus 29 Katie Hauge Jessica Buckbee Pastoral Acts Funerals Gail Rudd (NM) 5/9/07 (Later) Steele Raymond Gaddo ( NM) 5/12/07 Evergreen Steele Rodney Clements (NM) 5/24/07 Lincoln (Elwood) Larson Keith Salems ( NM) 5/30/07 Evergreen Larson Mary Jane Lewis 6/1/07 Stavanger Steele SeDelle Phillips 6/7/07 Evergreen Larson Edith Smith 6/21/07 Evergreen Steele
Baptisms Carter Michael Saltzman 5/5/07 Larson Hanna Lena Moore 5/12/07 Larson Audree Louise Janik 6/10/07 Larson Trace Ryan McKinney 6/10/07 Larson Caleb Steven VandenBos 6/24/07 Larson
Weddings Laura Taylor & Josh Carlson 6/9/07 Lombardo Stephanie Holman & Aaron Westerfield 6/22/07 Larson Nisse Daley & Rob Hoge 6/23/07 Larson Kortnie Siron & Micah Tesdall 6/30/07 Lombardo Please remember to pray for those who are homebound, in nursing homes, or in the hospital. At Home: Genevieve
Anderson
Richard
Bradley
Margaret Dell At Walnut Grove: Ruby Hauge Madelon Peterson At Grundy: Archie
Anderson
Evelyn Davidson Lucille
Small At Heritage Manor: Mary Barschdorf At Pleasant View: Florence Olson In Aurora: Pastor Wigtil In Elgin, OK: Phyllis Wiekert In Chicago: Heather Lombardo In Moorhead, MN: Hazel Mathre In W. Lafayette, IN: Marion Linnemann
From the Trustees GENERAL ACCOUNT (BLC) Needed to meet budget 23 weeks $98,992 Total Income 23 weeks* $80,158 Needed weekly to meet budget $4,304 Weekly offering average $3,485 *Offering & rent WMF NEWS We had to cancel our "Pies and Program" afternoon for the Grundy Home, but we are hoping to reschedule it if we can work that out. There will be no circle meeting in July. We would like to sincerely thank all the ladies who have pitched in to help us with the recent bunch of funerals. Please keep in mind that our church will be hosting the Women’s District Fall Rally in October. This is a big undertaking and will require lots of hands to share the load. More on that later. Everyone could start buying items (and saving shoe boxes) for our Samaritan’s Purse drive that is around Thanksgiving time. These boxes of toys, goodies, hygiene and school items will be delivered to poor children around the world. It’s a very worthwhile cause and we hope lots of you will fill a box and donate it. Sandy Timmons, co-ordinator for WMF Tuesday Morning Bible Study We will resume our Tuesday-morning
Bible studies on September 4, at 9:30 in the lounge. At present, we have
started a study on the subject of "Heaven" and would invite any
new ladies to join us. You’re always welcome. Call me at 815-357-8434 if
you have any questions . Since all these things are thus to be
dissolved, 2 Peter 3:11-12
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