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ABC Connect
Keeping the ABC District Connected. |
Volume 11, Issue #11
March 21, 2011
Second Sunday in Lent |
O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy, be gracious to all who have gone astray from Your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of Your Word; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
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Greetings!
We invite and encourage you to share this newsletter with everyone! Our hope is that we can better communicate the happenings around our district to both our Church Workers as well as the members of our congregations. Please use any and all of the information contained in the ABC Connect to add to your bulletins, newsletters, calendars, and announcements.
You can share the ABC Connect with anyone with an email! Simply click here and insert their address (or use the link at the bottom of the page)!
As always, we welcome your questions, comments, and feedback! Send them to news@lccabc.ca.
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Prayers
For those in Japan and surrounding areas who have been afflicted by the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis.
For the family of Edie Ulmer as they mourn her passing.
For Rev. Vern Vansteenberg (Christ, Fort Saskatchewan, AB) as he undergoes testing and possible surgery for cancer.
For Heidi Lobitz, daughter of Rev. Mark Lobitz (Shepherd of the Valley, Canmore, AB) as she undergoes treatment for cancer.
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Calls
Rev. David Bode has accepted the call to Foothills, Calgary, AB.
Rev. Bill Ney has accepted the call to LAMP.
Shepherd of the Hills Mission, Airdrie, AB is applying for a Vicar.
Trinity, Abbotsford, BC is applying for a Vicar.
King of Kings, St. Albert, AB is applying for a Vicar.
Bethany, Campbell River, BC is applying for a Vicar.
Trinity, Golden, BC is calling a Candidate.
St. John's, Vernon, BC is calling a Candidate.
Emmaus, Drayton Valley, AB is calling a Candidate.
Trinity, Richmond, BC is calling a Candidate.
Zion, Cloverdale, BC is calling a Candidate.
Zion, Prince George, BC is calling a Candidate.
For the most up to date information regarding calls, please visit www.lccabc.ca/calls
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Deadlines
- March 31 - 2011 Synodical Convention Assessment payment
- March 31 - Candidate Status Extension forms
- March 31 - Worker Benefit Plan claims for 2010
- March 31 - Synodical Statistical Report - for more information, click here. You can fill out and submit the statistical forms electronically!
- March 31 - Deadline for YMI Director position applications. For more information, click here.
- April 1 - Deadline for registration for the LCC Synodical Convention
- April 4 - Deadline for Applications for The Olive Branch, Community Missionary position, for more information, see below.
- April 15 - Applications due for the placement of Teachers.
- June 15 - Deadline for Nominations for the Excellence in Lutheran Education Award
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Upcoming Events
- Tuesday, March 22 at Concordia, Penticton, BC - Dr. Roger Theimer - Creating a Church Culture to Encourage Spiritual Parenting
- Wednesday and Thursday, March 23 and 24 at Bethel, Sherwood Park, AB - Dr. Roger Theimer - Creating a Church Culture to Encourage Spiritual Parenting
- Friday, March 25 at Prince of Peace, Calgary, AB - Dr. Roger Theimer - Creating a Church Culture to Encourage Spiritual Parenting
- Saturday, March 26 at Foothills, Calgary, AB - Dr. Roger Theimer - Creating a Church Culture to Encourage Spiritual Parenting
- Monday, April 4 and Tuesday, April 5 - Board of Assignments Meeting in Winnipeg, MB (first consideration of placements for Vicars and Candidates)
- Friday, April 15 and Saturday, April 16 - Floor Committee Meeting for the Lutheran Church - Canada Convention in Winnipeg, MB
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Looking Ahead
- Concordia University College of Alberta (CUCA) Sacred Convocation - May 7
- CUCA Diaconal Placement Service - May 8 at 10:00am at Christ, Fort Saskatchewan and led by Rev. Vansteenburg. The church is located at 9909 90 Street, Fort Saskatchewan, AB.
- Regional Outreach Workshop - May 14 at Hope, Port Coquitlam, BC. More details to follow.
- Concordia Lutheran Seminary Sacred Convocation - May 27 at 7:00pm at the Tegler Centre, Concordia University College of Alberta
- Lutheran Church - Canada Synodical Convention - June 3-6, 2011 in Hamilton, ON. Click here for more information. All pre-convention bulletins are published here.
- A Pastor's Devotional Life - June 7-9. Click here to download a brochure for more details.
- Sabbatical Week - June 27-30 at Concordia Lutheran Seminary, Edmonton, AB - For more information, click here.
- Lutheran Teachers' Association - August 15-18 - Prince of Peace, Calgary, AB. For more information, click here.
- BC Church Workers Conference - October 3-6, 2011 at Camp Luther, Mission, BC.
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Upcoming Anniversaries
- 80th Anniversary of Christ Lutheran Church, Craig, AB - May 1 - Services at 10:00am and 3:00pm. Meals and program to follow both services. For more information, please contact the church at 403-728-3829. For more details, click here.
- 100th Anniversary of St. John's, Beach Corner, AB - May 15 - Services will be at 9:00am and 11:00am. There will be a dinner and program after at the Beach Corner Community Hall beginning at 2:00pm. Please RVSP by phoning 780-963-7773 before May 1. For more information, click here.
- 100th Anniversary of Christ Lutheran Church, Mellowdale, AB - July 9-10.
- 50th Anniversary of St. Luke, Surrey, BC - September 18
- 25th Anniversary of Concordia, Edmonton, AB - September 25
If your congregation has an anniversary celebration upcoming, please contact us and let us know details, so that we can let the church at large know!
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Family Ministry Workshop
Dr. Roger Theimer will give workshops on the topic of "How to create a church culture that effectively equips for spiritual parenting in the home."
We know that less than 10% of churched families talk about faith within the home. However, we also know that parents are the most important influence on a child's faith foundation.
Which begs the question... How do we equip and support parents as they spiritually nurture their children?
Dr. Roger Theimer suggests that churches need to answer these 3 questions:
- What discipleship skills shall we teach parents to pass along to their children?
- How do we motivate parents be intentional about passing the faith to their children?
- How do we provide an easy delivery system so that we do not exhaust our church staff in efforts to equip our parents?
Join us as we explore the answers to these questions.
For a full schedule of all the places that Rev. Theimer will be, as well as more information about him, please click here.
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Candidate Status Extension Forms
Candidate Status Extension forms have been both mailed and emailed this week to those that require it. If you have received a form, please complete it and send it back to the office by March 31. Should you have any questions about this form, do not hesitate to be in touch with Pres. Schiemann.
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Host a T4M Talk
A number of congregations have invited Dr. Glenn Schaeffer to speak with them about being an outreach focused congregation that connects with people who are not yet believers in Jesus Christ. Pastors, DPS workers, and congregational leaders are beginning to grasp the reality that God desires to transform members into missionaries who share the Gospel "incarnationally" with their community beginning in the neighbourhood around the church building. T4M consultation weekends and the subsequent prescriptions are designed to help pastors, church workers, and laity to make this transformation. To learn more about a T4M consultation, please contact Dr. Glenn Schaeffer and/or download the information sheet, "Consultation weekends explained" here.
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Resource for Church Workers
The Canadian Council of Christian Charities (CCCC) has an informative article about things Church Workers need to know about running a charity. Read the entire article here. If you have any questions about the regulations surrounding charitable status, please do not hesitate to be in touch! |
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Employment Opportunities
- Youth Ministry Institute is looking for a new director! For more information and details about the job, please visit here. Deadline for applications is March 31, 2011.
- Community Missionary Needed
- The Olive Branch, a new church plant associated with Christ the King, Edmonton, AB is looking for a part time community missionary
- This is a salaried, part time position
- For more information, please click here
- Deadline: April 4
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Recognizing Excellence in Lutheran Education
Do you know a Lutheran educator who always goes the extra mile? Now is your
chance to celebrate his/her service to Lutheran schools. The Lutheran
Teacher's Association executive is calling for nominations for the Excellence
in Lutheran Education Award. This award will highlight the service of a
Lutheran educator based on the following criteria:
- Strong commitment to serving the Lord
- Active in local community as well as Lutheran community
- Commitment to excellence and meeting the social, emotional, spiritual, and cognitive needs of children and families
- Equipped and willing to profess and teach Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective; desirable: Synodically trained, colloquized, or active participant in colloquy program
- Four (4) or more years experience in a Lutheran school
- Demonstrates effective educational skills
- Administrator or teacher in a Canadian Lutheran school or preschool
- Member of the LTA, and member of other professional associations
Letters describing how the nominee meets the criteria for the Excellence in
Lutheran Education Award should be sent to LTA President, Lorilee Schelp either
by email or by regular mail: c/o Zion Lutheran School, 5950 179th Street, Surrey, BC V3S 4J9.
Nominations must be received by June 15, 2011
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Important Treasurer Information
Worker Benefit Plan has had many calls from treasurers throughout Lutheran Church-Canada with questions regarding payroll deductions. Please click here for more information, and a detailed explanation of how to correctly prepare paycheques with the changes to our benefit plan. Should you have questions, please do not hesitate to be in touch with Worker Benefits at 1-800-588-4226 extension 2226 or 2223.
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DVD Available - How We Got the Bible
As God's written Word, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments are the source of God's revelation to man. Learn about the production, collection, transmission, and preservation of these marvellous works in How We Got The Bible, featuring Dr. Paul L. Maier. This DVD can be purchased from Tobias Communications.
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Videos Available
Video Presentations of the talks presented at the 2010 Love Life Conference at CUCA are available online here.
Presentations include:
- Rev. Dr. Steve Chambers, "Priceless Sex - A Bible study on 1 Corinthians 6"
- Rev. Dr. Bill Andersen, "A Positive Theology of Sex from Genesis 1-2 and Song of Songs"
- Rev. Dr. Roger Sonnenberg, "Porn: The New Crack Cocaine" & "The New Family Dynamic"
- Mrs. Julie Parr, "Living in a Sex Crazed Culture"
- Panel Discussion addressing audience questions about Human Sexuality
MP3 versions of these presentations are also being posted at the ABC District website. All the presentations are now available in both video and MP3 format.
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Resource of the Week
 Today, millions of people struggle with addictive behavior and codependencies that hurt themselves and others.
This book follows the format of the Twelve Steps, identifies and applies biblical truths for liberation from hurtful behaviors and the promotion of Christian growth. Through these principles, God provides the fullness of His blessings in Christ to liberate and to empower individuals for growth in Christian living.
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Feedback Requested
Have you read any of the Resources of the Week? Any ideas for future ones? Please share them with us, and we will look into them! |
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Pastor Humour
Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
A backward poet writes inverse.
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Canadian Lutheran Stories Wanted
Thank you to all those who have submitted. In the next week, we will be unveiling a new online photo album of everything that gets submitted for publication. Stay tuned!
Email any contributions to Belinda.
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God's Blessings on your day!
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