Vol. II - Issue #8  

Nov. 1, 2011  

Collect:

Readings: (alternate below)    

• Revelation 7:(2-8) 9-17
• 1 John 3:1-3
• Matthew 5:1-12

Meditation: (alternate below)  

Saints Are Blessed in the Eternal Presence of Christ

"A great multitude from all tribes and peoples and languages," cry out "salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne" (Rev. 7:9-17). Faith-filled saints from every place and time with unified voices eternally magnify the Lamb of God. As His beloved children, we too, "shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:1-3). Joined with the throng of angels and a myriad of saints, we shall "serve him day and night in his temple" (Rev. 7:9-17). In our earthly tension vacillating between saint and sinner, faith and doubt, sacred and profane, we earnestly seek Jesus to calm our fears, comfort our spirits, and forgive our sins. The Holy Spirit, through faith in Christ propels us forward, fortifying us in Word and Sacrament, to our eternal home. In the midst of our constant struggle as believers, we need to be blessed. And so we are. The poor in spirit, the meek, the hungry, the thirsty, the merciful, the pure, and the persecuted are all blessed and we will most certainly inherit the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:1-12).

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TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Proper 27 (November 6-November 12)

Readings:  

• Amos 5:18-24
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
• Matthew 25:1-13

Meditation:   

The Gospel Prepares Us for Our Heavenly Bridegroom's Coming

The Day of the Lord is "darkness, and not light" (Amos 5:18, 20) for all who trust in their own righteousness and piety. The Lord will not accept their "burnt offerings and grain offerings," nor will He look upon their "peace offerings" (Amos 5:22). Instead He desires a heart of faith that trusts in Him, which lets "justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream" (Amos 5:24) in love for the neighbor. In order for the "lamps" of our lives to burn brightly with such love, we must be filled with the "oil" of forgiveness through faith in our Bridegroom, Jesus Christ (Matt 25:1-4). Therefore, as we await His coming, wisdom directs us "to the dealers" (Matt 25:9), that is, to the ministers of His Gospel. Thus we wait upon the Lord, and we "encourage one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:18). Waking or sleeping, we are prepared to meet Him when He comes "with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God," and "we will always be with the Lord" (1 Thess 4:16, 17).

Thanksgiving to God on behalf of Principal Michael and Pamela Schiemann as they rejoice in the birth of a son, Tyler Michael Schiemann;

Thanksgiving to God for Shepherd of The Hills Lutheran Church in Airdrie which, this past Sunday, celebrated their reception into membership in LCC with an Outreach event.

Please remember to keep Ian Adnams, for LCC Director of Communications, in your prayers.  Ian suffered a heart attack on October 30 and underwent emergency surgery.  He is recovering well and we pray that God will continue to grant healing and a return to health.

• Quest Course - Last Session - Nov 1, 7-9pm, Concordia Lutheran Seminary, Edmonton, AB    

• FIVE14 Youth Retreat - Nov. 4-6, 2011 at Foothills, Calgary, AB  

You can also check out abcconvention.lccabc.ca for all things convention! (Deadlines, Notes, Bulletin PDF's etc.)  

Congregational Constitutions    

Congregations need to make sure that they identify themselves in their constitutions as not-for-profit organizations.  A suggestion is to include the following statement immediately following the section where the congregation identifies its purpose and mission:

"XYZ Lutheran Church in Anytown, shall be carried on without purpose of gain for its members, and any profits or other gains to this congregation shall be used in promoting its objectives as described above."

Close to 180 youth and adults attended the Lutheran Hour Ministry Regional Outreach Conference held in Vancouver on October 14-15! The participants were inspired by hymns, songs, spiritual songs and the study of God's Word. Insightful plenary sessions were presented by Dr. Robert Newton and Rev. Greg Seltz. Practical and engaging workshops helped people see how to share the Gospel of Christ with the unchurched. Youth were able to gather around God's Word and discuss witnessing under the banner of Five14.

If you visit the blog, "Go!" you can watch two short videos in which Dr. Newton and Rev. Seltz are discussing a question that has been posed to them by a member in the audience.   Once you are at "Go!" scroll down to the October 19^th posting.

The Canadian Lutheran has a more in-depth article on ROC-Vancouver. Check it out!  

"Responding to Sexual Temptation in a High Tech Society" 

is the title of Mr. Ted Kober's presentation at the 6^th Annual Love Life Conference at Concordia University College of Alberta on Saturday, November 19^th.   From ages 10 to 92, Christians struggle with sexual temptation from the Internet, cell phone, and other technology. The result? Broken marriages, hurting families, and damaged ministries and businesses. While not all are tempted, everyone in our society is impacted by its effects.  Ted Kober's two-part workshop prepares you to help a loved one or yourself respond through the power of the Gospel. Learn the extent of this issue and how to experience healing through biblical peacemaking.  The conference begins with registration at 8:45 a.m. and concludes at 3:20 p.m. (although there is a bonus panel discussion that will conclude at 4:00 p.m.). The conference pre-registration fee is $25.00 (includes lunch) and $30.00 (at the door). Students are FREE!  

For more information and to register and make payment online visit: www.LoveLifeEdmonton.com or http://www.lccabc.ca/news/love-life-conference/. You can also register by calling the ABC District Office at: 780-474-0063 (ext. 102).  This conference is sponsored by: Lutherans for Life - Canada; Concordia Lutheran Seminary; Concordia University College of Alberta; and the ABC District.

*If you are able to project video on to the screens in your sanctuary or education centre, you are encouraged to show the promo video that was produced for the Love Life conference.  You can access the video at:  http://vimeo.com/30571714.

What do Faith (Surrey) and Christ (Markerville, AB) and Walnut Grove (Langley, BC) have in common?

These three congregations are going through the Transforming for Missions (T4M) process.   Faith had their T4M weekend consultation on October 28-30; Christ's consultation will be November 11-13; with Walnut Grove's T4M consultation taking place on November 25-27^th.    The T4M process includes: a self-study of the congregation and the community in which the congregation is located; a 6 week Bible study called, "Motivation for Mission"; prayer vigils, a weekend consultation with a team consisting of pastors and laypeople; and prayerful discussion of the T4M consultation team report.  When a congregation adopts the T4M consultation report, a coach is assigned to the congregation to walk with the congregation through the process of acting on the prescriptions in the consultation report.  The T4M process is designed to address internal congregational challenges while at the same time getting the congregation (i.e. pastors and laypeople) to act and think like missionaries.  If you are struggling and frustrated by your inability to develop meaningful relationships in your community, especially with those who are not believers in Christ, then you will want to consider the Transforming For Missions (T4M) process.  Contact: Dr. Glenn Schaeffer for more information.

Please pray for these three congregations.  Here is a prayer you might want to use:  

Gracious and loving Father, we ask that You bless the members of Faith (Surrey), Christ (Markerville), and Walnut Grove (Langley) as they participate in the Transforming for Missions process.  We pray the members of these congregations will have a greater sense of what it means to be a missionary people in our post-church culture and a mission-driven congregation to the people who live in the community surrounding their buildings.   We pray they will take all necessary actions to be a Your missionary people in coming months so that Your name is glorified and Your kingdom might grow! In Jesus' name we are bold to pray, Amen.  

New Reconciliation Ministry Pastorate Course 

News from AOR  

The newest ministry training for serving conflicted churches and other ministries is now open for registration!

We are pleased to announce that our new Reconciliation Ministry Pastorate Course will be offered on January 30 through February 3, 2012 Aurora, Colorado (Denver area). We have had interest from Lutherans and non-Lutherans across the US as well as folks from Canada and Australia.

Bruce Zagel will co-present this course with me (Ted Kober). He has some amazing stories to report from his experience pilot testing this ministry with a conflicted congregation in Australia. You will enjoy learning and hearing how the process works in real life applications, as well as lessons that Bruce learned from the field...read more 

Electric Organ for Donation

Blanche Radons of Sidney, BC has a Vox 8330 Electric Organ manufactured by the Thomas Organ Company that she would she would like to donate to a Congregation or possibly even a private home of a Church Member.
It has all the "bells and whistles" with various rhythms and magic cords and has been well taken care of over the years.    

• Model: Vox 8330 Electric Organ 
• Height is 32";  Width is 42 1/2"; and the Depth is 22"  
• comes with original accompanying Storage Bench  

FIVE14 Youth Retreat - Registration Open!

November 4-6, 2011

Foothills Lutheran Church, Calgary, AB

Pastors and Youth Leaders -Save the weekend of November 4-6 for an opportunity for your youth to participate in a retreat focused on Matthew 5:14.

Registration packages can be downloaded, and online group registration can be completed at http://lutheranyouthretreat.ca/     

Part of Lutheran Hour Ministries, five14 is a witnessing-training program designed for and inspired by teens which teaches them to be "the light of the world" to their peers.  Check out their website for videos, music and more! 

• 100th - St. John's, Vernon, BC - Nov. 11 - 13, 2011
• 50th - Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Calgary, AB - Feb. 19, 2012 

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!