Strengthen Faith, Build Hope, Share Love in Christ Our Savior 
Trinity
Christ Our Savior
Lutheran Church
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ANDY KELTNER, PASTOR 
5 South 8th Street
Louisburg, KS 66053
 (913)837-4502
pastor@christoursaviorlouisburg.com

Worship 8 a.m. 10:30 a.m. & 7 p.m. 
Sunday School 9:15a.m.-10:15a.m.
Summer Sunday School - Join the Book Club!

Christ Our Savior Lutheran

Summer Sunday School 9:15 - 10:15

June 1st - August 17th

  

It's a Book Club!

Read at home

  

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

By C. S. Lewis

 

 

The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven high fantasy novels by C. S. Lewis.  The first novel in this series is the "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe".  This summer we will be looking at this novel in our summer Sunday school.

 

Here is what we need to make this study work.  We need every member of our congregation to participate and share their stories!  You will be asked to find a copy of this novel.  If you need a one, we have several copies available here at church.  Read this novel weekly to your children who do not read, older children can read this to younger children and family members.   Come Sunday morning and participate in the activities between 9:30 and 10:15.  Work on a family story to share with the Sunday school attendees.

 

Reading together is great way to bond as a family.  Reading together and discussing a book is a powerful way of reinforcing values and discussing our Christian ethic.  "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" addresses values such as tolerance, the nature of good and evil, the culture of temptation, to forgive or not to forgive, etc.   We will study this book for ten weeks and share some family stories.  Hopefully this will wet your appetite for further reading and study.


We look forward to seeing you at this Study.  Below is a schedule for the summer.

June 1st - Talk about the author, and get book. Read chapters 1 and 2.

 

June 8th - Discuss chapter 1 and 2. Assignment? Write a story inspired by your favorite bible story.

                Read chapters 3 and 4.

 

June 15 - Discuss chapter 3 and 4. Read chapter 5.

 

June 22 - Discuss chapter 5. Read chapter 6.

 

June 29 - Discuss chapter 6. Read chapter 7.

 

July 6 - Discuss chapter 7. Read chapter 8.

 

July 13 - Discuss chapter 9. Read chapter 9 and 10.

 

July 20 - Discuss chapters 9 and 10. Read chapters 11 and 12.

 

July 27 - Discuss chapters 11 and 12. Read chapter 13 and 14.

 

August 3 - Discuss chapter 13 and 14. Read chapter 15.

 

August 10 - Discuss chapter 15. Read chapter 16 and 17.

 

August 17 - Discuss chapters 16 and 17. Listen to any stories written from the assignment. The End.
NEWSLETTER
June 2014
Meals on Wheels Fundraiser



Dinner & Pie Auction!
 

Saturday, June 21st

American Legion John P Hand Post 250
403 S. 9th Street, Louisburg

Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Dinner at 6:00 p.m.

Tickets are $20.00 per person

Call 913-837-4502 (church office) for Reservations

Proceeds from this evening's event will benefit the Mid-American Nutrition Program's "Meals on Wheels" for Louisburg Senior Citizens.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!!!!  In order to make this event a success, we need pies!  Please contact Beth Ramsey at (316-727-1249) if you would be willing to share your talents and bake some pies.  She will need to know the type of pie you plan on baking.  She makes cards for each of the pies so people bidding know what kind it is and who made it.  There is also a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the entry of the church.


Strength - We can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us! (by Kelly Stohs)
What was your physically strongest moment?  Think about it. 

 

For me, it was the end of October, 2011.  During the very last �-mile stretch of my first (okay, my only) 26.2 mile marathon.  My sister and I had trained for months, running longer-distance runs on the weekends, and adding a couple miles each weekend.  10...12...15 miles...until I finally reached the pinnacle training point two weeks before race day. 

 

Running the marathon was the most physically challenging thing I've ever done.  As I approached mile 25, my body's senses were jumbled - I was sweating in the heat, but was shivering with chills; my muscles ached, but were completely numb at the same time.  Following some advice from some experienced running buddies, I made myself drink some water at every water station that I passed, regardless of whether I felt thirsty.  My friends had warned me, once you start to feel thirsty, it's too late to hydrate.

 

As I passed the 23rd mile marker, the pain that had been radiating from my feet subsided - or more technically, my whole body began radiating with equal amounts of pain, so the pain in my feet was no longer distinguishable.  My legs were fighting an intensely painful war with my mind - my legs pleaded my body to stop any movement, or in desperate negotiation, begged to walk - while my mind retaliated with idyllic images of crossing the finish line, hearing inspired applause from a crowd of the runners' family and friends who would be gathered there, and anticipated pride in marking "marathon" off my bucket list.  And, pushing step after step, eventually, I did it.  I actually finished the marathon!  As I reflect on that moment - my "strongest" moment -the irony is obvious.  It was my strongest moment, but in that same moment, I also felt the weakest. 

 

The dictionary defines "strength" as "the ability to resist being moved or broken by a force."    What's remarkable is that in order to exhibit strength, you have to confront weakness.  You have to be challenged in a way that can potentially break you.  You must be tested, challenged.  In order to build strength, what do you do?  You practice.  You train.  You simulate that which is going to test or challenge you.  To "practice," we do something over and over, again and again until it doesn't seem so hard.  Until we become good at resisting the force.  Until we overcome it. 

 

While the saying is trite, it's true -what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.  Life can be hard.  Harder at some time than others.  We face some tough challenges at times.  Some of them we choose (running a marathon), but other challenges choose us.  For the more difficult challenges - the ones we don't choose or the ones we don't expect- we have to bend, or else we'll break. 

 

The relationship between strength and weakness is not as obvious as we're experiencing the strain, or if you feel that you are being crushed under the weight of a force you can't control.  But the intertwined connection between strength and weakness is well accepted in the context of physical strength.  I cringe when I think back to the physical pain I felt at mile marker 26, yet that was the strongest my legs have ever been.   

 

There are scientific explanations of the biomechanics of movement, exercise, and strength building.  They explain how we build physical strength.  Look around. There are billions of books, websites, and television shows dedicated to fitness and strength.  Everyone wants to be fit.  Healthy.  Strong.  A simple Google search for "how to build muscle" will give you a result of 215 million websites.  But among those 215 million websites about how to build muscle, there are really only three fundamental components, regardless who you ask:  diet, exercise, and rest. 

 

Wikipedia defines strength training as the use of "resistence to induce muscular contraction which builds the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles."  Training is done by "progressively increasing the force output of the muscle through incremental weight increases."  Atbodybuilding.com, they say that "in order to increase muscle mass, stress must be put on the body."  The body will "develop enough muscle to deal with the loads placed upon it."  Another website (Mueller Center) explains: "When you work a muscle, you do a little damage to it. It takes time for your body to repair it, while also making it slightly stronger. In other words, resting is when your muscles actually grow."  Mayo Clinic says: "Weight training provides a stress to the muscles that causes them to adapt and get stronger, similar to the way aerobic conditioning strengthens your heart." http://www.mayoclinic.org/weight-training/ART-20047116.  Another website advises that to build muscle, you have to "overload" them.  "Overload: The first thing you need to build lean muscle tissue is to use more resistance than your muscles are used to. This is important because the more you do, the more your body is capable of doing, so you should increase your workload to avoid plateaus."  http://exercise.about.com/cs/exerciseworkouts/a/weight101.htm. 

 

Regardless which website you go to or who you ask, the answer is the same.  If you want to build strength, you have to work at it.  You have to challenge your body and muscles with weights, with resistance training.  With each set, whether it's bicep curls, tricep extensions, squats, or whatever, you have to challenge your muscles with weight, then take a break, and then repeat.  Muscle builds by being broken down, and then repairing.  The scientific explanation isn't too complicated: when your body is challenged, and your muscles are broken down, your muscles are designed to self-repair, to re-build, and to come back even stronger. 

 

But if you don't use 'em, you lose 'em.  When your body isn't challenged, it stays stagnant or weakens.  Think about the last time you got sick and had to lay around for even a day or two.  It takes a few days to build back the energy, stamina, and strength for even a normal day's activities.  

 

So, when our muscles are stressed, when they fight resistance or weight, they adapt.  Our muscles get stronger.  The more weight we come up against, the more we become capable of. 

 

I was able to run a marathon only because I trained.  I practiced.  With each training run, I broke down my muscles.  And then, after letting my body rest for a few days and allowing my muscles to re-generate, I'd run again, each time adding another mile.  It was a process.  It allowed me to reach the finish line.   

 

But when you're facing "life" challenges - watching a loved one suffer, waiting for test results, dealing with test results, surviving treatments, picking up the pieces after a divorce, losing a job, or dealing with any difficult and complicated situation - the finish line isn't marked, and there are no mile markers to tell you how far you have left to go. 

 

So, how do we survive these challenges?  Where do we find the strength we need to keep pushing, to keep running, to keep moving forward?  I don't think the answer is any different from what science tells us we need to do to build physical strength.  We exercise.  To build physical strength, we exercise our muscles.  To build spiritual strength, we exercise our faith.   

 

Imagine an idyllic life - no disappointments, no missed goals.  Only just-as-planned moments that tracked the road map of your own expectations.  Straight roads, no twists or turns.  Don't get me wrong, it would have some high points.  I don't want any hard times any more than you do.  But really think about what effect this would have on your faith.  If you were in control.  If everything went exactly as you planned it.  How would you exercise your faith?  Isn't it really during the challenging times that we stretch the muscle of our faith?  When our faith is challenged, and even breaks down a bit, and then is repaired, isn't the muscle of our faith even stronger?

 

God not only promises us strength, he promises us enough strength.  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  Philippians 4:13.  In other words, Christ strengthens us in all things.  But just like the muscles in our arms or legs, if we do not exercise our faith, it grows stagnant.  It weakens.

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COS "You"th Group Meetings

 

WHO:  COS "YOU"th in grades 6-12 - we need your participation to make this youth group a go!!

 

Date:  Sunday, June 8

 

Time:  5:30 p.m. - until we are finished - we start eating @ 5:30!!!!

 

Where:  Eickhoff House - we are grilling out hamburgers and hot dogs! ****Please RSVP to the Eickhoff's (gmicough@hotmail.com or 913-837-5276) to let them know if you are coming by Friday, June 7.*****

 

What to Bring:  Bible, side dish, lawn chairs, flash lights! 

 

What:  We're planning for our next big fundraiser - CAR WASH!!

 


Vacation Bible School


                 Walkers Needed!                 Relay for Life June 13/14

 

I enjoy making a difference in our community, and I know you do, too. That's why I'm pleased to be supporting the Relay For Life, the American Cancer Society's signature event to fight cancer, Friday, June 13 through Saturday, June 14.  The event is held at California Trail Middle School in Olathe, KS (13775 w. 133rd Street). Christ Our Savior has a team and I'd like to invite you to join us. You will be asked to donate a $10 Team Commitment fee and to walk for about one hour at the relay.

 

If you'd like to join, either by walking or running, please contact me at my email address provided below. Our time is running short as the Relay is almost here, so don't delay. Together, we really can make a difference in the fight against cancer.  So please consider joining our team and make a difference!

 

Thanks,

Michelle Eickhoff
Team Captain of Relay Revelers
gmicough@hotmail.com

Update from Grace United
Grace Harambee

 

IMMEDIATE NEED TO AVOID CANCELING SUMMER PROGRAM!  We were shocked two weeks ago to learn that Grace's 6-week summer Freedom School would not be funded this year!!  The agency that for 20 years arranged funding for all Freedom Schools in KC (Grace has been a Freedom School since 2006) told us it had fouled up - four weeks before our summer school was set to open!  Ours has been the biggest and the best, and has served the poorest families of all the FS sites.  Other sites are in more middle-class Black churches.

 

When we got the bad news we already had 80 kids signed up (well on our way to the 120+ expected) and our entire summer staff (mainly the college-student group leaders) had been recruited!  To avoid cancelling out, we have looked at various options and our Exec. Dir. has designed a hybrid program that may be even better than Freedom School.  He calls it "Education Before Recreation" - similar to Freedom School in the AM with the focus on reading and math, so these kids don't backtrack over the summer, but with fun activities and positive character building in the afternoon, including applying the Bible.  We will still provide breakfast and lunch, and weekly field trips.  Louisburg's Tiger Park will be the highlight! 

 

The total cost of our 6-week program will be $40,000 - $500/child - less than in previous years, but GUCM had to bear no direct costs then, whereas this year we have to fund it entirely!  We are stepping out in faith.  Early response to our eAlert Thursday is encouraging.  Our program starts June 9; staff training will be this week.   Prayers, checks, & PayPal donations all appreciated!!!

 

Narthex Collection-Toilet Paper, Diapers, Feminine Hygiene Items.

The coordinator of Grace's Food Pantry asked me if I could provide toilet paper (LBT and I have done this before), and also diapers and feminine hygiene products.  Grace has almost never had any of these things to offer the very poor.  Because we rely entirely on in-kind donations and never spend Grace's money on stocking our Food Pantry, and because we serve so many poor families (we are open 4 days/week, 4 hours/day), the assortment of things we stock does not begin to compare with what is stocked in by Agape's Food Pantry.  Boxes are being placed in the narthex of the church to gather your donations.  PLEASE bring in anything you can so we can help the very poor.

 

GOOD NEWS on Grant Applications!  After applying in Nov., we did receive major funding in March from Kauffman Foundation to support  our Tutoring program for this past semester, a huge help.  (We caught up on our bills!!)  Also United Way recently approved our request for a tripling of funding for our awesome After-School Tutoring program.  (I wish we'd known we needed to fund our summer school too!)  Like nearly all programs previously unfunded by United Way, UW turned down our request to fund Substance Abuse Recovery, but we knew that was going to be less likely.

 

Bob Kirkpatrick - Home: 837-5804 - rwkirk@mokancomm.net

 
In This Issue
Summer Sunday School
Meals on Wheels
Strength
"You"th Group
Vacation Bible School
Relay for Life
Grace United Update
Friends for Christ
LWML
Altar Flowers
Education
Thank You!
Pastor Buckman
In the Military
Anniversaries
Birthdays
Summer Office Hours
Contact Info
Quick Links

  

graphic-bbq-dad.jpg Friends for Christ  
 
Friends For Christ will meet at the home of Pastor Andy & Debbie at 6:00 p.m. on June 7th.  Think summer, America - red white & blue.  Grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, brats and all the fixings will be provided.  Bring a salad, vegetable or dessert to share.  The evening concludes with a Bible study.  What a great way to spend a Saturday night!

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LWML Logo
Lutheran Women's Missionary League

Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML) will be taking a break for the Summer.  The next meeting will be held Monday, September 8th, at 7:00 p.m. in the church basement.

 

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flower-bouquet.jpg  Altar Flowers 

 

6/1     Bill & Heather Smith
6/8     Open
6/15   Don & Linda Newman
6/22   Rich & Tricia Walania
6/29   Rich & Lisa Heishman

Sign up for flowers in the narthex or call Sandy Barsh at 837-2997.

   

Bring flowers to church before the 8:00 a.m. service or contact Sandy Barsh to provide the flowers for $15 (checks payable to Sandy Barsh).  Flowers can be taken home after the 2nd service. Vases should be returned to church.

 

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June Education

   

Wednesdays

Evening Bible Study

7:00 p.m.  

 

Sundays

Summer Sunday School

 Ages 3-Adult

9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

 

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Thank You
 
"Thank you" goes out to Harvey Lightner!  He volunteered to purchase coffee, coffee supplies, and is keeping everything stocked and ready to go.  We truly appreciate your initiative to take this on.

Pastor Buckman received our care package and was so appreciative!  He sent us this picture saying "Thank You!"


 
In the Military
 
Military members and friends of our congregation include: 

 

Jim Buckman

 

Mark Edgar

(stationed in Africa)

 

Ray Gigliotti

 

Greg Jeffrey

 

Lindy Kalinka

 

James Keltner

 

Clara LIttrell

 

Rob Ortman

 

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wedding-rings-pillow.jpg  
June Anniversaries

 

6/4    Pastor & Debbie Keltner

6/13  Bill & Heather Smith

6/14  John & Jodie Berve

6/14  Dave & Kara Raetzel

6/18  Joe & Carrie Gregar

6/22  Josh & Miranda Creath

6/26  Travis & Katie Becker

6/26  Ben & Nikki Tews

6/28  Paul & Linda Richards

 

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June Birthdays

 

6/2     Emily Helms

6/8     Mark Burton

6/9     Bob Chester

6/9     David Frazier

6/10   Rick Stephens

6/11   Trevin Lohse

6/12   Conlee Hovey

6/13   Steve Edgar

6/14   Brenda Nay

6/15   Jim Knox

6/15   Nona Knox

6/15   Zach Waite

6/16   Don Newman

6/20   Paul Richards

6/20   Tanya Williams

6/22   Scott Dotson

6/22   Cade Holtzen

6/23   Larry Swinnerton

6/25   Jason Allen

6/25   Kelly Stohs

6/25   Nate Walania

6/29   Sam Potter

6/30   Austin Moore

   

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Summer Office Hours:

Beginning May 26th, Gloria will be in the office from 8:00 a.m. until Noon, Monday through Thursday.  She will be working several hours from home and can be reached at 913-837-3303 or through email at office@christoursaviorlouisburg.com).

 

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Christ Our Savior Newsletter is published monthly and produced in  email and print versions.
Contact Info 
Gloria Rolofson
newsletter@ christoursaviorlouisburg.com  
(913)837-4502

If we've missed your birthday or anniversary contact COS Office so we can update our records. 
(913)837-4502
office@ christoursaviorlouisburg.com