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Strengthen Faith, Build Hope, Share Love in Christ Our Savior
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Christ Our Savior
Lutheran Church
ANDY KELTNER, PASTOR
5 South 8th Street
Louisburg, KS 66053
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Pastor Andy Writes...
 | | Pastor Andy Keltner |
Independence Day
On July fourth we celebrate the date in 1776 that the Continental Congress presented to the American Public a signed Declaration of Independence from British rule. The Revolutionary war began in 1775 and it took almost a year for the colonist to agree that they needed to be independent form British rule. Congress did not make July 4th a legal holiday until 1941. Before 1941 there was debate as to when the best date to celebrate our nations Independence. The tradition developed that on July Fourth there would be fireworks and someone would read the Declaration of Independence.
"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation." This is the first paragraph of the declaration. It would be foolish to argue against our founding fathers belief in god. There we no tireless debates about a creator, or separation of church and state. Our forefathers would argue that there were "Laws of Nature and Nature's God".
There is timelessness about the declaration of independence. As a redeemed child of God in Christ I believe that all of creation is governed Natural Law. I also recognize that there is a creator God. Sadly these are truths that our current society would like to discard. I am not talking about a rejection of Christianity I am talking about a foolish notion that there is no absolute authority. The divine creator has been supplanted by a millions and millions of year myth that cannot stand the light of scientific study. Some academics say that human reason is the ultimate authority in rejection of a divine creator.
It is fair to say that we are not a Christian nation. It is a reasonable observation that we may not be a nation of Christians. We are Christians who live in a nation where we enjoy freedom of speech and religion. As Christians today, we enjoy a tax exempt status and we are not censured in our churches. The founders of our nation established these privileges in our constitution. Sadly many in our nation have not read our Constitution and the Declaration of Independence is no longer read in the public arena.
First century Christianity developed in a culture where those who followed Christ ran the risk of being persecuted for their faith. The church grew. The followers of Christ met regularly. They sang hymns and spiritual songs. They cared for one another. They shared their possessions. In spite of government persecution they were willing to share the "reason for the hope they had" in Christ. Their faith in Christ gave them a freedom. They had a sense of independence from government tyranny because they were victorious in Christ.
We live in a great nation. But no matter what our national leaders do we have an independence which comes from our dependence on the promises of God. Christ calls us to live as His children in a sin broken world. We can do this because of the freedom we enjoy in Christ. If you haven't read the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution lately they are linked below.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html
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Vacation Bible School 2016
VBS 2016 is "farm-tastic!" In Barnyard Roundup VBS, your children will learn that Jesus gathers us together! They'll look into the Bible, God's Holy Word, and explore four Bible accounts where Jesus graciously gathers us together to be with Him with His abundant provision and saving protection, now and forever.
Registration is open for ages 4-11 (5 th grade). VBS will be held on July 11 to 14, from 6-8 pm. Come along with us as we eat a yummy dinner, sing fun songs, do crazy crafts, play awesome games, and more. Plus, you'll learn all about Jesus our Savior and how He gathers us together! Can't wait to see you there! To register, turn in the form in the back of the church to the office, call Carrie Gregar at 913-837-2791, or e-mail her at cgregar@mokancomm.net. Hope to see you all there.
Register now for Barnyard Roundup Vacation Bible School!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Be part of Barnyard Roundup VBS! God's children of all ages will learn that Jesus gathers us together at Barnyard Roundup VBS. AND, every child will hear the Good News that Jesus, their Savior, is with us and abundantly provides for all our needs. He also protects and saves us-now in this world and forever too! At Barnyard Roundup VBS, as VBS staff you can live out the theme "Jesus Gathers Us Together" as you share the message and the fun with kids! If you can help full or part time, we have many ways to be involved to suit your schedule and interests. Call Carrie Gregar at 913-837-2791 or e-mail her at cgregar@mokancomm.net for more information. Join us to see how Jesus gathers us together!
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Dinner and Pie Auction
Looking for a fun evening with a good cause? Make plans to attend the Meals on Wheels Dinner and Pie Auction! The auction will be held on Saturday, July 9th. See the flyer below for more details.
If you can't attend but you can bake, this is for you! We need pies! Please consider baking and donating pies for this worthy cause. If you are interested, please contact Beth Ramsey (316-727-1249). Thank you in advance for helping!
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Financial News
The Church Council reviewed our financial status for the first six months of 2016 and we are trending as expected. We are spending less than budgeted year-to-date. That is great news as we continue to carefully review expenses.
Income $88,876.71
Expenses $93,296.47
Difference ($4,419.76)
In addition we had special donations of $2,675 which went to the program for soldiers Faith Comes By Hearing.
Some of you have asked for a bit more information about our expenses. About 24% of our annual budget goes to facilities related expenses. That money MUST be spent to keep lights, air conditioning, heat, water, insurance, mortgage, mowing, snow removal, cleaning, telephone, alarm system and internet. These expenses ebb and flow with the seasons, but they are paid every month as they occur.
Another 60% goes to pay our staff members, provide benefits and pay payroll taxes. These people are responsible for bringing you the message, praying for all of us, providing music, keeping the calendars, producing the bulletins, developing the newsletter and special email announcements.
Our next largest expense is our 10% tithe to the Kansas District Missions.
Here's what you do not see in the budget: The time, energy and (sometimes) financial support of countless volunteers who provide a foundation for us. They sponsor events, produce the bulletins, fold the bulletins, clean, prepare communion, make sure we have beautiful flowers, teach Sunday School and Bible School, take care of maintenance, watch over the finances, pay the bills, work in the office, sing, prepare and serve food, visit the sick and shut ins, design the Power Points, take care of the electronics, lead and support the "You"th Group, replace spent light bulbs, provide advice and consulting, and the list goes on and on. These faithful volunteers are the glue that keeps us together. Please pray for them to continue in their missions and let us know if you would like to join them.
Life gets busy. So I have a final reminder: the Simply Giving Program, sponsored by Vanco Payment Solutions and endorsed by Thrivent Federal Credit Union provides an easy way to send your contributions to the church electronically. You choose when to start and how much and your contribution will be here to help meet those fixed expenses - even when you cannot be. See the information near the door to sign up and get started.
Thank you everyone for your faithful support and prayers. If you have any questions about finances, contact Don Newman or me.
Cindy Karrow, Treasurer and Your Church Council
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Last Call for Donations and a Prayer Envelopes Fundraiser for New Orleans
Please help our young people reach their destination - the National Youth Gathering in New Orleans, Louisiana, July 16-20. We leave in three weeks and we need our envelopes and prayers to be filled!
By selecting a numbered envelope from the "wall" in the Narthex in the next two weeks, your chosen donation will help us reach our fundraising goal. Each envelope is numbered sequentially from 1 to 50. Each envelope contains the corresponding dollar amount; as well as a prayer request card from our youth.
We invite and encourage you to offer a donation to our young members, and help us with their prayer requests in the process. Just return your envelope in the marked bucket on the counter near the poster and please hold onto the prayer request and pray it.
It's with your support, since 2013, these young people and their adult chaperones have been afforded the opportunity to encounter Christ and his church on the national level.
From all our travelers to you our Christ Our Savior community we say THANK YOU in advance!!
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We are leaving in 3 weeks!
Here are a few things we'd like to share with you!
- We leave C.O.S. on Thursday, July 14 @ 6 p.m. if anyone would like to come and send us off. We will be driving to Faith Lutheran church in Ottawa to meet our bus. We load our first bus and leave @ 8 p.m. Then we head to Wichita to Risen Savior Lutheran Church where we unload and reload another bus @ 11 p.m. and head to New Orleans. We should arrive in New Orleans sometime on Friday, July 15 between 2-3 pm.
- We are staying at the Embassy Suites New Orleans. On Saturday in the morning, I'll be off the meetings while the kids sleep in a bit and then we'll be off to either explore the French Quarter or off to the Audubon Aquarium. Then we will join the rest of the Kansas District @ 3 for the District Event at the Bayou Barnfor some Cajun food, dancing, alligator wrestling demonstrations and bean bag tossing. After this we load onto the buses and we will be bused back to the Superdome for the first Mass Event Kick-off.
- Sunday- We are planning on going to Bible study in the morning, then off to our interest center sessions and/or concerts and mass event in the evening.
- Monday - We start the day off at Bible study then we are off to our Off-site interest center (which we were one of the groups selected to do) - the National WWII Museum. We will be eating lunch there, touring the museum and either watching the movie: Beyond all Boundaries (by Tom Hanks) or go through the Final Experience: USS Tang Submarine Experience. We end our day again at the Mass event on the floor!
- Tuesday - is the same as Sunday.
- Wednesday- We will check out of our hotel and go to the Mass Worship Service @ 9:30. This will last until 12 p.m. Then we will go out to eat lunch. We leave New Orleans @ 3 p.m. from our hotel. We will arrive in Wichita at Risen Savior Lutheran at approximately 7 a.m. and we will again change our buses. We unload and load onto another bus and head for Faith Lutheran in Ottawa. We hope to arrive @ 10 a.m. and be back at C.O.S. by 12 pm.
Social Media and NYG:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/youth_COS This is our twitter account that we set up. Please follow us and see what we are up to in New Orleans.
https://twitter.com/lcmsnyg .This is the National Youth Gathering account. They have lots of information about what's happening throughout the day.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LCMSYG This is the National Youth Gathering account. They have lots of information about what's happening throughout the day.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lcmsnyg Yet another way to follow along with the gathering and keep up to date.
Web-site: http://kseducationalservices.yolasite.com/national-youth-gathering.php This is the Kansas web-site for the National Gathering and lots of information can be found here.
THE KANSAS DISTRICT IS SCHEDULED TO SIT ON THE FLOOR FOR THE MASS EVENT AT THE DOME
MONDAY EVENING, July 18!
- Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday's Mass Events as well as Wednesday's Worship Service will be live-streamed. Please join us on:
- Saturday, July 16 @ 8:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.
- Sunday, July 17 @ 8:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.
- Monday, July 18 @ 8:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.
- Tuesday, July 19 @ 8:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.
- Wednesday, July 20 @ 9:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
- All live-streamed events can be found at: www.lcmsgathering.com
- We hope maybe someone will live-stream this at the church for anyone who is interested??
Did You Know...?
- New Orleans is home to the longest continuous bridge in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. It is the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.
- The Superdome is called that for a reason- it is the largest enclosed arena in the world.
- New Orleans has some amazing food. It is known for its Creole Cuisine. Make sure to ask us about the jambalaya and fried alligator when we get back!
- When you drive by cemeteries in New Orleans all the graves are above ground. New Orleans is famous for the beignets. Beignets are sweet deep fried dough and topped off with powdered sugar.
- Jazz, Rock and Roll, and Blues music all got their start in New Orleans.
- When someone says "Where y'at?" they don't want to know where you physically are. They are asking how you are doing.
- That grassy terrain between the two lanes of a boulevard is called the "neutral ground."
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NYG In-gathering Kansas District Servant Event
The Kansas District has the opportunity help with a special ingathering to help create 500 hygiene kits to be given to LINC New Orleans to distribute! LINC New Orleans partners with churches and agencies all around the city who work with low income and under-served neighbors. They work with housing issues, conflict resolution and child care in poor neighborhoods.
As a Kansas District, we have been asked to provide individually wrapped toothbrushes and regular sized toothpaste!
If you can help us gather these items, place them in the box in the narthex and we will deliver them to New Orleans. These kits will be put together during the Gathering. Thank you very much for helping us.
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"YOU"th Group - Lock-In
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What:
| Back - to - School Youth Group Lock-In
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For:
| Music * Food * Fun * Games* Movie* Fellowship
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Who:
| Middle School-High School Students ONLY!
Invite your friends!
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When:
| Friday, August 5 - Saturday, August 6
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Time:
| 9:00 pm - 7:00 am
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Where:
| Community Building/COS Church Basement
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What we must bring:
| Your favorite snack or two to share with everyone - i.e. 2 bags of chips; your favorite soft drink (Gatorade, Pepsi, etc.), or cookies.
| | Service Project | No-Sew Fleece Blankets for kids! We will give them to either the fire department or My Father's House to give to kids in need. | | Optional to bring: | sleeping bag, blanket, & pillow - if you feel the need to crash at any point during the night.
| | To Register: | Sign the poster on the bulletin board in the narthex by Sunday, July 31 letting us know if you are coming so we can plan.
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For more information, please contact youth group leaders - Gerry & Michelle Eickhoff, 913-837-5276 or via email: gmicough@hotmail.com
LOCK-IN HELP NEEDED!!!
To help with this event, we need parent volunteers throughout the night in 2 hour shifts to help supervise some of our activities. If you are willing to help, please sign up in the narthex or contact Gerry & Michelle.
We are also in need of some supplies for our lock-in. If you would consider letting us borrow or donate any of these supplies, please contact Gerry &/or Michelle ASAP.
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Separation of Church and State
In the U.S., this mantra has been perverted and stood on its head! This started with a horrible, far-reaching U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1947 that used this phrase, wrongly, and later outlawed public prayer in the schools, a decision that overturned centuries of faith-based practice and is now being used to prevent living out one's faith anyplace outside the walls of the church. And even threatens the church itself! Another word for this is Christian PERSECUTION! Most Christians are not aware of the extent.
The phrase is NOT written into the U.S. Constitution! It was said by President Jefferson in a letter replying to the Baptists in Danbury, CT. It was meant to assure them that he fully agreed that religion is "solely between man and his God," and that the govt. would not interfere with their religious liberty. Instead the Supreme Court flipped the intent on its head!! Now, 70 years later, the religious liberties of Christians are under continual assault!! Examples of misunderstanding, intimidation, and litigation by the ACLU & others are to be found everywhere!!! ADF and others are working to defend and turn back the tide.
For more information, stay tuned!! - Bob Kirkpatrick (837-5804)
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