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Vol. III - Issue #46
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August 19, 2013
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CHURCH SEASON: PENTECOST
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As always, we welcome your questions, comments, and feedback! news@lccabc.ca.Please feel free to use any of this information in bulletins, newsletters,calendars, or announcements.
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Prepare For Worship
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost Collect O Lord, You have called us to enter Your kingdom through the narrow door. Guide us by Your Word and Spirit, and lead us now and always into the feast of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. - Isaiah 66:18-23
- Hebrews 12:4-24 (25-29)
- Luke 13:22-30
The Cross of Christ Is the Way into the Kingdom of God With the cross of Christ, the time has come "to gather all nations and tongues" (Is. 66:18). The sign of the cross is set forth in the preaching of the Gospel, the declaration of the Lord's glory "among the nations" (Is. 66:19). Many "will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God" (Luke 13:29), but only by the narrow way of the cross. Those who refuse to follow Christ crucified will ultimately find only "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Luke 13:28), whereas Christ's disciples, called from all the nations, will eat and drink with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of God. They will come into "the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem" (Heb. 12:22). Like these summaries? You can find them, and more, on LCMS's website. |
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Prayers
For Carol Haberstock, wife of Rev. Cliff Haberstock, and Janet Kraemer, wife of ✞Rev. Richard Kraemer✞, as they struggle with cancer and related treatments;
For safe travel and blessings upon all those attending the LTA Conference at Zion Lutheran Church in Surrey, BC.
Lutheran Teacher Association (LTA) Conference
Heavenly Father,
Bless the schools of our Synod to the end that those who teach and those who learn may benefit from a sound education in this life, and receive your grace to look forward to life eternal. Be with the teachers and conference leaders, as they meet this week in Cloverdale to grow in knowledge and understanding of all that you have created. Keep them safe in travels, that they may share your goodness with students and families in the year ahead, especially the grace that is ours in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
✞Mrs. Helen Alfhilda Rode, August 29, 1925- July 22, 2013✞
Mrs. Helen Alfhilda Rode was called to be forever with the Lord on July 22 at the age of 87 years. She was born and raised in Melfort, Saskatchewan and married Rev. Dr. George Rode in 1949. Rev. Rode served a number of parishes and was former ABC District President. Their marriage was blessed with five children. Rev. Dr. Rode was called to his heavenly home in 1995. A funeral service was held in Edmonton on July 26.
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Calls
Rev. Ted Giese from Regina, SK (wife, Michelle) has declined the call to serve at Zion Lutheran Church, Wetaskiwin, AB;
Rev. Matt Ziprick from Sherwood Park, AB (wife, Clare) has received the call to serve as Associate Pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church, Leduc, AB;
Rev. Mark Dressler (wife, Michelle) will be installed as Associate Pastor/Principal at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Stony Plain, AB this Sunday, Aug. 25.
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Upcoming News & Events:
(all events are for 2013 unless noted otherwise)
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(Shortcut - External Link) |
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Events:
- Sept. 4 - Online Hebrew Course begins - CLS more...
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Sept. 7 - 8 - Bethel Lutheran Church - Invitation to hear guest speaker Rev. Greg Finke from the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod ...more
- September 8 - Concordia Lutheran Seminary (CLS) - Opening Service for the 30th Academic Year held at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Leduc at 3:00 pm. with Rev. Rudy Pastucha, 3rd VP LCC and pastor of Faith Lutheran Church, Saskatoon as guest preacher.
- September 10 - (CLS) - 30th annual Founders' Day service beginning at 11:00 am. at the seminary followed by a complimentary light lunch. Pastor Mark Ruf of Grace Lutheran Church, Calgary will be guest preacher.
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September 10 (Sept. 17, 27 & October 1)- Quest Course begins - CLS, Edmonton at 7:00 pm (MST)...more
- Sept. 22 - Free and Joyous Response Guest Leader Training - led by Dr. Glenn Schaeffer at Trinity Lutheran Church, Richmond, BC. ...more
- Oct. 4 - 6 - ABC District - Lutheran Laymen's League - 9th Biennial Convention ...more
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Oct. 18 - 20 - Fall Youth Retreat. Foothills, Calgary, AB, Guest Speaker: Pastor Roger Sonnenberg (LoveLife speaker)...more
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Oct. 28 - 31 - National Pastors' & Deacons' Conference, Calgary, AB...more
Lutheran Foundation Seminars: http://lutheranfoundation.ca
- Sept. 21 - Trinity Lutheran, Quesnel, BC (9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.)
- Oct. 27 - Mt. Zion Lutheran, Cranbrook, BC (1:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m.) - Presentation for the Kootenay Circuit
Lutheran Teachers Association (LTA)
- LTA Conference - (August 19 - 22) - Cloverdale Christian School, Surrey, BC ...more
- LTA monthly newsletter - May / June edition has information about the LTA Conference...more
Employment Position
- Lutheran Historical Institute (LHI) - The Lutheran Historic Institute Board of Governors is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Director, Lutheran Historical Institute...more
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Concordia Lutheran Seminary (CLS) - Courses 
FREE CLS FALL QUEST COURSE BEGINS NEXT MONTH
Dates: September 10, 17, 27 and October 1 at 7:00 pm (MST)
Topic: "Christianity and the Movies: A Lutheran Approach to Media Consumption"
Presenter: Rev. Ted Giese, associate pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Discernment, or the ability to distinguish and test things, is held up in Scripture as both a gift of the Holy Spirit and a skill the Christian is encouraged to personally develop. In a culture that is awash in media the need to test what is watched and to discern what is being presented is very important. How might a Lutheran Christian approach this task? More...
ONLINE HEBREW COURSE WITH PROFESSOR KRAEMER
Prof. Jonathan Kraemer will be leading an Online Biblical Hebrew course beginning in September. CLS is offering this full year, distance, non-credit, Hebrew course starting on September 4. The cost is $250 per semester, plus materials. Students will work on their own and meet weekly via video-conference.
The course is intended to bring students to a level of competency in Biblical Hebrew that will prepare them for exegetical studies in the Master of Divinity degree program. The course is open to all. More...
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Supporting Pooled Fund (SPF)
Did you know?
- During Short Term Disability, the Supplemental Unemployment Benefit (SUB) Plan (Government of Canada - Employment Insurance) pays 55% of the employees wage and 40% of the wage is paid by the congregation / school to a top up of 95%. This top up is then reimbursed by the ABC District's Supporting Pooled Fund (SPF) OR the congregation pays the full 95% on their own.
- 4 congregations have asked about the plan after they had a church worker who was already ill and it was too late to get into the program after the fact.
- 14 congregations are on the interest list but have not signed up.
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Stories After the Flood
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On the ABC District Website you will find stories written by church members in Calgary. These stories recount the after events of the 2013 Southern Alberta Flood. As we receive more stories we will we post them here.
If you have a story to share send it to news@lccabc.ca.
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Student Aid Application Available Online
Financial assistance to students preparing for full-time service in the churches of Lutheran Church-Canada is available to men and women of the Alberta-British Columbia District who have been identified by their congregation and have the desire, talents, and willingness to study for full-time church work, but require additional financial resources to prepare for full-time service in the Synod.
Applications are available under Parish and School Resources online and at the ABC District office. The application deadline for students to apply has been extended for this year to August 23, 2013. Get the application here.
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10th Convention of Lutheran Church-Canada
June 6-9, 2014 at University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
As we prepare for the tenth convention of Lutheran Church-Canada to be held in 2014, the Committee of Convention Nominations has prepared the documents for your participation in the process of nomination future leaders for the Synod. Please click on the following links to access the instructions and forms for the nomination process:
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Jennifer Jade Kerr and Kelti Malone take on BC
Since singing together for the first time at the 2012 ABC District Convention in Edmonton, Lutheran Church Canada musicians Jennifer Jade Kerr and Kelti Malone began partnering together to create original, creative, and beautiful concerts.
If your BC congregation would like to host these two for a worship service or concert in mid-September, contact information is available on the ABC District Website.
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 Servolution: Some Outreach Ideas Are you thinking of organizing a servant event for Servolution but struggling with ideas as to what to do? Here are some suggestions:
Nursing Homes/Home Bound- Visit regularly the residents in order to develop meaningful relationships (bring them a flower and lead them in personal devotion and prayer)
- Throw a "Senior Prom" complete with live music, food, and decorations
- Organize an outing (e.g. trip to a local museum or musical; card/board games) for the residents and go along with them
Special Needs - Host a fun day for children with special needs and their families to relax and enjoy themselves
- Start a pen-pal program matching volunteers to a person with special needs. Ask them to write letters and send small treats on a regular basis, sharing God's love in a simple way.
Public Schools - Deliver gift baskets to teachers for "Teacher Appreciation Day"
- Serve free breakfast to students before the school day begins
- Donate juice boxes and soup in a cup
- Purchase bus passes for students
- Start an after school program for local school aged kids
- Donate school supplies for families in need
Your Local Neighbourhood - Serve hot breakfast for the homeless in your community
- Do a community trash clean-up/mow lawns/paint a rundown building
- Host a "Block Party" with free food, games, music, etc. for families
- Do a mass door-to-door grocery giveaway
- Hold a graffiti clean-up day
- Have a "Free Grass Cutting" day
- Organize a "slave day" in order to wash windows, rake leaves, etc.
- Provide free auto maintenance (e.g. oil change, fixing windshield wipers) for widows and single mothers. And, while they wait, pamper them with a manicure, pedicure or massage.
- Organize and advertise a free food pantry
- Hand out bottles of water and juice as people leave the bars at closing time. You might even consider offering free rides to people who shouldn't be getting behind the wheel of a car.
Is your Church planning a Servolution Event? Please register here.
Visit: ABC Servolution for more information.
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National Pastors' & Deacons' Conference
http://pd2013.lutheranchurch.ca/
The following information is a re-post from a recent synod email regarding the conference. Full instructions are available by PDF (see link below).
Have you Registered Yet?
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Anniversaries
For event details see our online listings.
30 Years - Redeemer Lutheran Church, West Kelowna (Westbank), B.C., with their Anniversary Celebration event on September 8, 2013.
50 Years - Christ the King Lutheran Church, Edmonton, AB, celebration events will take place on September 14 & 15, 2013.
100 Years - St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Calgary, AB will have the last scheduled event for their year long celebrations on October 27, 2013.
Have an upcoming anniversary? Let us know
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 Recent Blog Updates
(http://goandmake.ca/)
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This week we feature St. John's Lutheran Church (map it), Wollongong, NSW Australia and their sole pastor, Rev. Tom Peitsch. Please keep St. John's 139 members and Rev. Peitsch in your prayers.
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Resources of the Week
5 Things You Can Do to Witness Christ
by Sias, John W.
For all the baptized, witnessing Christ is supposed to be part of our way of life. We are given to share our greatest gift, Jesus Christ, with anyone God allows us to meet. Yes, it can be intimidating. Surprisingly, it gets easier as you do it more often.Read more...
About The Series
The You Can Do It Series encourages and equips believers to live out life as a disciple of Jesus Christ, being formed and shaped by God's Word. Written in a clear and encouraging style, each of these topical books gives Christians achievable goals for strengthening their faith and relationships. Each book features a consistent presentation of a topic in five parts with each part consisting of a presentation, summary, discussion questions, and several action steps.
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Submissions
If it happened we would love to hear about it.
Please send your pictures, stories, and other contributions to our Editor.
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God's Blessings on your week!
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