CALC Canadian Association of Lutheran APRIL...

Voice

CALC

Canadian Association

of Lutheran

“Go in peace and serve the Lord”

APRIL 2017

Victory Voice

SPECIAL EVENT FAMILY FUN NIGHT AND

FUNDRAISER

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 7 pm

Christian magician, Medicine Hatter Scott Cowan will present an entertaining program with a gospel message in support of Oasis Canada’s Outreach to Slovakia.

Scott is a native of Pelee Island, Ontario (the southernmost populated place in Canada). He attends Hillcrest Church and is editor of Spotlight Magazine. His wife, Joan Bateman, is a celebrated photographer and owner of Gainsboro Studios.

It will be an entertaining and inspirational evening for the whole family: adults as well as children.

Pastor Jim will be leading a team to Slovakia to lead an English as Second Language camp for teens as well as evening adult times. The cost per person is $2500 and Pastor Jim and oth-ers are attempting to raise this cost as well as raising prayer awareness. Please set aside the date.

Freewill Offering

Recently Sue and I saw the movie “The Shack.” It is a cine-matic portrayal of the book of the same name by William Paul Young. The book was quite controversial when it first was released with sentiments being roughly divided between love it or hate it. But what needs to be understood is that neither the book nor the movie intend to be a theological treatise but rather the exploration of one man’s spiritual journey and how he comes to grips with his past and embraces his future. It illustrat-ed very well God’s story of redemption and love of relation-ship as well as the intricate workings and relationship of the Trinity. The central character, Mack, is brought to confront his own judgement of others (and especially of God) as he was brought to the point of forgiving those who had hurt him very deeply.

One scene in particular drives home the truth of the cross and the hope of the resurrection. He is invited to sit on the seat of judgement. He finds this very uncomfortable but then he is reminded that he finds judge-ment quite easy in his daily life. He then is confronted with a dramatic choice. His two living children appear before him and he must choose to send one to Hell. As a father he is unable to do so and instead demands that he be sent to hell in their place. That precisely is what any loving father would do. And precisely what our Heavenly Father chose to do. This is the message of Good Friday.

From that place of judgement he is led through a waterfall, symbolic perhaps of baptism, and certainly of being cleansed by God. He is permitted to see his daughter who had died traumatically at the hands of a murderer. He sees the gift of eternity and the hope of resur-rection. In other words, the message of Easter.

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ lie at the very centre of our hope and our faith. We see on the cross a God who is willing to take our place and who loves us with an everlasting love. As we celebrate Easter, we are celebrating hope, faith, and victory!

God bless you!

Pastor Jim

Friday, May 12, 7:00 p.m.

We are presenting Rick Steves’ “Luther and the Reformation.” Rick Steves is the host of a travel show on PBS—and an active Lutheran. He presents the history and sights of the Reformation in an enter-taining and informational hour.

www.victorylutheran.ca

Pastor Jim Bredeson [email protected]

Page 3


Christ Alone, the Cross Alone, Faith Alone, Grace Alone, the Word Alone… Thank you to all who have participated in “The Cross and the Crown” Bible study series.

We have been working through the major themes of the reformation one by one. We have looked for where they come from in Scripture and what Lutheran Christians mean by them. As I write this article we are only part way through, but I am once again impressed, awed by God’s work on our behalf.

We humans, we want to be in control of things. We want to do things ourselves. But that is not God’s way. God wants to do it, HIMSELF.

Salvation is something only God can do. We cannot do it. Faith is something only God can give, we cannot make it. It is Jesus Christ alone who does and gives and reveals it to us. We are on the receiving end. We get no credit. It is all God. So here we sit, thinking about Jesus death and resurrection, waiting for Easter. What is left for us to do? Be in awe of who our Lord is and all he has done for us. Serving Christ together with you, Lila de Waal

Are you feeling “all medieval?” Help us recreate Wittenberg, Germany in the 1500s. We need your help to celebrate the 500

th Anniversary of the

Reformation with an experiential overview of Martin Luther’s life. We will be doing this in cooperation with St. Peter and Unity. We will need volunteers: Carpenters (for set construction) Painters (both house painters and artistic painters) Sewers and tailors (costume design) Actors

Construction will be coordinated by St. Peter’s

Sign painting by Victory

Costumes by Unity.

IMPORTANT NOTE: All people from the 3 churches can do any one of the above.

Each church is a designated coordinator only.

The event will take place Saturday, October 28 in the Wildrose Room, Higdon Hall.

Sign up today at the Welcome Centre!

Experience

Diaconal Minister Lila de Waal ldewaal@victory lutheran.ca

Looking ahead……

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Institute of Lutheran Theology presents a Word At Work Workshop

MARTIN LUTHER LIFE AND THEOLOGY

9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

$25. per person $45. per couple

$65. per group of 3 or more

Admission Payable to ILT


church

12:00 p.m.,

Tuesday, April 4

in the Fellowship Hall

EXPLORING THE KINGDOM - 500 YEARS OF REFORMATION

April/May: Grace Alone (The Battle for the Kingdom)

Sundays in Lent: The Battle for the Kingdom

June/July/August: Faith Alone (Living the Kingdom)

September/October/November: Christ Alone (The Kingdom)

7:00 a.m. Holy Communion

April 5 - 6:00 p.m.

April 5 - 6:45 p.m.

Worship at 7:00 p.m. Holy Communion

Worship at 10:00 a.m.



is served after each worship

service, as long as the

donated food lasts!

Sign up sheet near the

Prayer Room

Page 5


S.P.L.A.S.H Coordinator Barb Beifus [email protected]

Family & Youth Director Hannah Fairbrother [email protected]

NEWS

Thank you to the congregation members who assisted the children in March

with their string art project. We certainly made a racket and the end results

were beautiful.

As Holy Week is approaching the children

will be learning to play the hand bells with

Heather. As a special treat to the congrega-

tion they will be blessing us with “Hosanna” on Palm Sunday at the 10:30

a.m. worship service. The children will then proceed to the Ark to learn about

the “triumphal entry into Jerusalem”.

As there is a long Easter break from school, there will be no S.P.L.A.S.H.

for two Sundays, April 16 and April 23rd. When S.P.L.A.S.H. returns on

April 30th the children will learn about “Mothers of the Bible” and prepare a

gift for mom for Mother’s Day. This lesson will continue into May.

Thank you to those of you who have been teaching and helping in Sunday

school. The children appreciate your hard work.

Barb Beifus, S.P.L.A.S.H. Coordinator

April 5 – Kid’s Group, 6:15 -

7:00 pm

April 7-9 – Youth Surge at @

CLBI

There will be no youth events

the week of Easter Break,

April 16 - 22.

April 28-29 – Youth Volunteer

trip to Mustard Seed in Calgary.

This is for grades 7-12, pre-

registration required. Volunteer

by helping sort donations and

prepare a meal for the homeless.

Forms due by April 9th.

Looking ahead……….

July 10 - 14, VBS is happen-

ing and will run 8:45-12:00

daily.

July 28-30 Kids Camp for

ages 8-12 is at Echo Dale.

July 30, Church service at

Echo Dale.

August 8-12, Teen Camp for

ages 12—grade 12.

Happy Easter! May we all

reflect on and celebrate the

great sacrifice Jesus made

because He loves us.

Let that sink in.

-Hannah Fairbrother

This group of Victory ladies created prayer

journals. Stay tuned for a possible scrap-

booking day in May. Perhaps a card mak-

ing class, your own projects or more crea-

tion classes to be announced will evolve!


Legend:

Sanctuary = S

Christian Education Room = CE

Fellowship Hall = FH

Worship Area = WA

Ark Green Room = AG

Youth Office: YO

9:00 Worship Service


Holy Communion Sunday



EASTER SUNDAY




Holy Communion Sunday

5:45 p.m. Confirmation:

6:00 p.m. TOPS: AG

6:15 p.m. Kid’s Group:

6:00 p.m. Lenten Soup Supper:

6:45 p.m. Lenten Worship:

7:30 p.m. Bible Study:

12:00 p.m. Senior’s Lunch; FH

1:30 p.m. Al-Anon: CE

5:30 p.m. TOPS: AG

8:00 p.m. A.A: FH


6:00 p.m. TOPS: AG


7:00 p.m. WWJD: S

7:00 p.m. Victory Sowers:


10:30 a.m. Caregiver’s:

1:30 p.m. VLW: CE

6:00 p.m. TOPS: AG



6:00 p.m. TOPS: AG


7:00 p.m. WWJD: S

7:00 p.m. Victory Sowers:

7:00 p.m. Cancer Support:


5:30 p.m. TOPS: AG

7:00 p.m. Coin & Stamp: CE

7:00 p.m. Elder Meeting: S

8:00 p.m. A.A: FH

10:00 a.m. Teeoda


5:30 p.m. TOPS: AG

8:00 p.m. A.A: FH


5:30 p.m. TOPS: AG

7:00 p.m. Coin & Stamp: CE

8:00 p.m. A.A: FH

5:30 p.m. TOPS: AG

7:00 p.m. Young Adults: YO

7:00 p.m. Cross & Crown: CE

7:00 Teddy Bear Club: AG

5:30 p.m. TOPS: AG


7:00 p.m. Cross & Crown: CE

CHURCH OFFICE

CLOSED

5:30 p.m. TOPS: AG



5:30 p.m. TOPS: AG

Monday Sunday Tuesday Wednesday

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11

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10

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23

&

30

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APRIL 2017

9 PALM SUNDAY



LENTEN DISCIPLINES: Giving alms and caring for the poor are among the traditional works of Lent and need to be at the heart of our ongoing religious disciplines. Lent should be a time for an audit of our financial books – a time to be evaluated on how well we have administered the monies entrusted to our care by God. While we may think that all the money we’ve earned is our personal property, that’s not the fiscal ethic of the Gospels where Jesus says, “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required.” Luke 12:48


Legend:

Christian Education Room = CE

Fellowship Hall = FH

Worship Area = WA

Ark Green Room = AG

Youth Office: YO

11:00 a.m. Al-Anon: CE

10:45 a.m. Worship Team: S

10:45 a.m. Worship Team: S



10:00 a.m. PARISH FAIR


7:00 p.m. FAMILY FUN

NIGHT

GOOD FRIDAY

10:00 a.m. Worship Service

5:45 p.m. Confirmation: YO

6:00 p.m. TOPS: AG

6:15 p.m. Kid’s Group: CE

6:00 p.m. Lenten Soup Supper: FH

6:45 p.m. Lenten Worship: S

7:30 p.m. Bible Study: CE

1:00 p.m. Foundations Band:: S

6:15 p.m. Victorians: S

7:00 p.m. Jubilee Singers: S

7:00 p.m. Youth Group: YO

8:00 p.m. Victory Quartet: S

7:00 p.m. Worship Service

Holy Communion





10:30 a.m. Communion

Worship Service at Chinook




7:00 p.m. Youth Group: YO



6:00 p.m. TOPS: AG


7:00 p.m. WWJD: S

7:00 p.m. Victory Sowers: FH


10:30 a.m. Caregiver’s: CE

1:30 p.m. VLW: CE

6:00 p.m. TOPS: AG



6:00 p.m. TOPS: AG


7:00 p.m. WWJD: S

7:00 p.m. Victory Sowers: FH

7:00 p.m. Cancer Support: ARK

Saturday Wednesday Thursday Friday

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7

15

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APRIL 2017

28 29

Youth at The Mustard Seed in Calgary

Youth Surge Weekend at Canadian Lutheran Bible Institute


In our schools there are so many good things too. There are teach-ers with eternal patience (ok, I know you have your limits too but it is wonderful what you do!) There are volunteers who come in and make meals and help with special projects.

Then there are the kids them-selves. Our young people have strong ideals and want to make our world a better place.

There is so much to celebrate, like parents who love and make daily sacrifices for their children….families holding the hand of their loved one and patiently waiting for death to come….someone going out of their way to talk to someone they don’t know, adults outside tobog-ganing with their children, people giving rides to those who need a hand, neighbors shoveling each other’s sidewalks. The list could go on and on.

You might be thinking, “That’s not news…that is just what we do. We are human beings and this is how we live.”

And that is the wonder of it. It isn’t news really. It is normal. These gifts of care and respect that we give and receive every-day are normal.

But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the best news. We have a God, the Father Almighty who loves us. From our good Father, we receive life and breath and this earth and the community that we live in, and much, much more. As we move toward Easter, don’t forget the good news that God came to earth to die for you. Jesus gives his own life for us on the cross and then invites us to live in that love. Lila de Waal Diaconal Minister

SUPERHEROES IN OUR MIDST

We all need superheroes. While we may not have special powers, degrees, or a superhuman phy-sique, we have the one thing who is greater than any power, educa-tion or resources in all the uni-verse: Jesus. This is not a cliché. It is the reality we often fail to embrace in our daily living.

The moral of the story: our children and youth need super heroes in their lives. They need superheroes who love them and love Jesus. There is no such thing as too many superheroes for our kids, and most of them have far too few in a time and culture where they need more than ever. At the same time, most of our children and youth have many more superheroes in their lives than realized.

Who are these superheroes? They are the pastors that care for your children. They are the teach-ers of their Sunday School clas-ses. They are the leaders of Vacation Bible School. They are the older couple that always says “Hi” to your kids, tags them in the sanctuary, offers them some can-dy and love – even when they are not sure they want it. They are the volunteers of your youth ministry. Youth workers, in my mind, are the great-est of superheroes. They volunteer to spend time with angsty, pubescent, struggling teenagers who rarely know how to show appreciation and thrive on challenging authority. These superheroes give of themselves because they know we all need love, especially teenagers. During my time leading youth ministries, I have found these individuals go unnoticed and are vastly under appreciated, and I know I could never provide pastoral care to the youth of the church without them. Many of our churches are blessed with youth workers, and I

know as a parent I cannot imag-ine trying to raise healthy children who love Jesus without them.

We need superheroes. Not the earth-changing, mountain-moving kind of superheroes. Not the ones who solve a major disaster, but the ones who would love and support and our child in the midst of a challenging season of life and beyond. The truth is, we all need superhe-roes in our lives – especially our children and youth The joy is, we not only worship the One greater than all superheroes, we also are sur-rounded by superheroes who love the same God we worship. We have been given the gift of superheroes, and the gift of having the opportunity to be superheroes to others.

excerpt from Connections Magazine article - Rev. Marcus J. Carlson

~~~~~~~~~~ By The Way

Good News

I am tired of bad news. I know that bad news is more exciting than good news, but still… Isn’t it time to focus on the good news?

When I look around me every day I see so many kindnesses, so many people treasuring life. I know it has been a long winter and long winters can make us a bit crabby, but if we take time to look there are many good things going on.

In my work I am in and out of many care homes for seniors. It is amazing to see how many music groups and how many volunteers come into the homes and do wonderful things for our seniors. It is wonderful to see the thankfulness on the part of the people who receive these acts of kindness. I see people visiting with folks who have dementia, treasuring these dear people.

Page 8

that, in addition, we also pray for them that through them God may bestow on us the more blessing and good. Let this be a very brief explana-tion and sketch, showing how far this petition extends through all conditions on earth. Of this any one might indeed make a long prayer, and with many words enu-merate all the things that are in-cluded therein, as that we pray God to give us food and drink, clothing, house, and home, and health of body; also that He cause the grain and fruits of the field to grow and mature well; furthermore, that He help us at home towards good housekeep-ing, that He give and preserve to us a godly wife, children, and servants, that He cause our work, trade, or whatever we are engaged in to prosper and suc-ceed, favor us with faithful neigh-bors and good friends, etc.

Likewise, that He give to emper-ors, kings, and all estates, and especially to the rulers of our country and to all counselors, magistrates, and officers, wisdom, strength, and success that they may govern well and vanquish the Turks and all enemies; to subjects and the common people, obedience, peace, and harmony in their life with one another.

And on the other hand, that He would preserve us from all sorts of calamity to body and livelihood, as lightning, hail, fire, flood, poison, pestilence, cattle-plague, war and bloodshed, famine, destructive beasts, wicked men, etc.

All this it is well to impress upon the simple, namely, that these things come from God, and must be prayed for by us.

(continued on page 11)

GIVE US THIS DAY OUR

DAILY BREAD

Here, now, we consider the poor bread basket, the necessaries of our body and of the temporal life. It is a brief and simple word, but it has a very wide scope. For when you mention and pray for daily bread, you pray for everything that is necessary in order to have and enjoy daily bread and, on the other hand, against everything which interferes with it. Therefore you must open wide and extend your thoughts not only to the oven or the flour-bin, but to the

distant field and the entire land, which bears and brings to us daily bread and every sort of sustenance. For if God did not cause it to grow, and bless and preserve it in the field, we could never take bread from the oven or have any to set upon

the table.

To comprise it briefly, this petition includes everything that belongs to our entire life in the world, because on that account alone do we need daily bread. Now for our life it is not only necessary that our body have food and covering and other necessaries, but also that we spend our days in peace and quiet among the people with whom we live and have inter-course in daily business and conversation and all sorts of do-ings, in short, whatever pertains both to the domestic and to the neighborly or civil relation and government. For where these two things are hindered [intercepted and disturbed] that they do not prosper as they ought, the neces-saries of life also are impeded, so that ultimately life cannot be maintained.

And there is, indeed, the greatest need to pray for temporal authori-ty and government, as that by which most of all God preserves to us our daily bread and all the comforts of this life. For though we have received of God all good things in abundance, we are not able to retain any of them or use them in security and happiness, if He did not give us a permanent and peaceful government. For where there are dissension, strife, and war, there the daily bread is already taken away, or at least checked.

Therefore it would be very proper to place in the coat-of-arms of every pious prince a loaf of bread instead of a lion, or a wreath of rue, or to stamp it upon the coin, to remind both them and their subjects that by their office we have protection and peace, and that without them we could not eat and retain our daily bread. Therefore they are also worthy of all honor, that we give to them for their office what we ought and can, as to those through whom we enjoy in peace and quietness what we have, because otherwise we would not keep a farthing; and

LUTHER’S LESSONS

Continuing with the Lord’s

prayer - fourth petition.

Page 9



2017 QUILTING

Quilt Count 132

Page 11

But this petition is especially directed also against our chief enemy, the devil. For all his thought and desire is to de-prive us of all that we have from God, or to hinder it; and he is not satisfied to obstruct and destroy spiritual govern-ment in leading souls astray by his lies and bringing them under his power, but he also prevents and hinders the stability of all government and

honorable, peaceable relations on earth. There he causes so much contention, murder, sedition, and war, also light-ning and hail to destroy grain and cattle, to poison the air, etc.

In short, he is sorry that any one has a morsel of bread from God and eats it in peace; and if it were in his power, and our prayer (next to God) did not prevent him, we would not keep a straw in the field, a far-thing in the house, yea, not even our life for an hour, espe-cially those who have the Word of God and would like to be Christians. Behold, thus God wishes to indicate to us how He cares for us in all our need, and faithfully provides also for our temporal support. And although He abundantly grants and preserves these things even to the wicked and knaves, yet He wishes that we pray for them, in order that we may recognize that we receive them from His hand, and may feel His paternal goodness to-ward us therein. For when He withdraws His hand, nothing can prosper nor be maintained in the end, as, indeed, we daily see and experience.

How much trouble there is now in the world only on account of bad coin, yea, on account of daily oppression and raising of prices in common trade, bar-gaining and labor on the part of those who wantonly oppress the poor and deprive them of their daily bread! This we must suffer indeed; but let them take care that they do not lose the common inter-cession, and beware lest this petition in the Lord's Prayer be against them.

April 2, 2017

Councillor Robert Dumanowski

Pastor Marcel Mitchell - Temple

Baptist

April 9, 2017

Councillor Julie Friesen

Pastor Dave Maneschyn -

The Bridge

April 16, 2017

Councillor Jamie McIntosh

Pastor Mark Borrows -

River Valley

April 23, 2017

Councillor Les Pearson

Pastor Charlotte Thieman -

Embassy of God

April 30, 2017

Councillor Celina Symmonds

Pastor Jeff Decelle - Unity


LUTHER’S LESSONS

Continuing with the Lord’s

prayer - Fourth petition (continued from page 9)

PANTRY UPDATE

A big thankyou to all of you

who have contributed to the

Pantry!

Happy to report that the need

has dropped off, which is a

good indicator that times

have gotten better for some

people. Keeping it in perspec-

tive though; be reminded that

when we help we can only

accommodate the people

asking one time. This is to

prevent people from thinking

we are a perpetual source &

we have limited resources.

A trip to the Medicine Hat

Food Bank by Elder Shirley

Drefs and Judy Brown proved

to be very informative.

They are doing a good work

there so be encouraged to

give your alms to the needy

through them. An impressive

help they are giving is to pro-

vide people with food so they

can put their money on Pay-

day Loans to break that

cycle. They must show proof

of payment of course.

We have a supply of food on

hand and are able to give

when people walk in the door

here at Victory. We’ll advise

when donations are neces-

sary.

Again, a big thank you and

God bless all who have

donated.

Victory Lutheran Church 2793 Southview Drive SE Medicine Hat, AB T1B 2H1 P:403-527-5617 E:[email protected] W: www.victorylutheran.ca

SENIOR PASTOR: Jim Bredeson

DIACONAL MINISTER: Lila de Waal

SENIOR’S VISITATION MINISTER: Dallas Hjorth

FAMILY & YOUTH DIRECTOR: Hannah Fairbrother

SPLASH COORDINATOR: Barb Beifus

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR: Judy Brown

POWERPOINT/PUBLISHER: Leah Ebelher

CUSTODIAN: Shirley Drefs

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