OCT 2014

UPCOMING EVENTS!UPCOMING EVENTS!UPCOMING EVENTS!UPCOMING EVENTS!

Midweek ServicesMidweek ServicesMidweek ServicesMidweek Services Meal at 6:00 pm

Worship time and Discipleship Ministries for all ages 6:30 pm

Quilting AdventuresQuilting AdventuresQuilting AdventuresQuilting Adventures DayDayDayDay October 7 1:00—8:00 pm

Women’s Bible StudyWomen’s Bible StudyWomen’s Bible StudyWomen’s Bible Study October 7, 14, 21, 28

7:00 pm

Women’s Reading GroupWomen’s Reading GroupWomen’s Reading GroupWomen’s Reading Group October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

9:00 am

Bridal ShowerBridal ShowerBridal ShowerBridal Shower for Nichole Beier

October 30th 7:00 pm

Family NightFamily NightFamily NightFamily Night October 26th

6:00 pm

Clint’s Corner:Clint’s Corner:Clint’s Corner:Clint’s Corner: First-Generation Christians.

My confidence in the Gospel was greatly encouraged recently. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Now I believe this and I assume you would confess to believing this too. But yet, we can often grow discouraged in our evangelism efforts and tend to act like the gospel really isn’t all that impressive. Unfortunately, our confidence in the gospel can diminish, so I want to build up your confidence as mine was recently. We even tend to assume that what really matters in peoples’ lives is the family they were raised in. If they grew up in a Christian home, we expect their children to also grow up to be faithful followers of Christ. But if the parents were not church-going people, well then, there may not be much hope for their children. Now, don’t get me wrong, children that grow up in a household of faith are much more likely to walk with Christ throughout their days. Christian parents must “bring up” their children “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (Eph. 6:4) But we must not underestimate the power of the Gospel for anyone, even those who may not have grown up in a Christian home. This hit home for me recently. I was called to lead a prayer and graveside service for a local resident who had passed away. I did not know the family, but they had specifically asked for the “Oakdale pastor” to lead the services. The man had raised four sons, two were sons of his wife’s first husband. I met with the oldest of each set of sons to plan the service and to get to know their family. I learned that these men did not grow up in a Christian home. They had not attended church regularly growing up, but had each been transformed by the gospel. One came to faith watching a Billy Graham special on TV as a young adult. The other had someone share the gospel with him as a freshman at Iowa State U. They also shared that another brother had also come to know Christ. All three of these men then raised their children in the faith - two of them within Ev. Free Churches. As far as these brothers know, they are first-generation Christians. As I interacted with these families at the services, I was impressed and encouraged at their genuine faith, hope, and love for Christ and for one another. It was encouraging to me to see the fruit of the gospel in the lives of these three men who came to believe apart from the family they grew up in. The gospel is the power of God for salvation to every-one who believes. Believe this, and pass the good news on. You could help transform the future of entire families. - Pastor Clint

Wednesday Night for Women is for women of all ages. We meet at 7:00 pm after the meal and worship time to hear prayer requests and to pray together. After

we pray, we watch a short video We, as women, want to love and care for one

another. Please join us during this time of prayer. Matthew 18:19-20: “Again I say to

you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Everyone is invited to come

for the meal from 6 to 6:30 pm

Quilting Adventures Day October 7th 1:00—8:00 pm

You are invited to a Bridal Shower for

Nichole Beier on October 30th

at 7:00 pm

Family Night October 26th 6 pm

Baptismal Service followed by a time of fellowship. Bring snacks to share.

Men’s Study on Wednesday Nights.

Men and Their Work. Join us men for this

Authentic Manhood series focused on Men and

Their Work. The men meet in Room 110

following the song service at 7:00 PM. Don’t

miss out on the fellowship meal at 6:00 PM.

The General Board met on Tuesday Sept 16th. It was reported that the barn behind the parsonage has been demolished and the men did an outstanding job of hauling off the concrete, burning the building and cleaning up the site. A big thank you to all involved. Vernon Tjossem headed up the project and provided the excavator, Jon and Corey Vanderploeg provided the side dump and Kent Lundquist provided the skid loader. Also helping were Gordy Anderson, Paul Ehmcke, and Craig Blankers. De Tjossem provided the lunch for the men. Dave Brown had disconnected the electricity in advance of the razing. We are so blessed to have the men in our church who like big toys so we can accomplish projects like this!!! We will now get the area seeded this fall. A slate of names to serve on the pastoral search committee was presented to the Board. The names include: Randy Jipp - Chairman, Kent Lundquist –Elder, Jon Zupke and Dee Tjossem-General Board, Shirley Skadeland, Joleen Stout, Joel Anderson, and Erin Wilson. The Board approved this slate. Pastor Tim presented a program on “Right Now Media”. This program will provide a library of about 4,000 videos that include Bible studies, kids programs, seminars etc. We all will be able to use this in our own homes whenever we want. (ok Pastor Tim, some of us may need some tech support to be able to get it going the first time!) The Board moved to purchase this for a one year trial basis. Pastor Tim will be putting out more information on this. We hope that everyone will take advantage of this opportunity. I would invite anyone that ever has any questions about the Board meetings or any other item to please contact me or any Board member. Respectfully submitted, Mark Hecox, Chairman.

We are planning a baptismal service for Sunday

evening, October 26 6 PM. If you would like to

profess your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ

through baptism, please talk to

Pastor Clint or Pastor Tim soon

Tim’s Thinking Again A Substitute Teacher !Many of us have learned under some very good teachers. And those of us

who have gone to public-school are aware of those days when we had a substitute teacher. Because my dad was a public school teacher, I have a special affection for those who are in the teaching profession. However, it seems that my friends and I didn't always express that when we had a sub come into our classroom.

Many times when a sub came in, we assumed that the class would go much differently than when the regular teacher was there. Sometimes we would mess around, other times we would try to get out of work that we knew our regular teacher would want us to do. And even though I can't remember initiating anything myself, some of my classmates would play tricks on our subs. This certainly wasn't a good thing to do, but they always figured that they would get away with it. (okay, I might have joined in on a few times…)

Why would we treat our substitute teacher differently from our regular teacher? Certainly this person was in place to teach us, but there was something different about their role and how we related to it. We took things a little less seriously, and we would often let others know that they weren't in for any “real consequences” in that day’s class.

Sometimes in our Christian walk, we have substitute teachers. But we often look at our substitute teachers differently than we looked at our classroom subs. Sometimes we treat them with little respect, but other times we rest only on our substitutes rather than on our regular Teacher.

The Bible tells us how we are to be taught: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. - 2 Timothy 3:16-17 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. - John 14:26 But sometimes we put our subs ahead of our regular teachers. What I mean by that is

that often times we will bring something else before us - a specific pastor, video series, quotation, book, or discipline - that we see as a better teacher than the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. When we do this, we are saying that these substitutes are on at least equal footing with the Holy Spirit and the Word.

This doesn’t mean at all that teaching from other people is bad. In fact, God works through other believers and gifts them to the church for equipping the saints to do His will. And there are so many good resources available to us today that help us understand and grow in faith, more than other generations have ever had access to. I thank God for all those who have helped me with these messages and tools.

But there are times when we rest on the teaching of others to the neglect of the Word. There are times when we would rather just repeat what that substitute says than ask the Holy Spirit for discernment or to teach us. And that is when the substitute gets in the way. We spend more time listening to the substitute than the Teacher, and can even hold the words of the sub in higher regard than that of the Teacher.

We have given our church access to an online video library that we believe God will use as a supplement and tool for our church, families, children, and others to grow in faith. But this is a tool - a substitute teacher - that is meant to be used to help us grow in knowing God through the Word being taught by the Spirit. When we don’t keep the proper perspectives, we are prone to miss the mark. Everything on the video segments should be held up to the Word as our final authority, our Teacher, rather than relied upon alone.

I hope you enjoy the rightnowmedia.org resources we have placed in your hands as a congregation. But more importantly, I hope they draw you to depend on the Holy Spirit and the Word more. I hope they are useful for your homes, for your personal growth, and with your ministry to others. Please use them as much as possible to help those you love and meet to know Jesus and grow in His grace and knowledge.

Wednesday Nights !

Our Wednesday Night group is a great place for students to

connect and find out more about God’s ways. All students in

grades 7-12 are invited and can bring friends!

Our theme this month is:

Study to Know God !Passage of the Month:

Deuteronomy 6:1-9 !Memory Verse of the Month:

Proverbs 30:5

ONE Sunday Nights at 6pm

for grade 7 through college age

October 5 - B. Barglof October 12 - R. Jipp

October 19 - B. Adamson October 26 - Family Night !We share food, fun and discuss

questions that you bring.

If you would like to host ONE, please see Stacey Hunter to schedule your time.

Mission 2015 Fundraiser Cards

On Sale Now! !We are raising money for

student missions in 2015 by selling fundraiser cards with discounts at local businesses around our area. Cards are

good until 11/01/2015

MYSTERY MISSIONS TRIP 2015 WHERE ARE YOU GOING? !

NEXT SUMMER, OUR STUDENTS WILL BE EMBARKING ON A MISSION TRIP TO … WELL, WE CAN’T TELL YOU.

OUR STUDENTS WILL BE GOING ON A MYSTERY MISSIONS TRIP TO SERVE GOD AND PEOPLE AND

HELP MAKE DISCIPLES!

GOD DEPENDENT PARENTING ALLIANCE !We are meeting as a monthly growth and support

group for parenting. All parents of any age are invited to join us.

Our next gathering will be October 12th from 12:00-1:30pm

We will be continuing our study of 1 Corinthians 13

A.W. Tozer on How God Uses Suffering to Prepare Us for

Usefulness in the book, Be Still, My Soul by Nancy Guthrie.

“The devil, things, and people being what they are, it is necessary for God to use the hammer, the file, and the furnace in his holy work of preparing a saint for true sainthood. It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply.

“Without doubt we of this generation have become too soft to scale great spiritual heights. Salvation had come to mean deliverance from unpleasant things. Our hymns and sermons create for us a religion of consolations and pleasantness. We overlook the place of the thorns, the cross, and the blood. We ignore the function of the hammer and the file.”

(Guthrie, Be Still, My Soul. p. 89)

“Encourage one another daily, as long as it

is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be

hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (Heb. 3:13)

Yesterday I received a kind note of encourage-ment from a friend. It was only about three sentences long but the Lord used it to stir some much-needed strength in my soul. Receiving the note led me to open up my Bible and dig around to see what the Lord says to us about encouragement. As I read passage after passage, I was struck by how vital this expression of love is for God’s people. In one sense, encouragement is like oxygen in the life of a church. It keeps hearts beating, minds clear, and hands inspired to serve. Because encouragement is so important to the church, God doesn’t merely recommend it; he explicitly commands it (1 Thess. 4:18, 5:11; Heb. 3:13). WHY WE NEED ENCOURAGEMENT

God commanded that his people encourage each other because he knows we need it. In the Gospel of John, Jesus warned that “in this world you will have trouble,” which he then followed with a much needed encouragement: “But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). We live in a broken world where everything calls us toward selfishness and despair. Sin steals joy, our bodies break down, our plans falter, our dreams die, our resolves weaken, our perspective dims. We are promised suffering (1 Pet. 4:12), persecution (John 15:20; 2 Tim. 3:12), and trials of various kinds (James 1:2-3). When encouragement is absent from the life of a church people will feel unloved, unimportant, useless, and forgotten. God knows his people are in need of grace-filled reminders, so he calls us to encourage each other every day until his Son

returns (Heb. 3:13). WHAT IS ENCOURAGEMENT?

Biblical encouragement isn’t focused on complementing someone’s haircut or telling them how good their homemade salsa tastes. That kind of encouragement is important, but the encouragement the Scriptures refer to is explicitly Christian encouragement. Encouragement is shared with the hopes that it will lift someone’s heart toward the Lord (Col. 4:8). It points out evidences of grace in another’s life to help them see that God is using them. It points a person to God’s promises that assures them that all they face is under his con-trol. The New Testament reveals that encouragement was a regular part of the early church’s life together (Acts 13:15,16:40, 18:27, 20:1-2,27:36). They shared Scripture-saturated words with each other to spur one another on in faith (Acts 14:22), hope (Rom. 15:4), unity (Rom. 15:5; Col. 2:2), joy (Acts 15:31), strength (Acts 15:32), fruitfulness (Heb. 10:24-25), faithful-ness (1 Thess. 2:12), perseverance (Heb. 10:25), and the certainty of Christ’s return (1 Thess. 4:18). Encouragement was and is an essential way of extending grace to each other. HOW DO I GROW IN BEING AN

ENCOURAGEMENT TO OTHERS?

There isn’t only one “right way” to encourage each other, but here are a few ideas to help you get started. 1. Pray for God to make you an encourager.

Ask him to give you a heart that loves others and creativity to know how to show it. Ask him to help you die to self-centeredness and grow in a desire to build others up. Because God delights in helping his people obey his commands, we can trust that his Spirit will teach us how to bless others for his glory and their spiritual good.

Encourage One Another:

Giving Grace with Your Words By Pastor Garrett Kell | 9.24.2014

hearing specific ways God used a sermon or counseling session to work in your life.

8. Pray that God would create a culture of

encouragement in your church. Ask God to make your church a community that loves each other in specific, tangible ways like encouragement. Ask God to use you to help fan that flame. Don’t get discouraged if people don’t return your encouragement (Matt. 6:3-4; Eph. 6:3-8) or if you don’t see fruit from it (Gal. 6:9-10). Creating a church culture that glorifies God takes a long time, lots of prayer, and abundant grace. I encourage you to keep at it.

9. Be wise. If you want to encourage someone of

the opposite sex, use discernment in how best to do it. If I’m going to encourage a single sister in the congregation, I will tell my wife and copy her on the email. If I were encouraging a married sister, I would again tell my wife and copy her and the husband of the person I’m encouraging. You can also use that as an opportunity to encourage both the husband and wife.

10.Get started. Who can you encourage right

now? Who has blessed you recently that you can thank? What verse can you share with them? How might God use it?

May the Lord do more than we can imagine through just a little encouragement (Ephesians 3:20-21). Garrett Kell is the lead pastor of Del Ray Baptist

Church in Alexandria, Virginia. Copyright © 2014 9Marks Web address for article: http://www.9marks.org/blog/encourage-one-another-giving-grace-your-words

2. Study Barnabas and ask God to make you

like him. Barnabas was nicknamed the “son of encouragement” by the early church (Acts 4:36). He was the kind of guy you wanted to have around as you were serving the Lord. He wasn’t just a spiritual cheerleader, but he was a man of great conviction who wanted to see the church flourish and did all he could to make it happen. Ask God to give you and your church a heart like Barnabas. 3. Make encouragement a daily discipline. For

some of us encouragement comes naturally, for others, not so much. I have a reminder in my calendar each day to send someone an encouraging note, email, text, or phone call. I need this reminder to pause, pray, and then intentionally try to spur someone on in Christ.

4. Pray for God to show you who to encourage.

Ask God to bring someone to mind that you should reach out to. One way to do this is by praying through your church’s membership directory.

5. Use Scripture if you’re able. Nothing

encourages us like promises from God’s Word. Make a list of Scriptures that God has used to bless you personally or an excerpt from something you read in your daily devotional. Mine the Psalms, Romans 8, and the Gospels. Find and share riches of God’s grace with others.

6. Be specific in what you say. The note I

received from my friend included two very specific ways he had seen evidences of grace in my life. When I read them, I was humbled and reminded of the fact that God does actually work in and though me. I needed that.

7. Regularly encourage your pastor. If your

pastor says something that God uses, tell him about it. Don’t expect him to write you back, but just send a few lines in a card or an email. Nothing encourages a pastor like

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

Midweek Meal 6 pm

Service 6:30 pm

2

Women’s Reading

Group 9:00 am

3 4

Off: Missions/Deacon

6

Prayer/staff mtg

9:30

7

Quilting Adventures

Day 1:00—8:00 pm

Women’s Bible Study

7:00 pm

8

Midweek Meal 6 pm

Service 6:30 pm

9

Women’s Reading

Group 9:00 am

Helping Hands

10:00 am

10 11

12 Communion

Offg: General Fund

13

—————————

14

Women’s Bible Study

7:00 pm

——-Pastor Clint and

15

Midweek Meal 6 pm

Service 6:30 pm

family on vacation—

16

Women’s Reading

Group 9:00 am

Spiritual Life 7 pm

——————————

17

———————

18

————————

Offg: General Fund

20

Prayer/staff mtg

9:30

21

Women’s Bible Study

7:00 pm

General Board Mtg

7:00 pm

22

Midweek Meal 6 pm

Service 6:30 pm

23

Women’s Reading

Group 9:00 am

24 25

Offg: General Fund

Family Night 6 pm

27

Prayer/staff mtg

9:30

28

Women’s Bible Study

7:00 pm

29

Midweek Meal 6 pm

Service 6:30 pm

30

Women’s Reading

Group 9:00 am

Bridal Shower for

Nichole Beier 7:00

31

October 2014

3 Brian Tjossem 5 Lydia Wester Sue Fisher 6 Sharon Freed Vernon Tjossem Blaine Adamson 9 Brian Haase Karen Mugge 10 Peggy Vander Ploeg 11 Lorace Gregg 12 Karen Thiel 13 Pam Moore Coltyn Harper 15 Amarie Olsen 20 Joel Gnade Sharri Baldner 22 Diane Halstrom 23 Denise Lundell 25 Adam Harper 26 Nathaniel Burns 28 Lily Anderson William Stout 29 Deb Zupke Dorothy Harper Terri Cullison

Happy Birthday! Women’s MinistryWomen’s MinistryWomen’s MinistryWomen’s Ministry

Women’s Bible StudyWomen’s Bible StudyWomen’s Bible StudyWomen’s Bible Study on Psalms Sept 23 to Nov 4th at 7:00 pm

Women’s Reading GroupWomen’s Reading GroupWomen’s Reading GroupWomen’s Reading Group October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 at 9:00 am

Quilting Adventures DayQuilting Adventures DayQuilting Adventures DayQuilting Adventures Day September 2nd 1:00—8:00 pm

Helping HandsHelping HandsHelping HandsHelping Hands Thursday October 9th at 10:00 am

Bring a sack lunch.

Bridal ShowerBridal ShowerBridal ShowerBridal Shower for Nichole Beier October 30th at 7:00 pm

Coming Events:Coming Events:Coming Events:Coming Events: Women’s Christmas Event December 5th at 6:30 pm

Attendance for August

AM SS Midweek 8/3 188 83 8/10 194 80 8/17 196 97 8/24 172 99 8/31 179 101

General Fund for August Giving: YTD Expenses: YTD $29,181.12 $189,869.59 $21,741.16 $224,279.25

Mission Fund Giving: Expenses: Year to date: $175,044.12 $153,181.32

October Birthdays

Nursery Schedule:Nursery Schedule:Nursery Schedule:Nursery Schedule:

Sunday School Worship Service 10/5—Joel Gnade Lyle & SuePeterson Theresa Gnade Denise Lundell

10/12– Joel Anderson Craig & Lynn Ivarson Charity Anderson Joleen Stout

10/19– Nick Erdmann Bob & Beth James Estella Stout Lorna Wilson

10/26– Gloria Geerdes Jon & Pam VanderPloeg Estella Stout Karen Mugge

Family Night—Ken & Laura Lundquist 10/1—Brandie Dublinske, Greta Hogrefe 10/8—Brandie Dublinske, Joleen Stout 10/15—Brandie Dublinske, De Tjossem 10/22—Brandie Dublinske, Dub Zupke 10/29—Brandie Dublinske, Audrey Adamson

October Greeters

Head Greeter—Kay Jipp

Prayer Room Schedule:

10/5—Gordon & Pat Andersen 10/26—Doug & Joleen Stout 10/12– Mark & Jill Hecox 10/19—John & Donna Beier