Spirit Newsletter - sothaz.com · will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”...
Transcript of Spirit Newsletter - sothaz.com · will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”...
Spirit Newsletter
Shepherd of the Hills
Meet Pastor Jeff and Kristin
On Sunday, January 27, Pastor Jeffrey
Teeples was installed as our senior pastor,
and we are so blessed and delighted to have
him and his wife Kristen as part of our
church family!
Pastor Jeff and Kris have been married 29
years and have three sons. David and his
wife Britta live in Barnsville, MN. David
works in marketing at Concordia College in Moorhead, and Britta is a
high school social studies teacher. They are expecting their first child
(their first grandchild) in April. Eric lives in Torrance, CA and works as a
project coordinator at a marketing company called Bobit. Lauren, his
girlfriend, also works in marketing. Philip is married to Carly. They are
both full-time students studying to be Doctors of Physical Therapy at
Azusa Pacific University.
Pastor Jeff obtained a BA in German from Montana State University
and his Masters of Divinity from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN (1997)
He received his ordination for Pastoral Ministry of Word and Sacrament
(ELCA) in 1997 and in 2011 obtained his Lutheran Congregations in
Mission for Christ Certification. His first call was to his childhood church
of Christ Lutheran in Whitefish, MT, and served there from 1997-2007.
From 2008-2018 he was the Senior Pastor at Hawley Lutheran Church
in Hawley, MN.
His wife Kris has been his partner in life and ministry and has worked in
the churches he has served in various roles. She is currently studying to
get a master’s degree in counseling with the Townsend Institute at
Concordia, Irvine.
Jeff Teeples, Pastor
Deanna Freund, Music Director
Shepherd of the Hills
Lutheran Church
16150 E. El Lago Blvd.
Fountain Hills, AZ 85268
Mailing: PO Box 17444
Fountain Hills, Z 85269
Phone: (480)837-9532
Fax: (480)816-6168
Website: www.sothaz.com
Sunday Worship:
8:00 and 10:30am
Adult Ed: 9:30am
February 2019
Inside this issue
Pastor Steve Letter…..….. 2
Paul Oman Artist………..... 3
Centennial Singers………...4
Talent Show ………….…. 4
Marisa Leger Update…..... 5
Opportunities to Serve…… 6
Second Sunday Social.…… 6
CPR Classes…………..…….. 6
New Council ………..…….. 6
Garage Sale ………..…….. 6
Birthdays & Anniversaries .7
2
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I
always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first
day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you
will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:3-6
I want you to know what a privilege and honor it has been for the past
thirteen years to be your pastor. You are an amazing congregation filled
with servants of Christ, who love God and love others. I have every
confidence that the good work God is doing in you will continue with the
partnership and leadership of your new pastor, Pastor Jeff Teeples.
You have blessed Lynn and me with your friendship, your encouragement,
and your love. We love you and will keep you in our hearts always. As I look
back over the years that we have served together, I am filled with
wonderment at what God has done in us, for us, and through us. We are not the same congregation we
were thirteen years ago. That is due in part because we have aged, people have come and gone, and the
world has presented us with different challenges. Yet, those are not the only reasons we are different. The
Holy Spirit has been at work in us to mature us with wisdom and deeper faith in Jesus Christ. God’s Word
has guided us and we have a greater understanding of its authority in our lives. Our fellowship with one
another has deepened and there is spirit of unity that God has given to Shepherd of the Hills.
In 2018, we lost many of our saints to death. Sherry Baltimore, Dorothy Webster, Jack Everhart, Ralph
Truax, Katy Peters, Alan Conner, Ray Shellabarger, Aileen Renkel, Ruth Barnett, and Del Ryland all joined
the Church Triumphant. Received as children of God through baptism were Grayson Arndt, Ellyana La
Greca, Marilyn Richison, Laurie and Howard Li, Blake and Michael Weisenbach, Patti Fields, Cambrie Bain,
Hannah and Micah Julian. Receiving first communion were Hannah and Micah Julian, Aubrey Weisenbach,
Declan Murphy, Brooke, Beckett, Abigail, and Evan Bergeson.
I want to thank our church council of Chris Dean, Jim Skivington, Darlene Dailey, Jack Critchett, Sharon
Sealund, Gail Hanson, and Steve Friel. They are faithful servants of God, who prayerfully led our
congregation. I had the wonderful privilege to work side by side with our staff – Julia Becklund, Jan Gavle,
and Deanna Freund. They are the hardest workers I know. They love the Lord and our congregation. I will
greatly miss serving with them and the joy we experienced working together. Zac Lusk was our youth direc-
tor for the first half of the year. Mick McGraff was hired in August to replace Zac, who left to focus on his
seminary education.
Keep the light on the hills shining brightly! The world needs Jesus! Bring others to him!
Pastor Steve Bergeson
Pastor Steve’s Final Letter
3
Experience a Drawn to the Word worship and artistic experience where Artist and Pastor
Paul Oman will paint a larger-than-life sized mural before your eyes. Join us at 7:00pm on
Saturday, March 2, and at 10:30am on Sunday, March 3, in the Sanctuary. This story will
unfold artistically, musically, narratively and Scripturally during the event. Please RSVP
by February 28 at sothaz.com/paul-oman-artist. All are welcome. Come and see!
4
Augsburg Centennial Singers
The Augsburg Centennial Singers provide an opportunity for men of faith to pass on the faith through songs
of praise. Formed in 1993 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first gospel quartet to travel to Nor-
way from Augsburg College, the Singers have toured Norway twice, the southeastern and southwestern Unit-
ed States, as well as their annual concert seasons in greater Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Join us on Sunday, February 17, at 3:00 pm when they will be presenting a concert with wide variety of music
from Bach to gospel and praise songs. For more information contact Lloyd Tarr at 480-837-5593.
Talent Show Coming Soon!
The 7th annual Shepherd of the Hills Talent and Variety Show will be held Friday,
February 8, 2019, at 7:30 pm.
The Talent Show is a fund-raising event which provides scholarships to Fountain
Hills graduating seniors, plus financial support to other local charities. As usual, the
Talent Show will include all kinds of entertaining acts, such as comedy monologues,
instrumentals, vocals, and of course the famous Lutheran Tabernacle Bottle Blowers! Don’t miss out! Come
and bring your friends and neighbors for an evening of fun and entertainment. Admission is free, but dona-
tions will be accepted at the door. Cash prizes for first, second and third place winners will be awarded deter-
mined by audience voting at the end of the program. While votes are being counted, there will be an old fash-
ioned homemade cake and pie auction. If you would like to be a contestant and share your God-given tal-
ents, call John Bjornholt at 480-329-0540 and you can be part of a great program. You could be the next
Fountain Hills idol! Tickets are available at the SOTH office or at the door the evening of the show.
5
Welcome to my second update! I hope this letter finds you well. The month of October has been filled with so many changes and challenges. So much has happened, I have been stretched and taught greatly. Week One: Our team attended a training along with our friends from a nearby city. We learned more about the type of ministry we are doing here in East Asia
called Catalytic Ministry. In this type of ministry, we understand there are so many people that need to be reached, and not enough laborers to reach them all. Our goal is to reach half of the world’s campuses by 2020. By raising up student leaders who seek to make Jesus known on campus and starting “student led movements,” many more students will hear the gospel. Week Two: My teammate Daniel and I attended our first “English Corner” meeting. English Corner is a ministry outreach event held once a week in the downtown area of our city. This is a place for students to learn and practice English, which is a highly valued skill, as some students’ classes are taught completely in English. Daniel and I prepare a topic to talk about to teach new English words, then we have a discussion and a game so everyone can have a chance to speak English. I have been blown away by how much God has already used English Corner after just 4 meetings. Week Three: An American professor from Cal-Poly in California made a visit to our city and neighboring cities. He gave a lecture about his area of study (computer science), and invited students from the Finance and Technology campuses to come and hear him speak. This was a great way to meet new people and gather 100 new contacts in just a few days. Through this event, we met 2 Christians. Week Four: We continue to Explore campuses, which is the first stage of Catalytic Ministry. The goal is to find Christians who have the potential to be used greatly on their campuses. We also meet people who are spiritually interested and then share the gospel with them. This month I went on a campus with my teammates Holly and Serena. We went through a survey with students to learn if they knew any Christians/if they are Christian, and learn what their spiritual interest is. In two hours, my two teammates and I talked to a combined total of 65 people. In Catalytic Ministry, we are to trust that God has already placed the people and resources on the campus that we choose to explore. Then our job is to go, in faith, and talk to people and find them. When surveying the 65 students, it was sad to learn that none of them were Christians, and they knew very few Christians. These students had little to no beliefs, but some said they are afraid of ghosts, and some thought it is important to have beliefs, though they themselves do not have beliefs. More the reason why Christians on this campus need to be trained to share the good news. As I start to learn more of the language here in East Asia, I am able to ask students the survey questions in their own language. This is a small, but very exciting accomplishment. Through exploring, we have learned about the Christians that already exist on the campuses and what kind of activities their fellowships are a part of.
Update from Marisa Leger
Opportunities to Serve
6
Each Friday evening plan on joining us
as we serve dinner to approximately
eighty-plus men, women, and children
in Moeur Park, Tempe. We carpool at
5:15 pm and serve from 5:00-6:00 pm.
If you or your family would like to assist,
please call Gail Hanson at 480-836-9527 or email Gail at
The following individuals were elected to the
2019 Church Council at the Annual Meeting
on January 27.
Chris Dean, President
James Skivington, Vice President
Larry Mayhew Treasurer/Finance Secretary
Darlene Dailey, Recording Secretary
Gail Hanson, Council Member at large
Judi Choate, Council Member at large
Sharon Sealund, Council Member at large
Jeff Teeples, Pastor
At 9:00 on Saturdays, February 16; March
16; and April 27, Nancy Spahr, RN, ECSI,
CPR instruction, will teach CPR classes in the
Education Building Rooms 5 & 6. If you’d
like to attend one of these classes, please
contact [email protected] or 480-
205-1017
Join us for the Second Sun-
day Social at 4:30pm on
February 10th at the home
of Carl and Karol Sue
Braun. Everyone is invited
to bring a friend and an appetizer or dessert to
share. The beverages will be provided.
Karol Sue and Carl’s drive is very steep. Anyone who
might have a problem walking up (especially if carrying
a dish), please call 563-581-0721 and Carl will drive
down and bring you up in his car.
Paz de Cristo Paz de Cristo is an organization
that feeds and clothes those in
need in the East Valley of
Phoenix. Shepherd of the Hills
goes to Paz every second
Tuesday of the month to help
prepare and serve the evening meal. If you would like
to be a part of this ministry, volunteers meet in the
church upper parking lot at 3:15pm to carpool. Our
next trip to Paz will be on February 12.
Second Sunday Social
CPR Classes
New Council Elected
Garage Sale
SOTH will hold its semi-
annual garage sale on March
2 from 7:00am-11:00am. So
clean out your closets,
garages, etc. and gain some
extra cash. Anything you
earn...you keep. To reserve your parking spot,
email [email protected].