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September 2015 September 2015 September 2015 September 2015 the connector a newsletter from Buffalo Evangelical Free Church this this this this issue issue issue issue ● Your Story ● Children’s Sunday school ● Small Groups ● Missions Update ● Kick-Off Sunday ● Operation Christmas Child ● Thank You ● Celebrate ● Contact Us Continued on page 2 Telling Your Own Story Telling Your Own Story Telling Your Own Story Telling Your Own Story, Pastor Brian Thorstad Every real Christian has a story. It’s a wonderful story because it’s a story of our salvation, our rescue from sin and death by a saving, rescuing God. Even if you first believed in Jesus Christ as a young child, you still have an experience of being rescued from the wrath of God, whether you remember it or not. By faith we know that at some point along the line, we believed in Christ and crossed over (as in John 5:24) from death to life. It’s better than a “plucked from the clutches of a raging lion” story. It’s better than a “saved from a roaring hurricane” story. It’s better than a “rescued from a raving, maniacal madman” story. The peril we were in was greater than any of those headline-grabbing stories and the results of our rescue were far greater as well. So tell your story. Jesus said, “go home and tell them what God has done for you” (Mark 5:19). It’s powerful whether you were rescued from a life of drug-dealing when you were thirty-five or from a life of sassing your mom when you were three, four or five. It’s powerful whether you were saved out of a lifetime of sin or whether you were saved from a lifetime of sin. Read the following thoughts and tips about telling your story, and then put them into action: ● Your non-sensational story is powerful and important because many people who need to put their faith in Christ haven’t jumped head first into life-destroying sin either. They won’t listen to the sensational stories of violence and addiction as well as they’ll listen to your “ordinary” story. Honest. ● Your story – whoever you are – is powerful and important because there are people in your life who know you and trust you. They don’t trust strangers at their door-step. They don’t trust the preachers on TV. But they respect and trust you. If you have something important to tell them, they’ll listen…better than you might think. ● Tell your story to non-Christians whom you have befriended first. It’s okay to share your story with a stranger, but it’s much more powerful to share it with a friend. Don’t wait for others to befriend you; you befriend them. Even introverts can do this. I know because I am one. ● Pray for opportunities to tell your story. God loves to give such opportunities. He gives them to the people who pray for them and who take them when they arise. By the way, by all means view it as an opportunity, not an obligation. ● Tell your story to people whom you have listened to. Listening to others gives you the right to talk to them. I’m an introvert, remember? But as a nursing assistant I used to spend thirty to forty-five minutes a day with one patient at a time, day after day after day. I would ask them lots of questions and most were oh-so-happy to tell me their stories. Eventually, many of them would ask, “So what’s your story young fella?” I’d tell them. It was sweeeeeet. ● Tell your story simply. You don’t have to quote strings of Bible verses. You don’t actually need any Bible verse to tell your story, though it’s great if you can “hang it on” one verse, like Romans 6:23 or John 3:16. ● Tell your story briefly. With a little thought and/or practice, you can learn how to tell your story in a minute or less. Those who are interested can ask questions, giving you the opportunity to say much more.
Transcript of the connectorstorage.cloversites.com/buffaloevangelicalfreechurch/documents/... · It’s better...
September 2015September 2015September 2015September 2015 the connector a newsletter from Buffalo Evangelical Free Church
this this this this
issueissueissueissue
● Your Story
● Children’s Sunday
school
● Small Groups
● Missions Update
● Kick-Off Sunday
● Operation
Christmas Child
● Thank You
● Celebrate
● Contact Us
Continued on page 2
Telling Your Own StoryTelling Your Own StoryTelling Your Own StoryTelling Your Own Story, Pastor Brian Thorstad
Every real Christian has a story. It’s a wonderful story because it’s a story of our salvation, our rescue from sin
and death by a saving, rescuing God. Even if you first believed in Jesus Christ as a young child, you still have an experience of being rescued from the wrath of God, whether you remember it or not. By faith we know
that at some point along the line, we believed in Christ and crossed over (as in John 5:24) from death to life. It’s better than a “plucked from the clutches of a raging lion” story. It’s better than a “saved from a roaring
hurricane” story. It’s better than a “rescued from a raving, maniacal madman” story. The peril we were in was
greater than any of those headline-grabbing stories and the results of our rescue were far greater as well.
So tell your story. Jesus said, “go home and tell them what God has done for you” (Mark 5:19). It’s powerful whether you were rescued from a life of drug-dealing when you were thirty-five or from a life of sassing your
mom when you were three, four or five. It’s powerful whether you were saved out of a lifetime of sin or whether you were saved from a lifetime of sin. Read the following thoughts and tips about telling your story,
and then put them into action:
● Your non-sensational story is powerful and important because many people who need to put their faith in Christ haven’t jumped head first into life-destroying sin either. They won’t listen to the sensational stories
of violence and addiction as well as they’ll listen to your “ordinary” story. Honest.
● Your story – whoever you are – is powerful and important because there are people in your life who know you and trust you. They don’t trust strangers at their door-step. They don’t trust the preachers on
TV. But they respect and trust you. If you have something important to tell them, they’ll listen…better than
you might think.
● Tell your story to non-Christians whom you have befriended first. It’s okay to share your story with a
stranger, but it’s much more powerful to share it with a friend. Don’t wait for others to befriend you; you
befriend them. Even introverts can do this. I know because I am one.
● Pray for opportunities to tell your story. God loves to give such opportunities. He gives them to the
people who pray for them and who take them when they arise. By the way, by all means view it as an
opportunity, not an obligation.
● Tell your story to people whom you have listened to. Listening to others gives you the right to talk to them. I’m an introvert, remember? But as a nursing assistant I used to spend thirty to forty-five minutes a day
with one patient at a time, day after day after day. I would ask them lots of questions and most were
oh-so-happy to tell me their stories. Eventually, many of them would ask, “So what’s your story young fella?” I’d tell them. It was sweeeeeet.
● Tell your story simply. You don’t have to quote strings of Bible verses. You don’t actually need any Bible
verse to tell your story, though it’s great if you can “hang it on” one verse, like Romans 6:23 or John 3:16.
● Tell your story briefly. With a little thought and/or practice, you can learn how to tell your story in a
minute or less. Those who are interested can ask questions, giving you the opportunity to say much more.
● Tell your story in three parts. Tell your friend about a serious need you had in your life before you knew Jesus. It can be anything
from alcoholism to fear that your parents would die, from angst to anger, from lust to the aforementioned sassing of your mom. Tell
how you came to put your trust in Christ as your Savior. A friend told you how. Somebody dragged you to church. Your dad led you to Jesus or whatever. Finally, tell how that big need you had was at least partially met when you trusted in Christ as your
Savior. In all likelihood, this need has not been totally obliterated from your life, so don’t stretch the truth (you don’t need to in order to have a powerful story). “My life was meaningless before I knew Jesus; now I know that it really counts for something.” “I’m no longer so fearful that my marriage will fail because I know that God will stick with me no matter what.” “I still struggle with anger,
but it’s nothing like what it was before.”
● When you tell about putting your trust in Christ, make sure that your friend hears the actual gospel message. The gospel isn’t the privilege of being born again or having Christ in our hearts. The gospel is the saving death of Jesus on the cross for our sins. It’s
easy to make sure that the Gospel gets in your story and it’s vital that your friend hears it. Your new birth is good news but it isn’t
the good news; Jesus’ saving death is the good news.
● If you can’t talk about being saved out of sin, you certainly can talk about being saved from sin by growing up in a Christian home and trusting Jesus as a young child. If you believe what the Bible says about human nature, you know that apart from that early (perhaps even very early) rescue from your sin, you would have made a big mess out of your life. Apart from the grace of God, every one of us does!
● Tell your story with humility, but don’t be so humble that you don’t tell it. It is absolute truth which we
Christians believe. This alone is offensive to many today. The bad news about human sin is even
more offensive. If we love people, we have to be willing to offend them. It’s not about us; it’s about
them. Their friendship with God is infinitely more important than their friendship with you. Right?
● Ask your friend if what you said makes sense. “Push it” if the Spirit of God within you leads you to
do so.
Telling our story is the right thing to do, there’s no question about that. As a reward for our obedience,
God has made sure that there are side benefits. When we tell our stories we feel like new Christians
again, we know we’ve done the right thing, we are reminded of the blessings we have in Christ (see Philemon vs. 6) and we earn rewards which we’ll one day be able to transfer to our Savior. Let’s tell our stories!
The Journey Continues With Children’s Sunday School
VBS was such a wonderful adventure for all who took the “Journey Off the Map”, so the theme for our new Sunday school year
will be “The Journey Continues” with the first quarter being “Journey With Jesus”. It will use the same format of learning centers -
Story Time, Art, Snacks and Mission/Music times. The children will be in multi-age groups and will have fifteen minute rotations
among four centers. The rooms will continue the VBS theme and design. The teachers are excited about all the changes in the
upcoming year. The first two months in the art center the kids will be making projects for Operation Christmas Child. The mission
project will be to raise funds for a water purification system for the people of the Dominican Republic., through ASON
International. This is the same mission that the children collected money for shoes during VBS. It would be a nice opportunity to
have the children earn their offering by doing household chores, etc. If anyone would like to help with the snack or art times,
please contact Rosa How at 763-682-2408. We can always use extra help for one or more of the quarters of the year. A letter
will be sent out to the families telling more about the program and will include a surprise for the children.
If you have any questions or concerns please let me know.
Rosa How, Children’s Sunday School Director
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GET A GROUP! GET A GROUP! GET A GROUP! GET A GROUP!
Small Group sign-up begins on September 6th in the
Commons.
The Deckert/King group is a
multi-generational small group
composed of families with young kids
and families that are past that stage in
life. While the adults study God's
word, the kids can play in a
supervised environment just steps
away on the lower level of the house.
The group is co-led by Scott Deckert
and Steve King. We meet Tuesdays
from 6:30-9 at the Deckert residence,
1603 Maple Ave, Buffalo. Contact
Scott Deckert at 763-682-5161.
The Robinson small group will use
the book “The Good and Beautiful
God” by James Bryan Smith. We will
study what Jesus Himself reveals
about God and be challenged to put
into practice Jesus’ narratives in real
life. Meeting at the Robinson’s home:
279 Coburn Ave. NW, Buffalo, Friday
evenings at 7pm. Contact Brad
Robinson at 763-682-1978.
The Harlow/Huston small group is
designed to reach young couples and
families in our church body. Child
care is provided. We meet at the
home of Steve & Diane Huston, 700
Schubert Drive, Buffalo. We welcome
the opportunity to get to know you
and your family as we learn God’s
teachings and support each other in
love and community. We will likely
be meeting on Thursday nights.
However, we will be discussing the
schedule once we begin. Contact
Tanner Harlow at 763-222-9620.
The Orluck small group is a new
group especially for you if you are
new to BEFC or you’ve never
attended a small group. Day and time
to be determined. Our objective is
simple, to grow in Christ! We meet at
the Orluck’s home, 1008 44th St NE in
Buffalo, about 1 mile west of the
church on Constance Lake. Contact
Mark Orluck at 612-207-5570 or
The Klingelhofer small group meets
every other Thursday at 7pm at the
home of Gerry & Rosa How, 2243
50th St NE, Buffalo. This small group
will be using the study “Beyond
Belief” by Fred Cordoza. This study
strengthens our relationship with God
by focusing on God’s holiness, love,
justice, forgiveness, wisdom and
faithfulness. Child care is not
available. Contact Kirby at 320-274-
5129 or 320-267-4900.
The Hoffman small group will spend
the first quarter study around a
“passionate spiritual life”. We will be
using the Bible as our principal
source to explore Biblical patriarchs
and matriarchs who demonstrated
faith in action, or an extraordinary
passionate spiritual life. People like
King David, Queen Esther, the apostle
Peter and Jesus’ friends Mary and
Martha. Our group will meet weekly
on Thursdays at the home of Matt
& Heather Thornton, 2208
Saddlebrook Road, Buffalo,
beginning Thursday, Oct 8, at
7:00 pm. Contact Tom
Hoffman at 763-682-6320.
Bracston’s small group will be
made up of adults who have a
passion for working with teens.
This group is mostly youth group
leaders who will be talking about
youth group every week and praying
about youth group matters. The small
group discussion will be based on the
upcoming Sunday night youth group
material. If that sounds good to you,
this group is the place to be. We meet
on Mondays from 6-8 pm at BEFC,
2051 50th St NE, Buffalo in the youth
room (tentatively). If you would like
more details please contact Bracston
at 605-868-3652 or
Pastor Brian’s Small Group is The
Introduction To Everything Small
Group - This group is for the brand
new believer in Christ. You may also
want to be a part of this group if you
are a not-so-new believer who never
got “discipled” (taught the ABC’s of
the Christian life). We’ll teach some
of the basic truths of the Christian
faith and the basic practices that pro-
pel the Christian towards matching up
with our four core values. That means
that we’ll be helping newer Christians
to get a life, a group, a ministry and a
mission. Place and day of week are
yet to be determined. Contact Pastor
Brian at [email protected]
or 651-319-1953.
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Missions at Buffalo Evangelical Free Church Missions at Buffalo Evangelical Free Church Missions at Buffalo Evangelical Free Church Missions at Buffalo Evangelical Free Church ---- Harry Maravelas
The BEFC missions team is trying to keep the church involved in many countries with
many types of ministries. Plus, we are looking for missionaries who are in some way
involved with people in our church. This summer, we added three new ministries to our missions budget. We now support: Guillermo and Angelica Tun, YWAM (Youth With A Mission). Guillermo and Angelica
are members of our church, and spent lots of time hosting short-term mission groups in
Spanish speaking countries. So Others May Shine (SOMS), an equine-based ministry that connects horsemanship
with young people. Doug Persian and others work with parents and schools and so-
cial services to give young students incentive for a new start. Several people from our
church now volunteer with SOMS. Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), David Tunell, director for Minnesota and
Wisconsin. Through CEF, we hope to get our church people involved with outreach
groups in the area public schools, and get people involved in the CEF correspond-
ence center for seekers and new believers. We will continue to support ministries we previously supported: Matt and Jaci Hutchcraft, SEND International, Russia, working with children and
orphans. Paul and Leanne Miller, Timber Bay Youth Outreach, President, mentoring youth. Cris Rhyner, EKTA Partners in Hope, developing local leadership overseas. Rob and Jackie Passer, EFCA Global Outreach, Crisis Response to rebuild
communities after disasters. Paul and Michelle Weaver, Turkey, technology support for a Bible college. Jackson and Reinell Helstad, International Messengers, church planting, Pine Ridge,
South Dakota. Christian Recovery Center, Twin Cities area, specializing in recovery from abuse. Thank you for your continued support and involvement. Missions Team: Harry Maravelas, Gene Persian, Fred Anderson, Cindy Anderson.
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Fall Kick-Off is just around the corner! That means many of the ministries that go on hiatus for the summer are starting up again for the new ministry year. On September 13th you’ll see these
ministries back in full swing: GIRLS (God in Real Life Situations) group: This is a group for adult women who meet each Sunday morning during the Sunday school hour (11:00am to noon). Gather in the GIRLS room, hallway 2, room 3, for fellowship and friendship, to share faith stories, and to pray with and for one another. Due to the sensitive
nature of prayer requests and discussion at times, this group is intended for adult women. Man Cave Men’s Group: Meets each Sunday from 11:00am to noon in the Man Cave in hallway 2, room
4, behind the library. This group will be co-facilitated by Kurt Marple, Steve Downer, Mark Orluck, Tom
O’Neill and Mark Pelham. Come and join the guys for coffee (you don’t even need your own cup!). Fellowship with each other, pray for and with each other and get to know your brothers-in-Christ. HOT TOPICS: Pastor Brian and Paul Miller will be hosting a group in the Adult Ed Classrooms, 3-1 & 3-3 on
some HOT TOPICS. Our first will be a few weeks on the subject of Making Marriage Work with Pastor
Brian. The class will be lively, interactive and fun, but not like one of those “hot and heavy” marriage retreats
where you have to confront your spouse! Come and be helped! Other HOT TOPICS will include Raising
Difficult Adolescents (with Paul Miller), Creation, Evolution and the Age of the Earth with great videos and hosting duties by Christ Taylor, our own, Mr. Creation. Watch for one more HOT TOPIC before the season
is over. Children’s Sunday school classes for ages 3-5th grade are in hallway 3, past the nursery in the east wing. Teen Sunday school classes for grades 6-8 and 9-12 will meet independently in rooms 4-1 and 5-1, also
down hallway 3, past the nursery. Youth Groups start on September 13th at 6:00pm at BEFC. AWANA begins on September 23rd at 6:30pm at BEFC. Children’s Church continues every Sunday during the worship service for ages 3-5. Nursery services are available for ages 0-3 for both the worship service and Sunday school hours. On September 13th, the worship service time returns to 9:30am. Coffee fellowship is from 10:45On September 13th, the worship service time returns to 9:30am. Coffee fellowship is from 10:45On September 13th, the worship service time returns to 9:30am. Coffee fellowship is from 10:45On September 13th, the worship service time returns to 9:30am. Coffee fellowship is from 10:45----11am and 11am and 11am and 11am and
Sunday school is from 11amSunday school is from 11amSunday school is from 11amSunday school is from 11am----noon. The church is providing lunch at noon for everyone. Please join us after noon. The church is providing lunch at noon for everyone. Please join us after noon. The church is providing lunch at noon for everyone. Please join us after noon. The church is providing lunch at noon for everyone. Please join us after
Sunday school for a time of food, fellowship and reconnecting with each other. Sunday school for a time of food, fellowship and reconnecting with each other. Sunday school for a time of food, fellowship and reconnecting with each other. Sunday school for a time of food, fellowship and reconnecting with each other.
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Buffalo Evangelical Free ChurchBuffalo Evangelical Free ChurchBuffalo Evangelical Free ChurchBuffalo Evangelical Free Church 2051 50th Street NE, Buffalo, MN 55313 Phone: 763-682-6846
[email protected] www.buffalofree.org
Your BEFC Staff:Your BEFC Staff:Your BEFC Staff:Your BEFC Staff: Brian Thorstad - Interim Lead Pastor c: 651-319-1953 [email protected] Bracston Siemens - Youth Director c: 605-868-3652 [email protected] Heather Thornton - Office Administrator M-F 8:30-5:00 c: 763-682-6846 [email protected] Dennis Eiklenborg - Custodian c: 612-424-3130 [email protected]
September BirthdaysSeptember BirthdaysSeptember BirthdaysSeptember Birthdays Jen Deckert 1 Matt Deidrick 1 Paul Grubbs 3 Delaney Nord 3 Jared Rempel 4 Gerry How 5 Megan Stadtlander 5 Corbin Meyer 6 Rosa How 7 Anna Palmer 11 Donna Thorstad 12 Emery Kling 16 Fred Anderson 17
Kevin Miller 22 Brooke Hubbard 23 Dee Compton 24 Katherine Rempel 24 Steve Downer 25 Harry Maravelas 25 Freda Stark 25 Luke Myre 27 Molly Sletten 29 Tony Carlson 30 Stella Palmer 30
September AnniversariesSeptember AnniversariesSeptember AnniversariesSeptember Anniversaries Kyle & Kristen Ruopsa 8 Brian & Donna Thorstad 13 Fred & Mary Pat Myre 21
Celebrate with each other!
Thanks to our BEFC Family:Thanks to our BEFC Family:Thanks to our BEFC Family:Thanks to our BEFC Family:
Joe and I want to express our deepest
gratitude for your support, prayers and
genuineness during this period of
joblessness and surgery. You have
brought meals, prayed for and
encouraged us, and driven me places so
Joe could respond to part-time work
when he was called in. I am slowly
gaining strength back in my foot and
ankle, walking at times with a brace, and
at times to wear both shoes. On Friday,
August 14th I was offered and accepted
a special education position that pays
slightly more than I made last year - truly a miracle of provision, demonstrating
once again that God is faithful.
We appreciate continued prayers for my
full recovery, and for a full-time contract
at Crown College for Joe. May God
continue to pour out His blessing on
everyone at BEFC as you continue to
serve others with an abundant measure
of kindness and love.
With grateful hearts,
Joe & Cathy
Clem
The items of the month for September are crayons and colored pencils. It is a
great time to pick up supplies now that they are on clearance. Last year we
ran out of these items quickly at our Pack and Snack event.
An excerpt from Lesky’s shoebox story:
This young boy is the son of a farmer who lives on a small East Indonesian
island. Lesky loves to draw and color, but art supplies are an expensive
commodity. Lesky would have been grateful for anything inside the box, but
when he pulled out a full set of drawing pencils in every color imaginable, he
believed that God had granted him a favor.
His little world that day was colored by a
rainbow.
-Karen Elsenpeter, OCC Coordinator
