Valley Free Newsletter - March 2011

Epicenter . . Pastor Mike Sindelar

M A R C H 2 0 1 1

This last month we had the opportunity to

hear from our ministry leaders and to review

the highlights of the last ministry year. As we

heard from them, we couldn’t help but draw

the conclusion that God is indeed moving in

our midst. It was a good year for ministry, for

worship and for the gospel taking root in our

lives. Seeing a fresh movement of people,

younger and older, coming to faith in Christ in

the last few weeks has certainly confirmed

that God is stirring. We have also seen people

respond with faith and enthusiasm to the

bold proclamation of God’s Word in our

ministries.

When this kind of evidence is so obvious, we

can expect some scriptural truths to be

operating. For example, the power of Jesus is

at work (John 14:12-13), someone is being

obedient in God’s Word, faith and prayer

(John 14:12-14) and the power of Satan is

being broken (Luke 10:17-18). We see the

results – lives being changed and restored,

supernatural work being done in hearts and

relationships – but these are just evidences of

a greater heavenly realm being brought to

bear in our midst. We cannot conceive of the

greater heavenly work and effects that are

taking place when we see something happen

right here in the middle of our families and

ministries. Can you imagine the generational

impact when a child hears of Christ and yields

their life to Him? Can you picture the effect

on kids when a mom and dad quit fighting and

turn their marriage and home over to Christ?

Can you estimate the eternal significance when,

in the midst of a weekly worship, a person sees

Jesus in all of His holiness and commits their

lives afresh to the work of the Holy Spirit? We

see the tangible result of our faith and ministry,

but it is just the tip of a much greater and

eternal work of God.

It is our passion to live in the epicenter of God’s

great work in the world. We believe that it is

happening here and now, the evidence is too

significant to ignore. God is moving.

As the year 2011 continues to unfold before us,

there are certain convictions that rise to the

surface for us as we seek God’s increasing and

unfading glory around us. In the next year we

will be striving to…

Be a ‘Word and Prayer’ church, unashamed

to proclaim and teach the Word of God

and to see all become established in

their faith. To seek the Lord in diligent

prayer and to trust Him for great, life-

changing, world-altering responses.

Be a church of significant worship where all

can come and experience intimacy

with God in praise, communion and

obedience.

Be a church on mission that grows in

impact for local outreach, sends

ministry teams cross-culturally,

Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on ac-count of the works them-selves. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:11-14

Cont’d on p.2

P A G E 2

supports the work of missions globally and seeks to

multiply itself through church planting.

Be a church that partners with families in order to

establish every member, parents and children, in

Christ.

The coming year will also see some changes in our facilities.

We look forward to replacing the chairs and carpet in our

worship center. We will also try to make other changes and

upgrades in our facility to better accommodate our

ministries and to make the building more appealing to

visitors. A generous contribution has already primed the

pump for this needed work.

The leadership team of the church has also stepped up their

commitment to these convictions. The elders will be meeting

nearly every week to concentrate on the issues that need to

be addressed in order to move ahead in faith as a church.

These are truly exciting days. God is at work among us. I look

forward to the next months as we trust God for greater

things. In our 30+ years as a church we have seen God do

marvelous things. I can’t wait to see what He has in store for

us in the future as we seek Him.

Ahhhh, a hint of Spring is in the air. How wonderful those first

few hints of warm weather are. They give hope of warmer

weather, new growth and new life. We are excited to wel-

come Maximilian David (son of Dave and Amy McGowan) to

our church family! These nurseries keep growing – Praise the

Lord!

I remember when Mike Duzan spoke to the Parenting Sunday

Morning Studies group. In his talk, he mentioned that when

looking for a church one of the things they looked closely at

was the staff and policies of the church’s nursery. They were

not willing to leave their children without feeling secure that

they would be well taken care of for that hour and a half.

The church nursery is the first contact young families will have

with our church. Your friendly greeting and exceptional care

for their children can make a great first impression for our

church. If they don’t feel like their children are safe, they will

not return – and rightly so.

In a recent conversation with one of our moms at Valley I was

pleased to hear that one of the reasons they came back was

because of their children’s reactions to their experience in the

church nursery. Thank you to all who do offer your time, ser-

vice and hugs to our youngest members. You are sometimes

the first impression new attendees have of our church and our

family! Keep up the good work!

Nursery News...Janis Soule Epicenter Cont’d...Pastor Mike

P A G E 3

. . .Jan Schmit, Commander/Children’s Education Director

The month of February has been a great time of having fun and

learning about prayer, knowing God’s will and anticipating our life in Heaven

someday. It’s a proud moment when the smallest ones in our club feel called to pray out loud for their peers and families. Luke 11:1 Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer 1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

The Apostle Paul’s missionary journeys have provided great teaching moments for our K-

1st graders. These clubbers have learned from Aquila and Priscilla about being kind and friendly to those who are learning about Jesus, the importance of pursuing God’s calling, and how important it is to KNOW God’s word so we will be able to discern His truth from lies.—Acts 15, 16

All Clubs Group Picture Night –March 9 (Attendance and attire are crucial)

All club meal – March 16

No Club – March 30 (spring break)

Cubbies End of the Year Ceremonies – April 13

Sparks & T&T End of the Year Ceremonies – April 20

On Feb. 2nd our resident rough water kayaker (Peter Larson) gave a fabulous presentation to the T&T

club. He used various pieces of gear to simulate the armor of God and how it represents our responsibility as Christians to be prepared for things to come in our walk with Jesus.—Ephesians 6 As much as the Grand Prix races are a highlight in February the clubbers have also been digging deep into God’s word and making every effort to apply it to their lives. A video presentation was shown at the races calling all God’s people to remember that whatever the results of a contest (winner or loser) it is our job to represent Christ to the world. Winners: Front row: Design winners – 1st place Violet Pollock,2nd place Shannon Moore, 3rd place Rania Nasr; 2nd row: Speed winners – 1st place Phillip Trenne, 2nd place Andrew Trenne, 3rd place Jeffrey Heining, 4th place Cole Remack; Back row: 5th place Matthew Trenne, 6th place Elijah Bach, 7th place Brianna Tudor

People’s Choice Award: Matthew Trenne; Team Car Winner: Shawn Larson’s Handbook Group

January 30th, 2011 marked the 28th consecutive John Beargrease

Sled Dog Race, an extreme endeavor of man and dog taking on

the wintery northwoods in a 3 day race to the finish. It’s quite a

unique experience to watch men and women alike commanding

a team of energetic huskies on a 390 mile journey form Duluth to

Grand Marais and back.

This is exactly what the CruX Student Ministry Team was able to

witness this year on our third annual Student Ministry Team

Retreat. Our goal was to discuss, train, and equip our student

leaders to take action as a ministry team among their peers.

What better way to do this than to see with our own eyes the

power of teamwork.

Each dog sled team is equipped with 16 dogs, all having a vital

role. The lead dogs need to be attentive as their responsibility is

to take all the commands and set the pace. Behind the Lead dogs

are the Swing dogs, which have the unique responsibility of

steering the sled. Following the Swing dogs are the Team dogs,

When the dogs stop barking, you start

yelling: “3…2…1…MUSH!”. . .Pastor Andrew Peterson

P A G E 4

providing the “horse power” for the team. Lastly are the Wheel

dogs, who are placed directly ahead of the sled and tend to be

the strongest dogs on the team; as they are responsible for

carrying the weight of the sled and musher.

This parallels so well the Christian life. We are all called and

gifted with different roles, talents, and responsibilities. How

well we work together in our roles determines much about the

strength of our team. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12 that we are

all given different gifts, but must work together for the com-

mon good of the Church. Working together in this capacity

doesn’t come naturally, but it’s what we strive for. No matter

how cold, dark, or challenging the trail gets, we must pursue

the goal as a team.

is for Vitamin K & Kiwi. . . Linda Kozicky, R.N.

P A G E 5

...is a fat-soluble vitamin. Remember fat soluble means it

needs fat to be absorbed and the body stores excess amounts

in adipose tissue (fat). This also means it is not necessarily

needed on a daily basis. It also means if excessive amounts

are taken for a prolonged period it can cause toxicity. Daily

adequate intake levels range from 90-120mcg for adult

women and men over 18 years of age.

Vitamin K functions in blood clotting, protein synthesis, and

blood calcium regulation. The K is derived from the German

word for koagulation. Blood clotting. Too much vitamin K in

the diet can result in excessive clot formation and not enough

Vitamin K in the diet can result in bleeding issues.

As a side note: On-going research is being done to discover

how Vitamin K works in maintaining bone health as it relates

to osteoporosis.

Those foods that provide sufficient daily amounts are

Parsley/2 tbsp.-246 mcg, 1 cup of raw Kale=547 mcg,

spinach=145 mcg, Swiss chard=299 mcg, 1 cup cooked

broccoli=220mcg. Other Vitamin K rich foods are: liver, egg

yolks, milk, cucumber peel, cabbage, bok choy, soybean oil,

alfalfa, green tea and apples.

Please note: People who are taking anti-coagulation

medication (Coumadin, warfarin, lovenox, heparin, aspirin)

need to avoid fluctuations of their intake of foods high in

Vitamin K as it can interfere with their medication-decreasing

it’s effectiveness. If you have concerns please talk with your

physician and/or pharmacist.

...is originally from China but now is widely cultivated in New

Zealand.

Did you know that ounce for ounce a kiwi contains as much

Vitamin C as oranges and as much Potassium as bananas. You

can also eat the skin or shell and thereby increase the amount

of fiber and vitamin C, however, you increase the risk

ingesting any pesticides used in growing the fruit. I personally

like to eat the whole fruit, in which case I would recommend

purchasing organically grown fruit to avoid chemical

consumption. The fruit is great peeled too.

Some more interesting tidbits: kiwi can also be used as a

meat tenderizer-cut the kiwi in half and rub over the meat.

The cut fruit activates enzymes that act as a food tenderizer. If

you like to buy in quantity when on sale, you can freeze the

fruit for later use in fruit smoothies or soups.

It’s peak season, if grown in the United States, is November

through May and if grown in New Zealand, is June through

October.

Another interesting note is that opthalmology studies have

proven that consuming 3 or more servings of fruit/day can

reduce the risk of developing age-related macular

degeneration by 36%. And studies have shown that kiwifruits

are useful in improving the conditions of asthmatic children.

Unfortunately, kiwis are also the most common fruit allergy.

P A G E 6

TU 1 6:45-8:00 pm Ladies Dessert with Jan Stillwell

W 2 6:00-8:00 pm Romania Missions Night at AWANA

TH 3 6:00 pm 7:00 pm

Kingdom Connections: Get a close-up view of what God is doing on the mission field Worship Team Practice

F 4 6:00 pm Romania Team Reunion (open to all past Romania Teams, their parents, and the youth group)

SA 5 10:00 am Crux 30-Hour Famine Starts

SU 6

8:30 am 8:45 am 10:00 am 6:00 pm

All-Church Breakfast Kids’ Missions Sunday School Worship Service—Guest Speaker: Mike Rice, Pastor of Cross Cultural E. Free, St. Paul

CruX

M 7 7:00 pm Men’s Bible Study

TU 8 7:00 pm Elder Board & Deacons Meeting

W 9 6:00-8:00 pm Awana Club Night

TH 10 7:00 pm 7:30 pm

Worship Team Practice Web Team Meeting

SA 12 7:30 am Men’s Breakfast—Perkins, Chaska

SU 13 8:45 am 10:00 am 6:00-8:00 pm

Sunday School/Sunday Morning Studies Worship Service CruX


TU 15 6:45-8:00 pm Women’s Bible Study

W 16 6:00-8:00 pm 6:00-8:00 pm

Awana Club Night Missions Outreach Team Meeting

TH 17 7:00 pm Worship Team Practice

SU 20 8:45 am 10:00 am 6:00 pm



T 22 7:00 pm Elder Board & Deacons Meeting

W 23 6:00-8:00 pm Awana Club Night


SU 27 8:45 am 10:00 am 6:00-8:00 pm



T 29 6:45 pm Women’s Bible Study

W 30 NO Awana Club Night


A Thank You & An Invitation. . . Jim Bentson Valley Free recently received a heart-felt

thank-you for hosting the recent AIG

Creation/Biblical authority seminar. The

thank-you comes from those who

attended the seminar and who worship

at Calvary Memorial Church in Navarre,

Minnesota.

They have established a creation-related library at their church,

and have found that videos are the most popular resource.

Because of that, they have also established a monthly video-

showing ministry and video-related subject discussions. They

have invited the people of Valley to attend and perhaps to

establish a network of folks interested in Biblical Creationism.

Their next showing is on Sunday, March 6 at 6:00 p.m. at Calvary

Memorial Church's library, located at 2420 Dunwoody Ave,

Wayzata (Navarre), MN 55351. Following is a quote from Nancy

Heilman, a co-founder of this ministry:

We have found this evening to be a wonderful, thought-provoking

ministry to the people in our church. We would like to see even

more attend, as there are SO VERY MANY awesome DVDs &

creation-based books being published every day. We find that we

cannot keep up with them all, which is a good problem to have!

The DVD being shown on March 6 is God of Wonders, a feature-

length Discovery-quality documentary without the evolutionary bias.

Stunning nature footage, scientific insights and Scriptures combine

to reveal the wonders of our Creator as observed throughout His

creation. God's wonders surround us. And these marvels reveal

much about our Creator. Through creation we glimpse His power

and wisdom, His majesty, care and love. Creation is speaking to

those who will listen.

If there is sufficient interest, we could begin a similar ministry at

Valley. Just let me know.

P A G E 7

150 Engler Blvd

Chaska, MN 55318

952-448-6144

Fax: 952-448-5119

[email protected]

Friday Evening, 3/4—Sunday Morning 3/6

See Schedule Inside

Valley Free Newsletter - March 2011

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