N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 1

Happy

Thanksgiving!

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! i Chronicles 16:8–12

How many countries or cultures have a day

set aside specifically for the offering of

thanksgiving? Each culture has its own

dedicated days for the purpose of

remembering significant events. But simply

for giving thanks? I’m not sure, but I’m willing

to guess not many. Our American heritage

affords us the privilege of a holiday just for

this purpose.

Like so many aspects of our culture, this

intentional thanksgiving is often cast off from

its original moorings. The early settlers

brought us the concept of giving thanks to

the Lord God for life, provision and divine

presence. Today, we still hear the call to give

thanks, but our politically correct culture has

stripped the practice of its fullness. We have

removed the Living God from being ascribed

the honor and praise of being the source and

giver of life. When He is erased from our

offerings of thanksgiving, we are left with a

vague sense of gratitude with no person or

place to ascribe our thanks to.

As followers of Christ, we need not look for a

place to ascribe our gratitude.

Under the leadership of King David, the

people of Israel did not suffer from politically

correct ambiguity when it came to giving

thanks for all that caused their hearts to

rejoice. Yahweh, the Living God, was for them

the source and giver of life.

I Chronicles 16 is a psalm of thanksgiving. As

we consider it a model of how to praise the

Ascribe to

the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”” 1 Chronicles 16:28–31

Lord, what can we glean from it as we choose

to give thanks in the upcoming season?

Draw attention to who God is. What qualities

of God have you seen or have impressed you?

When you give thanks for a specific blessing,

you might also share what characteristic of God

that blessing highlights.

Let our blessings draw us into worship. In its

simplest form, worship is our response to the

presence and activity of God. As we scan the

panorama of God’s work and blessing in our

lives, let us fall to our knees in worship. As you

share your blessings and thanksgivings, be sure

to ascribe to God the recognition He deserves

for His great salvation and working of grace in

our lives.

Seek to make His name great. As His people,

we are called to be witnesses (give praise to

God) to the world around us. Notice the scope

of David’s thoughts…he calls for making the

name of the Lord great among all the nations.

From our neighbor to the farthest reaches of

our world, we are called to be intentional with

proclaiming our thanks to the world around us.

How appropriate it is that in this month of

Thanksgiving, we are commissioning Katie

Dudgeon as a missionary to Spain. Now that’s a

statement of intentional thanksgiving to God!

May we be a people of intentional and directed

thanksgiving this month! Make His name great

in your family, your neighborhood and in the

world!

P A G E 2

maturity. Like any other aspect of our lives, giving needs to be

turned over to the Lordship of Christ. “He who supplies seed to

the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed

for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.” (2

Corinthians 9:10)

Giving is a commitment to God’s Kingdom purposes. “You will

be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which

through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of

this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is

also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.” (2 Corinthians

9:11–12) As you give to the Lord, your giving is multiplied as

thanksgiving and blessing in the lives of others. Here at Valley

Free, our giving is not only for the blessing of our own

congregation, but also for our community and out into the world

through our missionary family.

Giving is a result of a joyful, steadfast heart. “The point is this:

whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever

sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as

he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion,

for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6–7) The Apostle

Paul tells us that our giving is not an ‘exaction’ from God but an

opportunity to let our joy and faith shine out of a heart

dedicated to the Lord.

Let each of these principles sink into your heart and into your

financial decisions as you grow in your faith and commitment to

the Lord!

Contact Ron Schmit at ron.schmit@gmail.com to volunteer. You

will be put in teams to clear sidewalks and steps one week every

4-6 weeks. Your service to our church family will be appreciated!

Taking a Fresh Look at

I f there is one area of confusion and a variety of opinions,

it is the area of giving to the local church. How do you

approach the topic? Do you just throw whatever cash you

have in your pocket into the plate as it comes by? Do you

intentionally and prayerfully plan your giving? Are you

somewhere in-between those two options? Consider these

thoughts from God’s Word as you evaluate your giving to

the ministry.

Giving is a commitment to the Lord. “…they gave

themselves first to the Lord…” (2 Corinthians 8:5a) Our giving

is part of our testimony that Jesus Christ is our Lord. Out of

gratitude and obedience, we dedicate our financial

resources to His leading. When we receive our income, we

first ask the Lord for His leading on how to steward them for

His glory.

Giving is a commitment to others. “…they gave themselves

first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.” (2

Corinthians 8:5). Our giving is a commitment to the Body of

Believers. We are all called to worship the Lord and follow

Him in the context of a local fellowship. Our giving is a

commitment to that Body of Believers following the call of

God.

Giving is a commitment to spiritual growth. “But as you

excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all

earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in

this act of grace also.” (2 Corinthians 8:7) Our obedience in

this area of giving is a matter of discipleship and spiritual

P A G E 3

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Psalm 119:105

A s I shared my confusion, frustration, and doubt about

church planting with a pastor friend of mine he replied,

"God's Word is a lamp unto our feet. Lamps only provide

enough light for you to see a few steps into the future." How

true is that!? God calls us to trust Him, day by day and step by

step, often times not seeing the whole picture.

I've realized that I'm not very good at this. I'm all about

anticipating, predicting, and controlling my future. In my doubt,

I'm convinced God's Word should be a spotlight, showing me all

the turns, dangers, and joys the future will hold. I continually

operate on the assumption that once I can see my future, then I

can make a move, eliminating all risk, and setting myself up for

sure success.

How foolish. God never calls us to that type of reasoning. There

is NO faith in that. God doesn't promise us a spotlight equaling

future safety, comfort, and security. He doesn't even promise

to lead us in ways that seem wise compared to the standards of

the world. But, He does promise to take care of us as we walk

step by step, in faith, obeying Him, following His call,

committed to His purposes. (Romans 8:28)

A few weeks ago Brittany and I said no to a potential renter of

our home, as by our standards it seemed foolish. A day later, by

God's standards, we said yes to the renter, as God opened the

floodgates in His infinite wisdom, providing far beyond all we

could ever think or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Yes, God moved

like He always does. In response, it looks like we're moving

towards St. Cloud by the end of October (no, we’re not done at

Valley, we’ll just be commuting for a while)! So many details

still do not make sense to us, but what we do know is that God

is faithfully leading this process. We do not need a spotlight,

His lamp is enough. He's already there, in the future, waiting

for us to arrive! Not only is He there waiting, but He is here,

leading! What a great God we serve.

May God lead us, step by step, only revealing His plan to us at

the most appropriate time! And may we learn to walk in His

ways, keeping in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25), knowing

that from Him, not us, comes everything we need for life

(home, food, clothes, friends, yes...EVERYTHING!) and godliness

(2 Peter 1:3). Keep praying as the ground work for a new

kingdom work is being laid in St. Cloud!

Pressing onward, for the Kingdom!

A fter 11 years under the roof of Valley Free, God has

provided Ebenezer Church with their own facility. They

have been transitioning to their new space over the past few

months, but are now officially located on the east side of

downtown Chaska. We are rejoicing in God’s provision for

them in a permanent home.

Within the same timeframe, Valley was contacted by a

representative of the Restoration Church, otherwise known as

Iglesia Restauracion Fuente de Vida. Restoration

Church is a Spanish speaking congregation made up of

immigrants from Central America. They had been meeting at a

building on the Southwest High School campus, but were in

need of a new home after the building was sold. They are

currently meeting at Valley on Sunday afternoons and

Thursday evenings. If you get a chance, please welcome them

to Valley, as we look forward to a mutually encouraging

relationship.

P A G E 4

Pray...Read your Bible...Jesus

What do all of these have in common? They are typically

thought of as “Sunday School answers,” meaning they are

often overlooked as necessary answers, and rather thought of

as cop-out answers. Need proof? Just this past Sunday night at

CruX we had this very discussion:

Person A: “How do we actually live for Jesus every day?” Person B: “Pray and read your Bible.” Person A: “That’s a Sunday School answer and doesn’t really help.” Person C: “Yeah, we need practical ideas.” Person D: “We say that’s a Sunday School answer as though it doesn’t work, but how many of us actually read the Bible and pray each day? I guarantee you that if we did; we would find it much easier to actually live for Jesus every day. This is the ultimate practical idea!”

…and a quiet feeling fell upon the room as we all realized how

true this was. Many of us dismiss the Sunday School answer as

not working, without actually dedicating ourselves to trying it!

In a culture that barrages us with new information, we quickly

bypass old information as not relevant before we ever try

applying it. Last week we discovered this is true for a majority

of our students in the area of a devotional life.

We are flailing, desperately wanting to live more and more for

Jesus, but not taking the necessary steps of studying the

scriptures for ourselves, or even knowing where to begin. The

practical help we are looking for is more accessible to us than

ever, yet it sits untapped and unutilized for so many.

Our current project in CruX – help students to understand that

the Word of God is living and active (Hebrews 4:12), useful for

training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16), and able to revive

our very soul (Psalm 19:7)!!! As a result, when we actually read

and meditate on the Bible, we gain life, hope, courage, and the

ability to live for Jesus Christ, every day!

Pray that God would reveal His word to our group powerfully

as we study the book of Ephesians on Sunday nights. Even

more importantly, pray that God would reveal His Word to the

students each day, drawing them to the scriptures for

themselves; because in His Word lies the practical help our

students so desperately need.

Warring, with Christ, in the power of the Spirit, for the souls of

our students - the Youth Leadership Team: Andrew Peterson,

Abby Johnson, Nic Boortz, Mike Schenck, Pete Tornquist, Ellis

Noone, Jared Carpinter, Nicci Stultz, Marissa Byrd, Kendra

Maggard…and a handful of parents!

We need your used postage stamps, Campbell product labels, regular yarn,

flannel for baby blankets, quilt batting - not craft fill, teaspoons and soup

spoons (metal NOT plastic). Please leave any supplies you donate in the basket

labeled "White Cross" at the Donation Center near the office. Thank you!

Knitters...would you like to help us by knitting stocking caps at home? We'll

supply the yarn! Contact Shirley Sindelar at gpagmasindelar@gmail.com.

Cont’d on p.6

P A G E 5

K atie Dudgeon will be commissioned by Valley, on Sunday,

November 6, as a missionary to Madrid, Spain. But did you

know she grew up here at Valley? We asked Katie to take a trip

down memory lane and share some of her memories with us.

What years did you attend Valley? I started coming to Valley

when I was in third grade and we met in

the gym at the old High School. I

attended Valley throughout middle

school and high school, in summers

while I was in college, and after college

before I went to Mexico on an internship

with ReachGlobal.

Your dad, Doug Dudgeon, was the pastor of Valley for nine

years. Any fun memories of being a pastor’s kid?

I always enjoyed how friendly everyone was to me. People

would ask about what I was up to and were genuinely

interested in my life. I don’t think many kids have that privilege

of being known, cared for, and loved by so many adults. I also

have some fun memories of eavesdropping on church

meetings—I liked to feel like I was “in the know” even if I had

no clue what they were talking about!

I will never forget getting the giggles in church when my dad

was preaching—whether it was watching a spider climb on the

wall behind him or erupting in laughter because someone

choked on a lozenge while praying.

Being a PK, all the other kids thought I knew the Bible through

osmosis…but I have never been good at Bible Trivia! I always

lost memory contests and Bible trivia games—much to my

peers dismay.

Did you have any memorable Youth Group trips or activities?

It’s pretty hard to forget a freshman 6am Bible study of

Matthew with Stacey Ploeger—and non-Christian friends

actually came to it! I will

never forget doing the

three-legged race in Awana

with gross boys,

memorizing verses with

Char Streed, or tug-of-war

at the AWANA Olympics. I

also can’t forget summers

at Camp Shamineau,

Dawson McAllister

conferences, driving to

Reynosa, Mexico for mission trips, or sharing Christ through

translators in Pitesti, Romania.

Who did you hang out with? Are any of them still at Valley?

I grew up hanging out with Kristin Berquist Tabor and Jessica

Lundgren Trebil—they were the only girls in the church my

age!

How did you serve during your time at Valley? I helped with

the nursery while in elementary school and middle school, and

taught second grade Sunday School when I was in High

School. Those second graders were the CUTEST kids ever—

now they are the cutest college graduates!

What led up to you entering the missions field? My trips to

Mexico and Romania in high school led me to spend a

semester in Central America and pursue a degree in

International Relations. After graduating from college, I

P A G E 6

Are you a subscriber to Trinity Magazine? Well, check out the most recent front cover article, A Youth Revolution, featuring Trinity student, Andy McGowan, son of Valley’s own, David McGowan.

wanted to do ministry in Latin America because of the need

that I saw for solid evangelical

churches.I discovered a missions

internship program through

ReachGlobal and it seemed like

the best opportunity to get

experience in church-based

ministry while becoming fluent in

Spanish. At the time I thought that

church planting was something for “old” men in their 40’s—but

quickly learned that I was energized by doing ministry in an

entrepreneurial environment like church planting and knew

that I would like to be involved in helping establish new

churches in the future.

After that year I was asked to oversee the missions internship

program with ReachGlobal in Minneapolis (every missionary’s

dream—Minneapolis!) and spent four years recruiting and

helping prepare young adults for cross-cultural ministry. As I

was helping new staff get the training they needed to be

successful in ministry, I realized that I wanted more theological

training myself.

Through the encouragement of others and Valley Free, I moved

to Southern California in January of 2006. I completed a Master

of Divinity in May of 2010 and worked on staff at a large Free

Church in the area until June of this year. While in school my

interests in evangelism, church planting and cross-cultural

ministry continued to grow and I began exploring opportunities

to serve again with ReachGlobal overseas. I visited various

cities in Latin America, but Madrid, Spain seemed to be the

best fit for my interests in evangelism, leadership training, and

compassions ministries that lead to new churches.

When do you leave for Madrid? I will be leaving on November

15th. Please pray for a sense of God’s presence as I transition to

a new city, new team, and new ministry. Also pray for good

beginnings as I meet people and begin relationships that will

continue for years to come.

I t was heartwarming to see individuals who may not have

had a family to eat Thanksgiving Dinner with, as well as

parents with children, come and enjoy a festive and hearty

turkey dinner at the Community Thanksgiving Dinner last year.

On Thursday, November 24, from 11:30-1:00 Love INC will

sponsor a Community Thanksgiving Dinner that will be hosted

again by St. Johns Lutheran Church in Chaska. This provides a

wonderful opportunity for individuals or families to come and

serve together, as we celebrate the many blessings God has

given us this past year. Volunteers are welcome. You can help

Wednesday, Nov. 23 with preparation or Thursday, Nov. 24

with the Dinner itself. Also, we will be packing and

delivering Thanksgiving meal groceries to families on Saturday,

Nov. 19 from 10 am - noon. For more details and to volunteer,

go to stjohnschaska.org and click on Thanksgiving Day Dinner

Volunteers Needed under Announcements.

Healthy Living: Aging. . . Linda Kozicky, R.N., Parish Nurse

know it, you REACH 50. and your dreams are gone. But wait!!!

You MAKE it to 60. You didn’t think you would!

So, you BECOME 21, TURN 30, REACH 50, and MAKE IT to 60.

You’ve built up so much speed that you HIT 70. After that it’s a

day to day thing. You HIT Wednesday! You get to your 80’s and

every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch, you TURN at 4:30

pm you REACH bedtime. And it doesn’t end there.

Into the 90’s, you start going backwards. “I WAS JUST 92”. Then

a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a

little kid again. “I’m 100 and a half!” May you all make it to a

healthy 100 and a half!

I have adopted this next one as my new philosophy for life.

LIFE should not be a journey to the grave

with the intention of arriving in heaven safely,

in an attractive and well preserved body,

But rather, to skid in side-ways

chocolate in one hand and Starbucks in the other,

body thoroughly used up,

totally worn out and screaming

“WHOO HOO-WHAT A RIDE.

C.S. Lewis said “ You are never too old to set new goals or to

dream new dreams.”

Let us keep our eyes on Jesus this coming year and keep smiling

no matter if your 2 or 92!

It is getting to be that time of year when our level of stress

increases. Especially with the ever unsettling economy and

world unrest I thought maybe some light humor might be

helpful. Let me share just a few that I found funny but

insightful.

This first one I received some years ago titled George Carlin’s

Views On Aging…

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to

get old is when we’re kids? If you’re less then 10 years old,

you’re so excited about aging that you think in fractions. “How

old are you?” “I’m four and a half!” You’re never thirty-six and

a half. You’re four and a half going on five. That’s the key.

You get into your teens, now they can’t hold you back. You

jump to the next number, or even a few ahead. “How old are

you?” “I’m gonna be 16!” You could be 13, but hey, you’re

gonna be 16!

And then the greatest day of your life…you become 21. Even

the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21! YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Ooooohh, what happened there? Makes

you sound like bad milk. He TURNED, we had to throw him out.

There’s no fun now, you’re Just a sour-dumpling. What’s

wrong? What’s changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you’re PUSHING 40.

Whoa! Put on the brakes, it’s all slipping away. Before you

New Members Class Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012 9am-1pm

Contact Pastor M

ike at

mikes@valleyfree.org t

o sign-up

P A G E 7

P A G E 8

S aturday, October 22 arrived with the hustle, bustle, and

noise of construction equipment at Valley. Volunteers

gave up, what could possibly be, their last weekend of

warm weather to make some much needed improvements.

Concrete Pad & Drain Installation

Before this project took place, the dumpster sat at an angle

that required the garbage truck to make a 90-degree turn in

order to lift the dumpster. This has been a continual source

of damage to the asphalt. By pouring a pad that sits at a 45-

degree angle, this issue has been solved.

The drain tile installation will provide better drainage under

the road thus allowing water to flow from the north side to

the south, to empty into the drainage ditch along the back

of the property. As a result, we have a permanent fix to the

annual wash out of this area, better drainage, and less water

damage to the road.

In addition, a concrete pad and sidewalk was poured at the

north entrance to the Youth Room to cut down erosion and

provide a safer surface for exiting in the event of an

emergency.

Our sincere thanks goes to Greg Swanson, Mike Oran, Peter

Larson, Bill Weber and Kjell Plath for their sacrifice of time

and resources, as well as, to Cathy Swanson and Lesley Oran

for their provision of lunch and donuts!

Basement Furnace

For several years, the basement HVAC system has needed

repair. Construction began on this project the week of

October 23.

Rather that using the existing duct work under the floor, the

new ducts will be enclosed in the suspended ceiling through

the Youth Room and the Activity Center.

The Activity Center, however, will require a second unit ,

making it necessary to run duct work along the east wall. In

order to house this second unit, a small, existing room on the

east wall which was originally built to house a divider system for

the basement, will be used. Since the addition of the permanent

wall that separates the Activity Center from the Youth Room, the

installation of a divider system is no longer needed.

Heat to the lower level will be supplied by the furnace in the

Activity Center prior to the replacement of the transite unit in

the Youth Room. The vent pipe for the transite unit will continue

to serve as a drain field, into the sump pump, however, the floor

registers will be sealed.

Look for future updates in the bulletin, weekly email, and

upcoming Valley Views. Please feel free to contact Ron Schmit at

ron.schmit@gmail.com or 952-378-0109 if you have questions.

T 1 6:45 pm Women’s Bible Study

TH 3 7:00 pm Worship Team Rehearsal

SU 6

8:45 am 10:00 am

2:00 pm 6:00 pm

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS! REMEMBER TO “FALL BACK” 1 HOUR! Sunday School/SMS Worship—Katie Dudgeon’s Commissioning Baby Shower for Brittany Peterson CruX

M 7 7:00 pm Men’s Bible Study

T 8 6:30 pm 7:00 pm

Missions Outreach Team Meeting Elder Board Meeting

TH 10 7:00 pm 7:00 pm

Worship Team Rehearsal Web Team Meeting

F 11 9:30 am Mornings 4 Moms

SA 12 7:30 am Men’s Monthly Breakfast

SU 13 8:45 am

10:00 am 6:00 pm

Sunday School/SMS Worship CruX

M 14 11am-1pm

12:30 pm 7:00 pm

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD DROP OFF WEEK!

White Cross Men’s Bible Study

T 15 11am-1pm

6:45 PM

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD DROP OFF WEEK!

Women’s Bible Study

W 16 5-7pm OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD DROP OFF WEEK!

TH 17 4-6pm

7:00 pm

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD DROP OFF WEEK!

Worship Team Rehearsal

F 18 11am-1pm

7-10 pm

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD DROP OFF WEEK!

CruX Night Games & Bonfire

SA 19 11am-1pm OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD DROP OFF WEEK!

SU 20

9:30-11:30am 8:45 am

10:00 am 6:00 pm

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD DROP OFF WEEK!

Sunday School/SMS Worship CruX Thanksgiving

M 21 7:00 pm Men’s Bible Study

TH 24 HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

SU 27

10:00 am

NO SUNDAY SCHOOL OR SMS Worship NO CRUX

M 28 12:30 pm

7:00 pm White Cross Men’s Bible Study

T 29 6:45 pm Women’s Bible Study

See bulletins for weekly updates/changes to this calendar

P A G E 9

Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to children in

desperate situations worldwide through simple, gift-filled

shoe boxes and evangelical materials that tell the Good

News of God’s love. Here are some ways you can make a

difference:

PACK A SHOEBOX

Fill a shoebox with small toys, hygiene items, school

supplies, etc…(please no liquids, chocolate or war toys)

Go to www.samaritanspurse.org/occ for more details

(“Follow your box” instructions can be found there too!)

Deadline to bring in your boxes is November 20.

VOLUNTEER AT THE RELAY CENTER

Valley Free is a shoe-box drop off location for area

churches and community groups during the week of

Nov. 14-20.

We are open Monday and Tuesday 11-1, Wednesday 5-

7, Thursday 4-6,

Friday 11-1, Saturday 10-2, Sunday 9:30-11:30.

If you would like to welcome people to our church by

hosting one of the listed dates/times, contact the

church office at 952-448-6144.

SERVE AT THE PROCESSING CENTER

Saturday, December 3—6-10pm

We have reserved 50 spots for VEFC attendees to serve

together This is sure to be a highlight of your Christmas

season!

This opportunity is available for ages 12 and older.

Sign-up in the church foyer or contact the church office

at 952-448-6144.

952-448-6144

Fax: 952-448-5119

150 Engler Blvd

Chaska, MN 55318

Friday, November 11

9:30-11:30 am

Fellowship Hall

Hear Candace Wisely speak on How to Love Your Husband

We’ll enjoy fellowship, a devotional, crafts, &

refreshments!

Childcare is provided! Next Meeting: December 9