December 2001

Volume 27    Issue 12

ANNUAL SUNDAY SCHOOL CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

Saturday, December 8th
at 4:30pm
in the Church sanctuary.
Pizza and cake following the program in the fellowship hall.

December 15 & 16 at all services three choirs will share the Good News and glory of our new born King.

Val Connor, Director

December 1 & 2 Advent I-LBW Communion

December 8 & 9 Advent II-Now the Feast Communion; California Lutheran weekend

December 15 & 16 Advent III-Choir Christmas Cantata

December 22 & 23 Advent IV-LBW worship

December 23-1pm to 5pm-Christmas cookie open house at Pastor Tom & Andra’s-1418 Bryn Mawr

December 29 & 30 Christmas I-Carol service

Michael Reardon
Patrick Lane

You are invited to a spectacular and dramatic presentation of scripture, light, and movement when Michael Reardon will prayerfully and powerfully proclaim

• Men's Breakfast - Second Saturday - December 8, at 8am

• The First and Third Wednesday of each month (December 5 & 19)
   C.A.R.E. - Cards And Recreation for Everyone
   10am until…….
   Bring a sack lunch and a friend!
   Lots of LAUGHING & FUN!!!

• Choir practice every Wednesday (December 5, 12, 19 & 26)– King’s Kids at 6pm; Sanctuary Choir at 6:30pm; Sonrise Choir practice on Sunday from 10:30-11am

A BIG THANK YOU to all who puchased tickets, all who donated materials used in the making of the quilts, and all the quilters for their beautiful work.  There were 37 completed quilts on display in the sactuary at the November 10 & 11 worship services and at the Anniversary Dinner Talent Show.  Ticket sales for the raffled quilt totaled $543.00.  Lutheran Brotherhood Bonanza Branch #8237 provided $450.00 Matching Funds making a Grand Total of $993.00.

These funds will be used to ship quilts to Lutheran World Relief in Minneapolis, MN.  From there, they are shipped to disaster and refugee areas around the world.  Quilters meet at theChurch every Friday from 9am until Noon.   Come and join us!  For further information call the church office.

California Lutheran University
Weekend December 8^th & 9^th
At all services

Pastor Reg Schultz-Akerson, Director of Church Relations at CLU, will preach.

The 9:15am Adult Forum will be "How to get ready for College." Parents of middle school and Senior High students are encouraged to attend.

Free CLU T-shirts to all Middle School & Senior High youth at worship.

Mark Tanis Receives New Call

Former Intern, Mark Tanis is serving two small Lutheran congregations about 20 miles west of Grand Forks, North Dakota. He serves Ness Lutheran Church in Metinock, North Dakota and Ascension Lutheran in Emerado, North Dakota. Mark commutes from his home in Grand Forks. He was called as an Interim pastor as he awaits work from the U.S. Navy and their chaplaincy program. You can reach Mark at P.O. Box 12963, Grand Forks, N.D. 58208

To All at Good Samaritan Lutheran Church

Your kindness and concern have meant so very much and will always be remembered.

The Schreur Family
Gina, Ben & Athena, Irene, Steve, Kathy, Brian, Betty & Brian, Jr.

Dear Pastor Tom Stutelberg & the Good Samaritan Lutheran Church,

We write to you with the most gracious thanks for your financial contribution to the ministry here at Grand Canyon National Park. Your $2,000 gift enabled us to purchase a Risograph 3750 with color drums to use for printing the hundreds of thousands of copies of bulletins, song sheets, and other publications that support the ministry here. We look forward to serving you in the future as we hope you will continue to bring your Confirmation classes to the Grand Canyon.

With Blessings of Peace,
Rev. Joe Surin, Resident Minister,
Grand Canyon Residents, and over five million annual visitors to Grand Canyon!

Evangelism Committee

On Sunday, October 14th members of your Evangelism committee attended an Evangelistic Workshop, "Let’s Go Fishing for People."

The workshop was hosted by The Lakes Lutheran Church. Speakers included Jeff Marian and Brad Mitchell.

Through their inspirational enthusiasm, Brad & Jeff encouraged us, as a Church, to renew our commitment to Christ. We do this by sharing the promise as written in the Gospels.

You well be approached in the coming weeks to participate in our Evangelism projects. Please pray for this committee and have an open heart and mind if you are called to help.

The Evangelism committee members are Chairperson, Tommie Quisenberry, Carol & Jerry Connor, Ken & Jolene Carlin.

LaVerne Wilkins and Lynn Mahoney and others will be calling visitors during the week. If you would like to help by calling visitors or by participating with the Evangelism Committee, please contact Tommie Quisenberry 878-7768.

Isaiah 40:3-5

A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

Preparations for Christmas seem to get earlier and earlier every year. There were Christmas trees at Wal-Mart in August. It is not unique that in September many of us do our Christmas shopping, and in October we are preparing our Christmas cards for mailing. In November we are selecting a tree; and in early December we load in our cars to look at the various Christmas light displays in our neighborhoods.

There is nothing wrong with planning ahead, but let’s look at our lives from the flip side. Doesn’t some of this have a hollow ring? Even for people who are not Christian, it appears superficial, a kind of ritual to be gone through, preferably enough in advance of the date of Christmas so that you don’t have to rush at the last moment.

There is something special about Christmas. This special time warrants us to slow down and enjoy the season. To think that the Son of God was really born as a baby into the world.

People who take Jesus Christ as real can take Christmas seriously as well as joyfully. They do not think that it is at all improper or out of place to do some personal stock taking of themselves before Christmas. "Prepare," says John the Baptist, "The Kingdom of heaven is at hand." I ask you as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to take these words into your hearts this season.

Intern Rebecca

LUTHERANS CONTINUE 'CREATIVE MINISTRY' RESPONSE TO VICTIMS

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran churches continue their "creative ministry" to respond to people directly impacted by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, according to the Rev. Gilbert B. Furst, director for Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS).

In the first six weeks, Lutheran Disaster Response has provided care, counseling and assistance to survivors and their families, along with coordinating immediate and long-term recovery efforts, after terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center in New York and damaged the Pentagon near Washington, D.C.

Anna Eissfeldt and the Rev. R. Richard Armstrong led a workshop designed to support school staff who still need to tell their students, "Your parent is dead," said Furst. The workshop also guided teachers in helping students cope with the crisis in New York.

Eissfeldt, a school psychologist, Tampa, Fla., and Armstrong, Grace Lutheran Church, St. Petersburg, Fla., led the workshop on Staten Island and southeast Brooklyn, New York, on Oct. 19 and 20, respectively. The workshop is part of "God's Care in Time of Crisis," a program designed to train parochial teachers on helping defuse situations of anxiety among students following acts of violence. Eissfeldt directs the program.

"Ann Eissfeldt and Rick Armstrong have been present in Lutheran schools in New York City for several weeks," Furst said. "They have done more than lead a workshop," he said. Furst reported that 47 children from Lutherans schools lost parents in the destruction of the World Trade Center.

"There are 21,000 students in 212 Lutheran schools of which 140 schools were directly impacted," he said.

In New York 300 to 400 Lutheran teachers will gather for a conference in November. The conference will include three workshops designed to provide individual and group counseling, and train 10 local counselors to work "on the scene," Furst said. Similar plans are being developed for Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., he said.

The Rev. Donald A. Stiger, director for specialized pastoral care and clinical education, ELCA Division for Ministry, has been working closely with Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) since Sept. 11. Stiger reported that several ELCA chaplains were among the first to respond after the terrorist attacks in New York, Furst said.

"Lutheran chaplains are ministering to those standing in long lines to report missing loved ones. Some work with police chaplain response teams, others work with distraught family members or assisting at temporary morgues, or with the American Red Cross," Furst said.

John Scibilia, New York disaster coordinator for Lutheran Disaster Response, the Rev. Stephen P. Bouman, bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod, and the Rev. David Benke, president of the LCMS Atlantic District, are working together to address the stress of on-going church ministries in New York.

Bouman is meeting with pastors to determine "what's going on" in the areas they serve. Clergy from Upstate New York continue to conduct and organize memorial prayer services.

"I have met with directors of our social ministry organizations, deans of our [synod] conferences, and have heard stories from campus ministry and local seminary [individuals]. All are hearing stories, giving direct aid to victims and leading prayers," Bouman said.

"Of the 47 children in our Lutheran schools who lost parents, a little girl-- who lost her mom -- joined her classmates on a [recent] visit to a local fire station which had lost nine of its men," Bouman said in a report. "The school had collected work clothes, gloves and other materials to assist in the rescue operation. Many wept when the little girl looked up at the fireman and asked if they were going to find her mom," Bouman said.

Scibilia reported that Lutheran Social Services of Metropolitan New York has seen an "amazing increased demand for food pantries," Furst said.

"A case management system is being structured in New York to address needs and provide referral to resource [services]. Care for orphaned children continues. The Lutheran Counseling Center there is receiving 100 calls a day for help. The center's waiting area is jammed with people off the street seeking help in their shock, fear and grief," Furst said.

The Rev. Gary L. Harbaugh, care giver, Lutheran Disaster Response, is meeting with pastors in northern and central New Jersey, New York, Washington, D.C., and in the New England area, Furst said. Harbaugh reports that pastors share "significant needs" as they continue their ministry to grieving Lutherans and others. About 150 LCMS pastors will gather at the end of October for reflection and "empowering," Furst said.

The Rev. Foster R. McCurley Jr., care giver, Lutheran Disaster Response, will provide biblical and theological insights for clergy, school teachers and to the general public in the metropolitan New York area this month, Furst said.

"Plans are being put into place to help children in the upcoming Christmas season, as well as provide Camp Noah, a special program for children traumatized by disasters," he said.

Furst said respite care for clergy, deaconesses and Lutheran school teachers in New York and New Jersey will be coordinated by the ELCA and LCMS.

"The church is hard at work being the church [by] providing God's presence and promise through thousands of congregations across the country, through hundreds of schools, by hundreds of specialized care givers and tens of thousands of loving members," he said.

"The ministry of comfort and renewal is being provided to an untallied number of grieving families and communities, to children and rescue workers, to firefighters and hurting neighborhoods on the disaster sites," said Furst.

****************************

DOMESTIC DISASTERS:

ELCA Domestic Disaster Response
P.O. Box 71764
Chicago, IL 60694-1764
800-638-3522

PEOPLE

• Wedding’s
  Nov. 17-Dennis Connor & Natalia Chtcherbinina

  Nov. 24-Robert Jakubcin & Irene Henpel

• Sympathy
  We express our sympathy and promise of resurrection to:
  Kristi Parker & family on the death of Kristi’s mother, Ann Martinson.

We want to thank everyone for their generous donations of cakes for the Halloween Cake Auction and for everyone who bought a cake!  We raised $833.00 and received Matching Funds from AAL for $600.00 for a grand total of $1433.00!! Thank you to everyone who helped decorate and clean up we appreciate it very much.

To Bud Nelson, Robert Nelson and Wes Parker for donating their time and all the materials to install new lights in our parking lot.

To Bill Bilansky for putting a fresh coast of paint on our sign and for keeping the plants and flowers watered and weeded around the sign.

To Irene Schreur for the new stainless steel coffee cart purchased with memorial money designated for her husband Fred.

To Judy Ellithorpe, Diane Mattson, Rudy & Jami Johnson, Gary & Joyce Johnson and everyone else who helped with the anniversary dinner.  Also, to Val Connor & E.J. Benson for putting together the talent show.

AN ADVENT BOOK REVIEW

The Left Behind series of novels about the end times was immensely popular long before the tragic events of September 11^th, but since the terrorist attacks the Left Behind series has become even more popular. In fact, it is a remarkable publishing success story with over 40 million in print and repeated appearances on the New York Times Best Seller List. The ninth book in the series, Desecration, was released in October.

The American Christian Right has been gobbling up volume after volume of the series. Recently the book’s audience has reached mainline Protestants and Catholics. Most Christian leaders do not share the Christian Rights’ enthusiasm for the series. They tend to be either indifferent to the series and its popularity or simply dismiss the eschatological or end times fiction as ‘Christian lite’.

During this season of Advent, when we sing Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel, posture ourselves waiting and watching, and anticipate Christ’s return, a story about the end times may tempt you to start reading the series or even purchase it as a Christmas gift for someone. Here’s what I think.

I remember when Hal Lindsey’s book, The Late Great Planet Earth, came out in 1970. Lindsey capitalized on the end times fear of the cold war and Vietnam. Lindsey and other authors, including LaHaye and Jenkins of the Left Behind series, attempt to popularize their eschatological views by tenaciously trying to force-fit changing world events into their end times prophecies. They assemble earthquakes, wars, political events and a variety of end of the world fears and apprehensions like an energy crisis or a stock market fall into their own understanding of biblical truths.

One of the arguments that proponents of the Left Behind series often use is, "Well, even if it is not great literature, it certainly is biblical." By definition, it would seem that a book cannot be both biblical and fictional at the same time. What my American Heritage Dictionary says is that if something like a book is labeled biblical, then what is in that book is also in the bible and therefore true, at least to Christians. One could pull a muscle trying to make that stretch for the Left Behind series. This kind of pop, end-times literature is not supported by a careful study of scripture and most biblical scholars largely reject the eschatology of disengagement and the politics of fear that these authors are trying to foster.

What the Left Behind series weaves into the plot is the fundamentalist teaching of a chronological time table for the prediction of the end of the world full of secret codes and magic numbers. It is a fatalistic view of the future and a degenerative view of history. Fundamentalists insist that the Bible teaches that the world is destined to get worse and worse so it makes no sense to work for social reform. Fundamentalists argue, ‘Why worry about the homeless, world hunger, human rights and global environment because Christ is coming again and all we can try and do is get a few more people in the salvation life boat before Jesus returns.’

Rev. Jerry Falwell reflected this kind of end times fatalism when he was asked about the environment in a TV interview recently. He said, in effect, that he had no concern about the environment because Jesus is coming back, and therefore we had better use it before we lose it. Falwell also revealed his politics of fear when two days after the terrorist attack he appeared on the 700 Club and blamed "liberal civil liberties groups, feminists, homosexuals and abortion rights supporters for the attack on the World Trade Center proclaiming that God teamed up with the terrorists and caused the attack to happen in order to punish America for deserting God. A White House official as reported in Newsweek, called the remarks "inappropriate" and added that "the President does not share those views".

What most Christians believe and Lutherans are in that number, is an eschatology of kingdom transformation and hope, over and against the Left Behind eschatology of deterioration and fatalism. Lutherans understand a biblical vision that people can be a part of the in-breaking of God’s new order even now. We are called to be a people of undefeatable and indestructible hope. We imagine a world that reflects God’s final reign among us-a world shaped by justice, mercy, compassion and peace. It is a new world that God is creating even as we are living in it. We are Advent people not doomed humans left behind on a post-rapture Boeing 747. And Christ is in our midst! Right now.

Why are so many people attracted to the kind of apocalyptic literature purported in the Left Behind series? Is it the fact that the authors display a great sense of certainty and deft grasp of the minutiae so it appears like they have all the answers? Is there something in our culture that makes us love to be scared to death? Why are we so strongly attracted to simple black and white explanations of what has gone wrong in our world? Have we forgotten that Advent, which means, ‘coming’ and implies Christ’s return, is a season of hope not fatalism?

So, should we read the Left Behind series? Sure, why not? The last thing I would ever do is suggest a book banning. Buy it for a Christmas gift? Well, better read it yourself first. Just know that the Left Behind series is not biblical – it’s fictional. As we prepare to say farewell to 2001 and welcome in another year, let us quietly and prayerfully prepare to welcome our returning Lord through love, support, and service for those who wait and hope with us. For we as Lutheran’s need to claim and articulate a different vision for our future if only because others are poised to claim it and define it for us.

But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, only the Father. Mark 13:32

See you in church!
Pastor Tom Stutelberg

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