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Lamp Pastor’s May Message…... “O come, let us
worship the Lord…” I just got back from the Jr. Youth
gathering at Concordia University, St. Paul and my head is still banging with
the deafening drumbeat of the band that was the centerpiece of the gathering.
I have to admit that the drummer of the band as well as the rest of the
instrumentalists and the vocalists were really into what they were doing.
But I cannot say that what we did in our regular group get-togethers
during Friday night and Saturday was worship.
I could say that these musical offerings were akin to a rock concert most
of the time. And they were
well-received by most of the 7th and 8th grade
attenders as well as their college counselors as well as a few of the adults.
Not all of the kids however, were keen on the music and revelry that was
going on in front of the stage where the band was.
Some, I think, were tired from sleeping on a hard floor the night before
(for maybe the 1 or 2 hours of sleep that most of them really got) and from the
busy schedule of Friday for about 9 hours before we registered for the gathering
early Friday evening. For some, I
think, they were just not “into” this kind of Christian music.
I was glad when the pastor who was the
messenger of the theme “Lost No Longer” throughout the couple of days of
this gathering actually used a hymn in one of his messages.
He asked all those gathered with him to sing the first verse of Amazing
Grace as he shared real stories of real people and how God’s grace found them.
We sang this first verse three or four times during his message. Most of
the adults and kids present sang along. It
sounded a little more like worship to me when we sang this popular hymn.
The drum was not beating and I could actually hear myself think about the
words I was singing. I guess if you haven’t figured it out
yet your pastor is old school. And I
don’t know exactly what this means, but I do know that I’m not comfortable
with some of the loud, raucous music that is attached to some Christian sounding
words and calling this worship music or praise music.
Some of the lyrics were fine, but sometimes, if not most often, the music
drowned out the words that were being sung.
The music overpowered the message. The
music caused many to join in clapping and waving of hands, of jumping and
twirling and stamping of feet, the general revelry of emotions, but seemed at
times, at odds with the message it was trying to convey.
The emotion the music carried did not
fit the kind of message it was accompanying.
And it’s not that emotions are unimportant.
But there is more than one emotion that Christians should portray.
I think we wrongly teach our young people that quiet contemplation and
seriousness are not a part of the Christian life.
These must give way to the “don’t worry, be happy!” emotion of joy.
I don’t want to sell our young people short, that they have no range of
emotions such that can appreciate Bach as well as Bachman-Turner Overdrive
(I’m dating myself – kids google this to find out something about this band,
and I’m not talking about Bach’s band).
We serious Christians should be more joyous in showing our faith.
I’ll tell you I was very joyous when we began to sing Amazing Grace.
And the joy that I had may not have been seen in clapping or jumping up
and down, but rather in the realization that I am a child of God by God’s rich
and superabundant grace. Verse one
of this famous hymn says lots about sin and grace and God’s rich forgiveness
that brings everlasting joy. Singing
this hymn verse refreshed me. So you may conclude that music in
worship is but a matter of opinion and tastes.
It is not. I think I’ve
written before that the music of worship is the grand coat that gives beauty to
the grander message of the Gospel. Sunday
best music is suited for a Sunday best message.
One of the songs we sang to a less than Sunday best dress was “Jesus,
Jesus loves you”. The band had us
sing these words to a well known beat: “We will, we will rock you.”
You often hear this at sporting events these day as the people in charge
of getting the fans into a little frenzy begin to play this song.
Even though we were singing “Jesus, Jesus, loves you” while banging
our feet in the stands to the beat of this song, guess what was going through my
head? This wonderfully, simple
message of Jesus’ love was lost in the clutter of “We will, we will rock
you.” The music and the associated
emotions attached to the music in this case overpowered the message.
“Pastor, you are just over-analyzing
things. You have to learn to go with
the flow.” There are times I
wonder if I’m standing in the way of the Spirit by being too critical about
the order of worship and music in worship, but I’m drawn back to look with a
serious mind and heart on the effects I can see of too intimately connecting our
feelings as indicative of the presence of the Spirit of God.
We can’t equate the human emotions we are feeling at any given moment
as proof that the Spirit of God is present or not present.
In fact, He sometimes works in us through the masking effect of our
emotions to open our eyes to His real and abiding presence and the presence of
our Savior Jesus. We don’t have to
gauge His presence by how we are feeling about His presence.
It is a presence that comes through the Word of promise and the means of
grace that He has chosen to use to draw us into the freedom of God’s
forgiveness and to strengthen us in faith.
We have a faith built on the Word of God and not on our ever-changing
feelings. I’m glad of that.
Because when I am not particularly feeling Jesus’ presence I am assured
by His promise that “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
This word of my Savior is always more sure and powerful than the feeling
I may carry with me for a moment or for a month.
I guess I’ve learned this by experience.
I have written these things not to
criticize but to draw all of us into the rich presence of God that we can know
through the historic (though in our new LSB hymnals there are some good, new
touches that enhance the service) liturgy of the church.
Each Sunday we have God’s Word come to us in the liturgy, words that
are repeated each Sunday for the most part – these are called the
“ordinaries”. And because we do
repeat them we may begin to think and feel that our worship is just the “same
old, same old”. But each Sunday we
are also introduced to the new, those things known as the “propers”.
The Introit, the Collect, the Gradual (when we use it), the Proper
Preface for the season in the liturgy for Holy Communion,
the Scripture readings and even the hymns (though these may be changed
from year to year) that support all these are usually new each week.
God makes His presence known to us through both the ordinaries and the
propers. Spending time looking at these new
elements each week in the quiet time before the service, gladly hearing,
learning, reading and singing them, can take you out of the feeling of “same
old stuff” into the rich treasure of God’s coming to us in His Word and in
the Sacrament of the Altar. Taking
time before each service by looking over these propers can give you a greater
appreciation for and understanding of the gifts the Lord offers to His children
in Worship. Reading the
lessons, the hymns, slowing down and thinking as you make the confession of
faith, as you pray The Lord’s Prayer, will help your worship be much more
meaningful. You can go away filled
with the truth and the Spirit. Just some thoughts from your servant in
Christ, Pastor Paul Sajban
____________________________________________________________________________ Quarterly Trustees Report …. January through March 2008
Ron's Electric of Windom checked all the wiring in the sanctuary and made
repairs that were needed. Ron's Electric replaced the breaker box by the office,
a breaker for the kitchen counter outlet and replaced the damaged fixtures in
the altar area, overflow and side lights. The new fixtures were purchased
through Ron's Electric for the cost of $1584 plus labor. Bids were received for the repair of
damaged plastered walls and painting of the balcony, entrances, narthex and
sanctuary. Mark Peterson of Windom bid $11,472. A second bid from Curt Nelson of
St. James was in the amount of $13,015. Replacement of north doors with steel
doors, frames and hardware. Lamperts of Windom will install two finished steel
doors and frames with hardware for $3365. Worthington Glass Co. will install two
unfinished steel doors and frames with hardware for $4308. Some stain glass windows are leaking and
some are bowed. Fairmont Glass and Winnabago Glass Companies came to advise us.
Winnabago told us Sleepy Eye is a larger company and maybe we should have them
look at the windows. Sleepy Eye will be in the area soon and will stop to check
out the windows. The windows leaking would need to be sealed first. The cost to
repair the bowed windows would be approximately $2000 per window. We need to
decide if we want to do this over a period of years. Bids were received from Laraway Roofing
of New Ulm and Schwickerts Co. of Mankato. The Schwickerts' bid was chosen by the
trustees as the best route for our church bell tower and roof. Matt Peterson
came again in April to give us a firm price. The bid of the two bell tower
roofs, louvers and roof flashing and wall flashing was $33,650. Before the bell
tower repair can be done; the trustee need to repair the bell and toll bell. The
snow was off the roof and valleys; Matt checked for roof damage and repairs
needed. The shingles look good and they suggested sealing the valleys with a
special sealer; the bid was $550. We need to keep a watch for leaks after
sealing the valleys. Down the road we need a plan for replacements of the
sanctuary and educational wing roofs. The educational wing roof will need
replacing first. We are getting bids on each roof replacement.
Carpet bid from last year was $11,000
for balcony, narthex, entrance, stairway, sanctuary and altar area. The fellowship floor was cleaned, sealed
with three coats of sealer and three coats of wax. The floor was buffed. We
thank Lynn Soleta for his help and guidance. Thanks to those who helped.. The pews
were cleaned and the cushions vacuumed. The hymnal ribbons were fray checked to
prevent further problems. Thanks to the volunteer workers. The men's restroom floor on second floor
of the educational wing was rotten around the stool. That portion of the floor
was removed, replaced and tile laid. Handicapped stools were installed in the
men's restroom second floor and in the ladies restroom by the fellowship hall. Mel Duerkson was asked to fix the bricks
in the fellowship hall that are ready to fall out and check out the holes on the east side of the educational wing
under the roof. He will do this as soon as possible. We are
looking at insurance bids for the church properties. We have $1.9 million
dollars of insurance. The damage to
the ELCA church of Windom was $3.5 million. Our fire alarm system needs to be
repaired by a certified electrician . Ron's Electric agreed to check it out. He
came back with a bid of $685 for repairs and labor. Having an emergency company
answer the alarm is $350 a year. Many ladies of our congregation have
expressed a need for new padded folding chairs for the fellowship hall. We need to replace
about 80 to 100 folding chairs. The price for chairs with padded seats and back about $20+. The trustees received several complaints
that the restrooms and kitchen needed cleaning. We cleaned six restroom floors,
the kitchen floor and kitchen cupboards. Any organization who uses the kitchen
and fellowship hall must sweep floors and mop the kitchen floor after use so
they are back in the same condition as before use. We have only a part time
janitor. The secretary works Monday through
Thursday 8:00am to 3:30pm. Friday morning 8:00am to noon is done by volunteers. Respectfully submitted, Willard Schroeder, Trustees secretary The Voters decided to go ahead with the
repairs listed with estimates in excess of $60,000.00.
We ask the congregation to give sacrificially to the Building Fund so
that we do not have a building loan
to pay off again. Note: If 20 members gave just $85.00 a month
more each year for 3 years this would cover the repair expenses.
_____________________________________________________________________________ 2009
Anniversary Committee Report….. "Sent Forth By God's Grace" Celebrating 125 Years of God's Grace The anniversary committee met on Monday, April 14, 2008 in the church basement. Seven members. including Pastor Sajban were present, Joyce Oltmans chaired the meeting. The theme for our 125th anniversary celebration in 2009 will be "Sent Forth by God's Grace Celebrating 125 years of God's Grace." This will include remembering the 75th of as formal beginnings the Lutheran Church of Our Savior. the theme hymn will be "For Many Years, O God of Grace" from the Lutheran Hymnal, a hymn specially for church anniversaries. The main celebration of the year will be Saturday and Sunday, October 10 & 11, 2009. There will be a cratered banquet with worship and program at the Community Center on Saturday evening. Sunday morning will be the main worship service. Another in the afternoon will focus o remembering pastors and members who were important in our history. There will be a history booklet with pictures. We will also be taking pictures for a new congregational directory, probably the end of May and the fist part of June 2009. A new cookbook will be put together in 2009. Be watching for special forms to share your recipe for this project. If you have special pictures that you would like to share for a picture history presentation, please put them i an envelope and bring them to the church office or give them Joyce Oltmans or Ruth Wohlfeil. On October 10, 2009 there will be a power-point presentation of our special history Riverfest weekend June 14, 2009 will also be special. We will have a float in the parade. Plans are being considered to have our annual VBS that week, following our celebration theme of God's grace. Committees are being formed. Most will not need to begin work until the end of this year. If you are asked to help, we hope you will consider sharing your talents for this event. In the weeks to come we will be sharing more plans. This fall's harvest dinner and auction is planned for Sunday, November 9th with the bulk of the proceeds for the anniversary expenses. This report is only a partial list of events and activities. Be watching for further updates in the months to come. The Anniversary Committee, Ruth Wohlfeil, Secretary
______________________________________________________________________________ Camp Omega Day Celebration….. Spring is here and summer is on it's way
and that means the Camp Omega Day Celebration is just around the corner. You are
invited to attend this free family oriented event on June 7th from 9:00 am to
4:00 pm. Activities include an opening camp celebration, pontoon rides,
horse-drawn wagon rides, open swimming pool, summer camp staff-led games for
families, drawings for free camps stays and apparel and plenty of opportunity to
enjoy the beautiful surroundings at camp. Visit www.CampOmega.org
or call 507-685-4266 for more information. Please also pray for the Lord's work
through Camp Omega on June 8th, the MN South District designated Camp Omega
Sunday.
___________________________________________________________________________ Camping with Christ… Sonshine School….. Everyone is invited to come and share
in the celebration of 17 Sonshine School graduates. Sunday May 18th at
2pm. Register now for the 2008-09 Sonshine School year.
Classes are filling up! The 5 year old morning classes are Monday, Wednesday and
Friday. The mixed 3, 4 & 5 year old classes are Monday and
Wednesday afternoon. The 3 year old morning classes are Tuesday and
Thursday. Call Jen Elness, 831-4809 or the
church office, 831-3522, to register or for more information.
_________________________________________________________________________________ THINGS YOU SHOULD
KNOW!…… ♥
Approximately
100 people attended the Vine & Branches Conference on April 15, 2008.
Morning coffee and noon luncheon was served by Ruby Wilson, Jeanette Schurr,
LaVonne Dahlke, Esther Kalash and Sis
Woizeschke. Soups were prepared by Deb Salzwedel, Paul
Woizeschke and Pastor Sajban. ♥
The
fellowship hall was a busy place on Monday, April 21, 2008. The Southwestern
Area Head Start held a group meeting in the afternoon. In the evening People
First enjoyed a supper together
and then held their annual election of officers. These groups appreciate the use
of our facilities. ♥
Jesus
Company has again decorated the small trees in the fellowship hall.
This time they are covered
with painted butterflies. _________________________________________________________________________________ Christian Social Service Committee….. We are
working hard to rejuvenate our Christian Social Service Committee. This
committee’s duty is to extend a “helping hand” in Christ’s name to
fellow Christians and to everyone in need of help as we are able. If you would
like to be part of this effort please contact Scott Becker 822-0219. What we
need first are a few people willing to serve on the committee and secondly
people who are willing to share the gifts God gave them. This all fits so nicely
with our recent cottage meetings. From John 14:12 “ tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will
do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I
am going to the Father”. God first
loved us and through His grace we are able to return our love to others and out
of this love comes our acts of giving. “We must not only give what we have: we
must also give what we are.” (Desire Joseph Mercier) This
committee will represent what we as Christians have been blessed with, Jesus’
sacrifice and sharing this with others, as a way of showing our gratitude. If
you feel this, as I have, please call and be part of our action! Our first
meeting will be May 6th at 6:30 pm. Please come and join us in the Library. ___________________________________________________________________________ Missionaries to Southwest Alaska... Dear brothers and sisters in
Christ, A lot is being said now
about being "green", meaning environmentally correct. But green can
mean a lot of different
things, as in naive, unknowledgeable about present circumstances, and so forth,
which is what we were ten years ago. Having moved to Alaska only three years
before, we were still pretty green about the ways of Alaskans. Today we are
older and wiser, and very thankful that our wonderful Lord has faithfully guided
us through our ministry this far. Going into unknown territory (for us) inside
of dinky little airplanes, sleeping on floors, meeting strange people and eating
strange food (or any food that comes handy), and trying furiously to learn the
customs and ways of the bush people to whom we had been sent to share the gospel
has been our whole life for thelast ten years. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Jesus Company…… Jesus Company will complete the
2007-2008 school year on April 30th. The group has been
meeting on Wednesdays since the first week in October.
A total of 14 children came at least once, with 10 being the average.
Many Bible Stories were studied, songs were sung, prayers said, and craft
projects completed. In addition, the
children went 3 times to Heritage House to sing for the
residents. Many helpers
enabled us to have a successful year. A
big thank-you to the seven adults who faithfully fed, taught, and guided the
children each week. We also thank
those who provided goodies and money to buy treats to feed the children each
week. Thank you, Pastor Sajban, for
driving the bus for us this year. Jesus Company will resume on Wednesday,
October 1, 2008 for those children in Kindergarten through fifth grade. Ruth Wohlfeil, Jesus Company Leader
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