September 2016 Messenger - St. Matthew Lutheran Church

St. Matthew Lutheran
Church and School
[email protected]
Phone: 780-963-2416
Fax: 780-963-3800
Volume 19 Issue 7
September 2016
St. Matthew Messenger
As we get ready for a new school year I want to take this
opportunity to say “Thank you” to so many of you in our
congregation. You see, over summer there have been a
number of upgrades to our school. Three classrooms
have been renovated, the lower hallway has new flooring
and lockers, and a drinking fountain/water bottle station
has been installed near the gym.
Many of you have played a role in these
improvements. Some have put in sweat equity
by installing lockers and cleaning them; others
have donated to the school building fund to help
pay for the renovations. Whatever your role has
been, we thank you.
It reminds me of St. Paul’s letter to the
Corinthians where he reminds them, “For just as
the body is one and has many members, and all
the members of the body, though many, are one
body, so it is with Christ. …For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the
foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not
make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I
do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole
body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear,
where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body,
each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As
it is, there are many parts, yet one body.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-20 ESV)
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St. Matthew Messenger
Page 2
Inside this issue:
Did You Know
5
7
4
3
Islam & the Middle East
7
Autumn Pie Bake-Off
Bethel
Business Administrator
Lutheran Hour
10
Nicaragua Mission
8
Parenting Class
2
School News
9
Serving in the Lord’s
House
11
Women in the Word
8
Youth News
6
A school is made up of students, teachers, educational assistants, and
administrators, but our school has so much more. We have parents,
volunteers, moral supporters, and people who donate their time and
their finances. We work together to educate children, and to bring
them the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection for their sake.
Thank you for being a part of that great effort, and may God continue
to bless our school with the opportunity to proclaim His love to the
people of this community.
God bless you,
Pastor Mark Dressler
Parenting Class
LoveLove-Powered Parenting Classes begin on
Sunday, October 2nd at 9:15 a.m. and will go
for about 8 weeks or so. Please let Monica know
by September 21 if you would like to attend, as
books need to be ordered. (Cost is $20/book.)
Love-Powered Parenting - Discover the six
Contact Rev. Buck
at
[email protected]
Contact Rev. Keith
at
[email protected]
Contact Rev. Dressler
at
[email protected]
Contact Monica Schultz
at
[email protected]
Contact Ian Lande
at
[email protected]
greatest parenting principles from the best source
imaginable - the words of Jesus. While there are
many helpful tips that can help sustain you in
your role of mom or dad, none surpass Jesus’
greatest teaching about love, where we find the
foundation, encouragement and lasting power
that every parent needs.
Love-Powered Parenting reveals how six of Jesus’
greatest teachings can guide and encourage you as
you prepare your child for a lifetime of purpose and
fulfillment. You can love your kids the way Jesus loves
you… and Love-Powered Parenting shows you how!
JESUS
LOVES
YOU!
Contact Elders
at
[email protected]
ARTICLE DEADLINE FOR OCTOBER MESSENGER
IS SEPTEMBER 16, 2016
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St. Matthew Messenger
On September 3rd we commemorate Gregory the Great – pastor (c. 504 – 604)
Gregory, born in Rome, was a man of many abilities – administrator, musician,
missionary, and pastor. Seeing the decline Rome was experiencing, Gregory worked his
way up levels of government to become mayor. As mayor, Gregory significantly improved
conditions and gave the church a large portion of his landholdings.
Gregory also rose up through the ranks of church workers and became the bishop of
Rome in 590. His greatest concern was that all of Europe should hear the Gospel message.
While he wanted to go to England himself as missionary, he ended up being unable to go and
instead gave of his personal resources for the evangelistic effort.
A significant accomplishment was Gregory’s influence on music. He established a
school for church singers – the Schola Cantorum - and encouraged the use of chants and
antiphons in the church. Gregory also established the church year calendar that most
Christians in the Western world follow today.
Despite all his leadership positions, Gregory considered himself a “servant of the
servants of God” and he gives us a good example of creative and active service to God.
On September 30th we commemorate Jerome, translator of Holy Scripture (c. 345 – 420)
Jerome was born in an Adriatic seacoast town and educated in Rome. Although a
good student, he initially lacked direction and chose to travel. His journeys took him from
France to Egypt. In each new location, Jerome’s gift for words allowed him to pick up new
languages.
One language he learned was Hebrew, and he became one of few people in the day
who could read the Old Testament in its original language. In this study, Jerome’s faith
grew and he discovered his area of service – to be a wordsmith for the Lord. He was asked
to translate the New Testament from Greek to Latin. His translation of Scriptures into the
language of the people was a significant accomplishment and his work set a pattern for
future Scripture translations. Jerome’s choice of words and the way he put sentences
together are still part of common language translations today.
Board of Parish Education
ARTICLE DEADLINE FOR OCTOBER MESSENGER
IS SEPTEMBER 16, 2016
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St. Matthew Messenger
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR
K-Days 2016
Our significant fundraising event for our school has concluded for another year. I would like to
acknowledge and thank Sarah Laschuk for the excellent job she did this year at coordinating our
worker schedule and the day-to-day activities on the K-Days grounds.
While the final expenses and revenues have not yet been received, a preliminary income and
expense sheet looks like this:
Income:
50% Advance on Contract base amount
Donations from congregation members in lieu of working
Glass bottle returns
Income to date
= $47,255.00
= $ 2,280.00
= $ 114.70
= $49,649.70
Expenses:
Hired worker costs
Co-ordinator wage
Operating expenses
Total expenses to date
= $27,622.00
= $ 3,000.00
= $ 880.02
= $31,502.02
Profit to date
= $18,147.68
Anticipated final profit will be somewhere between $65,400.00 and $66,600.00
Our hired worker costs this year were significantly higher than in previous years. Thank you to all
members of the congregation who gave of their time to work a shift or, in the case of many, several
shifts. Also, thank you to those who were unable to work a shift but provided a financial donation to
off-set the cost of hiring workers.
In addition to the above funds, the school directly received some funds as a result of school families
not participating in this or other designated school fundraising events. When a student is registered
in the school, the parent(s) must provide a fundraising deposit to the school. If the parent(s)
participate as a volunteer in working at either the Christmas craft sale, silent auction or K-Days, their
deposit cheque is destroyed. If the required participation is not completed, as in the case of 37
school families this year, their cheques are cashed. This year, the 37 cashed cheques totalled
$7,350.00.
Church Finances
The general chequing account for our St. Matthew congregation continues to operate in a deficit. As
decided at a church council meeting, we are providing the amount of the offering receipts from the
week prior in each Sunday’s bulletin (including the amount received through automatic withdrawals).
We hope that this provides some insight to all as to how our weekly offerings compare to the amount
required to fulfill our approved budget. If anyone has specific questions concerning our church
finances, don’t hesitate to ask either our treasurer, Janet Duiker, other members of the Executive
Committee, or myself.
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St. Matthew Messenger
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR (cont’d)
Church Office Hours
The office will continue to be open Monday to Thursday inclusive, 9 AM till Noon and
from 1 PM till 3 PM. The office will be closed on Fridays. The church answering
machine and a posted sign on (or near) the doors provide after-hours emergency
contact information.
Ian Lande
Business Administrator
The Board of Family Ministry is hosting an
“Autumn Pie BakeBake-Off”.
Bake and bring your family’s favorite pie.
There will be a
panel of judges
and many
other tasters to
enjoy your pie.
A prize will be
awarded for the
best pie!!!
The Bake-off will
begin after the
10:30am service
on Sunday,
September 11th.
Coffee and juice
will be provided.
Happy Baking!
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St. Matthew Messenger
SENIOR YOUTH (Grades 7-12)
Thursday Bible Study – runs every Thursday from 3:15 pm until 5 pm starting on
September 15. A snack is provided.
Sr. Youth Activities
(You are always welcome
to bring friends.)
Friday, September 16 – Welcome Back Progressive Supper – Meet at the church
at 5:30 and then we will be heading to different houses (appetizer, salad, main
course and dessert) for different parts of our meal. Please be sure to let Monica
know by September 12 if you will be attending. We want to be sure to have
enough food and enough parent drivers! Talk or text to Monica (780-490-8516) if
you would like to attend!
Friday, September 23 – We will be hanging out in our own amazing Youth
Room. Bring a snack to share. The fun begins at 7 and goes until 9!
Friday, September 30 – We are going to be visiting the fantastic residents of
Whispering Waters. We will play some games, do some hymn singing and TONS of
visiting. It's a wonderful time to enjoy some fellowship. Meet at the church at 6:45
pm. Pickup time is at 9 pm.
JUNIOR YOUTH (Grades 4-6)
On Saturday, September 24th, bring your favourite board
game and ice cream topping (no peanut or nut products).
Meet in the youth room at the church at 1:30 pm. Pickup
time is at 3 pm!
If you have any questions about the above events, please contact Monica.
UPCOMING YOUTH RETREAT in Calgary! Join in on the fun on
November 4-6 for engaging discussion about how we are the light in the
world and what it means for our lives. Cost per youth is $60 for the
WHOLE weekend. Check out the website for more information. If you
would like to attend, grab a registration form from Monica.
http://www.lutheranyouthretreat.ca/
St. Matthew Messenger
Page 7
ISLAM & THE MIDDLE EAST
Do you have questions about Islam and the
situation in Syria and the Middle East? What is
a Christian response to the unrest
and upheaval?
Join us at St. Matthew Lutheran Church on
Sunday, September 11 at 3 pm as we listen to
the insights of Dr. Ibrahim Sumrain, Faculty
member – Department of Computer Science at
Grant MacEwan University.
Dr. Sumrain was born in the Jerusalem area and
educated in the Middle East and USA. He is the
host and producer of the
Arabic Radio program “Breeze of the East” on
World FM 101.7 on Saturdays from 8:30-11 am.
Everyone is invited to come to this presentation!
BETHEL
Bethel will begin September 28 at 7:00 pm. Call
Bev Adam for more information: 780-963-4952.
Bethel is an intensive Biblical study, covering
both Old and New Testaments in 40 weeks. Cost
is $50 per Testament to cover materials.
ARTICLE DEADLINE FOR
OCTOBER MESSENGER IS
SEPTEMBER 16, 2016
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St. Matthew Messenger
WOMEN IN THE WORD
Women in the Word will begin Wednesday, September 7th
at 10:00 am (to 11:30 am). All women are invited to join
us. Our topic for this semester will be Lamentations and
Jonah. Please bring your Bible; notes are provided. If you
have any questions, contact Bev Adam.
NICARAGUA
MISSION
We have a Mission Team heading to Nicaragua
January 6-19, 2017.
Most of the team members will be from Ontario, but three are from
St. Matthew.
Matthew Our members, Bryan & Bev Adam and Don Schiemann, are
not fundraising for themselves;
themselves they each pay their own way to get there, etc.
But they are fundraising for the Nicaragua projects in which they are
involved. One of those projects is VBS. 1000 children attend the VBS each
day! They will load up their suitcases and take supplies with them.
So they are asking that you partner with them to provide these children and
ultimately their parents with the Good News of the Saving Grace of Jesus
Christ. They will be having a garage sale September 10th & 17th at the
Schiemann home to begin to raise funds. If you have items for the sale,
either call Bryan or Bev, or drop the items off at the Schiemann’s or the
Adam’s this summer. Please be sure that any item provided is in working
order. They are hoping to have a snack bar as well if you would like to
donate to that portion of the sale.
Please pray for them. They are excited to embrace the
children of Nicaragua!
To contact Bev or Bryan Adam, call 780-963-4952.
St. Matthew Messenger
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20162016-2017 Teaching Staff:
Kindergarten:
Mrs. Laura Starreveld
Grade One:
Mrs. Carol Schmitke
Grade Two:
Mrs. Andrea Carson
Grade Three:
Mrs. Angela Baron
Grade Four:
Mrs. Leanne Schram-White
Grade Five:
Mrs. Krista Belanger
Grade Six:
Mr. Gary Skoye
Grade Seven (and Jr High science):
Mr. Eric Ladoski
Grade Eight (and Jr High social studies): Mrs. Vanessa Hamilton
Grade Nine (and Jr High math):
Mr. Michael Glubish
Our Mission is:
“To share God’s Love
and Salvation in Christ
with All People”
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St. Matthew Messenger
The Lutheran Hour
www.lutheranhour.ca
Program Summaries
for September 2016
These inspirational messages can also be listened to on the website www.lll.ca or as pod
casts, or read in text-form.
Updates of this program information is also available from:
• the website www.lll.ca (click on Radio and Television) or
www.lutheranhour.org/programguide.asp
• Lutheran Laymen’s League of Canada at 1-800-555-6236 or [email protected]
A listing of Canadian stations and broadcast times is also available at www.lutheranhour.ca
or from the Lutheran Laymen’s League of Canada – 1-800-555-6236 - [email protected]
==========================================================================
September 4
“Choose Life!”
(Deuteronomy 30:15-20)
Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Greg Seltz
In Christ, you have been called God’s friend. Now you get to befriend others, in His name.
Hear this inspirational message on AM 1260 CFRN radio at 7:30 a.m. or FM 98.5 CFWE
radio at 8:30 a.m. Streaming audio and pod-casts at www.lutheranhour.ca
September 11
“There’s No Other Friend Like Jesus”
(Luke 15:1-10)
Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Greg Seltz
We befriend, love, and show care for other people because Jesus loved, befriended, and
saved us. Hear this inspirational message on AM 1260 CFRN radio at 7:30 a.m. or FM 98.5
CFWE radio at 8:30 a.m. Streaming audio and pod-casts at www.lutheranhour.ca
September 18
“Be Careful Who Sings Your Praises”
(Luke 16:1-15)
Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Greg Seltz
God invites us to take all that He gives us and then put it to work, for others. Hear this
inspirational message on AM 1260 CFRN radio at 7:30 a.m. or FM 98.5 CFWE radio at
8:30 a.m. Streaming audio and pod-casts at www.lutheranhour.ca
ARTICLE
DEADLINE
FOR
OCTOBER
MESSENGER
IS
SEPTEMBER
16, 2016
September 25
“Unlimited Patience - Almost” (1 Timothy 15-16)
Speaker Emeritus of the Lutheran Hour: Rev. Ken Klaus
In this life the Lord of perfect patience invites sinners to faith and forgiveness. But
remember, it is an invitation for this life only. Hear this inspirational message on AM 1260
CFRN radio at 7:30 a.m. or FM 98.5 CFWE radio at 8:30 a.m. Streaming audio and
pod-casts at www.lutheranhour.ca
Updates and future program topics are available at www.lutheranhour.ca or ww.lutheranhour.org/
programguide.asp or by calling Lutheran Laymen’s League of Canada 1-800-555-6236 or e-mail
[email protected]
St. Matthew Messenger
Page 11
SERVING IN THE LORD’S HOUSE: SEPTEMBER, 2016
ELDERS:
Date
8:00 am
Sept 4
9:30 am
10:30 am
Milt Joneson / Gord Schoepp
Sept 11
Roy Goertz
Mike Namchuk / Adrian Selles
Sept 18
Milt Joneson
Trevor Kleijnen / Tyler Schmidt
Sept 25
Roy Goertz
Laurie Schutz / Shaun Visser
USHERS:
Date
8:00 am
Sept 4
9:30 am
10:30 am
Trevor Kleijnen, Cole Kleijnen, Carter Kleijnen, Tyler Schmidt,
Josiah Schmidt
Luke Adam, Eric Steuber, Dan Hennig, Cameron Pedersen,
Clayton Hennig
Sept 11
Don & Lucy Goerz, Michael Glubish
Sept 18
Stan & Gerri Schram, Coralee Hennig
Bruce Fielhaber, Hilda Schoepp, Don Robertson, Dirk Rothfos
Sept 25
Greg Lutz, Norman Baron, Ivan Boles
David Kulak, Keith Kulak, Trudy Walraven, Peter Petersen
GREETERS:
Date
10:30 am
Sept 4
Sept 11
Roland & Vicki Laramee
Sept 18
Sidney & Judy Kulak
Sept 25
Tim & Laura Starreveld
COMPUTER:
Date
10:30 am
Sept 4
9:30 am Gwen Gabel
Sept 11
Ali Hennig
Sept 18
Anders Vigen
Sept 25
Shelley Kulak
IF YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO SERVE ON THE DATE LISTED,
PLEASE CONTACT ANOTHER MEMBER OF YOUR GROUP,
SWITCH WITH THEM, AND LET THE CHURCH OFFICE KNOW OF THE
CHANGE NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY OF THAT WEEK. THANK YOU!