September 2009

September 2009
Volume 7, Issue 9
The Reporter
Inside this issue:
Goleta Beach Bike BBQ
2
LWMS Circuit Board
Meeting
3
September Birthdays
3
Building & Grounds
Update
4
Outreach News
4
The Lutheran Study Bible 5
Member’s Corner
6
Notes & News
7
Meetings for September
7
Devotional Corner
8
“No Other Choice”
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of
eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
John 6:68-69
“To whom shall we go?” As the disciple who never lacked for boldness, Peter blurted
out his answer. But, it was not without due consideration or evidence. He had witnessed
Jesus’ miracle of feeding over 5,000 people. He had listened to Jesus’ discourse on being
the Bread of Life. He had watched as others grumbled and complained about the difficulty
of Jesus’ teaching. None of this diminished Peter’s confession. Not even Jesus’ piercing
question dissuaded him – “you do not want to leave too, do you?”
In spite of many challenges, Peter grasped the truth. Faith not only drew him to the
truth concerning Jesus, it also revealed there was no other choice. Without hesitation Peter
followed Jesus, because Jesus had the words of eternal life.
I can relate to Peter’s struggle. There are many competing “truths” through which I
have to sort. There are instances when uncertainty gets the better of me. There are just too
many choices. So, do I follow Jesus? Do I put my confidence in the truth he provides?
Or, do I look for another path to eternal life?
The devil and the world would have me believe all choices are the same. I could choose
to follow my good intentions. I could choose to follow a spirituality of my own making. I
could even choose to do nothing. However, I need to understand life in heaven is not based
on what the world offers, or what the devil suggests, or even what I think. It is all about
what God has established.
Jesus was very clear: “no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.” Consequently, if I choose to rely on something other than Jesus, I have made a worthless
choice. Jesus is the only one who offers the truth that leads to heaven. It was his sinless
life. It was his death as my substitute. It was his perfect obedience to his Father’s will. It
was his victorious resurrection from the dead. This is where eternal life is found.
Peter came to realize there was no other choice regarding the way to heaven. I need to
realize there is no other choice for me either. Only Jesus has, and offers the words of eternal life.
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The Reporter
Volume 7, Issue 9
Goleta Beach Bike & Barbeque
By Carl Schueler
Our second annual Goleta Beach Bike BBQ event was very enjoyable. Fourteen adventurous souls attended. Four
rode bicycles to and from the beach on a sunny and cool day in the middle of August!
While August normally creates our hottest weather of the year, our event fell in a cool (some might say cold!) portion
of the month. Temperatures were in the low 60’s F, and jackets were the order of the afternoon!
It was crowded, with folks taking advantage of the beautiful clime to celebrate birthdays, engagements, anniversaries,
or just being alive in Santa Barbara while much of the rest of the nation was suffering thunderstorms, heat and humidity,
mosquitoes, and other maladies hardly known to affect this wonderful but small area of the west coast.
Pastor Proeber and Jim Everson tended the BBQ, preparing beef skewers, chicken, hot dogs, and hamburgers,
while side dishes and desserts were set on the table awaiting the hot entrees. Sodas, water, and other beverages
with ice were served. And everyone else visited or
strolled the park enjoying the ocean vista!
Pam and I borrowed two electric motor assisted bicycles from a neighbor, an inventor in the process of developing an improved electric bicycle control system to
“level the road” for the bicycle enthusiasts who want to
exercise yet control effort where hills and dales otherwise make the process alternatingly easy or difficult.
These models, while not automatic, provided feedback assisted control of pedaling
effort so that going downhill the bicycle would use the electric motor as a brake and
uphill reduce pedal effort. As we live at 550 feet elevation and the climb from sea
level occurs over less than a mile, the last part of our return journey is difficult with a
non-motor assisted bike.
We pedaled to Goleta beach (either flat or downhill), and on the return, pedaled
back, but with motor assist, no more difficult than the outbound trip! The catch: Electric assist adds about $1000 to the cost of a bicycle. So, for the time being, we’ll occasionally venture on our non-assisted bikes. Someday, maybe purchase electric-assist
models—maybe from our neighbor after he gets his advanced system to market!
Well—once those hot dogs
and hamburgers were cooked, we
enjoyed a great meal!
After
lunch, we engaged in a roundrobin skill game arranged by Sue Proeber tossing objects into a target bucket from 20 feet away. Frank Florez and I were a team, and
won the series of matches against five other highly skilled duos!
Way to go, Frank! Pat Florez and Debbie Aitkins were the best
team of the day winning a head-to head competition.
What a day! Here’s looking forward to next August and the 3rd
annual Goleta Beach Bike BBQ! Hope to see you there, whether
you drive or bike!
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The Reporter
Volume 7, Issue 9
LWMS Golden West Circuit Board Meeting
By Sonja Todd
The LWMS Golden West Circuit held its second Board meeting for the year 2009 on Saturday, August 29, 2009 at
Our Redeemer. Members present were:
• Vice President Sophie Korte from Zion (Torrance)
• Secretary Pam Schueler from Our Redeemer (Santa Barbara),
• Treasurer Martha Sherod from Zion (Torrance)
• Spiritual Growth Laywoman Roberta Gowin from Star of Bethlehem (Santa Maria)
• Spiritual Growth Laywoman, Shirley Billings from King of Kings (Garden Grove)
• Circuit Trainer/LWMS Publicity Mary Jo Barnes from Zion (Torrance)
• Former President Linda Hill from Star of Bethlehem (Santa Maria)
• Pastoral Advisor Pastor Lynn Wiedmann from St. Paul’s First (North Hollywood)
• Spiritual Growth Pastor Aaron Strong from Shepherd of the Hills (Las Vegas)
• President Sonja Todd from Our Redeemer (Santa Barbara)
Prior to our meeting, we had about 15 minutes of fellowship with those that came early and enjoyed a continental
breakfast. Oh, and we also managed to eat during our meeting as well since Sophie tempted us all with two boxes of
See’s candy!
Our Fall rally will be held at King of Kings (Garden Grove) on Saturday, October 3, 2009. Registration begins at 8:15
AM. Our guest speaker will be Miss Ernestine Goodlow from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “Miss Ernestine” works with the
Rescue Youth Program in inner city Milwaukee. The theme for the Fall rally is “Hand in Hand with Jesus.” I pray that
many of you will be able to join Pam and I at the upcoming Fall rally.
FYI our Spring rally is scheduled Saturday, April 17, 2010 at Our Redeemer. We are expecting as many as 60 or
more. The LWMS National Convention will be in St. Louis, Missouri in June, 2010.
After the board meeting, we all had lunch at the Beachside Restaurant located at the Goleta pier.
Side note: Pastor Wiedmann made an interesting comment at our board meeting. As you may know we had 80
WELS Missionaries at one point and now we are down to 30 because of funding constraints. Pastor Wiedmann opined
that if 100,000 communicant members (about 1/3 of WELS members) gave just one dollar a week to the mission fund
for just one year we would have $5,200,000 to help keep these Missions active and spreading God’s Word.
LWMS Fall Rally + October 3, 2009
King of Kings Lutheran Church, Garden Grove
Registration begins at 8:15 am
We rejoice in the many blessings given the members of our family of faith. May the
Lord continue to bless them richly in every way.
8th —Roseanne C.
18th —Ciara B.
23rd – Thomas P.
27th – Charlotte H.
30th —Micah B., Maegan K.,
17th – Sheila J.
19th —Elvira R.
24th —Kathy B.
Pastor Proeber
BIRTHDAY in the Month of September
The Reporter
Volume 7, Issue 9
Page 4
Building and Grounds Committee Update
By Al Todd
August was another busy month for the B&G committee. The storage shed extension is nearing completion. During the
past month it was primed and painted (Winslow Grey), including the trim (White). In addition, a new garage door was
installed. What remains is the installation of the gutters and the concrete sidewalk along the North side of the building
with another concrete walkway planned between the patio area and the double doors on the North side of the shed.
We finally re-cycled all the old metal chairs and purchased lighter and more attractive white folding chairs. These new
chairs will be stored in the “clean” section of the shed. The mower, BBQ, and other lawn tools will continue to be stored
in the old section of the shed. A wall was built between these two sections to accommodate these two goals.
The upper flower beds were weeded and trimmed. An additional sprinkler head was added to ensure full coverage for
the flowers planted in the east flower bed in front of the fellowship hall.
Dave Vetter was able to procure a computer from his company (Bosch) to replace our ancient Financial Secretary’s computer. The company allows computers to be given away to non-profit organizations (churches, schools, etc.) after they
are fully depreciated and if they are still in good working order.
Finally, the committee approved the donation of our kidney shaped tables and the large black desk (the one that was
stored in the Sacristy). The Pastor delivered these items to Messiah Lutheran Church in North Hollywood for use in
their Christian day school. They were much needed and greatly appreciated.
There is still a long list of a lot of little projects to complete around the church. Please speak to any member of the
Building and Grounds Committee or the Pastor if you would like to help out.
This was the Thank You letter received from Messiah
Lutheran School.
Dear Members of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church,
Thank you for the supplies you have given to our
school, especially the desk and the student tables. Your
consideration in this, and even your willingness to rent a
truck to get us the supplies is received as such a selfless
gift.
Thank you for seeing the ministry beyond the doors
of your church. May God bless your ministry through
his undeserved love, and because of your selfless love.
In Christ,
Messiah Lutheran Church and School
Christopher Treder, Principal
Sean DeFrain, Pastor
Through the last part of
2009, there are a number of
activities planned that will
give us the opportunity to
invite our friends, neighbors
and relatives to come and
learn more about our faith in
Jesus Christ. Some of the
information is still tentative
regarding the events for November and December, but the following activity is set,
and ready to go. Please watch for more information!
Goleta Lemon Festival - October 17th-18th
Plans are well underway for our booth. Like previous
years, we will look for people to serve a 2 hour shift on
Saturday and / or Sunday. During this time there will be
drawings, materials to handout, games for the children,
and just a lot of fun telling people about Our Redeemer.
Start thinking about getting your name on the schedule.
Then, in early October there will be training meeting to
review what we are doing, and what we want to say to
people.
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Volume 7, Issue 9
New Lutheran Study Bible
By Al Todd
Concordia Publishing House (CPH), the publishing arm of the Lutheran
Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), will be publishing The Lutheran Study Bible.
This study Bible will be based on the English Standard Version (ESV) whereas
the Concordia Self Study Bible, published in 1986, was based on the New International Version (NIV).
Since the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) has adopted the
NIV Bible as the standard Bible for member congregations and for synodical references, many WELS members have a copy of the Concordia Self Study Bible and
use it for personal Bible study because Northwestern Publishing House (NPH),
the publishing arm of WELS, has no comparable offering.
Because we are already comfortable with the Concordia Self Study Bible, again
based on the NIV Bible, it is of interest to understand The Lutheran Study Bible
(not to be confused with the Lutheran Study Bible – note the missing “The” - published by the Augsburg/Fortress Publish House in March 2009 – A/FPH is the
publishing arm of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
First and foremost, this new study Bible is based on the ESV, in turn based on the Revised Standard Version (RSV)
of the Bible, first published in 1952 (the latest revision of the RSV was in 1971). The “revised” in RSV refers to the fact
that this translation was a revision of the American Standard Version (1901) which itself was a revision of the English
Revised Version (ERV, 1885) which was the first major revision of the King James Version (KJV, 1611) and was begun
primarily because the discovery of many manuscripts, more ancient than those upon which the KJV was based, brought
to light many serious defects in the 1611 translation.
It is important to understand the pedigree of the ESV to evaluate its accuracy and effectiveness as a translation of
God’s Word. We need to remember that the Bible is inerrant only in the original autographs (none of which have survived to the present day) and that translations may contain transmission errors, printing errors, unintentional alterations,
copying errors, etc. It is up to Bible scholars to search the thousands of ancient manuscripts which have survived to determine both the literal translation of the Hebrew (OT) or Greek (NT) words (the accuracy factor) as well as the ability of
non-scholars to understand the thoughts (the “comprehension” factor ). And there is the rub!
Without going into too much detail, and with the understanding that all Bible translations attempt to take into account
both 1) word for word accuracy and 2) getting across the meaning in language that lay readers can easily comprehend
(aka “dynamic equivalence” or “thought for thought” translation), my take based on a quick review of Bible scholarly
criticism, is that the ESV is more difficult to read than the NIV even as both are considered very accurate translations of
the Bible. Indeed, nearly all scholars (I leave out the “KJV only” fanatics and those “hired guns” whose translations are
the means to justify the ends (e.g. the New World Translation commissioned by the Jehovah’s Witnesses)) would agree
that most modern translations of the bible are very accurate or at least as accurate as man can make them..
So, while we can expect that The Lutheran Study Bible, expected October 2009 (around Reformation), will have references, concordance entries (over 31,000), study notes (over 26,000), and over 90,000 cross references in addition to
over 200 thematic articles based on conservative Lutheran theology, the Bible text itself may not be as “readable” as the
NIV text upon which the Concordia Self Study Bible was based.
The following WELS and ELS (Evangelical Lutheran Synod) men played major roles in this new publication:
Roland Ehlke
(WELS – Associate Editor, Research Consultant, and Study Notes Author)
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Volume 7, Issue 9
New Lutheran Study Bible, con’d from page 5
Victor Prange
Mark Braun
Adolph Harstad
Mark Lenz
Michael Smith
(WELS – Associate Editor and Study Notes Author)
(WELS – Research Consultant and Study Notes Author)
(ELS – Research Consultant and Study Notes Author)
(WELS - Study Notes Author)
(ELS - Study Notes Author)
Almost every writer thought highly of both the ESV and NIV translations, and also recommended that Christians
have several Bible translations in their possession to enrich their study of God’s Word. In that vein, ORLC may want to
procure copies of The Lutheran Study Bible (there may be quantity and early order discounts available). Please let Pastor Proeber know if you are interested in procuring a copy of this publication.
Member’s Corner
By Sonja Todd
Jessica H. came to Santa Barbara from Wisconsin about a year ago and transferred
her church membership to our congregation. Jessica is a spinal surgeon Physician’s
Assistant (PA) and works in two offices: Santa Barbara and Santa Maria.
In July, Jessica gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Sullivan Russel. Although
“Sully” was in NICU for a time (Pastor Proeber baptized Sully in the hospital), he is
now at home with Jessica.
Some of us got better acquainted with Jessica and Sullivan at Jessica’s baby
shower. We all sat around and talked, held Sully, and made silly baby noises to this
beautiful baby boy. There was plenty of food to go around. Special thanks go to
Tamara Shultz for the awesome cake (“sudden death” chocolate mousse).
We are privileged to have Jessica and Sullivan as members of our church family,
and look forward to enjoying their fellowship for many more years to come.
Editor’s Note:
This past Sunday, September 13th, at our Festival of Friendship there was a Reaffirmation of Sully’s baptism.
What a blessing it is to know he has been received into the kingdom of heaven
through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, and made an
heir of eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus.
What a privilege it is for each of us as members of Our Redeemer to lend our counsel, aid, and especially our prayers, so that Sully can continue to grow in the knowledge and understanding of his Savior.
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Reporters Wanted!
Book review?
Personal Story of Faith?
Event Reports? Potluck, gathering, party, field trip?
Half-page to three pages
Reviewed for scriptural consistency and readability
by 25th of month to appear in next issue
Hard-copy to Carl Schueler, or email to Carl Schueler
([email protected]) or Pastor Proeber
([email protected])
Volume 7, Issue 9
Meetings for September 2009
Church Council
Board of Education
Board of Elders
Board of Trustees
Outreach
September 8th at 7:00 pm
September 15th at 7:00 pm
No meeting this Month
September 29th at 7:00 pm
September 26th at 10:00 am
Church Council
October
6th at 7:00 pm
Quarterly Congregational Meeting
October 11th after the worship service
Please note this is also our Annual Election Meeting
A simple and rewarding way to serve!
Thanks to Sonja Todd for her articles on the LWMS
and the Member’s Corner. Also, thanks to Alan Todd for
his articles on the New Lutheran Study Bible and the
Property Report. Finally, thanks to Carl Schueler for his
article on the Bike and Barbeque. The Reporter continues
to benefit from a variety of perspectives, and this issue
again contains material from volunteer “reporters.”
There is always an open invitation to provide material
for the Reporter. In the past years, over ten members authored some 60 articles which really makes every issue
more interesting. These included articles on a wide variety of subjects: ORLC news, past and planned events,
thought-provoking instructional articles on WELS history
and other religions, book reviews, and articles relating to
personal perspectives on our faith in Jesus.
We pray that more members will continue to think
about possible articles for the remainder of 2009. If you
have an idea, and you are not sure whether to act on it,
please don’t hesitate to speak to Pastor Proeber or Carl
Schueler for advice. Thanks!
Programs & Activities
Already underway this Fall
Bible Class for Adults
Wednesdays at 7:00 pm
Currently we are studying the Prophet Ezra. After
3 more classes, we will do a comparison of the
new “Lutheran Study Bible” from Concordia.
Christian Education on Sunday
Classes for all ages are held after the worship
service. Currently Luther’s Large Catechism
is the topic. After a few more lessons, we will
return to the “Across the Generations” study
emphasizing the background of one of the
Scripture lessons for the day.
Adult Choir
Practices have already begun, but it is never
to late to come and sing praises to the Lord.
Everyone is welcome, and preparations are being
made for Reformation, Thanksgiving, End of the
Church Year, Advent and Christmas.
Practice is every Thursday at 7:00 pm.
Handbell Choir
With one practice already under its belt, the
bell choir continues to work on a variety of
compositions. Some are more straight-forward,
others utilize different and new techniques.
If you would like to try the bells, please speak
with Debbie A. as soon as possible.
Practices are Monday evenings at 7:00 pm
If you don’t see an area of ministry that is needed,
please speak with Pastor Proeber.
Volume 7, Issue 9
The Reporter
Page 8
DEVOTIONAL
CORNER “A Good Heart”
[Jesus said] “For from within, out of men’s hearts come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come
from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’”
Mark 7:21-23
For the most part people liked Joel. Certainly he had a gruff exterior. Still, after people came to know him
better, they would admit he had a good heart.
A good heart. That’s what I would like to have people conclude about me. I would love to have people
overlook my rough exterior and my flaws, and look inside. There are even times when I would like to shout,
“Look past my anger, my selfishness, my indifference – all my faults – and look at my heart. I am really a good
person.”
Although I might be able to get people to look past my faults and see a good heart within me, God can’t do
the same. Even if he would look past my exterior faults and flaws, he wouldn’t see anything different inside of
me. As a matter of fact, he would only see a heart black as coal and hard as rock.
I am confronted by a horrible reality. Jesus tells me my heart is the source of everything evil in my life.
Certainly I can try to hide the real condition of my heart with a façade of good works. I can even try to convince myself I have a good heart because my intentions are good. Still, the evil persists and permeates every
part of me.
The only hope I have for a good heart is to have it transformed. That can only happen through Jesus’ precious saving work. He purifies my heart through his shed blood. He brings new life to my heart through his
perfect life of obedience. He even fills my heart with every thought and action that is good and pleasing to him
and to his Father in heaven.
This is no alternative or substitute. If I want to have a good heart, I need Jesus to create and sustain it.
Prayer Thoughts:
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and
gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Amen!
Daily devotions can be accessed through www.whataboutjesus.com or
www.wels.net. Please follow the instructions to view daily devotions
and to subscribe to them. They are also available as “podcasts.”