Grace and peace be with you all, in Jesus Christ our Savior!

Hope you are having a great week so far.  I remind you about our Family Bible Study on Saturday evening at the Pfeifers.  We will eat at 6:30pm, please bring a salad and/or dessert to pass, Dave's making the ribs.  The study will follow at about 7:30pm.  We welcome everyone to join us.

Sunday is the 10th Sunday of Pentecost, the 9th Sunday after Trinity.  Our worship theme will be:  What a privilege it is to bring our prayers to the Lord God.  The sermon text is Matthew 13:44-52 using the theme: "The Parable of the Pearl and the Dragnet."

Sunday is also a communion worship service.  I encourage you to read through the questions and answers on page 156 in the hymnal so as to better prepare yourself for reception of the sacrament.

Our Sunday school classes, which follow the service, will study the 7th Petition of the Lord's prayer, "But deliver us from evil."  I  appreciate the Youth leading the children's class in the basement.  That has been working out very well.  Sunday was to be the final class on the Lord's Prayer but we missed one week and I will extend the Sunday school classes one more week.  I welcome any Youth who would like to volunteer for teaching on Sunday the 8th.

I would like to show a WELS Connection video on Sunday also. Here is the August 2010 video online for those of you who might miss it.

Sunday evening we begin our Vacation Bible School (VBS) program.  We will begin each evening with a light meal at 6:00pm followed by classes at 6:30-8:30pm.  We have arranged a special presentation on Monday and Wednesday.  I invite the parents to come early those nights, when they pick up the kids, and sit in on the presentation which will take place sometime between 7:15 and 7:30.  There are a few food  items that you can still sign-up to bring, the sheets are on the back table, check that out on Sunday morning.  As always, our children are invited to bring friends and neighbors along.  Everyone is welcome.

"Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ?  And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?  Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body for we all partake of the one loaf."  1 Cor 10:16,17

I look forward to worshipping with you on Sunday.

In Christ,

Pastor

Grace and peace be with you all in Jesus Christ or Savior!

I hope and pray that you had an enjoyable holiday weekend.  We missed the fireworks this year, it started raining at about 9:00pm and we thought they would use the rain date.  Instead they put them off in the rain.  Oh, well.

We will be having our VBS (Vacation Bible School) program, beginning August 1 (Sunday evening) running through Thursday evening, August 4.  We have a couple of surprises for the children this year that I think they will really enjoy.  We welcome all our children and their friends, nursery-6th grade to join us, 7th and 8th graders generally serve as helpers.  Each evening we will begin with a light meal at 6:00pm, classes will start at 6:30 concluding at 8:30.  To help us prepare, we would appreciate it if you would either email me or sign-up on the sheet in the church addition if your children will be attending.  We also welcome anyone who wishes to be a teacher or  a helper to let us know as well.

I've been very pleased with our Youth serving as Sunday school teachers this summer.  Its good experience for them and sets them apart for the other children as good role models.  Thank you!

Sunday is the 7th Sunday of Pentecost, the 6th Sunday after Trinity, our worship theme is:  By God's power alone, his kingdom of grace is extended throughout the world.  Jesus sent the 72 out with the command to trust in God's power for their results.  The sermon text is taken from Mark 4:26-32 using the theme:  "The Growth of the Seed."  Sunday school classes will follow our service. this week we study the 5th Petition, "And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

Sunday afternoon, into the evening, we will have our church picnic at Edmunson Park.  We have the shelter nearest the wooden playground reserved.  We will begin at 4:30pm with our Ladies' Aid meeting and Voter's meeting, followed by a pot luck meal at 6:00pm.  We encourage you to bring your own table service.   There will be some plates and things there if you should forget.  Friends and visitors are always welcome.  In case of rain, which we haven't had too much of this summer yet, we will move the picnic to the church basement.  If you haven't been to one of our picnics I encourage you to join us.  It's always an enjoyable time.

I look forward to worshipping with you Sunday.  The Lord's blessing on your weekend.

"We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.  In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.  May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you."  Psalm 33:20-22

In Christ,

Pastor

Grace and peace be with you all in Jesus Christ our Savior!

I wish each of you a blessed 4th of July holiday weekend.  We have truly been blessed by our Lord as a nation, both in our failures and successes.  The freedoms we enjoy set us apart from almost any nation on earth.  Still, we cherish the freedom we have in Christ much more than any temporal freedom we experience here on earth.  "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free... So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."  Jn 8:32,36. I hope you are able to get out and see some fireworks, maybe a parade or picnic, or just catch up on a little rest.  Do make worship a part of your weekend as well.

Sunday is the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, the 5th Sunday after Trinity.  Sunday will be a communion worship service.   I  encourage you to review the questions and answers on page 156 of the hymnal to help edify your worship.  Our worship theme will be:  Being a disciple is not without cost.  Elijah wondered if he were the only one left that followed God's ways.  Sometimes we too wonder how many are left who truly follow the Lord.  The sermon text is taken from Luke 7:36-50 using the theme, "The Woman Who Was A Sinner."  I invite you to join us for the Sunday school classes on the 4th Petition, "Give us this day our daily bread."  Immediately following our worship we will show a WELS connection video.

A reminder that Sunday, July 11 will be or annual church picnic at Edmunson Park.  We will have a voter's and Ladies' Aid meeting at the park at 4:30pm, followed by a pot luck meal at 6:00pm.

On Saturday, July 17, the Ladies from our central Iowa ELS and WELS churches will have a luncheon at the Pella Tea Room starting at 11:30am sharp.  Usually, anywhere from 15-25 ladies attend and those who do, always have an enjoyable time.  You may RSVP with Rose Marie Neumann.

The Lord's blessing on your weekend, I look forward to worshipping with you on Sunday.

"I saw the Lord always before me.  Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body will also live in hope because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your holy see decay."  Acts 2:25

In Christ,

Pastor