ACQUIRE THE FIRE

LIVING WORD LUTHERAN CHURCH
438.9672 CHURCH, 438.9673 PASTOR CRAIG
MARCH 2012 NEWSLETTER
ACQUIRE THE FIRE
everal students from the Living Word youth
group attended the annual Acquire the Fire
conference in Minneapolis Feb. 3-4. Amanda
Hansen, Rachel Richardt, Jessica Dornbusch, Brandi
Buescher, Kelsey Bergquist, Tracie Buttke, Heidi
Bergquist, Ellie Webb and Shauna Pauli joined other
students from Valley Baptist and Central United
Methodist for 15 hours of praise and worship,
powerful speakers and biblical truth.
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HERE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT
SPEAKERS ADDRESSED:
Giving God your life means to change your life. If you
focus on your distraction, it will become your main
attraction. Make a decision to focus on God. As long as
Peter’s eyes were focused on Jesus, he was fine but
when his eyes were taken off (distraction), he began to
sink. Some of you may have given God your heart, but
LENTEN
SCHEDULE
have you given him your life? Will you surrender? In our
weakness, let God be our strength. When we build our
life on being cool, we are building on sand. Are you
letting brand name clothes and other material things
define you? Your outside does not define who you are.
Some things will happen and sin will come into your life.
How will you respond? We have to fight. We must learn
God’s Word and we must learn God’s ways.
STUDENT COMMENTS ABOUT THE WEEKEND...
“Acquire the Fire was amazing! I really enjoyed the
speakers but especially the worship services. Words cannot
describe the presence of God and how much he moved
every person at ATF.” — Kelsey
“Acquire the Fire totally changed my life forever! It was sooo
touching and amazing. The speakers were amazing, along
with the bands! I learned a lot and will never be the same.
It really helped me grow in my faith.” — Amanda
February 22, 7 pm, Ash Wednesday, Imposition of
Ashes and Communion, No Supper.
Suppers at 5 p.m. before 7 pm Lenten services
starting on Feb. 29, March 7, 14, 21 and 29. Lenten
Sermon Series will be Revelation and End Time Prophecy.
HOLY WEEK
•Thurs. April 5, 7 p.m. Worship, Maundy Thursday/
First Communion,
•Fri. April 6, 8 p.m. Worship, Good Friday/Tenebrae
•Sun. April 8, 10:00 a.m. Worship, Easter/Communion
SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM
Thankful For Their Service
ori Dockter, Janel Sandvig, and Mary Kinder are the
coordinators of the Living Word Sunday School program.
Dr. Nancy VanPeursem is the music leader.They along
with all of the teachers under their leadership have done a
wonderful job of teaching our children about the Bible and the love
of Jesus this year. When we installed the Sunday School staff last fall,
they each promised, with God’s help, to assume this ministry in the
confidence that it comes from God, to carry out this ministry in
accordance with the teaching and practice of the Lutheran Church,
Janel Sandvig, Mary Kinder, Lori Dockter and Dr. Nancy
to be diligent in their study of the Holy Scriptures and faithful in
VanPeursem (music leader).
their use of the means of grace and in prayer, and to trust in God’s
care, seek to grow in love for those they serve, strive for excellence in their skills, and adorn the Gospel of God with a
godly life. We are thankful for their faithful service in teaching the children who are entrusted to their care.
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LIVING WORD SERVANTS
The quilters are (L to R): Connie Garrison, Sue Capp, Shirley Zahn, Gloria Cooley, Marilyn Stemsrud, Karen Kiefer, Karen Hallquist, Evy Berg, Carol
Forster, Marvel Black, Eunice Trygstad. Quilters who are not pictured are Lenore Kalber, Darla Loeschke, Heidi Christenson, Betty Jo White, Sharon
Brown and Ruth Fish.
The regular church cleaning crew: Evy Berg, Ardell Barck, Devon Balling,
Gloria Cooley, Tina Balling, Dick Forster, Taylor Balling and Lori Dockter.
Steph Hansen helps Pam Nelson run the video for the service on the
screen.
PO Box 301, Milbank, South Dakota 57252 • 605.438.9673 • livingword@itcmilbank.com • livingwordmilbank.com
YOUTH NEWS
CAMP SUNDAY
NeSoDak is coming to
Living Word for Camp
Sunday on March 4th! A
NeSoDak representative
will be speaking to
students grades 3-12
during the Sunday School
hour about the different
camps that are available
this summer. Our 10 am church service will even have a
little “camp flavor” too! Feel free to come dressed for
camp...jeans, sweatshirts, shorts, hiking boots, pony tail
etc! Please join us for a special coffee hour from 9-10.
Coffee hour offerings will go towards camperships for
our youth who are attending bible camp this summer.
ATTENTION ALL RUSH AND SPLASH
STUDENTS!
Join us for a hymn sing-a-long at Park Place on Thursday,
March 29th 7-8 pm. (Yes, you can lip sync if you want
but please come! Residents just love having you there!)
Wear your RUSH and SPLASH t-shirts. If you need
community service hours, bring your sheet along for
Jackie to sign.
CONFIRMATION MENTOR MINISTRY
Plans for a 3rd year confirmation program continues to
progress. Our current confirmation program is for 7th
and 8th grade students with Confirmation Sunday being
in the spring of the 8th grade year. However, this year’s
8th grade students will continue confirmation next year
and be the first to go through our 3rd year program.
Ninth grade confirmation will educate students how to
apply foundational biblical and theological concepts to
everyday life. A Mentor Ministry program is new and
will be implemented as a part of our new 9th grade
confirmation program.
What is a confirmation mentor?
A confirmation mentor is an adult who is chosen by each
individual confirmand during their 8th grade year. The
mentor will invest their time with the confirmand
through their last year of confirmation (9th grade) and,
hopefully, continue to be a part of their lives in the future.
Why do we have mentors?
We believe it takes a community to help the family
raise up children and it is beneficial to have several
positive Christian role models in a teenager’s life. The
confirmation mentor ministry is designed to deliberately
pair a young person and an adult together and watch
God work through this relationship. It is our goal that
this relationship provides an opportunity for the
student to grow in faith, by sharing life experiences, and
developing a supportive relationship with another adult.
All 8th grade students and their Confirmation Mentors
will gather at 6:15 pm on Wednesday, March 14th for an
informational meeting.
THE REVOLVE TOUR
In 2005, Women of Faith created The Revolve Tour as a
response to requests from moms who attended their
conference and wanted something similar for their
daughters. The result is a one-of-a-kind inspirational
event for 6th to 12th grade girls that combine awardwinning bands and speakers with real, relevant
messages in a high-energy event. Topics such as
relationships, guys, friends, faith, choices and dreams will
be discussed. If you are interested in attending, please
sign up in the HS Sunday School room or see Jackie.
The Revolve Tour is in Omaha, NE on Saturday, April
21st from 12 noon-7 pm. Tickets are $61 each.
HS COURAGE BIBLE STUDY
About 10-12 HS students gathered each Wednesday in
February for a 2-hour Bible study that included a short
video segment featuring real teenagers, scripture
reading (Daniel Chapters 1&2), and lots of discussion
questions. This study on developing character, written by
Francis Chan, encouraged the readers to stand alone,
stand firm, stand out and stand tall. Brenden Schwenn
and a couple students from the Valley Baptist youth
group joined us.
PO Box 301, Milbank, South Dakota 57252 • 605.438.9673 • livingword@itcmilbank.com • livingwordmilbank.com
YOUTH NEWS
Confirmation
Coming to a Close
nother year of confirmation instruction is
drawing to a close. The seventh grade meets
at Pastor Craig’s house at 3:30 and the eighth
grade at 4:15 every Wednesday. The seventh graders
have studied (including memorization) Church history
and Lutheran Doctrine, the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten
Commandments and the Old Testament. The eighth
graders have studied (including memorization) the
Apostles’ Creed, the Sacraments and the New
Testament. Parents have provided treats every week.
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They will be attending Wednesday Lent services and
completing sermon notes. The eighth graders will have a
third year of confirmation as ninth graders under the
direction of mentors, including Christian service and
practical application of the basics of the faith that they
have learned the past two years. They will be confirmed
in the fall of 2013. It has truly been a joy and privilege
to spend every Wednesday with these fourteen young
members of our congregation learning about our faith.
8th graders clockwise around the
table from the bottom: MacKayla
McKinney, Grant Werling, Shauna
Pauli, Ellie Webb, Olivia Stone,
Alyssa Aker and Heidi Bergquist.
7th graders clockwise around the
table from the bottom: Alexa
Fraasch, Taylor Balling, Presley
Peschong, Emma VanVooren,
Taylar Bock, Nathan Bien and
Kasey Schake.
PO Box 301, Milbank, South Dakota 57252 • 605.438.9673 • livingword@itcmilbank.com • livingwordmilbank.com
WOMEN OF THE LIVING WORD
We are the children of God. Romans 8:16
Sometimes in the still of the night, the strains of a little song I have always known come to me.
You know it too “Jesus loves me this I know...”
CIRCLES WILL MEET ON MARCH 20. Bible
lesson will be Lesson 5 “Prisoner and Preacher”.
Dawn Circle meets at 6:30 am at Trevett’s with Clarice
Durbin as chairperson.
Faith Circle meets at 9:00 a.m. at the church and has
Connie Garrison as chair.
Mary/Martha Circle meets at 10:00 a.m. at the
church with Elaine Hallberg as chair.
Love Circle meets at 7:30 p.m. with
Sheila Schulte as chair.This circle
meeting place will be announced in the
bulletin but usually it is at the church
The CIRCLES are a small part of the
Women of the Living Word. If you are not
actively involved in a circle at this time please
make 2012 the year that you become involved.
MISSION: Plastic bags are needed. They may be
dropped off at the Assisted Living Place or in a basket
at church. A hold has been placed on collecting old
t-shirts Helpers are needed for the third Wednesday
at the Thrift Store.
QUILTING is off and running. But we do need more
helpers, even if you can’t sew we have a job for you.
Quilters will meet every 2nd and 4th Tuesday, starting
at nine.
GREETING CARDS: We now have greeting cards
available for sale.They are displayed in the pockets on the
south wall of the sanctuary. Money can be paid to Pam
or place in the envelope provided, Sharon
Brown has accepted to be in charge.
Our first general meeting will be
March 6th at 7:00. Guest speaker will
be Jason Kettwig, City Administrator.
He will speak on his experiences during
his tour of duty in Afghanistan. Faith will be
in charge of Decorations, Dawn: Devotions,
Mary/Martha: Music and Love: Refreshments.
DATES TO MARK ON YOUR CALENDAR:
March 6 – General meeting
March 2 – circles meet
September 22 – LCMC Meeting
Shirley Zahn, 605-432-4761, bwzahn@itcmilbank/com
Altar Guild Meeting
he ALTAR GUILD will meet on Sunday,
March 4 at 11:00 o’clock after the Worship
Service. We will be discussing the Policy Statement
for the Living Word Lutheran Church Altar Guild as well
as our duties and schedule of workers for 2012.
This is an exciting time as we go forward with the
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plans for our new church! We invite anyone interested
to attend. New members are needed and very
welcome in this “Ministry of Worship”. Come and
check it out! See you on March 4th.
Linda Anderson and Clarice Durbin, Co-Chairpersons
PO Box 301, Milbank, South Dakota 57252 • 605.438.9673 • livingword@itcmilbank.com • livingwordmilbank.com
PASTOR’S
LETTER
reedom of religion and the separation of church
and state, as part of the larger question of the proper
role of government in our private lives, is becoming
an increasingly divisive and bitter issue in our country. The
rules handed down by the Obama administration ordering
who must pay for contraception services as part of national
health care bring into sharp focus the dangerous threat to
religious liberty in our country today. Everyone will now be
ordered by law to have health insurance, and this insurance
must cover contraception. Certain religious institutions,
narrowly defined by the government, are partially “exempt”.
Many religiously affiliated organizations, left out of the
government’s definition and forced to provide or pay for
services which they oppose on biblical and moral grounds,
have fought back against this policy. This is not just a problem
for Catholics. I believe that a biblical perspective reveals this
is a disturbing and frightening threat to every individual in
this country regardless of religious affiliation or political party.
The first amendment to the constitution states, “Congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Yet congress by passing
“Obamacare” has given the president the right to determine
rules for who does or does not qualify as a religious
institution, and who must comply with rules that everyone
must obey whether they find those rules to be against their
religious beliefs or not. John Adams, one of the Founding
Fathers and the second president of this country, states, “Let
the pulpit resound with the doctrine and sentiments of
religious liberty…let it be known that…liberties are not the
grants of princes and parliaments.” To say that any president
or bureaucrat can now make and enforce decisions of
conscience that have properly always been enshrined in law
and custom as personal decisions alone is to destroy our
basic liberty. This is only one example of the government now
taking to itself the power to make and enforce decisions that
have properly been matters for individuals, and organizations
freely entered into such as churches, to decide for
themselves. Our government is increasingly bold in exercising
power which it does not by right have; power which belongs
not to it but to the free people of this federal republic.
Benjamin Franklin warned that “They that can give up
essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve
neither liberty nor safety.” The goal of health care reform
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through universal healthcare has been purchased at the price
of reducing and ultimately destroying personal liberty by
giving up constitutional restraints on government power.
We the members of Living Word Lutheran Church left
our previous denomination because we believed that it no
longer followed scripture, and we could not in good
conscience any longer participate in it. We believed that God
called us to separate ourselves from what we believed to be
against His Word. We cannot, however, separate ourselves
from the world. The world will not leave us alone. The Lord
continues calling us to be countercultural witnesses against
the spirit of anti-Christ that has been in the world since the
first apostles. We cannot escape our responsibility to
proclaim the truth and fight against those who would enslave
us, whether that be a church hierarchy or government
bureaucracy. A recent editorial reminds us that “If the church,
or any institution or individual, is forced to go against its
conscience, religious liberty is not safe; you are not safe.”
There is no “Conscientious Objector” status allowed.
When Jesus was asked whether it was lawful to give
tribute to Caesar or not, he replied, “Show me a denarius.
Whose likeness and inscription does it bear?” They said
“Caesar’s.” He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the
things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are
God’s.” Caesar now wears a business suit instead of a toga,
and we must by God’s grace and the power of the Holy
Spirit discern what we owe to Caesar, and what we owe to
God. Martin Luther, when attacked by the religious and
imperial powers of his day for his beliefs, responded: “Unless
I am convinced by the testimony of Holy Scriptures or by
evident reason – for I can believe neither pope nor councils
alone, as it is clear that they have erred repeatedly and
contradicted themselves – I consider myself convicted by the
testimony of Holy Scripture, which is my basis; my
conscience is captive to the Word of God. Thus I cannot and
will not recant, because acting against my conscience is
neither safe nor sound. God help me. Amen.”
God help us, whose consciences are captive to the Word
of God, as we proclaim in word and deed God’s Word,
exercise with thanksgiving our God-given liberties and
freedom as citizens of this country, and fight to preserve
those same liberties and freedoms that we so easily take for
granted and can very easily lose – or give away.
PO Box 301, Milbank, South Dakota 57252 • 605.438.9673 • livingword@itcmilbank.com • livingwordmilbank.com
COUNCIL
MINUTES
Living Word Lutheran Church Council Minutes
January 4, 2012
The meeting was opened with prayer by Pastor Craig.
All members were present except Gene Vostad and
Jim Kiefer.
The secretary’s report was read, amended and
approved. Deb Buttke made the motion to approve
and Linda Wagner seconded it.
Jan Beck presented the year-end Treasurer’s Report. The
ending balance in the General Fund Checking Account
on December 31, 2011 was $58,635.38. February
newsletter will include an income and expense report.
Contribution reports for each member/giving unit will
be printed and available at the church. Joanne Schmig
moved to accept the Treasurer’s report and Dave
Kruger seconded it.
Council discussed putting up a sign on the lot north of
Milbank to show that it is the future location for Living
Word Church. Boyd Van Vooren will seek out a
member or members of the congregation to make the
sign and place it there. The lot will be farmed for the
2012 crop season.
The divider between the two adult Sunday school
classes is not effective as a sound barrier and some
change is needed in that area. Also discussed was how
to interest more adults in the Sunday school classes.
Pastor Craig reported that he had one funeral on
December 17 for Estrid Lindquist. It was held at the
Valley Baptist Church and Living Word Servant team
served the meal there. There were no baptisms or
weddings. Pastor also gave a presentation at St John’s
(ELCA) Church in Holloway, Minnesota on December
11 to share with them our experiences in leaving the
ELCA and starting Living Word Church.
Pastor Craig requested funding to attend the LCMC
Augustana District Conference in Minneapolis February
6 & 7 as well as a ReClaim Board Meeting in
Minneapolis on the 7th. It will save mileage since both
can be accomplished in the same trip. Dave Kruger
made a motion to fund Pastor going to these events
and Boyd Van Vooren seconded it.
Lenten services were discussed and we will have
suppers at 5:00 pm and services as 7:00, the same as
last year. Living Word Women’s organization will be
contacted in regarding to asking Circles to serve meals.
Jackie Olson is researching travel options for the youth
mission trip to Canada this summer. They will need
several 15-passenger vans and a trailer for luggage
because buses are not allowed in the area where they
are going. It was noted also that it is time for the first
quarter review of the youth director. Pastor Craig,
Ardell Nelson, Dave Kruger and Linda Wagner will
arrange to meet with Jackie to do her review.
There is a need in the church office for a better
copier/printer. Ardell will research the options and cost.
It is necessary to have other people able to sign church
checks, so someone would always be available to do
that. Deb Buttke and Boyd Van Vooren agreed to do
this and they are usually in Milbank. Linda Wagner made
the motion to get Deb and Boyd authorized and Dave
Kruger seconded it.
The meeting closed with the Lords Prayer. The next
meeting will be Wednesday, February 1st, 7:00 pm at
the church.
Respectfully submitted by Linda Wagner, secretary
PO Box 301, Milbank, South Dakota 57252 • 605.438.9673 • livingword@itcmilbank.com • livingwordmilbank.com
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26
Greg Kasuske (b.)
Daniel Kalber Sr. (b.)
27
Terri Holtquist (b.)
Cooper Hupke (b.)
25
20
19
13
18
12
11
6
Janice Letze (b.)
5
4
Tuesday
Wilbur & Janice Letze (w.)
Monday
Ed Kloster (b.)
LaVona Van de Voort (b.)
Linda Wagner (b.)
28
21
14
7
Wednesday
29
Marlin Fenner (b.)
Lois Helm (b.)
22
Michael & Lisa Campbell
(w.)
15
Janet Schulte (b.)
31
Ken & Frances Kunde (w.)
24
17
Matt Reich (b.)
10
Drew Anderson (b.)
Shirley Zahn (b.)
Saturday
3
March, 2012
Roger & Stephanie Hansen Tayton Reede (b.)
(w.)
Kent & Susan Sime (w.)
Marsha Meister (b.)
30
23
16
9
Ken Kunde (b.)
Jason Bock (b.)
Renee Hanson (b.)
8
Friday
2
Thursday
1
(B)irthdays and (W)edding Anniversaries
03:20p
Sunday
Living Word
2/9/2012