Pastor’s Article, Youth Activity 1,2

Thank you’s 3

Upcoming Events, News 4,5

Birthdays/Anniversaries 6

Items to Ponder 7

Presbytery Updates 8

Mike’s Book Review 9

Calendar 10

"We give thee but thine own, whate’er the gift may be: All that we have is thine alone, a trust, O Lord, from thee."

Being Faithful Stewards

November is upon us. The leaves are beginning to turn. A crisp chill is in the air. Morning bike rides and walks have required an extra layer of warmth. And, most importantly, football season is in full swing and my Oklahoma State Cowboys have been looking pretty good of late! Fall is one of my favorite times of year. And I just get more excited as the temperatures get colder, the days get shorter and we begin to turn our eyes toward Bethlehem and begin making our month long journey through the season of Advent.

But this November will bring something else: the start of our yearly pledge campaign! Now you may be wondering to yourself what on earth I must be thinking placing an exclamation point after the previous sentence. As if this is something to celebrate. Well, believe it or not, I think it is. You see, in pledging, we are given to give back to God from the abundance that we have undeservedly been given.

Soon we will be given the rundown of next year’s proposed budget and we will be asked to contribute what we can so that these figures can be met and our proposed ministries carried out. The cold hard fact of being a Church in this day and age is that it costs money. And sadly, it costs more and more every year. Without our generous giving, this Church’s ministry will be hindered. But there’s a deeper reason and one that I think is important for us to keep in mind as we consider what it is that God is calling us to give.

Last month, I told you that I think we modern Christians must strive to cultivate the discipline of friendship and fellowship because we live in a society that too often promotes individualism and self-sufficiency. The same goes for stewardship, I think. I can still distinctly remember my first day of college. After my last class

ended, I raced to the bookstore to go stand in line and shell out the small fortune that it was going to take to buy that semester’s books. As I stood in that long bookstore line, I noticed another long line where many of my peers were waiting to sign on the dotted line as credit card representatives gave their enticing "sales pitch." Sadly, some of these now college graduates are likely in debt up to their ears. We live in a time of unprecedented wealth, but also of unprecedented debt. Our consumer society thrives on instant gratification: if you want it you can have it; who cares whether or not you have the money.

The Scriptures, though, tell a different story. They tell us that God has blessed us with resources beyond measure; and that God has given us these resources to enjoy. But the Scriptures also tell us that with these gifts come expectations. "The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it!" declares the Psalmist. If we truly believe what we read in the Scriptures, then we must begin to live and operate as if God has made the first and primary claim upon our money, our time and our talents. And this way of living becomes all the more important when we see commercials boasting: "low credit, no credit, no problem!"

In being good and faithful stewards we are doing far more than merely supporting the ministry of our local Church. We are also being grateful followers and, even more importantly, faithful witnesses to the truth that we have heard in God’s Word. There is an old hymn that says: "We give thee but thine own, whate’er the gift may be: All that we have is thine alone, a trust, O Lord, from thee." As we approach this stewardship season, I pray that we will each consider how we might live out the truth of this old hymn by offering back to God our own unique time, talent and money as we seek to become more faithful servants of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessings,

Heads up youth!

It’s almost time for our next youth activity. On Sunday, November 18^th, we will gather in the Church basement at 3pm to make fleece blankets. We are hoping to take the blankets to the Children’s Hospital in Iowa City sometime in December, but we are still trying to find out if the children need the blankets. If they do, we will discuss the details of our trip to Iowa City when we gather to make the blankets. If they don’t, we will try to identify another group that might be able to make use of them. We will also be ordering pizza, so bring $2! We hope to see you all there and, as always, invite your friends!

Blessings,

Your youth committee

Thank you goes to Jay and Jill VanderWilt for all the painting and cleaning up they did. They really made the office area look bright and welcoming!

Also, a big thank you to Dick Justice, Deb Goettsch, Rose Reinig, John Curran and Wayne Turner for their work at the Church and the Manse. The Building and Grounds Committee have truly put in hours of labor and time which we thank you for. Without your efforts, the expense would have been tremendous. Thank you so much, once again! The Church and the Manse look great!

The Hayride/Picnic was a totally awesome success! We thank the Gaul’s for their hospitality and all the work they put into making this event so fun! The night was perfect and the food was fantastic. Thank-you to all who provided anything or helped in any way. There are some great pictures on the Youth Bulletin Board in the basement from the Hayride as well as Game Night at the Manaugh’s. A truly fun-filled, fall weekend!

Thank you to the Manaughs for opening their home to the Youth for a very successful Game Night! The Youth enjoyed the many games offered and the fellowship as well as the pizza! Thanks again, Mike and Lauren (and Ivan). Also for the "Open House"!

Thank you to all who have helped with the hard work in getting the area ready for the Church Flower Garden. Rev. Mike and Rod Schreck worked up to the moment the storm came on Sunday, Oct. 7^th. Thanks to all of the "Garden Team" who have put in much time and effort on this project! 

****** "CIRCLE OF POWER"