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First News is a monthly publication of: First Lutheran Church 1200 Pinecrest Court, Placerville, CA 95667 (530) 622-3022 [email protected] www.first4others.org

Pastor Mark Haas…………………....(530) 344-9410 Vicar Kevin Foley...............................(530) 903-3102 Church Office………………………..(530) 622-3022 Editor……………………….……..….Jean Haldeman

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Placerville, CA 95667 Permit No. 342

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First News

F i r s t Lu the r an Chu rch LCMS November 2015

Mon th ly News le t te r

VOL . 133 NO.11

F i rs t Luther an Chur ch LCMS

1200 Pinecr es t Cou r t

P l ace rv i l l e , CA 95667

Phone 530 622- 3022

ema i l : f i r s t l u t h e r a n@s b c g l ob a l . n e t

We’re on the web!

first4others.org

A Rabbit-Tale By

Pastor Mark Haas

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It’s mid-autumn and cloudy out today. Last night’s overnight temperature actually dropped

into the 40s! Though the temperatures have been hovering about eighty degrees all Octo-

ber-long, I know that the season of fall will descend upon us one of these days! Some of

the trees around us have already begun to change colors: those brilliant red and golden

leaves since the mornings have a more brisk sharpness to them. What I have experienced

all my life, though, whether growing up in Southern California or living in Northern California

is that the fall brings fog! It’s strange “living above the fog line!” And yet as it snowed the first

weekend we lived in Placerville, supposedly “below the snow line,” other surprises constantly

await us! After all, we have an El Nino year approaching! Right!

Memories of the fog…there were those “soupy” days when you could play hide-and-seek

in a fog so thick that you could literally hide in the middle of the playground and not be

found! Then there was that one very foggy New Year’s Eve when my grandparents were

supposed to be driving behind my dad’s car following us home from Long Beach to West

Covina when we heard a car crash behind us! We scurried out of our car to find the vehi-

cle behind us was not grandpas but some unknown person’s. By the time we eventually got

home and called my grandparents, they were waiting for our call! They had been able to

turn a corner we missed and were out of the fog almost immediately and got home quick-

ly. And then there were those times when dad would drive us up to Crestline and Lake

Gregory, around Santa’s Village, and the clouds would be hanging so low and close to

mountainside that I was certain dad would drive us off a cliff at any moment or we would

run into another car coming from the opposite direction! I could really pray up a storm in

those days!

My wife, Dee, grew up in Modesto so she was well accustomed to the familiar dense

ground fog coming off the Tuolumne River basin. However, when Dee, Melanie and Greg-

ory flew to Fort Wayne, Indiana to catch up with me at the seminary, the ground fog on the

tarmac was nothing they had experienced before: it was a fog, but a fog evaporating off

a damp and one hundred degree plus runway! We would eventually become use to the

dense fogs of a section of Sacramento, South Natomas, where one year in the late 1980s

a record was set for the number of days in December where the visibility remained less

than a quarter mile for over twenty days! Fog…it has been a force in many of our lives and

now we look forward with clarity, lots of clarity, for those fall days ahead here in Placerville!

What we have known and maybe take for granted, we look forward to with excitement be-

cause we live “above the fog line.”

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Fog by definition obscures, dims, conceals or blurs vision. It can be

caused by water vapor, dust, smoke, or chemicals. It can also be a men-

tal state of vagueness or bewilderment. Satan, that wily foe of God’s peo-

ple, consistently throws up blankets of darkness around us to hide us from

the light of our Savior, Jesus. If he can keep us from a visual of Jesus’

cross and passionate death for us, he can stifle the work of the Christian

in his or her everyday life. He attempts to “fog us in” by whatever means

he can devise, usually called sin, death, and the power of the devil. For-

tunately, though, we have a stronger Lord Jesus who came among us to

show us light, life, and immortality as only God can produce, so that dark-

ness must withdraw and only Jesus be seen! It’s like the event of Jesus’

Transfiguration on the mountain. When the clouds covered the scene

and the voice spoke from heaven, “This is my beloved Son with whom I’m

well pleased. Listen to Him,” all that was left for the disciples to see when

the clouds disappeared was Jesus…only!

When the ground fog or higher up clouds are drawn away, all we should

see is Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith! We continue to see Him

daily in Scripture as He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit’s words of the

Bible. There is enough there for us to read and be moved by that we can

see Him clearly! His Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion are

there for our further instruction, assurance and nurture.

So, lean on our brother Jesus for your needs and thanksgivings. It may be

foggy at times as to what is happening or where we are going, however,

ultimately all the vision we need for clarity, even in the midst of a foggy

day, is of Jesus on Calvary with His arms opened wide, motioning for us to

come to Him as the One who will lead us beside still waters and restore

our soul!

Have a great fall as it prepares to break into winter! And, especially this

November, have a wonder-filled “Happy Thanksgiving” celebration!

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 8a BHG Practice 8a Adult Bible Study 9a Contemporary Worship 9:15a Adult Bible Study 9:15a Sunday School 10:30a Traditional Worship w/Holy Communion Noon Confirmation 1p R.O.C.K. 7p A.A

2 8:15a NIA Exercise 8:30a Walking Group 3p Steven Ministers 5:15p Bells of Praise 5:30p Bible Study on Revelations John Mooney 6:30p Jubilate

3 7p OA Meeting

4 8:15a NIA Exercise 8:30a Walking Group 9a String Band Practice 6p A.A.

5 10a Joy in the Word Bible Study 5:30p BHG Practice 7p Al-Anon

6 8:15a NIA Exercise 10a Women’s Bible Study 5:30p K.B.S.

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8 8a BHG Practice 8a Adult Bible Study 9a Contemporary Worship w/Holy Communion 9:15a Adult Bible Study 9:15a Sunday School 10:30a Traditional Worship Noon Confirmation 1p R.O.C.K 6:30p A.A

9 8:15a NIA Exercise 8:30a Walking Group 5:15p Bells of Praise 6p Property Board 5:30p Bible Study on Revelations John Mooney 6:30p Jubilate

10 7p OA Meeting


12 7:30a Men’s Breakfast 10a Joy in the Word Bible Study 3:30p Upper Room 5:30p BHG Practice 7p Al-Anon

13 8:15a NIA Exercise 9:30a Quilters

14 Noon Prayer Vigil

15 8a BHG Practice 8a Adult Bible Study 9a Contemporary Worship 9:15a Adult Bible Study 9:15a Sunday School 10:30a Traditional Worship w/Holy Communion Noon Confirmation 1p R.O.C.K. 6:30p A.A 7p Kings Game

16 8:15a NIA Exercise 8:30a Walking Group 5:15p Bells of Praise 5:30p Bible Study on Revelations John Mooney 6:30p Jubilate

17 7p OA Meeting


19 10a Joy in the Word Bible Study 11:45a Women’s Luncheon 5:30p BHG Practice 7p Al-Anon

20 8:15a NIA Exercise 10a Women’s Bible Study 5:30p K.B.S.

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22 8a BHG Practice 8a Adult Bible Study 9a Contemporary Worship w/Holy Communion 9:15a Adult Bible Study 9:15a Sunday School 10:30a Traditional Worship Noon Confirmation 1p R.O.C.K. 6:30p A.A

23 8:15a NIA Exercise 8:30a Walking Group 5:15p Bells of Praise 5:30p Bible Study on Revelations John Mooney 6:30p Jubilate

24 7p OA Meeting

25 8:15a NIA Exercise 8:30a Walking Group 9a String Band Practice 6p A.A. 7p Thanksgiving Eve Worship

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27 8:15a NIA Exercise 9:30a Quilters

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29 10:00a Traditional Worship w/Holy Communion 10:15a Sunday School Noon Voters Assembly Meeting Noon Confirmation 1p R.O.C.K. 2p Olde Coloma Theater 6:30p A.A

30 8:15a NIA Exercise 8:30a Walking Group 5:15p Bells of Praise 6:30p Jubilate

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2015

November 1 November 8 November 15 November 22

9:00 Sound

10:30

Dale Lambert

Stephen Cass

Dale Lambert

Stephen Cass

Dale Lambert

Stephen Cass

Dale Lambert

Bill Swift

9:00 Elders

10:30 John Mooney

Jack Hertzberg

Jack Hertzberg

Jack Hertzberg

9:00 Acolytes

10:30 Lance Pavlusky Lance Pavlusky Lance Pavlusky Lance Pavlusky

9:00 Ushers

10:30

Phil & Chris Dawson Bill Swift

Greg &Gayla Mott David Rethwisch Brenda Anderson







9:00 Altar Guild

10:30 Kathy & Andy Miller

Cindy & Mark Runyan Kathy & Stephen

Cass Peggy Dammel

Clydene & Lionel Rogers

Counters B & M Durand K. & F. Jones C. Schultz,

L. Hertzberg W & J Bryld

9:00 Video

10:30

Steve Kemppainen

Jean Haldeman

Bill Leitz

Jean Haldeman

Jean Haldeman

Donna Kemppainen

Jean Haldeman

November 29

Dale Lambert

Stephen Cass

Larry Adloff

Dale Hogrefe

Lance Pavlusky



Donna & Steve

Kemppainen

J & K Cass

Jean Haldeman

Servants for ChristServants for ChristServants for ChristServants for Christ November November November November 2015201520152015

Note to the Ushers:

Please be sure to count and log attendance and communion in the notebook provided in the cabinet. It is vital for our records. Communion cards are collected and put in the office after the service.

Please be sure to empty offering trays and return them to the altar. Put contents into a zipper bag located in the counters cup-board and put bag into safe after each service.

If you are ushering at the 9:00 service, you need to start the coffee. Please DO NOT dog open the doors. There is no need for that anymore. The doors will remain open when you unlock them and the panic bars work without being dogged.

If you are ushering at the 10:30 service, you need to clean up the coffee cart and put it away, remove all white sheets from the attendance pads and put them in the office. Check ALL doors in the church and Sunday school area to be sure they are locked and the lights are all off.

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COMING AND CONTINUING IN NOVEMBER 2015

“SINGLE” SERVICE SUNDAYS

On the fifth Sundays of a month and on the Sunday between Christmas and New Years we will conduct one service only at 10 AM…traditional format! So, there will be one ser-vice only on November 29, December 27, and January 31 over the next three months!

VOTERS ASSEMBLY MEETING

The annual budget meeting will be conducted on November 29, 2015 following the worship service, at approximately 11:30 AM! Please plan to attend as a quorum requires at least 25 voters!

JOINING JESUS ON HIS MISSION

HOW TO BECOME AN EVERYDAY MISSIONARY

There are Five Questions and Five Practices for Missional Communities: 1. How did you see God at work in your life this week? 2. What has God been teaching you in His Word? 3. What kind of conversations are you having with pre-Christians? 4. What good can we do around here? 5. How can we help you in prayer?

WEEKLY SPECIAL OFFERING BASKETS

Share, HELP, Upper Room, and the Nomadic Winter Shelter…the free-will offering basket for each of these entities is located at the usher’s table in the Narthex. Watch for a favorite or donate to all! Your gifts are gratefully received! Thank you!

MEN’S BREAKFAST

Hey guys! Mark your calendar for the second and fourth Thursdays (November 12…the 26th is Thanksgiving Day!) at 7:30 AM! You are invited to a breakfast for guys held at the Golden Waffle Café on Broadway, hosted by Ken Freese. Come to talk about social issues, vintage cars, likes and dislikes, the Bible, and what’s ailing you! Join us for food and talk!

REVITALIZATION FUND

We continue to receive donations to the “Revitalization Fund.” You may recall that our stewardship program (2011) involved these items…Financial Growth by Three Means: (1) Commitment to tithing, (2) Increased contributions annually, and (3) Specific pledges to the Revitalization Fund. This Fund is designated for staffing salary and new program-ming beyond our budgeted items. Thank you for your considerations and any special do-nations, especially as we have taken on the Vicar’s salary and benefits! The Fund is cur-rently around $51K!

LUTHERAN TELEVISION

If you are looking for an LCMS television program, and you have DirecTV satel-lite programming, every Sunday morning at 8:30 AM on Channel 377 (TCT-Total Christian Television) broadcasts from Concordia Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indi-ana, a 30 minute program of lessons, choir, prayers and sermon called “Worship for Shut-Ins” is an option for you. If you need to miss a Sunday, try the program out! It is only available in the Placerville area on DirecTV.

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PASTORAL ACTIONS

Adult Confirmations: Pat Gundran, September 20, 2015 Frances Thomure, October 1, 2015

Deaths: Harold Williams, October 9, 2015; Memorial Service, October 15, 2015

THANKSGIVING EVE WORSHIP

Join us on Wednesday, November 25, 2015, at 7

PM, for our annual service observing “Thanksgiving

Day.” The Service will highlight the Lord’s Supper and a

sermon presented by Vicar Kevin Foley. We also an-

ticipate the adult choir providing an anthem!

Whether or not you can attend the service, help us

decorate the altar with canned goods and other non-

perishable items that will be utilized by SHARE and its

food distribution in Placerville! Bring items with you to

the service or drop them by during the week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

FAITH COMES BY HEARING

On Sunday, November 15, 2015, you will have the op-

portunity to once again hear a video message regard-

ing the “Military Audio Bible Stick!” Please consider a do-

nation to this cause and help our chaplains in the min-

istry to our troops! See the video and respond to the bulletin insert that day!

STEWARDSHIP 2016

During November 2015, we will circulate the annual Time and Talents forms and

Pledge Cards for 2016. You will receive back last

year’s unopened pledge for comparison of your

2015 efforts and what you and the Lord believe

you can steward for the next year. These pledg-

es and forms will be dedicated during a Sunday

service! Please note elsewhere in the Newsletter

a call for Volunteers for specific needs as well as

an LCMS article on Stewardship…and an update

on the congregation’s current budgeting and

income/expense accounting!

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VictoryisEverything!! Everyone wants to win! No matter the sport or contest. The Chicago Cubs are known as Lovable Losers, win-ning unfortunately is not a part of the Cubs history unless

you want to go back over 100 years. My World Series dreams have faded for an-other year, basketball, football and hockey season has started. While my Cubs have been Lovable Losers for not only my entire life but all of yours as well, I am thankful that I am old enough to have been a huge Bulls fan during the 90’s when Michael Jordan was leading the Bulls to victory after victory. My love for football leads me to the Green Bay Packers, I am only old enough to have seen two championships during my lifetime with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers leading the way to victory. I am also a huge Notre Dame football fan, while Na-tional Championships have not been a part of their recent history, I am old enough to have witnessed one national championship team and probably one more that could have and probably should have been. I’m not really a hockey fan but I have enjoyed the recent run of Stanly Cups by the Chicago Blackhawks as they have been lead to victory by Kane and Toews. Almost every great team has at least one superstar who at one moment or anoth-er during the regular season and playoffs, lead their team to victories. St. Paul reminds us of the victory that we have in 1 Corinthians, “Thanks be to God who gives us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” When it comes to our salvation, winning and victory is everything! The beauti-ful part is that victory is ours in and through Christ Jesus. We have done nothing but hold on and cling to the cross and his promises and yet we are the victors, Christ has made us his own in baptism and the victory that we do not deserve and cannot earn is ours! During this Thanksgiving season let us remember to give thanks to God for the Victory that is ours in and through Christ Jesus our Lord.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES REPORT

The most recent meeting of the Board was conducted on September 29, 2015. President Laurie Hertzberg and Pastor Mark Haas were absent due to an eye pro-cedure and vacation respectively.

Actions and reports received by the Board included…(1) Signing of the congrega-tion’s Marriage Policy as adopted in August as regards Same-Sex Marriage and the use of our property, as recommended by the LCMS. (2) The Financial Report was received noting a $7,000 deficit between income and expenses. (3) A Call Committee will be formed consisting of the Board of Trustees and the Elders. This group will meet and make recommendations as to issuing a call for our next Senior Pastor, presumably Vicar Foley. A special Voters Assembly meeting will be called for January 2016 with Circuit Visitor, Rev. John-Paul Meyer in attendance to assist us in the call process. (4) At the September 26, 2015 Circuit 19 Forum, Tom Hayhurst was elected as our lay representative to the 2016 LCMS Conven-tion in Milwaukee, WI. (5) A job description was developed by the Board for Vic-ar Foley to ensure the Board’s desires to supplement the vicarage’s requirements from the Seminary. After discussion it was adopted. (6) The Board provided rec-ommendations to our Treasurer, Donna Kemppainen, as regards needs for the 2016 Budget for a future part-time youth worker and salaries for Pastor and Vicar. A Budget Committee meeting is being set for late October. (7) The Pastor and Vicar Reports were received and reviewed.

If you have any questions as to the Trustees activities and reports, please contact Laurie Hertzberg and/or Pastor.

Have a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!

Rev. Paul D. Doellinger graduated from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri in 1969. He has served congregations of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod for 42 years until he retired in 2011. Pastor Doellinger also served three terms as the First Vice President of the Eastern District of our Synod. In 2006, instead of retiring, Pastor Doellinger “repositioned” from North Tonawanda, New York to a smaller congregation in Monmouth, Oregon, from which he retired in 2011. In retirement, Pastor Doellinger continues to serve Christ as a servant of the poorest of the poor in the 17 Caribbean-rim countries served by Food for the Poor, begging on their behalf as a speaker of Food for the Poor. Pastor Doellinger just completed his term as the Circuit Visitor of Circuit 5 of the Northwest District of our Synod

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LCMS Stewardship Article: November 2015

“In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat por-tions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his of-fering he had no regard” (Gen 4:2). Why did the Lord not have regard for Cain and his offering, but did regard Abel and his offering? Was it because Abel’s of-fering was better intrinsically than Cain’s? No. The Book of Hebrews tells us: “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts” (Heb 11:4). The thing that distinguished Abel’s offering from that of Cain’s is faith. By faith, Abel offered a more acceptable offering. Faith and giving are inseparable. They are two sides of the same coin. It is faith in the promises of God that leads us to give. By faith we trust that God will do what He says. By faith, we receive everything God gives as a gift from His divine mer-cy and goodness. For what do we have that we have not received (1 Cor 4:7)? Nothing. Everything we have comes from the Lord. By faith we give to others be-cause God has first given to us, and by faith we trust that He will continue to pro-vide for us all that we need for this body and life. And when by faith we give, God accepts our offerings and commends us as righteous. For by faith we are account-ed righteous before God on account of Christ. Giving is a spiritual issue. But there is a flip side to this two-sided coin: Cain didn’t give an offering to God by faith. His offering did not come from faith but from someplace else. And since it didn’t originate with faith in God and His promises, it was not regarded by God. And he was not accounted righteous. This is a warning to us. Pay attention to your faith and your offerings, and from where they come. From where do your offerings come? Like all good works, offerings acceptable in God’s sight flow from faith in Christ. They are given in response to the gifts God has given to us, especially the gift of forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ. And since they are given by faith, they will be the target of Satan’s attacks to ruin the church, do damage to the gospel of Christ, and to weaken your faith in Him. For sin is crouching at our doors, and the temptation to sin in giving is great because of the fallen world and our sinful flesh. But Jesus is greater than our hearts. Jesus has overcome the world. And by faith, so have we. By faith, we rule over them.

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FALL fellowship at first

2015

Fall was a busy time of fellowship at First. Supper Clubs are up and running thanks to

Larry Hermone who puts these together for us. Happy eating and fellowshipping every-

one!

Peggy Hayhurst organized the trip for over 25 adults and kids to Folsom Zoo and the

Food Trucks, despite the light rain. Thanks, Peggy, for being the expert docent

amongst the critter cages! All good fun!

At Roberta Hendry’s urging, several people enjoyed the opera one Saturday morning.

We are seeing new faces now and then in the opera crowd. You should consider trying

it, it’s very cool! We’re planning several outings in the New Year. Les Pecheurs de Perles/

January 16, Turandot/January 30 and Madame Butterfly/April 2.

Oktoberfest was a festive event at the Barn at Greenstone! Thanks (again!) to the

Hayhursts for securing the great site. We enjoyed barbequed brats along with yummy

side dishes. Lively German music even brought out some dancers! Sehr gut!

The movie Woodlawn was received well by a group of seven in late October. It was

wonderful to see such a Christian message in the theatre and to hear it end in clap-

ping.

Looking forward there are several events to take note of in the next few months. No-

vember 15th will find those who purchased tickets headed to the Kings game. Thanks

to Kim Walz who worked with son Mitchell to organize this evening. We’ll let you know

how the game goes. Go Kings!

Do you like to “Boo” and “Hiss”? Come to a Melodrama at the Olde Coloma Theatre

on Sunday November 29th at 2:00 to see “A Home for the Holiday”. Jenny will have

details.

Advent Services and Suppers will be on three Wednesdays in December: 2nd, 9th and

16th. The first two will be soup suppers and the third a Spaghetti Dinner prepared by the

youth prior to the Christmas program that evening. A free will offering will help defray

their expenses for the National Youth Gathering (NYG) next summer.

Our annual Christmas Party will be Sunday, December 13th at 3:00 pm at the Swifts.

Bring a hearty appetizer or dessert to share. And don’t forget the all-important White Ele-

phant wrapped gift for the exchange; just one per family. It will be a jolly good time!

We have some special things up our sleeves for 2016 so stay tuned! Invite your friends!

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CYBERSECURITY

AND OLDER AMERICANS

We more connected to technology than ever before. We can get our news the mo-

ment it happens; we can learn about complex subjects from informa,on sources

around the world; we can run errands, do our banking and shopping, without leav-

ing home; and we share ideas and keep in touch with family and friends, no ma/er

their loca,on. All of this is due, in part, to cyber technology. Yet for all of its ad-

vantages, increased connec,vity brings increased risk of the0, fraud, and abuse.

As of April 2012, 53 percent of Americans age 65 and older use the Internet or

email – the first ,me this group has exceeded 50 percent in several years. Increas-

ingly older Americans use the Internet to get involved in community groups, shop,

plan travel, manage finances, and keep in touch with family and friends. But while

the Internet brings many conveniences, it also comes with risks. Cybercriminals use

sophis,cated techniques to appear legi,mate; they pose as friends or family mem-

bers, banks, chari,es, mortgage vendors, and even healthcare and low-cost pre-

scrip,on providers to steal informa,on in order to conduct iden,ty the0, phishing

schemes, credit card fraud, and more. Learning about ways to protect your iden,ty

and personal informa,on online is just as important as understanding how to use

the latest technology. Fortunately, making safer and smarter decisions online can

be as simple as following these ,ps:

Choose a password that means something to you and you only; use strong pass-

words with eight characters or more that use a combina,on of numbers, le/ers,

and symbols.

Keep your mobile devices in your possession at all ,mes and always be aware of

your surroundings.

If you use social networking sites such as Facebook, be sure to limit the amount of

personal informa,on you post online and use privacy se=ngs to avoid sharing in-

forma,on widely.

Most businesses or organiza,ons don’t ask for your personal informa,on over

email. Beware of any requests to update or confirm your personal informa,on.

Avoid opening a/achments, clicking on links, or responding to email messages from

unknown senders or companies that ask for your personal informa,on.

Install and regularly update the security programs on your computer, such as an,vi-

rus, and an,-spyware. These programs can help to protect the informa,on on your

computer, and can easily be purchased from so0ware companies on the web or at

your local office supply store.

Beware of “free” gi0s or prizes. If something is too good to be true, then it probably

is.

It is important to add only people you know on social media sites and programs like

Skype; adding strangers could expose you and your personal informa,on to

scammers.

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Pew Research Internet Study, June 2012 • • • • • • • •

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Youth Page!

Science vs the Bible

What you are taught in school and what you learn from the Bible and your youth/confirmation classes are not always in sync. Scientists have a hard time believing in any-thing that can’t be proven. Not all of the Bible can be proven, it’s God’s word and we take it and believe it on faith. But eve-ry day the two come together, more and more the scientists are, many times reluctantly, proving the Bible!

This is an excerpt from an arti-cle that was published in the “Evening Star” in 1986– way long time ago to you! Mr Harold Hill, then President of the Curtis Engine Company in Baltimore related the following develop-ment;

The astronauts at Greenbelt, Maryland were checking the position of the sun, moon and planets out in space, where they would be 100 years and a 1,000 years from now. They have to know that information before they send up a satellite. They need to make sure that it won’t bump into anything in It’s orbit for as long as they hope it will exist.

They ran the computer meas-urement back and forth over the centuries and it came to a halt. The computer stopped and put up a red signal, which meant that there was some-thing wrong. They called the service department to check it

out and they said “It’s perfect.” They had found there was a day missing in space in elapsed time. They couldn’t fig-ure out what was happening, there was no answer!

One religious fellow on the team said, “You know, one time I was in Sunday school and they talked about the sun standing still.” They didn’t be-lieve him, but they didn’t have any other answer so they asked him to show them where in the Bible it said that. He went to the book of Joshua (Joshua 10:8,13) and they found a pretty ridiculous statement for anyone who had “common sense.” There they found the Lord say-ing to Joshua, “Fear them not: I have delivered them into thy hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.” Josh-ua was concerned because he was surrounded by the enemy and if darkness fell they would overpower them. So Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun stand still: That’s right—”The sun stood still and the moon stayed…. and hasted not to go down about a whole day!” The space men said, “There is the missing day.” They checked the computers going back to the time of Joshua when it was written. The elapsed time that was missing back in Joshua’s day was 23 hours and 20 minutes—not a whole day.” They read the Bible and there it was -”about (approximately) a

day.”

They still had to account for 40 minutes, otherwise they would still be in trouble a 1,000 years from now. This religious fellow also remembered that some-where in the Bible it said the sun went BACKWARDS. So the space men went back to the Bible, in II Kings (II Kings 20:9-11) they read the follow-ing; “Hezekiah, on his death-bed was visited by the prophet Isaiah who told him that he was not going to die. Hezekiah asked for a sign of proof. Isaiah said, “Do you want the sun to go ahead ten degrees?” Heze-kiah said, “it’s nothing for the sun to go ahead ten degrees, but let the shadow return back-ward ten degrees.” Isaiah spoke to the Lord and the Lord brought the shadow ten de-grees BACKWARD! Ten de-grees is exactly 40 minutes! Twenty-three hours and 20 minutes in Joshua, plus 40 minutes in II Kings make the missing day in the universe! Isn’t our God and His truths amazing!

The Missing Day!

Youth Schedule and Information

Youth Tamale Sale: The youth who will be attend-ing the National Youth Gathering in New Orleans, LA this summer will be selling frozen tamales from La Esperanza in Sacramento between serves on Nov. 1 and 8. The tamales can picked up after ser-vices on the 22nd. Tamales will be $21 for a dozen meat tamales and $23 for a dozen cheese tamales. Help support our youth and send us to the National Youth Gathering.

KBS: (5:30-7:30 PM Unless otherwise noted) Friday, Nov. 6 Friday, Nov. 20 Friday, Dec. 4 Sunday, Dec. 13, 1-3PM Christmas Program Rehearsal Wednesday, Dec. 16, 6:30 PM Christmas Program Friday, Dec. 18 KBS Christmas Party w/ parents and family

ROCK (1:00-3:00 PM Unless otherwise noted) Sunday, Nov. 1 (Also Tamale sale between services) Sunday, Nov. 8 (Also Tamale sale between services) Sunday, Nov. 15 Sunday, Nov. 22 Youth Food Drive (Tamale Distribution) Sunday, Nov. 29 Sunday, Dec. 6 Sunday, Dec. 13 Christmas Program (Rehearsal) Wednesday, Dec. 16 Christmas Program/Spaghetti fundraiser Sunday, Dec. 20 Sunday, Dec. 27

Vicar’s Recommendation: I am not a big science person, but check out this vid-eo, it blew my mind in a couple of different ways, our God is an awesome God. The video is 40 minutes long but well worth it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtpTk2ENq7o

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Letters to

Marian

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It has been over a year since the duties of church librarian have fallen to me, Mari-an, the Librarian, and there are a few things in the checkout procedures that need clarifying in order for the library to continue operating in an orderly fashion. Eve-ry now and then it is a good idea to evaluate what you’re doing to see if anything needs to be changed, updated or enhanced so here is a list of those observations

1. When you write your name on the yellow card to check out a book, PLEASE put your last name on the card. If you find the card too small for your whole name, BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR LAST NAME and use an initial for your first name. There are too many “Marcias” in the church family to rely on first names only. You will not be hunted down and fined if the book doesn’t come back in the four-week time period, but it will be helpful to know who has had it in case it does not return after an extended period of time.

2. Be sure to put your name on the checkout card. There is currently a book checked out with a date and no name. 3. If you decide to donate books to the church library, please put a post-it note on the books, box or bag or some other means of indicating who is donating them. It would be helpful to have a way to contact the original owner in case questions arise about any of the donations. Please include a phone number or e-mail address.

4. Last, but certainly not least, my thanks are offered to two people who have helped with administrative duties to keep the library operating smoothly. Lee-An DeMoss changes the checkout dates on the stamps each week and helped with checking through all of the books for correct titles and categories on checkout cards when library duties were transferred to me. Over the years the master list of church library holdings was lost/misplaced destroyed. It is with heartfelt gratitude that I thank Gregory Mott for creating a new digital format master list of all the titles currently on hand in the church library.

The Library is for you – Check It Out!! Marian, the Librarian

“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” .NIV“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” .NIV“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” .NIV“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” .NIV

We are so excited to announce our next event, Alternatives to Abortion. Have you known or currently know someone facing an unplanned pregnancy and are uncertain what to do? Please come to our event on November 7th, 2015, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. We will have several speakers that will give you information to assist in making the right choice. We will have Ka-ren Snyder from Family Connections Christian Adoption Agency; Mark and April Schro-kosch who have fostered and are planning to adopt their FOURTH child; and also a birth mother who chose a better life for the baby and placed her sweet child up for adoption. Make sure you don’t miss our keynote speaker as well—Nanci Worcester from Adoption Center of Northern California. Nanci has been an adoption lawyer for almost 30 years. She is also an adoptive mother!

Bring a friend or two and become informed!

FREE BABYSITTING PROVIDED BY LICENSED DAYCARE PROVIDER

Admission is free with lunch provided!

GREENHAVEN LUTHERAN CHURCH

475 FLORIN RD SACRAMENTO, CA 95831

November 7th, 2015

9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

To register and for additional information, go online www.lfl-sac.org

We will also have a Q&A session after each presentation and would love for you to send us any questions you may have so we can address them at the event. Please submit them in ad-vance by e-mailing them to [email protected]

For any questions, please contact:

Valeriya Brauer, Event Coordinator

916-835-2685

Richard Hintz, President 916-802-4346

Lois Brauer, Vice President

916-759-7216

Sponsored by Sacramento Valley Chapter Lutherans for Life (LFL)

ALTERNATIVES TO ABORTION

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11/7/1964 Cliff and Joyce James 11/11/1989 Phil and Chris Dawson 11/11/1972Ken and Marsha Freese 11/11/1976 Jerry and Kathy Tong 11/13/1954 Clay and Ellie Dawson 11/14/2006 Bill and Sally Franklin 11/16/1985 Dave and Kimberly Walz 11/19/1950 Spence and Anita Turner 11/26/1988 Andy and Kathy Miller

2 Melanie Haas

7 Jack Hertzberg

8 Robert Hall

10 Gladys Raab

12 Steve Kemppainen

13 Vicki Hermone

Gemma Meadows

17 Maggie Anderson

22 Lana Daly

24 Larry Hermone

25 Joyce James

26 Katie Monahan

27 Arlene Crawford

28 Marion Davis

Joan Kerr

30 Quincy Ford

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Operation Christmas Child

Christmas is a very special time of year for all Christians as we share the joy of Christ’s birth. Operation Christmas Child is a personal way to touch the lives of so many children around the world who do not know Christ. Our gift is a shoebox filled with small presents. For most of the children this shoebox may be the only gift they’ll receive at Christmas and maybe the only gift in a very long time. And it comes with the greatest gift: the good news of Jesus Christ. Last year First Lutheran donated almost 60 shoeboxes. These shoeboxes joined with 8 million others and

were distributed in some 100 countries around the world. It’s something that is easy to do, and it has such impact on young lives.

There is more information in the Narthex where you can pick up an empty shoebox and instructions for filling it. Please remember that the boxes have to be back by Sunday, November 15.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!

Oktoberfest at the Greenstone Barn

Daniel, Lillianna, Alice and Abby at Sunday school

Kevin & Anna at Oktoberfest

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Some of the walking group

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Stephen Ministry Approaching Thanksgiving we all pause t consider the myriad of blessings God has showered upon us for which we are so grate-ful: our church and church family, our families, friends, our beau-tiful mountains, the fall rain etc. However, one blessing stands out for our Stephen Ministry and it is God’s mercy and love.

In his book “Disappointment with God”, Philip Yancey writes that “Nothing expresses God’s yearning to forgive better than the book of Jonah”. As Yancey describes, God was prepared to de-stroy Nineveh, a city full of sin. Jonah waited for the destruction of the city as God promised but a :spark of revival in Nineveh

stayed His stand, to Jonah’s chagrin. Yancey quotes Robert Frost at the end of the passage on the prophet, Jonah, as follows: “After Jonah, you could never trust God not to be merciful again”. The arrival of Jesus and His death on the cross confirmed God’s mercy for all time. How thankful we are for our loving, merciful God!

Happy Thanksgiving from your Stephen Ministry Team

Barbara Calvo Larry Hermone

Tom and Peggy Hayhurst Lori Colwell Vickers Bill Rosenberry Judy and Warren Bryld

Kathy Pennington Pastor Mark Haas

My cousin and her husband in Sweden would like to come

over for 1-2 months to practice their English. In exchange

for their room and board they would be willing to work

around the house: childcare, cooking, cleaning, yard work,

errands or handyman type work, while improving their skills

in English. It would be for next fall 2016.

They both have full time jobs, Viktoria (my cousin) is a RN in

an ER and her husband Jakob is a road and water engi-neer. They would be taking a LOA from their jobs; they are

trust worthy, used to both children and older adults, as they

are both from large families.

If you are interested please call me at 530-417-4223, or

email me at [email protected]

Thanks,

Gunilla Wentworth

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They have already started the multi-step process of lacquering and sanding.

There were some small repairs to make to strengthen the music rack. It had been reworked a bit on

the back over the years (not worrisome on an instrument that is 93 years old), and Steve wanted to

improve that area.

After the main case finish and assembly, there is the tuning pin block to make, refinishing the sound-

board, gliding of the cast iron plate, which process would also include blacking the raised lettering,

duplicating the serial number with a stencil on the plate (the serial right now is carved into the sound

board, hidden under the bass strings), refinishing, polishing or replacing the big screws/bolts that

hold the plate in, so that they look new. There were some spacers that look a bit like spools that the

plate rests on. He is planning to stain those to look better as well. He already has the Acoustigrande

decal for the fallboard (the slab of wood that closes over the keys).

Then there are white keys to sand and perhaps a few key covers to replace.

The last few steps would be: The bench is assembled, the key assembly and pedal assembly get put

back in, at some point the legs get reattached of course, and the major functional and fairly labor-

intensive task of restringing takes place. THEN we let the piano sit in the shop and get retuned every

few days for a couple of months! (New strings do take awhile to stretch).

It will probably be early spring before the piano is delivered to us.

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Status on our new Piano! Wendy Payton

Money counters 1 time per mo,/ 12x per year Count the offering

Readers variable Read the scripture readings on Sunday

Altar Guild 4 times per year Set up the communion

Property board As your time permits Various maintenance jobs/yard work

Projector Whenever available Push the space bar for the projec-tions on the screen

Newsletter team Monthly, rotating teams Fold newsletters/take to post office

VBS Helpers One time per year Be with our adorable children!

Ushers Rotates/ 1 month at a time Usher!

Acolyte Whenever available Light candles

Crucifer Whenever available Carry cross to altar

We need volunteers for the following:

Save your recyclables for ROCK! They are rais-ing funds for the National Youth Gathering which will occur in July. They can take aluminum, any plastic as long as it didn’t contain anything toxic, and glass.

Please bring them the last Sunday of each month. Last month they got $19.05 from the recycles, but that was BE-FORE we all started saving for them! Thank you!

Holiday Boutique

Crafts and food

Nov 6- 1pm to 7pm Nov 7- 9am to 1pm

St. Matthew Lutheran Church 5901 Lonetree Blvd. Rocklin, Ca 95765

Kings game, November 15 - 7 pm

for those purchased tickets in advance

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