CROSS OF CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH
24155 Griswold Road, South Lyon, MI 48178
248-437-8810
Fax: 248-437-7708
www.crossofchristlutheran.org Email:
www.facebook.com/crossofchristsouthlyon
O C T O B E R , 2 0 1 7
Sunday Worship: 10 a.m.Holy Communion is celebrated on the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of the month.
Sunday School: 10 a.m. – 3 years old through fifth grade
Adult Bible Study: Sundays 9:00 a.m.
Youth Bible Study: 10 a.m. (1st & 3rd Sundays) 6th-12th grade
Dear Beloved Members and Friends,
Our stewardship emphasis for 2017 is “Disciples Living as Grace-filled Stewards,” which begins on Sunday, October 1st. The purpose of this letter is to help us understand what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. When Jesus calls us to follow Him and we follow, we begin our journey as disciples.
In the early part of Jesus’ public ministry, Jesus called His 12 disciples. He called Peter and Andrew while they were fishing. He told them, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). A little later, He called James and John to follow. Jesus also called a tax collector and a zealot to be disciples. It is likely that the other disciples were craftsmen. Hearing Jesus’ invitation to follow Him, they left everything behind and followed immediately. From this point on they (except for Judas) were inseparable from their Lord. They spent approximately three years with Jesus, learning and listening. The Holy Spirit called them by the Gospel, as He does us today.
During His time on earth, Jesus showed His disciples to love and show mercy to people in need. Jesus showed compassion for the sick and hurting, healing the many who came to Him. He cared for their souls as He shared the life-changing Gospel. After hearing Jesus and seeing His miracles, many who heard the Gospel became followers of Jesus. He changed peoples’ hearts and lives and gave them a new purpose for living. He gave them hope for their eternal future. After Jesus had spent time preparing His disciples for ministry, He sent them out to disciple others. These empowered disciples continued Jesus’ ministry of preaching and teaching the Word, baptizing, and loving all people. Their model of ministry was the very life of Jesus. Through the proclamation of the Gospel, many unbelievers became followers.
After Jesus’ ascension, these 12 disciples left a huge impact on the world. God graciously empowered and used these ordinary men for the extraordinary task of carrying His life-saving message to the world. They became instruments through whom God worked. In the same way, God uses ordinary people like us to be His disciples who carry the message to those who will be lost without hearing and believing in it. As Jesus’ disciples, we are the channels through whom He delivers His life-saving Gospel. We become Jesus’ hands, feet, and mouth to share the Good News of Jesus’ love to all people. By being disciples, we fulfill our Lord’s command to go and make disciples. Thanks be to God for giving us the privilege to serve Him by serving others as His disciples. . . . . Pastor Terry Nelson
FALL STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM
Sermons will center on our Stewardship theme on Sundays, October 1, 8, 15, and 22. Please bring your commitment form to church on Commitment Sunday, October 22, or return it to the church office at your convenience.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
SUNDAY SCHOOL classes are held at 10 a.m. for children three years old through fifth grade. Children are dismissed to their classes from the worship service after the opening
hymn.
We thank our returning teachers, Becky Kreipke, Lynda Whitcher, Kindsey Nelson, Rae Nims, Rob & Diana Hindley, Carrie McShane, and Lisa Sterling. We praise God for Becky Kreipke who has taken on the job of Sunday School Superintendent. Additional teachers are always helpful, even if just to sub. Contact Becky at 248-719-3115 or if you can help out.
YOUTH in grades 6-12 meet for fun activities throughout the year. Bible Study is held at 10 a.m. on the first and third Sundays of the month. Thank you to Dom Eldridge and Amy Lockard for leading our youth!
A Youth BONFIRE night will be held at the home of Annie Nichols (11435 Fairlane Dr.,
South Lyon) on Saturday, October 14, at 6 p.m. Call Dom at 586-864-8623. Bring a friend!
SUNDAY ADULT BIBLE CLASS
ADULT BIBLE STUDY– Sundays at 9 a.m.
Dying to Live – The Power of Forgiveness
More and more it seems that the world and its media are shaping our culture. We work to be spiritual people, but how does one get and stay connected to the Creator? In this DVD series, we will better understand as baptized Christians how this spiritual relationship takes place, and how this gives us a life of forgiveness and hope.
CONFIRMATION instruction, for young people in 7th and 8th grades, is held Wednesdays, from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. If you are interested in having your child join the class, give Pastor Nelson a call.
CROSS OF CHRIST
CHRISTIAN PRESCHOOL
We have begun another school year blessed by God. We are thankful for our Teacher-Director, Janelle Rapson-Lach, and our Aides, Julie Mattison, Kate Whitcher, Patty Wadkins, Tammy Lanam and Joy Roelant. We have a few openings in our afternoon three year old and four year old classes. We are a play-based program for three and four year olds with age-appropriate academics and kindergarten readiness. Call the office for more information.
SWEETS
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8th –
After worship service
Proceeds benefit the Hackbardt Family
Free-will donation; Food provided by Women’s Fellowship
No Sign-up needed.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1 is LWML SUNDAY. Give throughout the year!
Traditionally within the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the first Sunday of October is designated LWML (Lutheran Women's Missionary League) Sunday (this year October 1). The LWML is dedicated to spreading the Gospel throughout the world through the collection of "mites". Individual mite boxes are available on one of the tables as you enter the church. The purpose of the large mite box, also on the table, is to collect your mites when your individual box is full. You can empty your box into the large mite box or place the whole box in the large box and take a new one. This money is the sent to LWML who distributes it, along with mites collected nationwide, to projects dedicated to spreading the Gospel worldwide. Combined with others, each little "mite" dropped in your box will go a long way towards this goal. Remember to say a prayer whenever you are able to "feed" your mite box specifically asking for the spreading of the Gospel through these offerings. So far in 2017, $168.00 has been contributed toward this goal from our mite box collections here at Cross of Christ. A big THANK YOU to all who are participating in this program!
MITE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me all that I have. Bless these mites that I give back to you so that they can be used to spread the Good News of Jesus' love here and throughout the world. Amen.
CHOIR
People of all voices are invited - (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass). If you enjoy singing praises to God, please prayerfully consider singing in the Choir. Speak with Pastor Nelson if interested. Our Choir plans on singing once a month at our worship service.
FREE MOVIE TICKETS AVAILABLE
Tickets are available to see Martin Luther: The Idea That Changed the World! on Friday, October 27, from 6:30-9:15 p.m. at The Historic Michigan Theater, (603 East Liberty Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104). Get your ticket on the entryway table or call or email the church office to reserve yours.
THANK YOU
. . . to Ettie Ann Hirth and Women’s Fellowship for hosting the Ice Cream Social in September.
Thank you to all who helped with serving and clean up!
. . . Special thanks to Ron Reichert for all his time and hard work keeping up with the church
landscaping!
. . . Thank you to our Trustees for their faithful grass cutting:
Bill Hirth, Gary Albin, Charley Hall, Ron Reichert, and Brent Sterling!
Pray for the 500th Anniversary Worship Service to be held at the Breslin Center on October 15. A group from Cross of Christ will also attend. The service has been sold out – 11,000 plus attendees!
Items will be delivered Sunday, October 15th
As part of the “Here We Stand Anniversary Reformation Worship Service” on October 15, LCMS congregations from our regionwill be collecting travel-size hygiene items (especially feminine products), new women's socks, and new women's underwear for Women's Center of Greater Lansing -- a support center whose mission is to help women find economic and emotional stability. To date, they have served over 5,000 women. A collection box is available in the entryway hallway.
DISASTER RELIEF: Texas, Florida, Mexico, and Puerto Rico
To help those who have suffered much due to natural disasters, you may give online at the Synod’s website: www.lcms.org or
Give by mail:
Checks payable to “The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod” or “LCMS”, Write Disaster Response on the memo line and send to:
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
Mission advancement
P.O. Box 66861
St. Louis, MO 63166-6861
To make a credit card gift By Phone:
Call LCMS 888-930-4438 between 8 a.m. and 4:10 p.m. Central Time.
Thrivent - Another Way to Give:
500,000 match on personal donations*
Thrivent will match up to $500,000 in personal donations made online through Thrivent.com to specific disaster relief organizations responding to recent hurricanes. The dollar-for-dollar match is open to Thrivent members and will lead to a total combined impact of up to $1 million. For more details and to see the list of organizations included in the match, visit the Disaster Response page on Thrivent.com.
HELP NEEDED
Help is needed on the Altar Guild and as an Usher. Teams of two serve every fourth month by changing the altar paraments as needed and cleaning the communion ware after the service. Our ushers serve every third week on a team of four. The more who participate, the less often they need to serve. If you can help out, email the office or speak with Pastor Nelson.
Disciples Living as Grace-filled Stewards
For our stewardship emphasis in 2017, we’ve been focusing on the theme “Disciples Living as Grace-filled Stewards.” Jesus knows each of us by name, and He calls us to be His disciples (John 15:16). A disciple is a follower. “While walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And He said to them. “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ ” (Matthew 4:18-19). When Jesus asked His 12 disciples to follow Him, He meant for them to leave something or someone or some place behind. In order to follow Jesus, some of the disciples left their fishing nets and families. Matthew left his tax position and the opportunity to make large sums of money.
In Matthew’s Gospel, we read about a disciple who appeared to want to follow Jesus, but he put other things ahead of that commitment, saying, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father” (Matthew 8:21). Many disciples walked away from Jesus after Jesus said the following: “Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.” After hearing this, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” And many no longer wanted to follow Him (John 6:52-66).
A disciple is also defined as a learner. Disciples listen, learn, witness, and serve. Disciples nurture their faith by spending time reading and studying God’s Word, praying, attending worship services, and participating in the Lord’s Table.
A disciple is given the honor and responsibility to be a steward. As stewards, we manage all that God entrusts to us. We understand that all we are and have are gifts by God’s grace. By grace, we faithfully manage His creation and His blessings. As stewards, we seek to manage all that has been entrusted to us according to God’s will and for His purpose. It is a great blessing to be stewards of the gospel. With the Holy Spirit working in and through us, we can faithfully and boldly proclaim the gospel to those around us. Paul tells us that we should share our faith so that we “will have the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ” (Philemon 6).
We hope and pray that our stewardship emphasis is a blessing to you and your loved ones. We thank you for your prayers that have helped make this an enriching time for our members as we grow by God’s grace to be even more faithful as His disciples and stewards.
Thank you for choosing Cross of Christ Lutheran Church or Preschool as your designation for CHOICE DOLLARS! If you have Thrivent products and would like to designate dollars, go to:
Thrivent.com/thriventchoice
Learn more about Thrivent products by calling our congregation’s representative,
Brian Bower, at:
or call 734-531-8423.
Thank you for your donations of non-perishable food items for Active Faith throughout the year. Donations are welcome in the box provided as you enter church. Our church has a monthly commitment of $250 to Active Faith. Your monetary donations are also invited.
Especially Needed:
Soup, Canned Meats, Pasta, Crackers, Cereal, Spaghetti Sauce
MEMORIALS
+ + In memory of Ben Sulisz, a gift has been given by Lyne Nelson.