The Redeemer Reporter

THE REDEEMER REPORTER

REDEEMER L UTHERAN CHURCH The Rev. Kirk Griebel, Pastor

1054 Truman Avenue Home - 451-5266

Owatonna, MN 55060 Church Office - 451-2720

May, 2011 E-mail -

A Congregation of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod Web site: www.redeemerowatonna.org

Dear Fellow Redeemed,

In the current issue of The Lutheran Witness, the official periodical of our denomination, there is an article by Rev. Jared Melius entitled “Myths About Death: Why Easter Matters” Here are some of the myths about death that Rev. Melius identifies and the proper Biblical perspective on each of them in light of Easter.

Myth #1: Death is natural. It is easy to see why people believe that death is natural because death happens to all living things without exception. Yet the Bible says that death is not natural but is our enemy; that it was not part of God’s original creation but entered the world because of sin.

Easter tells us that death has been defeated by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. We will still experience physical death but Christ’s resurrection assures us of a physical resurrection from the dead to eternal life in heaven.

Myth #2: Christians will have to answer for their sins when they die. Many stories and jokes have been told about people who die and end up standing before St. Peter and the gates of heaven for one final interrogation/judgment.

The Bible says that Christians will not have to answer for their sins because Jesus has already answered for them when he died for us on the cross. The resurrection of Jesus is the Father’s declaration that the sins of the whole world are paid in full by Jesus.

The only answer that will count for anything at the gates of heaven is summed up best in the words of the hymn: “Just as I am without one plea but that thy blood was shed for me.”

Myth #3: When you die, you become an angel. The Bible makes a clear distinction between humans and angels and teaches that this distinction will continue even in heaven.

Jesus came to earth as a man, not as an angel. He died and rose again as a man, not as an angel. When we rise from the dead we will be given gloried bodies like Jesus’ glorified body. We will not be transformed into angels.

Myth #4: When Christians die, they are finally done with their weak, sick bodies. We confess in the Creed, “I believe in the resurrection of the body.” When Christians die their souls go to heaven while their bodies sleep in the earth a waiting the day of Christ’s second coming.

When our bodies rise from the dead they will be glorified just as Jesus’ body was glorified when weakness, pain and suffering associated with our bodies will be completely gone.

Rev. Melius also bravely takes on some common myths about funerals: Are funerals for the living, not the dead and are funerals supposed to be celebrations with no grieving allowed?

By all means, the living, the family members and loved ones of the deceased, should be comforted with God’s precious Word at a funeral. In that sense a funeral is for the living.

But as Christians living on this side of Easter a funeral is also an opportunity to focus on the dead. We should not pass up the opportunity a funeral gives us to stand next to the casket of our loved ones, look death in the face and say that it has been defeated.

There is certainly always much to celebrate when a dear fellow Christian brother or sister has died. But we do a great disservice to a grieving family when we do not also affirm their grief and give them a shoulder to cry on. In 1 Thessalonians 4 Paul says that Christians grieve the loss of loved ones but we grieve with hope, hope that that is based on the resurrection of our bodies on the last day.

As we continue in this Easter season may the Lord grant us numerous opportunities to share the clear Biblical message of the resurrection of the body to life eternal through faith in our risen Lord.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Pastor Griebel

CARE GIVING SUPPORT GROUP – Our next meeting will be on Sunday, May 1st in the church Social Hall at 10:15 a.m. State Representative Kory Kath with one or two of his officials will be here to discuss ”care giving,” mainly in nursing homes, and will also discuss the State of Minnesota budget and its effect on financial aid to the elderly. Everyone is welcome to attend.

TIME TO RENEW – Now is the time to renew your subscription to The Lutheran Witness or to become a new subscriber. This monthly magazine is the official periodical of our Synod and contains interesting articles about how people live out their

Christian faith, advice columns and news about all the happening around our church body. A special insert has news about what is going on in our Minnesota South District. A one-year subscription costs $17.75. If interested in receiving this magazine please contact the church office. Deadline is June 1st.

adult bible study at redeemer

sunday morning Pastor Griebel leads adult Bible study in the Social Hall during the educational hour. Our current study coincides with our Lenten theme of the Miracles of Lent.

WEDNESDAY MORNING Bible class led by Pastor Krause will resume at 9:30 on April 27th. Bring your Bible and Small Catechism – we will be studying the second article of the Apostles’ Creed, Redemption.

BIG JUNGLE ADVENTURE – is the theme of this year’s Vacation Bible School. VBS will be July 11th to 15th from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Sign up for VBS will start in May. We are in need of teachers, snack helpers, a music leader, and a director. If you can help, please contact Stephanie Reuss at

or 451-3536. The VBS Starter Kit is available to read through. Our children are eager to learn about their Savior. Thank you.

EASTER EGG HUNT – Thank you to all those who donated candy, eggs, toys, money and time to prepare for the Easter Egg Hunt. The children all had a great time!

SUNDAY SCHOOL – it has been a great year! The last day of Sunday school is May 22, 2011. On that day, we will be having an End-of-the-Year party at the end of the Sunday school hour. During the church service, there will be a Sunday school teachers’ recognition ceremony for the teachers. Thank you to all the Sunday school teachers for their time and dedication to the children of our congregation.

GREETERS – there is a sign-up sheet in the narthex for greeters. We are having a problem getting people to greet. If you can find it in your heart to greet, please sign up. Thank you.

LARGE PRINT copies of the hymns and readings we will use in the worship service on Sundays, are now available from the ushers at each service.

RIDES FOR CHURCH If you are in need of a ride to church, please call the church office.

LOOKING FOR A FUNERAL COORDINATOR

We are looking for someone to serve compassion, love, and thankfulness as our Funeral Luncheon.Coordinator. If you are interested in this job and would like to see a job description please let Pastor know or church secretary.

REDEEMER ON THE AIRWAVES Charter Communications offers a one hour broadcast of our services on Channel 8 at 1:00 p.m. Tuesdays and at 3:30 p.m. Fridays.

LUTHERAN HOUR radio broadcast on KDHL 920 a.m, and KJLY 93.5 fm on Sundays 6:00 p.m., and WCCO 830 am at 6:00 a.m. To listen to the Lutheran Hour at any time or find out about other resources available from the Lutheran Hour, simply go to their website, www.lutheranhour.org.

JOYFUL RESPONSE Joyful Response electronic offering program is a very simple way for members to give their offerings electronically instead of writing out checks. If you need a form to sign up for Joyful Response, contact the church office.

SIGN UP FOR ALTAR FLOWERS If you would like to provide flowers to beautify our altar for worship on a Sunday morning, simply sign your name on the Flower Chart located on the bulletin board next to the office. If you are giving the flowers in memory of a loved one, or because of a wedding/anniversary or birthday, you may indicate that on the chart and that information will be put in the bulletin. Once you sign up, place a check for $19.00, made out to Redeemer Lutheran Church, in an envelope marked “Altar Flowers”. Take it to the church office or place it in the offering plate. If you wish to have a special arrangement, contact the church office.

CELEBRATIONS: Call Church Office 451 – 2720

Office Hours:

Monday – Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. except for the Noon hour.

PROVIDING THEIR TIME & TALENTS IN

MAY

ACOLYTES

May 1 Ryan Stewart

May 8 Eric Reuss

May 15 Ashley Coulombe

May 22 Alex Burns

May 29 Ethan Hollingsworth

LAY MINISTER & READER Richard Grunklee

ORGANIST: Janda Pitan

USHERS: – Wayne Christofferson, Roger Bogen, Pat Bogen, Vaughn Kispert, Eric Dowling

STATISTICS

Date Attendance Communion Offering

April 3 130 89 $3809.76

April 10 122 102 3806.56

April 17 132 3168.76

BIRTHDAYS

Melissa Rappe 5-4

Deborah Huntington 5-4

James Zwiebel 5-7

Samantha Bogen 5-8

Richard Grunklee 5-11

Donald Proulx 5-11

Ruth Thompson 5-14

Tad Rappe 5-15

Dennis Roemhildt 5-16

Brittney Chadderdon 5-16

Dwight Kallembach 5-17

Mert Grabau 5-18

Kenneth Keiper 5-18

Mandy Bieber 5-19

Marion Hartwig 5-22

Jonathan Vannatta 5-23

Robert Grunklee 5-24

Marcia Fjordbak 5-24

Audrey Long 5-25

Dennis Schiltz 5-25

Jersey Coleman 5-25

Arlene Gerlach 5-26

Samantha Nelson 5-26

Trenton Grunklee 5-27

ANNIVERSARYS

Wallace & Judith Wendel 5-1

James C & Lauretta Gasner 5-2

Marvin & Crystall Litke 5-3

Chad & Tracy Chadderdon 5-5

Ken & Pat Sable 5-17

John & Therese Sittig 5-22

Brian & Linda Coleman 5-22

Kenneth & Rhoda Keiper 5-26

Kenneth & Donna Huber 5-28

NEW ADDRESSES

Katherine Vierling

417 Glendale St

Owatonna, MN 55060

Stephanie Rollins

PO Box 312

Geneva, MN 56035-0312

Victor Greier

325 Hoffman Dr #105

Owatonna, MN 55060

DEATHS

Bernice “Bea” Lieb 2-21-19 to 4-1-11

LUTHERAN YOUTH DAY AT VALLEYFAIR – the date for the 30th annual LYF day at Valleyfair, is Monday, June 27th. This event is opened to all 6 to 12 graders. The cost to you is free as the youth account is paying for the event. You are invited to bring a friend. The cost to your friend is $22.00 with an option for lunch in the park for an additional $3.30, which includes hotdog, chips, cookie, and a drink or you can bring a sack lunch. There is a sign-up sheet posted on the youth door, please sign-up and have all money turned in no later than May 22nd. If you have any questions, contact Andy Pitan at 475-0118.

CAMP OMEGA DAY: Come for the day or just for a few hours and enjoy a free day of family fun in God’s creation at Camp Omega. Activities includes a picnic lunch, swimming, hayrides, pontoon rides, archery, canoeing and a variety of other staff-led camp activities for the whole family. To RSVP, contact the camp office by email

or call (507) 685-4266

Date: June 4m 2011. This is a FREE event!

ANNUAL WORK WEEKEND – Join others in Christian fellowship while preparing Camp Omega for the arrival of over 1600 children, youth and adults for summer camp programming. Entire families are invited to join in the service, fun and recreation of a fulfilling service weekend. Camp Omega staff will lead the youth and children in age-appropriate service projects and recreational activities. The weekend kicks off Friday evening and lasts through lunch on Sunday, but join us for any part of the weekend as your schedule allows.

Dates: May 27-29, 2011. This is a FREE event!

CONCORDIA SUNDAY – The word Concordia, “of one heart,” describes the people who are dedicated to Lutheran higher education and to the rich heritage and traditions that have been preserved for well over 150 years in The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. This year, more than 27, 400 students chose to receive their collegiate and professional education at one of the 10 Concordia colleges/universities. Over 1, 950 of these students are preparing to serve the LCMS as professional church workers. Redeemer will celebrate Concordia Sunday on May 15th.

LETTER FROM CALEB SCHEWE “OUR” VICAR

March

Dear members of Redeemer Lutheran,

Greetings from New York! Spring is well on the way here in Owego and our shoes are consistently soaked after the runs. The snow melts off the hills & keeps some of the sidewalks pretty saturated. Some roads go along rocky bluffs, making beautiful waterfalls off the bluff into the ditch. We’re enjoying the runs in lighter clothing.

Aside from the warmer weather, Lent is certainly here. I recently showed The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe to one of churches & did a study along with it. I think it’s an appropriate movie to begin Lent. We see our sin through the 4 children & the Witch & we certainly see Christ presented in the Lion Aslan.

My other Bible studies continue as usual. One of the churches has reached the story of Jacob in Genesis. The other 2 are still on Abraham. In Ecclesiastes I’ve reached chapter 8 which gets into some glorious teaching on righteousness. And in Revelation I just reached chapter 14 – another comforting vision of heavenly worship.

Last week was Lutheran school week & Zion school looked at difference countries around the world: Africa, Australia, China, Russia, & Italy. The teachers found some really good crafts & snacks to accompany the different countries. Sarah got to help set up a safari theme for Africa. It made for a fun and at times hectic week.