More Than Conquerors



“Getting to God this Thanksgiving”

“We Give thanks to you O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds.” ––Psalm 75:1

One Thanksgiving season a family was seated around their table, looking at the annual holiday bird. From the oldest to the youngest, they were to express their praise. When they came to the 5-year-old in the family, he began by looking at the turkey and expressing his thanks to the turkey, saying although he had not tasted it he knew it would be good. After that rather novel expression of thanksgiving, he began with a more predictable line of credits, thanking his mother for cooking the turkey and his father for buying the turkey. But then he went beyond that. He joined together a whole hidden multitude of benefactors, linking them with cause and effect. He said, "I thank you for the checker at the grocery store who checked out the turkey. I thank you for the grocery store people who put it on the shelf. I thank you for the farmer who made it fat. I thank you for the man who made the feed. I thank you for those who brought the turkey to the store."

Using his Columbo-like little mind, he traced the turkey all the way from its origin to his plate. And then at the end he solemnly said, "Did I leave anybody out?" His 2-year-older brother, embarrassed by all those proceedings, said, "God." Solemnly and without being flustered at all, the 5-year-old said, "I was about to get to Him."

Well, isn’t that the question that we ought to be thinking about this Thanksgiving? Are we really going to “get to Him” this Thanksgiving? If you’re like me, it’s so easy to focus on what I don’t have that I often forget to be thankful for what I do have. Let me encourage you to do 3 things that will help you “get to God” this Thanksgiving: 1st, spend some quiet time –– just you and the Lord –– meditating upon and giving thanks for all the blessings He has abundantly provided for your life; 2nd, think of someone who is in need and in a spirit of thanksgiving try to help them; and 3rd, please join us Thanksgiving Eve (Wed., Nov. 21st @ 7:00 p.m.) for a special worship service to acknowledge the grace and mercy of God in our lives. Also you are invited to the pie social immediately after worship in the Fellowship Hall (if possible, please bring a pie to share).

May God continue to keep you and those you love in His strong grasp!

Be blessed and be a blessing!

Pastor Dennis Starr

[pic]

Sunday School

On behalf of all the kids of Holy Emmanuel, we hope all of you have a very blessed Thanksgiving! We have so much to thank Jesus for!

There are some important dates coming up for our kids and their families. Please write these on your calendar and make it a priority to join us before the season gets too crazy!

• Sunday, November 25th, from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Caroling at Martin Luther Manor.

• Wednesday, December 5th, from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Advent Workshop. $5.00 per family. Come and prepare for Jesus’ birthday celebration.

• Saturday, December 15th, 9:00 a.m. Christmas Program Rehearsal and Party.

• Sunday, December 16th, 10:15 a.m. Sunday School Christmas Program, “The Littlest Angel.” The service will be followed by a Christmas lunch that everyone is invited to attend.

What a joy to be able to celebrate the upcoming holidays as a family being active in church. The family that worships and prays together – stays together!

A Blessed Thanksgiving to all of you!

Natalie Mylander

Youth News

Our lock-in was once again lots of fun! It’s great to see the teens of our church having a good time, knowing Christ is their priority.

We are trying to get together the last Friday of every month. On Friday, November 30th, we will meet at church at 5:00 p.m. for supper, Bible study and to make the scenery for the children’s Christmas program. See you there!

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Natalie Mylander

Open Arms

News

If you come into Open Arms, you will notice we are “under construction.” After ten years of thousands of children, a new look is well needed. A big thank you goes out to Mike & Tiffany Cabak for heading up our painting project. Thank you – thank you – thank you to all who helped with the painting – it looks terrific!

Next will be the carpet in the hallways. And it is all because of your financial support and prayers that this can be done.

What a wonderful mission God has given to Holy Emmanuel. We have so much to be thankful for, especially during this month of Thanksgiving. On Wednesday, November 21st, we will be having a light Thanksgiving lunch for all our parents.

From all of us at Open Arms, we wish you all a very blessed Thanksgiving!

In His Name,

Natalie Mylander

Sunday Morning Bible Study

9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

• Master Plan (Led by Pastor Starr in the Chapel).

• Book of James (Led by Randy Marko in the Accounting Room).

1st & 3rd Sunday Evenings

5:30 p.m.

Couples in Christ

• Topic to be Announced

2nd Monday Evenings

Parenting

5:30 p.m. – Supper

6:00 p.m. – Bible Study

• Topic to be Announced (Led by Randy Marko)

Tuesday Mornings

10:00 a.m.

• Topic to be Announced (Led by Pat Squires at the Gables Apt. Bldg.)

Wednesday Mornings

9:30 a.m.

• Women’s Bible Study (Led by Elaine Bakalar in the Accounting Room)

Thursday Mornings

10:00 a.m.

(Begins on November 1st)

• Judaism (Led by Chuck Squires in the Accounting Room).

1st Friday Evenings

6:00 p.m.

• Ladies Bible Study (Led by Natalie Mylander)

Join us at the home of Carol Starr for a pot luck supper and Bible study.

New Bible Study Starting!

The Book of James

We'll be starting a new Bible study on the book of James on Sunday mornings during the education hour.  Pastor has been preaching on this book in his sermon series for several months now.  That wet our appetite and got us thinking how the words of this book can help us live and conduct ourselves/lives in a more God pleasing manner.  Some of James words and direction can be quite harsh and uncomfortable to hear, but ultimately we can use this book to help us through times of trouble, times of growth, times when we've not used our tongue so wisely or kindly, times when we need to make decisions about our finances or how we use our time.  We can learn a lot and see how we can apply our learnings to living a more consistent Christian life and strengthen our faith, one that works.  Won't you please join us?

 

In Christ,

 

Randy Marko 

Ladies of Holy Emmanuel

All ladies are invited to a Christmas party on Friday, December 21st.

There are tickets available for $35.00/each for the Plymouth Playhouse to see the “Church Basement Ladies” on the 21st.

If you are interested and would like to reserve a ticket, please contact Natalie Mylander ASAP at (612) 243-4057.

“Marriage Encounter”

Seminar

To All Married Couples of Holy Emmanuel,

 

The Board of Christian Education is sponsoring a Marriage Encounter/Study Course to be held on one of the following weekends in February 2008 (either February 8 & 9, or February 15 & 16).

This class will give you an opportunity to share a learning experience with your spouse that promises to  be very enriching and inspirational. "The Power of We" is an interactive media based course where we'll take a deep look at the marriage relationship.  God's promise is that "the two shall become one flesh".  There is great mystery in this oneness.  It is one of the most powerful forces on earth.  It can join a couple together for life, weathering all storms and forces that would destroy and provide a home - a safe place - for children to grow strong in spirit.  This study will provide both the theoretical understanding of the "WE" and the practical, day to day wisdom that will help form a good/strong marriage.  The "WE" is made up of four dimensions: Communication, Emotions, Touch, and Grace.  We'll learn how to keep these all in balance with each other.

This course will be held on Friday evening and all day Saturday.  We need to plan for the number of couples which entails planning for meals, materials, etc.  A sign up roster will be posted in the Narthex for the next several weeks to allow for you to consider attending and also making the necessary planning/arrangements for child care if you require it.  Please pick the weekend that best fits your schedule, and/or add your name to both if you have no specific preference.  To benefit from this course as a couple you'll want to try and clear your calendars so you'll be able to focus on learning and each other during this weekend.  A note, there will be a small charge per couple for the materials and to help defray the cost of food and beverage.  We'll have a better idea of this cost once we know the number of couples attending.

This should be a wonderful opportunity for couples (newly weds as well as those of us who have been married for a long time) to come together and learn how we can be better partners to our spouse and how God can work through us to be good Christian examples to those around us.  Won't you please consider joining us?

 

In Christ,

 

The Board of Christian Education 

Chancel Choir Rehearsals

The Chancel Choir will meet on the following dates in November:

Sunday, November 11th

Sunday, November 25th

11:45 a.m. each Sunday

Saturday, November 17th

11:30 a.m.

We invite anyone who in interested to be sure to join us!

New Members

On Sunday, September 30th, Holy Emmanuel welcomed into membership the following families:

John Garay

Doug & Linnea Manske

Kayla, Hanna, Nicholas

Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes will be collected until Thanksgiving Eve. Flyers with details about what can and cannot be packed will be in the narthex. Please include a $7.00 donation to help with processing and shipping.

If anyone age 13 or older would like to volunteer at the warehouse the Saturday, November 24th, 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., please contact Sheryl Burkhardt at (952) 894-0234.

Thank you to everyone whose shoebox gift makes this a happy Christmas for a child!

Worship Service

Wednesday, November 21st

7:00 p.m.

There will be a pie social following the service that evening. Members are encouraged to bring pies.

Thank You!

Dear Members and Friends:

I would like to thank all of you for your prayers, cards, and well-wishes when my son, Chuck, passed away.

I appreciate everything you have done!

In Christ,

Trudy Schramm

Capital Drive ‘07

Built in 1969, our building has served our congregation well for nearly 40 years. As the building ages, we are finding more and more repairs are needed. Unfortunately, some of these repairs are major and require significant funds.

Recent and near time repairs include a new dishwasher, window replacement, major roof replacement, 104th street assessment, and others.

To help these repairs, Capital Drive ’07 was announced at the Voters’ Meeting on October 28th, 2007. Capital Drive ’07 is the first major fund raiser at Holy Emmanuel since the ECC was built in 1997. The goal is to raise $100,000. Your help in reaching our goal will insure our building continues to serve our congregation in a safe and attractive manner for years to come.

If you have any questions about the Capital Drive ’07, please speak with Ron Reich or John Carlson.

Stewardship Corner

Showing our Gratitude

God gives us His love, goodness, and mercy daily. He has given us victory over sin and death through His Son. Christ has given us the blessings of forgiveness, justification, a new life, and an eternal hope. Because of His bountiful blessings, we should be compelled to show our gratitude. Do we? Could we, at times, be taking all that we receive for granted?

If Christ were to come into our homes in physical form, certainly we would express our thanks in tangible ways. We would make Him comfortable, run errands for Him, offer our best food, and give Him our time and attention. However, we don't have that opportunity, so we show our gratitude in different ways.

One way that we express our gratitude is to give thanks throughout the day in our prayers and thoughts. When we see life and its blessings as gifts, we are prepared to offer our thanks. Our thanksgiving is expressed when we use the faith God has given us to live in obedience to His Word. God hears and sees our gratitude through the lives we live. When we generously share our time and money with others in Christian love, we show our thanksgiving for our gifts. Our giving reflects Christ's love in us. We extend our thanks to our heavenly Father when we give Him praise and glory in weekly worship and privately throughout each day.

As stewards, we find that our gratitude to God opens our hearts to receive more of God's love which enables us to be more faithful with our time, talents, and treasures. In response to God's love and grace, we give ourselves and our resources. When we acknowledge God as the creator and owner of all, we will serve the Lord faithfully out of gratitude for all His gifts to us. Our gratefulness to God will enable us to give thanks even during bad times because God promises to comfort and sustain us in all things.

Blessings on your Thanksgiving season!

Priscilla Guild

Kitchen

Please do not take items from the church kitchen or two store rooms unless you have permission! We are missing paper cups and a large box of plastic teaspoons.

If you need to borrow something, please let the secretary know or call Dell Lossow at (612) 729-8492.

Thank you!

Kitchen Items Needed

We still need covered, clear plastic containers, as well as stainless teaspoons.

If you are able to donate any of these items, please put them in the kitchen.

Thank you!

“Housekeeping”

When you are at the church and if you see anything “out of place,” please put it away. If you dirty anything, please clean it.

We are all responsible for keeping our church neat and clean. Thank you!

Slovak Smorgasbord Dinner

Bazaar & Bake Sale

❖ Sunday, November 4th

❖ Serving from 11:00 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.

❖ Cost - Adults - $15.00

Children 12 & Under - $4.00

❖ Features Slovak and American Foods

❖ Menu Includes:

Cabbage Rolls

Polish Sausage w/Kraut

Huluski (Dumplings, Cabbage, Bacon)

Pioury (Pasta filled w/cheese and butter or prunes)

Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

Meat Balls

Kolache

Pies

Bread

Coffee, Milk

We need many people to help – men and ladies – on Saturday, November 3rd and Sunday, November 4th. Helpers will receive a discount.

Please purchase your tickets ahead of time or contact the church office at (952) 888-2345 to reserve your tickets.

If you have any questions regarding the above events, please call Gladys Lossow at (612) 729-8492.

November Birthdays

November 1 Kelsey Wickland

November 3 Marge Velebir

November 5 Dick St. Martin

November 5 Lisa Phillips

November 11 Andrew La Goo

November 12 Brad Solvie

November 13 Tiffany Phillips

November 15 Dennis Starr

November 16 Katie Griffith

November 17 Cynthia Marko

November 17 Janet Bakalar

November 19 Ruth Pafko

November 20 Grace Yurik

November 21 Dee Dolny

November 24 Renee Watson

November 25 Heather Freitag

November 28 Sally Endresen

November 28 Bethleen Connor

November 29 Emily Mylander

November 30 Helen Johnstone

November Anniversaries

Nov. 10 Brian & Jennifer VanDeBerg

Nov. 29 John & Lillian Prok[pic]

-----------------------

[pic]

[pic]

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download