bslc newsletter no july 2015 issue beautiful savior · 2015-07-24 · christian love, therefore,...

www.beautiful-savior.com

BEAUTIFUL SAVIORPastor’s Update:

Evangelism Corner

Our July calendar is PACKED with opportunities to reach out to your friends, relatives, neighbors, classmates, and everyone else! Our Board of Evangelism and many volunteers have some great events planned for kids of all ages. The purpose of these events is 1) share the Gospel with as many people as possible and 2) bring more people on campus to meet our family of God and be introduced to our ministry. Parents and grandparents, please talk with your kids and grandkids about the importance of inviting others to hear about Jesus. You could even take some time with them and make a list of people they could invite. All summer long we can follow the example of Philip in John 1 by asking others to “come and see” what Jesus has done.

CONTENTS

7.1EVANGELISM CORNEROpportunities abound all summer long to ask others to “come and see” what Jesus has done.

7.2A BRIEF HISTORYThe 6th installment of our congregation’s history, covering the years 1995-2000.

7.4CONGREGATIONAL ASSESSMENTReport focusing on the area of adult discipleship at BSLC.

7.5EXPANSION FAQSAnswers to some of the frequently asked questions concerning the proposed expansion.

7.7CALENDARConclusions drawn from the self-study we did on Sunday mornings. This month’s focus: evangelism.

BSLC NEWSLETTER NO 7.15 JULY 2015 ISSUE

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

-Pastor Groth

Flower: https://flic.kr/p/7i2UzC, Flag: https://flic.kr/p/h5Vzm

come and see(John 1:35-39)

http://www.christ-lcms.org



A Brief HistoryA Treasure to Receive, A Legacy to Leave

1995 – 2000 “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains

wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.”

Isaiah 54:2

The above words were spoken by God to His people through His prophet Isaiah. Using the imagery of making a tent larger by lengthening the cords (which would also require strengthening the stakes) God was promising that He would increase their nation. The 90’s was a decade in which our physical plant increased in size, symbolizing the increase in numbers which God granted.

The early 90’s brought significant increases in the enrollment and the facility of our Lutheran Elementary School, and of our Sunday School. But during that time there was also an increasing awareness that a larger worship space was necessary if the congregation was going to continue to grow. The existing sanctuary was designed to seat approximately 100, but average attendance at the 2nd service was over 90 and growing.

And so, almost immediately after the dust settled on the ’93 school addition project, discussions began on a new sanctuary. Things moved slowly at first. Debt needed to be paid down. Much study was done. In ’96, Roger Short was hired as architect. In ’97, Indell construction was awarded the project with a bid of about $400,000. A new sanctuary would be built and the “old” sanctuary would be remodeled into a narthex and pastor’s office.

The new sanctuary was dedicated on February 1, 1998. At the close of the last service in the ’74 sanctuary, many of the articles we use in worship—communion ware, bookstand, baptismal font bowl—were carried out in a solemn procession. Three weeks later, at the opening of the

dedication service, many of those same articles were carried in a solemn procession by the Engelmanns, the Leberechts, and by Lois Pietz and Jill Dabe. There were tears on both occasions as the congregation reflected on the many blessings God had showered on us in the “old” sanctuary and promises of His blessings in the “new.”

Before the decade came to an end, planning had begun for another major addition. It would be a large multipurpose room, capable of serving as an auditorium, a small gym, a large dining area, and a large Bible class room, along with more classrooms.

It was not just our facility that was changing. So was our staff. Early in ’94, Eric Brown had accepted a call to Minnesota. He and Janell would be leaving at the end of the ’94-’95 school year. In addition, the State of Ohio changed their regulations so that Gloria was no longer qualified to serve as our preschool teacher. We were facing a complete turnover of our faculty! Turn-over would seem to characterize our faculty for the next 5 years. During those years, our school was served by the following teachers:


(As part of our 45 year anniversary as a congregation, we are recounting the events of those 45 years in a series of newsletter articles. This is the 6th installment, covering the years 1995-2000.)

Groundbreaking for the new sanctuary. Boys are Paul Mattes and Patrick Grady.




Steve Gartner, principal and grades 5-8 (’94-’95), Kim Gartner, grades 1-4 (’94-’95), Jessica Neumann, preschool and kindergarten (’94-’96), Jeni Johnson, grades 1-4 (’95-’96), Matthew Heyn, principal and grades 5-8 (’95-’01), Gina Noe, part-time preschool (’95-’96), Katie Spangenberg, preschool, kindergarten, grades 1-4 (’96-‘01), Barbara Darling, grades 1-4 (’97-‘98 ), Molly Heyn, preschool (‘96 -’01), and Renee Geiger, grades 1-4 (’98-‘00).

The 90’s were a decade in which our building grew significantly. More importantly, it was also decade in which our congregation grew—both in numbers and spiritually. God had blessed us.


Matt and Molly Heyn, and their children.

Pastor GrothVBS & Live Nativity Preparations Begin

Our Live Nativity efforts for December have already begun! We had our first planning meeting at the end of May, and some exciting ideas were discussed. One of those ideas was a Live Nativity/VBS combo event in July. On Saturday, July 25, we will plan on recording the video for our Live Nativity event. All members are invited to be a part of this filming. The plan is to cut this footage into teaser trailers to be used as digital invites during the fall. On that same day in July, we will set up the facility for Vacation Bible School, which takes place the following week. This will hopefully create some excitement the following Sunday, when kids see VBS already set up. Your help is much needed and much appreciated!

Photo image from the Live Nativity Video 2014, “When the Time Had Fully Come”




A Reporton the Congregational Assessment Bible Study

In a series of newsletter articles we have been sharing some of the conclusions drawn from the self-study we did on Sunday mornings. In previous issues we discussed “worship” and “evangelism.” We continue this month with “adult discipleship.”

A disciple is someone who follows and who learns from Jesus. When we talk about discipleship then, we are talking about growing in our faith. It includes making sure members have ample opportunity to be instructed in the Word and making sure members have ample opportunity and encouragement to put their faith into practice in both their personal and congregational lives.

The writer to the Hebrews reminds us: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

We are called to gather regularly around the means of grace (Word and Sacrament). Contact with the means of grace is the only thing that keeps members in the faith. Christian love, therefore, compels us to have a system in place that tracks member attendance and helps brothers and sisters who are persistently absent from public worship.

While we believe that we have a good system in place, a major challenge for us is that too much of the

responsibility for encouraging faithful attendance is falling on the Elders. More members of the congregation need to be more active in this service. A further challenge for us is that this encouragement is not likely to happen unless strong relationships exist between more of our members. I am not likely to call a brother to tell him I missed him in worship if I do not know him or have never (or rarely) spoken to him. Therefore we believe that fellowship and member assimilation are key to making improvements in this area.

While membership has grown substantially in recent years (an increase of almost 30% in the last 5 years), worship attendance seems to have plateaued (at least in the last 3 years) and Bible class attendance is actually down. It appears we have more people, but they are coming to worship less often, are less committed to supporting the work of the church with their offerings (93 giving units (almost half) have given less than an average of $5 per week in 2015), and are not as committed to growing in their understanding of the Scriptures and in their relationship with Jesus.

Here again, our greatest challenge seems to be fellowship and member assimilation. Those who do not feel connected to the church are not likely to use their gifts and talents to further our mission and ministry.

We believe we need to help our members see themselves not as members of an audience on Sunday morning, but as students of the faith in training for service to


Part Three (Adult Discipleship)

Christian love compels us to have a system in place that tracks member attendance and helps brothers and sisters who are persistently absent from public worship.

We believe that fellowship and member assimilation are key to making improvements in the area of adult discipleship.

Continued page 6...




Expansion FAQsby Pastor Tom Westra

We have been considering a building expansion proposal for several months now. During that time, many questions have been asked. Here are a few along with answers.

Q. The expansion proposal is to add fellowship space. Why do we need more fellowship space on Sunday mornings?

A. If our current narthex need only allow space for people to enter and leave the sanctuary, it is adequate for the size of our sanctuary. But if we want space for people to gather and visit before and after the service, it has become too small. On many Sundays, when attendance approaches 175 in a service, the narthex becomes uncomfortable for visiting. If God blesses us with increased worship attendance, the need for more

“gathering” space will increase. Just as your home has space for your family and friends to gather and talk, so a church needs space for the “family” to gather and encourage one another as our Lord directs us. (1 Thessalonians 5:11 and 1 Peter 2:17)

Q. How will the new fellowship space help us to encourage one another?

A. By adding approximately another 1,200 square feet of space to our existing narthex, we will now have adequate room for members and visitors to have conversations before and after services and for us to hold small receptions after the services at special times like the welcome of new members or the baptism of a baby. Keep in mind that the Fellowship Hall served this important function from 1974 until recently, when a growing school enrollment led us to fill the room with tables and chairs. It is important that we regain the fellowship space we gave up a few years ago.

Q. How does this new fellowship space help us to eliminate congestion on Sunday mornings?

A. The new space will most likely have two large doorways into the existing narthex, and one large doorway into the foyer of the back entrance. What this will do is


“A welcoming gathering space before and after services provides a critical opportunity to greet visitors, to connect with other members, and to encourage one another in Christian discipleship, which includes most importantly: attendance at Bible class and Sunday School.”

-Pastor Groth

Continued next page...




(Congregational Assessment, continued...)

their Lord. We want to help them see the Bible not simply as a possession, but something that God’s people speak, discuss and live. Such goals will be reached by getting more people into the Word more often.

Addressing the challenges before us in the area of discipleship, adult spiritual growth, fellowship,

and member assimilation is perhaps the most critical task before us.


CELEBRATINGANNIVERSARIES7/1 Glenn & Belinda Oberding7/3 Tim & Kris Fitz7/3 John & Eileen Gutzwiller7/3 Rebecca & Matthew Lantis7/3 Brian & Tiffaney Planert7/4 Brent & Pam Adams

7/6 Eric & Paula Cudnohoske7/6 Kevin & Sara Zeitler7/9 Dan & Kristel Krieger7/10 Mike & Joyce Lehman7/11 Carl & Alissa Kiedrowski7/13 Rick & Cheryl McGuire7/14 Kevin & Bethany Feldmann7/17 Dirk & Donna Von Deylen

7/19 Michael & Theresa Lent7/20 Scott & Sarah Cloutier7/23 Barbara & Scott Farmer7/23 Mark & Joyce Lochhaas7/25 Martin & Shawn Kurtzahn7/25 Sarah & Christopher Schmitt7/25 Henry & Melanie Staubitz7/30 Keith & Joetta Rader

(Expansion FAQs, continued...)

connect our current gathering spaces and help them to flow together so that it will be easier and more natural to visit with one another even as we make our way to Bible class (if we attended the 8:30 service) or from Bible class to the sanctuary (if we are attending the 11:00 service).

Q. I have heard a lot about “assimilation of new members” as an important goal of this expansion. What is “assimilation” and why is it so important?

A: Assimilation is integrating members into the life and ministry of the congregation. It is important because the health of a church depends on it, and—more importantly—because it is what our Lord calls us to do.

One of the most acute problems of American Christianity is that such high percentages of those who call themselves Christians see themselves as members of an audience but not disciples, not students of the faith in training for some kind of definite service. The key is not to see the Bible simply as a possession, or even as the basis for a set of creeds that can be written down and then promptly put away and forgotten about, but rather to see the church as people speaking, discussing, acting, and living the Word of God in their lives.

While membership has grown substantially in recent years (an increase of almost 30% in the last 5 years), worship attendance seems to have plateaued (at least in the last 3 years) and Bible class attendance is actually down. It appears that we have more people, but, on average, they are coming to worship less often, are less committed to supporting the work of the church with their time and money, and are not as committed to growing in their understanding of the Scriptures and in their relationship with Jesus. In calling us to make disciples, our Lord calls us reverse that trend.





Shown AboveTalent CampKids aged 4 years through 5th grade got a taste of many different activities at this year’s Talent Camp — from music to art and drama, from robotics to sports and games. On top of it all, kids learned of their amazingly talented God, who gifted them with talents they can use — and gave them the greatest Gift of all!

Meet our MembersWelcome Gorder Family

Bill and Justine live in Mason, Ohio, with their three children – Anthony, age 15, a sophomore at Mason High School; Val, age 7, a second grader at Western Row Elementary; and, Emma, age 5, in Kindergarten at Mason Early Childhood Center. Bill is a software architect with Kroger in Blue Ash, and has worked there for five years. He grew up in Rochester, MN and attended John Marshall High School. Bill then graduated from Mankota State College in Mankota, MN with a degree in computer engineering. He has one brother and one sister. Justine is a receptionist at Marjorie P Lee Retirement Community in Hyde Park, and has worked there for five years. She also grew up in Rochester, MN, where she attended Mayo High School. Justine graduated from Rochester Community Technology College. She has two sisters and a brother. Bill enjoys reading about and programming computers. Justine likes to quilt and put puzzles together. They transferred from Abiding Word Lutheran (WELS) in Maineville, OH in May, 2015. Bill has taught 7th and 8th grade Sunday School. Justine has worked in the church office, and Anthony has played the violin in church. Welcome to Bill, Justine, Anthony, Val, and Emma!

CELEBRATINGBIRTHDAYS7/1 Sarah Cloutier7/2 Joshua Wilch7/3 Pamela Adams7/3 Jonathan Grady7/3 Bethany Planert7/4 Erica Keeney7/4 Michael Slattery7/6 Audrey Beavers7/6 Cheryl Grady7/6 Leah Noe7/7 Mark Rosenzweig7/7 James Stehlin7/8 Marilyn Stehlin7/9 Lauren Rader7/9 Missy Siefert7/13 Heather Lopshire7/15 Alexander Easterday7/15 Wade Halma7/15 Hillary Hamdan7/15 Carl Kiedrowski7/15 Gina Noe7/16 Carolyn Harlan7/16 Braydon Hayes7/16 Jackie Veite7/17 Ron Schweder7/19 Donna Von Deylen7/21 Barry Haller7/21 Laura LaMott7/21 Nicholas Mattes7/22 Kayla Cloutier7/22 Barbara Farmer7/23 David Sheldon7/23 Aaron Wilch7/25 Peter Sheldon, Jr.7/25 Kayla Sing7/27 Brandon Sorn7/28 Brent Adams7/28 Kyle Poppe7/29 Kim Planert7/29 Ginger Scherbarth7/29 Olivia Von Deylen7/31 Faith Dabe7/31 Abbie Montague

Pastor Tom Westra 513-825-8005 [email protected] Alex Groth 513-825-8005 [email protected] Dan Markgraf 513-825-2290 [email protected]



bslc newsletter no july 2015 issue beautiful savior · 2015-07-24 · christian love, therefore,...

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