Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

For several years now I have been addressing my newsletter articles to you as brothers and sisters in Christ. For many more years I have been I have been signing letters “Love in Christ.” Just what does it mean to be “in Christ?” The King James Version of the Bible uses the phrase over 75 times, and I’m sure that other translations would be close to that.

Romans 8:1 tells us that “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 12:5 says “So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.”

St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians ends with the words, “My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.” Love in Christ…

But what does it really mean to be in Christ? Throughout the month of May, our Gospel lessons from John have been Jesus’ conversation with his disciples around the table at the Last Supper. And in chapter 15 of the Gospel of John, part of that after-dinner talk, Jesus himself gives us the answer to this question. “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5)

Newsletter- June 2015

Pastor Bob Deffinbaugh writes that “As the true vine our Lord is the source of life and strength and fruit. There is a relationship of complete dependence between the branch and the vine. The vine supplies life-giving nourishment to the branches. Apart from it, the branches have neither life nor fruit.”

This is our Christian responsibility—to “abide” in Christ. John is fond of this word “abide.” He uses the term over fifty times in his writings. Underlying the meaning of this term is the idea of belief. Abiding requires a belief in the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. It is a dependence upon His provision of life and strength. It is a belief and a relationship with Jesus Christ and His Word.

In addition, the idea of enduring is implied by the word abide. Abiding is believing, depending, and persevering. If one abides in Christ he or she will bear much fruit. Abiding is essential for fruit bearing. Abiding is not an option, but an essential requirement for the Christian life. The finest illustration of this kind of abiding is found in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. His life was marked by a total submission and obedience to the will of the Father.

I hope that the different pace of the summer months will allow you time to consider how you are abiding in Christ. Come to worship. If you are traveling, find a place to worship on the Sabbath.

Love In Christ,

Pastor Mark

Spring Worship Schedule

Sundays in June 8:30 a.m. Prayer Time in the library 9:00 a.m. Adult Sunday School in counting room10:00 a.m. Worship

Wednesdays in June 7:00 p.m. Women’s Bible Study in blue room of basement

June 14 Now the Feast and Celebration, VBS presentation, and New Member Reception

150th Anniversary ActivitiesFishes and Loaves

The Historical Committee has been meeting and advancing several projects. There will be additions to bring the 125th Anniversary Book to be current. We will have a 2016 calendar with Swedish recipes and photos which we will sell this fall. Proceeds from the calendar sales will be used to help publish the 150th Anniversary Book. We will update the cemetery directory. As indicated before, our 150th Anniversary Historical Committee is requesting short stories about SELC to be shared with all. The stories can be humorous, moving, anything in between or all of the above. We all have, for example, moments in a service or moments in fellowship which cannot be erased from our minds. Please leave your stories in a box labeled “Church Stories” in the church narthex.

Improvement giving prior to the March/April match program was $49,380. Giving since the match program

began is $92,090.66. The match of $60,000 has been received. Actual cash received is $201,470.66. In addition, we have pledges for 2016 and beyond of $40,540. So, SELC has received $242,010.66 in giving and pledges. The Parish Hall restroom addition and siding are in the final stages of completion. The Church roof will be replaced this summer. The focus right now is finalizing the plans for re-furbishing the lower level of the Church. There have been weekly meetings. We have and will continue to announce meeting times. All members are welcome.

…..And taking the five loaves and two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them. Our blessings continue to divide and multiply. These are exciting times for SELC!

The 150th Steering, Property and Interiors Committees meet together on June 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the church basement.

Congregation Council and Church Finance Notes

The Council met on Thursday, May 21, 2015. The next regular Council meeting will be Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. A copy of the meeting minutes is posted in the church narthex. Council minutes are also available in the church office.

Financial Report 2015 General Fund Activity (through May 27, 2015)

Gifts $80,971.40Expenses $81,932.13Mission Support $8,107.08Net LOSS ($9,067.81)

NEW MEMBERS RECEPTION

We will receive new members during our worship service on Sunday, June 14. If you know someone who might be interested in joining SELC, please contact Pastor Mark.

There will be a potluck dinner after church on June 14 to welcome our new members and to celebrate our week of Vacation Bible School. Drinks will be provided.

Tanzania Companion Coordinators

The Tanzania Companion Coordinators will meet at 7:30 p.m. in the church basement on Tuesday, June 2.

Christian Education

The Christian Education committee met at the home of Julie Ostby on May 11, 2015. The main discussion focused on preparations for Vacation Bible School, which runs June 8-11. Helpers with VBS plan to meet at the parish hall on Sunday, June 7th at 4 p.m. to decorate. Bring a snack to share. If you are interested in helping (which we'd love!), contact Becky Rauenbuehler.

SO Fun Day is taking place between Swedesburg/Olds on Saturday, June 6th. Emily has coordinated with the folks from Olds to hand out postcards at that event, inviting kids to both our and Olds’ VBS. In addition, Mary has fliers and postcards at the church in the back entrance for anyone to use as a way to invite others to VBS. The banner will also be put out by the highway. (Hults have given permission.) Pre-registration works

great, but kids can register for VBS when they arrive as well.

The committee reviewed the names of those eligible to start confirmation in the fall: Jack Moody, Anna Ostby and Landan Provino. Monte Kann and Dawn Bodenham will continue to work with Pastor Mark in leading confirmation. The Gods' Not Dead four-week study will be offered again in the fall for high school students, starting mid-September. The committee agreed to provide several opportunities for high school education throughout the school year. No changes to the Sunday School program are anticipated, however, the committee is seeking someone to help teach preschool/kindergarten.

For our last Sunday School event before summer break, we celebrated the "Fruits of the Spirit" by making fruit kabobs with nine different types of fruit representing each gift of the Holy Spirit. 

We also had balloon races (another object lesson based on the power of the Holy Spirit)

. 

Vacation Bible School

Everest Vacation Bible School (VBS) will take place at the Parish Hall, 201 Academy Avenue in Swedesburg, on Monday, June 8 through Thursday, June 11, 2015 from 5:30 p.m. until 8:15 p.m. each evening. This year’s theme is Everest. Supper will be served each evening starting at 5:30 p.m.

Registration and volunteer forms are located inside this newsletter as well as in the narthex (entryway) and also the back entrance to the church, or printable from our website.

Women’s Study

The women began a study on April 22: Let It Go by Karen Ehman. How to Stop Running the Show and Start Waking in Faith. Please join the women on Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m., in the blue room of the basement at church.

Churchmen Prayer Breakfast

The next prayer breakfast for all Churchmen will be on July 25 at 6:30 a.m., at the parish hall, 201 Academy

Avenue, with hosts Ray Meth and Carl Lund. All men are invited. Pastor Mark will lead the Bible Study.

Women of the ELCA (WELCA)

The Tri-Synod (All Iowa) Gathering and Convention is June 20, 2015 at Iowa Central Community College in Ft. Dodge.

WELCA will have Bible Study during June and July.

Altar Flowers

If you have garden flowers available to decorate the altar, please feel free to sign up to provide flowers. Sunday, June 7 is still available, as well as some other future dates.

Lost and Found

Some items have been left on the coat rack (hats, coats, etc.) at the Parish Hall. These items will be donated to the Quarter or More Store if not picked up by Wednesday, June 3. If you believe any of these items might be yours, and you would like to see them, you may access the hall by contacting the church office.

Social Ministry

The date of Sunday, March 13, 2016 has been set for next year’s Spring Brunch. Put it on your calendars!

There is a continuing need for size 3 diapers for SELC's food pantry. You are also encouraged to bring in coupons that you are not using, and have these available in the food pantry.

The committee's next meeting will be Thursday, September 17, at 5:30 p.m.

Address Change

If you change your mailing address, please let the office know as soon as possible. For every returned newsletter we receive for an incorrect address, we are charged 57 cents.

SO Fun Day

SO (Swedesburg/Olds) Fun Day will be held on Saturday, June 6, from 9:00 - noon. A great way to start out the day would be to have Swedish pancakes at the Parish Hall, beginning at 8:00. There will be activities for the kids on the Parish Hall lawn beginning at 9:00, led by staff from the Mt. Pleasant Rec Center. Free SO Fun Day t-shirts will be given out at this time.

At 10:00 there will be a walk/run/bike ride from the Parish Hall to the Olds United Church of Christ. Carriage rides to Olds will also be available.

At Olds there will be a bouncy house, clown, and face-painting. It will be a great way to spend a Saturday morning!  

Federal Privacy Laws

Because of Federal Privacy Laws (HIPPA), if you or a member of your family are hospitalized and would like to Pastor to visit, you must contact the church. You can reach the church office at (319) 254-2216, or Pastor Mark at (319) 631-8564.

The Lutheran Magazine

The church provides its members with a subscription to The Lutheran. If you do not currently receive a copy and would like to, please contact the Mary in the church office. We would be glad to provide you with a subscription to this magazine at no cost to you.Dear SELC Congregation:

I have been on a youth Relay for Life team for the past eight years and sadly, this will be my last year on the team. I want to do as much as I can to help and I thought I would reach out to our congregation. This year, I will be collecting pop cans and bottles as a fundraiser for my team. If you would like to save your cans and bottles and bring them to church, I can take them off your hands for you. I would pick them up from your vehicle after church. If it would be easier, I could also come by your house and pick them up. The American Cancer Society is a great cause that truly helps people and any donation at all is one step closer to finding a cure. If you have any questions please feel free ask me. You can email me at laura.hult@hotmail.com or call 319-217-0147. Relay for Life will be held at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant on June 20, 2015.

Best wishes, Laura Hult

World Refugee Day

World Refugee Day is held annually on June 20 to honor the resilience of millions of people around the world who are forcibly displaced. Through your help, LSI provides extended support services in the Des Moines area for people of refugee status who have been resettled to Iowa. These families and individuals bring with them unique talents and dreams, including skills in a field well known to us in Iowa—agriculture! Many people of refugee status grew up in agricultural communities in their home countries and desire to become farmers once again. LSI’s Global Greens program helps reconnect people with the land and empowers market farmers to sell their local, sustainably grown food. Join us at LSI’s Global Greens Farmers’ Market on Saturdays, May through October, at LSI’s Des Moines campus (3200 University Ave). For details, visit www.LSIowa.org/globalgreens.

LSI is proud to be an affiliated social ministry organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Learn more at www.LSIowa.org and www.facebook.com/LSI.iowa.

Ya Di’s Dream

Ya Di has a selfless dream: he hopes that by changing his life he can change the lives of others. He arrived in Des Moines with his parents and siblings one year ago as a refugee from Burma (Myanmar), a country where ethnic minorities have faced violence and persecution from the military government.

“When I came to the U.S., I had never been in a city,” he said. “In Burma, we lived in a village with mountains. In my mind I thought if I go to a big city, my life will be changed, or I will get more opportunities.”

Ya Di immediately wanted to go to high school when he arrived in Iowa, but he was too old. He instead began pursuing his education through other opportunities, including work readiness classes with LSI’s Refugee Community Services.

Through the five-week class at LSI, Ya Di learned about filling out job applications, interviewing and even the importance of a firm handshake. By meeting other students, he also started to feel more at home in his new community.

After graduating from LSI’s class, Ya Di received and accepted a job offer. He now works full-time, and he also takes English as a Second Language (ESL) and welding classes at Des Moines Area Community College.

“If I get a GED, I can continue to get more education and go to college,” he said. “It’s the first happy goal for me, the first step for me.” He said he hopes to someday share education with others in his home country. “My dream is to be a teacher. I will continue my education to get a diploma and also care for my family.”

Blood Drive

We would like to thank you and the donors of Swedesburg Lutheran Church for the blood drive you recently held with Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center. Your group provided 21 donations for local hospitals served by MVRBC. Because each whole blood donation can be processes into multiple blood components, your blood drive provided up to 84 products for patients in need.

With the support of blood drive organizations like yours, we provide lifesaving products to hospitals throughout our region. I hope you found hosting a mobile blood drive was a rewarding experience. Please express my appreciation to your organization’s Blood Drive Coordinator and to those who gave blood at your event, and thank you for joining in our mission to help save lives!

Amanda Hess, Director of Donor Relations

Thank You’s Received Thank you for your gift to help us fulfill our mission

to assist persons with disabilities to live a life of opportunities and well-being. Thank you so very much for the help we received from you. It is appreciated and we’re grateful for the help and support. Presently we are serving 400 persons with disabilities from Southeast Iowa. Recently we began providing residential services in Henry County. We will be opening another group home soon. Thank you for remembering us each year.

Sincerely,Julie

Hope Haven Area Development Center

Thank you for all your many prayers for Donna Gray (my sister-in-law) during her long illness. And thank you for your prayers to our family now in her passing into eternal life.

Lana & Keith Zihlman

June AnniversariesWe wish to offer these couples a happy anniversary: 1 Luke and Heather Applegate 2 Joe and Rachel Johnson10 Dave and Jessica Diers12 Doug and Donna Deardorff15 Lindy and Lil Chrisinger18 Wayne and Mary Lou Rodgers 19 Mark and Mary Ann Kaufman 19 Ron and Deb Reid19 John and Jane Wickham24 Larry and Carole Kaufman24 Ralph and Cherry Sandeen25 Justin and Nicole Payne26 Duayne and Michelle Hultquist 27 Adam and Brooke Smith

June BirthdaysWe wish the following people a very happy birthday on their special day: 1 Janey Lauer 2 Dave Rauenbuehler 5 Anya Caboth 6 Ted Proctor 7 Bea Tolander Evan Honts 8 Karl Krueger Paul Zoss 9 Mary Benson10 Scott Meth Curt Ridinger Andrew Zoss

Helen ZossPeter Zoss

11 Tyler Kelley Jameson Deierling13 Valerie Unkrich16 Bob Carlson Raegan Olson17 Rebekah Haussner

Mary Hookom

18 Brian Stout Karen Wenstrand19 Robbie Renken20 Lincoln Burnham

Mary Lindeen22 Dee Lipscomb Quinn Scarff24 Heather Applegate25 Sabrina Moody26 Christopher Olson27 Denise Deierling28 Lana Zihlman29 Emily Wells30 Stephanie Hummell

Tim Reid

Please help the church office update their records by submitting any birthday or anniversary corrections. Thank you.Throughout the year we will be praying for all our church members. Each week we will be praying for about five church families. Please pray this month for:

June 7: Kathleen KlopfensteinJim & Shirley KrabillJean KracawJordan KruegerKarl & Patty KruegerKeaton & Angela Krueger

June 14:Anthony & Marne Lackman, Alexander and KohlArt & Rose LauerJill LauerJim & Janey LauerJoe Lauer

June 21:Mitch & Holly LauerTom & Cindy Lauer, and ChristopherAaron & Heather LindeenDavid LindeenEric & Victoria Lindeen

June 28:Jerry & Norma LindeenJonathan LindeenKen LindeenMike & Ruth LindeenDee Lipscomb, and Denise

CONGREGATION REFLECTIONS

BIRTH NEWSCongratulations to Rachel and Joe Johnson on the birth of their son, Jack Douglas Johnson on May 13, 2015. He is gaining weight and doing well; and hoping he will be home by the middle of June.

SYMPATHYto the family of Donna Gray, who passed away Sunday, May 3. She is the sister-in-law to Lana and Keith Zihlman.

PRAY FOR:ELCA missionary Rev. Brian Palmer in Liberia, supported by this congregation. Pastor Brian has been temporarily re-assigned to Cameroon.for Bishop Mjema of the Pare Diocese, Bishop Rev. Elisa Mrutu and people of Ngaeni Lutheran Parish, our partner congregation in Tanzania. friends and loved ones experiencing health concerns.

THANKS ARE DUE . . .

to Ralph Sandeen who serviced the organ so it will keep playing beautiful music.to the Ostby family who provided their home as a meeting place for Christian Education.

to all who have seen something that needs done and have done it without recognition.

VBS is June 8-11, 2015 5:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.

Swedesburg Evangelical Lutheran Church1897 140th Street, P. O. Box 88, Swedesburg, Iowa 52652-0088

Telephone (319) 254-2216 www.swedesburglutheran.orgemails: pastor@swedesburglutheran.org office@swedesburglutheran.org

Tear out these sheets and mail to the church, or place in box in narthex (entryway) or in the secretary’s mailbox in the back entrance.

Swedesburg Evangelical Lutheran Church1897 140th Street, P. O. Box 88, Swedesburg, Iowa 52652-0088

Telephone (319) 254-2216 www.swedesburglutheran.orgemails: pastor@swedesburglutheran.org office@swedesburglutheran.org

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1897 140th StreetP. O. Box 88Swedesburg, IA 52652

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

New member reception June 14 with potluck

Worship begins at 10 a.m. Join us!

website: www.swedesburglutheran.org