J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 3

By Pastor Mike Sindelar

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 3

By Pastor Mike Sindelar

The Magnificent Journey and the Single Step

When you stand back and drink in what

is happening, you have to be amazed. The

calls for volunteers to help with the

building renovation have been heard. Even

over the holidays, the halls of the church have been filled

with people moving furniture, removing carpet and

painting walls. The resulting transformation of the facility is

remarkable. An air of enthusiasm and excitement smells a

lot like fresh paint these days. God is indeed doing a great

thing in our midst. The upgrade of the facility is surely

needed but the testimony of God moving among us is a

greater blessing still.

We look for God to do the amazing. We long to see

examples of His power in our lives exhibited in

extraordinary ways. It is certainly a reciprocal desire on

God’s part. He longs to show Himself strong and powerful

as His kids lean into Him through acts of faith.

Yet, I wonder if we don’t miss the larger movement of God

in our lives when we simply wait for the amazing. I wonder

if God isn’t more deeply ingrained in the details, decisions

and directions than we give Him credit for?

Let me give you an example. We have all wanted to give

the building a much needed facelift and we are all glad to

be part of it. But the real work of this began when a family

came forward and said, “What is it going to take to get this

done?” It was their prayers and their generosity that kicked

off this whole set of events that we are seeing today. For

the project, I see the hallways filled with people cutting in

the corners with paint and others rolling the paint on the

walls. What I don’t see are the hundreds of decisions and

phone calls that took to get to the place where the miracle

becomes visible.

On the generosity side, I praise God for the $195,000

raised for this project in such a short amount of time. A

true miracle and a true movement of God. What I don’t

see is the intentionality and the sacrificial financial

decisions made by families as they prayed for God to do

great things in their family so that they could be part of

the miracle.

Too often, I fear, we wait for God to do the great things

but we are unwilling or unaware that the miracle actually

starts with my determination to align my life in such a way

that God is pleased to do great things. In my waiting for

the big event, I fail to notice the river of smaller events

flowing past me every day.

Proverbs 16:3 says “Commit your work to the Lord, and

your plans will be established”. Verse 9 of the same

chapter says, “the mind of man plans his way, but the Lord

directs his steps.”

As Sandy and I looked over the panorama of the last year,

we realized that God had done some pretty significant

things in our life. As I look at those miracles, I realize that

much of what we saw God do was the result of

intentionally choosing to go in God’s direction. When we

commit our motives and our plans to Him, He will respond

in ways bigger than we could have imagined.

Let us apply the lesson of renovated building to the

commitments we make for the coming year. As you chart

the direction of your spiritual growth, make decisions on

your giving or seek ways to serve the Lord in the coming

year, be mindful that His great work is often seen in the

context of a thousand smaller decisions of faith and

commitment. Commit your way to Him and get ready to

be amazed!

By Lanell Plath

P A G E 2

chosen to be used as an instrument to proclaim God’s glory

It is a privilege to be able to be back with my Valley Free family, but now as the Youth Director! I’m honored

that I’ve been chosen to be used as an instrument to proclaim God’s glory to this community, especially the

youth. I’m a firm believer that God has unimaginable plans for restoring the world to Him through this

upcoming generation.

As you get to know me you’ll find I’m a very outdoorsy guy. Whether it’s a

canoe trip, hunting, playing disc golf, or just walking in the woods, I love the

freedom of the outdoors. I’m also a big music guy—I love exploring different

genres and going to concerts: whether that’s the Minnesota Symphony or a

Rock concert, I enjoy it all. But what I enjoy doing most is purposely

experiencing life with the people around me—especially those that are

younger than me.

This passion to minister to youth actually began back in Jr. and Sr. High when our family attended Maple Grove Evangelical Free

Church. I grew up heavily involved in the church and was blessed with leaders who saw my potential. They stretched me through

giving me opportunities to speak on stage, organize events on a team, and lead worship for the youth group. I found I was very

fulfilled and found purpose in leading, which God used to begin shaping my heart for full-time ministry.

The past couple years, as well as being involved in Valley’s youth group from 2009-

2011, I’ve been working at a variety of positions in Camping Ministry. I experienced

the front lines as a Camp Counselor where I was in charge of a different group of 8-10

boys every week, and loved seeing God show them new truths daily. I spent one

summer as Shamineau’s Island Director, where I led a ministry literally on an island in

the middle of Lake Shamineau. My most recent position was as Director of

Shamineau’s Rock Ridge Camp which is up in Ely, Minnesota. We had an amazing summer full of blessings, I’d love to tell you

more about if you ask me.

It’s amazing to see where God has taken me and how he’s transformed my heart through

so many different settings. And the more I go through life following Jesus, the more I

have no doubt in my mind that I have a totally faithful savior in Him. I’ve emerged with a

passion to be used by God to raise up a new generation of leaders that will realize that

there’s an amazing life of adventure through serving Jesus Christ! It is my heart’s desire

that Crux becomes a community where students are equipped to stand strong in God’s

glorious truths, have their hearts transformed by Jesus’ grace, and become empowered by the Spirit to invite their friends and

peers on this journey as well.

I have no doubt that God has an abundance of miracles planned for our Valley Free community, and I’m excited to experience

them with you. As a very relational person, I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you. As I begin here I will try to initiate

contact with as many of you as possible, but if you’d like to beat me to it, call me or shoot me an email and I’d love to talk about

what Jesus is doing in our lives!

By Cory Jackson, Youth Director

By Jan Schmit Faith @ Home

Kids are rejected from every side. Sometimes the rejection or criticism comes from

a teacher that just doesn't "get" your kid. Sometimes it comes from an angry family

member. Sometimes it's rejection from peers, gossiping, getting picked last in gym

class. These daily rejections can erode our children's sense of being loved and

valuable. Being thoughtful about how to counter rejection will help your kids learn to

weather the storm.

The following is an activity you can do with your kids to help

them understand.

Take a crisp, clean $20 bill. Ask your child what it’s worth. Of

course, they'll say $20. As the kids watch, crumple the bill, step

on it, and even rub a little dirt into it. Call it a few bad names

like "Worthless bill!, Dirty money!, You couldn't buy a thing!"

Once the bill is pretty beat up, ask the kids, "What's it worth now?" They'll still say

$20. Then ask, "Why is it still valuable, considering how it looks and how it was

treated?" They may have some answers. Listen well and repeat what they say. Then

show them the spot where the seal of the United States treasury is stamped over the

word stating its value. "This bill's value is sealed by the government of the United

States, no matter what happens to it." Then say, "Just like that, our value is sealed by

God, no matter what happens to us." Share this Bible verse: You have been bought

and paid for by Christ, so you belong to him---be free now from all these earthly

prides and fears. 1 Corinthians 7:23 (TLB). Pronounce to the kids that they have high

value because of Christ! You may even want to put the bill in a picture frame with the

verse, as a tangible reminder of the high value that God places on us.

This simple illustration will help our kids remember where their true value comes

from, and it may even help us to remember that our kids are God's workmanship,

created to do great things in His kingdom! When we better remember this truth, we

more often treat our children accordingly.

Additional Bible verses you could reference:

Ps. 139:13,14 - God carefully made us.

1 John 3:1 - God loves us deeply.

Eph. 2:10 - God has a plan to use us to be a blessing.

Jesus' death on the cross is the ultimate proof that our value doesn't depend on how

we're doing (Romans 5:8).

_____________

The preceding is an adaptation of an article published by Jim and Lynne Jackson. Visit the Jackson’s website for additional articles giving parents hope and tools to building strength in families at www.Connectedfamilies.org or contact them at jjackson@connectedfamilies.com.

P A G E 3

Dealing with Rejection

Sunday

Adult Studies

Begin 1.13.2013| 9am

Proverbs

Part of growing and maturing in our walk

with the Lord is increasing in wisdom. (Doesn’t

Romans 12:2 speak of being “transformed by

the renewing of your mind”?) But what is

wisdom? How does it differ from other spiritual

qualities God wants us to have? One good way

to help understand this is to write

contemporary proverbs out of our own

experience as part of our study. In this and

other ways this spring we will work to

understand the wisdom of the Book of

Proverbs. We will learn what proverbs are, how

God teaches us through them and what

particular areas of wisdom He wants us to gain.

Please join us for a Sunday Morning Study of

this absorbing book of the Old Testament. Bret

Wightman will be teaching this class which will

meet in the fellowship hall.

LifeKeys Life Keys is a spiritually-based

comprehensive program for discovering:

• Life Gifts

• Spiritual Gifts

• Personality Type

• Values

Passions

Engaging stories, inventories, self-tests, and

other easy-to-use exercises help guide those

considering volunteer opportunities,

contemplating career changes, or desiring to

become more useful to God.

Ann Malone will be leading the class which will

meet each Sunday morning, in room 109/110

(last room on your right in the education wing).

I took a stab at estimating the number of volunteer hours

that have been given in just the last three weeks. We are close

to 450 hours and that does not include time given by our

volunteer team leaders. Interesting to think of how much has

been saved to our costs because of this.

I continue to ponder the part of Romans 12 that says, "For as

in the body we have many members, and the members do not

have the same function, so we, though many are one body in

Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts

that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them:

if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our

serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who

exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in

generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does

acts of mercy, with cheerfulness." Romans 12:4-8

We have had people choose colors and materials, give

financially, tear up carpet, scrape glued padding from the

stage, scrape the ceiling, repair walls, spray ceiling texture,

build the stage and sound booth, tape, paint by brush and

roller, clean vents, vacuum, take down lights, take down and

put back up bulletin boards and wall plates around electrical

outlets and switches, move furniture, prepare food, set up for

meals, clean up after meals, take out garbage...and I am sure

there is more! To God be the glory a great thing He is doing as

relationships in our church are being more tightly knit

together as we serve to make this house of worship refreshed.

Joyfully in Awe!

Shop Vacs & Strong Backs The Valley Volunteer Army Working as the Body of Christ

By Candace Wisely

“We requested an estimate from a pro-fessional painting business that quoted a cost of $20,000 to paint the inside of our church. I expect our finished costs

are going to come in around $3,500 by using volunteer labor. I have numerous

examples where the members of our church have saved significant costs to

those estimated. Thank you!” Jayme Wisely

P A G E 4

P A G E 5

Does Valley Really Need Them?

By Jim Bentson, Greeting Ministry Coordinator

Valley has recently enjoyed an amazing study of Romans 12

through the r12 program. I hope you can find the time to read all

of Romans for context. If you make it to chapter 16, you will find

almost the entire chapter devoted to greeting. To begin with,

Paul, the author of Romans, makes a request to the church in

Rome to receive a sister in the Lord from another church “in a

manner worthy of the saints.”

How do we apply the idea

to receive people “in a manner worthy of the saints”

to our church and situation?

All people have an innate need to be recognized, appreciated, and

valued. Greeting is the necessary beginning of hospitality –

making another feel welcome and special in our presence. People

may enter our doors after having a stressful week; they may have

high expectations of meeting the Lord at Valley through worship,

the preaching of God’s Word, and through the hospitality of the

Lord’s people. Greeting is the first mood-setter for their entire

worship experience. A welcoming greeting can initiate a joyful

worship experience.

I have read that some church growth studies show that the first

two minutes a newcomer is at the church is one of the more

deciding factors as to whether they will ever return. I have

personally heard many testimonies of people saying that they either

did, or did not return to a particular church based on how welcoming

the church was.

A warm, heartfelt, and genuine greeting conveys the love, grace, and

compassion of our Lord Jesus for all people. Hospitality goes beyond

the assigned greeters at the door. All of us at Valley can mingle

among the people, to convey the love of Jesus.

The front door greeters are an assurance that no one slips in

unnoticed and unwelcomed. However, we have two main entrances

into our building and our greeters have only been stationed at the

East entrance. Some others had been greeting at the West entrance,

but that is no longer possible now that we have two services. As a

result, we fear that some visitors entering through the west doors

may not be getting the full benefit of an intentional welcome to

Valley. I and Valley leadership believe that we must supply greeters

at both entrances to insure that everyone gets a warm welcome!

Our greeters serve with joy and purpose on Sunday mornings. We

would love to share the joy of this important ministry with you.

Would you, knowing the importance of welcoming everyone at both

entrances and both services, consider joining our greeting/

hospitality team? Your consideration of this is greatly appreciated,

and needed. Please contact Jim Bentson at 952-448-4697, or the

church office for more information on joining our team. We welcome

you to join us in welcoming others!

A welcoming greeting can initiate a joyful worship experience.

This fall I had the opportunity to attend several ReachGlobal

conferences that were both challenging and stimulating. During one

of those conferences I felt the Lord prompting me to explore

working with the ReachGlobal team in Berlin. Although that

seemed like a crazy idea initially, it led me to spend some time

praying, reflecting and thinking about the last year in Madrid and

where God was calling me to focus in the years to come. After

spending time with God and talking with others, I couldn't deny

that their was an openness to learn more about what God was

doing in Berlin. As I shared this with my team, ReachGlobal

leadership and a few others, I continued to be affirmed in my desire

to consider living and working in Berlin, Germany.

In November I visited Berlin as part of already scheduled meetings,

which provided an incredible opportunity to see firsthand the

spiritual needs and ministries in Berlin. God has continued to affirm

my sense of His leading through the vision of the team, their

approach to ministry, my experience/background, the timing, the

spiritual void...and my openness to working in a place I said I would

never consider! I enjoy Spain and it is hard to believe that I am

thinking of moving after a year of settling and adjustment, but at

the same time I am increasingly convinced that working in Berlin is

P A G E 6

a natural fit for me. But more than being a natural fit, I really sense

that it is something only God could bring about.

Right now, I am in the process of talking with ReachGlobal

leadership about the specific role I would have on the team. The

Berlin City Team focuses on innovative approaches to church

planting, leadership development, strategic parnterships and

business-as-mission and there are several ways I could collaborate

to further the impact of the gospel in Berlin. In a city where over

63% of the people claim no religious affiliation, the team is

developing new approaches to ministry and some incredible

partnerships with German ministries. I hope to work somewhat

broadly in the city to train leaders and help innovate new

approaches to ministry, but initially my focus would be on learning

German (something I am surprisingly excited about!). Young adults

and professionals continue to be a ministry interest of mine, but

may not be my exclusive focus.

Would you pray for me as I transition to the ReachGlobal team in

Berlin? The change continues to be met with affirmation from my

partnering churches, my current team in Madrid, and ReachGlobal

leadership, but I would love for you to join me in prayer at this time.

By Katie Dudgeon VEFC Missionary

A Love that Never Lets Go... by Lisa Harper Saturdays 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.– Beginning January 26

You might not be very familiar with the small and obscure book of Malachi located at the very end

of the Old Testament. We will discover that this minor prophet had a lot to share with the people

after their city of Jerusalem had been trashed. The Israelites had experienced some very difficult

years under the captivity of Babylon. Some of the things they suffered from were complacency,

depression, lack of faith, no prayer life, and a lack of spiritual fruit in their lives. Consequently, they

had turned into a crew of whiners. But God shows up again in the words of this messenger, Malachi,

to tell us something special about the One we worship and serve.

Please let us know you are coming via the sign up sheet in the church hallway or by contacting Sandy Sindelar at slsindelar@gmail.com .

TH 10 7:00 PM WORSHIP TEAM REHEARSAL

SA 12 7:30 AM MEN’S MONTHLY BREAKFAST (Perkins)

SU 13

9:00 AM 9:00 AM 10:00 AM 6:00 PM

SUNDAY SCHOOL/ADULT STUDIES WORSHIP SERVICE WORSHIP SERVICE CRUX

M 14 12:30 PM 7:00 PM

WHITE CROSS MEN’S BIBLE STUDY

TH 17 7:00 PM WORSHIP TEAM REHEARSAL

SU 20

9:00 AM 9:00 AM 10:00 AM 6:00 PM

SUNDAY SCHOOL/ADULT STUDIES WORSHIP SERVICE WORSHIP SERVICE CRUX

M 21 7:00 PM MEN’S BIBLE STUDY

TH 24 7:00 PM WORSHIP TEAM REHEARSAL

SU 25

9:00 AM 9:00 AM 10:00 AM 6:00 PM

SUNDAY SCHOOL/ADULT STUDIES WORSHIP SERVICE WORSHIP SERVICE CRUX

M 26 12:30 PM 7:00 PM

WHITE CROSS MEN’S BIBLE STUDY

TH 27 7:00 PM WORSHIP TEAM REHEARSAL

See bulletins for weekly updates/changes to this calendar

P A G E 7

Describe your family:

Wife: Pam Daughters: Molly-19, Parry-17 &

Judy 13

Where do you live? Benton Township

How long have you attended Valley?

26 years

What Valley ministries are you involved in?

Winter missions trips (10 years), Care Group/Small Group (26

years), Bunk bed ministry (1year), Sunday School (25 years), Carver

County Jail ministry (8 years)

How were you called into these ministries?

I ask myself these questions: "Is there a need ?", "Can I meet this

need?", "Is there any reason that I should not participate?"

and "Is God working in this ministry?" If all the answers are

positive, I'm called.

What blessings have you received from your ministries?

In Sunday School, I have seen past students go to the mission field

or work in Christian ministries and grow up to be fine Christian

adults. In the Bunk bed Ministry, being able to see the excitement

in a child's face as he climbs into his new bed and being able to

pray with the adults before we leave.

Share something unique about yourself:

I once performed with the New York Metropolitan Opera!

"I wasn't God's first choice for what I've done for China… I don't know who it was… It must have been a man… a well-educated man. I don't know what happened. Perhaps he died. Perhaps he wasn't willing… and God looked down… and saw Gladys Aylward… And God said - "Well, she's willing."

Gladys Aylward

Are You Willing? The story of Gladys Aylward is a picture of what God can do with ordinary people. Her impact on China was extraordinary as she worked with the orphans of the country. There is a world all around us that is waiting to hear the gospel message, to see a life transformed by Christ, to have their hearts opened by an act of service done in the name of Christ.

Did you know that Valley Free sends out ministry teams to partner with our missionaries? Did you know that there are possibilities for

teams this year that include work in Mexico, Romania and Bangladesh? There are other possibilities for ministry, many just waiting for a

champion to heed the call of the Lord. Want to know more about missions at Valley Free or about ministry team possibilities this year?

Contact the church office, a Missions Outreach Team member, or ask for more information on the information card in the Sunday bulletin.

God will use you for His blessing to the world!

952-448-6144

Fax: 952-448-5119

office@valleyfree.org

150 Engler Blvd

Chaska, MN 55318

80 Cans Peas or Corn

JANUARY’S COMMITMENT

Want to go Somewhere Warm this Winter? Valley is considering a short-term mission trip this winter (probably one week in February) to an orphanage in Mexico. Contact Mel Swanson with questions or to let him know you are interested at 952-448-2679 or melswanson@ymail.com.

Proverbs Sunday Mornings—Bret Wightman—Fellowship Hall LifeKeys Sunday Mornings—Ann Malone—Room 109/110 Malachi (Women’s Bible Study) Saturday Mornings—9-11am—Sandy Sindelar —Fellowship Hall