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The Country Christian Celebrating 175 Years of God’S Faithfulness ~ 1844 - 2019 Yesterday ~ Today ~ Forever

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The Country Christian Celebrating 175 Years of God’S Faithfulness ~ 1844 - 2019 Yesterday ~ Today ~ Forever Immanuel Lutheran Church of Lebanon ’ s The Country Christian Celebrating 175 Years of God’s Faithfulness ~ 1844 - 2019 Yesterday ~ Today ~ Forever Rev. David M. Phillips “Where in the world did the Summer months go?” That is a question I have repeatedly asked myself since early August. It is a question I have heard from a lot of people. Usually, after the end of the school year, things begin to “slow down” a little. There are, obviously, no confirmation classes. Bible studies and many other activities break for the summer. And while this was the case this summer as well, things didn’t really slow down. Much of our focus has been on the 175th celebrations, particularly on the major weekend celebration on July 20th and 21st. We were blessed to have the Rev. Dr. David Wendel with us. One of the most important activities this Summer was the NALC Theological Conference and Convocation in Indianapo- lis in early August. (Wes Kehl has submitted a report that is in this newsletter.) Perhaps the major focus of the Convocation was the election of our new Bishop. There were 12 nominees presented in the printed material as well as 2 nominations that were made from the floor. The final ballot (number 4) was taken on Friday. The most important thing we did throughout the elec- tion process was to pray. Before each ballot, Bishop Bradosky asked the Convocation Chaplain to lead us in prayer. We were constantly seeking the leading of the Holy Spirit, as you have been reading in the Sunday bulletins for months, to choose the person He desired. As in every process of this kind, there are bound to be disappointments, especially with some of the other candidates. But I believe, and I hope the many other brothers and sisters in Christ also believe, that God’s will was done. The Bishop is the public face of the NALC. According to the NALC Constitution, The Bishop carries out a pastoral ministry within the church, serving as pastor for the pastors and congregations of the NALC. The Bishop preaches the Gospel, forgives sins, administers the Sacraments and judges doctrine (Augsburg Confes- sion XXVIII). The Bishop carries out a ministry of visitation throughout the church, is a defender of the faith, and pro- motes the mission of the church. One of the central tasks of the office of Bishop is to proclaim and uphold the doctrines and teachings of the NALC. Each convocation we are reminded of our four core values. We see them every time we come into our sanctuary. We (the NALC) are: Christ-Centered: We confess the apostolic faith in Jesus Christ according to the Holy Scriptures. We affirm the authority of the Scriptures as the authoritative source and norm, “according to which all doctrines should and must be judged” (Formula of Con- cord). We accept the ecumenical creeds and the Lutheran Confessions as true witnesses to the Word of God. Mission-Driven: We believe that the mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel and to make disciples for Christ. We believe that making disciples — in our congregations, in our communities and nations, and around the world — must be a priority of the Church in the present age. Traditionally-Grounded: We affirm the ecumenical creeds and the faithful witness of the Church across time and space. We endorse the form and practices of the universal Church that are consistent with Scripture, particularly the office of the ministry and the tradition of worship under Word and Sacrament. We seek dialogue and fellowship with other Lutheran churches and with faithful Christians of other confessions. Congregationally-Focused: We strive to be a church body that is organized to facilitate the ministries of local congregations in a posture of servanthood and a spirit of partnership, through the provision of resources, connections and information. We must never stray from our commitment to the Good News of Jesus Christ and the authority of Scripture. These are emphases that I make constantly during my confirmation classes. I want confirmands to know the Scriptures, to know what we believe and teach, and, most of all, to love and follow Jesus. Let’s continue to devote ourselves to worship, prayer, missions, and fellowship, to the glory and honor of Almighty God. Blessings and Peace! Pastor Phillips The Country Christian Page 1 September 2019 Edition Mike’s Message “Leadership” Welcome back to Mike's Message. I hope everyone enjoyed and found something worthwhile in the August message. My hope is for this message to be meaningful. I did hear a couple comments on last month's message. I am more than happy to receive feed- back from one and all! Just glad to know somebody is noticing! Thanks for that. The NALC Convocation was held recently in Indianapolis, Indiana. (I look forward to attending a future Convocation.) The Convoca- tion elected the Rev. Dan Selbo as our next bishop. Bishop-Elect Selbo was installed during the closing worship of the Convocation with his four-year term beginning October 1st. Please join with me in wishing Bishop John Bradosky a very blessed and deserved retirement. The Thursday night banquet honored him for his service. I wonder if he has a “honey do” list waiting for him?! This change in Bishops, and a couple other events, lead me to this month's message. Pastor Phillips' 35 years in the ministry is another mile stone for us to acknowledge and celebrate. I have had some type of leadership my entire life. First, my parents and older siblings. Next, some of my neighborhood parents. Grade school came along and I had all kinds of new people to “lead” me around. The principal, teachers, other parents, and older classmates. Having gone to a parochial grade school I also had priests added to the mix! Then came High school, you get the message. People telling us what to do, or directing us all the time. Leadership is all around everyone of us, to varying degrees. We truly need leadership in our life. The lack of leadership also has quite the effect. We can all recall numerous examples and various situations when things would have gone much better with the appropriate leadership. True leaders, I hope, will al- ways accept constructive comments. Communication is vital for the more effective leaders. I have seen both sides to that coin! Think about it.....right? Where do you get your leadership? Pastor, spouse, employer, neighbor, co-workers, siblings, friends, church family, children? I am sure there are some I'm forgetting. My favorite leadership comes from “His Word.” I am new to reading and studying The Bible. Thanks to a number of friends, church members, Pas- tor, and most of all “Our Father thru The Spirit,” I will continue to gain a further understanding of how to live a more “Christ like” life. We can support each others walk of Faith if we ask “Him” for leadership. What do think? Some notes of interest: A committee has been formed to update our church's Constitution and By-laws. The members will be, Pas- tor Phillips, Kay Zehms, Russ Tietz, Mike Uecker, and yours truly. I am looking forward to this task. Thank all of you in advance for all your hard work and patience. The picture taken of the congregation in front of the church was displayed at the Convocation! Awesome! Sincerely, Mike The Country Christian Page 2 September 2019 Edition On Monday, August 5th, Judy and I along with Pastor and Jessie traveled to Indianapolis to attend the NALC Convocation. Greg Douthwaite met us there. Greg and I represented our church as voting del- egates. The event had over 800 people come together representing the now 433 churches belonging to the NALC church body. The church is continuing to grow, as other churches are in the process of joining in fellowship with the NALC ( North American Lutheran Church). Not only did we hear how the NALC is doing as a whole, but we came together for the very important task of electing a new bishop to represent us for the next 4 years. Our present bishop, Bishop John Bradosky, is retiring and was not seeking re-election. After the 4th ballot Rev. Dan Selbo was elected to be the new bishop, beginning in October. He was installed at the worship service at the end of the convocation. (See next page for more information) The event was filled with 4 days of worship as the theme was the work of the Holy Spirit. There were a number of speakers representing different countries including the African countries of Ethiopia and Tansania, as well as 2 speakers from Germany. There were also numerous speakers from here in the United States. I had a chance to speak personally to the 2 German church leaders as well as the representative from the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod who was also in attendance. He has personally been involved with meetings with Bishop Bradosky and others over the years to find commonality between the two church bodies. I also had a chance to visit at length with Pastor Heidi Hundt, who was commissioned by laying of hands to be a missionary in Haiti. Our church, Immanuel of Lebanon, was shown on the large screens for all to see for celebrating our 175th anniversary this year, with the picture Wally took of us on the front steps of the church. Pastor was also recognized for his 35 years of ministry. He received a certificate as well as the church receiving one. Both Judy and I were very proud to represent Immanuel of Lebanon.
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