Love in Action

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

1300 Belt Line Road Collinsville Illinois 62234

618-344-3151 (Church) 618-344-3153 (School) 618-344-3378 (Fax)
Pastors M. Walther  Vol. 30  No. 7   July 2007

I can think of no better way to describe the relationship I have with Pastor Walther and the people here at Good Shepherd.  The congregation allows me, a seminarian student aspiring to the Office of the Holy Ministry, to come into this church and to serve in various capacities as a "substitute" or "stand in" for Pastor Walther.  Now, obviously I am not able or meant to replace the pastor, but rather, through the vicarage program, I am given a very special opportunity to see and experience first hand the joys and challenges of being a pastor.

Having a substitute is nothing new to Christians.  It is at the very heart of our Christian faith: Jesus, our substitute on the cross, stands in for us, taking the punishment and judgment of the entire world upon himself.  Pastor Walther stands in the place of Christ as he announces unto us the forgiveness of our sins during absolution.  Even our good deeds to our neighbor substitute our abundance for their need.  With such a strong emphasis on "substitution," it only makes sense that this idea would be applied to the training of pastors also.

It is the "vicarious" part of being a vicar that gives this time of training and formation such meaning and importance.  I am not some hollow observer, watching intently and safely from the sidelines.  No, as a vicar I am part of the Holy Spirit’s work here at Good Shepherd.  I am involved as God’s Word does its work in the hearts and lives of His people, drawing them to this large brick building on Beltline Road called Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, where the gospel is faithfully proclaimed and taught every Sunday and where the sacraments are administered rightly.  I have the glorious privilege of serving under Pastor Walther and participating in the calling extended to him by the Holy Spirit.  As Pastor Walther helps fulfill Christ’s promise to sustain and keep the whole Christian Church in the one true faith, I am right there assisting as I am able and as God allows. 

I will miss my time at Good Shepherd.  I will miss the people, the visits, the calls, and the opportunities to grow under the tutelage of such a wonderful pastor and congregation, yet I know that the same Lord who has blessed this congregation will continue to guide me and my family as I return to the seminary for my final year.  Thank you all for your patience and kindness.  In Christ—Vicar Samuel Bobby.  

All members are invited to a luncheon on Sunday, July 29 at 11:45 a.m. Meat, drinks & dessert will be provided. Each family is asked to bring a salad, vegetable, or relish/veggie tray. A table will be set aside to gather any monetary or written expressions of thanks and good wishes to the Bobby’s. Come and celebrate God’s Blessings with Sam, Erica, Judah & August.

Tents Needed for Church Picnic

Vacation Bible School

The truth is…Jesus is the way to heaven! At Quest for Truth VBS kids discover the truth about Jesus. Do you know children who would benefit? Registration forms can be found in the church narthex or on the church website at www.goodshepherdcollinsville.org . VBS will be held July 2-6 from 8:30-11:30 A.M. Classes are available for children who will be 4 by Sept 1 through those students just completing 7^th grade. We have a $15 suggested donation for those who are able to help in this way.

7^th and 8^th Grade Youth Group—Come July 1^st to open gym.  We’ll have a variety of activities guaranteed to titillate both the body and the brain.  And, July 15^th we’ll be having another "Video Clip Sunday."  If you were gone when we did this in April, you missed such memorable clips as "Baby Got Bible" and "Evangelism Linebacker."  Bring in your favorite clip from the internet (from a movie or otherwise), and we’ll talk about how it applies to our lives as Christians.  (Nothing inappropriate please!)

Attention all Parents and students:

Mandatory Pre-gathering Bible Studies are scheduled for the first three Sundays in July – during Senior High Sunday School. Call Cheryl Schnicker if you can not attend to schedule a make-up. Remember, these must be completed to attend the National Youth Gathering!

F.A.I.T.H. – Save the date: Sun. July 15th

Lutheran Women in Mission

Ladies remember to bring your favorite pie to the Church picnic on July 8 for the congregation to enjoy. Please no cream pies since we’ll be serving the pies outdoors.

Our next meeting is August 2^nd . Several ladies will share the events of the International LWML Convention that was held in June. Social time begins at 6:45 p.m. and the meeting is at 7:00 p.m.  Invite a friend to enjoy the evening!

On July 17 we will meet on the parking lot at 11:00 a. m. to go to The House of Plenty in Highland.  Please call Mary Preuss at 288-9524 (New, new number) or Wilma Mitchell at 345-7123 before July 15 to make reservations.

Many people struggle with poor personal money management. This may be because they’ve never really focused on being a good money manager. The struggle may be due to the pressure our culture puts on us to spend more and more. The ability to spend instantaneously by electronic means often results in insurmountable debt. The church has a responsibility to give guidance to individuals and families in the area of personal financial management. Jesus often addressed the dangers of the love of money. We can find relief for one of the greatest causes of stress when we look to God in His word to guide us. Starting with this issue of Love in Action, we will offer a series of articles to help Christians properly manage their personal finances.

Our heavenly Father gives us money and through His Word we receive principles on how to manage it. As His stewards, we are called to be wise in handling and using money. Money is an integral part of our lives. We need to learn how it affects our material and spiritual lives. We will be covering the following topics in upcoming newsletters:

Also be watching for a special Sunday morning Bible class on personal money management starting in September!

Baptism: Louis Michael Harlow Maine

Marriages: Daniel William Magiera and Mandi Alane Dickerson, Levi Ahren Otwell and Carleigh Susanne Victor

Funeral: Jeanne Sue Busch

Souls: 1,672                                                   Comm.: 1,354

Blood Pressure Screening – 6/30 & 7/1 after services

Braille Workers -7/13 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Church Picnic – 7/8 from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Mission Guild for Lutheran women will meet here at Good Shepherd on Monday, July 9 at 9:30 a.m.  The program will be presented by Lee and Pat Hoffmeier. They will report on their mission trip to Honduras in April of 2007.  All are invited. You need not be a member of the Mission Guild to attend.

The Booster Basketball booklet, an annual fund raiser for the Athletic Department, has room for ads until September 1^st. The rates are full page $80, half page $40, fourth page $25. Businesses, individuals or families may participate. Call Mr. Bob Mayhew at 345-1405, Mr. Kyle Klemp at 334-6627 or at school 344-3153.

Pure Heart Ministries is the St. Louis area’s "Sexual Redemption Ministry," an inter-denominational ministry that promotes freedom from homosexual behavior through the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pure Heart is part of Exodus International. They offer support groups for both men and women and give presentations to churches and youth groups. June 26-July 1, 2007 they will be a part of the Exodus Freedom Conference at Concordia University in Irvine California. For more information call 618-589-0392 or visit their website www.PureHeartMinistries.org.

In what prosecutors are calling "one of the worst cases of child abuse" in Warren County (Ohio), a local man has been sentenced to five years in prison — one for each year he molested and raped his own daughter. The abuse could have been prevented or, at the very least, cut short, the girl's attorney says, had Planned Parenthood intervened when the young girl reported her dad at the clinic where she was forced to undergo an abortion. Rather than help the hurting child, lawyer Brian Hurley alleges, Planned Parenthood preyed on the girl's vulnerability and refused to intervene as the law requires. Instead, clinic workers performed the procedure and sent her back with a supply of birth control where her tormentor continued sexually assaulting her for another year and a half. In 2006, the girl was so terrified that her dad would also abuse her sister that she shared her story with a high school official, who, unlike Planned Parenthood, contacted police.

Similar allegations have been raised in Indiana and Kansas. Planned Parenthood officials in Ohio deny they have a "don't ask, don't tell" policy about statutory rape.

However, in Los Angeles, an 18-year-old UCLA sophomore — posing as a 15-year-old with her 23-year-old boyfriend — secretly videotaped a clinic worker urging her to lie about her age to obtain an abortion. The video was posted on YouTube, outraging the CEO of Planned Parenthood's California affiliates, Kathy Kneer.

According to California state law, "Any mandated reporter who fails to report an incident of known or reasonably suspected child abuse or neglect ... is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months confinement in a county jail or by a fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000) or by both."

(Adapted from Tony Perkins, Family Research Council in Washington, D.C.) May 2007

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VXMkLFpeGQQ

How can we become whiter than snow when sin remains in us and sticks to us?… Our sin is covered by the purity and innocence of Christ, which we receive when we hear and believe God’s Word. We should keep in mind, though, that this purity comes from completely outside of ourselves. In other words, Christ clothes us with his own perfection… If someone tried to separate us from Christ and take away our baptism and God’s promises, we would no longer have Christ’s purity. We would be left with nothing but sin.

So when someone asks you, "If sin always sticks to people, how can they be washed so clean that they are whiter than snow?" You can answer, "We should view people, not as they are on their own, but as they are in Christ." Martin Luther, By Faith Alone,365 Devotional Readings in Today’s Language, June 19.