Evangelical Lutheran Church

Gallupville, NY

October 2013 Volume 3, Issue 10

VIA de CRISTO NEWS

This fall’s Women’s Renewal Retreat Weekends #16 at St. Stephens in Syracuse is coming up October 17 – 20. The follow-up Reunion will be Nov. 9th at St. Paul’s in Oneida If you would like to attend a weekend, please speak with Pastor or Marlene Schager (Damascus Road Secretariat), for more info and for registration forms. Forms can also be downloaded from the main page of the church website: www.evangelicalgallupville.org

Ultreya is the local gathering of those who have attended a Via de Cristo weekend. We gather to pray, share concerns, fellowship, celebrate Holy

Communion, and Nurture our 4th Day!, the

daily life and Christian walk after the weekend. Over 70 people in our county have attended a Via de Cristo weekend. Are you one of them? If not, get involved. The purpose of Via de Cristo is to grow your leadership skills and build Christian leaders in our local congregations. So…. Get Active!! Stay Active!! Every 4th Thurs. eve at 7pm / 3rd Thurs. in Nov., Dec. & Apr. if they conflict with holidays.

2014 dates: Men’s: Apr. 3-6 / Women’s May 1-4 (“Palanca” article on pg. 3)

Leading ordinary people to become extraordinary followers of Christ

OCTOBER CELEBRATIONS Birthdays

1 – Gerard Kaplanowski 13 – Joshua Mitchell 2 – Dave Burnette 16 – Ernie Boedner 3 – Brenda Lammers Ashley DeBartolo Sydney Salisbury 19 – Jim Cole 4 – Amanda Tessarzik 23 – Colleen Diamond 7 – Kevin Townsend 26 – Karen DeBartolo 10 – Al Schager 31 – Sydney Salisbury

Anniversaries 28 – Curt & Amy Van Steele Mel & Sue Gorton

If we have missed anyone, please let us know.

*Birthday Cake Celebration for each month’s birthdays

is the 4th

Sunday at Coffee Hour.

LOOKING AHEAD!

5:00pm – 7:00pm! ALL AGES INVITED! Invite your

Friends & Family!! Join in the Fun Fellowship, Food, Fantastic Friends!!

Lots of Praise Music & Games & Goodies!!!

Speak with Pastor, Dennis Gibbs(Youth), Linda Briggs (Christian Ed.), Colleen Diamond(Social

Ministry), Sue Rolfe(Music & Worship) to donate your time, goodies or to help with games, etc.

CONFIRMATION CLASS!! It has been very challenging finding a date to meet for Confirmation that will fit everyone’s schedule. PLEASE COME to SUNDAY SCHOOL/ CONFIRMATION CLASS after Worship so we might talk about this. PARENTS & STUDENTS: Speak with Pastor for more information.

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“EXCEL” Youth for Christ Weekend Retreat for High School Youth is coming

up quickly in January. This is a fantastic weekend for teens to connect with other Christian teens, listen to terrific music, hear from other teens about their Christian walk, sit in on fabulous workshops! But in order to get the lowest price for registration, you need to ACT NOW! before Oct. 15th. Amy Mitchell-Van Steele is this year’s Registrar!! Please see Ms. Amy to get your form and register. Speak with Pastor, Dennis Gibbs, or Amy for more information.

FIELDS of GRACE ANNUAL AUCTION! Sat., Oct. 19th at the Mid. R&G Clubhouse. Something New this Year!! Vendors!! which begin at 8am & Pre-auction & Silent Auction Review at 10am, Live Auction begins at 1:00pm. Table space available. Food available & Free Popcorn! If you would like to donate any good/like-new items for the auction, speak with Pastor or Jim Merritt. Funds raised help support FOG’s mission to the youth of Schoharie County. Call: (518) 827-5344 to reserve a space, to donate, or for more information.

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DIG INTO THE WORD

Finishing Well - Ken Boa

What does it take to finish well? How can we run in such a way that we can say with Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim. 4:7; Acts 20:24; 1 Cor. 9:24-27)? Taking to heart the seven characteristics will help you finish well day by day, as you "run with endurance the race that is set before [you]" (Heb. 12:1). We sing the song, "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back," but why is it that so many people do? There seems to be an epidemic of Christians who begin well but finish poorly. Let me share seven crucial characteristics that will help you to finish well.

Our highest calling is to grow in our knowledge of Christ and to make Him known to others. Does our desire to know Christ exceed all other aspirations? If not, whatever is taking His place in the center of our affections must yield to Him if we are to know the joy of bearing spiritual fruit. A key secret of those who finish well is to focus more on loving Jesus than on avoiding sin. The more we love Jesus, the more we will learn to put our confidence in Him alone.

Spiritual disciplines such as prayer, fellowship, study, worship, and submission are not ends in themselves, but means to the end of intimacy with Christ and spiritual formation. When left to itself, however, any one of these disciplines tends to decline and decay. An infusion of directed intentionality and effort is necessary to sustain order and growth and to bring repeated times of personal renewal.

Part of the purpose of our suffering and trials is to drive us to dependence on God alone. God responds by revealing more of Himself to us. This knowledge increases our faith and our capacity to trust His character and His promises through the times we do not understand His purposes and His ways. When we view our circumstances in light of God’s God's character instead of… (cont. pg. 4)

Pastoral Acts BAPTISM: Sunday, September 15, 2013 Cory Haynes – Adult Baptism

RECEPTION of NEW MEMBERS: Sunday, September 15, 2013 Cory Haynes – by Adult baptism Joan Sperry – by Transfer

Please welcome them into our Church Family and the Body of Christ, fellow workers with us in the Lord’s Kingdom.

FUNERAL: Filomena Riker, friend of the congregation and resident at Van Aller’s Nursing Home until recently, passed on to the Lord’s Heavenly Kingdom on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013. Funeral Services were held at Palmer Shaylor Funeral Home in Middleburgh on Sat., Sept. 28, 2013.

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PLEASE REMEMBER in YOUR PRAYERS those of our Congregation who have been recently hospitalized or homebound and drop a note or card to them:

Mrs. Barbara Waring 519 Darby Hill Rd. Delanson, NY 12053

Mr. & Mrs. Bill (Dee) Dwyer 266 Shun Pike Rd. Sloansville, NY 12160

Mrs. Helen Pelepzuck 246 Ecker Hollow Rd. Schoharie, NY 12157

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COLLEGE: Sierra Diamond Wilson Residence Hall 90H Plattsburgh State Plattsburgh, New York 12901-2690

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Please continue to keep John in your prayers and drop him a card or note: John Giakoumakis DIN # 12-B-2476 Hudson Correctional Facility P. O. Box 576 Hudson, NY 12534

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CHECK OUT MORE NEWS on the WEB at www.evangelicalgallupville.org

Like us on FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/EvangelicalGallupville

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I have come to realize the power and importance of prayer. In fact, when I go to churches and tell them what the prison congregation is doing and solicit their support of this ministry, I tell them that we need their prayer, their attendance at worship, gifts, prayer, their support by putting us on their congregation’s budget and prayer. We are told, in the New Testament, that “the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective”(James 5:16b). To be a righteous person is to obey God, who in his earthly form commanded us to love and pray for each other. Prayer is the power behind palanca, the lever. Palanca is prayer. Palanca is not something written on a piece of paper. Palanca is not a trinket or knick-knack or any other item no matter how lovingly made. Palanca is prayer. It is the actual taking time out at times that may be entirely “inconvenient” to pray for all who are attending the weekend. Palanca is not even intended to be directed at individuals. Palanca is meant for the entire weekend community. Some time ago, Dr. Randy Byrd, a staff cardiologist at the San Francisco General Hospital, conducted his own ten-month experiment with prayer. Of 393 patients to the coronary care unit of the hospital, he assigned 192 of them to Roman Catholic, Protestant and Jewish congregations, giving these people the names and a brief description of their condition, and asking them to pray for the patients daily. The other 201 were not prayed for. No one in that hospital except Dr. Byrd knew who was being prayed for, not even the patients. The results were startling. None of those prayed for needed breathing tubes, for instance, and the prayed-for group faired far better than the not prayed for group. Prayer has a strong effect, even when you are not aware you’re being prayed for. Recently I noted one or two movements touting the fact that to receive palanca from their movement, all one has to do is log on to their website and download it. Where is the prayer and sacrifice in that? No, that is definitely NOT palanca. What have we done to palanca? We have relegated it to a nice, artfully created poster with sentimental and spiritual sayings on it, but prayer and sacrifice are not apparent in such “palanca.” People of the Via de Cristo or any movement based on the Cursillo© movement, I call you back to the basic premise of palanca. Give up something significant while you pray; assume an uncomfortable position as you pray; lay face down and pray; stand on your head and pray; get up at 11pm, 12am, 2am 4am to pray; pray instead of lunch; get together with several others each day to pray for the weekend; spend a solid hour in prayer, anything that is a sacrifice while praying. Tell the people on the weekend what you plan to do, and then do it; but, don’t just send a poster, trinket or letter and forget about prayer and sacrifice. — Rev. Carroll Lang Reprinted from: Via de Cristo National Secretariat

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“Before You Can Live It, You’ve Got to Read It” is a quote from Navigators regarding how to read and study the Bible. Why should we read the Bible? “I already know the Gospel!” “I don’t have time enough as it is.” Well, the Bible tells us, “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.” Acts 17:11-12 Navigators suggests one of three plans for Bible reading. Free pages with these plans are available in the narthex resource area. Pick one up, or all three, and see what works best for you. Challenge yourself to read the the Bible in a year. As you learn to make time in your schedule for daily Bible reading, also don’t forget to make time in your schedule for a Bible study, (see pg. 4), because “Before you can live it, you’ve got to read it” and study it so you will “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Peter 3:15

Speak with Pastor or Dr. Jim if you do not have a Bible or if you would like information or suggestions on a good translation for your reading and study.

VIA de CRISTO NEWS (cont. from pg. 1)

What is (real) Palanca??

Finishing Well - Ken Boa (Continued from page 2)

God's character in light of our circumstances, we come to see that God is never indifferent to us, and that He uses suffering for our good so we will be more fully united to Christ.

Those who finish well maintain an ongoing learning posture through the seasons of their lives. Humility and responsive obedience are the keys to maintaining a teachable spirit. Humility is the disposition in which we displace self through the enthronement of Christ in our lives and realize that all of life is about trust in God. Obedience is the application of biblical faith in that which is not seen, and that which is not yet. As we mature in Christ, we learn to trust God's character and promises in spite of ambiguity or trials.

God has called each of us to a purposeful journey sustained by faithfulness and growing hope. This calling or vocation transcends our occupations and endures beyond the end of our careers. As we seek the Lord's guidance in developing a personal vision and clarity of mission, we move beyond the level of tasks and accomplishments to the level of the purpose for which we were created.

Relationships such as spiritual mentoring, servant leadership, and personal and group accountability are valuable resources that encourage, equip, and exhort. People who finish well do not do so without the caring support of other growing members of the body of Christ. These relationships help us to increase in intimacy with Christ, maintain the needed disciplines, clarify our long-term perspective, sustain a teachable attitude, and develop our purpose and calling.

Spirit-filled living requires us to discover and develop the spiritual gifts we have received and exercise them through the Spirit's power for the edification of others. Believers who finish well are marked by ongoing outreach and sacrificial ministry for the good of other people.

Those who squander the resources, gifts, experiences, and hard-learned insights God has given them by no longer investing them in the lives of others soon wither and withdraw.

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THIS MONTH’S BIBLE STUDIES: Sunday Morning Bible Study with Dr. Jim Cole begins at around 10:30 following

Coffee Hour. Grab a cup of tea or coffee and some goodies and join us as we meet in the choir room for our new series on the Doctrines of the Church. Do you know what soteriology, Christology, eschatology mean? Bring your Bible along, or use one available, and learn with us as we venture through the Bible to discover Christ’s purpose for our lives….

Tuesday Evening Bible Study meets at the Van Steele home in Gallupville and is led by Curt Van Steele. All are welcome to this study which begins at 7:30 each Tuesday evening.

Wednesday Morning Bible Study meets at 9:00am in the choir room (It’s warmer in winter!) and is led by Pastor. We are in the Book of Acts right now. All are welcome to join in the lively conversations and study as we learn about the Acts of the Apostles and the Acts of the Holy Spirit and how that relates to the Holy Spirit working in our lives.

Men’s & Women’s Bible Study – The Women’s Bible Study is a new Bible study begun and meets 8am the 2nd Sat. morning at Evangelical and 6:30pm the 4th Wednesday evening at the Merritt home in Middleburgh. These times coincide to the 2nd Sat. Men’s Prayer Breakfast and the 4th Wed. evening LMM/Men’s dinner and Bible study. The women began at the end of August, but will resume on the 4th Wed. eve in October, due to schedule conflicts. We will finish our study in Oct. on Our Vision/God’s Vision then will begin a new series from Navigators.

If you would like to start your own Bible study or have other ideas for studies, speak with Pastor. There’s always room to have another Bible study going.