February 2009
From the Desk of Pastor Lassman
Your Church---The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
My Fellow Redeemed in Christ,
How much do you know about The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS)? Truth be told, some of you know a lot…but others??? Well, you might not know a lot. So, if you will be patient with me I want to share a few things with you. First, and most important, The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is a Church that is faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it is taught in the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions contained in the Book of Concord. The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is a Gospel centered church that emphasizes what God has done for us in Jesus Christ with His sinless life and His innocent suffering and death. This includes the preaching of God’s Law which not only shows us His will, but also how we have failed to live up to His Law and so are in desperate need of the Good News of God’s forgiveness in His Son. Since the blessings of Jesus Christ are given only through God’s Word and the Sacraments of Baptism and the Altar, these Means of Grace are at the heart and center of our lives together and in our individual walk with our God and Savior. These same Means of Grace give us God’s Spirit and power to resist sin and temptation and to live a life that is worthy of the Gospel. In the “big picture” of all the different denominations the LCMS would be described as “conservative” because we believe that the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God and that God wants us to be faithful to His Word in what we preach, teach, and believe. The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is known in our own country and all around the world for its Confessional position. The name “Missouri” confuses some people who don’t know us very well. It got in the title of the LCMS because that is where it all began in 1847 and that is why our International headquarters is located in St. Louis. Some people think the name should be “updated” but on the other hand our church name is so well known….well, who knows if it will ever be changed. What is most important is what the LCMS stands for in confessing the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The LCMS has around 2.4 million baptized members in about 6,200 congregations in the United States. These congregations are organized into 38 geographical districts. We are in the Northwest District of the LCMS and our headquarters is in Portland, Oregon. Messiah is in “circuit 20” in NE Seattle which has eight congregations (you can see them in the back of our congregational directory). The LCMS has 481 chaplains and pastor counselors and 181 campus ministries and 811 missionaries and mission relationships in 85 countries. In 2009 our congregation supports our missionary, Rev. Ted Krey, in the Dominican Republic, a Lutheran Seminary in Russia, as well as missions in India. You can find out more about these and other missions in the upstairs entrance on the south wall.
Did you know that the LCMS has the second largest parochial school system in the United States? (The Roman Catholics have the largest.) The LCMS has 1, 336 preschools, 977 elementary schools (including our own “Concordia” which is still accepting students) and 109 High Schools. We also have ten University/Colleges that lead to all kinds of degrees including parochial school teachers and other church workers. We have two seminaries for pastors and deaconesses to be educated-- St. Louis, Missouri and Fort Wayne, Indiana. This totals 26,662 educators.
We also have many “auxiliary” organizations such as the International Lutheran Laymen’s League (ILLL) and the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML). The LLL produces radio and television programs such as The Lutheran Hour, Woman to Woman and many Christmas programs such as “The City That Forgot About Christmas” and “The Stable Boy’s Christmas”. You can learn more by going to www.lhm.org. The LWML has been around ever since 1942 but the women of our church were involved back in the 1920’s and even in the 1850’s! The LWML is known for raising millions of dollars for missions through their mite boxes”. You can learn more about the LWML at www.lwml.org. Messiah has a day time group (Ladies Guild-Call Margie Longan) and a night time group (Mary/Martha-call Ann Melvin).
I am running out of space but I hope you will learn more about your church, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) by going to the web page: www.lcms.org. You can find so much there including how to support the missions of your Church. Please check it out and enjoy learning about the church that brings you the Gospel of Jesus Christ through His Word and Sacraments.
In Christ,
Pastor Lassman
2009 LENTEN SCHEDULE
The Lenten Theme is: “The ‘I Am’ Sayings of Jesus”
February 25: “I Am” (John 8:58). This is “Ash Wednesday” and there will be both the imposition of ashes as well as the Sacrament of the Altar.
March 4 “I Am The Door” (John 10:7).
March 11 “I Am Teacher And Lord” (John 13:13).
March 18 “I Am The Vine” (John 15:5).
March 25 “I Am The Light” (John 8:12).
April 1 “I Am The Good Shepherd” (John 10:11).
The Liturgy will be Vespers from Lutheran Service Book, page 229. Time of Service is 7:00pm preceded by dinner at 6:00pm.
From the Vicar
At the Seminary, we have Symposia every year, where some of the professors from both the Fort Wayne Seminary and the St. Louis Seminary, as well as other Biblical Scholars and Theologians from around the country, and sometimes the world come to present papers. During the Symposia hosted at Concordia Theological Seminary in 2007, my first year at the Seminary, a professor from Eastern university, Dr. Phillip Cary, presented a paper distinguishing the difference between Martin Luther’s understanding of faith and that of John Calvin. Some of you may or may not know who John Calvin was, but, in short, he was a man who lived just after Luther, and whose influence is quite widespread in Protestantism. Many of you may be thinking that this really seems like an odd and possibly pointless exercise in academia to try to sift through these two men’s understandings of faith, but please bear with me because the difference is still manifest today. In fact that is why I have chosen to discuss it here.
In Dr. Cary’s paper, he noted that the main difference between Luther’s understanding of faith and Calvin’s comes down to what he calls “reflective faith”. “Reflective faith” is what Calvin believed and what we see in much of American Christianity as well. Briefly, it is the idea that saving faith really must be self aware. As Dr. Cary puts it, “Protestant faith has to be reflective in that it is not enough just to believe; you have to believe you believe, maybe even know you believe.” To designate the difference in another way, Cary uses two syllogisms (ie. If A=B, and B=C, then A=C). The first describes this reflective faith, and it says, “Whoever believes in Christ is saved. I believe in Christ. Therefore, I am saved”. The second describes Luther’s understanding of faith, and it says, “Christ told me ‘I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.’ Christ never lies, but only tells the truth. Therefore, I am baptized (that is, I have new life in Christ).”
At first glance this whole discussion easily appears possibly nitpicky, and probably confusing. After all, would we utterly disagree with the first syllogism, and find it unchristian? No. However, there are implications from limiting our understanding to that premise. When the rubber meets the road, is that where we want our trust to rest, “I believe in Christ”? That is, do we want the emphasis to be on “me” or the promises of God in Christ? Ldr. Cary explains the concern quite well when he says, “That is a pretty hefty requirement for those of us who are weak in faith, or who believe that all sin is rooted in unbelief and we are still sinners at heart (simul justus et peccator, both justified and sinner still). It discourages us from confessing our unbelief and encourages us instead to profess our belief.” To be quite clear, Dr. Cary is not discouraging us to profess Christ, but our belief.
The point is, do we believe in our faith in Christ, or do we believe in Christ? Once again, I know this might sound nitpicky, and that is not the intention. The intention is to take the focus away from us and place it on Christ. The intention is to comfort the sinner who knows that of all things even his or her faith is lacking to some degree or another. Before God we do not say, “God I believe in you, forgive me”, but “God I don’t believe in you enough, for the sake of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinful being.” This is wonderful news to know, because we all doubt at times, and we all never believe perfectly. Knowing that we are not saved by the strength of our belief, but by the blessed work of our gracious Lord and Savior on our behalf, without any merit or worthiness in us, this soothes our aching consciences and gives the peace that the world cannot give.
To God alone be the Glory,
Vicar Zickler
P.S. If you would like to read this article, it is available online at http://www.ctsfw.edu/library/files/pb/2146
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CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY CHOIR HERE MARCH 22
(And your help is needed)
On March 22 we will be blessed with the presence of the Concordia University Concert Choir, Portland, Oregon. Concordia is one of the ten Universities in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. The Choir consists of 50 plus singers. This year Messiah will be a part of the Choir’s Spring/Summer Tour. However, please note that this will not be a concert. The choir will participate in our Liturgy at both services on Sunday, March 22. To make this a success we will need your help in housing 50 plus people Saturday night, March 21. In addition the hosts of the students will need to (possibly) have the student(s) eat with you Saturday night, eat breakfast with you on Sunday morning, and prepare a sack lunch for Sunday afternoon. And finally, hosts will need to provide transportation to the church for the early service. Fifty plus people is a lot of people to put up for the night so we are asking you early to give this some serious thought and prayer. Obviously the more people who volunteer their homes the better it will go! There is a sign up list on the upstairs bulletin board.
CURRENT AND UPCOMING BIBLE STUDIES
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FELLOWSHIP HALL BIBLE CLASS
WHAT: “Daniel”
INSTRUCTOR: Pastor Lassman
WHEN: Sunday Mornings 9:20 a.m.
WHERE: Fellowship Hall
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HIGH SCHOOL BIBLE CLASS SUNDAY MORNINGS
WHAT: “Growing in Christ”
WHEN: Sunday Mornings 9:20 a.m.
WHERE: Youth Room-Room 202
INSTRUCTOR: John Daigneault, Dave Manahan
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MONDAY EVENING MARY/MARTHA BIBLE STUDY
WHAT: “Show Me the Treasure”
WHEN: First Monday of the Month
WHERE: Lounge
INSTRUCTOR: Kathy Lassman
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TUESDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY
WHAT: “1 Corinthians”
WHEN: Tuesday Mornings, 10:30 a.m.
WHERE: Fellowship Hall
INSTRUCTOR: Pastor Lassman
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THURSDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY YOUNG ADULTS
WHAT: “Matthew”
WHEN: Thursdays, 7 p.m. Two Thursdays a month 7 pm
WHERE: Youth Room-Room 202 Lounge
LEADER: Jim Grant Justin Bourn
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ADULT INFORMATION CLASS
WHAT: A 15-week course on basic Christian teachings
WHEN: Thursday Evenings, 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Fellowship Hall
INSTRUCTOR: Pastor Lassman
From the Treasurer 2008 Spending Guide Review
Copies of the 2008 Spending Guide balance sheets are available in the Narthex. Offerings for the year were $34, 279 below budget, ending at 93.5% of our goal. However, expenses for the year were $43,623 below budget, which works out to 92% of the Spending Guide. After adding in interest we were able to pay all our obligations including all of our missions, and still end up with a $11,271 surplus for the year.
I am so thankful to God for the faithful offerings our members give for His work in our church. I had some concerns about the budget in May, but once again God’s people came through. You all definitely make my job as your Treasurer a joy and not a burden!
The Council decided to carry forward the surplus into the General Fund for the next year. This year’s Spending Guide is almost $20,000 higher than last year. Given the current economic climate it may be a tough year, and we may need the financial cushion from our General Fund to make it through. However, your regular giving to God’s work at Messiah will make it possible for us to continue the work of spreading the Gospel to everyone. And we can look forward to a celebration in September when we will have paid off our current mortgage!
To God be the glory!
Harry Edmon, Treasurer
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Men’s Night Out does Groundhog’s Day Monday, February 2nd, 6 p.,m. at the Outback Steak House, 13231 Aurora Avenue North. Please RSVP to Brian Danforth.
The Altar Guild winter meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, February 9th. The Guild meets in the Lounge and welcomes anyone with potential interest to join them. At this time we are 2 members short of our minimum membership of 12. Current active members are Allene Caddy, Stephanie Colbert, Cheryl Gagne, Leslie Greenquist, Jean Holtz, Maizie Johnson, Jean Mindemann, Laurie Mendes, June Scott, and Debbie Viets.
March Messenger deadline is February 15th.
Please help Columbia Lutheran Home by supporting their Auction and Wine Tasting Fundraiser. This popular event will be held on Saturday, February 7th from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Best Western Executive Inn. You can help in the following ways: attend the auction, donate an auction item, volunteer to help at the auction. Please contact Beth Hartman, 206.633.6177 if you are able to help with this fun event
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News from Concordia
Feb 6th - LEST Chili Cook-off: Join us in the gym for the annual LEST Chili Cook-off. Sample many different kinds of chili and vote for your favorite! A free will offering will be taken at the door to support our Cardinal and Black Teams on their trip to LEST (Lutheran Elementary Schools Tournament).
Feb. 12-13th - LEST Tournament in Portland Oregon
Feb. 16th - President’s Day
Feb. 17th - Mid Winter Break
Social Ministry News
Monthly Donations
For February we are collecting deodorants and feminine hygiene products for both Compass Cascade and Immanuel Lutheran. Please put these items into our lounge basket. These are items for women who have temporary housing at Compass Cascade and women who use the facilities at Immanuel Lutheran and then return to the outdoors. Immanuel Lutheran also serves men so men’s deodorants that we collect will go to Immanuel. We have received several thank you notes from these two organizations. They are on the Social Ministry bulletin board, across from the coffee bar.
2008 News
Social Ministry had a great year thanks to wonderful volunteers and a generous congregation. We were able to provide services to our own and outreach to those outside of our church family.
Transportation - This is a service provided to our members who cannot drive themselves to church. Jane Krueger heads this service and faithfully has a driver signed up for every Sunday. She is always looking for new drivers so if you can help out please contact her. Thank you to Jane and all of her volunteers!
Monthly Donations - This is an outreach to our Compass Center shelters and is headed up by Margaret Sylwester and delivered to the shelters by Robin Arbuckle. Thank you to Margaret and Robin and to all of the congregation who bring in the donations. The program is so successful because of all of you!
Bag Collection - Plastic and paper bags are collected in the big wooden box in the Fellowship Hall throughout the year. These are taken to the University Food Bank by Sue Hewitson. They are always so happy to get them so keep the bags coming.
Lenten Dinners - Social Ministry signs up volunteers and prepares our Lenten dinners. Without these volunteers it could not be done. This is our money maker to provide dollars for our other projects. In 2008 we made $942 after expenses for projects. Kathy Lassman works very diligently to get matching funds from Thrivent for this project and other projects that bring in donations. A big thank you to Kathy.
School Bags for LWR - Donations by the congregation in late summer and early fall are put into cloth bags and sent all over the world by Lutheran World Relief. Some of these children have never seen school supplies so this is a very worthy project. Kathy Lassman and Dorothy Bellin sew the bags, Kathee McAlpine does the creative bulletin boards and the Jr. and Sr. High Sunday School classes assemble the supplies in the bags. This year we filled 55 bags under the leadership of Cheryl Kohring. Thank you to all of you.
Thanksgiving Food Collection - Again this project would not be successful without your donations of food. This year the food was taken to the University Food Bank by Jim and Sue Hewitson. The display was arranged by Margie Longan, Margaret Sylwester, Bob Zimmerman and Sue and Jim Hewitson. Thank you for helping those in need in our community.
Christmas Projects - Vicar Zickler brought a request from the Seminary asking for donations of gift cards for the Seminary students. The cards are used for the students to buy gifts for family members or themselves. The cards are for $25 and the student is given 3 or 4 cards. The Council voted to use $1000 of Social Ministry money for the purchase of the gift cards. The gift cards were purchased from Concordia School script program so the school also benefitted. Look for pictures on the bulletin board from the event where the cards were distributed.
Lake City Kids Christmas Project - This project is done in partnership with Maple Leaf Lutheran Church. The project is huge but we do our part by the congregation taking 25 names of children from the bulletin board tree and buying gifts for that child. The gifts are then taken to Maple Leaf who does the wrapping and distribution. This task was headed up by Kathee McAlpine from the bulletin board to the delivery of the gifts. Doesn’t it warm your heart to know we made 25 children happy on Christmas morning. Thank you to Kathee and the congregation for the ability to participate in this wonderful project to reach out to our community.
Lenten Dinners 2009
Lenten dinners will begin on February 25th. I am looking for volunteers to help with preparation, serving, and clean up. Preparation begins at 3:30, serving people should arrive at 5:30 and clean up begins at approximately 6:15. Please look for the sign up sheet on the bulletin board in the upstairs hallway.
Sue Hewitson, Social Ministry Chair
Sunday School News
When we watch the little ones come around the corner and head to their part of the church, it is such a pleasure that we sometimes forget about the serious side of that wonderful hour every Sunday morning. May the amazement, joy and enthusiasm of the little ones to be part of the Kingdom of God continue as we mature.
This February our lessons are all about Jesus’ amazing power. We begin with “Jesus and the Little Children” and learn of the power of His love. “Jesus Heals a Man Who Is Paralyzed” and “Jesus Heals Jairus’s Daughter” will teach us about His power over illness, sin and death. The fourth lesson is “The Transfiguration”, this man is God; He has the power to transform our lives.
The students have a long term mission undertaking, LAMP (Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots). LAMP brings the word of God to some very inaccessible places in the far north and along the northwest coast of America. The offerings that the students give every Sunday School are held in a special account until a reasonable amount is ready to send on. We have $322.41 set aside and a check will soon be sent to LAMP.
This year the students also had a short term mission project. With your help the Christmas “Sock Tree” resulted in a big box full of winter weight socks. The woman at the Compass Center, who received them, was very grateful, with this winters cold and snow she said they could not have come at a better time.
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New Educational Opportunity
Jim Grant will begin a new study on “Matthew” on Thursday, February 5th at 7 p.m. The class meets in the Youth Room.
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) News
The mission of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League is to assist each woman of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod in affirming her relationship with the Triune God so that she is enabled to use her gifts in ministry to the people of the world.
Ladies Guild
February 11, 12 noon “Soup Pot” Luncheon
Bring 1 cup cooked vegetables and your “Mite” money
Project Day
February 28, 9:30 to 2:30
Several quilts are ready to be tied, squares for quilts need to be cut, etc.
Bring a sack lunch
Olympic Zone Prayer Service
Sunday, February 22 at St. James Lutheran Church, 19510 Bothell Everett Highway in Bothell.
Lunch will be served at 2 p.m. followed by the Prayer Service.
Mary/Martha Ministries
Monthly Women’s Bible Study Monday, February 2nd, 7 p.m.
We will continue the study of the Sermon on the Mount out of Matthew. This month’s study is “Show Me the Treasure”. All women of Messiah are welcome.
Mites - When you are making your New Year’s resolutions, why not add filling a Mite box. Your change goes a long way in supporting Lutheran Mission activities around the world. Bring your boxes back on the last Sunday of the month.
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. Luke 10:38-39
Prayer Tree Ministry Luncheon
Date: Sunday, March 1, 2009
Time: 12:00 Noon
What to Bring: Prayer Tree Notebooks
Messiah’s annual prayer tree luncheon will be held on Sunday, March 1st, following the late service. Some of you are familiar with the prayer tree and have utilized it in the past. For those of you who are new to Messiah, here is a brief description of our ministry.
The Prayer Tree ministry was established by Mary-Martha Ministries (our evening women’s group) to “meet the prayer needs of our congregation”. Messiah members with a prayer request contact Pastor Lassman, who “activates” the prayer tree. A document listing our current members and the way our group is structured is posted on the Mary-Martha bulletin board. Once our members receive a prayer request from their branch leader, they will pray for a specified amount of time. All of our prayer requests are considered confidential unless we are told otherwise.
We have had some changes to our group for 2009. We welcome Jane Krueger as our new coordinator, who is stepping in for Fred and Jean Holtz. Many thanks to Fred and Jean for serving so faithfully for over 10 years. We also thank Pat Rodeman, Kris Sharpe, and Leslie Miller for their service as branch members.
We are always open to receive new members. If you are interested, this would be an excellent time to join. The only requirements are a willingness to pray, attend a brief orientation, and sign a confidentiality form.
If you have any questions about the Prayer Tree Ministry or would like to become a member, I’d be happy to hear from you.
In Christ,
Stephanie Colbert
Youth News
Senior High
Starting February 25th, Ash Wednesday, High Schoolers will meet following the Lenten services to go out together for dessert and fellowship.
Sunday, March 1st High School youth will have a Progressive Dinner for the evening instead of the Bible study. If you are interested in providing one of the meals for the dinner please notify Vicar Zickler or the office staff. We will be looking for drivers to take people around from home to home as well.
Saturday, March 28th we have plans for the Senior High youth to go on a video scavenger hunt. This should be a lot of fun. We plan to meet at church around 3 p.m. Allow groups to “hunt’ and take videos and then regroup back at church for dinner and watch the videos. Rumor has it there will be prizes for the best and most successful video hunters.
Junior High
Sunday, March 1st following the late service around 12:30 we will meet at church in the Fellowship Hall and head out for some fun at Funtasia. Bring a permission slip and money for snacks and video game playing. Lunch and tokens for mini golf, go-carts, bumper cars and laser tag will be provided. We will plan to be back at the church between 3:30 and 4 p.m. depending on when we get started.
For all the above events look for posters/sign-up sheets on the youth bulletin boards to sign up for the event or to sign up as a volunteer chaperone or driver for the event. Also there will be further information provided in the Sunday bulletins prior to the events.
